Pumpkin Butter Recipe

Taken from Martha Stewart Halloween special issue 2009.

1 sugar or pie pumpkin (about 2 lbs.), seeded, peeled, and cut into 2-inch chunks

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pumpkin pieces in a single layer in a roasting pan, cover tightly with foil. Bake until very tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer pieces to a food processor, and process until smooth.

2. In a saucepan, cook puree over medium-low heat, stirring often, until very thick, about 25 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; cook until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Cool before serving. Pumpkin butter can be refrigerated up to 1 week in an airtight container.

In the previous post I mentioned my concern with the amount of lemon juice. After the butter cooled it tasted great, so I wouldn't alter the amount unless you find it too tart. My wonderful taste tasters at the Mom's Night Out last night loved it. It was also mentioned that it could be a bit sweeter, so maybe try adding a little refined sugar when it is in the saucepan over heat and taste along the way to achieve your desired sweetness. You may find it tastes great as is with the various spices and not want to add additional sugar. The pie pumpkin was easy to peel and seed since they are so small. I just peeled it with my vegetable peeler and cut the base off to clean out the inside and remove seeds. Then it was easy to just cut in strips and chop to 2-inch chunks. It may seem like a lot of steps, but I thought it was easy and did it one morning while Dane was enjoying Sesame Street. It makes about 2 cups, so it ends up being quite inexpensive when you compare the jars at the apple orchards and other specialty shops. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Soaking up the Season!

One of many pots on my front porch!

Only a few ingredients to mix in: lemon juice,

cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & dark brown sugar

The pieces of pumpkin after roasting...

The finished product - YUM!

I just finished making my very first batch of Pumpkin Butter from scratch! It was very simple and isn't it always fun to scrape out all of the seeds and gunk from the inside of a pumpkin! I found the recipe in Martha Stewart's special edition magazine Halloween. So far it tastes great just dipping my finger into it. I can't wait to try it on an English muffin!

I also had an opporunity to do a switcheroo on all of my pots from the white, pinks and greens of summer to the warm colors of fall! I found this grass (that you see in the middle of the pot pictured above) that I personally have never seen before. It is so beautiful with green near the bottom of the grass changing to an aubergine color at the tips! Perfect for fall. And, of course, the mum. I have lots of those planted in various colors. I am hoping for rapid growth so I can take another picture of the pots all filled out very soon. It is great to know I will be able to enjoy them soooooo much longer here in South Carolina than in the midwest where the first freeze can hit as early as October.

***If you are interested in the pumpkin butter recipe, let me know and I will post it or email it to you. I will taste test later and alter it as needed. Not sure about the amount of lemon juice it calls for.

Welcome Fall...

I am not sure how or why I chose today to accomplish the blog facelift. Blake woke up bright and early with a fever. Dane woke up unable to keep his balance to walk. So, after a visit to the pediatrician and a possible diagnosis of post-virus vertigo for Dane, (I say possible because he didn't really know since his ears were free of infection) I found myself feeling creative. And with two boys feeling a little under the weather and preferring to just lay around, I had a little bit of free time to update the blog. It took all morning, though, since I had one to monitor for flu symptoms and runs to the potty, and one to monitor bouncing off of various furniture and walls. But...I'm done! Both pictures were taken inside our home. Mini pumpkins on the kitchen table and the napkins I will never use that say "Happy Fall, Y'all." Priceless. The adorable pictures of the boys on the side were taken by Blake's OT earlier in the year. There are many more pumpkins to be purchased...small and large, and all the Halloween deco will be spread about inside and out for the upcoming resident Halloween party that we LOVE to host! That will produce more pictures, of course. Hope the trees are changing and temperatures are dropping where you are! And I hope we can get out and about very soon illness-free since we aren't used to being trapped in our house, and none of us are enjoying it.

A Good Report!

Still no creativity here for a blog facelift. Actually I think I am pouring it all into my home as I display all of my fall and pumpkin decorations. Yes, it may be a bit early, but it is my favorite time of year so I am milking it for all it's worth! I guess I can't feel too silly when I see stores put their winter holiday decorations shortly after the 4th of July :)

I wanted to post some very exciting information about Blake! He had his hearing evaluation last week and it came back NORMAL in both ears! Hooray! He has always tested "fine," with a bit of concern with excess fluid and a flat tympanogram in one ear (don't think I can explain that well, so just know that isn't the best result). But, this time around both ears showed fantastic tympanograms and the "booth" hearing test went great! I think the audiologist was more excited than I was! So...we have been cleared by cardiology until adolescence and cleared by audiology unless we see something concerning with Blake's hearing. He has an upcoming ophthalmology appointment, which last year showed no concerns but we will continue to have him checked yearly unless told otherwise. He will not have a well-visit until next February when he turns 4 (yes, 4!). So, after his first year or so of life we have reached a point where visits to the doctor are diminishing. He sure is an amazing kiddo and we continue to be astonished at what he learns and shows us daily. I hope we stay status quo and don't add to the doctor visits, although I must remember he is a boy and will take risks as he should. Hopefully on the safe side!

Under Construction

Not the house, not me (although I probably should be!), but the blog. I am having a creativity block and cannot decide how to "decorate" the blog. Sometimes simple is good, but I will be back with new colors, pictures, themes, fonts, etc...

Girls' Weekend in Charleston!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I was one lucky girl over the long Labor Day weekend! Matt graciously cared for the boys so I could travel to Charleston with my best friend, Mendy. She flew into Columbia, SC, on Friday and spent that night with us at our home in Greenville. We then left Saturday morning bound for Charleston where we stayed until Monday. There is just NO place like Charleston! We enjoyed walking, shopping, eating, lounging on the beach, and simply enjoying one another's company. Charleston is unique as it is surrounded by small islands, and each has something unique to offer. We weren't able to see them all, but we enjoyed a day on the beach at Folly Beach on James Island...some shopping on Mt. Pleasant...and a night out on Sullivan's Island. I am unable to explain in words the beauty, lifestyle and architecture of Charleston. I hope all of you get the opportunity to visit this quaint, Southern city during your lifetime!

*If you are wondering why there are several pictures of just random signs and buildings, I was practicing my new hobby of photography. Enjoy the slideshow!

Official Passenger of The Potty Train...

I am going to go out on a limb here and tell you that Blake is just shy is being 100% potty trained! We are in the middle of our second week since the donning of Elmo undies and Blake is doing FANTASTIC! I won't share all of the glorious details, but I will tell you that Blake is able to communicate through words that he needs to go potty and when he has gone on the potty. His only accidents occur when he goes a teeny tiny bit, stops and tells me "pee" or "potty." He has even gone #2 ONLY in the potty! I hope I haven't jinxed anything, but I had to tell you Blake's big success and that we are all so proud of him...even Dane who claps and yells "yay!" when Blake goes potty. I truly think Dane is just about ready, too, because he is now telling me when he goes potty in his diaper. Being diaper-free was once just a dream! There is no turning back now on this potty train. The final stop will be staying dry overnight...

Back in the Saddle!

I sure do feel blessed. I have a job! I started the search process last weekend, made a call on Monday, had an interview Wednesday and was offered the job today! Whew! I honestly feel like I need to pinch myself because this particular therapy clinic agreed to the days and hours I asked for, which are quite limited. I will be working Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-1:30pm. I will be able to drop off both boys at school and pick them up in a timely manner with I'm sure a little stress, but nothing I can't handle.

I will be working at a small pediatric clinic called Kidbuilders who provides OT, PT and Speech therapy. I say small because it is only six years old, but the growth has been continuous and somewhat overwhelming for the owner. I will work with one other OT and be doing mostly evaluations for babies ages birth to three, along with some school-aged children. I will also have two OT assistants with me (hooray!). I am also able to add hours as it is convienent for me, which is great because Dane is on a wait list for an additional day at his school...so when that opens I can add more hours at work!

I truly didn't think I would be headed back into the workforce this quickly, but I am thrilled and ready for the stimualtion and challenges. I don't have to give up my precious time with Blake and Dane, and they also will continue their experiences at school which I value greatly and think is a crucial component to their routine and development. As for now I am just waiting for the state of SC to send me my OT license. I hope to start in a couple of weeks!