Mandy and Jace

After waiting weeks and weeks I finally put up my fall decorations. I bought them last month and was itching to put them out but it was still 100 degrees and just didn’t feel right.

I also made my first batch of pumpkin bread and it was so good! I love anything with pumpkin. Bread, waffles, cheesecake, soup, it is all wonderful to me. This recipe for pumpkin bread is leaning more toward the healthy side. I plan on trying the non-healthy version very soon!

Almost healthy pumpkin bread
adapted from Bread and Honey
makes one regular loaf or two mini loaves.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 eggs (I used egg beaters and it worked just as well with fewer calories)
1 15oz can unsweetened pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs and pumpkin in a bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl combine the flour, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Don’t over-mix or it will come out tough.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!

Looks like it’s time to switch my closet out from my summer clothes to my winter clothes. I am loving this weather! Today’s high is 80 and I’m about to go put on my work out clothes and enjoy it.

This weeks meal plan is going to be fun. A little bit of junk food and a little bit of healthy food, but it all will be delicious. Saturday when I was shopping for meat the lady behind the counter asked me how we were going to cook our lamb chops and I proudly told her, “as quickly and as little as possible!” Jace, you’ve taught me well. I’ve come a long way from only steak medium well. Maybe one day I’ll break into seafood.

Here’s the plan.
Tonight: fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn on the cobb
Tuesday: lamb chops and lemon thyme rice
Wednesday: grilled cheese sandwiches and chips
Thursday: take out probably
Friday: date night!

Happy eating!

FALL IS HERE PEOPLE!!!!! Can you tell I’m excited? I have put out all of my decorations on Saturday and this week I will be cooking the first pumpkin loaf of the season. Now if the weather would cooperate we will be in good shape.
I don’t have much of a meal plan this week since we have quite a few dinner plans, but I can give you what little I have.

Here’s the plan.
Tonight: lemon chicken stir fry
Tuesday: Jace’s work dinner
Wednesday: not sure yet
Thursday: chicken salad sandwiches at practice
Friday: date night!

Happy eating!

Unfortunately, the weekend is over and my week is off to a running start with no end in sight. We have so many things going on this week that my head is spinning just thinking about it. It is revival week at church. That means we are having services with the wonderful Mikey Cheshier tonight, tomorrow night and Wednesday starting at 7:00. If you’ve never heard him speak you should make a point to come out and experience a service. God has done miraculous things in this man’s body and life and he has a mindblowing testimony. You can read some of it here but you really need to meet him in person. You definitely won’t walk away the same person after hearing his testimony. Also, on Wednesday night our Quarterlife praise team will be doing praise and worship and we have a great set list planned (I am just a little bit partial). Here is a map of how to get to our church.
On top of that my lovely mom is out of town for the week, so I have to hold down the shop office while she’s gone. Needless to say, this weeks meal plan will all be foods that we can take on-the-go and eat at the church. I absolutely do not want to eat fast food every day of the week, so I am determined to make something good but easily transported for us to eat. The plan is to make most of it Saturday or Sunday and keep it in the fridge at the church. That way I can pop them in the microwave and eat during practice before the service. We’ll see how well it works out.

Here’s the plan.
Tonight: refried bean burritos (made with leftovers from last weeks beans and cornbread) and home made salsa
Tuesday: cowboy soup
Wednesday: Burgers and chips (I’m going to make the burgers the night before and wrap them in foil)
Thursday: take out after practice if we have it
Friday: I am going to proclaim date night to be rest and relaxation night

Happy eating!

Well, I am knocking out my goals one by one. This week I am working on baking breads. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to start on a yummy dessert bread. This one was awesome. It is great for dessert, breakfast or just because you want something to eat.

I have never really been patient enough to bake breads. You have to let them sit and rise for a couple of hours and I tend to get so impatient that I don’t let them rise and they turn out deformed and tough. So the other day I was determined to make this bread exactly like the recipe said, and it turned out beautifully.

This recipe is once again from Pioneer Woman. I haven’t tried a recipe of her’s that I didn’t love and this one didn’t disappoint. If you haven’t started reading her blog daily you must start now. I’m not sure how I cooked without her.

Just a warning. Make sure you have plenty of time to make this before you start baking. You will need about 5 1/2 hours total. And don’t cut corners. It needs all the time that the recipe says.

Cinnamon bread
adapted from Pioneer Woman
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons salted butter
2 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 eggs
1/3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Cinnamon
egg wash (1 egg and a little water mixed together)
2 tablespoons softened butter for greasing

About 30 min to an hour before you start cooking remove your eggs and butter from the refrigerator so the eggs can get to room temperature and the butter can soften.

In a small pan combine the 6 tbs butter and milk and warm but don’t boil. Let it cool to where it is just warm not hot. Add in the yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes to wake the yeast up.

In a bowl combine the flour and salt.

In your stand mixer with your paddle attachment mix together the sugar and eggs until combined.

Pour in the yeast mixture and stir. When combine pour in half of the flour mixture and beat on medium until it comes together. Pour the remaining flour in and mix it until combined.

Switch to your dough hook and let it knead for 10 minutes. Mine was fine at this point but if it’s too sticky add a couple of tablespoons of flour until it is easier to handle.

Coat a large bowl with oil, put your dough in it and cover it with a damp towel. Place in a warm, draft free place for 2 hours. In my house this is my oven (not turned on).

Combine your cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

After it has risen turn it out onto your cabinet and roll it out into a rectangle being sure it isn’t wider than your bread pan.

Cover the dough with your softened butter and then pour the cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of the butter. Roll the dough into a log starting from the far end and rolling it in towards yourself.
Pinch the seam to seal.

Use nonstick spray or butter to grease your loaf pan and place the dough into the pan. Cover again with a damp towel, place it in a warm place and let it rise for another 2 hours.

If your not using your oven to house your rising bread preheat your oven to 350. If you are wait until it is done rising, remove the dough and preheat your oven.

Cook the bread for 40 minutes on the lower rack of your oven.

Allow the bread to cool and try not to eat it all at once.