Tomato Stewed Pumpkin with Cabbage Slaw

If you were to ask me what my favorite winter squash would be, I would have to say that I couldn’t choose, I love them all. But when I really, really think about it, when I look deep into my food soul, I could, and I think it would be pumpkin. Yup, pumpkin is my favorite.

Pumpkin is amazing and delicious, Not just as a pie or bread, but eaten in any way that any other winter squashed can be eaten. Fantastic in a soup or roasted or sautéed. And yes, blended up into all sorts of baked goods. It tastes somewhat like butternut squash but less sweet and has a nice nutty, earthiness to it and pairs well with al sorts of great spices, not just pumpkin spice. If you haven’t had it outside of a baked good, well then, make this. You are in for a really treat!

But don’t carve a jack o lantern pumpkin then eat that. Those big pumpkins are not very tasty. Get a small pie pumpkin, those are ones to eat.

Now to the tomato stewed pumpkin!

The stuff. A sugar(pie) pumpkin, a couple nice big ripe tomatoes, a large onion, a clove or two or garlic, cumin and chili powder, vinegar, shredded cabbage, and salt and pepper.

Start with the onion. Cut in half and thinly shred about 1/3 or it. Small dice the rest Also mince up the garlic too.

Add the thinly shredded onion to the shredded cabbage and toss around with vinegar a little salt and pepper then set aside.

Dice up the tomatoes.

Place the diced onions, minced garlic, tomatoes, and cumin ans chili powder into a big pot with a splash of water and stick on medium heat on stove to start to stew the tomatoes.

While the tomatoes are going, cut up pumpkin. Just cut in half, remove seeds (save for roasting) and cut into small cubes. And sure, if you are not a fan of the skin (my favorite part) just peel the pumpkin with a potato peeler before cutting it up small. But really the skin, it is sooo GOOD!

Once the tomatoes are soft and mushy, add in the pumpkin. Keep on heat and place a lid mostly over pot. Let cook.

Soft and stewed and all sorts of everything good.

And then you scoop it into bowls, top with the cabbage slaw, sprinkle with pepper and fresh cilantro if you just so happen to have some, and eat it.

Yeah, pumpkin is my favorite.

-C

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Tomato Stewed Pumpkin with Cabbage Slaw

makes 2 bigger or 4 smaller serving

• 1 small sugar pumpkin (around 3 or a little more cups cubed)

• 2 large tomatoes

• 2 heaping teaspoons cumin

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• A few tablespoons water

• 1-2 cloves garlic

• 1 large onion

• 2 cups shredded red or green cabbage

• 2 tablespoons white vinegar

• salt and pepper

Start with the onion. Cut in half and thinly slice a little more then half of the half. Toss with the cabbage, the vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Set aside

Dice the rest of the onion and place into a big pot. Grab tomatoes and dice them up as well and place them into the pot with the onions. Sprinkle with a pinch pf salt and pepper and add in the cumin and chili powder. Add 2 tablespoons of water and place on stove on medium heat to start to cook down.

While the tomatoes are stewing away, cut up the pumpkin. Just cut in half, remove seeds (and reserve for roasting) and dice it into small chunks. If you are not one to enjoy the greatness of pumpkin skin (it is really good) then before dicing it, just peel it with a potato peeler.

Once tomatoes have cooked down a bit, place the diced pumpkin into the pot. Add another tablespoon or so of water, mix around, partially place a lid on the pot, and let cook for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin starts to fall apart. If at any time it seems like it needs more liquid, just add in another tablespoon or so of water.

Once it is all stewed up, remove from heat, scoop into a bowl or bowls, and top with the cabbage slaw that was made early.

Eat.

Apple Spice Donuts

Have you ever sat in front of all your baking pans and tins just go through them and see which ones haven’t gotten much baking time lately? That is basically what I did the other day and that is when I realized that the donut pan hasn't seen the light of the oven in quite some time.

