Spiced Pumpkin Bars

• 2  cups flour
• 2  tsp baking powder
• 2  tsp ground cinnamon
• 1  tsp baking soda
• 1/4  tsp salt
• 4  eggs
• 15 oz can of pumpkin
• 1 2/3  cups sugar
• 1  cup cooking oil
• 3/4  cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4  cup butter, softened
• 1  tsp vanilla
• 2  cups powdered sugar (sifted)
• Pecan halves (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and oil on medium speed. Add the flour mixture; beat until well combined. If desired, stir in chopped pecans.
3. Spread batter into an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.
4. Bake in a 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
6. Frost pumpkin bars. If desired, top with pecan halves. Cut into squares. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

Source:  Culinary.net

Pumpkin Pie

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50-55 minutes
Servings: 8

• 1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade), at room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 can (15 ounces) Green Giant 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Roll out dough to 2 inches larger than pie dish. Gently press dough into dish until it lines bottom and sides. Trim dough to within 1/2 inch of dish edge. Fold edges underneath themselves, creating thick 1/4-inch border. Crimp edges with fingers. Refrigerate. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In large bowl, whisk eggs and sugars until smooth. Add pumpkin, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Stir until well blended.
3. Slowly pour filling into pie shell. Cover edges with thin strips of aluminum foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Source: Green Giant Pumpkin.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 70 minutes
Yield: 48-50 cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 can (15 ounces) Green Giant 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks

For Rolling:

• 2 tablespoons cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In small saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir regularly until butter turns deep golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Pour browned butter into heat-safe bowl or measuring cup and refrigerate until cooled, but not solid, about 15 minutes.
2. In large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
3. In separate medium mixing bowl, stir browned butter and brown sugar. Whisk in pumpkin and vanilla extract followed by eggs and egg yolks.
4. Gradually mix wet ingredients into dry until evenly mixed. Refrigerate dough 30 minutes.
5. Form dough into four separate logs 2-3 inches in diameter and about 7 inches long. Wrap each cookie dough log with plastic wrap. Freeze dough 30 minutes, or until ready to bake.
6. For rolling: Preheat oven to 350 F and line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir sugars and cinnamon on large plate. Unwrap desired amount of dough (thaw slightly at room temperature if dough is completely frozen) and roll each log in sugar mixture.
7. Slice into 1/2-inch slices. Place on baking sheet 3 inches apart.
8. Bake 14-15 minutes. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
9. Cool cookies at room temperature on baking sheet 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack and cooling 10 minutes.

Source: Green Giant Pumpkin.

Pumpkin Sourdough Loaf

This delicious bread is very subtly sweet, and the pumpkin pie spices permeate the bread beautifully.

Ingredients

• 100 g ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter
• 140 g pumpkin purée
• 250 g water
• 65 g brown sugar
• 12 g salt
• 500 g all-purpose flour (e.g., organic Costco AP)
• ~1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (plus more for laminating the dough)

Steps

1. Mix starter, pumpkin purée, water, brown sugar, salt, and flour in a stand mixer with a dough hook until homogenous.
2. Rest the dough 15–20 minutes (optional but helpful).
3. Perform Stretch & Fold Set 1.
4. Rest 30 minutes.
5. Perform Stretch & Fold Set 2.
6. Rest 30 minutes.
7. Perform Stretch & Fold Set 3.
8. Rest 30 minutes.
9. Perform Stretch & Fold Set 4 (total four sets over ~2 hours).
10. Cover and bulk rise 2–3 hours (about 2 hours at 77–78°F; cooler rooms may need 3+ hours).
11. Gently stretch dough into a large rectangle; sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, then fold like a letter, adding a little more spice between layers.
12. Shape into a round on a lightly floured surface, creating surface tension.
13. Place seam-side up in a lined banneton or bowl; cover and refrigerate 12–24 hours.
14. Preheat a lidded cast-iron Dutch oven at 450°F (232°C) for about 30 minutes.
15. Turn dough onto parchment, score the top, and lower into the hot Dutch oven.
16. Bake at 450°F for 30 minutes with the lid on.
17. Remove lid and bake 8–15 minutes more, until deeply browned.
18. Transfer to a rack and cool about 30 minutes.
19. Slice and enjoy—great with butter, maple cream, or pumpkin butter.

Recipe by Anna Snyder (Adapted from Amy Bakes Bread)

Zucchini Spice Bundt Cake

Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, divided
• 1 cup chopped white chocolate chips, divided
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• milk

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. In bowl, mix cake mix, zucchini, butter, eggs, 3/4 cup walnuts and 3/4 cup white chocolate chips. Pour into greased bundt pan and bake 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
3. Let cool about 10 minutes then remove from pan to finish cooling.
4. Mix powdered sugar and milk, about 1/4 cup, to reach desired consistency of frosting. Pour over cooled cake then sprinkle with remaining walnuts and remaining white chocolate chips. Cut and serve.

