Pumpkin Bread

September 10, 2014 By Chelsia Rief 12 Comments

*This recipe and pictures have been slightly updated from the 2011 archives. The post got some editing and the pictures got a makeover just in time for pumpkin season.*

In my opinion, any time of year is a good time to eat some delicious pumpkin. I'm a fan of pumpkin in every variety, but I adore Pumpkin Bread. It makes a delicious breakfast or the perfect snack to munch on while you kick back and watch your favorite show, read a book, or play a game with the family.

I first got this recipe from one of my dear friends. We were friends in Elementary school, enemies in Middle School (because she was dating a boy I liked - oh, school years), and very close friends throughout High School. She supported me at my wedding, and I feel as though we are kindred spirits (much like Anne and Diana). We rarely see each other, but when we do, it's always a pleasure.

Pumpkin Bread | Catz in the Kitchen | catzinthekitchen.com | #bread #fall #pumpkin

Every time I make this delicious bread, I always get asked for the recipe. In fact, my brother in love Jeffrey, loves it so much, I'll sometimes make him a special loaf for his birthday.

The great thing about this recipe is that it makes three loaves of pumpkin bread, so keep that in mind when you're going over the recipe ingredients. But that does mean you can keep one loaf of bread and share the two loaves with family, friends, or co-workers. Pumpkin Bread | Catz in the Kitchen | catzinthekitchen.com | #bread #fall #pumpkin

Pumpkin Bread

Name: Pumpkin Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 3 cups pumpkin puree; 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil/applesauce; 4 cups white sugar; 6 eggs; 4 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Yield: 3 loaves

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Moist, sweet, and full of all those autumn spices you love. Serve your friends and family by sharing one of the extra loaves of homemade pumpkin bread.

Ingredients

3 cups pumpkin puree
1 ½ cups vegetable oil/applesauce
4 cups white sugar
6 eggs
4 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3-9x5 loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs until well-incorporated. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Gradually pour into the pumpkin batter a little bit at a time, stirring after each addition until the mixture is well-blended.
Divide batter evenly between the loaf pans and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
Allow to cool completely in pans before removing the bread. Run a knife around the edges of the bread in the pan to loosen. Store any remaining bread in plastic wrap.

Notes

Recipe courtesy of Cindy Jensen

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 298Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 220mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 28gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information isn't always accurate.

Tuesday's Tidings for September 9, 2014

September 9, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

1. Saturday, Grace and I ran The Color Run! It was a blast! We had so much fun doing it together and we want to do it next year too, but Eden wants to join in with us. So I think it will be more like a walk/run with Eden. But that's okay! It will be so much fun!

2. More baby lions at our zoo! Be still my heart-it's almost more than I can take.

3. Momma's out there, save all your kids clothing that is good shape. I promise if you have younger kids, it is such a great way to save money and extend the life of the clothing. I went through all of Grace's old size 6 clothing yesterday and found a ton of clothes for Eden for this year and for the following spring and summer. This was also another great opportunity for me to organize the clothing. All the 6x clothes are in their own box as well as the ⅞ clothing. It's worth the space in the garage it takes up.

4. Not to toot ThredUp's site yet again, but I learned something new the other day-which is great if you have kids. If you buy clothing for your kids off the site, you'll earn 10% back on all the items, which equals extra spending money for you! But this offer ends on September 15th! So hurry up and shop the site for your kids. There are some great things on their for kids. I've already found several things for Grace.

5. If you have seen Mom's Night Out yet, you should! It's a hoot and incredibly encouraging for us moms. :)

6. Christian and Eden just waited patiently for us to finish. Such good little babes.

7. I made this for dinner last night and it was really good. Slicing the zucchini was a little time-consuming, but it was the perfect amount of food for our family.

8. I think this side dish looks incredibly delish!

9. Did you hear, Kate and William are pregnant again? I love babies!!! And I think George looks like my little baby boy ;)

10. My homemaking and hospitality classes started back up again last week. I can't wait to start sharing some of those recipes with all of you!

