We’ve had a warm autumn so I’m not quite prepared on November 10th when  the weather report calls for the first frost to occur overnight.  By afternoon, the temperature is  already dropping so I head for my garden to harvest herbs, collards and a veritable  bounty of green tomatoes.  I also grab some “pie variety” pumpkins.

I’ll dry or dehydrate the herbs  on trays in the  refrigerator while I spread my  green tomatoes out on the marble counter to ripen or be used “as is” in recipes.  The collards are headed for the saute pan for dinner but the  pumpkins will be turned into puree.

Smaller and more solid than the large ornamental varieties used for Halloween jack-o-lanterns or porch decorations, pie pumpkins yield a lot of bright orange flesh to puree for soups, muffins, pancakes, pies and other desserts along with  seeds for roasting.   I turn my pumpkins into puree which I divide into  8 oz. portions and freeze.   Here’s how to do it:

Pumpkin Puree

(This puree may also be made with acorn, butternut or other winter squash)

• Wash pie pumpkins – Do not peel
• Fill a large baking pan with 2 to 3 inches of water.
• Add 1 large or two small pumpkins to each pan.
• Bake at 375 degrees until done. (Rind will darken, take on a sheen…sides will collapse and flesh will be soft.)
• Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds (rinse and save for roasting)
• Scoop out flesh into large container
• Use hand blender to turn the flesh into a smooth puree. Alternatively, add the flesh to a food processor or blender.
• Divide the puree into ½ cup or 1 cup portions and use or freeze.

Pumpkins and squash are loaded with vitamins and minerals and the seeds are  nutritional powerhouses.

One of my favorite uses for pumpkin puree is to make my mother Margaret Owings’ pumpkin cake.   She dictated the recipe to me over the phone and I jotted it down in my recipe book.  I called it Grandma Owings’ Pumpkin Bread.  Whenever I make it, my kitchen smells heavenly.  Rich, moist and fragrant with spices, the bread is truly comfort food for the soul.

Mom’s recipe was “purely pumpkin” though she often added nuts.  While she generally made two loaves at a time, I prefer to make one.  I’ll improvise and toss in extra  ingredients like nuts, seeds, or raisins.  Here’s my latest version of her recipe.

Grandma Owings’ Pumpkin Bread

8 ounces (1 cup) pumpkin puree  or canned pumpkin

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup water

2 eggs

1-3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 /2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg (or grate fresh nutmeg if you have it)

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 cup raisins plumped in hot water

1/4 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds

2 handfuls of fresh cranberries chopped

Plump the raisins by pouring scalding water over them while you assemble the other ingredients.

Combine oil and water with sugar and  and mix.  

Add eggs and pumpkin and continue to mix until frothy. 

Then add flour, the teaspoon of soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ginger.

Finish by adding a handful or two of fresh cranberries that you’ve chopped along with the quarter cup of plumped raisins and quarter cup of sunflower seeds for texture and crunch

Pour mixture into a loaf pan which you’ve  greased or oiled.  (I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper so the loaf comes out easily.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 or 60 minutes.

The aroma of the baking bread is amazing.  You’ll know it’s done when it’s golden brown and firm to the touch..   Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes.

Then turn it out on a cooling rack.  When cool, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

The final step complete, move the loaf to a pretty plate or tray and find a serrated knife for slicing.  Offer slices to your family and friends with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea.  They’ll likely ask for seconds.

Having made five different pumpkin bread recipes from my cookbook collection over the years, I have to say this is the best of them.  It’s especially enjoyable during the holidays and makes a wonderful hostess gift.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do..

What could be more magical than a trip to Oxford, Maryland on a sunny summer day?  Heading toward town on Route 333,  we were enjoying the scenery – a mix of agricultural land and waterfront estates – when a family-run farm stand called Taylor’s Produce popped up.  The opportunity to buy fresh-from-the-fields corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers and melons was too good to pass up.  The corn looked great and was going for $6 per dozen ears. But it was the heavenly scent of peaches right off the tree that drew me like a bee to honey. 

