Friday, October 15, 2010

Zucchini Pumpkin Bread/Muffins

Rebecca and I have been in the mood for Autumn-y things. Steve pulled some zucchini out of our garden and I had some extra pumpkin, so we made bread! (It could easily be called cake.) We stole this recipe from Taste of Home and tweaked it (as usual). Enjoy!




 Ingredients:

*2 cups sugar
* 3 eggs, lightly beaten*1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
*1 cup butter, melted
*1 tablespoon vanilla extract
*3 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1/2 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
*2 cups shredded zucchini
*1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions:

In a bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Add pumpkin, butter and vanilla. Blend with hand-blender. Combine dry ingredients; gradually blend in pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until breads test done. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Harvest Squash Pie

Rebecca and I were at the farmer's market this week trying to think of pie ideas and as he headed over to the only fruit available, apples, and saw how mealy they looked, we decided to head in a different direction: butternut squash. I've heard of squash pies before, and I've of course made pumpkin pies, so we decided to dive right in without a recipe. I thought I remembered the basic ingredients for pumpkin pie and accidentally mistook condensed milk for evaporated (whoops), but I always say that when you mix sugar with anything you won't be disappointed and we weren't. Check out the recipe below.

*1 large butternut squash, halved and roasted
*1 can sweetened condensed milk
*1 cup brown sugar
*1/4 cup white sugar
*1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon (would have used nutmeg if I had any)
*1/4 cup cornstarch (I don't play around with firming agents)
*1 tablespoon flour
*1 tablespoon vanilla extract
*Crushed walnuts

Directions: Pretty simple really. Just scoop out the roasted squash and blend with all of the other ingredients. Pour into uncooked crust (recipe in blog), sprinkle with walnuts, and cook for 15 minutes uncovered and then 30 minutes covered (or longer if necessary) at 350 degrees.

I honestly have never seen such a pretty color! Perfect for autumn. We served it with whipped cream and hot mulled apple cider.