Happy Halloween

 Happy Halloween to all!!

Created by Hagen, age 5

Hope your day is filled with lots of treats.

KAL Cupcakes

At the lys (local yarn shop) I work at part time I've been leading a KAL (knit a long) for toe up socks.  Today was the last official meeting for this group and I thought we needed to celebrate with some cupcakes.  Of course being that this is the month of October I found another recipe for pumpkin cupcakes.  As I've mentioned before I follow several cooking blogs.  This recipe for Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting comes from the blog  SprinkleBakes

I actually followed the recipe as written.  This was my first time to make a cooked frosting and the flavor is light and not really sugary sweet.  And the best part is the cupcakes are delicious.  I must confess I had one for breakfast and another after lunch.  And since a few did come home with me I am seeing another breakfast of cupcake tomorrow.  Life is good!!

Speaking of toe up socks,  the general consensus of the group is we all prefer knitting top down socks.  After a pair and a half I am still a fan of the top down.  I am on the look out for a different heel for a toe up so if you have any suggestions please share them.  We used the pattern from Ann Budd's On-Your-Toes Socks from Interweave Knits, Summer 2007

Happy Birthday Hagen

My youngest "child" turns 18 today.

Happy Birthday Hagen!!

We love you.

Apple Hill

Since moving to California people have mentioned visiting Apple Hill.  Sunday was a beautiful day and so Jim and I headed out to Placerville to see what the hype was all about.  As the name implies Apple Hill is about apples but there are also Christmas tree farms which will open the day after Thanksgiving and wineries. So guess where we stopped first - Wofford Acres Vineyard.  Just when we thought we really did not know where we were going we found the winery.



Petite Sirah grapes

Nebbiolo grapes

We had a wonderful time at the winery.  The view was outstanding and the wine tasty. We bought some great Zinfandel.    I see a picnic lunch planned for the future.

Our next stop was for apples. 

We stopped in at El Dorado Orchards which had a craft fair also happening.  We bought 20 lbs of Fuji apples.

Fuji apples

On the way down the hill we stopped at Fenton Herriott Vineyards. Unusual for us, we left without purchasing any wine - need I say more.

And this is my new bird house purchased at the craft fair at El Dorado Orchards.  A little late in the season but I'm looking forward to housing a bird family next season.

Miss Millie. She just makes me happy.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

I am leading a KAL (knit-along) at the LYS (local yarn shop) that I work at part time for a toe up sock.  It was one of the attendee's  birthday this past Thursday so I had a good excuse to bake.  I found a delicious sounding recipe for Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes on one of my favorite blogs Desserts For Breakfast. 

I followed the recipe for the cupcakes which turned out very moist and tasty.  The frosting I did change.

Vegan Pumpkin Frosting

1 cup solid white vegetable shortening

1 tsp. butter flavoring

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Scant 5/8 cup canned pumpkin

1 lb. confectioners sugar

1 tb. meringue powder (leave out if you want vegan frosting)

Cream shortening and flavoring together.  Add dry ingredients and mix on  medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together. Slowly add canned pumpkin, continue mixing until well blended.

And yes, I had one for breakfast the next day!!

Jujube

                  At the farmers market today I saw these at one of the booths and wondered what they were.

I was told they were jujube which have a short growing season of about six weeks and taste similar to an apple.  The health benefits of the jujube are also plentiful.

According to ehow " jujube contains potassium, phosphorus, manganese and calcium.  They are also high in sodium, zinc, iron and copper. Jujube also contains vitamin c, riboflavin and thiamine. It contains 20 times the amount of vitamin C as citrus fruits. The vitamin and mineral content of the fruit helps to soothe the stomach, ease sore throats, suppress the appetite, support cardiovascular health, enhance metabolism and cleanse the blood vessels."

They are ripe when they are totally brown but still edible when they are green.  They do have a seed inside.  They are a bit pricey at $4.00 a pound but I will be buying more next weekend as they are quite addicting when you start popping them in your mouth.  If you get a chance try them.