I caught a glimpse of Starbucks Pumpkin Bread when I was in the store on Thursday. The glimpse lingered with me, and though I never tasted it, I tried to re-create it. As always, Corrie and I met in the kitchen this morning to concoct Pumpkin Streusel Bread.

This recipe is a combination of this recipe and this recipe. And a variation on this streusel. As usual, we changed some ingredients to make it healthier.

The result was an almost-dense, moist, comfortable-tasting bread. Nothing extraordinary, but I am interested to see what the bread will taste like after it sits awhile and the flavors meld. All the spices didn’t stand out when the bread was fresh, but that might change. Speaking of the spices, don’t be afraid of the generous measurements!

Healthy Pumpkin Streusel Bread

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 cup honey

1/2 cup applesauce

3 eggs

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla

2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

4 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. cloves

2 tsp. nutmeg

Streusel:

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 T. brown sugar

1 1/2 T. sugar

3 T. butter, slightly firm

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, combine coconut oil and honey until smooth. Add applesauce, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined.

4. Transfer batter to two greased loaf pans.

5. For streusel: in a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and white sugar. Cut in butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

6. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Shake the pans as they come out of the oven to loosen the sides. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing loaves from pans.

7. Slice and enjoy warm with a little butter!

Yield: 2 loaves

So, that’s Healthy Pumpkin Streusel Bread. All in all, it was yummy pumpkin bread. Will it ever reach perfection? Probably not, and neither me nor my family will endure too much pumpkin-bread-testing. I’m not that kind of cook. Next time, I’ll probably just find and tweak a new recipe. I can’t follow recipes, you know.

That’s all for now. Thanks for visiting!

~Rachel~

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

The combination of flavors is…interesting. The pumpkin and sage reminded me of autumn, the mushrooms added a new dimension, and the sausage…… I won’t say anything about the sausage, because (confession time!!!) we were out of all sausage, so I substituted a part of a hot dog. Truly. Please forgive me. Back to the pasta…Parmesan cheese is the perfect complement.

Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta Recipe for 1

Taken from Taste of Home

2 oz. whole wheat pasta (obviously, I used penne, Taste of Home used bowtie)

Sausage (not sure about the amount, an ounce or two would probably be enough)

2 fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 T. onion, diced or onion powder to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/8-1/4 tsp. rubbed sage

Salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

3/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes

Dash cayenne pepper, optional

1 T. Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. In a small greased skillet, lightly saute sausage, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, pumpkin, sage, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, and cayenne pepper. Add pasta and pumpkin mixture to sausage. Stir and cook over medium-low heat until hot and bubbly. Stir in Parmesan cheese; serve immediately. Unless, of course, you take pictures and the pasta gets cold and you have to reheat it in the microwave. Yield: 1 serving

Maybe I should post some harvest recipes – things I make for the cotton harvest crew, not things I make for myself during cotton harvest. That would require me to take pictures, which takes time, which I’m usually a bit short of when suppers need to get out the door. And harvest meals aren’t made for beauty.

That is a possibility for future posts, though.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you people reading this blog! I hope it’s a blessing to you!

Have fun cooking,

~Rachel~

Please don’t be disturbed about Spinach Pesto Penne. Be adventurous. It’s  delicious…and healthy…and GREEN. It’s a combination of my pesto craze and my pasta craze.

Spinach Pesto Penne for 1

2 oz. whole wheat penne pasta, cooked a la dente

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup 2% milk

1 cup spinach

1 – 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1-2 T. pesto

Salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley to taste

Dash cayenne pepper, optional

1-2 T. parmesan cheese

In a food processor or blender, combine chicken broth, milk, spinach, cornstarch, pesto, and desired herbs. Place cooked pasta in a small saucepan; pour spinach mixture over it. Cook over medium heat until hot and bubbly and the sauce coats the noodles. Stir in Parmesan cheese until it’s melted and creamy. Eat and enjoy. Yield: 1 serving

I ate it all. I highly recommend it.

I know the pictures are a bit dark. I had no natural light, I’m afraid.

Please excuse all the appearance changes. I want to play around and find a look I like for my blog!

See you next time for another pasta recipe!

~Rachel~

I wanted to make a Tomato Cucumber Salad. A fuzzy image hung suspended in my mind. Big chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers. Mom suggested olives. A tangy marinade. Fresh herbs.

What’s wrong with me? I don’t even like tomatoes. But I liked this salad.

Where was I? I had a salad in mind, but I needed a recipe to back it up. A little Taste of Home searching revealed a recipe – THE recipe!

