Pumpkin Waffles with Walnuts

For breakfast this morning, I was wanting to make something seasonal.  Katie and the boys were home downstairs.   Her husband, Bill, was on his way home from a camping trip with his buddies.  I thought about making pumpkin pancakes but then remembered some really sweet, sweet potato waffles that a friend, Kathleen, made once when her sister Claire and I were visiting in Westchester, PA.  Kathleen had baked sweet potatoes the night before, used whole wheat flour, and added chopped nuts to the waffle batter.  I wanted to do something similar, but I had no whole wheat flour on hand.  So, I broke open a box of pancake mix that I had in my lazy-Susan (Hungry Jack) and followed the waffle recipe but adapting it in a way that made sense, and it worked.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups pancake mix (Bisquick or any other is fine)
1 cup canned pumpkin (half a standard can)
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the above ingredients well in a mixing bowl. In a preheated waffle iron, drop about 1/4 cup batter per waffle onto the plates. Cook according to waffle-maker directions -- I closed up the top and when the green light came on (after a lot of steam escaped) I knew they were done. Katie had her oven set to "hold" which I guess is about 200 degrees F, and new waffles went into the oven as I continued to make more.

My easy batter, with a little help...

About 1/4 cup per waffle...

On hold, in the oven...

Breakfast was a platter of pumpkin waffles, walnuts on the side, warmed Vermont maple syrup, and a plate of sliced-up Honey Crisp apples that we picked yesterday at Hicks's Orchard in Granville.

Pumpkin waffles, yum!

Henry, fascinated by the waffle!

And Pete, who is a punkin!...

It was a great way to start a warm and beautiful October Sunday.


P.S.  Here's the photo collage of our day at Hicks Orchard, yesterday:

Our day picking apples ~ click to enlarge!



Homemade Applesauce

First of all, I must say I'm sorry to see the end of Gourmet magazine. Conde Nast has lost advertising revenue and is shutting down Gourmet and a number of other publications. I've enjoyed it and its editor Ruth Reichl and they will be missed, though I'm sure we'll hear much more from Ruth in years to come. If you haven't had a chance, pick up a copy of Tender at the Bone and its sequel Comfort Me With Apples. These two books join to create her memoir laced with recollections of times in the kitchen with her friends and family.

Now, on to more optimistic things. Since I’m overrun with just-picked apples, and Henry was out of applesauce, I just had to make it. The little guy can’t go a day without his dose. Won’t he be happy when he tastes Grandma’s home-made concoction rather than the ready-made version in single-serving cups, the ones with the pull-off lids!

I made applesauce last night, after dinner.I referred to a recipe in Katie’s Joy of Cooking but altered it to suit the ingredients on hand. It’s all very simple, really. I used Honey Crisp apples from our day at Hicks Orchard (I’ll be using and eating them for months!) water, a little bit of sugar, some apple pie spice, and at the end a dab of butter and vanilla for a smooth, silky finish . Once the major job of peeling, coring, and dicing the apples was over, it practically made itself. I just watched and stirred now and then for about half an hour. The aroma was beautiful, filling the apartment with the scent of warm apples and autumn spices. Son-in-law Bill couldn’t wait so he had a spoonful over Philadelphia Vanilla ice cream, which he shared with Henry. Those were two happy Hofmann men.

I packed a small container of applesauce for today’s lunch.

APPLE SAUCE (about a quart)

A dozen (plus or minus) of your favorite apples, peeled, cored, and diced

½ cup water

½ cup sugar (depending on tartness of apples – more for tart, less for sweet)

1 tsp. apple pie spice (or 1 tsp. cinnamon and a pinches of nutmeg and ginger)

In large, heavy sauce pan, bring all ingredients to a boil and let simmer, covered, for about half an hour, stirring occasionally.

Remove lid and continue cooking until apples are very soft. Mash with a potato masher or push through medium-mesh strainer to desired consistency (that’s what I did). I like to leave a few lumps.

Remove from heat and stir in a dab (your dab might be smaller than mine!) of butter and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Cool to room temperature and chill.

Great as is or with pork chops, potato pancakes, or warm over vanilla ice cream!

