Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

. . . olive oil, honey, pumpkin bread

October is. . .

. . . so close. . .

. . . I can almost. . .

. . . taste it. . .

. . . so I did.

Is there anything more symbolic of October than pumpkins? This beautifully fragrant pumpkin bread has all of the spice and flavor of the season with half of the refined sugar and a few other healthy additions as well. Real pumpkin, fresh ginger, olive oil, and honey take this classic to the next level.

 

Olive Oil, Honey, Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (I highly suggest roasting your own, but store bought would work as well)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3  cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 packed tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger root (you could do 1 1/2 if you really love ginger)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 375 (you will lower it later).

Cut your pumpkin pie pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. Place face side down on a baking sheet and prick the outside with a fork.  Roast for 35-45 min or until a fork easily slides through. Allow to cool enough to handle and scrape out the squash flesh into a bowl.  Use an immersion blender to puree (a blender would work just fine as well).  Measure 1 cup and save the rest for more pumpkin recipe goodness.

Lower heat to 350 degrees.

Mix the pumpkin, eggs, water, honey, ginger and sugar together.  Once everything is thoroughly combined, gently stir in the olive oil.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground spices.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything just comes together and fold in the pecans.  Do not over mix.

Line a 9 1/4" x 5 1/4" loaf pan with a sheet of parchment paper (like a sling) between the longer sides.  Leave a little paper sticking out on either side (you will use these "handles" to pull out the loaf later). Pour the batter into the lined pan. Bake for 50-60 min or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.

The bread is tasty right away, but even better the next day.

 

With the Kids: Invite the kids to go to the grocery store, farmers marker (or better yet, a real farm) to pick up a pumpkin pie pumpkin and any other ingredients you may need. On your way to the market, talk about autumn activities.  How many pumpkin activities/recipes can they think of? When you return home, ask the kids to help you scoop out the pumpkins and mix the batter. While the bread is baking, head outdoors and collect leaves to make fairy houses, or to model your leaf mask after. Enjoy your tasty fall treat while playing a game of Pumpkin Eater in the yard.

 

Happy (day before) October!

~ Sarah

*Last time in Recipes: 10 Amazing Apple Recipes

 

 

. . . nature walk: georgetown, texas

This week's nature walk comes to us from Georgetown, Texas at Berry Springs Park and Preserve.  There Nichole and her family took a walk just a day after their first substantial rain since July and encountered a world filled with wakefulness from the hydration.  Thank you Nichole for sharing this lovely walk with us!

If you would like to contribute to our weekly Nature Walk series, you can learn more about submitting photos here, or you can also visit our Nature Walk Group Pool on Flickr to add your adventures to the collection.

Thanks again Nichole for sharing!

*Last time in Nature Walks: Rocky Mountain National Park

 

. . . weekend zen

Say goodbye to your comfortable seat and hello to some new peaks.  Where will your adventures take you to today?

 

xox

~i.c.

 

... saturday links

Here are a few things that kept us curious this week...

- Today is National Public Lands Day... go hug a National Park, for free!

- Great follow-up video on the sliding rocks link we posted a few weeks ago.

- Join the Science Club, part of NPR's Science Friday, and start observing today!

- We have one word for you, Bioluminescence. You're welcome.

- We made some pretty sweet Planet Lanterns... check em' out!

- Want to know the chemistry behind the color of autumn leaves? Go here.

 

Happy Weekend!

 

xox

~ i.c.

. . . planet lanterns

A couple of years ago we made autumn leaf lanterns, and ever since then. . .

. . . we've wanted to make. . .

. . . planet lanterns. . .

. . . as a way to help in solar system studies. . .

. . . or maybe just to hold the sun in our hands.

 

Planet Lanterns

Materials:

• Tissue paper (white and other colors that match the planets you would like to make)
• White glue (roughly one small bottle for the larger planets, less for the smaller ones)
• Balloons (standard size, but you may want a large "punching" balloon if you would like to make the sun)
• Paint and paintbrushes (watercolor or gouache so it will still be translucent)
• LED tea light candles (for the truest color on your planets, use white light vs. amber)
• Thin bendable wire
• Card stock (for labels)

Start by mixing the glue with some water (about 2% milk consistency). Next blow up balloons to match the planet sizes (optional but educational).  I found this website very helpful for size comparisons. Also, make sure your balloons don't have any designs or writing on them as that tends to make them stick to the paper mache.

Cut the tissue paper into small rectangles, about 2" X 3". If you are working on a planet that is only one color (or primarily one color) use tissue paper that is that color. For planets with more variation or detail, use white paper and paint them later. Start dipping the paper in the glue mixture and apply one sheet at a time to the balloon, leaving about a 3"-6" opening at the top depending on the size of the balloon. If it starts to get a little drippy just apply the paper dry, and paint on enough grue to make it stick. Continue doing this until you have 3-4 layers of tissue paper (it seems thin, but the glue will give it a lot of structure). 

Once the balloons are thoroughly coated string them up to let them dry completely. In the meantime, you can make labels for the planets.  These can be as simple as just a typed name, or there could be interesting facts on each label.

After the tissue paper has dried completely (preferably over night), it's time to pop the balloon. This can be a bit nerve racking, but mostly exciting. Once a a good sized hole is cut into the balloon the rubber will begin to pull away from the paper. This may pull the paper inward, and require a little reshaping once the balloon has completely pulled away (you may also need to help pull the balloon away from the paper in thinner areas).

Now that the balloon is out, You can begin painting the planets that need a bit more detail (like earth and the moon etc.).  Allow to dry.  Trim the top edge with scissors to get a clean opening.

Use the bendable wire to make a simple handle.  To do this, poke a hole with the wire in one side of the lantern about 2" down from the top. Weave the wire through and twist it around itself to secure (see images above).  Repeat the process with the other end of the wire place a small LED tea light candle at the bottom of the lantern (or a few of them if you would like a brighter lantern).

Hang them up in your room or take your planets for a walk in the evenings as the sun sets just a bit earlier each day.

~ Sarah

*Last time in Crafts and Activities: Math Land Board Game