Apple Butter

I love so many things about this time of year. So. Many. I don't even know where to start. Sometimes, I sit down to write a blog post and my mind just starts spinning with all the crisp-air-apple-pie-pumpkin-spice-boots autumny things. It's hard to narrow it down, as you may be able to tell. I'm not sure how long this will last, but this time of year also brings me back to fall Tokyo. It felt like an eternity before the leaves would start changing and the weather became perfectly chilly for things like hot chocolate, yakiimo, and roasted chestnuts. There were streets lined with Gingko trees that became shockingly yellow, creating an amazing golden light that you don't expect to see in a massive city. My favorite trees, no matter the season, were Japanese maples. Their small, star-like leaves were memorizing. I used stand beneath the branches and stare up at the bright red stars, their little points overlapping and creating perfect patterns and an endless blanket of autumn beauty against a brilliantly blue sky.  That, among other things, is where my mind wanders when I start making my fall favorites like pumpkin muffins (coming soon!) and this apple butter.

Apple butter is one of those things I make when I have an overabundance my favorite fruit. When fall arrives, I stock up on all my favorite apples and I'm blessed to have friends who bring bags of apples from their backyard trees. I'm convinced I could never have enough apples around, but having the space to store them is another issue entirely. So, when I start to feel a bit cramped, this apple butter is a perfect way to make the house smell incredible. It also helps me hold on to my favorite seasonal flavors for as long as humanly possible.

What makes this apple butter better than all the rest? Yep. I heard you.

Most recipes call for quite a lot of brown sugar, which is delicious but not so much good for a person who might need to have apple butter every day. *raises hand guiltily* Instead of packing this apple butter with sugar, I added several dates to provide a sweetness quite similar to brown sugar without all the...well...sugar.

Here's what you should do as soon as possible: get the ingredients you need for the apple butter, get them going over low heat on your stove-top or in your slow cooker, and sip on some hot cider while mulling over all the reasons why this is greatest time of year. Because, let's be honest, it just is.

Apple Butter

Makes about one 12 oz jar

• 6 large apples, cored, cut into wedges, peel left on
• 6 pitted dates
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes until the apples and dates are softened. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Place the lid slightly ajar on the pan, return to low heat and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apple butter has thickened, about 30-45 minutes. Add more liquid as needed so the apple butter doesn't burn or become too paste-like.

Remove the apple butter from the heat and cool completely before putting in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. The apple butter will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks and tastes fantastic spread on toast, muffins, or with savory items like pork tenderloin or chicken.

*To make this in a slow cooker, add all ingredients and set on low for 8 hours. Purée the ingredients, set the lid slightly ajar, and continue cooking for another hour on low heat.

Curried Pumpkin Hummus

It's true what they say: every pregnancy is different. I remember being at this stage with Riley. I was not able to eat much (especially not curried pumpkin hummus) because I would get heartburn instantly. I've traded the heartburn in for more aches and pains in general this time around but all in all I have no complaints. We are gearing up for life with two boys and I'm pretty certain it's going to be great.

Another difference between this pregnancy and the first is my ability to control my cravings and maintain a healthier diet. It's easiest for me during the second trimester to eat nothing but the very best for me and my baby, but during the first trimester (plain noodles and mashed potatoes, please) and the third trimester (give me all the ice cream) I tend to struggle. Being able to expect this has helped me make better choices during my daily hunger attacks. This curried pumpkin hummus is a great midday snack to help power me through until dinner time. I like it with multigrain pita chips, spread on a piece of toast, or as a dip for fresh veggies. It's easy to make at the beginning of the week and have around for those afternoon protein boosts that are so important when you're growing a human.

And with this recipe, I will now give you a break from my plethora of pumpkin dishes. I hope that, at the very least, I've shown the variety of ways homemade pumpkin puree can be incorporated into your weekly meal plan. In case you missed my previous pumpkin-themed posts, here they are:

• How to Roast a Pumpkin + Pumpkin Puree
• Savory Pumpkin Butter Tart
• Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Curried Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients

• 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup toasted cashews, roughly chopped
•  

Instructions

1. Combine the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, pumpkin, and curry powder in a food processor and pulse until combined.
2. With the machine running, stream in the canola oil until the hummus iss very smooth.
3. Taste and season with salt.
4. Transfer the hummus to a plate and top with the cilantro and cashews.
5. Serve with pita chips, fresh veggies, or as a sandwich spread.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Lately, I've been trying to make breakfast more of an event. I'm fully aware that once we have a second little one around this may not be possible, but a girl can dream, right? I've been getting up a little earlier than usual, spending time waking up, and then deciding what to make. This keeps me from just tossing anything and everything into a bowl and covering it with milk. Oatmeal is often the first thing that comes to my mind because I can dress it up to fit that day. Yesterday, for example, we woke up to cloudy, cold, rainy skies. Comfort food was all I think of and this time of year that means something pumpkin spiced. This pumpkin spice oatmeal was absolute perfection.

