Archives for October 2015

Oatmeal and Pumpkin Spice Chip cookies

October 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

Every year food manufacturers come up with seasonal releases to gladden our hearts and please our palates.

Nestle has done just that for pumpkin lovers. Their Pumpkin Spice Morsels (chips) hit the spot in these cookies.

Soft, buttery, chewy oatmeal cookies combine with the flavors of fall – pumpkin and spice. . . Ummmmm.

Served these last night to friends, who, after telling us that they were not very good, offered to take them all home – to relieve us of our burden of disposal.

They mix up quickly, freeze well, and, if you make a double batch, and freeze the little cookie balls before baking – you can store those frozen little balls of wonder in the freezer – in an air-tight container – for months, ready to bake at a minute’s notice. Just be sure to let them come to room temperature before baking, and bake as directed. As you can see from the picture, these flatten out quite a bit when they are cooled – that is what adds to their chewy goodness. Whatever you do, don’t over-bake these babies!

The recipe is below,

Enjoy,

Kathy

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Oatmeal and Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies

October 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

Oatmeal and Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies

These cookies are soft, chewy and filled with pumpkin and spice goodness. The use of Nestle's seasonal Pumpkin Spice chips - a sure winner.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 10

Total Time 10

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs room temperature
1 Tablespoon hot water
1 cup Nestle's Pumpkin Spice Chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups oats quick cooking or old fashioned
1/2 cup walnuts chopped (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugars, beating until fluffy and light colored.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined.
Add the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated.
Add the hot water, butterscotch chips and oats and nuts if using. Gently stir until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Using a standard cookie scoop or a level tablespoon, drop the batter onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes for chewy cookies, 9-10 minutes for crispy cookies. Do Not Over-Bake!
Remove from oven. Cool several minutes on the pan before removing the cookies to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Notes

For larger cookies lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Using a large scoop, drop onto the cookie sheet, leaving plenty of space for spreading. Bake for 13-15 minutes - until the batter looks dry in the center. The cookies will be faintly browned along the edges. They will flatten as they cool, yielding a wonderfully soft, chewy cookie.

A Blast To the Past

October 21, 2015 Leave a Comment

Happy “Back to the Future Day!” I have been thinking a lot about the future – and the past lately (mundane farm chores allow for a great deal of reflection time).
With the arrival of the day that Marty McFly was catapulted into (Back to the Future 2)- I have wondered what it would be like to step back into time – to see how I would function. Today – thanks to a special friend, I was able, in a way, to do just that – back to the late 1800’s, early 1900’s.This morning, she arrived at my door carrying these –

Recipe journals and boarding house registers from 1877 – 1915.
Each one was filled with names and home towns of boarders, and recipes of the day. Many of the recipes bearing the name of someone on the boarding house register.
I can picture these women, in the kitchen, chatting about the news of the day, news of their home towns, and sharing recipes.
The recipes are simple. Most of them are ingredients only – as women of that day knew how to mix up each recipe and at what temperature to bake a cake or bread or cookies. They weren’t working with thermostats, they just knew how hot the oven had to be – how much wood or coal to feed the stove in order to bake the perfect cake. [Continue Reading …]

The Great Pumpkin

October 20, 2015 Leave a Comment

When our young granddaughter drew the face she wanted on her pumpkin – we carved it – as she drew it – to preserve the preciousness of youth! Hope your Jack o’ lantern burns brightly this year!

By following a few simple instructions, you can carve your Jack o’ lantern well in advance of the big night without the worry of him spoiling. There is also a way to cook your carved pumpkin when the celebrations are over. Just be sure to follow the steps I’ve outlined. If you plan to eat your pumpkin [Continue Reading …]

Lemonade With a Little Twist

October 17, 2015 Leave a Comment

Lemonade is frequently associated with hot summer days. But if you end it there, you are missing out on some of the best that the autumn has to offer.

The juice from Concord grapes makes a perfect pairing with the tartness of lemonade.

This version of lemonade is high on the request list here at the Homestead. Served over ice, it is a perfect end to a warm autumn day – but heated and served steaming hot in a mug, it can also be a perfect ending to a crisp fall night!

Here is how we do it.

Enjoy,

Kathy

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Spring. Just the word congers up images of blossoms and bunnies, eggs and chicks. . . . and catalogs filled with tableware, linens and all the fresh spring color imaginable. . . . so when my spring edition of the Pier1 catalog arrived – I was immediately drawn to devour every page. The dinnerware, table settings, linens were, in typical Pier1 form, a wonderful feast for the eyes.

But, there was one thing that especially drew my attention. . .their adorable folded napkins – especially the little bunnies in the upper right corner of the page. The catalog directed readers to log on to their website for instructions – which I immediately did.

Upon arriving at the page, I searched for the Bunny Fold and found this. I grabbed some cloth napkins (which happened to be from Pier1) and, following their directions, began folding. It only took me to the 4th step to figure out that there was a real problem with the directions – they were rolling from the wrong side of the napkin. . . and by the final step – it was unmistakable.

I had created this. I took an unfolded napkin and the directions to my husband – who, as a builder, reads instructions for a living . . . and his response was immediate – these are not right. They have rolled from the long side and not the point – and used directions for a granny knot. It needs to be an ‘overhand’ knot. (50 plus years of scouting – he should know his knots!)

After making a few simple changes – rolling from the point and using an overhand knot – the finished product looked like the one in the Pier1 picture. Success!

And so, as much as I LOVE Pier1, no one is infallible. I have done my own set of instructions, including pictorials, for your use should you be wanting to try these little treasures. Such a simple way to dress up a spring or Easter table.

Just Click Here to go to the instructions. Happy Spring!

Enjoy,

Kathy

Archives for October 2015

Oatmeal and Pumpkin Spice Chip cookies

Oatmeal and Pumpkin Spice Chip Cookies