Taylor's Table - Pumpkins!!! Part 1

Note: I am changing the title of this series to Taylor's Table and will try to post once a week, but not necessarily on a certain day each week.

I love autumn! There's something about the crispness in the air and the brightness of the sky that makes me feel energetic and nostalgic. For some reason, fall makes me think of decades and centuries ago when people were harvesting roots and squash to keep for the winter in order to survive. Today I started reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I read this series every few years to remind myself of the simplicity of life and how happy we can be with very little - here's a good link that talks about this). By coincidence, Laura shares in the beginning of the book some of her family's fall activities:

Now the potatoes and carrots, the beets and turnips

and cabbages were gathered and stored in the cellar,

for freezing nights had come.

Onions were made into long ropes, braided together

by their tops, and then hung in the attic beside wreaths

of red peppers strung on threads. The pumpkins and the

squashes were piled in orange and yellow and green

heaps in the attic's corners.

The barrels of salted fish were in the pantry, and

yellow cheeses were stacked on the pantry shelves.

She goes on to explain how Pa had killed a pig and deer and how they cut them up and smoked them over hickory chips in his log smoke house.

Don't worry, I am not going to teach you the intricacies of killing a pig and preparing the hams for the smoker. This is about pumpkins. I LOVE PUMPKINS! I even tried growing a pumpkin vine this year. One small pumpkin grew from it (pictured above). It is amazing how excited one can get over a small pumpkin growing in the backyard! I was so proud of it though I have no reason to be because the pumpkins were supposed to be profuse and large. I did absolutely nothing to the vine except water it occasionally. It a miracle that anything grew at all! Strangely enough, another one is now growing but I don't think it will be ripe before the frost.

So anyway, I have a few delicious pumpkin recipes that I want to share with you this week and next. I've tried many versions of these and at last have found ones I really love with a bit of my tweaking. (I can never leave a recipe alone!) Enjoy!

Pumpkin Waffles

2 cups flour (I used a mixture of buckwheat, white and whole wheat flour)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg (or to taste - I don't like too much of this)

4 eggs

1 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup milk mixed together)

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 TBS honey or molasses

1 tsp vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, and honey. Gently stir liquid mixture into dry mixture. Cook on waffle iron until deep golden brown (5 minutes worked well for us), and serve immediately.

* Serves 6-8 depending on appetites.

* Adapted from this recipe at Frugal Granola.

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour)

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup rapadura sugar or sucanat

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs beaten

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Sift flour, salt sugar and baking soda.

2. Mix together pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, and spices. Then combine with dry ingredients, but not too thoroughly. Stir in nuts, if using.

3. Pour into well-buttered 9x5x3 in. loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until skewer comes out clean. Turn out of pan & let cool on rack.

* Makes 1 loaf, can easily be doubled, or be made into muffins, just cook for less time.

* Adapted from a recipe at Simple Recipes from elise.com.

Pumpkin Scones -

Not super sweet but super Delicious!!! Scones aren't supposed to be sweet anyway! The other day I picked up a scone at a coffee shop thinking it would be the least sugar-fied item but it tasted like a donut!!!! They are supposed to be more like biscuits. Oh what we Americans do to good food!

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup rapadura or sucanat or light brown sugar

1/4 tsp ginger

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces

1/3 cup or more raisins, or chopped dried apples

1/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, optional

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pumpkin Scones: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins and pecans, if using. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Place the baking sheet inside another baking sheet to prevent the bottoms of the scones from over browning. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpickinserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes 8 scones.

* Adapted from this recipe at joyofbaking.com

Tuesday's Table - Homemade Apple Sauce

I started making applesauce last year when I realized how easy it could be and found some great looking apples at our local outdoor market. This stuff is GOOD and EASY! Here's how to make it.

*** Gather 10-12 (or however many will fit in your crockpot) apples of different varieties. The last version I made had a few granny smith's, a few cortlands, a couple of honey crisps, a few golden delicious, and a few galas. Peel these, if you like. You don't have to! Then, chop into one inch or smaller pieces.

***Dump the apples into your crock pot. Pour in about 1/2 cup of water or pure apple juice. Turn the dial to low and cook until apples are tender, 5-8 hours.

*** Use a potato masher to turn the apples into chunky sauce. Serve up in bowls and enjoy. This makes about two quarts.

***You'll notice this has no sugar or spice. I think you'll find you won't need it. Give it a try first before adding anything.

Taylor Tot Blog Not Moving!

I've decided not consolidate Wes's blog and mine. So click on over to his blog to see the updates!

www.wjtaylor.blogpsot.com

Tuesday's Table - Yogurt Mix-ins

When I was very young I hated yogurt. However, over the years I have grown quite fond of it - of the flavored kind, that is. While living in Lebanon pre-flavored yogurt was too expensive for us, not to mention the high sugar content along with other highly processed ingredients, so I tried to acquire a taste for plain yogurt. It worked to some extent. Sometimes I want to eat just plain yogurt, but I prefer a little flavor to tame the tartness. So this is the solution I came up with eventually.