I fixed that right then and there. I made apple donuts. Donuts are always a good idea and apple donuts are always Always a good idea, especially when it is fall and the weather is nice and cool and crisp and you just want to bake stuff to keep the kitchen warm.

And the guilt of not using my donut pan in a while pan is no longer an issue… But the big bundt pan, that is another story. (Probably going to be a bundt cake coming soon)

So donuts. Baked in a pan (obviously), super easy to throw together, and bake up really fast. Full of warm spices and small shreds of apples then tossed in cinnamon sugar after baking and there it is. Everyones favorite fall donut. Don’t think about it to much, just make these donuts because you will be happy eating the donuts and make anyone you choose to share with happy too.

Now to the donuts!

The stuff. A couple apples. Flour, baking powder and soda, salt. Cinnamon, ginger, and cardamon, and vanilla extract. Apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, oil, water. a little white sugar with cinnamon, and vegan butter.

First to do is grate the apples. They will turn brown fast but it don’t matter.

Add in the wet and mix, add in the dry, and mix and Ta da! Donut batter.

Scoop batter into well greased donut pan. (if you have 2 pans you are better then me. I have to do one batch a a time)

Poof. Baked and donut.

Flip hot donuts out of pan and let cool for a few minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, brush each donut with melted butter all ver and toss in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Donuts are done.

We are good.

-C

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Apple Spice Donuts

makes 12

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup warm sugar

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger and cardamon

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/3 cup neutral oil (I used canola)

• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2-3 apples that equal 1cup shredded (I used 2 big Macintosh)

  For cinnamon sugar coating

• 2 tablespoon melted vegan butter

• 3 tablespoons white sugar

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, shred your apples until you have 1 packed cup. Eat any left over apple.

Add in the brown sugar, oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and water and mix until combined. In seperate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and powder, and all cinnamon, ginger, and cardamon. Dump dry into wet and gently mix until completely incorporated.

Scoop batter into greased donut pan(s) and place into oven. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the donut is big and fluffy and a when poked with a tester, it comes out clean.

Remove donuts from oven and flip our of pan onto a wire rack. (Clean and and bake second batch if you are working with one pan.) Mix together the cinnamon and white sugar into a wide shallow bowl. Once donuts cool enough to handle, bruh each donut with melted butter all over then toss around in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place back on rack to cool completely.

Eat.

Left overs wiill last in air tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. The cinnamon sugar crunch will just not be crunchy anymore after the first day.

Sunday Happy

What a week. Cool and dreary with a little sun sprinkled in here and there. I know a lot of folks hate this weather but I love it. It’s my favorite!

Last weeks camping was so good!. We went to our favorite state park, Half Moon, and it was just so nice. Super quiet, the trees were amazing, the temperature was fantastic. We hiked through the woods to a little pond, kayaked around 2 separate ponds, and the rm did some fishing while I did some reading. Everything was just A+. Even when it started to rain in the middle of the night. It didn’t bother me. I guess I told the mr that it wasn't suppose to rain so it didn’t matter and that he shouldn’t put the rainfly on. (My logic is spot on when I am sleeping.). And yeah we got a little wet, but whatever, still was the best. (the mr eventually put the fly on. Good call on his part to not listen to me.)

Then back to the world we came. To the doctors, to work stuff, to siding the porch on one of the houses. All the fun things that was on the list of the stuff to do.

And it was Alex’s 15th birthday (Happy Birthday!!WOO HOO!) so we went over to see him and have dinner and birthday cake. We also went for a nice rainy day foliage drive which again, my favorite weather, was really some of the best fall color we have seen in some years.

After working at the studio on Friday I rushed home fast to make a Pokemon cake for Saturday. Early Sartuday morning we grabbed the little, snagged Barb, and did our annual farm day pumpkin picking, masked and social distancing and all. We took the wagon to the field, they picked pumpkins (they all picked the first ones they saw) and did a little flower picking after. Then back to my house for a birthday party celebration for Coco. Technically his birthday is today (HAPPY BIRTHDYA COCO!) but we did a little party for him yesterday. Ate lunch, played around then surprised him with his pikachu cake. He was so happy! Then we gave him his presents (his own package of his favorite cookies, a hand knitted hat, and a vintage kids accordion) ate cake, and ran around the house playing with the accordion to the point where I wanted to smash it. He loved it all (even loved the hat!) and the accordion is home with him and can drive everyone who lives with him crazy. HAHA!

