Apple and Pumpkin
/One thing you should know about me: I love the fall. That is why we got married in the fall. I love the colors, the flavors, and the crisp feel outside (that's not yet too cold) that is intermingled with the smell of fireplaces. Ahh, sweet fall.
I get this super anxious feeling in the fall. Oh my goodness, so much fall food goodness and not enough time to make it all! Then I remind myself that it's okay to continue fall flavors into the wintertime. There is no law permitting my baking similar foods in the winter as I do in the fall. Whew, what a relief! But still, the "must bake everything now" mentality persists.
Two of my favorite fall foods is...you guessed it...apples and pumpkins. I start gathering recipes - Cooking Light, Real Simple, all my blogs, random Internet searches. I also start looking at old recipes that I could revisit. Then I print or tear them out and a stack begins.
My first recipe of the season begins with a Pumpkin oat muffin. I found it while at the Kauai airport waiting for our fight. I had just had a pumpkin carrot muffin from Kalaheo Cafe. And so this year's fall obsession began.
However, the Pumpkin oat muffins just didn't make the grade for me. It was somewhat bland and just not sweet enough. Where's the sweet spice (think chai)? Josh suggested I "play" with the recipes to see if I could tweak it into a better recipes. So I tried again. No luck. Trash that recipe.
After two failures, I had to have a success. I WANT MY PUMPKIN. I went back to a tried & true recipe. One that I had left in the binder for far too long. Why haven't I made this one in so long? It's from my freshman year of college. One of my floor-mates, Randi, had a loaf that she shared - her mom had made it. I asked for the recipe - bam.
This turned out much better. Much, much better. Oh so much better. Did I say it was better?
But let's not forget about the apples. Oh, I love thee apples. Such sweet and tangy goodness. For a savory dish, I love them with pork. Yum! But you know me, I love sweet things. One of my favorite recipes for apples is an apple cake that my sister got from a friend at Yale. Then she made it for us, and then I got the recipe. But I didn't make this recipe, I wanted to try something new - be adventurous. Who knows where the next best recipe lies?
I get an email every week from Gojee, a very cool recipe site especially for those on iPads. I think they did a good job of compiling food bloggers recipes in a very cute way. Check out their "thinking" phrases (when you click on something, and the computer is "thinking"). Anyway, I got a recipe for Chai Spiced Apple cake. Now that sounds delish. Now I just need an occasion to make it.
Well, Saturday Josh was going to a Duck vs. Husky football game with some friends. Before they had a BBQ potluck. Guess what I was asked to bring? Dessert! Perfect timing. So I make my new cake recipe. Verdict: A winner! The frost on topping just makes it sooo good.
I get this super anxious feeling in the fall. Oh my goodness, so much fall food goodness and not enough time to make it all! Then I remind myself that it's okay to continue fall flavors into the wintertime. There is no law permitting my baking similar foods in the winter as I do in the fall. Whew, what a relief! But still, the "must bake everything now" mentality persists.
Two of my favorite fall foods is...you guessed it...apples and pumpkins. I start gathering recipes - Cooking Light, Real Simple, all my blogs, random Internet searches. I also start looking at old recipes that I could revisit. Then I print or tear them out and a stack begins.
My first recipe of the season begins with a Pumpkin oat muffin. I found it while at the Kauai airport waiting for our fight. I had just had a pumpkin carrot muffin from Kalaheo Cafe. And so this year's fall obsession began.
However, the Pumpkin oat muffins just didn't make the grade for me. It was somewhat bland and just not sweet enough. Where's the sweet spice (think chai)? Josh suggested I "play" with the recipes to see if I could tweak it into a better recipes. So I tried again. No luck. Trash that recipe.
After two failures, I had to have a success. I WANT MY PUMPKIN. I went back to a tried & true recipe. One that I had left in the binder for far too long. Why haven't I made this one in so long? It's from my freshman year of college. One of my floor-mates, Randi, had a loaf that she shared - her mom had made it. I asked for the recipe - bam.
This turned out much better. Much, much better. Oh so much better. Did I say it was better?
But let's not forget about the apples. Oh, I love thee apples. Such sweet and tangy goodness. For a savory dish, I love them with pork. Yum! But you know me, I love sweet things. One of my favorite recipes for apples is an apple cake that my sister got from a friend at Yale. Then she made it for us, and then I got the recipe. But I didn't make this recipe, I wanted to try something new - be adventurous. Who knows where the next best recipe lies?
I get an email every week from Gojee, a very cool recipe site especially for those on iPads. I think they did a good job of compiling food bloggers recipes in a very cute way. Check out their "thinking" phrases (when you click on something, and the computer is "thinking"). Anyway, I got a recipe for Chai Spiced Apple cake. Now that sounds delish. Now I just need an occasion to make it.
Well, Saturday Josh was going to a Duck vs. Husky football game with some friends. Before they had a BBQ potluck. Guess what I was asked to bring? Dessert! Perfect timing. So I make my new cake recipe. Verdict: A winner! The frost on topping just makes it sooo good.