Source: Culinary.net

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Yes, I know it’s only August, with temperatures ranging from sizzle to sauna. But trust me: it’s not a minute too soon to plan your autumn getaway. Picture it: Roadside stands will be fragrant with fresh-baked apple pies. New England lobstermen will be pulling in their best catches of the year, and cranberry farmers will be waist-deep in blood-red bogs. In the North Georgia mountains, salty steam clouds will arise from giant cast iron cookers filled with boiling peanuts. And, of course, roadways and hillsides will be blazing in autumn’s golden, red, and yellow foliage spectacular.

Here’s the thing: an autumn getaway is not like a regular vacation. It’s a sensory experience that’s easy to fit into a long weekend. For once, skip the must-do checklist of tourist attractions and historic sites. Instead, seek out the back roads and u-pick orchards, pumpkin patches, and roadside farm stands. Breathe in the crisp chill beneath the still-warm sun.

I’m giving you the heads up now because airfares during peak leaf season get more expensive, while B&Bs and charming cabin rentals get more scarce the longer you wait. Here are a few images from my own autumn memory book.

Cranberries (sassamanash in Native American lingo) grow on vines in peat marshes. When they’re ripe, farmers flood the marshes to create bogs, and rake the berries to the surface. Then they (the berries, not the farmers) get sucked up in a giant vacuum hose and loaded into humongous shipping containers. The harvest is way more picturesque than the Ocean Spray commercials. Some farmers, like capecodcranberrybogtours.com, offer harvest tours between mid September and late November. Find more fascinating info at cranberries.org.

My buddies at the renowned East Dennis Oyster Farm (dennisoysters.com) explain that the taste of

oysters varies from farm to farm, just as the taste of wine, though it comes from the same grape, varies from vineyard to vineyard. Whose is the best? “That’s for you to decide,” they say, “so get shuckin’!” Check out all the Massachusetts and Rhode Island oyster farms at oystereater.com.

Although it evokes summer picnics to New Englanders, lobster is in season year-round, and autumn brings some of the best harvests. I love going down to the seaport to watch the boats unload. Some sell live lobster right off the docks.

Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, Georgia, is famous for its home baked apple and pecan pies. With its beautiful u-pick orchard, vast country store, picturesque deli, and weekend autumn activities, it’s a cool free attraction. The kids will want a photo op on the old red tractor. mercier-orchards.com.

Boarding for the vintage Blue Ridge (Georgia) Scenic Railway car is at the base of a magnificent maple tree. The four-hour, 26-mile round trip includes a layover in two quaint mountain towns. Foliage tours run Sep. 29-Nov. 12. brscenic.com.

Florida’s Fall Festivals

Florida has its own take on fall festivals. If you’re drooling for the best grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the planet, head up to Williston for the super-fun Central Florida Peanut Festival on October 1. There are horse-drawn trolley rides, antique cars, TONS of peanuts (boiled, roasted, raw, and otherwise) and other festival food, plus music, crafts and games. Get a selfie with the Little Peanut King and Queen and Baby Peanut. willistonfl.com/peanut-festival.

See museum quality art and 3D illusions in sidewalk chalk at the world famous Chalk Festival in Venice November 10-13. There’s music, food, and entertainment, and even hot air balloons to see it from the air. chalkfestival.org.

Neapolitan Family Travel Editor KAREN T. BARTLETT is the award-winning author of more than a dozen destination coffee table books and several family guidebooks. See her autumn leaves and other stunning photos in Rhode Island, A Photographic Portrait. karentbartlett.com.

The post Getaway: Autumn Weekends appeared first on SWFL Family.