Weekly Menu 9/8-9/14

September 8, 2014 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

Even though we had temps in the 90's this week, you can still feel fall at our doorsteps in the early morning and in the evenings. I love it so much. This heat-I'm so over it. SO. OVER. IT.
I can't wait to decorate. I can't to see if my jeans still fit (haha), and I can't wait to turn on my fireplace and start sipping tea in the evenings again.

How are all of you embracing the last few weeks of summer? I can't wait till I can start really cooking "fall-like" food.

Monday

(Meatless)

Zucchini Lasagna with a Side Salad and Garlic Bread

Tuesday

(Taco)

Taco Soup with Cheese Quesadillas

Wednesday

Tater Tot Casserole with Green Salad

Thursday

Roasted Kielbasa & Veggies

Friday

Bruschetta

Saturday

Bacon Burgers with Smoked Gouda and Fries

Sunday

Fried Egg Sandwiches and Smoothies

Tuesday's Tidings for September 2, 2014

September 2, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

1. Yesterday, we took Eden to the mall to spend some of her b-day gift card and her sweet daddy, bought her this huge cat whose name is Glamour. She owns 3 other ones, all in different sizes. So now she has a whole collection and she is in 7th heaven.

2. Josh and I started watching season 1 of Downton Abbey again. We were going through withdrawals, lol!

3. Week before last, I told you about Thred Up and that I was waiting for them to send me my first order. Well, I got it last week and I love it. The clothes were in such excellent condition. I could of boughht them off the rack. I was very pleased, and will definitely buy again from this awesome company.

4. We picked up from Trader Joe's this fat free Spicy Black Bean Dip and it is awesome. Slightly spicy, but not so much that I can't eat it.

5. Is this not the cutest little baby owl ever???

6. I am bursting with pride over this sweet little cardinal hanging from a suet feeder Grace painted with watercolors. Isn't it amazing?

7. Drooling over this chicken dish.

8. I nabbed this dress and this tunic from Kohls with a gift card. LOVE!

9. We finally watched Monuments Men and it was excellent. I know it didn't get great reviews, but it covers such an interesting part of history that we hadn't really yet heard about.

10. And we also watched God's NOT Dead! If you haven't seen it yet, you should. It's amazing! I can't wait to buy it.

Weekly Menu 9/1-9/7

September 1, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Oh, sunsets. I love em!
Happy Labor Day all! I hope you have some relaxing plans set for the day. I think we're going to run a few errands around town that we didn't get done over the weekend.

Are you in as much of a state of shock as I am that it is ACTUALLY September? It is just crazy to me. I am trying as hard as I can to hold myself back to decorate for fall. I know as soon as Thanksgiving hits I'm going to be all about Christmas-but then completely ready to undecorate and declutter from all of the holiday festivities. I'm trying to keep this mind while I wait for the first OFFICIAL day of fall. I think last year I only made it to the 2nd or 3rd day in September before I broke down and got out all of the decorations. LOL.

Do you guys decorate for fall until the first day of fall or do you jump right in as soon as September first rolls around?

Monday

Hot dogs and beans

Tuesday

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tacos

Wednesday

Roasted Kielbasa and vegetables

Thursday

Cooking Class

Friday

Grilled Peach and Balsamic Pizza

Saturday

Crockpot Polynesian Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

Sunday

Zucchini Lasagna with a side Salad

Teriyaki Meatballs

August 28, 2014 By Chelsia Rief 6 Comments

Basted in a simple, sweet and tangy homemade sauce, these teriyaki meatballs are baked in the oven, making them easy, quick...and yummy!

This post was originally published in August of 2014. The photos and format were updated in April 2017...since we make this recipe all the time!

Last night I played Monopoly with Josh, his sister, and her husband in our hotel room. We needed to decompress a bit. If you follow our Catz Facebook page (if you don't, then you should - go like our FB page!), then you know that Josh and I flew down to California Monday afternoon with his sister and brother-in-law to celebrate the beautiful life of our beloved Nani, Josh and Jenn's grandma. We spent all evening sharing stories, laughs, hugs, meeting family members, and reconnecting with members of the family we haven't seen in years. It was bittersweet. Nani would have loved having this huge group of family and friends together.

