Welcome Fall!

7 pumpkins on mantle with welcome painted in silver (one letter per pumpkin)
I love fall. Even though you can hardly tell it is fall in Texas by the weather, October is full of autumn reminders. Football, pumpkin carving, halloween, hot apple cider and cool crisp mornings. Without fail, this season coaxes me into the kitchen to whip up a few of my favorite recipes. (free drink to the first to guess the font used on the pumpkins)

I wish I could just invite you all over for a cup of hot cider and a slice of my brandy pumpkin bread…but it seems the best I can do is share a new recipe with you.

Carmel Apple Cider

Cider

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 cups apple cider
  • 1/2 cup water

Whipped Cream

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Cider

  1. Bring cream and brown sugar to a boil in a pan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in cider and water and raise heat to medium high.
  3. Heat just until cider begins to steam, about 4 minutes.
  4. Divide among 4 mugs, top each with 2 tablespoons of Whipped Cream

Whipped Cream

  1. In a small chilled bowl, whip cream with brown sugar until soft peaks form.

Now, I’ll just turn on the air conditioner so it is cold enough inside to drink the hot cider! Mmmmm, Troy, I’m still dreamin’ about the incredible gingerbread you made for me on Wednesday.

9 comments

  4. You know I love me some pumpkins, Glenda. And painting letters is so much smarter than carving them. Lettering is perfect. Did you use templates? I did learn today to put Vaseline on places where pumpkins are carved to slow the gunky rotting phase.

  5. Yep, my co-artist (Rebecca) picked a font she liked, printed them out, then cut them out like stencils. We taped them to the pumpkins (measured to make sure they were straight and even on the bottom). Traced the letters in pencil and then used these cool silver paint pens to paint the letters. Yes, my newest addiction is paint pens!

    Thank you for the vaseline tip. My spider pumpkin is in need of some anti-rotting magic!

  6. My next guess would be Monotype Corsiva.

    I really like the way you have the pumpkins layed out and the lettering looks very cool! I might try the paint pens next year. I will try to rescue my dragon/castle carving when I get home with the vaseline tip.

    Thanks for the offer to drop by, Miss Glenda!

  7. We have a winner! Gosh Stevie, I never knew you were such a font boy! What have they been doin’ to you downtown???

    Now buyin’ you a drink is easy…the hard part will be figuring out where to go. Have you been to Cuba Libre or Saba Blue Water Cafe?

  8. I couldn’t resist sharing one more favorite recipe with you…afterall, what did you think I was going to do with all those pumpkins on my mantle?

    Glenda’s Brandy Pumpkin Bread

    • 4 eggs
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 1 cup vegetable oil
    • 2/3 cup brandy
    • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 16 oz can pumpkin
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
    • 1 cup chopped pecans
    1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
    2. In a very large bowl, cream eggs, sugar, brown sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
    3. Add remaining ingredients, except pecans and beat well.
    4. Stir in pecans.
    5. Bake in 3 greased 7 by 3 by 2-inch loaf pans for 45 minutes.

    Yields: 3 loaves

    Glenda’s special tips: The better the brandy, the better the bread!

  9. This is exactly the kind of photo I was looking for – I love the simple decorating idea and wanted to do it in my own home this week as it is so simple, so affordable and cute! Since I haven’t painted my pumpkins yet I was hoping to find a photo of someone who did – and I found you! Is it ok if I link to you for this idea? I love it so!!!

Comments are closed.