Pumpkin Scones With Pumpkin Butter Icing

There is nothing I enjoy more than a seasonal treat like a Pumpkin Scone. Every year when Starbucks starts carrying their seasonal fair I get a little giddy. But honestly, their scones aren't nearly as good as this homemade version. So bake a batch, bring them into the office or "Boo" a neighbor. Bring them to a housewarming or flash freeze them before baking for a baked fresh (with no effort) treat for breakfast.

Pumpkin Scones with Pumpkin Butter Icing

For The Scones:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2  tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 6 Tbs. cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 Tbs. milk, cream or half and half (I used 2 Tbs. milk and 1 Tbs. cream)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla

For The Icing:

• 1 cup 10x powdered sugar
• 2 Tbs. pumpkin butter
• 1 Tbs. milk

Preheat oven to 425. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add the butter and press with a fork or use mixer until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. In a seperate bowl combine the wet ingredients and add them to the dry. Fold in until mixture is forming a ball. Place dough onto a floured surface and roll just till mixture is about 2 inches. Cut into halves, halves again and halves again. Place on cookie sheet and brush with cream or milk. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Combine the sugar, milk and pumpkin butter in small bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Allow the scones to cool most of the way then drizzle the icing over the tops. Serve with a spiced latte or one of your favorite fall blend teas. 

Pumpkin Bread French Toast (yeast free recipe)

I have been on a yeast free diet for about a year and a half now. While I still enjoy many types of food sometimes I really miss bread. Especially french toast. I made a mean french toast with lots of cinnamon....
So, I decided to try making a version of French Toast with Pumpkin bread to see how it would turn out. I'm glad I thought of it because I actually like it even better than regular french toast!

Here is how I did it:
I used a recipe for Pumpkin Bread from The Foster's Market Cookbook: Favorite Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night  and baked one loaf of bread as well as muffins and doughnuts (see previous post for more on that). One recipe makes a lot so if you just want one loaf, half the recipe. Make sure you wait a day or so to let the bread breath.

Pumpkin Bread French Toast

Printer Friendly Recipe

1 loaf pumpkin bread. sliced.

2 eggs

1/2 c lowfat milk (could use almond milk)

1/4 blueberry juice (could use apple)

1 1/2 tbs. pumpkin butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk mixture until well mixed. Dip slices of pumpkin bread in batter and brown in a large saute pan for about 3 minutes per side. Place in a baking dish in a single layer and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy with real maple syrup, or warm pumpkin butter.

Pumpkin Bread Batter

It's the time of year when cinnamon, spice and pumpkin scents the air! There is nothing more Autumn than the smell of freshly baked pumpkin spice bread. I always find that when I bake pumpkin bread there is enough to do 2 loaves, but I only have one loaf pan. What to do with that extra batter? How about some Pumpkin Doughnuts?

Yes, that was a success! Here's how to do it:
Pour batter into well greased (I used PAM non-stick spray) doughnut pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack. When cool, dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon and let the kids have at them!

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You can also add some nuts, raisins, craisins or chocolate chips to the batter and use a muffin pan. Muffins freeze well and thaw fast for an on the go morning breakfast.

Planning Freezer Cooking Days and Meal Swaps

I have been trying to come up with a "plan" for a successful meal swap for a few weeks now. With only one O-A-M-C (once a month cooking) session underway I still need to find and perfect some recipes to make that happen. I'm on the hunt for some great vegetarian recipes that can be frozen and I'm finding that to be a bit of a creative problem but I've found one recipe already and have several other ideas (that I will post soon).
I have found some great resources for Freezer Cooking and thought that might come in handy to anyone who is interested in trying this concept. I do think that Freezer Cooking is most successful if you have a group of like-cooking people to get together and "swap" so that everyone walks away with a variety of different meals and isn't eating three of the same ol' dinner week after week.

• Here are some Freezer Cooking Basics from Life As Mom.

• Money Saving Mom has some great ideas on getting organized and having a plan.

• Here are some more great tips from The Coupon Project including some great side dish recipes that freeze well and breakfast burritos! Hint, Mission flour tortillas are BOGO this week at Publix! I'm stocking up big on those.

My tips so far-

• Look for great deals on meats at Publix and Target. There are several times when I have seen chicken breasts or lean beef on sale for at least as low as it is at Sam's and I hate to shop at Sam's! I always spend more than I intend to and it's just one extra place to stop. Also, produce is not always cheaper at Sam's. I find great deals at the local veggie stand and even at Publix.

• If you follow the seasons you will be amazed at how affordable things are. Plan freezer meals in seasons to stretch your dollars and that way you can make your favorite foods last and last! For example, stock up on tomatoes in the summer and make large batches of Tomato Basil Soup, Tomato Sauce, Pasta Dishes and more!

• Don't forget to include seafood and vegetarian meals to the Freezer Menu. Many of the delicious meals I've found from Freezer Cookbooks are heavy on meat. While every once in a while it is OK to indulge in red meat, or having a few servings of chicken a week won't kill you, you want to have a varied diet and be sure to have lots of produce on hand to make that happen.

• The herb garden is truly essential to freezer cooking! Season, season, season your food! What better way to use up loads of basil than to make a freezer pesto?!

-Examples of time savers to use with Freezer Cooking

• Chop onions and store in zip lock bags by the 1/2 c (this should equal 1 onion). Freeze them in the baggies (or Tupperware) until needed.
• Buy fresh produce, blanch and freeze it for use in stir-fry, roasted veggies or just a regular side.
• Host a swap so that you have helping hands!