I must mention one thing. Judah was talking to Barb about her job as a house cleaner and all the things she has to do. He then said he would love to get paid to clean my house because it would be like getting free money cause my house is so clean. That really made my day. With that said, it has been a while since I have had so much cake all over the house. I really don’t understand how they do it. Everyone was sitting at the table and were not being messy or gross or anything but after they left and I started in on my cleaning routine…. cake was EVERYWHERE!. I might just make it mandatory for all food to be consumed outside from now on. Although that probably won’t work either. The littles (and sometime the mr) are slobs and no matter what or where they eat, it will get all over.

And now Sunday. So so ready to get out. Elmore State Park is the destination and we are going to take a good long hike up a mountain while we are there. Hopefully there are not a shit ton of other people around. (Vermont during foliage season is the best time and the worst time.. too many people!) I have a pumpkin packed for dinner, the rain fly (just in case) and the wool blankets. It’s gonna be a chilly one tonight!

Internet from the weeks internet.

-How to Cope When Everything Feels Bad and Somehow It Keeps Getting Worse. My go to is reading. Guess that is why I have been reading 2 books a week.

-Celebrate the House Meal, the Go-To Dish for When There’s No One to Satisfy but Yourself. Sometime I wonder how weird and screwed up my tastes are compared to others but then I think how screwy other peoples are.I think that we all eat some weird shit and the weird shit is almost always the best.

-I would live here. An Architect’s Scandi-Inspired Off-the-Grid Hut

-Sugar bread is not bread. For Subway, A Ruling Not So Sweet. Irish Court Says Its Bread Isn't Bread

-Yes, Halloween Trees Are Officially a Thing, and We Don’t Hate It. But I think I might hate it. At least use a different tree. Geesh.

-All of these floors.

-58,000 Pounds of Carrots Were Dumped at a London University. Could have just dumped them in my front lawn. I like a good art installation. And carrots.

-Vermont proud. Vermonter raises zucchini currently listed as world's largest in 2020

-May The Fattest Bear Win: Voting Opens For National Park's Pre-Hibernation Contest.. Love a fat bear.

-I just really like this. Portable Candlelight

Pictures from the week.

-C

Burnt Broccoli

Sometimes it is the simplest of simple things that really get me excited about food. Take for instance burnt broccoli. What exactly is there to say about it other then it is broccoli roasted until it is burnt.

Well I tell ya, it’s amazing and delicious.

I have always been in love with broccoli but lately I have taken to eating more and more of it then usual. Partly because I have been getting a lot of it at the farm, but mostly because I have been craving it in the weirdest way, like every time I get hungry, all I want is to eat is burnt broccoli. What I do is I roast the broccoli unit it is basically burnt. And then I eat it, just like that, nice and burnt and crispy and I just can’t get enough.

Is that a little weird? Maybe sure, but whatever, it is fantastic and I really don’t care if it is weird. I’m doing me and eating a plate of burnt ass broccoli every day makes me happy.

You should try it. It will portably make you happy too.

To the broccoli!

The stuff. All you need is broccoli. You could toss int n a a tiny bit of oil if you want, but I forgo the oil. And salt and pepper if you want too, but again, I don’t want it.

So basically all you do is brake apart broccoli crowns and stick them on a baking sheet and pop it into a really hot oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how burnt you want your broccoli.

Good and crispy. I might leave it in a tad bit longer but at this point I just wanted to eat it so I just called it.

Then once it is burnt, you eat it. Plain and unadulterated or splashed with lemon juice or even dipped in hummus. Any way is a good way because burnt broccoli is alway going to be good.

