Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Once upon a not so long ago time, Claire quite enjoyed eating pumpkin.  So when I spied a big lovely pumpkin at the farmer's market a few weeks back and asked the owner to sell it to me for half price (because it's February) and she agreed, I came home triumphantly thinking about all of the steamed pumpkin I was going to make for my baby girl, and how much she was going to love it.  Except for one small detail.  It seems she has changed her mind about pumpkin.  So, like anyone with too much already steamed and cubed pumpkin on their hands, I mashed it all up to make pumpkin bread.  Now, 5 loaves and a dozen muffins later, I'm thinking a little soup wouldn't have been a bad idea, but I don't really mind all of the pumpkin bread in the freezer.

I very fondly recall the pumpkin bread of my youth and after searching through many recipes online it was clear why.  A much more appropriate name for most of the pumpkin bread out there would be pumpkin cake.  Nearly every recipe I found called for equal parts white sugar and white flour. Now, I'm not saying that I wouldn't eat that pumpkin bread.... in fact I'm quite sure I'd eat it just fine.  However, knowing that Claire would likely be eating a fair amount of the bread as well I started my search for a slightly more wholesome recipe.  I found a few that were sweetened with honey and used whole wheat flour but wasn't thrilled with the results.  I changed a few things around here and there and the following recipe is what I came up with

Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread
(makes one loaf or 10-12 muffins, depending on size)

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
3-4 TB oat bran
3-4 TB flaxseed meal
1 t cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp (heaping) cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c coconut oil
1/3 c honey
1/3 c milk
1 1/4 c pureed pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 c chopped walnuts or pecans

*preheat oven to 350F and grease loaf pan or muffin tin
*in a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients
*in another bowl, mix together all wet ingredients
*add wet mixture to flour mixture, stirring until combined, fold in nuts
*pour batter into loaf pan or muffin tin and bake until cooked through (toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean), about 45-50 minutes for loaves and about 20-25 minutes for muffins

*using coconut oil was a little tricky, but I preferred the end result with it compared to other oils I tried.  I warmed it up ahead of time, added it in liquid form and still had to put my smaller mixing bowl with the wet ingredients in a pan of simmering water to keep it (the coconut oil) from solidifying as I added cooler ingredients, such as the milk, egg, and pumpkin.  I suppose if you let those come to room temp first you may not have to worry about it.  Next time, I'll do that.

haiku Friday~ steps

I had fun with the diaper haiku a few days ago, and have decided to take a very small step in organizing my writing here a bit with this: haiku Friday.  An original haiku likely addressing something that's going on in our little corner of the world.  I suppose it'd be nice if a photo accompanied the writing, but (due to a lack of relevant photo) not today.  Today it's sweet and simple.  


practicing her steps
watch as the confidence grows
steady little toes

the case of the mysterious missing egg

Yesterday I checked the chicken coop in the late morning and there was one egg.  Said egg was being sat on by gentle Pearl, our Buff Orpington, so I decided to let her be and collect it (with hopefully at least one more) later on.  So imagine my surprise when, upon my return hours later, I lifted the door and saw not one, not two, but zero eggs!  Hmmm.  Confused, I recalled the morning and tried to remember myself collecting the egg... but since that never happened, I just couldn't remember doing it.  I even called Mike at work to verify the number of eggs in the carton that morning.  Three.  Yep, still just three in there.  So where (oh where?) did that egg go?  Did a snake get it?  We've seen some snakes in our yard, but none lately.  Did one of the hens eat it?  I've heard you have to be careful of that, and perhaps that would explain the previous two eggs that we've found with a small little hole in the shell. (from pecking, perhaps?)  But honestly, I was and am clueless.  Lesson learned?  When I see an egg, collect the egg.  Okay.  Easy enough.

We've gotten a little lazy about closing the coop door at night, which sounds terrible, I know.  But our reasoning has been that despite our efforts to encourage and coax him in, Wolfie is predominantly an outdoor dog and with his (still very high level of) interest in the hens, we weren't too worried about anything getting in to bother them.  But last night, just in case, I closed it.

This morning around 8am Mike came home, let the hens out, and collected 2 eggs.  Typically, they've been mid to late morning layers, somewhere around 10am or so.  I'm thinking maybe they got bored sitting around inside and figured since they had nothing better to do, they might as well just go lay some eggs.  Another lesson learned: closing the coop door at night possibly gets them to get down to the business of laying earlier in the day, so we can easily collect the eggs first thing.  None of this disappearing egg nonsense.  I hope.

