It's that time of year again...PUMPKIN MANIA!!!!!!!!!!

I  have to admit that I'm more a fan of pumpkins as decoration than food.  I'm just not a fan of pumpkin coffee, pumpkin beer or pumpkin muffins stuffed with pumpkin covered in pumpkin icing drizzled with pumpkin glaze.  However, I know I'm outnumbered.  And that's ok!!!  

Today it's difficult to write about fall, with the mercury climbing to about ninety degrees here in lovely Wheeling town.  But it's the time of year when I start thinking about what I'm going to do to decorate pumpkins for the season. 

I don't want to steal anyone's photos, so for now this post is a preview of things to come:

• swiss cheese pumpkins with little mice
• henna 'tattoo' pumpkins
• spiderweb pumpkins
• ribbon pumpkins
• pumpkins decorated with upholstery tacks/hobnails

Now, for those of you who love your pumpkin foodstuffs, here is a link to a pumpkin puree recipe on a TERRIFIC food blog called Annie's Eats.  Even if you have no interest in making pumpkin puree, check out Annie's food blog.  It's really fantastic!

Some pics of my own from a couple autumns ago...

Monster Milkshakes

Eat Drink your fruits and vegetables!!!  This is still a treat--face it, there's more than a fair amount of sugar in it, but there's avocado hiding in here!!!

• 2 avocados peeled and pitted
• 1 cup vanilla milk (or plain milk if unable to get vanilla, just adjust sugar amount below)
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 cups ice cubes
• 2-4 tablespoons sugar

Puree in blender and feed to your little monsters.  Don't forget to save some for yourself!  It's pretty tasty if I do say so myself.  This recipe is a modified version of one found in Disney's Family Fun magazine.

White Lies, part One (aka Falafel pretends to be chicken nuggets)

Parents know that trying to feed kids can be trying.  Sometimes trying to feed ourselves is trying!  We have dreams of our little people eating mountains of vegetables so we can be "that mom (or dad)" who gets to brag about our little asparagus-loving geniuses smiling for all the world to see.  Then those children morph into creatures who decide that the only foods on the planet are grilled cheese sandwiches and marshmallows.  Or beige food.  Or that vegetables are the equivalent of Anthrax.  Kids are great that way, aren't they?

There are books and shows and blogs and such popping up everywhere, all telling us how to sneak what our kids need to eat into the things that they WANT to eat.  When I first noticed this phenomenon, I thought "well, I'm never going to do that...I'm just going to teach my kids to eat right".  Nice theory.  I think what has been decided on in my house is that teaching and talking about healthy eating is important, but often enough, desperate times call for desperate measures. 

One of the things I really try to be sure is present in our foods is dietary fiber.  It helps you feel full (and can help with weight loss), is important for gastrointestinal health, helps regulate blood sugar...it's just a really good thing.  And most of us don't get enough of it.  So, here is a "recipe" in which I get fiber into my and my little family's diet and trick my kids.  All at the same time.

All you need to do is this--go buy a box of falafel mix.  Blend ingredients as directed.  Then, coat your hands in olive oil and make little chicken-nugget-shaped patties.  Arrange them on a greased baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes per side.  Fool your kids and giggle that you've just fed them ground chickpeas!  Eat them yourself because they're good for you, too!

Fruity Food Fun

Don't.  Play!  With!  Your!  Food!

Southwest Cider-Spiked Marinade

I have a tendency to throw different things together to make marinades or salad dressings.  Some aren't good enough to revisit--some are.  I use this one a lot, particularly for flank steak.  Today I'm using it for a London Broil.  My son, Grant, asked if he and his sister Sophia could ride trikes while I grill steak.  The terrible heatwave has broken (for at least the moment).  So:  Yes, my kidlets.  Yes, you can!!! I hope you enjoy this quick marinade as much as we do.

• 1/2 cup oil (I used a canola oil blend)
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 3-5 tablespoons southwest seasoning (I have used Southwestern Dip Mix from Miller's Market in Romney, WV and Pampered Chef's Southwestern Seasoning Mix)
• 1/2 large yellow or white onion, sliced into rings

Toss ingredients together and marinate meat for a few hours.  Grill the marinated meat as you like it (and grill the other half of the onion to serve with the meat).

Firehouse Breakfast (Egg Bake)

 This recipe was sent to me by my friend Kara (hi, Kara!!!).  The only change I made was omitting 1 teaspoon of garlic salt from the recipe.  This is fantastic and a great choice if you want something that is a little different than the usual egg breakfast bakes.  The consistency of this is like that of a quiche, but there is no actual crust.

-12 eggs, divided
-1 cup rice, cooked
-1 stick butter, melted
-16 oz. cottage cheese, small curd
-1 envelope Knorr Leek Soup mix
-1 teaspoon onion salt
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained & squeezed of excess water
-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

In a large bowl, beat 9 eggs, then add the cooked rice, melted butter, cottage cheese, soup mix, spices, drained spinach and mix together.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese on bottom of a 13x9" greased baking dish. Spread the rice and cottage cheese mixture in the dish. Beat the 3 remaining eggs and pour evenly over the top of the mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over mixture.

Cover and refrigerate overnight (I didn't have time to do this the first time I made it, and I just baked a few minutes longer). Remove from refrigerator 30 min. prior to baking. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cool 15-20 min. before cutting.

Serves 12

Cherry Almond Cookies

 For some reason, I decided I just had to have cherry almond cookies.  I couldn't find a recipe that was quite what I wanted.  Here's what I've come up with:

Cherry Almond Cookies
makes 6-7 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oat flour*
1/4 cup ground flax seed (can be omitted)
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup sliced almonds 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together butter and sugars until smooth.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Stir in almond extract.
5. Dissolve baking soda in hot water.  Add baking soda/water and salt to batter.
6. Stir in flours, flax seed, cherries and almonds.
7. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven, until cookie edges are lightly browned.

 *  Make oat flour by grinding oatmeal in the blender, then sifting out any leftover large pieces using a mesh colander.