Pumpkin Obsession

For the past couple of weeks, I have been making anything I can think of with pumpkin. Maybe it's the shortage that got me craving it, or it being October. So far, I've made these unbeatable pumpkin cookies, this healthier chocolate pumpkin bread and these yummy pumpkin muffins. Unfortunately, I was lazy and didn't take any photos of those- believe me, Alex and all his coworkers, any of those recipes are excellent!
Last night, I made the above pie. I've been a little intimidated on making a pumpkin pie, and now I have no idea why. It's really not that hard! Oh, and the fact that we've already gone through a few Costco pumpkin pies kind of threw me off course :) This pie is from the cookbook Pie by Ken Haedrich, and is the first recipe I've made out of it. I will definitely be making more of the pies listed, there are so so many it's a bit overwhelming! It's a great book, the perfect guide for ALL aspects of making any kind of pie. If you like cornbread, this pie has a great texture and the flavor is just right!

Spiced Pumpkin Indian Pudding Pie (my version, adapted from Pie)

1 store-bought graham cracker crust
2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2- inch pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine milk and cornmeal in a medium size saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently. Don't let the liquid reach a rapid boil. As the mixture starts to thicken, continue to whisk nonstop until it reaches the consistency of thin hot cereal, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium-size bowl and whisk in the salt, butter and sugars. Let cool 10 minutes.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Whisk in the pumpkin, vanilla and spices to the above mixture. Add the eggs, whisking to blend. Slowly pour the filling into the pie shell.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and roates the pie 180 degrees, so the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Continue to bake until the filling is set in the center, about 30 minutes. To check the pie, give it a quick little nudge. It should wobble but not seem soupy in the center.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool. Serve barely warm, or let cool to room temp, cover with foil and refrigerate before serving. Goes great with whipped cream or ice cream!

Chabot Space Place

We had a nice weekend...went to the temple, ran the usual errands (do I even need to say where?), church, watched Be Kind Rewind and went to the Chabot Space & Science Center. It's in Oakland and on Saturday, all the Smithsonian-related museums were free, so we went. Alex had been wanting to go since he's quite the astronomy lover. And, yay, we saved $30!

Of course, being a free day, it was extra crowded so we didn't get to see any shows (sold out). Thus, the coolest part of the museum were the big telescopes. We got to see a big star cluster through this one. The worker told us how many light years away it was, but I have no clue now.

We also took one of those email-yourself portraits. This is us in a spaceship!!!

Friends and Bolinas

Beth was in town last week! It was great to see her and spend time shopping and eating with her and Richard. One of our favorite places to eat is the Coast Cafe out in Bolinas. This is about 1.25 hrs from Emville, so it was quite a trek. We all were a little woozy by the time we arrived (the motion sickness pills can only do so much) but it's always worth it!

Amazingly enough, we're still smiling after 2.5 months of residency....
*Almost* everything there is phenomonal. The fresh, warm bread is the best we've ever had, along with their famous fish 'n chips. I had my personal favorite, the homemade veggie burger. This is the only time I can devour something with mushrooms.

Of course, their desserts are outstanding as well...apple pie and peach cardamom galette this time around! I almost took a photo, but was in too much of a hurry to chow down...sorry :)

The one thing I cannot recommend are their cookies. They are the hardest, most unappetizing things I've ever tasted. I got one on the way out, we tried it, spit it out and tossed it- ever had cardboard before?
Yay for visitors, we miss you guys!!

Whole Foods Tour!

The other night, I took a brief breakfast-related tour of Whole Foods, and look at all the goodies I received!
This is around $10 worth of free stuff! All you have to do to find out about these tours is either check out the calendar that is usually located near the front of the store, or if your particular store has a twitter page, become a follower. The Oakland location seems to have different tours once every 2 weeks or so and I can't wait to go to more. This time was kind of funny because I was the only one who showed up...oh well, I got an extra box of waffles out of it.
I'm quite the Whole Foods fan, but it can be pricy if you don't know how to shop there. Stick to their 365 brand (my favs are the peanut butter, frozen veggies, pizza and milk), use the coupons in the Real Deal booklet, shop their sales and buy from their bulk foods section. It ends up costing the same, or maybe even less than, Safeway. Just be careful at the ready-to-eat food area...it's all super tasty, but you pay for it!

Green Monster Love

The past few months, I have seen these smoothies on numerous blogs, and finally got around to trying it out myself. This is one of the best, and healthiest, concoctions ever! For my version, in a blender I add 2 cups fresh spinach, 1 frozen banana, 1 to 2 scoops chocolate or vanilla protein powder and 1 cup very cold water. Puree the heck out of it, pour in a glass, pop it in the freezer for about 10 minutes and drink with a straw. There are so many variations you can make to this (nut butters, berries, etc), but trust me, it's delish, you can't go wrong!!
For more inspiration, check out Green Monster Movement.

Exploring Emeryville

It’s about time that I show a little about where we’re living now. So, last week I went on a walking tour of Emville and took some photos…..let’s go! P.S.: I tried this post through Windows Live Writer and the photos seem to be off centered...I hope I can get it to work better...

Most people who happen to know anything about Emeryville, either have heard of this…

or this…

Those are our two claims to fame (along with Jamba Juice, Charles Chocolates, Leapfrog and next year, Clif Bar- right across the street!)

I had to include the train, because the trains go by RIGHT outside our window and boy oh boy do we hear it. It also doesn’t help much that we’re close to an intersection so the horns keep it interesting!

All 0ver the city are these random designs depicting the crosswalk figure. Apparently, they were all designed by Emeryville students with no real theme other than everyday life. This is part of the waterfront walkway by the Emeryville Marina. It’s usually quite windy, but great to have a view of SF!

Our main shopping venue. Love the Teacake Bakeshop, movie theater, Elephant Bar, H&M and See’s, of course!

There you go, a brief look at the pretty sides of the city. But, remember, we’re just between Oakland & Berkeley so the adventures are just beginning….don’t forget to say hi if you’re ever nearby!!

Baking Bug

Since I am currently jobless and have a husband that is regularly MIA (get all the juicy details in his blog- warning! some of it is a bit gory), I've picked up a baking bug. So far, I've made blackberry cobbler, zucchini bread from Joy of Cooking, oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies from Field Guide to Cookies, and tonight, these babies....make them, they're amazing! I'm sure there will be more goodies to come. Alex's schedule isn't looking much lighter anytime soon...

Honey-Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from recipegirl.com)

¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats, semi-blended in a food processor
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup honey
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, oats, soda and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, use electric mixer to beat peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, honey, egg and vanilla until well blended.

3. Stir half of dry mixture into peanut butter mixture. Add second half and stir until all is well-blended. Stir in chocolate.

4. Cover and refrigerate until dough is firm and no longer sticky, about 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. With hands, roll 1 heaping Tablespoonful of dough for each cookie into 1 ¾-inch-diameter ball. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2½-inches apart. Bake cookies until puffed, beginning to brown on top and still very soft to touch, about 10-12 minutes. Watch closely because they will burn if baked too long. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to rack and cool completely.

Makes about 30 cookies