Lisa Bakes: Spooky Pumpkin and Walnut bread

Whatever it is about the Autumn and Winter time, I just love all things cosy. All the foodie people I know say to use seasonal fruit and vegetables where possible so with Halloween, there's an abundance of pumpkins! When better to try my hand at making pumpkin bread?

So with cautious optimism, I took to the kitchen after trekking through the baking aisle in Tesco for supplies. Also, baking question - are baking powder and baking soda the same or is there a difference?

Ready to be whipped together to make some tasty bread!

For this recipe, I needed to make pumpkin puree. I had read a few different ways online and opted for the microwave method, which was the same way I cook potatoes, so no new territory there! I used about half of a small cooking pumpkin for this recipe which made about twice the puree I needed, so in future I'd probably only need a quarter of the pumpkin.

I chopped them into roughly the same size, put them and some water (about 1/4 of the dish) into a pyrex dish, covered and microwaved it for 11 minutes. Before stirring and microwaving for a further 5 minutes. The skin came away fairly easily from the the pumpkin and then it was just a case of mashing away!

My Mum always taught me to put all the ingredients to one side of the main mixing bowl, and then once the ingredients go in, to move them to the other side of the bowl. It makes it easier to check what has gone in the mixture at a glance.

I mixed the dry ingredients together, then added all the liquid ingredients. When I was mixing, it seemed to be a bit runny. But maybe this is normal?

Mm.. Er.. Squidgy!

Ready for its maiden voyage to the oven!

I lubed up a baking tin with a knob of butter, poured the mixture in and hoped for the best.

And it started to rise!

And then it rose some more! I was actually worried it was going to reach the top of the oven. Note to self: move oven tray down.

The smell of the bread baking filled the apartment and it created a wonderful festive ambience. But I wasn't done yet!

The first time I took the bread out to check if it was baked, it seemed a little squidgy so I popped it back in to oven. I didn't want it to be overbaked or burnt.

From watching programmes like the Great British Bake Off, I remember they would leave bread to cool on a wire rack. I had to settle for a steamer. Well, it has holes in it and should allow air to circulate. Needs must and all that jazz!

 
Then the best part of any baking adventure - tasting what you've made! It got a big thumbs up from Mr. Ree and the spices really made it tingle the tastebuds. It was moist and the top had a lovely sweet crunch to it from the brown sugar. Next time I might add a bit more walnut though, but that's just me! Although I had inadvertently bought walnut halves which required a bit more chopping, but it was worth it. Next time I'll be buying walnuts of the chopped variety!

All in all, I came out fairly unscathed from this recipe. It wasn't difficult to make either. Definitely one to try again!

Fancy giving it a go yourself? Here's the recipe. Good luck and happy baking! :)

Pumpkin and Walnut Bread

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour
• 2 eggs        
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda        
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tsp of nutmeg    
• 250g pumpkin puree    
• 1 tbsp brown sugar        
• 75ml water
• 30g chopped walnuts    
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon    
• 300g caster sugar

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Put sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices into a large bowl. Stir to blend.
3. Add pumpkin puree, water, oil, eggs and walnuts. Beat until well combined.
4. Pour mixture into greased bread tin.
5. Sprinkle brown sugar on top.
5. Bake for 50-60 mins. Skewer with knife/skewer through centre of loaf. Once it comes out clear, it's done!
6. Take it out of the tin and leave to cool. How you enjoy it is completely up to you! :)

Late Late Toy Show excitement!

You would be forgiven if you didn't recognise me as it's been far too long since I've updated my blog. But I am here, and to say I'm excited is a fricking understatement!

If your childhood was anything like mine, the run up to Christmas wasn't complete without the Late Late Toy Show. For anyone outside of Ireland, it's basically a show all about this year's most popular toys which children have played with and then review to the host Ryan Tubridy. Without fail, at least one toy doesn't work on cue, one child always gets a bit dazed when pedalling out during the bikes/tractors/scooters parade and the host has to rock a Christmas sweater.

Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Toy Show

Christmas cheese tree eh? Nom!

When I was a child I was always so excited about putting the tree up, the earlier the better in my eyes! However now that I'm an adult, I've decided that the official 'Putting up the tree' date will now fall on whatever day the Late Late Toy Show airs. Tonight, is that night folks.

After work I've got a list of groceries to get for the feast. One of my lovely aunts gave me a recipe for homemade Chex Mix, so I'm going to try make that this evening. Each year I put together a cheeseboard and make mulled wine too which is always fun!

Mmm... Mulled Wine!

I'm even wearing a colourful knitted jumper in anticipation for the big event. I, for one, can't wait to release my inner child! Roll on 9.30pm! 

Shopping Madness!

I am channeling 'Old Mother Hubbard' as of late, so decided that grocery shopping must be done! Usually I have someone with me for grocery shopping, but today I was on my own-io so just rolled with it. And then the stress began! It's only when it's broken down into little pieces that I realised how much is involved with something as basic as going to buy food!Perhaps I hit the shop on a busy day or just when the trolley enthusiasts were out, but I'll relay my story anyway.

OK, bags in the car first of all, I never have enough freezer bags yet the house is falling down with 'Bags for Life' of all shapes and sizes as I never remember to bring one with me. Forget bags for life, I have bags for a lifetime, which I may just pass onto my kids (chances are the house will still be falling down with them!)

I don't know about you, but I can never remember which shop trollies take €1 or €2 coins, nine times out of ten I'm left hanging around outside like a vagrant waiting to exchange the right coin for the fistful of change I usually have! (And I almost always end up with a 'wonkey donkey' trolley that has one crazed wheel!)

I'm a big believer in lists, if I didn't write lists then things wouldn't get done! So I always write a list, otherwise I'd probably come out with only half of what I need and something random like a foot spa!
Also, I've noticed a definite increase in, what can only be described as 'Trolley Warriors'. Seriously though, these people are the kind that probably don't use their indicators in their cars. They are a law unto themselves up and down the aisles. Almost had a head on collision with one of them, open your eyes peeps!

I've also noticed more 'Squeezers', now I'll holds my hands up, I do squeeze food like bread, fruit, veg etc to check for freshness. But a new breed has come to the forefront, come forth the 'Sniffers'! I'm pretty sure one woman was attempting to inhale a lemon she was sniffing that hard, is this a new thing? Have I missed a newsletter?

Food Sniffers - Coming soon to a store near you!

 So after all the shopping is in the trolley, off to the cashier I trot. Which leads to what can only be described as the 'Cashier Mambo'. It's a bit like changing lanes on the motorway, one seems to be moving, then the moment you join it comes to a standstill.

When I experience shopping like this I can completely understand why online shopping has taken off. Yet when you've a friend or significant other with you, you can laugh off all these mad moments. Shopping is definitely a 'team sport', so make sure you've chosen a decent team member, or at least someone with lots of €1 and €2 coins!