-C

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Burnt Broccoli

• Broccoli crowns (at least 1, if not a whole lot. Make as much as you want)

• olive oil (optional)

• salt and pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 450

Break of cut apart broccoli crowns into florets and place on a baking sheet. If you want, lightly oil the baking sheet and or toss broccoli in a teaspoon or so oil.

Place in oven and cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until broccoli is burnt to your liking.

Remove broccoli from oven when done and eat, as a side, in a sandwich, or on it’s own as a great snack.

Sunday Happy

And the week came and went. Monday was a blur, Tuesday thru Saturday was jammed packed with all the stuff. Lots of studio time, finally a day of glazing (although I barely got anything glazed), my first time experiencing zoom (that was a shit show but I got through it) and all sorts of this and thats and work things and so on and so forth. The mr has been working hard over at one of the houses replacing a roof. We have contemplated A grade or C grade cedar singles for siding over and over again, and I think my garden is pretty much done giving for the season. I have chard and kale and a few roots to pull but that just about it. Not a great gardening year (due to the stupid woodchuck and stupid hot temperatures), but not bad either but I guess any growth was a success so you know what, it was a great year. HA!

Yesterday the mr and I had Miley come over for a little birthday celebration lunch. (Barb came too ) We asked her if she wanted any one else but she said no. Just wanted to eat and be left alone. (she might get that from me). I got her favorite food, made her a batch of her favorite cookies (we are making a cake together later this week) and we bought her the biggest bag of sour patch kids that we could find. I also knitted her a hat, but when I showed it to her she told me she didn't like it and that she would prefer if I would just knit her a pair of black mittens. So that is 13 and you know what, sure I was a little disappointed she didn’t like the hat but I am glad she said so and I didn't give it to her and have her just toss it into one of her junk piles. I’ll just give it to someone else, or keep it. I like it.

Today, first and foremost, is Miley’s actual 13th birthday so again HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! She is with her grandparents so I won’t be seeing her stinky little face today which is all fine and good because the mr and I are doing our thing and heading out into the woods. I am so in need of trees and sky and quiet right now. Again, a long week. And this is probably the last time we will drag that kayaks with us so we are going to make it count and hit a couple of really cute and quiet ponds on our way to camp. And hopefully we won’t see all the people out looking at all the trees. Fall foliage season. It is on it’s way and the trees are looking so good this year. Unfortunately it brings out all the people and we all know how I feel about people….

Internet from the week.

-We all owe her so much. RIP lady. RBG’s Fingerprints Are All Over Your Everyday Life

Farmers' Almanac Extended Forecast for Winter 2020-2021. ALL THE SNOW!!! I really hope that we get lots and lots of snow.

-Wellenss is all well and good but don’t just jump on any old trend. Do the homework and make sure you are not putting yourself first before whole communities. From Palo Santo To Crystals, Millennial Wellness Damages The Communities It Borrows From

-How To Say No, For The People Pleaser Who Always Says Yes. I used to be way more of a people pleaser and then I realized I hate being around people which solved that problem (still a family people pleaser though…)

-Regular doses of awe can do wonders for emotional health. Of course. I think about this everyday, letting something, even the simplest thing, really struck me with awe because really, life and all the good stuff is pretty freaking awe inspiring.

-And then the birds sing! When COVID-19 silenced cities, birdsong recaptured its former glory

-Berkeley Is First in the U.S. to Ban Candy, Chips, and Soda From Grocery Store Checkout Lanes. This is so smart.I support this.

-It is so important to know where your food comes from and how it was made. Also if they are destroying environments as they go along.. Big Meat Is Selling Veggie Burgers—But It's Still Destroying the Environment

-We Quit Our Jobs to Build a Cabin—Everything Went Wrong. Worth it

-I Walked All 1,114 Blocks of My ZIP Code Just to Catalog How People Style Their House Numbers. This is something that I do too! I need to look at people house numbers when I walk by. It’s a reflex.

Pictures from the week.

-C