I buy whole milk yogurt, mostly organic depending on the budget, or I make it at home. I also buy frozen fruits like strawberries or blueberries or raspberries. I let these thaw out and then toss them in the blender until they are pureed. Next, I pour the fruit purees into ice cube trays and freeze them. After freezing the individual cubes, I dump them into freezer bags to store. So when I want some fruity yogurt, I pull out a couple of cubes of fruit, thaw it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. Then I mix in some yogurt to the thawed berries and dig in. Mmmmm....

Here are a few more simple ideas -

* Mix in crushed pineapple (I know it's canned but I figure it is better than the packaged pre-flavored yogurt - it is just pineapple in it's own juice.) with a bit of juice with the yogurt.

* Mix in a bit of maple syrup.

* Add a bit of vanilla and maybe some cinnamon or nutmeg.

So now when I eat pre-flavored yogurt, it is too sweet, I don't like the texture and it really doesn't even taste good.

Also, making plain homemade yogurt is fairly simple. Heat a quart of milk slowly to 180 degrees F. Then, let it cool to about 110 degrees F. This can take an hour or so. Next, mix in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of yogurt. You can also add a TBS or two of powdered milk but you don't have to. If you have a yogurt maker, you simply pour the warm yogurt mixture into the jars provided, place them on the warmer, put the top on and set the timer for 8 or 10 hours. If you don't have a yogurt maker, you can simply pour the mixture in glass jars, wrap with a towel and keep in a warm place - the attic in summer is a great place, or in a cooler with a pot of boiling water. Let it sit until it looks solid.

Walah! You have tasty yogurt. You can tell that it is not an exact science. You really can't mess it up. I haven't had a bad batch yet. Sometimes the consistencies are different but I've never had just curdled milk. It always has that yogurty tartness which means it has all those millions of good bacteria our digestive tracts need.

Have fun experimenting!

Tuesday's Table

I've been wanting to write for months and months about some of the things I do around the kitchen to make our cuisine more wholesome. Finally, I'm going to do it. I thought it would be nice to try to post something on Tuesdays. Now, if you know me, you know that doing something consistently every week is a bit of a stretch, so that is why I was less vague by saying "on Tuesdays" not "every Tuesdays." This is just an intro to the way we eat and why. I'll start posting recipes next Tuesday, hopefully.

Over the last several years, I've been trying to eat more healthy realizing that what I eat directly affects my health in many ways. For I while I had developed hypoglycemia, had terrible insomnia, recurring sinus infections and still do struggle with infertility among a few other things. In an effort to try to get rid of these things, I have tried a myriad of different foods and "diets" most of which made me feel worse.

A few years ago I came across an entirely different attitude in what healthy eating means. My friend introduced me the cookbook Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallen and the corresponding website westonaprice.org. In a nutshell, this book and way of eating is based on the research of traditional food ways of groups of people with extraordinary health all over the world. What it boils down to is eating food at its most nutritious in the least processed way possible. It encourages eating whole, natural, real food - no low fat, no fat, low carb, etc - since that would mean it has been highly processed. The idea is that food is more nutrient dense and nutrients are more easily absorbed when eaten as nearly as it is found naturally than any processed food. It encourages eating whole milk (raw is most desirable), whole yogurt, natural cheeses, real eggs, whole soaked grains, real broth and lots of it, soaked and roasted nuts, lots of lactofermented foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, the whole animal - organ meats included, especially the liver, and cutting out all kinds of processed sugar and sugar substitutes.

So, I've been slowly trying to work toward this end. These are the things that I've been incorporating more and more. We drink whole milk (not ultra pasteurized), eat whole fat yogurt, aren't afraid of eggs, I make homemade broth, I sometimes soak my grains, we've been trying to cut out boxed cereal in the morning and most boxed and canned foods. We still buy boxed pasta, canned tuna, salmon, pears, pumpkin, green chilies and tomato products. Getting rid of the cereal has been the hardest so far, because it is so convenient! I'm desperately trying to find an easy solution. We've switched to Rapadura sugar, the most unprocessed sugar available, and we try to use it sparingly. We also use only raw honey and real maple syrup. (This is like gold in our house). We use only butter, olive oil and coconut oil for baking and sauteing. In doing so, I feel much better and we hardly ever get really sick now.

My goal in all this is of course to eat whole, real food and to do so as cheaply, conveniently and as easily as possible. So these posts on Tuesdays will be the result of lots of research and trial and error and experimentation. I hope you find this helpful, tasty and enjoyable.

In His Rest

Every time we lay Wesley down for a nap or bedtime we pat him on the back or side for a few minutes to settle him. Lately, I've started patting some and then just resting a slightly firm hand on his back or shoulder or bottom to help settle him more.

The other day I was thinking about this with regards to our walk with Jesus. I know the Bible speaks of resting in Him and of His hand upon us. He wants us to rest in Him but so often I squirm and fuss and try to keep my eyes open so to speak. I think very often in my life God is gently saying, "Shh" to me and pushing a little more with His hand to make me rest in Him. The difference between me patting Wes and putting my hand on him and God's hand on us is that I don't stay there for his entire nap! However, God's hand is always upon us. He is so trustworthy and such a good, good Father. I pray that I won't fight against Him so much with my fears, worries, anxieties, complaints, fussing and my tendency to need to be in control of all things at all times. I think God is seriously trying to break me of that and to trust and rest in Him always.

