Hi, remember me?

Sorry I've been gone so long. I've not been myself. Uninspired and so out of it! This week has been a little better, though.

What I've been up to:

-Today I finally cleaned up my projects and can now eat at the dinner table!

-I made the mini buttermilk-orange donuts seen above

-Yesterday I ate an entire box of mac and cheese by myself

- So much NPR

Things to come:

 -Get ready for some outfits and Spring styling ideas featuring clothes from Beats & Bohos!

-My hair might be featured in a magazine soon (we'll see!)

-A giveaway!

-Hopefully more mac and cheese

Stay tuned!

♠

Recipe: Skinny Pumpkin Bread

If I set my mind to it, I can work through a loaf of pumpkin bread in a couple of days. I'm trying hard to not polish this loaf off before my husband gets any, but just in case, I made it a tad healthier by cutting down on the sugar and replacing the oil with yogurt and apples. The result? A super moist, pumpkin bread packed with the delicious flavors and textures of Fall. Trust me, you won't miss the sugar or the fat!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups whole wheat flours

½ cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp white sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or just good old cinnamon)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup chopped apple

½ cup fat-free plain yogurt

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup brandy (or water)

¼ tsp maple flavoring

¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 tsp flax or chia seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

2. Whisk together your dry ingredients. Toss in the chopped apple and stir to coat.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, yogurt, maple flavoring, and brandy or water. Mix thoroughly. 

4. Add your pumpkin mix to the dry ingredients along with the nuts, seeds, and cranberries. Mix until just combined.

5. Pour into a well-buttered 9x5 loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until your tester stick comes out clean. Turn out onto rack to cool before slicing.

Idea: A slice of this pumpkin bread and few slices of sharp cheddar make a delicious lunch!

♠

Country Escape: Part 2

Another country adventure! I helped out with my niece again while my sister celebrated her college graduation in Hawaii. We didn't have quite as much sun, or adventure, as Maddie had in Hawaii, but it was still a wonderful, relaxing week.

 Nothing says "summer in the country" quite like daisies.

Emmett, my mom's corgi. He's a great farm dog who takes pride in his work, the way a corgi should.

 Frida coming over to see what I was doing sitting in the grass.

Garlic harvest

I made rhubarb hand pies with rhubarb from my mom's garden. They're maybe the prettiest things I've ever baked.

 Going for a walk along the logging road. We were nearly eaten alive by mosquitos!

♠

Recipe: Buttermilk-Pear Bread Pudding

When was the last time you saw fruit for $.69 a pound? Yeah, I can't remember either, so when I drove past a fruit stand the other day with a sign that read "Pears $.69/pound" I had to stop. I had planned to make most of the pears into jelly or pear butter, but I had some buttermilk and lots of old bread to use up, so I decided to make a bread pudding as well. And of course I'll share the recipe with you!

 Ingredients:

About 5 cups stale bread

2 cups buttermilk

¾ cup sugar

1 Tbsp brandy or mead

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp honey

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

5 eggs

¼ cup cranberries

2 pears

Directions:

1. Cut up the bread into cubes and place in an oven set to 200º. This will dry the bread out so it doesn't fall apart when soaked in eggs. Alternatively, you can cut it up and leave it to dry for a couple days.

2. Whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, brandy/mead, vanilla, honey, spices, and eggs in a large bowl.

3. Add in the dry bread and mix until completely coated. Place in the fridge and let sit for up to 2 hours.

4. Chop up the pear into small chunks, reserving 2 or 3 slices if you want to decorate the top of your pudding like I did.

5. When the bread has soaked for an hour or two, mix in the chopped pears and cranberries.

6. Heat the oven to 375º and thoroughly grease a baking dish.

7. Pour the bread mixture into the baking dish and place in the oven. Cook for 25 minutes.

8. When the timer goes off, remove the pudding from the oven, but don't turn the heat off just yet! At this point you're going to butter the top of the pudding and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Put back in the oven for another 25 or 30 minutes.

9. When the timer goes off, cut into the middle of the pudding to make sure it's cooked all the way. There may be a little liquid from the pears, but this will be clear-ish. If it still looks too gooey, put it back in, but make sure it doesn't burn!

10. Serve with buttermilk and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

♠

Recipe: Everything Cookies

These are basically oatmeal cookies, but with some improvements and additions. They vary a little every time I make them, since I usually use what's on hand, so this recipe can be tweaked to your taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Dash of cinnamon

-

1 stick of unsalted butter

½ cup coconut butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

-

½ package chocolate chips

¾ cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots, etc.)

½ cup chopped nuts

3 cups oatmeal or other rolled grain

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°f

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, coconut butter, and the sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the maple flavoring and vanilla extract.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and dash of cinnamon.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until fully combined.

4. Add the oatmeal (rolled rye and barley are great, too!) and dried fruit, followed by the chocolate chips and nuts.

5. Make golf ball-sized balls of cookie dough and place 1 to 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack or plate and let cool.

Notes:

These can be dairy-free by using all coconut butter instead of regular butter, but make sure the chocolate chips are dairy-free, too!

Needless to say, if you have a nut allergy, leave out the nuts!

...

I'm out of practice when it comes to taking pictures of clothes, plus all I can think about wearing are those boots I posted about the other week. They are pretty much all I wear right now. My feet have never been so warm and happy. One sad note though, turns out the plastic used for the soles was very brittle, so they cracked by day 2. I am planning to have them repaired, if possible, but I'm not too worried, since the boots aren't leaking or anything.

For now, enjoy the picture of the tiny pie I made :) I got brave and made pate brisee. It was much easier than I thought it was going to be!