1. Sea Salt and Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce. This little recipe can be used in so many ways that it’s definitely worth trying. From delicious apple dip to a sauce topping over some pie, you can put your own twist on it. It can even be a great gift! Get recipe
2. Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte. One of Starbucks’ most popular drinks is this tasty number. Only around a brief period of the year, now you don’t have to wait to have some of your own. Get recipe
3. Pumpkin Waffles. Start your morning off right by doing something different with your breakfast. This will have you feeling like it’s fall in no time. Add some buttermilk syrup to complete the meal. Get recipe
4. Paint-Dipped Pinecone Garland. Nothing will help get you in the spirit more like hanging some autumn decorations. Even better, they were made by you! Do this with the kids for some entertainment for them as well. See craft
5. Falling Leaves Garland. Follow up the previous craft with some more decorations to add to your home. A DIY glittery leaf garland will spice up the house and give you something to do on a summery rainy day. See craft
6. Fall Mason Jar Candles. This is a quick and simple craft that only requires a couple of supplies. Make a few to place around the house. Buy a pumpkin scent to complete the ambiance! See craft
7. Autumn Lanterns. Here’s another craft to do with the extra leaves you’ve either collected or purchased. Use one leaf color for each jar or mix and match. See craft
8. Burlap and Book Page Pumpkins. Make pumpkins that won’t rot season after season! You can make all different sizes and use pages from a favorite book. Another idea is each family member decorating and putting their own spin on it. See craft
9. Acorn Wreath. A lovely decoration at your front door can get you in the fall spirit everytime you go in your house. Friends who come over will be impressed by your crafty DIY and maybe be inspired to make their own! See craft
10. Autumn Leaf Bowl. From holding chocolate to scented potpourri, this bowl can have many different uses or you can even make a few. Depending on the bowl you use, you might even be able to put something like fruit or your car keys in there. See craft
11. Apples and Pinecones Wreath. You can never have too many wreaths, right? Even if you already have one for your front door, this can be a beautiful decoration to hang in your home. See craft
12. Front Porch Decorations. Do you have steps leading up to your house or a front porch? Walking in and out of the house and seeing these decorations will make you forget about the dreary summer in no time. Use florals, colors, and leaves to make it your own. See craft
13. Watercolour Tree. A fun craft for you and one the kids will enjoy greatly! Everyone will love to be creative with this and see what kind of artwork everyone else has at the end. See craft
14. Mason Jar Craft. This is perfect for lighting up those fall evenings and serve as a great night light in your kids’ rooms. It will be extra special to them knowing they decorated it themselves. See craft
15. Pumpkin Putty Slime. Act like a kid again with yours and find all sorts of ways to play with this putty. In addition, it smells much better than a silly putty you’d find at a store! See craft
16. Nature Walk. Go on a nature walk solo or with the family. Explore a new trail or park and bring along a bag for the kids so they can collect what they find. This will be much more enjoyable once the weather cools down. See craft
17. Sun Baked S’mores. Always a favorite treat, s’mores can make you think about cooler weather, bonfires, and overall coziness. Make these on your patio using a solar oven which is easy to make. Get recipe
18. Apple Bobbing to Caramel Covered Treats. A way to mix beating the summer heat and transitioning into fall is bobbing for apples! Challenge the entire family and see who can grab the most. Afterward, use the apples to make chocolate caramel apples. Add some sprinkles if you’d like! Get recipe
19. Pom Pom Trees. This easy and festive craft is perfect even for the littlest hands! Use red and green to make it look like an apple tree or use fall colors. See craft
20. Pumpkin Apple Muffins. There’s no better way to celebrate fall than to mix the taste of pumpkin with apple. Add toppings if you wish. Get recipe
21. Pumpkin Pie with Cranberry Topping. Bring together two classic fall flavors into one simple and tasty dessert. Plan a fall-themed dinner night and serve this for dessert! Get recipe
22. DIY Glitter Vase. Whether it be for a gift or for yourself, you can easily make a lovely vase with a fall theme. Between fall colors and the decorations stores sell, you can have it look store bought at a smaller cost! See craft
23. Gift In A Jar. Another nice gift idea that is so fun to make and the receiver will love receiving! Fill the jar with autumn colored M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces and add a bow. See craft
24. Fall Leaf Globe. Why make a snow globe when you can make a leaf globe? Instead of snow, make a tree and put leaves in it to be falling from the tree. See craft
25. Acorn Picture Frame. Buy an expensive frame and liven it up with some acorn caps. Just attach them with hot glue and it’s that simple! See craft
26. Acorn Flower Arrangement. Have extra acorns from a previous project? Make a few flowers from them and put them in a vase with some colorful leaves. It can even be a vase you made yourself that’s also decorated for fall! See craft
27. Paper Bag Tree Sculpture. Here’s a boredom buster for kids using materials you most likely have at home already. They will love to get crafty for this project! See craft
28. Fall Sticky Trees. While we’re still waiting for the trees to look like it’s autumn, get the kids excited beforehand. They’ll have fun finding a special spot for this tree once they’re done. See craft
29. Pumpkin Spice Granola Parfait. Have a healthy, fall inspired snack and serve these individually in a tiny cup or bowl! You can add in something extra such as dried cranberries or sunflower seeds. Get recipe
30. Pumpkin Ice Holder. Having a party or get together? Keep your drinks cold by cutting a pumpkin in half and filling it with ice. Set your beverages in them and you’re all set! See craft
31. Autumn Punch. Serve this beverage on a warm day that combines apple-cranberry juice, plums, and your choice of a fruity white wine. For the nonalcoholic version, substitute with ginger ale. See craft

The post An Autumn Craft a Day: 31 Fresh and Fun Ideas for the Season appeared first on SWFL Family.