Pumpkin Bread

It's the middle of October, and already everyone is in the spirit! Everywhere I look, there are pumpkins. Many people see them and think Halloween. I see them and think bread, pie, even soup....you get the point. That big orange thing is edible! Sure, it looks really cute with a funny face on it, and a candle inside, but if you get the right kind and you cook it.... Did I just lose you? OK, back up the bus! Go to the grocery store and buy a can of pumpkin! Are you with me now? Canned pumpkin is perfect for this recipe.

Back to the bread. This is one of the oldest recipes that I have. Someone gave it to my mother in the 70's and we have been baking it ever since. It is a family favorite. As with everything else, I have adapted it. I don't put in raisins because nobody in my house really likes them, but the recipe calls for them. I left them there to honor any purists because I think they "go". I like it best with chocolate chips in place of the raisins. I keep the walnuts. I like walnuts and so does the rest of my family. Besides, if you put chocolate chips in, maybe they won't notice that there is actually something good for them in there and refuse to taste it before they figure out that they actually like it.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

Combine and set aside:

3 ½ cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ginger

1 ½ cups walnuts

1 ½ cups raisins

Beat together:

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

Add:

4 eggs-1 at a time

Beat in:

2 cups pumpkin

2/3 cup milk

Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Pour into greased and floured Bundt or tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Not So Giant, Soft Ginger Cookies

If I were a cookie, I think this is the kind of cookie that I would be. A Not-So-Giant, Soft Ginger Cookie.It is small and spicy. It is crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. This is my cookie, believe me! Yeah, yeah, stop shaking your head! You could be a cookie too! Just think about it. You don't have to admit it, but think about it!

The original recipe called for these cookies to be larger. When you make them larger, they are even chewier and obviously they are bigger, but they wouldn't suit my purpose in this case. These are my Operation Baking GALS cookies for October. I wanted to have more cookies instead of bigger cookies, so I made them smaller. Putting them in a mailing container and sending them who-knows-where is smarter if they are 2 inches in diameter as opposed to 4 inches in diameter, right? Can you see 6 guys around a plastic container filled with cookie crumbs? All I could suggest at that point would be six spoons and a quart of milk :)

Maybe someone who eats these cookies will be from New England like I am. Maybe the thought of falling leaves and pumpkins and a New England stranger who wishes them well will make them smile. It doesn't really matter where they are from. Hopefully someone gets some joy from these.

When my kids were little, I used to bake these and have them warm for them when they got off the bus in the Fall. They carry a little bit of nostalgia for me. Alright, enough waxing philosophical. Here's the recipe.

Ginger Cookies

4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (ground)
1 teaspoon cloves (ground)
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Ginger (ground)
1 1/2 cups shortening
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup molasses

Sanding or Demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend flour, baking soda, salt and spices and set aside.

Beat shortening and 2 cups sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Beat in molasses until combined.

Stir in flour mixture. Mix until just combined. If you want Giant cookies, use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop, if you want them smaller, use a 1/8 cup scoop. Roll the balls in sanding or demerara sugar.

Place the balls a few inches apart on ungreased sheets. Press down on them slightly.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are puffy and golden. Let them cool for a few minutes before moving them. They will settle and crack a bit. It will make them even more beautiful!

So, I can never leave well enough alone. It is one of my quirks. This recipe lends itself to additions. Dried cranberries, pecans and chocolate chips. I liked all three together. The one thing I didn't do well with was white chocolate. The batter "ate" the white chocolate. I hate it when that happens! Is there a Harold McGee for Dummies book out there somewhere?

The other thing these are wonderful for, is Ice Cream Sandwiches, especially peach ice cream. Make the Giant cookies, load them up with ice cream, roll the edges in nuts, wrap them up and put them back in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.

Old Fashioned Cobbler

The one thing I can say about this stuff is that when you say the word "cobbler" everybody visualizes something different. In certain parts of the U.S. people actually argue about it! Some people see one crust, some people see two. To me the two crust variety is called a pie! Some people like a biscuit topping. To be honest with you, I think they all taste wonderful, but this one is my favorite because it is buttery and so easy to make. First you dump the batter on top of the pool of melted butter, now don't you mix it! Next you plop your fruit on top of the batter and then you bake it and the butter and the batter kind of hug the fruit.....OK, OK, I'll stop..the recipe is below, you get the idea....I know you can read. You can make this stuff in "nothing flat" if you want something sweet for yourself and it is homey and wonderful for guests too!

I've made this with all types of cooking apples. They need sauteing first so adding them lengthens the recipe a little bit but don't let that stop you. In the fall the combination of apples, brown sugar, dried cranberries and pecans is unbeatable topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. I've used blueberries, raspberries, peaches and a bunch of other fruit combinations. Use your imagination! If you mess up, well, don't tell Martha. Nobody else will care! Better yet, send her a letter, I'm sure she will be able to tell you how to fix it.

This is comfort food no matter how you slice it! It can be eaten hot in the winter, with a steaming cup of cider, room temperature and bursting with the flavor of the day's fresh picked blueberries in the summer, and any time of year out of the pan at 2:30 in the morning when everyone else is sleeping. Oh come on, don't tell me I'm the only one who does that?


Old Fashioned Cobbler

¼ lb. butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
½ cup milk

Fruit of your choice

Apple – Sauté 1 ¾ lbs. peeled, cored and sliced apples in 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup pecans and sprinkle with cinnamon if you like.

Blueberry or Raspberry – Mix 1 ½ pints blueberries or raspberries with 1/2 cup sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon.

Peach/Raspberry – Mix 2 or 3 large, cut up, fresh peaches and 1 pint fresh raspberries with ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and pour into bottom of a 9 x 9 pan. Mix remaining ingredients and dump on top of melted butter. You may have to spread it out a bit but please, do not stir them together. Place fruit in middle of puddle of batter and bake for about 45 -50 minutes, or until the batter has climbed up the sides and enveloped the fruit. The edges will be crispy and buttery and the center will be sweet and fruity.