I buzzed right past the other produce and purchased some with visions of the peach shortcakes my grandmothers used to make. 

Arriving in Oxford moments later, the trip that began with an offer to treat sons Eric and Jan to a birthday lunch at a restaurant of their choice turned into an all-day adventure. 

Once a colonial port, the tiny Eastern Shore town on the southern bank of the Tred-Avon River fell out of use after the American Revolution and became the town that time forgot.

A stroll through four-century-old streets took us past some lovely old homes  – a few dating to the 1700’s.  Set against the backdrop of the river,  several homes could only be approached down shady lanes like Swan’s Way or behind picket fences like River House.  Gardens surrounding a majority of the well-kept residences were fully in bloom and beautiful.  Historic buildings still in use  included a market, a museum, and a small library.

One of three houses of worship, St. Paul’s Wesleyan Church was originally constructed in 1865.  Known, at one time, as St. Paul’s Pilgrim Holiness Church, the structure was added to over time.

In a town surrounded by water, I assumed “fish” would star on restaurant menus but was only partially right.                                                             

 At Capsize, the beer was cold and the wings with Old Bay seasoning delicious as we spent a lazy hour or two watching weekend boaters tie up at the docks in search of the ice cream for which Oxford is apparently famous. 

Seafood was featured prominently on the Capsize menu too with Scallop Risotto an especially tasty entree.

We had more exploring to do, of course,  and another restaurant to try.  A steel band concert taking place on Sunset Grille’s outdoor deck and the tropical vibe of the place hooked us as did exotic drink specialties and seafood-based entrees.  The crab imperial stuffed mushroom caps truly tickled my taste buds.

The lasting reward to our day away was my haul of produce  – I’d gone back for corn – but especially the peaches. 

Recalling that both my grandmothers preferred their peaches straight off the tree and unadorned, I initially found a cutting board and sliced some directly into dessert dishes.

Having  invited friends to taste them, I added a few berries from my own patch to fancy them up.  Unlike my grandmothers who sometimes topped peaches with cream straight from the cow, I offered Reddi-Whip. They were great. Luckily, I reserved enough peaches for that shortcake I was craving.

I first  prepared the peaches by slicing them into a bowl, sprinkling a tablespoon or two of sugar over the top and placing them into the refrigerator.  Then I got to work preparing the shortcake dough .  Both grandmothers’ recipes are lost in time but I believe they modeled their shortcakes on  biscuit recipes while my mother used Bisquick .  I prefer to use a recipe for a sweeter lighter biscuit I adapted from one in Lighthearted Everyday Cooking by Anne Lindsay which is still in print. 

Perfectly Peachy Shortcake

• Between six and nine peaches depending on size with sprinkling of 1 or two Tbsp. of sugar
• 2 cups flour (I use unbleached)
• 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 5 Tbsp. softned trans fat free margarine (I like Land O’ Lakes)
• 3/4 cup non-fat or low-fat milk

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Divide margarine, add to flour, and use two knives to cut butter in till mixture is crumbly. Combine with milk.

Gather dough into a ball and pat into a circle approximately 3/4 inch thick.Use a three inch cutter or glass dusted with flour to make rounds of dough and place on a cookie sheet.  (I use my faithful old aluminum one.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown (though my oven runs a bit hot so I cut cooking time to 11 minutes or lower oven temperature to 440 degrees.

Cool shortcakes on a rack for 10 or 15 minutes.

Then carefully slice them in half .

Spoon sweetened peaches over each half and and garnish with juicy blackberries. (Makes six to eight desserts.)

Baby chicks and bunnies arrived at Anne Arundel County Farm, Lawn and Garden Center and Homestead Gardens Severna Park this week, reminding me that it’s time to bake  sugar cookies in the shape of springtime’s cutest critters. 

I first baked my  Critter Cookies to bring along to my parents’ annual Easter dinner as a gift.  Much appreciated  by the grandchildren, they became a tradition. 

