Monday, September 30, 2013

A Taste of Fall: Baking With Pumpkin



The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.
~Emily Dickinson

Though we are entering October the days are still warm, and the weather is beautiful.  We have several festivals going on near us-- one an art festival, and the other a celebration of the rural town we live in complete with a parade, crafts, a tractor pull and much more. I love both events, though they couldn't be more different.  One is considered "sophisticated" and visited by people from around the country.  The other is the local folk dressed in red, cheering on the marching band, the Red Hat ladies, our firemen, our veterans and the police department.  I love both for different reasons, but this year I can't wait to see my daughter in her first parade with the marching band. 

Even with the hustle and bustle of festivals this fall, I wrote a new article with tips and recipes on using fresh pumpkin in your baking.  There is plenty of time to grab a few pie pumpkins to make your own puree, which is really easy.  You'll find the article here:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/Baking-with-Pumpkins.html

I hope you all are enjoying the fall days and have your own festivals to attend:)

~Brenda

A Taste of Fall: Baking With Apples




Picking apples in the fall is a family activity that even teenagers can get behind. Who can resist a fresh, crisp apple just picked off the tree?  Every fall I bring out my favorite baking recipes and heat up the oven. This year I needed a recipe for a potluck and came up with a new one by piecing together several recipes. It turned out to be a keeper, and a huge hit. I've included this recipe (Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars) and several more plus tips on which apples work best for baking in a new article here:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/Baking-with-Apples.html

I hope you and your family are enjoying the cool fall days!

~Brenda