The pumpkin puree I posted the other day just melts into the oatmeal and creates a luxuriously creamy texture that is hard to resist. I sweetened things up with a little maple syrup and added that wonderful, warm cinnamon-spice flavor with a couple teaspoons of pumpkin spice seasoning. Topped with crunchy, protein-packed toasted walnuts, this made a super satisfying breakfast that could honestly pass as dessert. So awesome.

The 5 minutes of complete quiet that happened while I ate this bowl of perfection were sweet, too. And exactly what I needed in the midst of a couple really tricky days. Sometimes being a mom is hard. Not everyone tells you that but I'm guessing its not an easy thing to describe. At least the hard days sometimes begin with a delicious, healthy breakfast so you don't have a complete nervous breakdown, right?

Who knows? The way this week is going this just might end up being my dinner tonight. And that's totally fine with me.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
• 1/3 cup toasted walnut halves

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt, then the oats, and stir. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Stir in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and maple syrup. Cook until heated through.
3. Transfer to two serving bowls, top with the toasted walnuts, and serve as soon as humanly possible.

How to Roast a Pumpkin + Pumpkin Puree

The other day, I was thinking about what it is that makes autumn so wonderful. A little later that day, as I put root vegetables, acorn squash, and apples in my shopping cart, I realized that there is such a feeling of comfort during this season. No matter what the day brings, you can always find a comforting soup, warming cup of tea, a soft blanket, or a pumpkin-spice candle to lift your spirits. Another reason I love fall is because there is always something that need roasting, baking, or braising in the oven that was ignored all summer. I love turning the oven on first thing in the morning when the air is cold in preparation for a day of baking or roasting. Even without knowing exactly what I'm going to make, I set the temperature to 350 F and find something to set on the middle rack.

Today, I roasted a pumpkin to make some puree now that the grocery stores are filled with sugar pumpkins. I love buying 3 or 4 of these little pumpkins to set on the table or in a window sill for decoration. Then, I use them as needed and replace them with things like bowls of apples or winter squash. Multitasking decorations. It's the way to go.

If you've never tried making your own pumpkin puree, I highly recommend it. The process is ridiculously easy and results in a pumpkin puree that is far fresher and more flavorful than anything you'll find in a can.

Here are the easy steps showing you how to roast a pumpkin and turn it into puree!

Cut off the stem:

It is much easier to cut the pumpkin in half if you get rid of the stem, so use a SUPER sharp knife and carefully cut off the 'lid'.

Scoop out the seeds:

Scoop out the stringy pulp and the seeds using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon. Save the seeds if you'd like to toast them, but discard the pulp.

Roast the pumpkin:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the pumpkin halves, cut side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes or until you can easily pierce the skin of the pumpkin with a fork or a toothpick.

Let cool, then scoop:

Let the pumpkin halves cool by setting the baking sheet on a wire rack. When they are cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop and scrape the flesh of the pumpkin out of the skin.

Puree:

Transfer the pumpkin flesh to a blender and pulse until smooth. If you end up with a dry pumpkin, add a tablespoon or two of water to the blender. I typically don't need to add any additional liquid and only do so if absolutely necessary so I can use the puree in baking recipes without any problems.

And that's all there is to it! Easy. Oh so easy. You can use the puree in anything from pancakes to soup to a homemade pumpkin pie latte.

I'll have more pumpkin recipes for you this week using this puree, so make some ASAP and get ready for some pumpkin deliciousness!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Latte

This morning I went to one of the few truly local, quality coffee shops in our neighborhood. They serve coffee that has been roasted in Boulder, all the employees are volunteers, their food is almost all made in-house, and the money they make goes to providing clean water to those in need in Africa. To make the whole thing even more wonderful, they have a killer Pumpkin Pie Latte made with ACTUAL PUMPKIN. It is my new fall obsession and I don’t know that I can ever go back to the run-of-the-mill “pumpkin” stuff. And just to be clear, I have been obsessed with the pumpkin latte concept since it began. I mean, completely and utterly obsessed to the point that I felt a palpable sadness when we lived in Tokyo and couldn’t get anything similar.

Aside from my obsession with their current seasonal latte flavor, this little coffee shop made me smile this morning thanks to the kindness of three people. The first was a fellow mom, sans-children, picking up some coffee before she started her day. She glanced at my growing belly and asked if I was expecting and the conversation continued from there. She told me about her two kids, we shared sympathies for rough mornings of tantrums and trips to the grocery store that leave us wondering why we do these things. Then we moved to those sweet moments that make it all worth it: there are the impossibly wonderful little kisses, the hugs that never last long enough, and the countless other ways kids remind us why we get into this whole parenting thing. It was a brief conversation, but it was comforting to me. As this fellow mom grabbed her coffee and prepared to carry on with her day, she wished me the best of luck and she meant it.

