random things and an award

Stephanie over at Fun Foods on a Budget has given me two things to blog about today! How nice! First, she gave me another award!! I've always thought this one was cute, thanks so much!


And second, she tagged me for this list of 7 random things about myself. I actually just did this one over at my personal blog, but there are way more than 7 random things to share about me - especially when most of you reading this don't know me outside of the internet . So let the fun begin!

Here are The Rules:

• Link the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.

• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links.

• Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I just got a new laptop and I *love* it. It's an Asus eee and its perfect for blogging sitting on the bed while Aidan runs around and plays.

2. I am sitting on my bed blogging and Aidan is running around playing. Is that cheating? haha!

3. Growing up, I loved peanut butter, but hated peanuts. I loved fresh green salads, but hated cooked spinach. I also loved coconut milk, but *hated* flaked coconut. Texture issues much? (I've gotten over all of the above and love them equally now.)

4. I spent 9 months in Japan studying at Nanzan University and ended up getting my Bachelor's degree in Japanese Area Studies. How's that for random?

5. I had braces from middle school until my second year of college. They wanted me to keep them on longer but I was *not* going to go to Japan with braces! I was supposed to get them put back on when I returned to the states and guess who hasn't seen an orthodontist since? :)

6. I have all sorts of crazy aspirations to write books and record music. I want to record a vocal cd of jazz standards and another of all of my favorite hymns. I actually have a long list of book titles and ideas ranging from parenting issues to crafts to onomastics (the study of names and naming practices).

7. I plan to homeschool my child(ren) in the method of Classical Education.

There you go! I know the rules are to tag people, but I don't want to make anyone feel obligated. So how about this: if you decide to complete it on your blog, let me know, and I'll give you that cute little award up there and even make a post about your blog! :)

Pumpkin Pie

Really, I might as well resign myself to creating a blog about pumpkins. :) The Peanut Butter Boy does it, so why couldn't I focus on one food??? I suppose peanut butter isn't quite as seasonal as pumpkin... I'm already having a hard time finding them at the grocer. Plenty of cans left of course.

My pumpkin pie recipe is such a big hit every year that I'm going to share it even though it uses fresh ingredients. I will also adapt it for pantry cooking though I can't guarantee it will be as yummy. I am actually being commissioned to make some of these for my boss' Thanksgiving dinner! It's worth the extra effort to cut and cook fresh pumpkin if you have the time. Extra cooked pumpkin freezes really well too, so I make pumpkin goodies year round. Read this if you need a refresher course on roasting pumpkin.

The "from scratch" recipe:

The BEST Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

graham cracker pie crust (pre-made, or use this recipe)
2 tbs melted butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups cooked and mashed (or pureed - though I like extra texture) pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch each of cloves and nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt (optional if you used salted butter)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use large microwave safe mixing bowl. Melt butter.
Add eggs and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients, mix will be soupy.
important tip: I cut down on bake time (which helps keep edges from becoming too cooked in the long run) by microwaving this mixture for a few minutes and then stirring well before I pour it into the crust.
Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until the middle is just firm.

This version of pumpkin pie is so dense and smooth. You are welcome to use white flour if it is all you have on hand, but whole wheat flour contributes a lot to the richness. I love using graham cracker crust because the butter and sugar caramelize on the bottom and it's a wonderful surprise.


The "pantry friendly" recipe:

Ingredients:

graham cracker pie crust
2 tbs melted butter
2 eggs
15 oz. can pureed pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch each of cloves and nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk mixed with 1/2 cup water*
1/4 tsp salt (optional if you used salted butter)


*Refer to my post about shelf-stable milk for more info about the different kinds and their uses. If you use condensed milk instead of evaporated,you'll want to skip the sugar.

Directions:

Same preparation as above. Easy-peasy! :)



Please tell me if you make this and if you tweak it any more - always looking for ways to improve! And stay tuned for *yes it's possible* even more pumpkin recipes! I hope to get Pumpkin Seed Pesto and Pumpkin Butter rolled out before the end of the year! I've gone ahead and created a "pumpkin" label so you can see just how often I cook with it!

Baking Day

I love the philosophy behind this: set aside a day to use up what you have on hand, make a lot, freeze for later.

Money Saving Mom posted about a very successful baking day last month and just announced that she'll be doing it again today and invites us to join in! She'll be posting a Mr. Linky so there are sure to be lots of other bloggers to get inspiration from. I wish I could participate, but to be honest, I don't have enough clean dishes or counter space at the moment! My father in law made an unexpected (though welcome) visit this weekend and I can't get caught up.

I *will* be baking a pumpkin pie today though! I will share the recipe tomorrow. I'll be making at least half a dozen more this season and even be getting paid for some! I make a mean pie... what can I say?? ;)

In any case, hop on over to Money Saving Mom to see who cooks up what! She's listed her plans already and I'm impressed!:

Healthy Harvest Muffins
Cranberry Wheat Muffins
Pumpkin Apple Breakfast Bread
Cranberry Pumpkin Scones
Banana Apple Carrot Muffins
Whole-wheat waffles
Apple pie
Cook up rice and freeze

Featured on The Back Burner

I am so excited to have my Chicken Crescent Calzones featured on the Back Burner (the companion blog to Key Ingredient). Haley did such an amazing job writing up my blog that I'm impressed by me! haha! And my calzones sure sound yummy... :)

Here's a glimpse, but do read the full post:

"Who doesn’t love a warm, buttery roll with dinner? What if the roll were dinner! That is exactly what Anjanette created when she was in a pinch for dinner, and didn’t have the time or money to run to the grocery store. She was originally inspired by a recipe from Pillsbury, but altered the ingredients quite a bit to accommodate what she already had. These tasty calzones are stuffed with turkey, mushroom and lots of cheese! What’s not to love! This recipe is quite versatile and will easily work with whatever you prefer or have on hand."

Thank you Best Choice!

I know a lot of people who save box tops and UPCs for their schools, but hadn't considered doing it myself since my little guy is only 9 months old. One of our new case managers here at Hillcrest informed me yesterday, however, that Best Choice has a program that will benefit any non-profit group!

The Save-A-Label program offers $.03 per UPC saved from Best Choice foods to any non-profit who wants to participate. The requirements are that you have to send in at least 1000 ($30 worth) at a time, and they expire after a year, so you've gotta be able to save those up quickly. I think it would be difficult for most families to save up 1000 upcs by themselves, but in a group it wouldn't be so bad. The case manager I mentioned "dumpster dives" in her neighbor's recycle bins for hers (yes, they give her permission)!!!

I am going to begin collecting them on behalf of our branch of Hillcrest Ministries and see how it goes. You should consider contacting your favorite non-profit to find out if anyone is collecting them and maybe organize a collection if not. And of course, if you are looking for somewhere to send yours and want to help us out, leave a comment or shoot me an email at eatfromyourpantry (at) gmail (dot) com!!

Pumpkin Hummus

When I saw (this post) on Appetite for China, I knew I *needed* to try pumpkin hummus. I *love* hummus and I *love* pumpkin. Her recipe sounds amazing, as does the alternate version that I found (here) on La Fuji Mama. Both are pretty darn pantry friendly, but I didn't have any tahini on hand because I had purchased a few boxes of the Fantastic World Foods Hummus mix when they were on sale.

So, I wondered to myself, could I really pull off just adding a can of pumpkin to the mix and calling it pumpkin hummus??? I started with the hummus mixed as directed and added half a can on pumpkin. The texture didn't change and the taste was barely descernable. I added a little more, and then some more, and ended up adding the whole can. What the heck? You could taste the pumpkin, but it was very mild! I added a few generous dashes of pumpkin spice to bring out the pumpkin flavor and had it on a whole wheat bagel from Panera. *yum*

So, not really a genuine recipe, and I'm sure not nearly as good as making it from scratch (especially if you used pureed fresh pumpkin), but just so you all know - You CAN mix canned pumpkin and a box of hummus mix and STILL EAT IT! :) We ate it with all of the things we usually eat hummus with, and got in a good dose of Vitamin A! :)


I'm sure I'll end up posting more pumpkin recipes throughout the season, as it seriously is one of my favorite foods, but in the meantime, check out this awesome list at Sugared Ellipses.

Vote!

And then go get free stuff!!!! Money Saving Mom has a good list, and others have left comments on her post with other deals. Check it out!