Recipes... Pumpkin baked donuts, cornbread and more from our day.

We got started early today. Pumpkin donuts were in the oven just after watering and taking care of the animals. This is a super easy recipe. Here's how it's done.

Preheat oven 400*.

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice

Mix all together .

I put it all in a gallon plastic bag, cut off the tip and pipe into a donut pan (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray)

Bake 12 minutes.

Have a brown lunch bag ready with powder sugar. 

Toss the donuts in the bag as soon as they come out of the oven. 

Dude loved these with a nice cup of coffee.

Picked from the garden, hoping to making something today but didn't get to it. 

Corn bread ready for tomorrow's chili dinner. 

This is how I make corn bread. 

Heat oven 400* (leftover from the donuts)

1 of the small boxes of cornbread … you know, the ones that are 50-88 cents a box?

1egg

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 can drained corn

Mix all together with spoon.  Pour into a greased bread pan. Bake 15 minutes. OHso good. 

The chicks are growing and enjoy a day in the sunshine. 

We found a great deal for firewood. We usually head up to the mountains and cut our own. But today we headed 2 hours north west to Laporte to get a cord of wood. 

 

We had to load our own but not that big of deal.  I loaded and Dude stacked. He is great at stacking... I stink at neatness.  It was a wild workout and we will repeat tomorrow to be ready for the winter.  Tomorrow we are suppose to break a record for heat (we usually have cold rain and snow in the mountains this time of year). 

On the way home we passed the lamb stockyards. 

These are sheered and probably on to the final stop of their life journey.  Colorado lamb is one of the best in the country!

These haven't been sheered yet. 

With such a long ride, I did get two cotton dish clothes made.  (one looks a wee bit cockeyed, ugh)

Time to relax after such a physical day.

peace 

Making a few vintage cards and the garden

House chores were done at last!

I finally had time to get a few cards made. I cut out vintage Halloween images and got to work.

Last night I cut a bunch of them out. 

...and today I was able to complete cards using scraps and stickers. 

I worked most of the morning in the garden and with the animals. The animals water bins needed scrubbing and filled. 

There is still life left in the garden despite it being the first day of fall. Everything, including the trees we have planted needed watering. 

There are about a dozen cucumbers on the vine. 

A handful of peppers. 

Basil I planted by seed recently is doing well. 

Radishes

No matter how many I pick each day, they are still coming on strong - scallions. 

Swiss chard

The pumpkin patch. 

Tomorrow I replant the lettuce patch the cats had gotten into. 

Need to make dinner. 

peace

Canning relish, oven roasted chicken legs, dessert and another square made

Our cucumbers are doing very well this year. I already canned 24 jars of dill pickles, so today I canned relish. 

I used one of our onions and about 7 medium cucumbers. 

Deseeded them. 

Put through the processor but not too long , I didn't want mush or juice. Do the same with the onion, add to the cucumbers,  mix with 3 tablespoons of  canning salt.  Let stand for two hours.  Turn on the timer and go do something else. 

Each Wednesday I go see one of my sons and make them dinner. Dessert was super simple and I saw it on Pioneer Woman. I had leftover graham crackers from last week's full moon night outside with  s'mores. She used an 8x13 pan and I just wanted to see how this recipe works so I used an 8x8pan. I mean, this recipe is so easy … would it really taste good? 

So line the pan with the graham crackers, I used the honey ones, she used the chocolate ones. 

Melt a package of almond bark. Mine only used 1/2 package. She used a double boiler. I used the microwave.

Pour the melted bark over the crackers and spread. Top with what you like. I like sweet and salty so I used M&M and crushed pretzels.  Put it in the freezer to let it set. 

It comes out of the pan easily. 

It was a great success. I will make more tomorrow since my son and my family ate all the bark and loved it.

I did make the wrong block for week 5 on the Ultimate Beginner Quilt so I made that one today and cut out week 6 to finish tomorrow. I follow it HERE .

Okay, back to the relish... squeeze the cucumber and onion in a colander to get out all the excess water.  Leave it there and start with the vinegar mixture. 

In a nonreactive metal pan heat 3 cups of white vinegar, I added 3/4 cup sugar, a teaspoon of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of dill weed (we grow our own), 2 teaspoons mustard seeds, and 2 teaspoons of celery seed.  Heat to a boil.   Add the cucumber and onion mixture, return to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins. 

Add to hot prepared jars. Process in water bath for 15minutes (I'm high altitude).

The taste was delightful. I can't wait to use it. 

I roasted a pan of chicken legs, red potatoes and sweet potatoes to take to my son's family for dinner. I did it like I do when I roast vegetables.  Spray the pan, add chicken and potatoes, drizzle with oil add herbs (I used rosemary I grew last year and dried thyme from this year's garden), kosher salt and pepper. Toss well.  I put in at 450* F for 20 minutes, turn and went in for 20 more minutes. I do use a meat thermometer to see if it reaches 180* in the chicken to make sure it is finished. My family loved it. Here it is going into the oven. 

Made this little one in the past to take to my grandson today. 

I am a lucky mom. 

peace