buzzville

the search for the perfect pumpkin sweet...

It's no secret to people who know us that our family is pretty fond of pumpkin foods - bread, curry, soup, stew, cookies, etc. Since the air is getting a bit crisp, I figured it was time to start in with the pumpkin baking. One of the other mom's from our co-op was raving about a recipe for pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting (*gulp*!). I came home, lickety-split, to see if I could find the recipe online. I found this and decided to give them a shot, with a few small changes: I used golden raisins, added chopped, toasted pecans, and used Splenda in lieu of sugar.

They baked up just perfectly in my jelly roll pan. I think the frosting recipe is a bit scant (it was tough to get even coverage over the whole cake, and definitely not enough for a crumb layer), but it was also quite simple. The bars are nice and cakey, and the golden raisins and pecans add a bit of interest. I think the only thing I might change is to use some brown sugar in place of the white sugar. So, these were really good.

BUT, I think I'm looking for something more chewy, gooey, and cookie-like. Seems as if most pumpkin baked goods are bread- or cake-like - anyone have a recipe for something like a chewy pumpkin cookie?

Here's the recipe:

Pumpkin-Raisin Bars

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar (try using 1 cup brown sugar?)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin (or equivalent in drained, fresh pumpkin)
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans (I added these)

• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup butter, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly roll pan. Sift first 8 ingredients into a large bowl and mix. Add pumpkin, eggs and oil, and beat until blended. Mix in raisins and pecans. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl to blend. Spread frosting over cake in think layer. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.) Cut cake into bars and serve.

flavors of autumn

I'm a bit freakish about pears... I *love* them. I can't really say the same about apples - they're good, but I don't have the same obsessive cravings for them. Bosc pears and me... we're tight! So, although I'm not usually a big grocery store ice cream consumer, I raced out the door as soon as I heard about Häagen-Dazs new flavor search winner: Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan. If you're like me, reading those words has already gotten your mouth excited about the possibilities... wait, did they say caramelized pear?!?

For purely scientific evaluation purposes, Jerry and I had our first sampling of this ice cream last night after dinner (while watching the My Country My Country documentary - unfortunately, we found it to be a disappointing movie). The verdict? I think that this is quite possibly the *best* ice cream I have ever had. But, I'm willing to admit that this may well be linked to my extreme love of pears. The flavor of pear was clearly identifiable - not some subtle, barely noticeable pear-ness. And, the ice cream was blended with chunks of caramelized pear and those lovely toasted pecans - mmmmm. Jerry thought the ice cream was quite good as well, but I got the sense that he thought I was a bit overly enthusiastic. Well, there's no accounting for taste, right?!?

Today we're trying a new recipe that I hope will be a successful representation of another of our favorite autumn flavors - full report coming tomorrow. In the meantime, run out and get yourself a pint of ice cream - the choice of flavor is yours. Go ahead - you've been good. I know you have.

another person's trash...

I don't think I have to explain exactly how excited I was to find this little treasure over the weekend:

total cost: $1

Now I just have to figure out how to wind it without a key... any suggestions?

the importance of humor

Brynne woke up this morning and called me to her room, which is out of the norm. (Usually she comes into our room and climbs in bed with me for a bit of morning snuggle time.) So - I knew something was up. She had that serious look on her face that means she's just figured something out - something important. She said: "Mom, I can do it...  d... a... d... (making the letter sounds) That spells dad, and dad is a palindrome! And mom is too!" I wish I could claim that my 4-year old is a genius savant, but I think she must remember this from a book we got her a while back. The funny thing is that the book is at her grandma's house, and she hasn't seen it for months. Yet, this morning it somehow came back to her and "clicked" now that she's really trying to learn to read. It's funny how little brains are able to recall these things that we are sure are long forgotten! Certain moments I never want to forget - like Brynne first using the word palindrome; perhaps writing about it will help to emblazon it in my mind forever.

Jerry and I have had a few long and stressful weeks in a row, and we were chatting last night about the use of trashy tv as therapy. I'll admit to watching a few useless shows, and they really do help to clear my brain of pretty much everything. We've especially been enjoying the new season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - such an incredibly crazy show, filled with completely despicable, but hilarious, characters. Ah... a lot cheaper than a psychologist, right?!?

farmer's market, how do I love thee...

I'm trying to get more into a regular habit of visiting our local Ventura Farmer's Market - we're lucky to have 2 each week (Wednesdays and Saturdays). I used to go occasionally, but I've really come to love going, and it's becoming as much a social gathering place as a shopping trip!

Today's bounty included Fuji Apple Butter, local canteloupe and strawberries, tamales (these are *so* incredible!), and some seedless green grapes that were devoured before they could be photographed!

Speaking of delicious, we recently mixed up a batch of sorbet that was incredible. It was a hot day, and I suggested some grapefruit sorbet might be just the thing. Then, I found a recipe for Grapefruit Tarragon Sorbet, and I was intrigued. I made the recipe as below, except I used Splenda instead of sugar and fresh tarragon in lieu of dried. The subtle licorice flavor of the tarragon was wonderful against the sweet-tart of the pink grapfruit. The consistency of ours ended up a bit more like a granita than a sorbet, but that might be related more to our ice cream maker than the recipe. Three thumbs up (Kelly, Jerry and Brynne) from this house!

Grapefruit Tarragon Sorbet

• 4 large red or pink grapefruits
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled

Squeeze enough juice from grapefruits to measure 2‚ cups and pour through a sieve into a large bowl. In a small saucepan bring water, sugar, and tarragon to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and simmer 5 minutes. Whisk syrup into grapefruit juice.

