Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

Nothing says "fall" to me like going to a pumpkin patch and through a corn maze. It didn't use to be such a big deal to me, but the first fall I was pregnant I felt this strong urge that it was important to go. Matt and I went to the only one in the small town we lived in and it was full of fake spiders and skeletons! I am terribly afraid of spiders and all things creepy!! Matt was the hero of the day and carried me (5 months pregnant at the time) through the entire maze so I could cover my eyes!! Now we always make sure that the ones we go to are not scary with their decorations!!

Last year we went to Bailey Vegetables and this year we decided to try Craven Farms. 

It was pouring rain when we left Kent and gorgeous sunshine when we got to Snohomish.  God blessed us with the weather!

We went through the 15 acre, yes it was 15 acres, corn maze and then wandered through the pumpkin patch. All the corn mazes up here are huge!

Me and my girlie getting ready for the maze!

The kiddos at the start of the maze. The theme was "Alice in Pumpkin Land"

She is such a card!

Xander didn't quite understand the way the cut-out posing stations worked....

Xander and I being Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

Matt playing the world's biggest croquet game

Xander's turn to be the leader. We let the kids take turns picking which way we went at junctions. That meant we wandered the maze for a good hour and half. 

Xander found a fallen cornstalk and walked around carrying it like his royal scepter. 

Our family selfie. 

(Gabriella loves taking selfies and randomly asks throughout the day to take them)

Our usual silly picture. 

I just love this one of us! It is so "us"!

Who doesn't like smooching in the middle of a gigantic corn maze?

Of course we opted for the longer route....

Xander loved this picture of the March Hare and wanted his picture taken with it. I am loving how much his personality is coming out these days!

We finally made it out of the maze and headed to the pumpkin patch. 

Some of the pumpkins had huge stems on them! 

Gabriella with the perfect pumpkin she picked out

Xander wandered around for a very long time looking for a pumpkin he wanted. We told the kids that they had to be able to pick up the pumpkin all by themselves that they wanted to get. 

Showing me very proudly that he could carry his pumpkin all by himself!

All done and eating a freshly picked apple while daddy wheeled them up to the front gate. 

The clouds were just starting to roll back in as we headed home. God blessed us with such a beautiful day! 

It has been a rough couple of weeks for us filled with lots of tears (from everyone). I am so thankful for today and the wonderful time that God blessed us with! His love goes on forever!

Red Warty Thing Pumpkin Pie

Here is my recipe for A Red-Warty-Thing pumpkin pie that is dairy free and gluten free!

Crust:

Mix:
1 cup Rice Flour (I prefer brown but white will work just fine)
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp xanthan gum

Cut in:
1/3 cup plus 1 T of Spectrum Naturals Organic All Vegetable Shortening

Add 3-5 T of cold water as needed and stir with a fork until it is fully mixed. Gather dough into a ball in the bottom of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Filling
In a large bowl combine:
2 large organic eggs
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups Red-Warty Thing Pumpkin puree (see post here for how to make your own)
1 1/2 cups Organic Rice Milk (have also made successfully with goat and almond milk)

Whisk together until fully blended. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove dough from the refrigerator. Press by hand into a 9 inch glass pie plate. Quickly re-whisk the pumpkin mixture and then pour into the crust. (I find it is easiest to place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet, and put it into the oven, then pour the mixture into the crust. That way I don't make a huge mess spilling the pumpkin liquid when I transition the pie to the oven).

Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F. Bake for another 40-50 minutes or until you can insert a knife in the center and it comes out clean.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool before eating. It tastes best warm but there is a fine line between letting it cool enough to get it out of the pie plate in a pretty slice or just eating it hot from the oven (careful, it is burning hot!).

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Puree

I love all things pumpkin! But I hate the way canned pumpkin tastes so metallic. Plus organic canned pumpkin is insanely expensive. Enter: lessons from mom.

My mom taught me years ago how to make our own canned pumpkin. This year I did it with a non-gmo pumpkin. Woo hoo!! It occurred to me that not everyone would know how to do this, so I thought I would post a little "how to" for those of you interested in having fresh pumpkin in your freezer year round. Plus the cost of doing it yourself is considerably cheaper than buying it in the store.

What you will need:
Crock-Pot
Pumpkin
Sharp knife
Some water
Food Processor or blender
1 cup measuring cup
Freezer safe, non BPA, quart size bags (I use Ziplock)

Wash the outside of your pumpkin and start cutting it into chunks.

