Pumpkin Pumpkin Everywhere!

I'm finally just about settled in to my new condo! I still have some things to buy and some decorating to do, but for the most part, everything is in its place! I even started doing some stamping this weekend - I missed it! I'll share some of those cards later tonight or tomorrow, but for now I thought I'd blog about food!

I love this time of year and all the food that's associated with it. I especially love anything pumpkin so when I saw recipes for pumpkin chili and pumpkin cornbread on the Recipe Girl website, I knew I needed to make them. I'll post the recipes with some comments on changes I made, but check out Recipe Girl for literally thousands of recipes that all look so so good!

Pumpkin Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
Two 14½oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 cup pure pumpkin pureé
1 Tbs ground chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin seed
½ tsp ground black pepper
dash of salt
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream

1. Brown ground beef in large sauté pan with onion, green pepper and garlic. Spoon off grease.
2. Return to heat and add tomatoes, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, pepper and salt. Mix well. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
3. Serve topped with cheese and sour cream.

My notes:

• I used ground chicken instead of beef because it was cheaper, but it's also a slightly healthier alternative.
• I put at least 3 Tbsp of chili powder in my regular chili recipe, so the 1 Tbsp called for here seemed like not enough to me. I added a little bit extra - not too much because I was hoping to have the pumpkin flavor shine through, so I probably put in about 1.5 Tbsp
• I cooked this in my crockpot, so I did not cook the onions, garlic, and peppers with the meat. I browned the chicken and drained off the grease, and just threw the vegetables right into the crockpot after chopping them. I let it cook on low for about 5 hours.

The verdict: This was very good as far as flavor goes, but I did not detect any trace of pumpkin at all, either in taste or smell. It tasted pretty much like another other chili I've made, just less spicy. I don't know if the 1/2 Tbsp extra chili powder I put in was too overpowering, but I kinda doubt it. I also expected the pumpkin to make the chili a little thicker, but I actually found it a little more watery than my regular chili. It wasn't bad, just not what I was expecting. So all in all, this was a good recipe, but if anything, next time I'd probably just make my usual chili and add some pumpkin to that if I wanted some extra vitamins!

Pumpkin Cornbread
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup cornmeal
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or freshly cooked and processed)
2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup canola oil
1 Tbs molasses

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 10-inch glass pie pan or 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Sift flours, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in cornmeal.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs lightly. Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses.
4. Make a well in the dry mixture. Add pumpkin mixture and blend batter with a few quick strokes (just until blended- don't overmix).
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cornbread is browned and the surface has a slightly springy feel.

My notes: Though the recipe called for half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour, I used only all-purpose. I've never used whole wheat flour in my life and couldn't justify spending $4 on a bag of flour for a recipe that calls for 1/2 cup of it. I don't know if the wheat flour is supposed to serve any purpose other than being healthier, but I didn't notice that using a full cup of all-purpose made anything go horribly wrong!

The verdict: Very good! The pumpkin taste and smell was subtle, but it was definitely there. It was a little dense, and maybe that's because of the flour, but then I don't usually think of cornbread as being completely light and airy anyway. There are a good number of ingredients, but it was easy enough to make and a nice change from your normal cornbread.

Change We Need

I have no cards to share today, so this is going to be a strictly word-filled post. Sorry, feel free to skip it! A lot has happened in the few weeks since I last posted, and I finally got internet installed at home tonight, so I feel the need to take advantage and write a little "journal entry" for myself.

1. I am a homeowner! I first found this condo back in May and immediately fell in love. After looking at a number of places, I knew this was the one for me. So in June I made an offer on the place and was rejected. Not even so much as a counter offer, I was just flat out rejected. So naturally I was highly upset and more or less suspended my search for the summer while I just enjoyed the beach and a few fun trips. In September I noticed the condo was listed at a lower price, so I figured it was worth making another offer and this time they countered! After a little negotiating we ended up agreeing on a price just $4,000 more than my offer. YAY!

Then came a whirlwind few weeks full of stress. Things seemed to move so quickly at first and then slowed to a snail's pace as mortgage logistics, contracts, etc. all got worked out. I had to give notice at my apartment for October 31, so whether I was able to close on the new place by then or not, I was moving out! Everything did finally come together, though I didn't actually have a confirmed closing date and time until 2 days before the end of the month. Talk about stress!! Moving out was hellish, but the closing and moving in went smoothly thanks to my wonderful parents.