Here's a song we sang in church a few weeks ago. The words are quite fitting for our life right now.

Petition - Anne Steele, Sandra McCracken, Chelsey Scott

"Give me a calm, a thankful heart,

From every murmur free,

The blessings of thy grace impart,

And make me live to Thee.

You raise your hand to still the storms

That rage inside my head;

Revive my heart with gratitude,

Love, quell my doubt and dread.

Give me a sure and rested soul,

From every fear relieved,

Thy Spirit's power and presence mine,

To ever comfort me."

The Black Purse

We are in the middle of a 30 day waiting period regarding legal protocol for Wesley's adoption. It is something that is required in many states these days but it sure is nerve racking! I thought that the 30 days started when Wes turned 6 months old on August 16 but actually it didn't begin until August 30. So for two weeks I was anxious for no reason and then I found out that the anxious period has to draw out even longer!!!! ARgggh! Wesley is such a precious gift and a sweet little guy. I can't imagine not having him. When we found out the time period was two weeks off what we had thought and that we had to wait that much longer, Eric and I were pretty crushed.

It seems like this spring and summer have dealt us some difficult blows and this added to the list. We've been desperate for godly fellowship in this time but it seems to be alluding us. We so miss the continuous wellspring of spiritual encouragement in Norman! So we've found a church that we really like though it is quite a distance further than we'd prefer. We were so pumped about getting involved in a small group from the church starting up next week very near our house. However, true to all the other little and large disappointments these last several months, yesterday we've found out that they have had too many people sign up for the groups. Now, this is not a bad thing at all! It is amazing that they had 475 slots and 600 people signed up! (this church is only 2 years old!) However, they had to give the slots to the people who had been going the longest. That would not be us. :( There is another option for us but it just delays that much longer what we've so much been longing for. So, we were even more crushed last night.

I don't mean to have a pity party. Per usual, God has really been so gracious to us in this time. He's been teaching me so much about myself and about Him. Eric and I have drawn even closer to each other. It seems God is just clearing away more weeds in our lives.

So where does the title, "The Black Purse" fit into all this? Well, just after we found out we had to wait longer for the 30 days to be up Eric said, "Remember the black purse." He didn't need to say anything else. Here's the story:

We had three days left in Lebanon in 2008. We were at the end of ourselves completely - not much left in our reserve. However, we had been given the opportunity to go back down south to visit the people we had come to love so much over the past 8 months. And then we visited a very poor area on the coast as a means to be a light to the community. It was a great time but nonetheless we were still exhausted, emotionally spent and ready to return to the US. We took a bus back from the southern coastal town to Beirut with our bags and other paraphernalia in tow, stopping to change busses half way through the journey. After traveling for probably almost two hours, I realized that I didn't have my tiny black purse. With all the other bags we were carrying, the black purse was forgotten. Forget the money and credit cards it contained - more importantly it contained my passport!!!! I could not leave the country without it. We had plane tickets and were virtually packed and we couldn't leave the country!

We made several different phone calls trying to figure out if we could find the purse. When those came up a dead end, we called the embassy to try to figure out what to do. It seemed that the process could take up to two weeks! Oh brother! I totally melted. I took a shower and cried and cried and cried.

However, when I got out of the shower I heard Eric trying desperately to speak Arabic with a guy named Mohammad. Turns out, when we changed busses, someone had found my purse when they got on the bus. They gave it to the driver who in turn gave it to the bus station office. In my purse, they found a doctor's bill that had the doctor's phone number on it. They called the doctor's office to get my phone number. The doctor's office gave them my number and so they called us!!! Would that ever happen in America? The people who found the passport realized that it would be pretty important for me to have my passport and wanted to get it to me! Amazing! All along we thought it would be found and confiscated for some back ally plot or something crazy like that - this is where your mind goes when you are absolutely out of everything in your heart, soul and body and you've been living in a politically tense country! This shows what most Lebanese people are really like even in a pretty radical city that is not too fond of America.

The next day one of our friends who could speak very good Arabic was heading to the city where we had changed busses and retrieved the black purse for us. Hurray! Everything in the purse was in tact along with the passport and the doctor's bill, which I have kept for memories. (There's more tied up in that bill than just getting the passport back). However, the black purse was quickly retired when we returned to the US. It rests in my closet. I can't seem to throw it away. Eric will not ever let me buy a purse so small ever again. I guess I have to agree with him.

The Black Purse was a lesson in trusting completely in the will of God when we have absolutely no control over a situation. God could have chosen not to let us retrieve the passport but I am positive there would have been a good story with that outcome as well. So now, whenever we find ourselves in a situation that we can't control, all it takes is a mention of the black purse to bring us to our senses about God's hand on our life and that we are in His hands. He's trustworthy regardless of the situation, regardless of the outcome.