Down East Pumpkin Bread

I've been stirring the soap pot with lots of seasonal soaps...Apple Cider, Pumpkin Spice Scrub, Star Anise and more.  I wish I could eat some of it but, it still taste like soap!   So, I had a craving for Pumpkin Bread and was on the search for a new recipe.

From one of my new favorite blogs, Migonis Home - Living Large In A Small Space.   Down East Pumpkin Bread!  Here in Maine, Down East is a term used often to describe the Northern Coast of Maine.  This bread was something for me to try, as Maine is near and dear to my heard. It was soo delicious!  Nice and moist and full of subtle fall flavors.  I made 1 large loaf and 4 smaller loaves from this recipe. Thank you to Migonis Home for this perfectly fall treat!

 

ALL PHOTOS AND RECIPE ARE FROM THE BLOG AND CREDIT GOES TO MIGONIS HOME - whoops!  It looks like she credited All Recipes here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Downeast-Maine-Pumpkin-Bread/

Here is the link to the blog and post about the recipe:  http://www.migonishome.com/2013/09/downeast-maine-pumpkin-bread.html?showComment=1381324898270#c1701561014204349191

 

Here is the recipe for you to use:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease your choice of pan. 

7x3 pans will take about 50 minutes.

My muffins take about 20-25 minutes depending on how full I fill the tins.

 

Combine these ingredients in a large bowl and mix together:

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup of vegetable oil (canola works well too!)

2/3 cup of water

3 cups white sugar

 

In a separate bowl combine:

3.5 cups of unbleached flour

2 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

 

Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and mix it thoroughly. Pour into baking pans or tins. It will be done when you can stick a knife into the bread and it comes out clean of uncooked batter.

Close Buy Catalog - Last Shopping Days!

Only 1 day left!  Head over to the website: http://www.closebuycatalog.com/   and shop ALL LOCAL goods for school fundraising!  You DON"T have to have a student in a school to shop, simply choose who you would like to benefit at the end of check out.  Find my Laundry Detergent and Shampoo Soap Bars within the pages (find me under the Eco Friendly, Body Care and Under $20.00 pages).

 

 

Close Buy Catalog

 

Local-Goods Fundraising
for New England Schools & Non-Profits. Close Buy is available to schools and non-profits throughout

New England.

 2013 sale runs online September, 1 - October 10.

 

 

Anyone can shop, and 30% of every sale will go to the entity
you choose at checkout. Have fun!

 

 

Donut Muffins

 

My husband and I used to camp once a summer up on Rockport Maine.   We loved to stop at a little market where they had fresh baked breads, cookies and muffins and pick up a morning treat to go along with our coffee.   My favorite treat was their Donut Muffins.  Muffins that simply tasted as amazing as a donut!  Covered in crunchy sugar/cinnamon, warm and soft inside....soo good!  I searched for a recipe and found one that is just too good from The Pioneer Woman.

 

Try them! You won't be sorry.

 

Recipe and picture from The Pioneer Woman (love her)!

 

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/muffins-that-taste-like-doughnuts/

 

Ingredients

 

1-¾ cup Flour

1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder

½ teaspoons Salt

½ teaspoons Nutmeg

½ teaspoons Cinnamon

⅓ cups Oil

¾ cups White Sugar

1 whole Egg

¾ cups Milk

FOR THE TOPPING:

¼ cups Butter

⅓ cups White Sugar

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.

Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool 

Thank you!

A huge THANK YOU everyone for your support and voting for me and my soap business during the Martha Stewart American Made contest!  While I did not win for my category, I was thrilled to see all the votes for my soap business come in!  Thank you for your support.

Soo happy to have all of you behind me!  I'll keep making soap!

 

Much appreciated,

Shannon

Tomato Abundance!

I belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) AND have my own small tomatoes garden. Between the 2, I am experiencing tomato abundance!  So, I decided that since my hubby loves ketchup so much, maybe I should try making some?  It turned out amazing!  Here is the recipe I used:

 

https://thriftyandgreen.com/blogs/family-focus/homemade-ketchup-recipe

 

(photos and recipe from Thrifty and Green blog)

Easy Homemade Ketchup Recipe

Makes about 2 cups of homemade ketchup
Home Ketchup Ingredients:

• 2¼ pounds plum tomatoes
• 1½ cups distilled white vinegar
• 2½ teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar (for a less-sweet ketchup, use ½ cup)
• 1 tablespoon grated onion or 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Homemade Ketchup Recipe Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tomatoes and blanch until the skins break and the flesh becomes soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the tomatoes and press through a fine-mesh food mill or sieve to remove the skins and seeds.
2. Pour the sieved tomatoes into a medium-size saucepan. Add the vinegar and salt. Stir to combine. Bring the tomato mixture to a boil and then whisk in the sugar, onion, and spices.
3. Return to a low boil, stirring occasionally, and cook until the mixture has reduced to one-fourth the original amount and has thickened, about 1 hour. Some tomatoes are more watery than others, so additional cooking might be necessary to reduce moisture. Your ketchup should be the consistency of tomato purée, slightly thinner than bottled ketchup. It will thicken slightly when it cools.
4. Pour into a sterilized jar. Cover and refrigerate. Store your homemade ketchup covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
I hope you enjoy this easy to make, homemade ketchup recipe.  It is so good and sure to impress your friends and family.

American Made Audience Choice Award Nominee!

 

Casco Bay Soap Co. is in the running to be named the 2013 American Made Audience Choice Award Winner!

 

 American Made is a movement founded by Martha Stewart that spotlights the maker, supports the local, and celebrates the handmade. It’s made up of people and communities who have turned their passion for quality craftsmanship and well-designed goods into a way of life.

To win would mean $10,000 to support my business and a trip to New York for the annual American Made Talks and Workshops. Will you vote for me?

The winner is determined by the number of votes he or she gets and you can vote up to six times each day! So please come back and vote daily!

 

Click on the link below and be directed to my page.  VOTE early and often!  THANK YOU!!

 

http://www.marthastewart.com/americanmade/nominee/80227?xsc=SOC_AM_NomFB

 

American Made spotlights the maker, supports the local and celebrates the handmade. The journey culminates in a signature event this October in New York City. Join us and uncover the next generation of great American Makers.

 

 

Special Event

Last night I was part of a new Makers Market!  Presented by and taking place right next to:

 

Urban Farm Fementory

 

"A community-driven, food hub, skills-sharing facility, experimental micro Urban Farm, locally-sourced Fermentation Factory.

We primarily ferment Hard Cider, Mead, and Kombucha (aka "booch"), while exploring other food based fermentation. We host workshops, markets, and offer rentable prep kitchen space. We sublease space to a variety of other businesses within our complex including a bakery, apothecary,

creamery, and an aquaponics project farming tilapia fish and using that "wastewater" to grow herbs and leafy greens".

 

AND Pure Pops

 

"Each Popsicle is made with only the finest all natural and organic ingredients. They are handmade in small batches. My goal is to support local farmers while making these fun flavored popsicles".

 

AND Swallowtail Farm Cottage Apothecary

 

"We grow herbs and flowers , make tinctures, elixirs, balms, teas,body care products, natural cosmetics ,floral waters, farm goods and more. we offer consultations and craniosacral work. join our herbal , dairy, or farm C.S.A.'s !!!"

 

 

Several local vendors came out to sell their wares...

 

Casco Bay Butter was there....(I love all their butters)!

 

This gal selling her jewelry....

 

Some granola style bars....

 

And I was soo happy to finally try a Pure Pop! 

 

I choose the Avocado Lime - IT. WAS. A. MAZING.

 

NEW vendor Maine Original Tea Co. was there with their super cool old fashioned truck....

 

And the entrance to my friend Laurens new Apothecary were you can get her cheese, other dairy, some of her farm products and maybe an elixir!

 

Portland Cap & Stem Co., mushroom people!

 

AND music!

 

 

Summer Soaps

We are in the thick of summer here in Maine.  Hot and sunny, beach bound or on a lake, summer days are longing for all things sweet, tropical and fruity.  

 

I will have my new warm and toasted Island Coconut soap...

 

( I just love these old fashioned botanical type prints)

 

 

 

 and sweet, fresh and juicy Mmmango!  with me at the farmers market this week. 

 

 

 

And coming up very shortly after is sweet and tart Squeeze of Lime.

 

 

All soon to be available on the WEBSITE too.

No Bake Energy Bites

My hubby and I have been hiking several days a week on our local mountain, Bradbury Mountain.  We always hike before dinner, so we are pretty hungry!  I made up these (and several versions of) No Bake Energy Bites to carry us through the hunger.

 

Find the basic recipe here: http://bakinginsaskatoon.com/2012/10/23/no-bake-energy-bites-by-lynne/ Then, make it your own!  I have added all different nuts and seeds, some chocolate covered sunflower seeds, chocolate chips and more. 

 

 

No-Bake Energy Bites - makes about 25 1-inch balls

 

1 cup old fashioned oats

2/3 cup toasted coconut (I didn't use coconut, hubby doesn't care for it)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

1/3 cup raw almonds, chopped

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla (I left out the vanilla, I didn't think it needed it)

 

Place all ingredients into a large bowl.

 

With a rubber spatula, mix ingredients together until thoroughly combined.  You could use your hands since you’ll be rolling the dough anyway, but I thought it was just too sticky when first combining the ingredients to do so.

 

Roll dough into 1-inch balls.

Easy peasy!

Store in an air-tight container.

 

Strawberry Sauce

The CSA that I belong to has pick-your-own strawberry fields.  Yay!!   

 

 

And while I didn't have the time to take full advantage of the berry season, I did manage to pick about 9 pounds.  Some I ate straight up, some I made into Strawberry Shortcake and some I made into Strawberry Sauce.  I froze this Strawberry Sauce with dreams of a dinner party where I serve homemade vanilla ice-cream and my own fresh strawberry sauce poured over the top. Super easy and delicious, I think I will try it with the raspberries that are coming out soon too.

 

I found the recipe over here: The Kitchn.com (the below picture is courtesy of the site as well)

Easy Strawberry Sauce

1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine the quartered strawberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved and the liquid at the bottom of the pan is simmering. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Using a blender or food processor, process the fruit into a smooth sauce. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until cool. (Sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.)

Pea Picking Time!

I had a couple of extra hours....why not?  Fellow Maine business Northern Girl had a project.  They needed help picking peas and the pea patch was only 3 minutes from my house!  I volunteered, I showed up, I picked peas!  They are working hard to bring back commercial Peas to Maine and created The Pea Project.  The pea patch we picked today was a test patch.   They have more test patches up North, where they are located, but the farmers on New Leaf Farm here in Durham offered to plant this test patch for them.  So peas needed to be harvested and the call was put out for volunteers.  We were "paid" in peas!

 

I enjoyed myself.  We picked whole plants so it was very easy to just pull up the plants.  It has been pretty wet here lately, so I my boots, jeans and hands were covered in a good layer of mud when I finished.  And I have never worked on a farm or picked more than a few tomatoes off my garden plants before.  7 rows of lots and lots of peas and my body felt it even thought I tried not to do the lean over and more of the squat and pick. 

 

Here are some pictures from my morning of picking peas.

 

We picked over 10 large black garbage bags chock full of pea plants.

 

A foggy morning at the pea patch.  BUT that meant no hot sun beating down on us.

 

My dirty hands and a handful of pea plants.

 

My fellow pickers!  That is Chris on the right and he is the general manager.  He drove over 4 hours down to Durham from "up in the County" to supervise the pea picking.

Soap For Bug Bites?

I got bit pretty good over the weekend.  I can tell you right now exactly where I have 5 good size, very sore and red bug bites.  Even though I had on some bug repellent, they managed to find a few spots that I missed. I even think that one bug just bit me and moved a 1/4" to the left and bit again, it's now a double bite!   I have sensitive skin and bug bites just seem to last and last!  I came across something on the web and gave it a try....rub a dry bar of soap on your bug bites and it will help with the itch.  Well, I have a lot of soap hanging around here, so I gave it a try.  And yes, it worked!  After the initial soreness of rubbing a hard bar of soap on my sensitive bug bites, I waited patently for about 5 minutes and realized that yes I was not itching anymore!

 

Give it a try!!

 

Another interesting use for soap.