We loved our old house, but it had one downside. Like most split-level floor plans, it had almost no storage space. There was a closet under the stairs and a little bit of room along the walls of the garage.
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| The closet under the stairs after we emptied it. And no one named Harry ever lived here! |
So before we put the house on the market, we downsized (a lot - two garage sales' worth) and then seriously decluttered every room. The stuff we wanted to keep (several book shelves and multiple boxes of books along with too many other items) ended up in a storage unit. That's the stuff we finally moved home this weekend!
Our church does this a lot. We call our team The Black Hills Community Church Moving Company, and we move folks from apartment to apartment, or from house to house, and sometimes (sadly) in a U-Haul truck as we say goodbye.
We showed up bright and early to pick up our U-Haul. We could have made the move in a few trips using various pick-up trucks and vans, but the distance and a desire to finish before noon made the decision for us. One truck. One trip.
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| I had hoped to take more pictures of the crew and the moving process, but things got busy after I took this picture! |
A tradition is to provide donuts for the moving crew in the morning. I bought ours from Jerry's Cakes and Donuts, the best donut place in town.
But what about the members of the crew who are watching their carbs or are gluten-free?
I decided to dust off my baking skills after the long hiatus from my kitchen over the summer and bake something special.
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| My view while I cook. This makes me want to spend more time in the kitchen! |
I found a recipe for Pumpkin bread that fit what I wanted on Erin's Well-Plated blog. I don't know Erin, but I'll be visiting her blog for recipes in the future!
Go to her blog for the recipe: Paleo Pumpkin Bread from Well Plated, but come back here for my method and review!
Pumpkin Bread for Everyone
The first thing I have to say about this recipe is that it was so easy! And it turned out so well that you're going to want to try it, whether you eat gluten free/low-carb or not.
First, I gathered my ingredients.
Then I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another.
Next, I put the wet ingredients in with the dry and stirred. Then I poured the batter into my prepared baking pan.
I have to say that I love using baking parchment for quick breads and brownies! You spray your baking pan, line it with parchment (folding in the corners to make it fit,) and then spray the paper. It comes out perfect every time!
I was impressed with the way this bread turned out! Moist and delicious, with a perfect blend of pumpkin and spices.
Even my son-in-law approved. :-)
And that truck-load of stuff? Now we have a bunch of boxes that need to be unpacked and a ton of stuff to put away, But it's all under one roof for the first time since this moving process began at the end of April. And THAT feels wonderful!
Jack isn't quite sure, though...
Jan Drexler spent her childhood dreaming of living in the Wild West and is now thrilled to call the Black Hills of South Dakota her home. When she isn’t writing she spends much of her time satisfying her cross-stitch addiction or hiking and enjoying the Black Hills with her husband of more than thirty-seven years.
Jan, you are the most thoughtful person on the planet. How kind of you to make sure there was something for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how this is happening, but there's a cupcake shop that actually has good gluten-free cupcakes.
I don't know how.... but I know they're really good because a gal I work with keeps getting them.
But what are they using? Because the first ones I tried a few years ago were wretched. Does the almond flour make all the difference? Maybe?
Anyway, this looks marvelous. Thank you, Jan, and I love that you and hubby and #jackoftheblackhills are settling into your new lives!
Those gluten-free baked goods from a few years ago were wretched, weren't they? But between the Paleo diet, the Keto diet, and other low-carb/no flour eating plans like THM, folks have been experimenting with the perfect baking blends rather than relying on gluten-free "flour" and then hoping to get the same texture and taste as regular bread.
DeleteBut when you throw the idea of a flour substitute out the window, wonderful things happen! For instance, the baking blend I use has no wheat - but the texture is fabulous.
And all that is a win/win/win for folks who HAVE to eat gluten-free because of Celiac or other medical conditions!
This bread's combination of the almond flour, pumpkin, and the eggs are what gives it the right texture, and the maple syrup...YUM!...sweetens everything up as well as adding moisture.
And the settling in...I don't think Monday morning is a good time to look at the piles of boxes! Right now, the task seems overwhelming! But it will get done...one box at a time. :-)
Thanks for sharing this, Jan. Over the weekend, I had to admit that despite my love of baked goods, I seem to have developed a gluten sensitivity. I don't know if it's the gluten or just the baked goods or what, so I will experiment, and your bread gives me a perfect place to start - if I ever have access to my kitchen again. ;)
ReplyDeleteWith a hubby recently retired from the food business, I get to be privy on a lot of inside foodie information from journals and industry bulletins that he reads. One school of thought is that the "super gluten" in many commercial bread products to make them shelf-stable and give them their soft texture are to blame for the rise in gluten and grain sensitivities we are seeing now. I know there are certain brands of commercial breads I need to avoid to prevent a problem, and I'm not grain free or gluten sensitive!
DeleteWhen I bake at home, I try to use freshly ground whole grains for my breads, etc. I just don't do it often enough, according to my husband. :-)
I've read that, Jan. Because of my kitchen situation, I bought a boxed coffee cake. That's what did me in yesterday. My sister and I were joking about how when we were kids we would go to the company's factory store. You could buy the "expired" baked at severe discounts, so my mother would come out with a tower of cakes and freeze them. They'd still be plenty "fresh" when we got them, so I guess that says something about the nature of the preservatives.
DeleteI remember once before having to give up eating anything from that company because it caused me problems. I lost 30 pounds that time, so maybe this is a good thing!
Jan, thank you for sharing this!!! I am mostly grain free and try to avoid GF-labeled stuff because it's usually laden with bad-for-me things. I will have to try this recipe and very soon! I have missed pumpkin bread...
ReplyDeleteI was so happy to find this recipe! I'm not grain-free or gluten-free (I do believe in eating a varied diet,) but I know eating too much wheat is hard on my waistline. This is a great bread to have for breakfast or a snack without adding carbs!
DeleteJan, I do love me some good pumpkin bread. It's almost time for my annual pumpkin bread baking day. I didn't click on this recipe you used, but is that maple syrup I seen in the ingredients? Interesting. I'm not usually a big maple fan. Can you taste it in the bread? Other than that, though, this looks great. And as you pointed out, a great alternative for those who are gluten intolerant.
ReplyDeleteOh, and congrats on being fully into your new house. You know this is where you end up having to get creative, though, right? As you get down to those last boxes and wonder where you're going to put that stuff. Been there, done that. ;)
DeleteYes, that is maple syrup! It gave the bread an extra measure of moistness, and I didn't notice any maple flavor because of the spices.
DeleteI'll have to experiment with reducing it or leaving it out - the recipe is not only gluten-free, but also THM friendly if we change the sweetener.
Love Jack's wide-eyed wonder look! You'll have to start reading him bedtime stories so he understands the lure of books!
ReplyDeleteI love pumpkin bread! Must make some this week. Never thought of adding chocolate chips to it though -- or to zucchini bread -- like the blog suggested. Yum! My daughter has nut allergies (along with wheat sensitivity) so this isn't a good recipe for us. Very frustrating because I find so many yummy looking wheat free recipes that rely on nuts. Love the maple syrup though. The instructions say don't substitute the almond flour so I think I'll go on the hunt for a mapley syrupy pumpkin bread recipe I can use spelt flour in.
Oh -- Happy Thanksgiving Day! (Canadian style)
Happy Thanksgiving, Kav!
DeleteBest wishes on your recipe quest!
Jan, I'm sorry I missed your post yesterday! I was out of town, visiting with my college roommate.
ReplyDeleteI really want to try this recipe!