The Feet that Feed you is moving -- only in name-- to Pie Bird.
Recently I have been thinking about a name change for the blog, my soon-to-be official business, and Etsy store. This original name was born out of necessity as I began selling wares at the local farmers market, but I never really felt like it was the right name-- and it was a pain to explain! And so, I introduce you to Pie Bird, an appropriate title for someone who "vents while baking." I hope you'll join me over there-- same deal, different name. In addition, I'm getting my paperwork in order to begin selling online on Etsy... hold tight!
Looking for a tasty fall treat last week, it occurred to me that I had yet to make anything with pumpkin yet this year! Of course, this might be because I am in total denial that we are more than halfway through November... what happened to August? Arg!
I first made this recipe in grad school when I had a few friends over for a "Pumpkin Fest." And, well, they are irresistible (friends and the cookies)! One of the things my husband might tell you about being married to someone who loves to bake is that the house seems to be constantly filled with delicious-smelling concoctions... not that he's complaining, mind you, but he's used to the whirl of the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, oven timers going off... it's not really such a momentous occasion when something warm and delectable comes out of the oven around here.
But... behold! Apparently I had never made the iced pumpkin cookies for him before! It was a delightful surprise-- and I was shocked to hear that they are his new favorite. It might not have meant a lot to him, but I was just tickled :) Here's the recipe:
Iced Pumpkin Cookies
You'll Need:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I did mostly wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.
Apologies, I can't remember where this recipe is from originally-- but I will be sure to give credit where credit is due when I find the source!
I've made some great leaps in getting in gear for the craft fair next Saturday - 9 days and counting! Last night I packaged up 50 packets of herbal bath teas in heat-sealable tea bags--- including a run to the store at 9 pm for Epsom salts--- finished sewing the pieces for 45 baby shoes except for the soles, and hole-punched then tied business cards to 48 shopping bags with raffia. Whew! What happened to the days when staying up until 1 am was easy???
Lucky for me, work today is going to be super fun! We're hosting an event for 40+ kids in an afterschool program and watching a half hour of the BBC's Planet Earth and doing a craft... apple earth printing! Can't wait for this wonderfully fall craftiness!
On a side note, I was watching the clip of Planet Earth this morning on freshwater and was so excited/engaged/emotional when I saw the part on the Mara River and the animals crossing. I've stood there! I breathed there! I saw a monkey climb in a truck and eat my lunch there. I have lived! And since it is the month of thanks, I am SO THANKFUL to know and remember that.
Smiles.
My Sample Apple Earth Print
Me in Lamu (Coastal Island of Kenya)
Note: I do have a photo of me standing at the point
"Get yourself a hut house not too far from town, live cheap, go ball in bars once in awhile, write and rumble in the hills and learn to saw boards and talk to grandmas you damn fool, carry loads of wood for them, clap your hands at shrines, get supernatural favors, take flower-arrangement lessons and grow chrysanthemums by the door, and get married for krissakes, get a friendly smart sensitive human-being gal who don't give a shit for martinis every night and all that dumb white machinery in the kitchen."