So now here I sit, my 6th night in my new home, and I'm so happy. My apartment was just a miserable place that I took no pride in and did not enjoy going home to. It is such a pleasure to live somewhere pretty, where everything works as it should and the neighbors are not just considerate, but friendly! I have much unpacking left to do, and a lot of furniture and things to purchase, but all in good time. As the cable guy just told me as I was lamenting all the things I need to do and buy, "Rome wasn't built in a day". He was very wise. :-)

2. If you've made it this far, I do have a snippet of stamping news - remember that Papertrey nugget box with the snowmen that I posted a few weeks ago? Well it won Honorable Mention in the Best Winter Project category of Papertrey's Guest Star Stamper contest!!! Usually those resulted are posted immediately after each month's release, but this month Nichole was delayed due to the Papertrey/Gina K/Stamping Bella cruise. She made the announcement last week when she got back, but due to my lack of internet for a few days, my Google Reader subscriptions were neglected and I almost didn't see the news! I was so excited to see it and so honored. It's no secret to many that know me that Nichole Heady is my stamping idol and it was such a thrill to have her select my project as one of her favorites!

And now the most important news of all (yes, perhaps even more so than my lovely condo!).....

3. Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States of America!!!! I have never been one for politics. Sure, I have voted in every election I've been able, but aside from doing a little research on the candidates and their stances, I've ignored it all. I've never watched debates, I've never stalked electoral map projections, and I've never been glued to the returns on election night. But this year was different. This year, more than ever, our country needed a change. We are in the midst of probably the most turbulent years in my lifetime, given the two wars we are waging overseas, the climate issues we are facing, and certainly not least, the economy. This year it was as if I was possessed the way I devoured everything I could read, watched everything I could watch, and debated everything I could debate. For me, the choice was clear. We needed Barack Obama. His intelligence, his calm demeanor, and his ability to understand the issues facing all Americans today were unmatched.

As I waited in line at my polling location for just over an hour yesterday morning before work, my heart was singing. The long line that awaited me when I arrived just before 6:30am didn't frustrate me. It warmed my heart. I was so proud of Americans, proud to see so many people taking an active interest, perhaps for the first time in their lives. I was positively distracted all day long, just waiting for the evening to come and the polls to close. As precincts across the country began reporting in, that distraction became an all out explosion of nerves and anticipation and hope. Given that I had no cable here, I went over to a friend's house to watch the coverage. I was so happy to be there with her on what was likely the most historic night of my life to date. As Pennsylvania was called, and then Ohio, we looked at each other in joyful disbelief. In spite of the favorable projections for Obama prior to election day, I tried not to get ahead of myself and presume that enough Americans could band together to make change happen. But as Obama's electoral votes climbed, I realized he had been right all along. Yes we can.

I cried when ABC's Charlie Gibson announced Obama's victory. I cried again during his inspirational and eloquent address. There is a long road ahead, and Obama knows it - there was an air of solemnity about him in spite of his incredible achievement. Things will not be fixed overnight, and likely won't be fixed in the next four years. But we have a start. Americans spoke up en masse yesterday and called for change. Despite its hardships, I feel blessed to be a part of this era in history and have nothing but hope for the future of America.

PTI Guest Star Stamper Entry

Has it really been two weeks since I last posted?? I just don't know where the month of October has gone! I have actually been stamping A LOT over the past two weeks, as I was working to get cards made for all the October and November birthdays in my life, and was trying to get most of my Christmas cards made. I am not EVER this early with Christmas cards, but as moving day (God willing) is now less than 2 weeks away, I had to pack up my stamping stuff this weekend and in boxes it will likely stay for most of November. I will have my very own stamping room in the new place, but at the moment don't have any tables or desks or any kind of workspace for it. So, until I figure that out, I don't really want to unpack anything. I'm about 80% done with my Christmas cards though, so that is a great feeling!

The project I'm sharing today was one of my entries for Papertrey's October Guest Star Stamper contest. There were soooo many beautiful creations entered, and mine did not win, but I love how it turned out anyway! I used one of the clear card boxes sold by PTI as my treat holder. I then put bands of Bashful Blue cardstock, punched with SU's scallop punch on one side of each band, around the entire box. A strip of Certainly Celery was stamped with PTI's Polka Dot Basics in white craft ink and then wrapped around the box as well. I built three different snowmen using PTI's Made of Snow stamp set, cut those out, and adhered them to the box using dimensionals to make them pop up a little. The sentiment is also from Made of Snow, and the ribbon is Spring Moss dotted satin ribbon from PTI. I finished it off by stamping a snowflake from PTI's Holiday Treats set and making that into a little medallion with a gemstone in the center. The Hershey's Nuggets are wrapped with address labels that I stamped with one of the label images from Holiday Treats. This makes for a pretty cute gift, if I do say so myself! Perfect for a hostess or teacher gift this holiday season.

Oops...Missed One!

I realized when I posted the final challenge this morning that I never posted the 6th challenge yesterday. Sorry!

That challenge was a Winter Card Challenge - simply make a card inspired by winter. Use snowflakes, snowmen, mittens, ice skaters, whatever you want!

Upload to the SCS gallery using keyword CAPWCC.

