Pumpkin Spice Pancakes #FoodPicFriday

My obsession with pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree led me to this list of 50 ways to use up leftover pumpkin puree. From there I got the idea to mix some puree and spice with pancake mix and water and these pumpkin spice pancakes came into existence. I have to say the maple syrup mixed perfectly with the flavour of these pancakes, so much so that I think I will long for the combination the next time I have regular ones. Really tasted fantastic. And I think the best part about using pumpkin spice is the way the house smells after cooking with it. These pancakes made the kitchen smell good.

Coldwater Steampunk Festival - Costumes

In August we attended the third annual Coldwater Steampunk Festival. We had never been before (or even heard about it) but I have an appreciation of the Steampunk look, and the fact that it was being held in Coldwater, Ontario really caught our attention. Coldwater? Really? Coldwater is a small town near us that has a population of about 1700, and we weren't sure how many people there would even know what Steampunk was. Our main motivation to attend was curiosity, and we ended up having a fantastic time. The atmosphere of the small town, with some historical looking buildings and old timey trucks lining the main street, really added to the Steampunkiness of the event.  It was really well done.

Like any street festival there were vendors of art, crafts, and food. There were buskers of music and other talents, even an acorbatic pole dancer put on a show. There were way more people dressed up then I expected, and a costume contest was held to recognize the amazing work participants did putting them together. Someone was even carrying an elaborate bubble gun that was very Steampunky.

The following is a round up of some of the costumes at the festival. I took a lot of photos that day so I will post more over the next few weeks.

Children's Costume Contest

Women's Costume Contest

Men's Costume Contest

Judges for the costume contest

She told us she made her dress. What an amazing job! Looks awesome!

Love this group! The bubble gun was awesome.

 

Everything is a Photo Opportunity #17

This is my nephew Earl's other farm. This one was crafted by my talented sister-in-law for his birthday a few years ago. Nothing beats a good theme cake, and I especially love all the details she added (the toy tractors and animals are so cute).    

Pumpkin Spice Everything

That's right, this is another post about pumpkin spice. I am completely obsessed with it, and am actually drinking a homemade pumpkin spice latte as I write this. I have been adding it to everything lately and I don't think I will get sick of it. I love, love, love it! :)

My new obsession comes from my previous ignorance. I understood that pumpkin spice must have existed but I didn't really understand that I could buy it or make it and then eat it every day. Now I have a daily habit of Googling what else I can make with it, and I think this will be the year I make my first pumpkin pie. Pretty excited about that. 

Last week I happily learned that pumpkin pie spice is a beautiful combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. You can throw the spices together yourself or buy pre-mixed. I got 'Pumpkin Spice' from the Bulk Barn and it is fabulous.

Since we added it to our spice rack last Thursday, we've been going crazy with it. I made awesome cupcakes. We've been adding 1/2 tsp to coffee grounds in our perk coffee maker to make a really easy pumpkin spice coffee. We also add 1/4 tsp to a mug of Orange Pekoe, for a flavourful tea. My Twitter buddy Kathy let me know she uses it on oatmeal, and I had to try that too. I added some dried cranberries as well and have had a very festive breakfast the past two days.

Steel cut oats with pumpkin spice and dried cranberries

We've also been making easy lattes. The same way you probably shouldn't call chicken bacon bacon, I proabably shouldn't call my drink a latte, but it has the same idea. I don't use espresso or steamed milk, but it tastes awesome anyway.

For my latte I add 2 tbs pumpkin puree, 1 tbs brown sugar, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp instant decaf coffee (I only have coffee in the morning...except when I have it at night - so we keep instant decaf on hand). 

Next I add 1/3 mug of milk and stir.

Then fill it up with boiling water to activate the instant coffee. (Normally I think instant coffee is gross but in a fun drink like this, I like it just fine.)

We forgot to pick up whipped cream, but it is actually quite lovely without it.

What is your favourite thing to do with pumpkin pie spice? Do you make your own or buy a pre-mixed version?

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing

I love pumpkin spice time of year. It fills me with joy to know that at some point in the fall I will purchase a pumpkin spice latte and/or a pumpkin spice baked good. John and I got to thinking the other night: 'what would it take to make these at home?' A quick Google search brought me to countless pumpkin spice baking recipes, coffee/latte recipes, and even recipes to make pumpkin spice itself. We went to Bulk Barn and bought a bag of pumpkin spice and I've had loads of fun adding it to everything over the past few days. So these pumpkin spice cupcakes had to happen.

I like easy when it comes to baking, and these cupcakes were just that. The following recipe was adapted from here.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cake mix (white, vanilla, yellow, spice...whatever you have on hand)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Beat all ingredients in bowl for 30 sec until blended. Beat on high for two minutes. That is it.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F. Note that your house will smell amazing when they come out of the oven.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing
(the following recipe was adapted from recipes found here and here).

Ingredients: 
250g (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I might suggest using only 1/4 cup)
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or to taste
4 cups icing sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.

Mix in pumpkin puree. The icing ended up being thinner than I've made in the past, so I would only add 1/4 cup pumpkin puree next time.

 

Beat in pumpkin pie spice followed by icing sugar, adding it 1 cup at a time until smooth.

I piped the icing onto the cupcakes, and even though it was thin, it stayed where it was supposed to be.

 

These cupcakes have all been shared and eaten, but I can't wait to make them again. They were easy and delicious!