Pumpkin Poke Cake with Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce

Thaw 2 cups of home grown pumpkin puree from your freezer (or purchase pumpkin puree) 

Mix:

2 1/4 c. organic all purpose flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 1/2 tsp. non-gmo baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. homemade pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. organic cinnamon* optional

Add the pumpkin puree to the dry ingredients, and add 1 tsp. of homemade vanilla extract.  

Bake in a 9 x 13 in baking pan sprayed with organic non-stick oil spray.  350° for 25-30 minutes.  Check center with a toothpick.

Allow to cool completely.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon poke holes in the top of the cake and drizzle homemade whiskey butterscotch sauce.  I do not measure.  I simply drizzled it into each hole made.  Top cake with organic whipped cream,  sprinkle a bit of homemade pumpkin pie spice on top and drizzle more whiskey butterscotch sauce and if preferred some chopped organic pecans.  Store in refrigerator.

This is good, but it's better when you use more of the butterscotch sauce.

Lemon Balm Tincture ~ Echinacea Tincture ~ Sage Tincture

Remember all of that lemon balm I grew?   I dehydrated it for teas and tincture making.   Well it's tincture time.  I'm making all three mentioned.  Only one will be made later, as it is currently out of stock and I did not grow it this year (echinacea).

Not only will they be utilized individually, but together.  I have a daughter who often gets canker sores in the fall, after school starts, and this combination is said to work.

You can read about the canker sore relief at LearningHerbs.

The lemon balm tincture can be helpful as a sleep aid, and a lemon balm tea can be used to help sweat out a fever. Lemon balm is soothing and also an astringent.  It helps relieve colds and flu.  It's also known for helping reduce a headache, and an aid to reduce or prevent cold sores.

The sage tincture aids healing sort throats and mouth irritations due to it's antiseptic and astringent qualities.

The echinacea tincture aids the healing process of wounds.  Echinacea has been known to purify the blood.

Random Tidbits

It cooled down quickly (woke up to the 40's) here, so home grown sweet potatoes, green bell peppers and garlic went into good use - sweet potato chili.  

After running into the basket in the kitchen too many times, my extent of "fall" decor was placing those hard-as-a-rock pie pumpkins on the porch ledge.  

The dead bolt on one of the doors broke.  I had to gently lay that news on Hubby.  It was stuck locked, and the latch to turn it broke.  Good thing I have another door to use. 

Avoiding the garden for the most part of the day, I baked some flourless brownies...

Whipped up some more whiskey butterscotch sauce....

Made a jar of homemade pumpkin pie spice.

Homemade pumpkin pie spice

3 Tbsp. organic ground cinnamon

2 tsp. organic ground ginger

2 tsp. organic ground nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. organic ground all-spice

1 1/2 tsp. organic ground cloves

Mix and store in an airtight container.  I used a recycled baby food jar that was given to me.

I baked my first pumpkin poke cake, making the cake mix from scratch and using homegrown pumpkin puree.  Oh, and used homemade whiskey butterscotch sauce for the filler.  I'll have another post with the recipe.

I lied about the tomatoes.  I went out to pull stakes and plants and ended up picking another 6#.  

I made more homemade "lysol" wipes.  I have a big cleaning day in my bedroom and just about anywhere else after that.

I planted parsley and basil seeds in my kitchen window pots.

Emptied the dehydrator of lemon balm and filled it up with parsley.  I love the smell of fresh parsley.  The stems went into the freezer for future broth/stock recipes.  Tip:  Tie the stems together and simply toss them into the pot or roaster pan you making your broth/stock in.

I whipped up some organic buttermilk corn bread.  I make my own buttermilk by measuring 1 cup of organic milk and adding 1 Tbsp. of organic lemon juice.  

Today's plan?  It all depends on the weather.  We woke up to a chilly 42°F.

Carrot Top Mouth Wash ~ Carrot Tops ~ Food delivery and tidbits

Although our carrot harvest was zero this season, we still had carrot tops.  You know our family motto?

