Fall Notebook

The garden all tucked in for fall

November, 2010

I used to keep lists of everything I needed to do in the fall. When my daughters were young, fall was the busiest season and it still is. Their birthdays and the holidays were squeezed into three short months. As they got older and one went to college in Maine and the other worked in New York, we managed to squeeze in a trip to the East coast every October. There was a lot of planning and juggling, and lists were a necessity. Recently I have found some of these old lists and they have brought back wonderful memories.

This year I want to reinstate them and put them together in a notebook, the old lists as well as the new. There is so much to do right now and this season, my favorite, always goes by too fast. The house needs to be spruced up and the garden will need new fall plants. My feeling is that if I get back into the habit of keeping these lists and records again, I will savor every detail. And in the future, I will look back and remember. In the next few months there will be more entertaining than usual as well as holidays to celebrate -- all the things I love. My old lists are filled with flowers to buy, candles to replenish, tablecloths to take out, and recipes to make. I am noticing there are things I still do each year, as well as things I forgot about and want to do again. So I decided this year to keep a fall notebook. This season is filled with so many delights. So here we go. Let the season (and my notebook) begin with Pumpkin Recipes!

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Pumpkin Cream-Cheese Frosting

This is one of the best cakes I make. I found it in a Country Living magazine years ago. Although it looks impressive, it is very easy to make. You mix together an easy batter that produces three layers of the most delicious and moist pumpkin cake you will ever taste. Then you frost them with a rich cream-cheese frosting flavored with pumpkin puree and orange juice. This will become a favorite in your house as it has in mine. Go here for the recipe.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

These cupcakes are the creation of Ina Garten. Covered with cream cheese frosting and topped with pieces of Heath Bar, they are as pretty as they are delicious. Go here for the recipe.

Pumpkin Bread

This is the pumpkin bread I have been making forever. I remember cutting it into slices and packing it in my daughters' lunches when they went to school. It is delicious with a cup of coffee in the morning or a cup of tea in the afternoon. This recipe makes two loaves, so you can freeze one for later.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

2 and 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup canola or safflower oil

One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 x 5 x 3 - inch loaf pans. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk together the sugar, eggs, and oil in a separate bowl until well blended. Stir in the pumpkin, water, and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until all the ingredients are moist and blended. Do not overmix. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean and the top begins to crack slightly. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pans. Serve warm or place on a baking rack to cool.

I love this time of the year. The days get shorter and the weather begins to cool down. We start to see pumpkins and squashes at the farmers' markets. There is an excitement in the air. It's all about celebrating the comforts of home.

Happy Fall!