PUMPKIN TUNNEL CAKE W/ LEMON-GINGER CREME CHEEZE FILLING, CARAMEL SAUCE, & TOASTED PECANS

Oh Sweet Jesus! Yes, today the Pumpkin tunnel cake w/lemon-ginger creme cheeze filling, carmel sauce, and toasted pecans was attempted in the kitchen.  I don't have a liking to eggs, therefore I bake vegan. And love finding recipes that are freaking awesome. I saw this recipe on a blog I follow, Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen,  and had to try it out. This baked good was so scrumptious I wanted to share. Just in case someone is looking for something to make for the holidays.

The recipe calls for a cup of canned pumpkin. But when it is pumpkin season, and they are sold readily at the Farmer's Market, ya have to use fresh local pumpkin. But if in a hurry, sling in some canned. And if you are watching your sugar intake, cut down on the amount of sugar used, to taste.

The start of the goodness

All scraped out

Soon to be split: goo and seeds

Seeds to be roasted

All done up

A slice of heaven

 The taste of this wonderful goodness, straight heavenly. The pumpkin and the pecans were from local crops, and tasted as much. Mmmm...

And life returns to normal?

The whirlwind of craziness has begun to come to an end. Last week was the end of my 6 month project, and it turned out pretty well. But, I am partial. Here is the second half of the finished project (there were two live shows), http://www.nationalparks.org/npf-at-work/our-programs/electronic-field-trip/

Super VIP Nick and his multi-tasking ways

This was an awesome project to be apart of, a real team effort. And where it was unveiled was just as cool, the Saguaro NP BioBlitz. This 24 hour species count did this national park well, and not only were over 400 species counted that have not been before in the park, they also found a non-vascular plant, a moss-like, that could quite possibly be new to science. What? I thought that only happened in the rain forest.

 So, now I lay here lazily on a Saturday with my brand spankin' new mac. Pretty proud and stoked about it, now I have a computer that will help me in the ways I need. And Frida Paprika just bundled on the bed, crazily burying herself in the fluffy down comforter, for which she has found she has a liking to. The air is chilly,  most windows have been closed, and socks are being worn.

The plants are hanging on, and had I of paid attention to the weather I would have probably covered all the plants. It was a whopping 34 degrees this a.m. I hope the green things survived, hopefully getting stronger with this cold snap.

The watermelon I have been waiting for all summer seems to be slowing down in its growing frenzy and is only the size of an egg. Oh how I hope that this little thing will grow where I can taste it. Some of the tomatoes have just gone nuts and I think a second harvest is in the near future. I loved the Zebra tomato, and it is the plant kicking tail and taking names. And the brussels sprouts are slowly growing as well. I can't wait to roast those bad boys up and have them in a burrito. Aaaah, the aspirations of gardening.

Please grow so I can eat you

"Second season, here we come"

The next generation

Sprouts tootling along

Early fall sunflower

I thought the end of summer had brought the end of the growing season for a bit. Nope, round two for some plants, and time to shine for others. And once I return from my upcoming ventures, the green house will start its formation for the duration of the winter growing season. Pretty pumped about this project so I can continue growing greens and also have the space for a plant nursery. I can almost taste the cabbage now...

A blog full of nuggets

Recently I have found that I enjoy reading blogs from random people. Not in that weird creepy way, but in the informative, entertaining way. One particular blogger writes heavily on her gardening tasks with a little bit of life tossed in. Hey, sounds familiar. Anyhow, a bit a go I read Finny Knits and she introduced life happenings by nuggeting them to the blog world (who she borrowed from someone else that has a cool blog).

Since it has taken me ages to write the numerous blogs that were intended, as I sat down today to share some of the happenings my first thought was, "This is going to be one cluster mucked blog.". Then I remembered the nuggets. Here goes...

Peppers, peppers, peppers. The pepper plants went crazy all at once and provided a surplus of sweet food related booty. I wanted in on the pickled pepper making. Easy as pie, wait, easier than pie.  And why limit oneself to peppers? Why not carrots, garlic and okra? Don't mind if I do.

The yummy goodness

Went out of town for work, got back home, then an invite for a little protesting. I love a protest of any kind. So first day was Occupy Bisbee. Peoples young and old of this township gathered together with a foil wrapped copper Statue of Liberty to show their support.

Power to the people

This kid was so into it!

Support from all angles

Anarchy is right

D drumming

Sign sums it up

Then there was OccuPIE Bisbee...just wanting a piece of the pie. The next day folks continued in the park.

Pie

My fave sign...'My food stamps bought this pie'

For the mathians a SLee original

WWWGD?

Fork ready for their piece of pie

Joined by the painted

in the park

Then a couple of things continued in the garden. The newly made box finally had dirt and plants added. It is now a cabbage bed with Chinese and Red cabbage. And added a little of Fall color to top off the weekend. What an awesome few days!

A bed full of cabbage

I can't believe coriander comes from these sweet little seeds

A bit of color for the season

Yep, it's that time again. That time where when I drive the curling winding roads on my way home I must dodge lookey-lous staring with their mouths opened to the world, their eyes almost popped out of their heads, and their brains in a bubble of touristic thoughts. Yes folks, I live in a town where the local economy is fueled with tourists dollar bills and wishes to see a small town that was once a hopping mining community. Don't take this as me not liking these folks, my job also depends on these said tourists, but I did not think it would have come this quick in the year. It is fall for Pete's sake, not yet winter. But as I drove home yesterday afternoon I dodged, braked, silently cursed, and praised the sweet Jesus I arrived home without tagging one of these fools while they were walking. I was in a gov ride, so repercussions would have been great. Now had I been in my personal vehicle, well, that is another story.

Fall is my favorite time of year. It is probably because of my birthing month, or the weather, or the pumpkin tasting foods, or the brisk in the wind. But I LOVE Fall. And the weekend of my birthday rang in the beginning of fall for me. I have wanted to hit the road and go camping since I bought my new car, and since the new doggy poo I rescued needed the amount of surgeries that she did, each time I made plans they were curbed by my sense of being a responsible adult and caring for this little bundle of crazy joy. But a three day weekend, no surgeries to recover from, and the willingness to get high in the realm of elevation were the perfect ingredients for a birthday camping trip.

I try to make it up to Mt. Graham each year to camp, so that is where my direction led me. Didn't reach all the way to the lake, stopped short at the Shannon campground. What a lucky score! Got the tent set up just in time for the night.

The tent line views

On the morning stroll

New plant species on my list...Rumex, aka Chiricahua dock

Waterfall on the adventure ride

Along the road to the top

Poor G man! Too cold for the little perros

 The dogs absolutely loved camping! Guero had been before to the trip in Mexico where I found he is a lover of tents. But this was little miss Frieda Paprika's first time (with me anyhow) to go camping. She started out with all her stitches in her lost eye, but all the digging and playing and rouging about removed them throughout  the weekend. Who knew that a mere camp trip would take those pesky purple strings out.

All stitches in at the beginning of the trip

Only one stitch remains, soon proved to be lost