I’ve honored the tradition,  making and rolling out cookie dough on the same marble topped cabinet my great-grandmother Kate Shipley used.  Grandma Kate handed down the cherry wood cabinet to her grandson –  my father, Sheldon Shipley Owings, Sr.   Nowadays,  it resides in my kitchen.

It’s great fun to recruit kids to help cut out and decorate these cookies once you’ve assembled the ingredients and made the dough.  You’ll need cookie cutters (I use chickens, bunnies and Easter Crosses) and a lightly greased cookie sheet or two.

Easter Critter Cookies from Sharon Lee’s Table

I slightly altered this decade-old recipe I found in an issue of Country Living Magazine  and sometimes half the recipe which works equally well.

• 1 cup unsalted butter – room temperature
• 1-1/2  cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups all purpose or…  I prefer unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Icing

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar sifted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• Milk

Cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time and add vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and fold them into the mixture.

Then remove the dough and, with floured fingers, lightly form it into a ball  and wrap it in plastic wrap.  You’ll need to chill the dough for at least 3 hours or leave it overnight.

Retrieve and divide the dough into sections for rolling out on a lightly floured surface.

Roll it out in a circle to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out shapes with your cookie cutters.

You should be able to cut out four dozen shapes.  Arrange them on a lightly greased cookie sheet or two (I prefer my time-worn sheets that aren’t pretty but bake evenly.) 

Place in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes or until cookies are just golden. 

Cool on a rack and prepare icing.  Divide into as many bowls as you like and add food coloring.                                            

Spoon icing into pastry bags using your favorite tips.  (I’m partial to ones that allow for plain piping.)

The cookies are delicious plain but it’s more fun to decorate them.  You can  spread icing over the entire cookie or you can outline them.

Add character by piping on eyes,  wings or bunny tails… even dots or stripes.

You’ll have lots of yummy cookies to plate for a gift or for your Easter table….

along with a bowl of dyed Easter Eggs.

(See “Easter Eggs The Easy Way” under the Seasonal Category or Archives for April 10, 2017.)

Between a neighbor’s apple tree and two of my favorite produce stands, I’ve accumulated quite a haul of apples.   Just before Halloween I drove to Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis in the waterfront community known as The Maritime Republic of Eastport.

Found crates and crates of apples and pears from Adams County, Pennsylvania ranging from Honey Crisp, Crimson Crisp, and Red and Golden Delicious to Fuji varieties.

A week later drove to Pumphrey’s Farm Stand in Millersville, Maryland where I was guaranteed to find great Winesaps, Granny Smith’s and Golden Delicious  from Maryland orchards right up til’ Thanksgiving.  (Include chopped Winesaps in my turkey stuffing.)

Froze the apples from my neighbor’s tree and some of the Winesaps by slicing them and layering them in sealed freezer bags.  (Learned the trick from “The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest”.)   They come in handy in the dead of winter when you can use them for pancakes, upside down cakes, or sauteed as a side dish.

On the first cold day of November, I hunted up my  notebook of personally collected recipes and raided my store of apples to make Apple Cranberry Crisp.  I chose a mix of sweet and sour apples including Crimson Crisps, Golden Delicious, Winesaps and Granny Smiths.

My favorite Apple Crisp recipe can be found on a yellowed page I clipped from The Capital newspaper a decade ago.  I’ve altered the recipe by adding cranberries for an extra bit of tartness and renamed it accordingly.  Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

4 cups of baking apples (about 6 medium)

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped raw cranberries

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup butter

Soften butter.

Blend flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and butter together.

Mix in nuts, and raisins.

Meantime, grease an 8-inch round or square pan. 

Peel and slice the apples and layer them in the pan along with the chopped cranberries.

Spread the crumb mixture over the apples and cranberries patting into place.

Bake in a 350 degree oven 35 minutes.  Depending on the firmness of the apples, I might bake a few extra minutes.  Remove from oven and  set out to cool for a few minutes.  Then slice and enjoy with or without a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a steaming cup of coffee.

My idea of comfort food, Apple Cranberry Crisp is really great to serve for dessert or as a special treat when friends drop by.  It gets raves every time.