Freeze mixture in an ice-cream maker. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Sorbet keeps 1 week.

Makes about 1 quart, serving 6.

local weekend

We spent this past weekend in San Pedro. I know... what's in San Pedro, right? I've always thought of it as just a port town, so I figured we'd wave hello to superbuzzy shipments at the port and that would be it! But, I was pleasantly surprised with the charming Old Town and the kitschy 1950s era streets. There was a surprising lack of Starbucks and chain fast food joints in this area - just lots of cute mom 'n pop places.

We met family at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, which was also new to us. Wow! What an amazing place! Aquarium of the Pacific generally gets all the attention for SoCal aquariums, and it is indeed a wonderful aquarium. But, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium certainly deserves praise of its own. It is funded wholly by the City of Los Angeles (thank you tax dollars!), so admission is a donation. The exhibits are focused on Southern California sea life, and these are *usually* my least favorite exhibits at other aquariums - there are only so many Garibaldi and starfish one can look at, right? The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium goes far beyond the typical exhibits, featuring incredible nudibranchs, urchins like you've never seen, every bizarre type of crab, and of course, lots of fish. They also have a hands-on lab, nursery, and tide pool touch tank - all were very popular with Brynne. And, as if this wasn't enough, the aquarium is located on a huge stretch of beach, rich in tidepools at low tide. We were there during high tide, but next trip we'll make a point of arriving at low tide, bringing a picnic lunch, and doing some tide pooling. If you like aquariums and live in SoCal, this is a must see!

We did some other touristy things - rode the historic Red Line trolley car, toured the Point Fermin Lighthouse, saw the Korean Friendship Bell, and visited the Marine Mammal Care Center. We finished the day with a feast (and I mean feast!) at Papadakis Taverna Greek restaurant in Old Town, complete with belly dancing and lots of broken glassware!

I've recently realized how important these quick, local getaways are for us... we're together as a family so seldom, and when we stay at home, it tends to be a lot of tedium (laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.). When we leave the house and spend the day elsewhere, we have such a fantastic time, and we're learning about all the hidden gems within 2 hours of our house. I know it's not practical to getaway every weekend (at least, not unless I can hire some house-help!), but I'm going to make an effort to plan something like this at least once a month.

into fall

It seems as if it was just yesterday that we were getting ready to leave on our *second* trip to Hawai'i's Big Island, but in fact it has already been almost a month. I tell you, I must have had some extremely good karma coming my way that made 2 (free) trips to Hawai'i in one summer possible. I'm gearing up for the not-so-good karma that must be on it's way. Since we returned, superbuzzy madness began (have you seen that crazy sale?!?), school started up, and the beginning of the rotten karma set in. Well, can't say that I'm surprised!

But, the Big Island is a fantastic place, and I must go back. We've certainly never had such easy and outstanding snorkeling. Since it's been a while since we returned, I won't give the full report like I did last time, but I do want to record some of the highlights - lest I forget them!

We took Brynne to the Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm (just north of Kona - on the way to the airport), and it was incredible. They gave us a 1-hour tour of their facility - from feeding tiny seahorses hatched that very morning, to the mature brood pairs, to tanks displaying each species raised at the farm. Each of us also got to make a "coral reef" with our hands, thereby allowing a little seahorse to hold onto our fingers with its tail. The conservation work they are doing there is incredible, and perhaps they will help save some of these incredibly endangered species from extinction. This is well worth doing!

Probably the most awesome experience we had was our night snorkel with the manta rays. We took a boat with Big Island Divers to a spot where they've been going for some time. We each had flashlights to shine in the water, which then attracted plankton - a manta ray's dinner. We were incredibly lucky to have 13 manta rays with us that night. We stayed in the water for about 45 minutes while these giant creatures (wingspans of about 16 feet!) did giant barrel rolls in the water, inches from us. I could have stayed out there for hours watching this awe-inspiring water ballet.

The house we stayed in was perfectly located on the water at Kealakekua Bay. We couldn't have dreamt up a better location for our interests, and we woke up each morning eager to get our morning snorkel before breakfast. One morning, we decided to kayak out to Captain Cook's monument on the other side of the bay, where the coral was said to be fantastic. On the way out, we ran into a pod of about 20-24 spinner dolphins cavorting in the bay. Not ones to miss an opportunity like this, we took turns snorkeling with the dolphins in the middle of the bay, coming within one foot of them. It was so cool to be in the water with them, occasionally hearing them "talk" to each other, and watching them leap out of the water and performing their characteristic spin. The snorkeling out by the monument was also stellar, with a beautiful reef at just the right depth for snorkeling - not so shallow that the fear of getting sliced by coral sets in, but still close enough for visibility of the smaller critters hiding in and around the reef. The diversity of fish was fantastic! The only downside to snorkeling here is that tour boats loaded with novice snorkelers come to the area daily, dumping dozens of people into the water. We were lucky to have some quiet time toward the beginning, but then the boat came in and the water became far too crowded and chaotic. I recommend going early in the morning to beat the tours. (The snorkeling at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau is, in my opinion, a close second to Captain Cook's monument, and the entry is very simple - no kayaking required.)

We also did more volcano hiking, made it down into Waipi'o Valley for some hiking, and took our weak 4WD vehicle on the extremely questionable "road" to the green sand beach (now there's an adventure!). Lots of good family time was had, and I think we've fallen in love with the Big Island. It will be tough to convince ourselves to explore the other islands, for fear they won't live up to what we found there.