Supplies

Stamps: SU's So Many Scallops

Ink: Night of Navy

Paper: PTI white and Pure Poppy, patterned paper from last year's DCWV winter stack

Other: SU circle and scallop circle punches, clear spica glitter pen

Final Chatapalooza Challenge

With the amount of Christmas cards most of us make, it's a good idea to keep things simple. Even if we want to do more complicated cards to mail to people, it's nice to have some quick and easy notecards on hand to tuck into a hostess gift or teacher gift.

So, for this challenge, make a One Layer Christmas Card. And, to make it even simpler (or perhaps more challenging!), you can't use any embellishments. No ribbons, no buttons, no gemstones, no primas, none of it! The ONLY thing you may use to dress up your card is glitter, whether it's loose glitter, Stickles, or a glitter pen. That's it!

Upload to the SCS gallery using keyword CAP1LC.

Tree Card Supplies

Stamps: PTI's Believe and Take a Bough

Ink: Palette Noir, Real Red, Garden Green, Certainly Celery

Paper: PTI white

Other: red sakura glitter gel pen

Santa Card Supplies
Stamps: PTI's Believe
Ink: Palette Noir, Real Red, Garden Green
Paper: PTI white
Other: red sakura glitter gel pen

Fifth Challenge

For this challenge, I want you to make a clam shell card. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, all you have to do is cut cardstock for a card base and fold it over or grab a notecard as you normally would. Then take a circle punch, circle nesties, coluzzle, whatever, and place it over your folded cardstock so that the cutting implement is going over the folded edge a bit. Then just cut through the double layers of cardstock. The front and back of your card will still be attached at the top at the point where your cutting tool went over the edge. Clear as mud??

I personally wish I hadn't put the nestie so far over the edge, as I would have liked maybe one more scallop intact on each side, but oh well. And I swear, the ribbon matches the plum pudding cardstock on the card base, though you wouldn't know it by looking at the picture!

Upload to the SCS gallery using keyword CAPCSC.

Supplies
Stamps: PTI's Butterfly Kisses and Mixed Messages
Ink: Plum Pudding
Paper: Plum Pudding, Lavendar Moon
Other: classic circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities, plum pudding satin ribbon, clear spica glitter pen, double slot punch (for threading the ribbon through)

Fourth Challenge

It's time for an inspiration challenge! Use the picture to the left, which I found on the Crate & Barrel website, as inspiration for a card. Be inspired by the colors, patterns, textures, whatever strikes you!

For my card, I pulled some of the colors from the artwork on the wall and also replicated the block-style on two of the wall hangings. The final piece of inspiration I got was from the leaf images on some of the artwork. They reminded me so much of the leaf stamp in the SU set Best Blossoms (the one in PTI's Beautiful Blooms would work as well), so I stamped that randomly on my punched out squares.

Can't wait to see what strikes each of you when you look at this photo!

Upload to the gallery using keyword CAPIC.

Supplies

Stamps: SU Best Blossom, A Muse sentiment

Ink: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Lemon Tart, all from PTI

Paper: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Lemon Tart, white, all from PTI

Other: 1 1/4" square punch, word window punch, gemstones

Third Challenge

Next up is a technique challenge! For this challenge, create a suspension card. Not sure how? Check out Beate's tutorial here.

Upload to the SCS gallery using the keyword CAPTC.

Here is my sample, showing both sides of the suspended circle:

Supplies

Stamps: Cupcake images from Impression Obsession, sentiment from PTI's Birthday Basics

Ink: Summer Sunrise, Lemon Tart, Palette Noir

Paper: Summer Sunrise, Lemon Tart, PTI white

Other: circle Nestabilities die, SU circle punch, dental floss, Summer Sunrise twill ribbon, spica clear glitter pen, dew drops

Second Challenge

The second Chatapalooza Challenge is a Sketch Challenge!

Use this sketch to create a card. You can take a little creative liberty with the size of the circles, as I did with my card. The circles don't even necessarily have to be circles - you can use flowers, stars, cupcakes, whatever your little heart desires!

Upload to the SCS gallery using keyword CAPSC.

Supplies

Stamps: PTI's Mixed Messages

Ink: Palette Noir

Paper: PTI white, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black

Other: SU circle punches, circle scallop punch, brads, prima flowers

LOSTie Chatapalooza - First Challenge

It's Chatapalooza time again for the LOSTies and I am the hostess! Woohoo! Seeing as today is World Card Making Day, we thought it would be an appropriate weekend for our festivities and will be having card challenges every 90 minutes throughout the day.

First up is a Patterned Paper Challenge! Make a card using at least two different patterned papers. You can use it as part of your layout as I did in my sample, or paper piece a few elements, or do a combination of the two. Whatever you want! Upload to the SCS gallery using the keyword CAPPPC.

Now go forth and create!!

Supplies

Stamps: Riveting by SU

Ink: Cranberry Crisp, Bashful Blue

Paper: Bashful Blue, Cranberry Crisp, PTI white, patterned paper from last year's DCWV winter stack

Other: SU circle punches, clear gemstones