Zucchini Pumpkin Bread & Pumpkin Apple Butter

I love a bread recipe that makes 2 loaves.  With our family size, it's the best way for me to make the most of a recipe.  I love this recipe, as it contains two items from my garden, is another use for our eggs, and uses butter.


Our long term goal is to have a jersey cow and make our own butter.

Zucchini Pumpkin Bread

1 cup butter (or stick margarine)

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, beaten (or 3/4 cup egg substitute)

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 cup grated zucchini

1 cup canned pumpkin (I used pie pumpkin puree)

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves (ground)

1 cup chopped nuts

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, zucchini, and pumpkin, and mix well.  Combine other ingredients and then add to creamed mixture.  Blend well and pour into 2 greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.  Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 2 loaves

(Source:  The Zucchini Houdini, by Brenda Stanley)

Pumpkin-Apple Butter

2 cans (15 oz) canned pumpkin
2 cups peeled, cored, and shredded granny smith apples
2 cups, no sugar organic apple juice
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine in a slow cooker (4 qt) and cook on high for 5 hours, stirring every 2 hours.  Store in a covered jar for up to 2 months.  

(Source:  unknown)

Pumpkin and Goat's Milk Fudge ~ Sunny Day for Dog Play

I'll have to make these again, I realized I should have double checked and tested my thermometer.  I am still using a candy thermometer I've had for over 12 years.  It's an acurite thermometer by Chaney Instruments.  I really need to invest in a better candy thermometer.

I later tested my thermometer (sigh).  It read 195°F at boiling point.  That means I should have taken my fudge off the heat at  219°F instead of 236°F.  Quite a difference.

I just had a brain lapse.  My word!  My mother gave me a nice stainless steel candy thermometer made by Taylor (Smacking myself in the head!)  Sheesh, I definitely have to make this fudge again.

What a tasty treat to make.  I did not have an 8 x 8 inch pan so these came out a bit thin.

Gus

Jesse and Sadie

Homemade Pumpkin Pies

The crusts were made using crushed homemade whole wheat (honey) graham crackers.  I really need to buy another pie pan.  The clear glass one is a teensy too small.  It's not as big as my other one.  My  9 year-old helped with the crusts.   

I have never baked a pumpkin pie from home grown (or store bought) pie pumpkins.  I used my own home grown ones for these pies, and put more puree in my freezer.  There were so delicious.   Of course our farm fresh eggs went into this pie.  I used a recipe from Allrecipes, that required a can of sweetened condensed milk, but now I am searching for a recipe that uses yogurt instead.

Once I learn to make yogurt from raw milk, I can make these pies even more homemade, avoiding high fructose corn syrup and other unwanted elements.

I found this recipe to try when we do make our own yogurt:

Alton Brown's Yogurt Pumpkin Pie

You can't get more "pioneer" than that.  

(The recipe we used is Perfect Pumpkin Pie)

Pumpkin Pie and Rag Rollers

I kept about 3 cups crushed, homemade graham crackers.  I also have about 3 cups puree pumpkin I kept for making 2 homemade pumpkin pies.  I may post picture of those pies later, or tomorrow.

Because.....

. . . an unexpected baking/cooking day.

Because I had a 1/2 jar of canned sweet pickle relish that needed to be eaten. . .

I used it to make a pasta salad.  I found veggie spirals on sale for $1.00 a bag.

Because I had pear butter that needed eaten . . .

I used a portion of it, cutting the oil in half, to make 2 loaves of Pumpkin bread.


Because I had 3 quarts of goat's milk . . .

I made another crock pot full of cooked steel cut oats.  The kids eat this for after school snacks now.

Because I still have more of that fresh goat's milk, fresh green peppers producing in the garden, and a few last carrots . . .

I made a double batch of Confetti Corn Muffins. Yum!

Because I had extra cranberries in my freezer . . .

I made a big pot of hot cranberry punch.  The kids will be excited to see it when they get home today.  It's raining and cold and miserable here today.  It will perk them up and put a little sunshine in their day.  I like to stock up on fresh cranberries when they get marked down at the end of each season.  I put them in the freezer and use them for punch and baking.

Because it's raining. . .

The towels are getting dried inside on drying racks.

and......because our camping trip was an affordable $18.00/night, we may take the girls canoeing/camping one more time this year.  The older kids can drive out and meet up with us for canoeing.  Because Pampered Chef sells the thickest hot pad mitts I know of, I am passing mine onto the camping tote for my hubby.  He burned his fingers with the hot pads (cheap, old, and store bought) ones that were already in my camping tote.  I will put some of my own crocheted ones in my kitchen to replace them (or save up to buy new mitts, he he!).


All this, just because.

One more "because"

Because it was only $1.00, I bought this book and absolutely love reading the real stories of real people.

Got Books?

Baking Biscuits

I know I'm definitely a Pioneer Woman as Heart today.  I woke up early, donned my Farmgirl apron, and whipped up homemade biscuits and gravy.  It just felt natural.  I haven't made them in years.  I am sure the fact that the kids are out of school makes a difference in my morning patience.

Now that I am getting back into baking our breads myself, it feels pretty good.  I love to bake, and the weather is much better today. 