I adjusted the salad ingredients a tad, but the dressing was perfect. All in all, the ingredients fall in love with one another. I don’t like olives either, by the way. But I liked this salad.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

2 medium tomatoes, cut into large chunks

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 (4-oz.) can sliced olives, drained and rinsed

2 small green bell peppers, cut into large chunks

2 T. fresh parsley, snipped

2 T. fresh basil, snipped

1/3 cup light olive oil

2 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, green bell peppers, and herbs in a large salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables; toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to 3 hours, before serving. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8-10 servings

Note: The original recipe called for mozzarella cheese. Feta cheese would be fantastic, too. 

See the original recipe at Taste of Home! 

I’m glad to get back into blogging a little more! I know I always seem to post on Sundays. That’s because I almost always do. I feel justified “playing” on my blog when I’m relaxing on Sunday afternoons. But I hope to post a little more during the week. That, of course, depends on whether I have recipes and pictures or not. Maybe I can create something for my Sunday night supper and share it with you.

Leave a comment. I love comments.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rachel

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Sorry, I’m not going to share the recipe. If you want to make it, you’ll have to get the revolutionary cookbook itself. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

How to describe it? A deep whole wheat color, slightly bitter, sourdough undertones. It feels hearty. The crust is not as tough as normal artisan bread, but that makes it easier to cut and chew. It does not have as many air bubbles as white bread would have, either, but you don’t think about it. Enjoy warm with butter or cold with peanut butter.

I definitely recommend it; I believe I will be making some more to keep in the refrigerator. Artisan bread will not replace our usual bread recipe, but it’s a tasty variation. Use it for pizza crusts, too. We discovered tonight that works well.

Have you ever tried Artisan Bread in 5 minutes? What do you think?

I must remember that Jesus is the Bread of Life. Whole Wheat Artisan Bread, or any bread, or any type of cooking, will never truly satisfy me. Only He can. I want to love Him more than food or cooking or nutrition. I want Him to be preeminent. Then I can have the right perspective to enjoy food as He created me to enjoy it.

I’m wishing all my readers a joyous weekend. Thanks for visiting!

~Rachel~

I’m not going to get scientific, but olive oil is supposed to be better for you than soybean oil. And most salad dressings you buy contain soybean oil. So Mom wanted to experiment and make our own salad dressing…one similar to Newman’s Own Lighten Up Italian dressing….with GOOD oils. So this was my first experiment. I like how it turned out.

Light Italian Vinaigrette

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

1 heaping tsp. cornstarch

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. each salt, sugar, pepper, oregano, mustard, and onion powder

1 T. fresh basil, minced

1 T. fresh parsley, minced

In a microwave-safe measuring cup or small bowl, combine water and cornstarch. Microwave for 30-40 seconds or until bubbly. Stir until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; combine well. Pour into a salad dressing bottle and chill before serving. Drizzle over your favorite salad! Yield: 3/4-1 cup

Here’s the calorie count if anyone’s interested. I am.

1 serving (2 tablespoons) has 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 85 mg sodium, and not much else. But believe me, all those herbs are good for you.

I like this initial experiment of Light Italian Vinaigrette. It has a slightly funny off- or after-taste, but overall it’s very pleasing. What will I change on the next experiment? We’ll see what floats my boat then.

~Rachel~

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, and let such as love Your salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified!’” Psalm 70:4

Everyone will love you. Because everyone loves the Amazing Trail Mix Bar.

I mixed up a batch the other day since I will soon be entering the throes of cotton-harvest-supper-cooking. And these seem to be a favorite.

And I even got to take pictures of them.

Let me share with you. But before that, let me say, “I love you, the Amazing Trail Mix Bar.”

The Amazing Trail Mix Bar (adapted from Smucker’s Trail Mix Bars)

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pecans

4-5 cups toasted oat cereal (I used Mom’s Best Naturals)

1 cup honey

3/4 cup sugar

1 16-oz. can natural peanut butter, stirred

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine oats, cereal, sunflower seeds, and pecans in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine honey and sugar. Heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add peanut butter and vanilla; stir until well combined.

Pour peanut butter mixture over the cereal mixture. Stir until coated. Press into a 15×10 jelly roll pan. Let cool. Cut into bars; serve and spread good cheer.

Note: Change anything you like; these bars are very adaptable. Change the nuts, change the cereal, stir in chocolate chips and watch them become chocolate bars. Please make them your own.

Warning: DO NOT cook the peanut butter with the honey and sugar! This will cause the bars to crumble excessively. Don’t let it happen to you.

The Amazing Trail Mix Bar up close.

Have a wonderful next week!

~Rachel~

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)

I am happy to say I have a success story to share. I haven’t shared anything in a long time. But here we go.

