Frost On The Pumpkin!

Nooooooo, we are a long way from

‘frost on the pumpkin’ ,

but not from making some

yummy pumpkin bread

which is one of my favorites.

I enjoy getting up just as the sun is starting to send streaks of pinks and shades of blue into the inky, early morning Florida sky.  

I love cuddling up with a cup of hot tea, my devotional book and a piece of warm pumpkin bread…and yes, we do have cool mornings and evenings in Florida!

Frost?

Not here, near the gulf, ….but once in a while there is frost in the main corridor of the peninsula of Florida.

Citrus growers have to take steps to keep their crops from freezing by using sprinklers (water) and fans and of course some cover their orchards.

We have been advised a time or two to cover tender plants and bushes, but one must remove the covering before the sun comes out or you will have baked and shriveled plantings.

Still, I like having a nice flannel blanket on my lap, just to keep me warm and cozy…. and I love breathing in the crisp, fresh air.

Yes, that is Fall to me, with food, such as pumpkin bread with “snow” topping being on the list of must haves on those early and cool mornings.

Of course, there is no snow on the bread but a sugar mixture that resembles snow.

We may not have real “snow” here in Florida…but we can have pumpkin bread with “snow” topping that is almost the same thing.

OK, I do have a vivid imagination.

Pumpkin bread not your thing?

How about apple cake with a dreamy caramel sauce topping?

OK, got your attention on that one, huh?

I suggest you make both, but if you might not be able to decide what you would like with your early morning drink of choice…I have provided two recipes… one for pumpkin and one for apples.

As usual they are the handy dandy printable recipes and I know my family up north are beginning to feel the first affects of Fall in the air…so my dear readers, it is time!

Oh, and on another note:

Perhaps you have heard that there is a hurricane blowing it’s way towards the state of Florida. That would be Hurricane Matthew.

According to our local meteorologist and the National Hurricane Center…, “the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 with the peak period from early August

through the end of October. The Atlantic basin includes the entire Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico”.

They continue to tell us that “Florida had been on a winning streak. Coming into the 2016 hurricane season, Florida had gone a record 11 years without a landfalling hurricane. But that decade-plus hurricane-free streak came to an in September 2016, when Category-1 Hurricane Hermine made landfall before weakening into a tropical storm”.

Previously, the last major hurricane to hit Florida was Category-3 Hurricane Wilma in October 2005. 

As for the predictions for those of us located on the gulf side…we are expecting gusting winds of about 40-50 miles an hour as we are on the outer rings of the hurricane…and really not much

rain.

But that is the prediction as of today, Wednesday.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring. On the map below, we live just north of the red tropical storm warning, where there is no warnings or watches. 

The hurricane should be further up the East coast and our gulf coast week-end forecast looks good!

Of course our prayers go out to any in the path of Matthew.

Be safe!

Blessings Always!

Pumpkin Bread With "Snow" Topping

2016-10-05 07:31:29

These individual standing loaves of pumpkin bread really taste good as well as look pretty. It gives new meaning to 'there is frost on the pumpkin'. 😉

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Ingredients

1. 3 1/2 cups flour
2. 3 cups white sugar
3. 1/2 tsp baking powder
4. 2 tsp baking soda
5. 1 tsp cinnamon
6. 1 tsp nutmeg
7. 1 tsp cloves
8. 1 1/2 tsp salt
9. 4 eggs, slightly beaten
10. 2 cups pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie mix, use straight pumpkin, I use Libby’s)
11. 1 cup vegetable oil
12. 2/3 cup warm water
13. "Snow" topping
14. 1/2 cup sugar
15. 1 cup flour
16. 1/3 cup butter, softened

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to mix.
3. In a large bowl, using a mixer, combine eggs, pumpkin, oil and water.  Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, a little at a time until fully incorporated. do not over mix.
4. Mix the ingredients for the crumb topping together in a separate bowl and set aside to add later.
5. Generously grease pint and half pint jars ( I made 6 pints).
6. Using a large tablespoon, spoon batter into bottom third of the glass jar. Then add a bit of the "snow" topping sugar. Add more batter no more than 2/3 full and add a bit more "snow" topping sugar. (Ball jars should be filled 2/3 full if you are not going to use the lids, and a little more than 1/2 full if you are using the lids to screw on the jars to transport or preserve.
7. Put the jars on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes.

Notes

1. *You can use a large funnel to put the batter into the glass jars, but I just used a large tablespoon.
2. **Ovens may vary and since you are baking the pumpkin bread upright, it may take a little longer. Use a long pick to see if the bread is done in the center and bottom.
3. ***To preserve the pumpkin bread, immediately screw on an unused lid and ring. The jar should seal, although I have to admit that my jars do not stay around long so I am not sure just how long they will last on a shelf. I almost always fill 2/3 full which do not allow for a lid to be put on.

Me and My Captain https://meandmycaptain.com/

Apple Cake With Caramel Sauce

2016-10-05 08:30:48

This is so delish served warm right out of the oven....but it is good cooled too! You can also save some of the caramel sauce to add to your slice of cake as you serve it. Lets face it...a dollop of whipped cream wouldn't hurt either. 🙂

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Ingredients

1. 3 cup all purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon salt
3. 1 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1 cup pecans, chopped
5. 1 cup vegetable oil
6. 2 cup sugar
7. 3 eggs
8. 2 teaspoon vanilla
9. 3 cups raw apples, (peeled and diced, any apple will work)

For the Caramel Sauce

1. 1 cup packed brown sugar
2. ¼ cup milk (for sauce)
3. ¾ cup butter (1 -1/2 sticks for sauce)

Instructions

1. Mix oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
2. Sift together flour, salt, soda. Add to first mixture. Fold in pecans and apples. Bake in tube pan or bundt pan or even a 9X13 baking pan at 350 for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

For the Caramel Sauce

1. Combine ingredients and bring to a gentle boil stirring constantly.
2. Pour over hot cake while cake is still in pan.
3. Let cake cool completely before removing.

Me and My Captain https://meandmycaptain.com/