My Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

Tis the season for pumpkins!  And, with Thanksgiving coming up this week, the pumpkin-eating season really comes on full force. So I thought I would share 2 of my favorite pumpkin recipes that are great for nibbling on at home, sharing with guests, or taking to a fall gathering.  Enjoy!


Pumpkin Nut Bread
makes 1 loaf

2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin (pumpkin puree not pie filling)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Sift together the first 6 ingredients.  Combine the pumpkin, sugar, milk, & eggs in a mixing bowl.  Add the dry ingredients & softened butter; mix until well blended.  Stir in nuts & milk chocolate chips.  Spread in a well greased 9x5x3" loaf pan (or use 3 mini loaf pans for easy gifting!).  Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Makes 1 loaf or 3 mini loafs.  Bread may be frozen.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 3 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Mix butter, sugar, egg, pumpkin, & vanilla with a mixer until fluffy.  In a separate bowl combine well flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, & salt.  Combine flour mixture with pumpkin mixture.  Mix well.  Add milk chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Holiday Open House

Join us for our

Annual Holiday Open House

Friday, Nov. 4 from 10am-6pm

Saturday, Nov. 5 from 10am-5pm

We will be featuring all the BEST of the Holiday Season with lots of ornaments, decor, gifts, and stocking stuffers.  We will also be sampling our chocolate, salted caramels, and jams too!  And, on Saturday from 10-12, we are honored to have Helliemae's Salt Caramels here sampling her delicious Salted Caramel Sauce and her famous Salt Caramels as well.  Plan to join us for a festive weekend of holiday cheer & inspiration!

No Trick, Just a Treat

The best part of Halloween to me is all of the candy that is left over after all the little trick-or-treaters have finished their gig for the night.  I always like to buy the Halloween candy that I know I will enjoy afterwards because it is inevitable that you will get way too much and have far more than you would like to have left over after it is all said and done.  Living in our little mountain community over the years, I've learned pretty quickly that the trick-or-treaters spend most of their Halloween evening on Main Street in a much safer and funner environment so our home chocolate supply for Halloween ends up being pretty much zilch!  And, I don't know why but I always find myself desperately wanting some chocolate throughout the Halloween weekend.  Fortunately for me, I get to run this little shop of mine where I am surrounded by chocolate on a daily basis.  And, not just any chocolate, but yummy, hand-made artisan chocolates.  We are a proud retailer of Moonstruck Chocolate - an artisan Chocolatier based in Portland, Oregon, where they handcraft each piece using only the finest ingredients. They pair their own decadent chocolate with fresh flavors found in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, and then hand-decorate each piece with intricate care.  My favorite right now is their new Sea Salt Pecan Clusters that are available in both Milk Chocolate & Dark Chocolate.  The balance of salt, sweet, and just a slight richness is just magical! 

My other favorite this time of year is their absolutely delicious hot cocoas.  The cocoas come in a decadent rich Dark Chocolate, Mayan Chocolate (think almond & cinnamon flavors), and of course their fabulous Classic Cocoa.  The cocoas are available in a 9.5oz tin or in individual single packets.  And, the absolute best way to enjoy the cocoas is to mix them with at least 2% milk, or if you have whole milk lounging in your fridge, use that.  It is a wonderful treat on a chilly fall or winter afternoon. 

So, our little "treat" this Halloween weekend is for you to indulge in some fabulously delicious, super-special chocolate.  Come visit us on Saturday, October 29 or Monday, October 31 (or you can come on both days) and we will take 20% off any chocolate you purchase (includes cocoas, chocolate bars, and specialty chocolates).  

Happy Halloween from us to you - have fun, eat good chocolate, & be safe!

Olive Oil Tasting

We have started carrying more and more food items at Bella Vita because you have asked us to and because they really do make great gifts for foodies, hosts/hostesses, and even for yourself when you want to splurge a little.  Our latest intro at Bella Vita is olive oil.  I use olive oil almost on a daily basis because it is such a great, all-around, quite healthy oil to use.  Whether you are sauteing garlic or onions, adding it to pesto, rubbing it on a salmon steak, or tossing it in a salad, it truly is a fabulous oil that I have learned comes in so many different flavors.  And the unique flavors of the oil as well as the differences between virgin, extra virgin, cold-pressed, etc. all make a grand impact on what you are using it in or on.  It's kind of like wine - you experience it more fully when it is properly paired with other ingredients or with the cooking method that you are using.  Crazy, but true!

All that to say.....we have some fabulous olive oils here at Bella Vita, and we would like to share their unique flavors with you.  So, stop by on Saturday, October 15, from 11a-1p and join us for a little sampling.
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Olive Oil Tasting

Saturday, October 15, 11am-1pm

Featuring

 Pasolivo Olive Oils & McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil

Pasolivo Oils are grown sustainably and organically in Paso Robles, CA.  After they hand-pick olives from their orchard, they are crushed within hours in their own olive press.

Pasolivo Extra Virgin Olive Oil

{Award-winning Pasolivo is robust & grassy with a big, peppery finish - perfect for drizzling on rustic bread with sea salt, dressing a salad with balsamic, or roasting potatoes with rosemary}

Pasolivo Lemon Olive Oil

{Made with Pasolivo's award-winning Tuscan blend, their Lemon Olive Oil is a favorite way to dress up roasted asparagus, finish off a seafood pasta, or rub on a chicken before roasting}

Pasolivo Lime Olive Oil

{Made with Pasolivo's award-winning Tuscan blend, their Lime Olive Oil is a fabulous finish for grilled seafood, drizzling on chicken tacos, or tossing with fresh salsa or guacamole} 

McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil is certified organic olive oil that comes from olives that are grown, harvested, milled, blended, and bottled on McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma, CA.

McEvoy Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil

{a complex blend of Tuscan varietals, harvested early & by hand, full-bodied & peppery with hints of artichoke & greens, it's a vibrant finishing oil that inspires moments of pure taste pleasure!}

Join us for a Jam Tasting this Weekend

This summer we introduced a new line of hand made jams that we thought our customers would absolutely love.  We had never tried these jams, but had only read about them and became instantly impressed by what they represented - hand made, fresh organic ingredients, seasonal, and unusual but divine flavor combinations.  LemonBird Jams are all hand crafted by Jam Artisan Amy Deaver.  Amy has an amazing ability to think outside the typical jar of grape jam and to experiment with flavor combinations that really bring the seasonal fruits to life.  These jams are not only absolutely delicious on your morning toast, scones, or waffles, but they also pair nicely with cheeses & nuts , make a wonderful glaze for meats or poultry, and are of course, a fabulous host or hostess gift.  We just received our fall jams so we thought it would be a perfect time to host a "Jam Tasting"! 
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Join us for a "Jam Tasting" this weekend

Friday, Sept. 23 from 1-3pm

Saturday, Sept. 24 from 1-3pm

Drop by and sample all the wonderful

new fall jams from LemonBird Jams

{Receive 10% off all LemonBird Jams during the tasting event}

Flavors included in the sampling:

Fig with Honey & Cinnamon

Tomato with Vanilla Beans

Grilled Nectarines, Balsamic Vinegar, Long Pepper & Sea Salt

Grilled Peach with Coriander & Lemon Thyme

Apricot with Sage Honey & Pistachio

Golden Raspberry

The Barr-Co Collection

I can not tell you how incredibly excited I am about the new Barr-Co Collection that we recently brought in to the shop!  Made in small batches right here in the U.S., this new bath & body line from K. Hall is just simply beautiful.  And, the focus of the Barr-Co Collection is just that - simple ingredients in beautiful vintage apothecary bottles, parfait glassware, muslin bags, and tinware.  The entire collection contains natural ingredients including the main ingredient, colloidal oatmeal (which is specifically amazing for super-dry, itchy skin) and the scent is a soft, easy fragrance of milk (think K.Hall Milk scented soap), oatmeal, vanilla, and vetiver. 

The Barr-Co Collection includes:

Bath Salts & Soak

 {a quart milk bottle of soothing mineral salts combined with colloidal oatmeal to relieve dry, itchy skin, & milk powder to help retain moisture and keep the skin silky smooth}

Bubble Elixir

{a pint milk bottle of natural plant extracts, soothing botanicals, and beneficial oatmeal extract that results in wonderful bubbles and a heavenly scent}

Fine Shea Butter & Oatmeal Lotion

{a 16oz. glass apothecary bottle of moisturizing ingredients including shea butter, aloe, cucumber, colloidal oatmeal that offers welcome relief to dry skin}

Pure Vegetable Hand Soap

{a 16oz. glass apothecary bottle of natural liquid soap made from natural plant extracts, soothing botanicals, and oatmeal extract that can be used in the bath or kitchen}

Oatmeal Saddle Soap

{Laden with colloidal oatmeal which is finely ground to act as a light, gentle exfoliator while also relieving dry skin, this soap is an over-sized bar that comes in it's own muslin bag}

Hand Salve

{a 2oz tin of jojoba oil, beeswax, and oat extract that is the perfect treatment for dry, cracked hands - great for gardeners}

Natural Wax Candle

{a 10oz parfait glass filled with a hand poured mixture of natural soy & vegetable wax}

Herbal Inspiration

So, this summer I did not have much luck unfortunately with my Chocolate Cherry Tomato Plant that I was so excited to try this year.  As an amateur gardener, I have to remind myself that part of "succeeding" as a gardener is to try different things knowing that some work and some don't.  I was pretty bummed about this one though since I was so excited to try something I hadn't even heard of before.  But something much greater than all of my effort took over this unique tomato plant and took a hold of it in a way that was not recoverable.  Oh well - I will just give it another try next year!

On the up side of my gardening ventures this summer, my herbs have done very well!  Which is a wonderful thing because I absolutely LOVE herbs.  I love the way they smell, I love the way they taste, and, I love, LOVE, being able to walk onto my back deck & snip a few herbs for whatever meal I am preparing.  

This year I went a little light on my herb garden and just focused on some basics - Basil, Thyme, Sage, & Rosemary.  These are such amazing ingredients for summer cooking & eating, but they are also great for heading into the fall and winter seasons too.  I grow my herbs in containers so that I can move them in & out if needed, which makes them super easy to move inside when the temps start to dip.  If you are not someone who keeps containers all year round, then drying the herbs that you have from your summer harvest is a perfect way to take those delicious little plants into the upcoming season.  Just make sure you give them a good bath and then dry them on either a drying rack (I have even used window screens before!) or bundle several stems together and hang in bunches.  Once dry, then you can either keep them in bunches for their fragrant beauty or run all of the dry leaves off their branches with your hand into airtight containers (I use little spice jars for mine).  They are wonderful (& handy!) all year round. 

A few of my very favorite uses of my herbs include of course basil pesto (when I have enough leaves), rosemary parmesan crackers, toppings on homemade pizzas, and of course soups!  I am thinking about trying to actually infuse some of my herbs this year in a little olive oil to make my own "flavored" oil.  I'll let you know if I try it & how it turns out!  So enjoy those herbs for the remainder of this summer - clip, eat, dry, experiment, create, and infuse them however you find inspiration to do so!