Waste nothing.  Not that there was much to waste either.

I used some of the tops to make homemade mouthwash.

Boil 3 cups of water, and add a half cup of chopped organic carrot tops.  Simmer on the stove top for about 20 minutes.  Steep for an additional 30 minutes then strain.  Store in the refrigerator.  Simply gargle each day in place of your store brand mouth wash.  Carrot tops have antiseptic qualities.

We stole off on a motorcycle ride the other night, and delivered meals.  I just happened to get a call the night I made salmon romanoff, from one of the girls.  Of course she asked, "what's for dinner?"  and "can you bring me some?"  Luckily, I was already delivery a meal with pie to my Dad, so we packed up another meal for her.  She later texted me "OMG that was heaven" ha ha ha!  Kids!  

It's that time of year again, when I have to rack up points in order to keep our health insurance at the same price we pay.  What a joke it is too.  I have to sit at the computer and watch the most boring videos and click a hundred times to "read" articles and then take a test to pass.  Just a waste of my time.  I don't even watch or read, I just click and flip thru the questions.  I know them all anyway, especially the eating well stuff.  Man, it's taking a lot of time that I could be ripping out the garden (which needs done in a bad way).  

You would not believe how much time I waste just for 25 lousy points, and we are each to acquire 1,000 points.  Some slideshows are 38 minutes long and while watching one, it logged me out 3 times.   You can't just play it and go clean something either.  They randomly ask questions for you to click on for the slideshow to continue.  

Okay, off my soapbox on the insurance points.....

I went with my youngest to the "big city" and we both got real haircuts.  Boy it felt great too.  First time in two years for me, about a year for daughter.  

Rain Barrels ~ End of the Garden ~ Salmon Romanoff

I've lacked the motivation to do much of anything for winter prep, and slacking horribly.   I finally went out and drained all the rain barrels and flipped one upside down.  That was the extent of my "winter prep."  One barrel has poison ivy growing in front.  Wonderful.  I'm flipping the rest today.

It's a winter without beets as well.  I did my first dig and they are the size of the carrots - pathetic.  All that weeding for nothing.  Can't even save the greens - tops dying off.

I took some time to dig up more carrots, but if you saw my post about it, they are getting tossed.  No carrot seeds saved this year either.

I saved some of the carrot tops.  I'll have another post for that project.

More tomatoes were picked - 7#.  Last picking.  Plants are coming out.  I would have started it yesterday, but I left my knife in the house, and walking back and forth to get it was not on the agenda - too hot anyway.

Global warming has me concerned we won't be able to survive without a green house now.  This tough garden year really has be thinking about food shortages and with all the store food contaminations and recalls, I really don't want to be buying it.

I got some homemade condensed cream of celery made, and in the freezer for winter.

Salmon Romanoff was for dinner, with salmon caught by my oldest brother and gifted to us.  Yum!

Salmon Romanoff
1/2 finely chopped organic shallots
1 clove home grown garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. organic butter
1 cup organic cottage cheese
2 cups organic sour cream
5 dashes home canned hot sauce*
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. cooked salmon, flaked
12 oz. medium homemade noodles*
1 cup shredded organic shredded cheddar cheese*

Saute the shallots in the butter until they are clear, then add the garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and toss them into a large mixing bowl and add the cottage cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt. Flake the salmon and mix.

Preheat ove to 325°F and lightly oil (or spray) 9 x 13 in baking dish.

Cook noodles and drain.  Stir into mixture and pour into baking dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake approximately 30 minutes.

*5 dashes of Tabasco sauce can be substituted.
*I some times any non-gmo/organic store brand noodle too.  Amount of noodles can be changed as well.
*I like to put an additional 1 cup of organic shredded cheddar cheese in the mix too.  

I apologize for no photo of the dish, we took off right after to deliver some of it to two places.  I'll try to get a photo next time and add it to this post.

Time is a tickin' ~ Boozy sauce topped pear pie ~ This is it . . .