But where did that egg go?

sunny day projects

Although we've had many cold and snowy days this Winter, this month has been so very different from last February.  Then we found ourselves buried in snow and ice, bundled up and hunkered down with a wee new babe and sleepy eyes.  Seldom did we venture out except for wood and sometimes groceries.  But now?  Well, the last several days have been sunny, clear and warm and have gotten us out working on projects and letting the sun warm our bones.  I keep reminding myself (though I'm believing it less and less...) that we do indeed still have a good bit of Winter coming our way.  We are still barely less than 2 months away from our last frost date, after all.  And yet I'm planting seeds in my mind, letting my bare feet get out and play a bit, and hanging diapers on the line.  I'll take it.  And I'll welcome the wintry days ahead as well.  I'm not done with fireside soup and tea just yet anyway.  And Claire still needs to take a debut sledding trip~  Oh yes, those days are coming (I think) and are still welcome around here.  But these days, we are up to some good outdoor projects:

I know, mom, the bangs are getting ridiculous.... but she won't keep a clip or headband in her hair and I just CANNOT cut her hair yet. (after all, she's still a newborn for crying out loud!)  So let's just focus on the cuteness factor of my little girl being pushed around the yard by papa in a (dirty) wheelbarrow.  Cute, huh?  She likes outdoor projects, too.

this is me wearing my clothespin apron while I hang laundry for the first time in months.... what you can't see is that I'm also wearing a big smile

aha! proof that I really do sometimes pitch in on those "we" projects that usually really mean "Mike's projects".  It's really all about timing and naps, though.... I like working on these things, it just doesn't work out so that I can very often.  But this bookshelf (a 14 foot long shelf to be placed all the way across the top of our living room wall above the mantel) has been on my list for months...

(smile) A better compost system, in place.  We (really, we) dumped out a garbage can full of a rather sludgy, anaerobic mess of scraps this afternoon, mixed in leaves and a bucket of chicken poo, sectioned it off with some handy perfectly sized boards that were lying around the shed, and voila!  A compost conundrum solved.  The conundrum being how to keep Wolfie out of it while at the same time having it open for easy turning and access and keeping it at least somewhat pleasing to look at.  As pleasing to look at as decomposing food and chicken poo can be, anyway.  I am pleased.  Now we have our "sitting and stewing until Spring" bin to the left, and our "fresh new start" bin to the right, with a handy dandy leaf corral that Mike fashioned out of wire to the far right.  Throw in scraps, throw in leaves, dump in poo.... compost!

stewing mess below leaves on left, "fresh, new" rotting scraps on the right.... pretty, eh?

strawberry bed that we (I mean Mike) built... awaiting soil and strawberry plants that are now dormant in the crawl space

that there man has been hard at work replenishing that there woodpile for next year...  I feel like I should note that he splits nearly all of our wood the old-fashioned way, by hand.  Michael Perry, a favorite author of ours, says "firewood warms you twice~ once when you split and stack it, and once when you burn it"

Of course, we have to stop for snacks from time to time.... If you want to make Claire very, very happy all you have to do is give her an apple.  You must not, however, attempt to take the (dirty, slobbery, covered in all sorts of yuck) apple away from her until she's done with it.  If you do, she will unleash her fury upon you.  It can be scary.

mmmmm mmmm good~  (oh look, she ended up with chubby little wrists, after all!)

Oh you know, just taking a relaxing break to eat and catch up on the latest news...

hello from mama! Happy Sunny Days!

Is it possible that I've not yet mentioned on here that our little one is now walking?  Yes, walking.  It started almost a week ago, and it has quickly progressed from a few unsure steps to making it clear across a room all by herself.  Wow.  Our world is a changin'!  Look at that big cute cloth-diapered bottom.... yep, she's got some junk in her trunk, for sure!

a diaper haiku

on the line again
wave like prayer flags in the wind
oh it makes me smile

Yesterday I wrote that few things bring me the satisfaction that an empty sink and a clean countertop do. To the list I must add hanging the diapers on the clothesline.  It's not that I love laundry in general, and certainly not dirty diapers... but hanging the clean diapers out on the line to let the sunshine work it's magic?  I like it.  A lot.  Looks like party decorations in our back yard.

