Pumpkin Cookies

A couple of weeks ago I bought 2 pie pumpkins at the grocery store. (They were on sale, buy one get one free.) I cleaned them, roasted them and pureed the flesh. I put two cups of the puree into freezer bags and froze two of them so we can have fresh pumpkin pies in November. (Like we do!) The trick to this technique is to cut the bags off the frozen pumpkin before thawing it, or it is just a big gloppy mess.

The other two cups I used to make cookies. I am trying to be healthier in my baking endeavors so I have been lowering the amount of sugars and adding more fiber. Anyway, these came out really yummy so I thought I would share the recipe here. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Cookies
An autumn favorite, these cookies are soft and chewy.These are fabulous with a glass of fresh apple cider.

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
8 oz solid pack pumpkin (or 1 Cup fresh pumpkin puree)
2 Cups flour
1 1/2 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars until well blended. Add egg and vanilla. Mix in pumpkin. Stir in dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10—12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

TIP: microwave for 15-20 seconds to re-melt chips!

 

On Guns

     I was thinking about writing about a variety of different things this morning. Then I ran across an article in the Sunday paper that struck a bit too close to home. The article itself isn’t available online yet, but it was written by one of my favorite Flint Journal writers, Andrew Heller. Over the years his articles have often made me laugh out loud as he has commented on the trials and tribulation of raising a family, living in the Flint area, and other social issues. 

     Earlier this week I heard about two men who, following some kind of road rage incident, pulled into a car wash in a small town in Michigan and shot each other to death. Both were legally carrying concealed weapons. What a couple of idiots, I thought. I hope it was worth it, to be right – to not only die in order to be right, but to kill another human being, in order to be right. And what a stupid legal system we have. And, shaking my head at the stupidity of it all, I set the whole story aside.

    Today, in reading the Sunday paper, I saw the names of the two men who lost their lives for no good reason. One of the names jumped off the page and punched me in the gut. I went to high school with Robert Taylor. He is one of my facebook friends. Yes, I have known that he owns guns, he is a Michigan boy who hunts deer – many of the people I went to school with participate in this tradition here in the mitten. Robert and I were never close friends, but he has often put kind words of encouragement on my posts. And he was one of those idiots. He took another man’s life, and lost his own, over some stupid bad behavior on the highway. What a waste.

    This incident was in the wake of the shootings at the Naval Yard near our Nation’s Capitol. Yes, another mass shooting. This time, thankfully, no children were involved. That incident was followed by a journalism professor at KU being suspended from his job because of a hateful response tweet.

    I try very hard not to be judgmental. I try to accept other people’s decisions about how to conduct their lives. But I simply do not understand how anyone feels it is necessary to own, much less carry, a handgun. Owning a riffle so one can go hunting, or protect themselves from wild animals is one thing. Owning and carrying a hand gun is something different.

    Having lived in West Africa as a child, having a gun pointed in my face at the age of 8, and having seen what life is like in countries where hand guns are forbidden, I do not understand what would make anyone think that a populace armed with hand guns is a good idea. This is beyond stupidity.  I really don’t know what to say. But I am pretty sure if Robert and the other driver hadn’t had hand guns, they might have knocked each other silly, they might be in the hospital, or in jail, but I am pretty sure they would both be alive today to read my post, and try to talk me out of my beliefs  and that “guns don’t kill people”.

Nesting

     It has cooled off in the Mitten and the urge to stock up yummy supplies for the winter has hit me hard. Last weekend we went to the Flint Farmer's Market and I bought some tomatoes which I cooked into spaghetti sauce and froze.  I also bought raspberries and blackberries, some of which somehow disappeared from my kitchen, but others made it into cobbler and others were cleaned and frozen. This weekend I bought pie pumpkins. I roasted them, mashed and pureed them, and put the pumpkin into freezer bags - 2 cups per bag, so that I can make pies this winter. There is also container with roasted pumpkin seeds, but I doubt those will last long. Next up, apples from the local orchard and then a freezer full of apple sauce for the winter.
     Doing all this reminded me that I owe a special someone in Kansas my recipe for Raspberry Razzle:

For those of us who love raspberries, this is the perfect side dish or dessert any time of the year.

1 Package Raspberry Jell-O

1 10 ounce package frozen raspberries or 1 cup fresh
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cups water

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat using a wire whisk. Bring to a boil. Pour into a pretty bowl or mold. Chill until set. For dessert, serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Yum.

About Time

     Across the back of my yard there is a row of a dozen blue spruce trees.  Since we moved in to this house, I have marked the passage of the seasons by watching the sun rise behind those trees. This morning I woke up before six “enjoying”, as my sons would say “a personal tropical vacation”. Seeking relief, I made my way down to the deck, stopping off to make a pot of coffee on my way. When my coffee and I stepped out onto the deck, it was cool, dark, still, and silent. Peaceful.
     As I sipped my coffee and watched the sun rise I was amazed, once again, by the world awakening all around me. Oscar bin Laden, terrorist kitty, joined me on his favorite perch atop the covered gas grill. The sky began to lighten directly behind the row of trees and I was reminded that the autumnal equinox is quickly approaching. The breeze picked up, birds began to chirp in the maple tree, and the sun breached the horizon, spilling gently through the center spruce tree. In the distance the rumble of the first school bus approached the neighborhood.
     Then the sadness washed over me. This is the first time in my adult life that I am not involved in the start of a new school year in some way. Weird. My children are grown and the one who is still in school is on the other side of the country. I am not working in academia so there is no significance to the beginning of the year for me. There is no excitement at meeting new teachers, or classmates, or students. There were no trips to buy school supplies or the “cool” clothes. There is no need for the family calendar marking the dates and times of practices, games, and concerts.  Nothing.  Just the sounds of the endless stream of school busses coming and going from the neighborhood.
     This year I will not mark the passage of time by midterms or school breaks, I will not watch the syllabus for the next assignment. I will mark the passage of time as the sunrise moves across the spruce trees to the south and then again to the north.