The farm repairs continue.  Today it's a water spigot.  When we bought this farm house, it did not have any outside water spigots on it.  My husband installed one, but it had a 1/2 turn plastic handle.  Unfortunately, someone who was helping us with the septic last year, cranked on it too hard, breaking it.  


During the last week, when I needed to water the garden, it would not shut off.  Even if we shut off the valves under the sink.  I had to keep turning off the well, and back on when needed.  Otherwise we'd be paying a high electric bill and lose a lot of water from the well.  


The rain we received yesterday was a huge blessing.  I was able to complete many indoor projects, including a recycled craft.  I hope to submit it to a magazine next week.  


I was also able to make a few more garden markers.

These are fun to make, and we add new ones each year.  These are made by using cut pieces of wire hangers and pushed through two holes at the top.  These slide easily in to the ground, and are reused year after year.

Bean Baking Day ~ Chickpeas

Today is another bean baking day.  Although I should be cooking up more navy beans, I decided to cook 2 pounds of dry chickpeas.  These freeze well after they have been cooked, rinsed and drained well.  Typically, I use them for hummus, but these are nice for other recipes as well.

Strawberry - Blueberry Muffins

 

The muffins were a hit.  I, of course, had to double the recipe.  We still have leftovers today, even after the kids snacked on them, and packed them in their school lunches.  I even think a few of the kids had one for breakfast.

Strawberry - Blueberry Muffins

3 Tbsp. canola oil

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, organic

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup fat-free milk, organic

*fresh grated nutmeg to taste (optional)

*Canola oil/ or other organic non-stick spray, or cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray, or line with paper liners.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, sugar, and eggs.  Add vanilla, blueberries and strawberries.  In a separate bowl, blend flours, baking powder, and salt.  

Alternate mixing the flour mixture and milk, into the oil mixture.

Pour batter into muffin tins. 

Bake 23-30 minutes until golden brown.  Don't forget, these need to cool longer because the fruit inside them will be very hot.  Allow them to cool about 20 minutes before you remove them from the pan.

Preparing

While hanging my sheets on the clothesline, several things came to mind.  The peace and quiet out there some how triggers my thoughts into over drive.

I'm already starting to save the waxed liners from boxed cereal.  Those are washed and dried, and cut into squares to line between zucchini pancakes that are frozen.  The arrival of planting season makes me think of all that zucchini we grow, and what I need to be doing with it to save us money on food and cook healthy.

Each year we have learned what we can do better than the last, and prepare for canning, freezing, growing, and saving seeds.  Each year we prepare better than the last, gain knowledge, and eat healthier.

Even though we spent about 4 hours shoveling snow, I was able to get in 2 loads of laundry, make homemade chili, and write a rough draft for a book review. I will share the book review later today or in the next few days, depending on my chores.  I need to write in several journals, updating the amount of wood we used this year, what to prepare for next year and so forth.

Our homemade chili was blessed by a quart bag of frozen garden tomatoes, hormone free ground beef, a few frozen garden cayenne peppers (the only hot pepper I had in the freezer), and lots of the kidney and black beans I cooked up the day before.  I need to make notes in my garden journal to grow more onions and green peppers also.  We tend to cook with those more than last year.  And potatoes also.

Today, the crock pot is filled with onions, sweet potatoes, broth, garlic, spices, and a pork loin roast.  Yum.  The after school and lunch packing snacks will probably be banana bread, strawberry and blueberry muffins and maybe homemade bread.

Bean Baking Day ~ Canned Grape Jelly

We did not get the 4 1/2 inches of predicted snow.  We did, however, get a layer of freezing rain.  You can see it on my clothesline.  The photo is not the greatest.  The wind was horrible this morning, and still is.

Today, I am baking up 2 lbs. of dry kidney beans, and 3 lbs. of dry black beans. 

Sunshine Delight

Getting back to the gym, after being sick, has been great for me.  The sun shining today is always a welcome to my body and soul.

Today, we are trying a new fruit - Pummelo.  It is best for jam and jellies.  It's been fun trying new foods.

I'm still plugging away on another hope chest blanket.  My goal was 2 rows a night, and I've pretty much kept up with that.  It's about 60 inches wide.

Besides reading library books, magazines, and my Bible, I have been working on more articles. 

Items added to my mini "bucket list":  dehydrate eggs, can grape jelly, and add hand towels to the Christmas crochet list.

Bread Baking Day

Today is bread baking day, and not the bread you are probably thinking about.  I grated and froze many bags of zucchini from last year's summer garden, and they bless us with zucchini bread.  Two loaves are already baking as I post this.

Next on the list - banana bread. 

Every time I bake, certain things come to mind.  For example, I added applesauce in place of oil in the first recipe, and it reminded me to can applesauce this coming year.  I now have a "mini" bucket list of items I need to start making from scratch, and a "to-do" list for other things that come to mind. 

I typically use stone ground, preservative free whole wheat for my 1/2 of the white flour.  Each summer I make one or two trips and store it in my freezer.  When I bake, I make notes on my lists, as to what I need to stock up on and what I am running out of.  Each year I can plan it much better than the previous year.

These breads are wonderful for my kids lunch packings.  I can use my own farm fresh eggs also.  It makes a much healthier snack at home too.