Oh for shame. I’m publishing two recipes that use ingredients that are post-season. If I hadn’t frozen so many cranberries and roasted, pureed and frozen so much pumpkin, I might have thought better of publishing these recipes. However, I keep pulling out my laptop and opening up the recipes in Word, so why the hell not just put them on readyprepgo.com?
[1]
Yes, I fully intended to publish these at the peak of cranberry and pumpkin seasons. They were supposed to follow closely on the heels of my Deconstructed Thanksgiving Turkey [2] post. But that didn’t happen. We broke ground on our home remodel on November 30. Christmas ensued. Bill got snarled in a major project at work and was leaving for work before I awoke and coming home just as I was turning out the lights.
[3]
Making matters more complicated, I started another blog [4]. I didn’t really mean to. Honestly. But it just kind of happened. I was originally just using the blog format to communicate with a group of my friends about my 40th birthday trip. Soon I found myself compulsively writing about my thoughts about turning 40. I didn’t really realize I had so much to say.
And while we’re on that subject, my 40th birthday trip IS kind of over the top. But that’s me. Right? I may be dead tomorrow, so I sure as hell am going to be certain that take full advantage of the life, health and joy God has offered today.
I invited 14 friends. They’re a mish-mash of amazing women I’ve known throughout my life. I almost didn’t do it because of the guest list anxiety. There are many amazing women whom I adore but couldn’t include on the guest list. That makes me feel kinda pukey. This isn’t an inner-circle kind of thing. It was really more complicated than that.
Back to food.
I’m completely enraptured with fresh pumpkin. I can’t get over it. There are already several recipes on readyprepgo.com that feature pumpkin: Kaddo Bourani [5], Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins [6], Pumpkin Pancakes [7] with Cranberry Maple Syrup [8]. I simply can’t get enough of the combination. Flavor, nutrition and gorgeous colors are a food trifecta. I could probably dedicate a whole site just to my cranberry pumpkin passions.
Regular readers will remember that I ended the summer committed to reviving my breakfast life with new, interesting recipes. Pumpkin Cranberry Baked French Toast [9] and Pumpkin Cranberry Baked Oatmeal [10] have become part of our weekly rotation.
While I bothered to cook and puree my own pumpkin, you can very simply use canned pumpkin for both. The home-prepared pumpkin has quite a bit more flavor and color, and since its more labor-intensive, I tend to use a bit less of the homemade stuff in the recipes. It isn’t a big deal either way.
I hope I’m back on track to keep posting regularly here. However, life is still really nutty. I’ve got some more versions of baked French toast to be published: I love the make-ahead simplicity of this dish.
[11]My new kitchen is part of the first construction phase. I've designed it with teaching and food blogging in mind. I can't wait to show it to you.
Thanks to my dear friend, Kate, who encouraged me the other night to keep publishing…
[12]My food-loving, gentleman farmer architect, Richard, had the idea to put a cold-frame garden bed right outside my kitchen on a South-facing wall. I should be able to keep herbs outdoors all winter long.