The next encounter was another customer who had just walked in to order his coffee with a friend. I was leaning against the door frame near the coffee-pick-up counter, absent-mindedly rubbing my belly, and he said, “That is the sweetest thing ever.” I smiled quietly to myself and realized that, yes, it is the sweetest thing ever. It was a little sad for me when I was no longer pregnant with my son because I missed that quiet connection. Of course, I developed a connection that is much stronger with him in the weeks and months that followed his birth, but there is nothing like the feeling when they are still inside.

As I grabbed my pumpkin pie latte from the counter, the barista, who I’d seen the day before, said the usual “have a great day”, but he followed it up with something I wasn’t expecting. He said, “It was really nice to see you two days in a row”.

None of these encounters lasted all that long, but each one of them made me love that little coffee shop and the people that frequent it. It made me appreciate the fact that finding a little local spot rather than a chain can absolutely change your outlook on what would otherwise be a normal, run-of-the-mill day.

Today, I’m sharing my own version of a Pumpkin Pie Latte since I know the majority of you cannot come out to Old Towne Arvada and get one at my favorite little spot. And most of us cannot afford the $4 bill too often. I’d like to encourage you to make this for your friends. Share it with them and let the warm spices do their work to make them feel comforted and warm inside. And while you’re at it, take a moment to say something loving and kind to them.

Because loving one another can't hurt, right?

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Latte

Serves 1

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, plus extra for garnishing
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 6 oz whole milk (or 2%)
• 2 oz espresso or very strongly brewed coffee
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream, whipped and left unsweetened

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the pumpkin and the pumpkin pie spice over medium heat.
2. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until heated through. This lets the spices really bloom and makes the pumpkin have a more intense, less raw flavor.
3. Add the maple syrup and stir for about 3 minutes until the mixture resembled a thick (but not too thick) syrup. This is a lot like making a simple syrup for cocktails.
4. Meanwhile, put the milk in a glass measuring cup that is microwave safe and heat for about 1 minute and 30 seconds until steaming but not scorched.
5. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin syrup to the milk and whisk to combine.
6. Add the espresso to a coffee mug and top with the milk/pumpkin mixture. Stir to combine.
7. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
8. Enjoy immediately!

Peach and Burrata Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Yep. I'm just gonna put that juicy peach photo right in your face this morning. Because who doesn't want to see a Peach and Burrata Salad up close and personal?

My 18 lb box of peaches has dwindled to less than half of what I started with. It's a sad state of affairs, knowing this sweetness will be gone soon. Fortunately, I learned from last year's mistake and we have avoided being bombarded with fruit flies (is there anything more annoying?) by making sure we had plenty of room for the peaches in the fridge. Once they hit their perfect stage of ripeness, I piled them all in the fruit drawer and have been taking 1 (make that 2) our each and every day to enjoy. My final task is to make a couple jars of my peach and hatch chile salsaand my Grandma Della's Peach Cobbler. If I'm lucky, I may make one more batch of these Peach & Oat Muffins from last week.

I spend a lot of time comparing my transition to life in Colorado to the first couple of years we spent in Japan. I LOVED living in Japan but not until the last 2, maybe 2 1/2 years. It was so strange and different and I didn't know what I was doing for those first couple of years that I just couldn't come around to it. However, once I figured out the rhythms of each season and had an idea what to expect, I was able to fall in love. I feel like I may be turning that corner here in Colorado, at long last. The current weather pattern, cool, crisp mornings, warm afternoons, and chilly nights, has won me over after weeks of weather that is too hot for my taste. Understanding that this refreshing time of year comes just after peach season is the kind of stuff I like to know about where I live. It's a strange quirk, perhaps, but at least I am aware of it. That makes change a little easier to deal with.

Speaking of change... Baby #2 is growing! I feel like I'm hungry every 30 minutes so I've been trying to fit in a lot of small, healthy snacks throughout the day. One of my favorites is a sliced peach, Greek yogurt, and a little sprinkle of muesli. Or a spoonful of natural peanut butter. Mmmmmmyes.

Well, I'm off to enjoy a lovely, cool morning outside with this guy. He makes my heart happy in so many ways. And he loves peaches just as much (maybe even more) than I do!

What are your favorite things about this time of year? This end-of-summer-beginning-of-fall time can be so lovely, don't you think?

Ponder that while you enjoy this easy, delicious, and healthy salad!

Peach and Burrata Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Serves 2

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 peach, sliced
• 1/3 cup toasted pecan halves
• 3 oz burrata cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper

Instructions

1. Begin by making the balsamic reduction by putting the vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. Meanwhile, pile the spinach leaves on two plates and top with the peach slices, the pecans, and the cheese.
3. Drizzle with some of the balsamic reduction and the olive oil.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve.