Pumpkin Delight – It’s Thyme for Fall

It’s Thyme for Fall! The fall chill drifts through the air, getting us in the mood for nights of fireplaces and hot chocolate, sweaters and boots, and of course…the season of pumpkin anything.

Pumpkin Delight

1 29 oz can pumpkin 1 13 oz can evaporated milk 1 cup sugar ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice ½ tsp cinnamon 3 eggs 1 box yellow cake mix 1 cup pecans, chopped 1 cup butter, melted

Whipped Cream

Directions.

Beat together pumpkin, milk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and eggs.

Pour into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish that has been sprayed with vegetable oil.

Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixtures, then sprinkle on pecans.

Drizzle melted butter over the top.

Bake at 350ºfor 1 hour.

Chill. Cut into squares. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

 Thyme for Fall brings you 9 herbal blends with thyme in them and 33 recipes for delicious and tasty delights (Cranberry Conserve, Thyme Lime Chicken, Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Topping, Spicy Pumpkin Molasses Pie…and more!). Also included are 9 crafting recipes such as Peppermint-Thyme Foot Scrub, Pumpkin Pie Lip Balm and Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub.
Only available here: http://www.trishafaye.com/herbs_and_holidays

Red Bell Pepper Coulis, from Herb Store Favorites

As the weather begins changing and the days and nights begin cooling down, the abundance from the summer gardens also starts winding down to an end. Bell peppers should still be prolific…and perhaps you’re tired of your usual recipes. Here’s a tasty Red Bell Pepper Coulis, from Herb Store Favorites, that’s delicious served over some hot, fresh pasta.

Red Bell Pepper Coulis

Chef Leslie Sassamon shared this recipe with our herb group when she was the featured guest, teaching us how to prepare several herbal dishes for our luncheon. This was delicious served over warm, freshly made pasta.

Ingredients:

2 red bell peppers, washed 2 TB white wine vinegar 1 shallot, minced 1 tsp garlic, minced 1 TB olive oil ¼ cup heavy cream salt to taste black pepper to taste

Directions:

To roast red bell peppers, place directly over a gas flame on a cook top or under a broiler in the oven on high heat. Let skins of bell peppers blacken, turning to blacken the entire surface of the skin. Using tongs, place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let peppers stand at least 10 minutes, as the heat from the peppers under the wrap will act to steam the skin from the fleshy part of the pepper. Pell the skin from the pepper. Remove seeds and membrane. Cut into 1” pieces.

In a small sauté pan, sauté shallots and garlic in olive oil until soft. Reduce heat and add in white wine vinegar. Add in cream and continue to heat until cream is warm.

In a blender or food processor, add in red bell peppers and mixture from the sauté pan. Pulse to combine and then puree until a sauce has formed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reheat sauce in saucepan over low heat. Serve warm over warmed cooked pasta.

Makes about 2 cups sauce.

Herbs, herbs, herbs…Olde Thyme Gardens revolved around herbs – growing them, cooking with them and crafting with them. In Herb Store Favorites, we bring you the favorites that we collected. Cheese Dilly Bread, Cranberry Orange Honey Nut Muffins, Green Rice, Lavender Shortbread, Rosemary Cookies and Lemon Verbena Buttermilk Pound Cake – along with a host of others.

The years the store was open as a brick and mortar, along with three annual Herb Fest’s in California gave us a nice collection of herbal recipes. Some we used in the store at various Open Houses and events. We got others from some of the food contests held in the store, and at the herb festivals.

Join us at the herb store, I think you’ll find something here that you’ll love!

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Buy at Barnes and Noble

Minted Apple Bread – from Herb Store Favorites

HERB STORE FAVORITES is in the final countdown! It’s almost here!

This is a re-release of a previously published cookbooklet, the results of three years of an herb and garden store and three annual herb festivals.

To tempt your taste buds, here’s one of the recipes in HERB STORE FAVORITES.

Minted Apple Bread

Connie Wilson won 3^rd place with her Minted Apple Bread. This is a moist batter bread with a little “tang” to it. Connie said this bread freezes well also.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup brown sugar 1 TB baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 2 TB fresh spearmint, minced 1 egg 1 cup unsweetened applesauce ¼ cup canola oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease two 8” x 4” loaf pans and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a small bowl, stir together the spearmint, egg, applesauce and oil. Add to the dry ingredients. Stir until blended. Pour batter into loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ginger Lemonade & Herb Store Favorites

COMING AUGUST 1ST … HERB STORE FAVORITES

An ebook with the recipes from Olde Thyme Garden’s cookbooklet originally published in 2003. It contains recipes from herbal food contests held in the store in Upland, California and at three herb festivals in Upland.

Here’s a recipe to get you started during these hot summer days — GINGER LEMONDADE.

If a nice cool, refreshing glass of iced tea on these sizzling days soothe you — check out the tea line from Trisha’s Kitchen. These 8 teas were the top sellers at Olde Thyme Gardens. The teas are available now, along with TWO GREAT AUGUST SPECIALS! The four top selling dip mixes (a Chef Greg’s line purchased from Black Pearl Gardens in 1998) will be available soon.

Ginger Lemonade

Here’s a nice refreshing drink with a different twist. It’s especially nice on a hot, summer day. I’d often make it and have it available to serve to customers on a busy Saturday during the summer.

Ingredients:

6 cups water

1 ¼ cups sugar

¼ cup grated, peeled fresh ginger

1 ¼ cups fresh lemon juice (about 7 large lemons)

¼ cup fresh lime juice

Lemon and, or lime slices (optional)

Directions:

Combine 1 cup water, sugar, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and cool.

Strain ginger mixture through a sieve into a pitcher, and discard solids.

Add 5 cups water and juices.

Stir well.

Serve over ice, and garnish with lemon and lime slices, if desired.

Makes approximately 8 cups lemonade.

Here a pop, there a pop …. National Popcorn Poppin Month

Here a pop, there a pop … October is National Popcorn Poppin Month! This month-long celebration gives us thirty-one days to celebrate with this popular “poppable” snack. The Popcorn Board claims that Americans eat 16 billion quarts of popcorn a year. That’s approximately 51 quarts per man, woman and child.

Not only inexpensive, this treat is low-fat, high in fiber and low in calories. Air popped popcorn has a mere 31 calories per cup. Oil-popped popcorn moves up to 55 calories per cup and buttered popcorn weighs in with the most calories, 133 per cup.

For a zesty zip and different flavor, sprinkle this herbal mixture, from Sage Cottage Herb Garden Cookbook, over your popped popcorn. Combine ½ tsp chili powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¾ tsp dried oregano, and ¼ tsp dried basil. Play with various seasonings and herbs to create your own favorite popcorn seasoning. Myself, I don’t care for chili flavor so much and I love onion flavors. So on mine, I either cut out the chili, or reduce it down to ¼ tsp and I add ½ tsp onion powder. A little parmesan cheese added to the mix is good too.

Written reports of popcorn date back hundreds of years. The Popcorn Board reports that the Spaniard Cobo, wrote of the Peruvian Indians in 1650, “They toast a certain kind of corn until it bursts. They call it pisancalla, and they use it as a confection.” The oldest ears of popcorn were discovered in a cave inNew Mexicoin 1948 and 1950. The ears of corn found in theNew Mexico Bat Cave are estimated to be about 4,000 years old.

Celebrate life! Have a popcorn party tonight. Check out www.popcorn.org for popcorn recipes, printable coloring pages and popcorn games. There are many recipes on the site. The two recipes I really want to try are Cinnamon-Spice Berry Popcorn and Maple Pumpkin Spice Popcorn.

Cinnamon-Spice Berry Popcorn
6 cups air-popped popcorn
3 tbsp. brown sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 tbsp. light margarine
1/2 cup Craisins

• Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, spices, and margarine in microwave-safe bowl; cook on HIGH heat for 2 1/2 minutes until bubbly hot.
• Add Craisins to popcorn; toss with hot sugar mixture until well coated. Cool mixture before serving or store in airtight container. Serves: 4

Maple Pumpkin Spice Popcorn
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice mix
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
5 cups popped popcorn

• In a large saucepan or pot, heat brown sugar, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice mix over medium heat. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling. Stir in butter until melted and well blended. Add pecans, if desired, and popcorn and stir until well coated.

• Allow mixture to cool before serving. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container. Yield: 5 cups

Thanks to Louise at www.monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com for encouraging posts with recipes to celebrate foods this month. Go check out her blog and you’ll discover a world filled with food celebrations, cookbooks and recipes!