Photo image: http://www.makingthishome.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/applesauce.jpg

Hicks Orchard, Granville New York, and a Celebrity Sighting

Yesterday my family and I drove to Hicks Orchard in Granville, New York, just a few miles from Vermont’s western border and an hour’s ride from Saratoga Springs. The orchard is celebrating its 104th season! Earlier in the day it was cloudy and cool but by the time we were in the orchard the sun was shining brightly and we were shedding our jackets and sweaters. We had a great time over-filling our bags with Honey Crisp apples. They were more expensive than the other varieties ($25 for a half-bushel) but well worth it. Henry had a great time toddling through the rows of trees and choosing his own apples from the lowest branches. His new teeth were put to the test! Last year, at five months, he was just a tiny little guy, and now he’s part of the action!

Before we started picking, we spent time in the orchard’s shops. The line for the cider donuts window stretched a very long way, so I assume they are terrific. I didn’t have the patience to wait, so I looked around at other options. There was a bouncy-bounce for the little ones. People were making their own scare crows at one station. Children wove their way through a corn maze. There were goats to see, and a live bee hive in the gift shop, its busy inhabitants visible through a pane of glass. The shop offered all things apple, including (for those who prefer not to pick) many varieties of the honored fruit, bagged and ready to go. Honey bees were flying everywhere indoors and out but no one seemed alarmed.

Among other activities, the orchard offered a wine tasting. There was a nice assortment and after the tasting (maybe because of it) I purchased a bottle of “Old Sin” whose label depicts Eve’s hand just about to pluck that famous apple from the branch! I especially liked this bubbly wine made from Macintosh and Golden Russet apples.

We had a celebrity sighting at this orchard, miles away from everything, in the middle of farm country. I noticed a cute Pit Bull decked out in a doggie sweater, pulling on its leash, and recognized the man at the other end of the leash as Rachael Ray’s husband, John. I looked up and saw her Mom and a number of other relatives. (Her husband and mother have been on television with her a number of times, thus the recognition). Then I saw Rachael herself, who seemed to be enjoying her day at the orchard. My daughter and her husband were showing Henry the goats, close to where R.R. and her contingent were gathered. Katie was nearby and said that some of the people recognized R.R. and were behaving in an annoying way, insisting on photos, etc., and I felt bad for her. She grew up in the Lake George area, and I imagine she comes “home” to avoid that kind of recognition. She's famous enough now that there are probably few places she can go and just “be.” I give her credit for continuing what I assume are her long-held family traditions, and doing the things she’s always done when she comes home. In some ways, she lives a life most of us can only dream of, but it certainly comes with a price. Anyway, she looked lovely and it was exciting to see her.

When we got home, Katie and I sliced up eight good-sized apples, and "Granny Syd" made a crust from the Joy of Cooking cookbook. Sydney is an accomplished pie baker, and she confidently tossed the sliced apples with unmeasured quantities of flour, sugar, and apple pie spice. I’d guess it was almost ½ cup of flour, ½ cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of spice, but whatever they were, it smelled great. She poured the coated apples into the bottom crust. We tried to make a lattice for the top but it kept breaking. Instead, we re-rolled the dough and used mini-cookie cutters in the shapes of apples, acorns, oak leaves, and pumpkins and completely covered the pie with these little shaped bits of dough. We brushed the covered pie with an egg wash, sprinkled it with sugar and put it in a 400-degree F oven for 45 minutes, covering it with foil half-way through to keep the top from browning too much. The pie baked while we had dinner. After dinner we put it on the table. It was very pretty and we just sat and stared at it, waiting and wondering when it would cool off enough to slice! I finally blurted out "Cut the damn pie"! We broke down and cut in to it, and it was delicious! It wasn’t too juicy or loose, probably because of the flour. It cut into nice, neat slices. We served it still almost hot with icy cold Stewart’s Philadelphia Vanilla ice cream (just voted “World’s Best Vanilla”) and it was a winning combination.

It was a great day.

Photo Image and Hicks Orchard Website: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hicksorchard.com/back/photos/photo_93.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hicksorchard.com/photos.php&usg=__gNE6luXEY225430PsSqQq3hCL6Y=&h=427&w=640&sz=165&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=_4t_BWIcrnFN4M:&tbnh=91&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHicks%2BOrchard%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN