lovely jubbly london

oh, what a beautiful {fall} mornin'

pumpkins- check!

Last night after brinner (it was so good- french toast, eggs, bacon, home fries) we finally got around to carving our pumpkins.

The husband made a silly face:

 

and I carved my usual haunted house:

Now they just need to go in the window to welcome some trick-or-treaters on Saturday! Gotta go roast some pumpkin seeds...

the quest for pumpkin

I have been hearing there is a canned pumpkin shortage and I will say my normal spots for securing a can didn't have any. Canned pumpkin must be catching on here since even Ocado now lists a canned pumpkin called Paula- I say "lists" because when I try and order it, it isn't available. Maybe the shortage is true. 

So when I walked into Whole Foods and saw this I made sure to stock up. What can I say, but I need more pumpkin bread...

 

The only thing I didn't quite realise as I was adding can after can to my trolley was that I was going to have to carry it home. My arm still aches thinking about it.

pumpkin bread

I have been loving this bread. It honestly makes me want to fill the cupboard with canned pumpkin. 

I have been trying to post this recipe for days, but anytime I think about it I have to go have a piece. This recipe makes a lot- I made 2 loaves plus a dozen muffins.

If you love pumpkin pie this bread is for you. 

Pumpkin Bread

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Grease and flour baking tins. Mix pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until blended. In another bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix until just blended. Pour into prepared tins and bake at 350 F (160C) for about 45-50 minutes for a bread loaf. (My muffins took about 20-22 mins)

recipe from All Recipes

Oh and because there was so much batter, I did this:

+

=

Pumpkin Apple Bread. I would think you could reduce some of the oil in the recipe for apple sauce for even more apple flavour. (Or sub apple juice for the water.)

one more day...

 

Will I see you there?

OKA is A-OK

I think I have finally found the English version of Pottery Barn. My boss brought in a catalogue the other day and I instantly got online and ordered one for myself. Judging by the pictures, I would say OKA is definitely English style for the masses- I only wish it wasn't so pricey! 

{soup for saturday} baked potato

Fall weather means hearty soups and nothing tastes better than Baked Potato Soup loaded with toppings. 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

6 pieces of bacon (streaky bacon in UK), chopped

4-5 potatoes

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

3-4 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 cup sour cream

additional sour cream, shredded cheese, etc for toppings

Scrub potatoes and peel, reserving some wider peels. Cut into ¾” inch pieces. In dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon or spatula and put on paper towel lined plate. Add potato peels to dutch oven and cook in bacon fat until crisp. Remove onto paper towel lined plate. Add onion to pot and cook until translucent then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and cream. Add potatoes and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover, allowing potatoes to cook until tender. Puree potatoes in bowl using immersion blender or traditional blender. Reserve some whole potatoes for a chunkier soup. Return to pot and warm over medium heat. Salt and pepper to taste and stir in sour cream. Serve in bowls, garnishing with bacon, potato skins and any other toppings.

Recipe adapted from Cooks Country.

halloween house

door hanger, not yet on the door!

I know Halloween isn't really that big of a deal here and it certainly isn't celebrated like it is in America but I don't care! I saw some Halloween decor at TK Maxx and decided it was time to decorate. 

little boo cat girl with a bobble head

Thanks to Country Living, I created some bats for the window. I saw these stuck on a door in their magazine and instantly knew I had to make some! I didn't really want to tape any on things, I had bigger ideas.

(I tried to take a picture outside, but the sun was causing to much reflection.)

bats in the window

I made mine fly in the window and I can't wait to carve a pumpkin to put underneath- I think the faint glow will make it look even better!

a, b, c

A is for admiring...

It has taken me quite a while to find the perfect sized table to fit on the sides of our American sized sofa (just over 7 ft!). Due to the size of our armoire, the sofa has had to be rearranged in the narrowest part of the room and finding side tables small enough has been quite a challenge. 

B is for baking...

Pumpkin bread and muffins! Fall is definitely in the air and out here in the country we've been struggling to get out of the 50's during the day. Some warm pumpkin bread should hit the spot.

C is for crafting...

With two weeks to go until Halloween, I'm making some new decorations thanks to one of my favourite American magazines. I'm not quite sure what the status of Halloween is in these parts, but I'm hoping due to the number of kids on our street that we will get some trick-or-treaters. 

Recipe and Halloween decor pictures to follow...

for the one who has everything

The famous Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is back and since we are in a recession and all, they claim the majority of the gifts are under $250. Of course, that doesn't mean they dropped their "fantasy" category...not at all. 

Let's take a look shall we?

For those who act like kids there is this:

A cupcake car. Just what everyone needs. For only $25k it's a bargain! Don't worry if you are buying one for the kids, it tops out at 7mph.

For the literati group we have a night at the Algonquin:

An evening at the Algonquin with a group of selected authors could be yours for $200k. Don't worry though, the proceeds of this gift go directly to charity. You get an evening to remember while ensuring millions of children will learn to love the written word. Of course if you can't quite afford the price tag you can always donate whatever you can afford to First Book directly.

And for those who can't stand traffic? Let's get them a plane:

Why not, right? For $250k you can get a two seater "sports vehicle for the air" perfect for his & her. It can take off and land on water if needed and of course, you both also get lessons for your FAA license. 

So which one shall I get for you?