Monday we woke up to lots of fog.  Although school was delayed, our youngest still had to be up at her school (33 minute drive) earlier than normal bus pick up time.  She was heading to her first hair show.  I'm gonna assume next year she'll be going and spending more money as she learns more.

The temps heated back up again, but it came with rain.  So frustrating as I cannot get in the garden to get the garlic planted.  I don't want to say it, but it may be the first fall we do not plant garlic.  This year has taught me that planting too late is just not worth the work followed by loss of harvest.

I remembered I had pears in the freezer, so those pie crust crumbles came in handy.  

It was my very first time to bake a pie using frozen fruit vs. fresh.  I thawed them completely, but they didn't look like the normal 2 1/2# fresh (meaning not enough).  I thawed 5# of frozen and drained them.

It turned out perfect.  Although the pears much softer, it was still delicious.

Of course I whipped up a batch of homemade whiskey butterscotch sauce to top it with too.

It was a busy day in the kitchen, whether I wanted it or not.  Things needed done - eggs boiled, breakfast scramble make with greens, and bake and flake some Michigan salmon. 

I had to refill my jars of nettle and oat straw, wash dishes, and whatnot. 

The rain gave me a ton of lemon balm, so more filled the dehydrator despite the temperature 94° outside. I'll have a post soon on the lemon balm.

This is it. . . 

. . . the green bell pepper harvest.  They will not be getting bigger and the blossoms that were on are off.  Pitiful harvest and disheartening.  The weather heated up, but the cool down (less than a week) is coming and they won't be in the garden much longer.  

Weekend Updates ~ Freezer Pie Crust Crumbles Tip ~ probably my boring-est post yet

Friday we woke up to the chilling 40's again, and rain.  Yes that is a morning moon photo.  Weeding was ruled out upon onset of the day.  That's okay, I had floors to sweep and mop, vacuum etc.  Bills to pay, one errand to run, and so on.

I managed to snatch up a small amount of organic yellow squash.  It's now in the freezer.

My 19 year old daughter called.  She needed to vent.  She's now the manager of a video store, and often has employee issues.  I just put my phone on speaker and let her talk.  It was nice to hear from her.

Late evening our oldest daughter called.  Had a flat and could not get her tire off.  Hubby gave her advice, as it was too late to drive all the way there, and we were no help Saturday morning, other than giving her a ride.

Saturday it heated up to the mid 80's.  Muggy and more rain. Air conditioners off, air conditioners on... conversations started early out on the porch, and the garlic bed was discussed.  Rain is the issue.  I brewed the 3rd pot of coffee and still didn't have a plan for the day.  Couldn't muck the coop, hand laundry out, till, weed, etc.

Hubby had to work, so it was one daughter and I.  Started out the day cooking some whiskey-apple bacon to make breakfast sandwiches with. Cleaning resumed as the rain came down (again).  Knitting resumed.

I got a few knitted dishcloths done (photos to share later).  The weather has just been crazy, but typical for our October - hot, cold, rain, cold, rain, hot, fog...frustrating to say the least.

The strange fall-spring like weather helped me cross off one more thing off my "to-do" list - restock the freezer pie crust crumbles.  My tip?  

I slice the butter and put it in the freezer.  Then I put it in my food processor with a bit of the flour and pulse until it's in small bits.  Then I use my hand blender (aka butter cutter) to blend it into the flour/salt/shortening mix.  I use King Flour's recipe (found online) using all organic ingredients.

Sunday we woke up to a drizzle, fog, and a somewhat chilly morning (60's).  Hubby got called to work first thing.  We had plans for a motorcycle ride, but we are staying home.  I think.

I now have a second spider in my flower bed.  Despite rain, both are still there.  Hubby better get to work at moving them.

I also went to porch this morning, and sat down to enjoy my bacon/egg and cheese sandwich.  Just as I sat down, I noticed a frog sitting on the porch bench in front of me, staring at me.  Gently, I got him back in the garden.  Maybe he'll/she'll eat the spiders.