I was going to share the meatball recipe last week, but then I changed my mind and felt it might be better for this week as we are continually inching closer to fall and comfort food. Meatballs, in my opinion, are comfort food!

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Tuesday's Tidings for August 26, 2014

August 26, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

1. We're in California and this sunset was so beautiful that I just had to capture it (rather poorly I might add) on our way to Josh's grandparent's house.

2. We left my 3 beautiful babies with my parents so we could make this trip to the memorial service for my husband's grandma. Obviously, the first time we left Christian was for our anniversary two weeks ago. Let me just say going out of state is very different that going 25 miles from home and staying in a hotel. I'm having serious withdrawals. But I know that all 3 of my kids are in the very best of hands. I just miss em.

3. Five-COUNT EM' FIVE baby hoglets (porcupines) were just born at our Oregon Zoo and they are just the cutest thing ever!

4. This is pretty funny!

5. We never actually got a chance to work on redoing our daughter's bedroom this past weekend. We got around to painting one dresser and that's it. Next weekend, we've got nothing going on-so it's on like donkey kong!

6. You CANNOT go to California WITHOUT stopping at In-n-Out Burger! I admit, I ate two burgers (EEEK) since I know it will be awhile before I get to have another one. Gym workouts start back up next week.

7. I'm watching live tv right now in our motel room and live tv is so boring. Even the Emmy's are boring me. #sorrynotsorry

8. These look incredible!

9. This purse. I'm in love with it.

10. I went to Goodwill earlier this week. I don't think they knew what hit them, because I scored big time. Nearly everything I got was the extra 50% off tag and it was fabulous. My big steal of the day-a brand new with tags J. Crew dress that was originally priced at $88-Goodwill's price was $19.99. I paid $9.99! Score! I also got Christian a few shirts that we're an extra 50% off and an Old Navy tank for 50% off and I've been on the hunt for a pair of nude colored flats. I paid $2.98 for a pair from Goodwill in great shape. SCORE!

No Weekly Menu This Week

August 25, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hello Friends,
This week, I won't be sharing a weekly menu. No, not because I don't like you and I'm feeling stingy, but because right now I'm sitting in the airport with my husband and Sister & Brother in love to fly to California for our grandmother's memorial service on Tuesday. We fly home Wednesday so it will be a very short trip-but in all honesty, no idea what I'm fixing for dinner when we get home. So there's that.

Many of you might remember we flew down to California back in April to visit our Grandma and take the kids to Disneyland. But she passed away a few years ago from Pulmonary Fibrosis. :( So that's why there will be no menu-but next week it will be back up. And we will have more posts this week too.

Have a great week guys!

Cooking with Gracie: BBQ Chicken Skewers

August 23, 2014 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

BBQ chicken skewers are full of juicy moist chicken, crisp bell peppers, and saucy, sweet pineapple. This easy meal is perfect for hot summer days when you don't want to heat up the house.

The other day we took our kids to our local amusement park as one of Eden's birthday gifts from us. I don't know who was more excited, me or her! Here's the thing - I love amusement parks. They remind me of the fair, except that the food isn't as good!

I've been going to this amusement park since I was a kid. I would go for birthday parties with my friends, company picnics, end of the school year celebrations, and for get-togethers with my dad. During the fall and winter when the park is closed, they have a roller skating rink you can sail around on. In fact, it was at that very rink that I learned how to roller skate!

My memories at the park are sweet, but nothing beats going back with the kids. It's magic all over again, except you're experiencing it vicariously through the smiles and laughter of your children. Granted, it certainly is more challenging going to an amusement park as a parent vs. being a kid (hey, if I can do Disneyland, I can do anything), because you have to make sure the little one in the stroller is happy, you have to keep track of your kids, make sure they are staying hydrated, etc. But the upsides is you get to watch your kids be brave and go on scary rides (let's face it, scary rides are a big deal to little short people), make tons of fun memories as a family, go on the rides with your kids (I jumped at every chance they asked me to go on a ride with them!) - and you live a little.

Grace told me one of her favorite things about going on the scary rides is that her breath gets taken away. My kids are no strangers to bravery. They leap at the big kid rides - if they're tall enough, they want to ride it. I just stand there in awe of their bravery. That and their ability to not get sick. Haha!

Since it's still summer and we're still cooking through Grace and Eden's cookbook together, I thought these skewers would be super fun to make. They are perfect for any hot day that you don't want to turn the oven on.

BBQ Chicken Skewers

Yield: 4-6

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

BBQ chicken skewers are full of juicy moist chicken, crisp bell peppers, and saucy, sweet pineapple. This easy meal is perfect for hot summer days when you don't want to heat up the house.

Ingredients

12 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1 large can pineapple chunks, drained
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
6 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 lime, zested & juiced
2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes.
Place the ketchup, honey, soy sauce, lime juice and zest, ginger, and brown sugar into a small pan and bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. Reserve about ½ cup of the sauce for basting the skewers with.
Cut each chicken thigh into 2 inch pieces. Place the chicken in a bowl and add the cooled marinade. Stir to coat and let marinate for 30 minutes.
Thread the chicken, red bell pepper, pineapple, and yellow bell pepper onto the skewer, alternating the ingredients until the skewers are full.
Line the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 3-6 minutes, basting and turning occasionally until cooked.

Notes

From the Cookbook for Girls

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 273mgSodium: 846mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 55g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Tomato Salad-Topped Grilled Pizza

August 22, 2014 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

This tomato-salad topped grilled pizza is one of those super-fresh and summery dinners that just beg to be eaten outdoors!

Nearly every Friday night, it's pizza and a movie night in our house. It's one of the only nights that I allow us to gather around the coffee table and eat dinner while we watch a movie. Last Friday, it was Eden's actual birthday (I know, you guys have been hearing me talk about her birthday for almost two weeks now. Can't help it. Can't stop. Won't Stop...). I love celebrating birthdays!

I also love pizza. Grilled pizza, to be exact. I look forward to the smokey, slightly charred crust so much. There is so much flavor in the crust when it's grilled, it is just unreal. If you haven't had a grilled pizza - stop what you're doing and make it tonight.

This pizza is just incredibly light and flavorful. At first, looking over the ingredients you might think that it would be a little dry, but all the sliced tomatoes make up for the lack of sauce. The melted mozzarella cheese is like a little bit of heaven, and the spicy arugula makes the whole pizza feel so fresh.

The only bad thing about this pizza is that I waited until August to make it! I am going to have to make this again before summer is over. It's too good to pass up.

Tomato Salad-Topped Grilled Pizza

Yield: About 8 slices

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This tomato-salad topped grilled pizza is one of those super-fresh and summery dinners that just beg to be eaten outdoors!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for rolling dough
1 pound pizza dough
1 ¼ cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
4 oz mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and quartered
2 cups arugula

Instructions

Rub a little olive oil onto a cutting board to lightly grease the surface. Place the pizza dough on the cutting board and turn over so both sides are lightly oiled. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
Heat one side of a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat and the other side to medium-low heat (if using a charcoal grill, bank most of the coals to one side while leaving a few hot coals on the other side).
Place the tomatoes in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt, basil, and the 1 TB olive oil. Toss to combine and set aside.
Using a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle about 1/16 inch thick. Carry the cutting board and all of the remaining ingredients plus the tomato salad out to the grill and place the dough on the hot side of the grill. Grill until the underside is browned and has grill marks, 1-2 minute. Using a grilling spatula to turn the dough over onto the cooler side of the grill. Place the mozzarella on top of the pizza, cover the grill (if using a charcoal grill make sure the vent holes in the cover are open), and cook until the mozzarella is melted, 2-3 minutes longer.
Transfer the pizza to a pizza peel or cutting board and slice. Top with arugula. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomato salad to the pizza and serve.

Notes

Recipe by Melissa d'Arabian from her Ten Dollar Dinners Cookbook

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 333Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 485mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.