Wrong Month!

I think Mother Nature woke up and her calendar was set to the wrong month.  Seriously.  We've had flurries before in October, but 4 inches?!

Our deck

Not really a horrible thing, unless this is indicative of our upcoming winter.  Only real problem is that it will force me to examine the kids' winter things sooner than I had originally planned.  I think tomorrow, the short sleeves will all find their homes in the attic.

I decided to spend the day baking, well, as much as one can do when children, laundry and a husband are beckoning.  I tried 3 new recipes today: vegetarian chili, a sandwich bread, and pumpkin whoopie pies.  Of course, my cell was practically dead, so I didn't get any pictures.  Boo!  But, I'm more than happy to review them.

First up, I threw the chili in the crockpot.  I have to admit, I was shocked and disappointed that there were not carrots or celery in the recipe, and when I tried to add them,  I got a huge "NO WAY" from P.  Then, there was a problem, I only had 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder left.  That's something I should have checked before I decided to make chili on this snowy day.  Here's what went into my version of this chili:

1 onion
1/2 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 heaping tablespoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can northern beans
2 cans black beans
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

I served the chili over brown rice, with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, avocado and Frank's red hot sauce. The kids ate it, no problem whatsoever, and P and I enjoyed it. I don't think I would make it that exact way again, though.  I think it needed carrots, celery and maybe zucchini (if you happen to have some just lying around). Just my own opinion.

Then, I threw the bread in the bread maker after searching the web over and over again.  It made me realize that in order to make 100% whole wheat bread, you need to add vital wheat gluten or some other flour conditioner.  I should also be using bread flour.  Okay, I was not about to go out for additional ingredients, so I made due with what I had and made a couple of tweaks to the recipe:

1 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup lukewarm milk
3 Tbsp melted butter
2 cups Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Whole Wheat White Flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast for bread machines

I thought the 1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast I had originally added weren't working, so I added an extra teaspoon of what I thought would be working yeast because it was brand new.  I was worried that the bread would rise way too high, but of course, the bread fell during the baking process. Not sure if it was because the bread machine was bumped or if I just have really crappy luck when it comes to baking bread.  I didn't actually try the bread, but it looks and smells nice.  We'll see tomorrow.

And, the piece de resistance...pumpkin whoopie pies.  Oh yeah, baby!  Let's just say they were a hit.  I selected this particular recipe because the comments spoke to the dough being not overly sweet and P is not a huge fan of sweet things.  These were absolutely amazing.  Everyone loved them.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.  The filling was a bit sweet, even for my taste, so I think I'm going to explore some other options, like perhaps a marshmallow based filling which would lower the fat content as well.  In the event that they remove the recipe from the website (which has happened on more than one occasion, much to my chagrin), here it is:

• 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
• 1-2/3 cups flour
• 4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.
   
   
   ENJOY!