A Little Taste of Fall

Pumpkin Bread

2 tsp rainsins

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup buttermilk/ milk
1 egg
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1-1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of a loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Add the raisins, and the chopped prunes, dates, and figs to your food processor, along with the pumpkin, vanilla extract, honey, buttermilk, and egg and blend until smooth. Pour into a medium size bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the wheat flour, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and baking soda.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, and fold together. Mix only until it is incorporated, so that you don’t over mix.
5. Transfer the mixture to your bread pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the loaf.
6. Cool on a baking rack and store covered (in the frig).

The Chocolate Muffin Tree: Egg Shaped Lanterns

The Chocolate Muffin Tree: Egg Shaped Lanterns: Ever since we did our Tissue Paper Mache Eggs from a previous post I've been toying with this idea and have finally completed it.  I real...

Oil Sun Catcher

Missing warmth and summer today... so why not.

What You Need:

• Construction paper in various colors
• Medium bowl
• Marker
• Scissors
• Baby oil
• Water
• Small plastic container
• Cotton swabs

What You Do:

1. Get started by using a marker to trace around the medium bowl on a sheet of construction paper to create a circle. Have them cut out the circle (boost those fine motor skills!).
1. Before constructing the sun catcher, let them experiment making lines and designs on a sheet of white paper with crayons. Don't forget to encourage them with lots of positive praise.
2. Trade the paper and crayons for the construction paper circle. Explain to them that he won't be drawing with crayons—they'll use a cotton swab instead!
3. Pour a small amount of baby oil into the plastic container. Have them dip the cotton swab in the baby oil and draw lots of lines and scribbles on the construction paper circle. 
4. Watch as the oil changes the construction paper! 
5. When done painting, hang the finished sun catcher in a window and watch at it glows in the sunlight.