Using a sharp knife, cut the hard outer layer off and then inner slimy/seed layer off. 

Rinse the pumpkin chunks and then pile them into your crock pot. 

Add enough water for about 2 inches on the bottom.

Cook it on low overnight or high for several hours during the day. When it is in the crock pot you can walk away and forget about it and not need to sit there and watch that it doesn't boil over or run out of water. 

Once it is fully softened (stick a fork in it to check, the same way you would check mashed potatoes), drain off as much water as possible. Then put the chunks of pumpkin straight into your food processor or blender. Note: you may need to do several batches this way depending on the amount of pumpkin you have. 

When it is completely smooth, scoop two cups out and put them into a freezer bag. Seal the bag after getting as much air out as possible. Continue to bag it up, two cups at a time until you have bagged up all of the pumpkin puree. 

Now put the bags in the freezer and enjoy fresh pumpkin all year long! 

I like to layer the bags on top of each other and then stack them on a large book in my freezer. That way they freeze flat and not in weird shapes that are hard to store.

This year I did up a Red-Warty-Thing and three Pick-a-Pie pumpkins. We have been eating pumpkin like crazy!!

Perfect Pumpkin Smoothie

Its fall and I LOVE  pumpkin! I was craving a Jamba Juice Pumpkin Smash smoothie but it has dairy and non-organic soymilk in it. Mega bummer! So I headed home and made a delicious knockoff.

Get a food processor (or large blender) and combine:
1 pint So Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream Vanilla Bean
2 cups pureed pumpkin (I used homemade!)
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tbsp organic sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg (can add more of the seasonings to taste if desired)

Blend them all together and enjoy! A delicious and healthy treat! Plus it is non dairy and gluten free.

Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch

Today we escaped our home and headed to Issaquah to meet up with our friends and go to a corn maze and pumpkin patch.

They had hay bales and sand tires for the kids (and grown ups) to play on. Then we headed into the corn maze. It was shaped like the United States. So fun!! It had several "landmarks" in it: gold panning in California, the Gateway Arch and baseball field in Kansas, the Mayflower in Massachusetts, etc. We let the kids take turns being the leader. They ran around like crazy. Gabriella was laughing her head off the entire time and I could barely keep up with her.

After we found our way out of the maze (after discovering Canada and Mexico) we headed to the pumpkin patch.

I picked out a Red Warty Thing variety of pumpkin and a Pick A Pie. Gonna can them up tomorrow. We also let each of the kids pick one to paint.

Then it was back to Emily's parents house for chili, corn bread and cupcakes to celebrate Ryan's birthday.

Such a fun day (plus we tried out a new church this morning). I am so thankful for friends and fun! And moms who welcome you and your wild kids over to their house for a delicious dinner!!

Saturday Fun Day

We woke up early Saturday morning to go to Medford and see the new Trader Joe's store that opened on Friday! Woo hoo!! We (well, us ladies at least) were very excited!!

Everyone was sleepy and wanted to stay snuggled with daddy on the couch

Trader Joe's had cute little kid sized shopping carts. Gabriella was having a blast with hers!

Looks like Gramma found some good deals and filled her cart up fast

April finally got to push the kid cart!

James and Gabriella snuggled up in Grampa's vest outside because it was so chilly!!

We browsed through REI. The kids were having fun running behind the sleeping bag display. If you look closely you can see two little pairs of feet. 

Toys R Us was having a Free Lego Building Day so we stopped in. The kids got to build a creation and take it home with them. 

Gabriella showing off her house-car and the certificate she got for building. 

My couponing deals from Winco, Dollar Tree and Harbor Freight

($12.35 for everything!)

After Medford we rushed home, tossed our groceries in the house, grabbed the crockpot and headed to April's parents's house for pumpkin carving and dinner.

James and Jonathan

Gabriella helping me trace on the design

April gutting her pumpkin

James got bored pretty quickly

Everyone working hard

Gordon and Xander playing drums on the extra pumpkin

Hannah was an extreme pumpkin carver!!

Me and Xander after dinner

(Dinner was delicious!! We had roast, chicken, potatoes, roasted veggies, rice, bone shaped biscuits and apple cider!)

After dinner James and Gabriella had fun poking at my pumpkin with the carving knives. 

All the pumpkins in the bathroom after we were finished. 

The one Munchie and I did.

Jonathan made caramel apples and we took one home with us for Gabriella. She insisted on eating it in the bathtub. Score for me, one less mess to clean up!!

All in all it was a BLAST of a day!!