Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Once the crisp air of fall rolled in, I had an instantaneous craving--one that you are probably familiar with. I could not wait to have a pumpkin spice latte from a certain coffee joint! And, yes, I did indulge. Soon afterward, I discovered a Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe by Amy Jamieson on People's website. To add to my excitement, the recipe truly used pumpkin--not just the spices. Having just cleaned out a pie pumpkin, I had some pumpkin to spare. So, I thought that I would try the recipe. Tonight, I gave it a whirl and enjoyed it. The recipe is very easy and the latte is definitely one that is perfect for sipping during a fall evening spending time with the family or enjoying a good book. I adapted the recipe a bit, so take a peek:

Ingredients

3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tsp maple syrup
2-3 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon + a pinch for the top of the latte
1 pinch ground ginger
1/2 cup coffee

Directions

Make coffee according to preferred method. Add all other ingredients to food processor or blender except the pinch of cinnamon. Blend on high speed until frothy. Then, pour into saucepan on stove top and warm. Do not heat to boiling. Then, pour milk mixture on top of 1/2 cup of coffee. Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon. Yum!

I love that this recipe uses real pumpkin and that I actually know every ingredient in it. Plus, it is surprisingly easy to make at home!

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Super-moist Pumpkin Bread

I think that I hit one out of the park the other evening with a new pumpkin bread recipe. My daughter has been totally addicted to it! It took me awhile to find the right recipe. So many of them had four Simply Recipes and adapted it a little bit. We are almost done with our loaf--I am sure my daughter will be asking for another!
eggs and I had a hard time finding one that would work with how we bake. I finally found one on

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease loaf pan very well with butter. Grab two mixing bowls. Sift together first 4 ingredients in one bowl. Mix the rest of the ingredients in the other bowl. Next, add your wet mixture to your dry mixture and combine until just mixed. Bake about 50-60 minutes. To test, poke with a toothpick. When the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is finished. Let it cool a little bit and then turn out.

The resulting loaf was nice and moist! While the loaf was baking, it smelled a little eggy. However, you do not pick up the eggs in the flavor! A nice fall loaf!

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Family Pumpkin Carving Event with Music by Poochamungas!! {October 26 at Faith Lutheran Church}

Love to carve pumpkins but hate picking up the mess? Faith Lutheran Church has a free, fun Family Pumpkin Carving Event next weekend. Bring your pumpkin and carve it with no mess in your house! The church will provide carving tools and clean the mess! After carving, your family can enjoy some kids' music with Poochamungas! Here are some more details about this fun event:

You are invited to

Family Pumpkin Carving and “Poochamungas!”

(a children’s music group)

Saturday, October 26, 2013

9:00-11:00AM

Fellowship Hall at Faith Lutheran Church

431 S. Arlington Heights Road Arlington Heights

Please bring a pumpkin to carve.  We will supply carving tools and clean up the mess!  Enjoy a family snack and stay to hear the children’s band, Poochamungas!  This event is open to all families with children.  Bring a friend and their family for some family fun!

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Cleaning our Pumpkin and Roasting Seeds!

Today, my daughter had a day off of school so we began working on our pumpkins. My daughter does not quite accept the difference between pie pumpkins and carving pumpkins. So while she likes me to make pie or bread in the fall, she also wants me to carve my pie pumpkin. I guess moms don't get a break!

We cleaned out our pumpkin by using pumpkin carving tools and a melon baller. The melon baller actually made the process pretty easy. We kept the pulp separate from the seeds. Once we finished, I put the pulp in a pot, added 2 cups of water and heated the pulp for 2 hours until it was pretty smooth. I simmered it on low heat to keep the pumpkin from burning. If the pulp is not smooth enough, you can puree it. I put this aside in the refrigerator for baking this week.

Next, we moved onto the seeds. There is nothing like fresh pumpkin seeds in the fall!

Here is what we did to make our seeds:

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds from one pumpkin
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Rinse the seeds in a colander. Boil them for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 F. Strain the seeds and pat dry. Pour them into a bowl and mix with 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp celery salt and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Spread the seeds onto a baking sheet, preferably with sides. Bake for 15 minutes. Then, take seeds out of oven and flip the seeds. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon. Bake for 15 more minutes. Stir again. Heat 15 more minutes. Seeds should be lightly golden brown when finished. Cool and eat!

The olive oil really makes these pumpkin seeds addictive. They taste like popcorn!

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