Hopeful Homemaker

Pumpkin Bread

November 19, 2010 jennifer All Things Pumpkin, Breads and Rolls

This pumpkin bread will be a nice after school snack for my children today. Simple. I love it.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, divided 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 Tb. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/4 tsp. ginger 1 cup canned pumpkin 1/2 cup milk 2 eggs 1/3 cup shortening 2 drops cinnamon flavoring (the kind you would put in candy) nuts, raisins, chocolate chips or anything you may want to mix in In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and all spices. Add pumpkin, milk, eggs and shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended well. Add 2 drops cinnamon flavoring. Beat on medium or high speed for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining cup flour and beat until blended. Fold in nuts, chocolate chips, raisins or whatever you wish to mix in.

Spray bread pan with non-stick spray. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely. Makes one large loaf.

Enjoy!
Hopeful Homemaker

Pumpkin Dessert Squares

November 18, 2010 jennifer All Things Pumpkin, Desserts

Aah, pumpkin. The word alone conjures thoughts of cool evening air and warm cozy homes, of rich jewel-toned colors and a feeling of being safely gathered in. And baking. These pumpkin dessert squares are another simple yet favorite pumpkin recipe. They’re quick to make and always taste moist and yummy. I’ve found it’s easy to keep the ingredients on hand in case I need to make something last minute, and the layers make it seem fancier than it really is. Because it uses a cake mix the prep is fast and easy to understand, making it a great recipe for kids to help with or manage on their own.

Pumpkin Dessert Squares Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix 3/4 cup butter, divided 1 cup pumpkin 2 tsp. cinnamon, divided 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/4 tsp. ginger 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. allspice 3 eggs 3 Tb. milk 1 Tb. flour 1/4 cup sugar Reserve one cup cake mix and set aside.

Mix remaining cake mix with 1/2 cup of melted butter and 1 egg. Press mixture lightly into the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.

In another bowl, mix pumpkin, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon, and remaining spices together. Add 2 eggs and 3 Tb. milk and mix until fully incorporated and smooth. Pour over cake mixture in pan.

Combine reserved cake mix with 1 Tb. flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup softened butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the pumpkin layer.

Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden.

Cool completely before serving. Slice into squares and enjoy!

I hope you’re enjoying this Thanksgiving season. What a wonderful time of year it is! And if you love pumpkin flavored baking at this time of year, click here for a list of favorite pumpkin recipes.

Jennifer

Birthday Girl

November 18, 2010 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

I don’t post about my older children as often as I do the younger crowd. I’m not sure why. I guess part of it is because I’m a rookie at parenting teenagers, while the little ones don’t intimidate me. Part of it is a desire to leave them free to establish their own identity in our community unhindered by anything that I might say about them on this blog. I don’t want to embarrass them, or post something that could erode their trust in me. Really, though, they’re great kids and I should say more about how much I love and appreciate them.

This beautiful girl, my oldest daughter, is now twelve years old. She is fun to be around, generally cheerful, and manages a lot of activities with great calm. Her two year old sister worships her, and for good cause. She’s kind and helpful and patient with the little ones. She does her own laundry. She usually has something going on almost every day of the week, but she handles everything with grace and enjoys it all. She’s quick, witty and intelligent. She gets a lot of exercise, takes good care of herself, and grows prettier every day. I enjoy being around her. We love her so much.

On a whim, I turned her lunch into a gift. (Please excuse the late-night lighting, but I really wanted to remember this idea.)

I individually wrapped every item that went in her lunch. I picked up a couple of favorite things to surprise her when she opens it at school.

I realize it’s possible that she will be totally embarrassed by it, but I think that she will enjoy having a bunch of small gifts to unwrap during lunch hour. I added a little note to remind her that I’m thinking of her.

Because I am. She’s our beautiful birthday girl.

HH P.S. It’s been a crazy couple of days, but I’ll be back later today with more pumpkin posts! I’m trying to make up for lost time…