Not enough time in the world . . . sigh!

I've been sorting through stacks of recipes I've collected and deciding if I really need to keep all of them. Not enough time in the world for me to try each and every one so I had to be harsh and keep only the ones I KNEW I would eventually make . . . someday!

Cold weather makes me think of Fall and Fall makes me think of pumpkins so finding this recipe fit into my mood. If only it wasn't Lent, this would be in the oven right now!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

You need a 12 cup bundt pan or equivilent pans to hold batter. Spray well with vegetable oil spray. Lightly flour.

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of cloves
2 teaspoons butter

Combine these ingredients in a small bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup cooked pumpkin (canned variety is great!)
8 ounces sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Creat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the rest of the ingredient, mixing well. Stir in the flour mixture.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumbly mixture over the batter. Top with the remaining batter.

Bake for 55-60 minutes in a 350 degree, preheated oven. Cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan before inverting it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Glaze with a combined mixture of 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and enough fresh orange juice to make a thick but pourable icing.

Anticipated summer harvests . . .

When we plant our garden, we can always rely on the fact that nothing but nothing seems to kill a zucchini squash plant. Zucchini plants are amazing in that you can check on them one day and find nothing and seemingly overnight, giant squash grace your garden.

A favorite way to eat zucchini is cut in large chunks and sauteed until hot but still with a bit of crisp to it with lots of garlic, salt, pepper, and diced tomato. As the summer zucchini harvent goes on, however, savory uses of zucchini can get wearing. I found this recipe in my wanderings today and it sounds like a good alternative to either savory versions of zucchini bread.

Citrus Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box lemon cake mix
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated (I leave the peel on but that's just a preference)
4 ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange zest

Mix all the cake ingredients together until well combined but not over beatened. Spread into a 9 x 12" baking pan. Bake at 325 for approximately 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting

3 tablespoons butter, softened NOT melted
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (approximately) fresh lemon juice

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and beat in well. Add lemon juice, vanilla and zest and combine. Frost cooled cake.

Cold weather, warm food . . .

I always look towards hearty, hot meals when it is raining outside . . . as it is today! Although biscuits are always welcome with stew or soup, I have this recipe for tortillas that go well with most anything for sopping up the gravy. I'm sorting recipes today and came across it and thought I'd share. Okay, I may have done so earlier in the year but not everyone reads the archives so here it is, perhaps, again!

Tortillas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. STir in water and oil. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until the dough comes together and is workable. You might have to add a few more drips of water/oil if your weather is dry.

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion into an approximately 7-inch circle. Your circle doesn't have to be perfect!

In a nonstick skillet coated with vegetable oil spray, cook tortillas over medium heat for one minute on each side or until lightly browned. Keep them under a clean dish towel until they are all done to keep them warm.

Sure, you can purchase tortillas in the store but it is nice to know that you can whip up a batch and avoid an extra trip. Besides, there is no comparison with homemade tortillas!

Lots of cold rain this morning but the skies here in 'sunny' California seem indecisive for the moment. Naturally, our home rain forecaster, our dog, dragged her blankets out in time to get damp. She does this a day or two before WE even know it's going to rain. Ironing done and dog's blanket has been sanitized, washed, and dried.

That's what makes it work!

I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some.

- Herbert Rappaport