in our kitchen: favorites

Whoever came up with the saying that the kitchen is the heart of the home really nailed it.  Eating, cooking, creating, nourishing, loving, experimenting, laughing..... all to be found in the kitchen.  Even better when all there at once!  Our kitchen is nothing fancy, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I do so love spending time in there.  Time planning and prepping, mixing and tasting, serving and sharing.  Of course there's always the cleaning up after, but that's not so bad.  After all, few things bring me the sense of satisfaction that an empty sink and clean countertops can.  Especially when they follow a great meal and are found alongside some tasty treats.  Perhaps ones still warm from the oven.  Slathered (um, I mean dabbed?) with butter.  And served with some hot tea (maybe chai?) by the fire, with snow gently falling outside and a full moon making the ground all sparkly white and some Billie Holiday or Madeleine Peyroux playing in the background and..... oh, I digress.

What I want to share today are some of my favorite things in the kitchen.  Since I could oh so easily get carried away piddling around in the kitchen looking for and at such items, I feel it would be good to give myself a limit.  Hmmm.  How about 6? Enough to cover a bit of this and that, with a likely wide variety (as I write this I've not yet embarked upon this journey into my kitchen), but not so many to be terribly and utterly boring.  Off I go..... I'm kinda excited.  Seriously.  It's okay if you want to laugh at me~ I don't mind.  I do it all the time.

(time lapse...) Alright~ 6 things.  That was pretty tough actually since there are several things in my kitchen that I feel are my favorites, but here they are, in no particular order:

I found this great stack of 6 wooden bowls at a yard sale for a buck, and they are perfect for Claire!  We use them all the time.

the pour spout we put in our olive oil....... a seemingly small but wonderful kitchen tool that really makes cooking easier and way less messy~

mason jars! any size, any shape..... great drinking glasses, water bottles, and of course, the perfect food storage solution~

hmmm.... I did say in no particular order, but this one probably should have come first.  Some women dream of little boxes filled with sparkly jewels under the tree come Christmas time, but not me.  Mike surprised me with my beautiful enamel dutch oven a few Christmases ago and he couldn't have picked a better gift.  I. love. it.  I think it's way, way better than some diamond studs or a silly tennis bracelet.  Actually, I'm not positive that I even know what a tennis bracelet is, but I'm still pretty sure this is better~

my favorite knife (thanks, Carly!) and a stack of some of my favorite old pyrex mixing bowls, some thrifted, some inherited.... I really like old bowls and while I have several, these are the ones I use the most.

And now for one honorable mention.... not really a kitchen item, but it comes in handy from time to time to be sure.  Thank you, Thai Kitchen, for helping me turn an $0.89 package of dried rice noodles and seasoning into a very tasty and surprisingly healthy dinner when there's just not time (or energy or patience of the little-person sort...) for Mama to make herself a more involved meal.

Sunday morning rambling....

~ Hearing the train while getting Claire down for a nap this morning, I was immediately taken back in time to this time last year, when I'd find myself up at all hours, quietly nursing my tiny new babe, all bundled up (because it was SO much colder than it has been lately) in a quiet house that was still so new to me, and I'd hear that train whistle a mile away.... it was soothing, I heard it often, and somewhere along the lines it became a part of our story.  We've been using some iTunes white noise in the bedroom for several months now and I don't notice the train as often.  I just realized how much I miss it, and how powerful the association of it is for me.  I was right there again, figuring it out, smelling her sweet newborn smell, overwhelmed by all of the emotions and challenges that came with brand new motherhood.  I'm big on memories.  I love looking back at pictures, reading old journal entries.... but this is my favorite kind of recollection... when I can feel it in my bones and be in that place again, even if only for a few moments.  There's nothing quite like it.  I suppose that is one of the very best reasons to live in the moment and truly notice the tastes, sights and sounds of your life..... especially when you find yourself in a moment you'd like to hold onto forever.... when you meet up with those senses again, you get to relive the beauty.