I discovered how to make crunchy peanut butter granola.

Peanut Butter Granola Version No. 1 was not crunchy. Crispy, but not crunchy. It was tasty (yes, that is goal number one), but I wanted to make granola that stayed in lumps. Not granola in which every oat wanted to be its own individual oat. You can tell that from the pictures. Shudders.

It’s the difference in method. And the addition of one special ingredient. Other than that, do what you want. I’m easy like that.

Peanut Butter Granola Version No. 2

6 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup oat bran*

1/2 cup wheat bran*

1/3 cup coconut*

1/4 cup sesame seeds*

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4-1 cups nuts (use peanuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, or a combination)*

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup oil (olive, canola, or coconut)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

1/2 tsp. vanilla

*These ingredients are optional. Add them for extra flavor or nutrition!

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Use the convection setting if you have it. In a large bowl, combine oats, oat bran, wheat bran, coconut, sesame seeds, salt, and nuts. In a microwave safe container or measuring cup, combine applesauce, peanut butter, oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Microwave 2-3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Stir until smooth. Pour peanut butter mixture into oat mixture. Mix until damp and well-combined…use your hands! Press the granola into 1 or 2 jelly roll pans, as if they were granola bars. Make it solid. This is crucial if you want crunchy granola. Bake at 250 for 2-ish hours, moving the pans to different racks every 20-30 minutes. DO NOT STIR. This is crucial if you want crunchy granola. The granola is done when it’s completely dried out and pleasantly brown. Let the granola cool. Break into chunks – big, medium, small – however you like it.

Serve with fruit and milk or yogurt. Or eat it plain.

Note: add more honey or sugar if the granola’s not sweet enough for you! 

This recipe was adapted from Healthy Food for Living. Thanks for the inspiration, Lauren!

So, that’s Peanut Butter Granola Version No. 2. The new method is to press in the pan and bake it on low; the new ingredient is applesauce. Experiment and enjoy!

Cooking for His glory,

Rachel

I got to serve this yesterday with Chili on Potatoes (not complicated…just pour chili on a baked potato and top it with cheese). They seemed to complement one another, although the salad would be delicious as a main dish salad (add a little grilled chicken, anyone?).

Let me share it with you.

Southwestern Spinach Salad

1/2 cup picante sauce

1/4 cup prepared Italian salad dressing

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

4 cups fresh baby spinach

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 cup sliced red onion

8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

Additional picante sauce, optional

In a small bowl, combine the picante sauce, salad dressing and cumin.

In a salad bowl, combine the spinach, beans, mushrooms, pepper, onion and bacon. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Garnish with eggs. Serve with additional picante sauce if desired. Yield: 6 servings

*Feel free, of course, to adjust anything. I did. Less bacon, more cumin, fewer eggs, more spinach. It’s the combination that’s good!

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did. I definitely want to make this one again.

Tell me what you think if you happen to make it!

~rachel, slave of Christ~

It was goooood pizza. Especially the veggie one (that’s because it’s the only one I had). So….I’m not writing down Corrie’s pizza crust dough recipe (I don’t know exactly how she did it). You can just do whatever dough you like and add some spices. Corrie did whole wheat pastry plus some gluten. Whatever.

Here’s pictures, and I’ll give you the pasta sauce recipe when we get to the pasta sauce.

T

The beginning of the dough. Carbs are so good.

Then the mixer did all the work. And you can go do other things while it kneads. Hah.

Check it out. Hands in the dough.

Blob of dough. Sorry about all the dough pictures. I must be obsessed with dough or something.

Here’s the pasta sauce. Roll out your dough. Put the wonderful herby sauce on.

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/4 tsp. rosemary

Stick everything in a blender or food processor. Blend until desired chunkiness.

Now add the toppings….

This one had chopped bell green peppers, homemade beef sausage, and cheese. Traditional and favorite.

This one had green bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, pineapple, and spinach. I like veggies, too.

Look at your kitchen. Isn’t it a mess of love?

Make some chubby breadsticks if you have extra dough. Thanks, Corrie!

Corrie said it looked good, so I came and took a pictures. Pizzas are beautiful….

View no. 2. Same pizza, though. You knew that.

Here’s the sausage pizza. Of course, it’s already after we cracked into it.

Cheeezzzy. Great pizza, by the way. And I’m not bragging. I just say so if I like what I make. That’s okay, isn’t it?

Eat all the pizza you want [need]. Put the rest in the refrigerator for breakfast tomorrow morning. Or maybe stray brothers that come in late and haven’t had pizza yet. Leave a happy pizza stone and pizza cutter.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the pizza night tour. It was a great night. Love cooking with and for my family. What about you?

~rachel~

“I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).