Book Blogger Hop

This week the Book Blogger Hop asks:

"What are you most looking forward to this fall/autumn season - a particular book release? Halloween? The leaves changing colour? Cooler temperatures? A vacation?"

A:
Library school! I'm starting my master's program this fall (after eagerly waiting for *months*). Yesterday we had a general orientation to the campus and community. I am so very excited to get started on my classes next week! Stay tuned for future posts on my experiences in the program and path to becoming a fully fledged librarian and information scientist :)

Pumpkin Seeds

Sweet Sunday Yummy Lit Review:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Over the last few days I have adapted my blog to include non-literary review postings as (until December) it is near impossible for me to read a book for personal pleasure. However, do not fret - I am in the midst of reading a verrrry long Victorian novel for class which may just make its way onto CTR.

Sweet Sunday has transformed this week. Instead of solely providing cookie reviews, I will also create and review other goodies. Muffins, cupcakes, cakes, breads... roasted pumpkin seeds? Well, they do involve the use of an oven.

This weekend I decided to tackle pumpkin carving. And, after diving into my pumpkin and retrieving a handful of seeds I knew I had to try to make something with them.

I wasn't quite sure what could be done with the seeds. Even turning to the internet did not lead to a whole lot of ideas. However, I did find a recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds at Rachel Ray's website. Here's what she says to do:


1. Clean, toss with extra virgin olive oil and salt.

2. Spread out onto a baking sheet.

3. Heat the oven to 350* F, toast for 30-40 minutes.

4. Give them a shake every once and a while to make sure they're toasted evenly.... or take them out when they are starting to brown.


I followed the recipe word for word. I cleaned the seeds and left them to dry overnight. This afternoon, mixing them with evoo and salt (sorry, I just dumped the oil and pinched the salt, no exact measurements here!), I put them into the oven for 30 minutes.

How did they turn out? Sadly, just alright. I have never roasted pumpkin seeds before... or even tried them for that matter... so I had no idea what to expect.

If you do try your hand at these, make sure to check them frequently. I tried a seed twenty minutes into the process and it was super tasty... However, at thirty minutes I find them to be a bit dry. I should have taken them out sooner... oh well, it was a learning process to say the least.

What do you do with your pumpkin seeds? I have one more pumpkin to carve this week, and I'm still open to seed-baking suggestions.

Ohh, and here's my finished pumpkin!


Hope you all have a Sweet Sunday.

Black Cats and October Stars

Sweet Sunday Yummy Lit Review:

Black Cats and October Stars

First off - I finally have a computer-camera connection! And, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the end of a week of crazy due dates, late night research, and laptop drama than making a fresh batch of Halloween cookies.

These cookies are brand new to me... well kind of. See, there's this old Christmas Cookies recipe in my family. But it's Christmas Cookies - usually in the form of Christmas trees, Santa, stars... you get the picture. However, venturing into food coloured icing and spooky cats were uncharted cookie territory for me... until last night.


Here's the cookie recipe:

Combine in a bowl and set aside:
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream together in a mixer:
3/4 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (or almond)

- beat in the flour mixture until smooth
- chill for one hour or until firm
- roll a small amount of dough 1/8 inch thick (keep remaining dough in fridge until ready to use)
- cut into desired shapes
- put onto greased cookie sheet
- bake at 375* F for 8 to 10 minutes
- remove to wire racks to cool


And the Icing (from The Baker's Bible, p 454):

3/4 cup icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Red, Blue, and Yellow food colouring

Mix it all ingredients together, add a few drops of the colouring until the desired shades are reached.



These cookies were so much fun to make! Messy, and a bit time consuming, but fun nonetheless.

Getting the right colours might be tricky... at least it was for me. I went to the grocery store expecting to be able to buy black and orange food colouring. Instead I discovered that you can only buy the primary colours (and green, too). So, as a heads up, to make black combine a few drops of red, blue, and yellow food colouring. To get the exact shades will take a bit of time... especially if you haven't ventured into the art world for quite a while.

But, after a fun adventure with food colouring, I now have a cookie jar that practically screams Happy Halloween. Spooky black cats and red, orange, and yellow stars make the perfect festive cookie treat.

Hope you all have a Sweet Sunday,
Ms. C.

Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Sweet Sunday's Yummy Lit Review:

Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I opted to bring in the Fall baking season a few days early this year with the leaves already turning red and the return of Vancouver's rainy season. What better way to do that than bring out the pumpkin?

Pumpkin. Some may call it a large, round, thick skinned, and dry fruit. But, put into baking terms, I think I prefer to describe it as bright orange, spicy, and moist (it definitely made some strange noises when I spooned it out of the can)... oh and yummy.

This week I have used a recipe from another blogger - bakerella.com. Loaded with baking tips, recipes, and delicious imagery this site is certainly worth a visit!



Bakerella says I will need:

2 1/4 cup self-rising flour
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Whisk together flour and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter.
Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla.
Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined.
Add flour/spice mixture to sugar mixture in three additions. Alternate with pumpkin in two additions, ending with flour mixture.
Stir in chopped pecans and chocolate chunks.
Drop on cookie tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes about four dozen cookies.
Let cool.

I should note that Bakerella tops these cookies off with Maple Brown Butter Frosting. I opted to avoid this addition.


I'm going to admit that I am a bit torn about these cookies. The pumpkin and added spices make the cookie truly unforgettable - in a very good way at that. But the cookie felt too moist. I'm not sure if it wasn't in the oven long enough (I don't think is the case though - I even did the "insert toothpick - pull out dry" test to make sure). Maybe there wasn't enough flour? Too much pumpkin? Or is it just supposed to be this moist?

Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chunk cookies are good but may need some added help. Have fun experimenting!