~ I've been thinking about the writing I do here, and about how it has replaced my regular journal in many ways.  I've been thinking that it is all over the place, with no rhyme or reason.... I'm not sure if that needs to be addressed, if I need to give it some structure, some sort of "Monday is food writing, Tuesday is reflections, Wednesday is projects..." yadi yada.... I'm feeling it out.  I know this is mostly for me, this blog.  But I've also come to find out through conversations and such that there are several friends and family members, perhaps even some people that I don't know, who take a peek from time to time to see what we are up to.  This has an impact on the detail and tone in and of my writing, for sure.  Having an audience, even if it's small, even if it is perhaps just a perceived possible audience, changes the way I write.  I like it.  But it has me wondering a little about who is out there... who is stopping by to check in and what you enjoy reading about.  Is it you, ma?  So, if you find yourself here, let me know.  Because to be honest, as much as it really is for me, if it didn't have at least a little to do with you, I'd probably still just be writing in a journal.  Probably.  Maybe not.  It is a whole lot easier to add photos here after all.  I figure if you are looking around here from time to time, we've probably got something in common, something to talk about.  Some connecting to be had.  There's a nifty little place for comments, if you feel moved to connect and share a tad.  Cheers!

need a good pot roast (or bbq'd tofu) recipe?

Last night we had a delicious barbecued venison pot roast for dinner.  So, so tasty.  We came across the recipe years ago after we were both eating meat again and learning how to cook it.  I wanted a "traditional" pot roast... you know, like mom made, and he wanted something different.  We tried this and I've been happy for it to be our go-to recipe whenever we have a beef (or in this case, venison~ thanks to my mom's neighbor) roast.  Which happens once, maybe twice a year.  If you told me ten years ago that I'd be eating meat now, (especially Bambi!) I would have laughed and probably gone on and on about why we should all be vegetarians.  But here I am.  Occasionally I question whether or not I feel good about now consuming other animals, but mostly I'm pretty solid in my decision.  I'm selective about the meat I eat, so that helps.  So this pot roast recipe..... yum.  And actually, I bet if you sliced some tofu or tempeh and poured this homemade bbq sauce over it (minus the Worcestershire) and baked it, it'd be pretty fabulous too!  I think I'll give that a try next go around.

3# roast, excess fat trimmed
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (I always use more)
8oz tomato sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
3 TB apple cider vinegar
1 TB mustard
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper

brown roast in skillet on all sides, place in crock pot.  saute onion and garlic until soft and place in pot with roast. whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over roast/onion/garlic mixture, cover. cook on low for 10 hours, or high for 6 hours. (or until meat is tender and you can't stand smelling it anymore and just have to eat it!)

mmmmm-mmmmm good.

Do excuse the absence of a pretty picture.  You see, I pretty much took the lid off the crock pot and started in on it right there... no fancy plating, no good photo ops.  Mike can verify this.  Apparently the absence of red meat from my diet for many years has caused me to now go to town on it whenever we actually have it.  What can I say?

it's about her, after all...

Ever since Claire's birthday, dozens of photos from our past year have graced the walls of our dining room.   Originally intended as decorations for our impromptu dinner party, I didn't have the heart to take them down.  She thinks they are fabulous, and she was wanting to be picked up and walked around the room so she could see them all.... all the time.  Occasionally, she'd get one in her little hands and I'd gently take it back and stick it back on the wall.  We played this game many times.  And then I realized that I was taking them and putting them back so she wouldn't mess them up.  Hmmmm.  And then I realized how very silly that was, and I started letting her hang onto/lick/crumple them when she wanted one.  And then I decided it'd be a whole lot easier to just hang them down lower.  On her level.  Because it's about her, after all... not me, and most certainly not about keeping photos that cost $0.09 each intact and wrinkle-free.  Wake up, mama!

And I like them a whole lot down there, too!  (hmmmmm....... anyone have an irresistible urge to do some trim painting?  It seems my desire to do so stopped about a year ago... not that it made it very far)

on connecting...

This weather.  Wow.  Today Claire, Wolfie and I went for a nice long walk at the Black Mt. Recreation Park, a place I've often looked over and haven't spent much time exploring.  It's actually a pretty great place with a ton of trails meandering through fields and forest, a rambling creek, a section of paved greenway,  and a disc golf course.  There's also an off-limits-to-the-public ropes course affiliated with Montreat College that is fun to look at and perhaps one day we'll find a way to get in on it.

Today we walked, we watched people play disc golf, we ran into a friend, (as we so often do in our little town) we sat in the sun, and we waved at our shadows.  A few minutes into our walk I passed a woman wearing an Ocracoke sweatshirt and I remarked that that was one of my favorite places.  She then turned around to join us, as she was headed back up the greenway path anyway, and we talked for about 20 minutes about her time living there, what we thought about nesting sea turtles and allowing driving on the beach, her time in Ireland, and a bit of this and that.  I didn't mind the slower pace that I needed to take on to keep her as my walking partner, nor the several decades that stood between us.  In fact, I found both of those quite delightful.  I've noticed lately that I seem to be seeking out opportunities to connect with others more often than I used to.  Maybe because I spend so much time one on one with a baby, probably for several reasons.  I am reminding myself of my own mother, and remembering how I used to find it so embarrassing when she would strike up conversations with complete strangers.  I thought it was pretty silly.  Silly me.

I often think about how we are all filled with lifetimes of stories, experiences, experience..... and about how very much we could learn from one another, about one another, about ourselves, if we took the time to connect with each other.  Of course, I like my personal space and privacy as well, so it's tricky.  I suppose we reach out when we are moved to do so,  and likewise turn inward when we are moved to.

Her name was Annie.  We parted ways once I realized she (and we as well) was headed back towards town, and I hadn't even gotten into the woods yet.  I hope to run into her again.

beautiful days~

Sunday was a BEAUTIFUL day.  Blue sky, birds singing, just a light breeze...... the kind of February day that gets you itching for Spring and it's all you can do not to explode out the door.  So, Claire and I headed to the WNC Nature Center for some exploring, otter-watching, and sheep-petting.  It seems there are several improvements being made and new exhibits being worked on at our local nature center (like a permanent butterfly house!), and I can't wait to explore them all with Claire as she grows and gets more interested in this beautiful, mysterious world!  We met up with some friends and while Claire got her fill of bunny noses and bantam rooster calls, mama got her fill of chatting and grown-up connections... the loveliest kind of outing, indeed.

Monday was quite blustery, and then yesterday was again a BEAUTIFUL day.... I went to a yoga class while Claire hung with papa (I'm actively "putting it on the calendar" and working on cashing in my end of that work trade!) and then babe and I enjoyed a 2 hour hike with another mama and babe close by in Montreat.  

Today is already looking to be a lovely day as well, so perhaps the park?  Another hike?  Soon we'll have to get the bike seat set up and what fun that will be!  Our October beach trip was the first and last time Claire went for a bike ride, and surely that helmet will fit a bit better by now.  

The forecast is showing much of the same for the next week....  sunny, mid 50s...... I know Winter is not over yet, but that is just making us get out and enjoy this that much more.  

love is in the air

A sweet lil' Valentine's Day, complete with scribbly love notes,

yummy locally roasted coffee,

heart shaped blueberry pancakes,

and an exciting, post-breakfast game of chase between Claire and her main squeeze,

with just a short period of rest and recovery,

and ending with laughter and hugs for all!

I even, for the first time, dressed her accordingly for the holiday!

(there was also some Pistachio, Pistachio for mama and some silly mama-original love poems for papa... a la "roses are red" yada yada, but MUCH better!)

FRESH pictures

A week or so ago I wrote briefly about a photo project that I was working on, but didn't give any specifics.  I was asked to take the photos for a local restaurant's website, and I wanted to make sure it all came out well before mentioning it to anyone.  Until now, with the exception of the wedding of some close friends, I've only taken pictures for photo cards or prints.  Never anything really for someone else, at least not in the terms of them specifying what they wanted and me presenting them with that in exchange for payment.  Or, in this case, payment and a credit at the restaurant.  (It involves food? even better!)  Not that this was all that specific, but still, there was the sense that it needed to come out right.  I have turned down opportunities for paid photo jobs before; a couple weddings and a family portrait, for several reasons.  One, because of the potential pressure when there are people and posing and such involved.  Two, I am just not all that good yet and I have a lot (A LOT!) to learn about photography before getting to a place where I may think so.  And three,  I think I just really prefer working with inanimate objects.  Of course I take (and enjoy taking) a ton of photos of my little world and the people in it on an almost daily basis, but that's different.... those are just for me, for us, not really for anyone else.  And there are certainly no expectations.

In the interest of putting myself out there a bit, (in that I am sharing something personal, not in the networking sense) here are some of my favorite pictures from this project....

Yes, this is where the tiramisu came from.... and it was DEEE-licious!  If you live around here and you've not yet eaten at FRESH, do.  It's quite good.  If you like wood fired pizza, pasta, beer, wine, mussels, tiramisu, cannolis, flourless mocha tortes, lots of garlic, and fresh wood fired bread, that is.