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Autumn Pumkpin Bread

When I arrived home on Saturday from our trip to Rhinebeck, the newest issue of Cooking Light was waiting for me. The super bright Holiday Special and Double Issue titles called to me immediately. So after showering and settling down from a long day of walking, I cozzied up on my couch and began to flip the pages.

I still have not found words to describe the feeling of staring at page after page of eye catching recipes redone for a healthier lifestyle. The holiday cookbook features recipes like a lighter Eggnog, Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Shallots, Garlic-Roasted Kale, and Apple Poblano Whole Roast Turkey, to name a few. As the wheels in my head have been turning to come up with a way to convince my mother that allowing me to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal is a wise (and more waist friendly) idea, I couldn't stop thinking about the Autumn Pumpkin Bread recipe.

So to the grocery store I went, and voila!

I didn't alter the recipe too much. Having worked with stevia in the past, and as my grocery store was out of the granulated blend, I decided to forgo the Sun Crystals for good old sugar. Stevia is a natural, plant based sweetener that has become popular as a sugar sub because of its no calorie, sweeter-than-sugar nature. While I love it in my coffee, and I have not yet tried the Sun Crystal variety, stevia is a bit sweet for me in baked goods. I also subbed the pecans with walnuts, due to my personal dislike of the former. The result is a fluffy bread with only 30 more calories and the same grams of fat per slice. I will definitely try whole-wheat flour on my next attempt.

Autumn Pumpkin Bread
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)

1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter
2 eggs
12 oz pumpkin puree
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 5-inch baking loaf pan with PAM baking spray.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, vanilla and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after eeach egg. Stir in pumpkin puree.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a seperate bowl.

Mix in the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Fold in walnuts.

Pour into loaf pan. Bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove and let it finish cooling on a rack.

Tim Burton, Wonderland, and a Goose

This past weekend I decided to take some time off and enjoy life a bit. I'd been dying to see the Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMA forever, and since it was the last weekend it was there, I had no choice but to go. After asking around to a few friends, all of which had plans, I decided to go on my own. Then I remembered that my friend Chris and I had not had a chance to catch up since he returned from Japan and thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Little did he know that he was in for a bit of "fruitiness" as well.

The entire day was planned in secrecy. Chris kept begging to be told where we were going and it was not until we were in line, which stretched all the way around the block and to the next corner, that I told him. He was as happy as a kid in a candy store. When we finally made it to the front of the line, we were let in immediately due to my investment in the MoMA's student membership which was definitely worth the $50.

There are no words for how wonderful the exhibit was. Walking around I couldn't help but admire Tim Burton's genius, and cringed a bit at the thought of living in his head for a day (although the same has been said about me by some friends). It was incredible to see how many things he'd saved from his childhood, i.e. a high school English paper with the teacher's marking still on it. Walking amongst the puppets and costumes of some of his most famous movies was amazing, and I had to keep reminding Chris that if he tried to steal any he would be facing a long prison sentence. This was definitely an experience that I will never forget and will always cherish.

After the exhibit, with stomach's growling, we walked the 13 blocks to Alice's Tea Cup on 64th & Lex. I have been in love with this restaurant since my introduction to it a few years ago during a book reading/signing. The experience is absolutely out of a fairy tale and while waiting to be seated, we even witnessed a little girl donning fairy wings and being sprinkled with magical fairy dust. Now for those of you who have not been, Alice's Tea Cup is an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant, of which there are three chapters. The food is amazing, and their attention to detail incredible. Chris admitted that his burger made up for his feeling a bit of out place in a little girl's fantasy world. My Alice's Curious French Toast was out of this world and worth every fattening bite. I had it with the house special Alice's Tea which is a blend of black and green teas which is just a bit flowery; perfect for pairing with sweet things. I will definitely be reserving a table for a nice birthday brunch in a few months.

After the wonderful brunch, we walked the few blocks over to Central Park for a stroll. The weather was lovely, and the ducks and geese were out in abundance; we even saw a heron. After purchasing a framed print from one of the vendors, we went for a walk around the pond. This is where the last part of the post title comes in. While we were walking around the pond we witnessed a goose standing on one leg pruning itself on a rock in the middle of the pond accompanied by five sun bathing turtles. The site was amazing, and I waited patiently for the perfect picture. Fifteen minutes and seven snap-shots later, I got it. I leave you with this last wonderful memory of our day out and about NYC.