Chilly = Chili....and got pumpkin?

It's official. MY fall has begun. I know the calendar doesn't back me up on this, but when the mercury starts to dip...

...well, let's just say that does it for me.

We may still be hitting the 70s and 80s during the day, but temperatures are dropping into the 40s at night. When the sun falls behind the hill out back each evening and we feel the need to don long sleeves, THAT is fall. No matter what the calendar might say.


When my alarm pierces the silence of my sleeping house at 6:00 a.m. and I find it necessary to turn on a lamp in order to navigate my way through the house, that's another sure sign that fall has arrived.

But most of all, when my cravings turn from cool tossed salads and fresh fruits

to steaming pots of chili and potato soup and chicken noodle soup

it is TOTALLY AND WITHOUT A DOUBT


The other foods that come to mind at this time of year are pumpkin pie, spice bars made with molasses and ginger and cinnamon, pumpkin logs, apple dumplings, pumpkin bread....

There's a whole lotta pumpkin in that sentence.


And ordinarily that would not be a problem, but this year it is. In the last week I have made a horrendous discovery.

THERE IS NO PUMPKIN TO BE HAD.


Something happened to the pumpkin crops this year and the store shelves are bare of canned pumpkin. The fresh ones that are available locally are going for $10 each.

Not happening.

I love pumpkin but I will not pay $10 for one.

And guess what is the one thing we didn't plant in our garden this year.

You got it.

So I guess that means...



If you hear sobbing coming from this general vicinity in the next couple of months, you'll know why.

Guess Where I've Been...

Yes, I went shopping for mums. I'm just in a 'FALL' kind of mood. My friend Stacey over at Bloggin' It Like It Is posted a list of all the fall things she looks forward to each year and she really got me to thinkin' that fall can't get here soon enough! (Thanks a bunch, Stacey! Here I am, wishing my life away! )

But I was a good girl today. I didn't buy even ONE mum. I decided to wait until I have cleaned up the remnants of spent summer blooms and pulled the scraggly weeds that constantly threaten to take over my flower beds. I need to rid the porch of the potted plants that baked in the intense heat of July and early August, and wash away the pollen that has settled on the swing, the rocking chairs and the banister surrounding the porch. In other words, I need to bid summer adieu before I break out the bright and beautiful fall decor. : )

Did I ever mention how much I LOVE FALL????

The chill in the air; hot cider; the smell of woodsmoke; the bright blue skies of October; the gorgeous foliage that paints the hillsides; breaking out the flannel shirts, hoodies and cozy sweaters. Not to mention all the treats that I associate with fall! When the calendar reflects the winding-down of another summer, I never fail to start craving pumpkin pie and apple dumplings. Plus hot, hearty, homemade soups and chili. Those things all go hand in hand with fall around here.

Some people rush the Christmas season, and I love Christmas as much as anyone! But I'm gonna rush fall this year. Even though it technically won't arrive for another three weeks, I am going to start putting out fall decor on September 1st.

Yes, that's next week.

WEDNESDAY of next week, to be precise.

And I have LOTS and LOTS of fall decor! I'm not a Halloween lover, so I don't have a lot of the spooky/witchy/devilish kinds of things, but I DO have scarecrows and hay bales and pumpkins and gourds and....well, you get the idea. : )

So tell me how you celebrate fall. : ) What are your favorite things to see, do, cook, bake, or just enjoy about the autumn season?

Kelli's Kitchen....a little lovin' from the oven!

Since ragweed pollen has taken over outside, I have been spending a little more time inside. This means I've been seeing a lot more of my kitchen. It seems that during the summer months I spend less time in there and more time at the grill, but hayfever will lure me back every time.

As busy as this summer has been, we have pretty much relied upon store bought treats to satisfy the sweet tooth. This is not typical of this household. There is almost always a cake on the cake stand or homemade cookies in the pantry. But I am happy to report that fall always puts me in a baking mood! :) Pumpkin rolls and pumpkin pies and pumpkin cakes...Apple pies and apple cakes and apple dumplings...and that's just to name a few.

I guess right now, since I'm pretty much forced to be indoors anyway, I'm kind of practicing for the baking frenzy that is to come. ;)

The other day I wanted to bake a cake but quickly realized I was low on some key ingredients. I really didn't want to run to the store so I was determined to find a cake recipe that didn't require 2 cups of sugar, since I had only about 1 1/2 cups in the canister. (Looks like I won't be voted Homemaker of the Year either!)

Did you ever notice how almost every cake recipe out there calls for 2 cups of sugar???

Then I found it. It was in one of my church cookbooks and I should have known I'd find it there. Almost every yummy recipe known to humankind comes from a local church cookbook. Those church ladies know how to cook! :)

This ended up being extremely delicious and I wanted to share the recipe with you. While I didn't think to take pics of the mixing and baking process, I did snap a shot of the finished product.



Well, almost finished. You know how I am. I can't leave well enough alone. I absolutely MUST do some little something to make it my own. Before I served it I added a raspberry glaze and dusted it with powdered sugar. YUMMY!!!

Here is the recipe:

Jam Cake
1 cup sugar
1 cup margarine
4 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup blackberry or raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease and flour bundt pan.

Cream margarine an sugar thoroughly. Add well beaten egg yolks. Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices and add alternately with buttermilk to sugar/margarine mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff and add to batter. Stir in jam* and mix well. Bake for 60 minutes or until done.

*I put the jam in a small bowl and stirred it up well until there were no lumps. This allows it to blend into the batter much better.

For the glaze I added...
In a microwave safe bowl, heat about 1/3 cup jam (the same kind you used in the cake) in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir well to remove any lumps. You may need to heat it a few more seconds to get it to the right consistency...you want it to be 'pourable'. Use a spoon to drizzle it over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Just before serving, dust lightly with powdered sugar.

While you really don't taste the jam that's in the cake, the glaze adds a definite POP of flavor! :) If you like spice cake, you'll love this. It is moist and delicious!