Simple Gifts

I love listening to this CD every November. One of my favorite songs on here is this Shaker hymn:

'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free
'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

What "simple gifts" are you grateful for today?

I'm Not a Fangirl

I'm not. I promise. Still . . .

Edward's Girl

Saturday night+ theater full of screaming girls (and women)+ good girlfriends+ lots of giggles + anticipation = the Twilight movie!

Loved that the audience screamed as Edward made his first appearance. I am still laughing. (And yes, I screamed.)
Loved that the teenage girls behind me were hyperventilating. Loved the artsy camera angles.

Some things left to be desired, but that's where the book comes in . The movie did capture the essence of Twilight--the obsession, first-love awkwardness, drizzly Washington.
And let's face it, the Twilight world wouldn't be half as compelling if I didn't have good girlfriends, sisters, sisters-in-law, and cousins to share it with!

Notice what colors I'm wearing . . . . and the color of my eyes

For all you Twihards, good news here.

Pumpkin Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup

This is the recipe you have all been waiting for, even if you didn't know it. The pumpkin waffles are lovely, but the piece de resistance is without question the buttermilk syrup. I think we've made the syrup 3 times in the last month. Sooo good! Oh, and a big thank-you to my lovely sister-in-law Laura Dahl who sends great recipes my way!
(There might be more pumpkin recipes to come . . . maybe!)

Batter:

2 cups flour

2 TBSP baking powder

2 TBSP cinnamon

1 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Mix ingredients together, then add:

4 egg yolks (save whites)

1 cup pumpkin

1 TBSP vanilla

1 1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup butter

Beat the 4 saved egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the batter. Cook in waffle iron.

Buttermilk Syrup:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup buttermilk (can substitute 1 TBSP lemon juice + 1/2 cup milk OR buttermilk powder)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp light corn syrup

Bring to a boil and take off heat. Add 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla. It will bubble up quite a bit, so make sure your pan is large enough. Stir until it settles.

Serve over warm pumpkin waffles. Yummy!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Thanks to my little sister Jeannette for this delish and mouth-watering recipe. I do love me a slice of regular pumpkin pie, but what could be more divine than cheesecake? We've been known to make this almost every Thanksgiving since she gave me the recipe (back in 2001). Do yourself a favor and whip this baby up!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or vanilla wafers)

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Combine crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan.

Filling:

2 8-oz packages cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

2. Reserve 1 cup cream cheese mixture; add pumpkin, remaining sugar and spices to remaining cream cheese mixture. Mix well. Layer half of pumpkin mixture and half of cream cheese mixture over crust; repeat layers. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Pumpkin Chocolate Panini

Arguably, I have a thing for pumpkin and chocolate. It's unusual, I admit, but if you made the pumpkin bread recipe I posted earlier, I'm positive you're a fan. I make the following recipe any time I feel that the girls aren't getting enough orange veggies in their diet. It originally comes from The Flavor Point Diet (great book!) and is "rich in antioxidant nutrients and fiber". Great quick FHE dessert. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Panini
butter
2 slices whole grain bread
2 TBSP canned pumpkin
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chips (we use any kind)
Opt: 1 TBSP pecans

1. Spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread.
2. Spread the pumpkin on the plain side of one slice, sprinkle chocolate chips, and nuts (if desired). Place the second slice on top with butter facing up.
3. Place the sandwich in a hot panini grill or a nonstick skillet over medium heat, close the grill (if using skillet, press the sandwich with a spatula), and grill for 2-3 minutes (if using skillet, turn the sandwich and press again).

Pumpkin Extravaganza

My friend and old BYU roomie, Gwyn, wrote a pumpkin-inspired post on her blog. And oh, did it inspire me. Have I mentioned that I love pumpkin? I decided to lead up to next week's festivities by posting a pumpkin recipe a day. These are my all-time favorite pumpkin foods. So today, I bring to you the best pumpkin cookies. These little guys are light, fluffy, and very addictive.

(Unfortunately, I'm not making a recipe a day, so pictures are courtesy of the world wide web.)

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup canned pumpkin

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Cream together sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to wet ingredients, then stir in pumpkin. (Add walnuts & raisins if desired.)

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar while still warm.

Feeling Grateful for This Today