The Pringle Plan: October 2016

Monday, October 31, 2016

Pumpkin Season

I can’t let Halloween slip by me without doing something pumpkinie! On a whim, I decided today was the day I would make pumpkin bread. So, first thing this morning, with the sun rising behind the orange and yellow foliage outside my kitchen window, I pulled out my recipe and got to work. Of course I didn’t have all my usual ingredients, but I’ve never let that stop me before. I just approach it as a bit of an experiment. I usually use a combination of oatmeal and spelt flours. With no oatmeal flour, I grabbed what I did have – coconut flour. I’ve never discovered the perfect ratio for exchanging coconut flour for any other flour. If you have any helpful hints, I would love to hear from you. I usually end up using a little less of the coconut flour, and a lot more of the wet ingredient – in this case, unsweetened almond milk. I also didn’t have enough flax – what can I say – tomorrow is grocery day! So, how did it turn out? Well, not as good as usual, but boy did the house smell good!

Laura’s Fall Pumpkin Bread

3 cups wholegrain flour (combo - Spelt and Oatmeal)

2 Tbls. ground Organic Flax

2 Tbls. Organic Pea Protein Powder

½ cup Organic Coconut Palm Sugar or 2 Packets Sweet Life Stevia

3 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp. Ginger Powder

2 Tbls. Organic Ceylon Cinnamon Powder

3 Tbls. Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1 cup Raw Walnuts

1 cup dried Organic Fruit (Raisins or Cranberries)

1 can Organic Pumpkin

1 ¼ cups Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Mix all ingredients, using a fork to break up coconut oil (or melt before adding). Divide batter between loaf pans. Bake 55-60 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool another 10 minutes before serving. Once loaves are completely cooled they can be wrapped and frozen for future use.

Have a favorite fall recipe to share? Click on the comments and tell me about it!

Laura S. Pringle is the author of The Pringle Plan, a series of educational guides.

See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon

Monday, October 24, 2016

Art, Gardens, and Music

Last year, I went on a bus trip with Friendship Tours. Long distance driving isn’t much fun on I-95, especially as you get closer to New York. So, it was wonderful to sit back and let someone else do the driving. It was also fun to meet and talk with other people. I’ve always liked tourists. They’re in a different mindset. It’s all about getting away from their everyday routines and stresses. Tourists just want to have fun, relax and enjoy the sights. What better place to do that than at the New York BotanicalGardens!

The best part isn’t the gardens. It isn’t the art. And it isn’t the music. The best part is the way it’s all tied together. I was there during the Frida Kahlo exhibit. A native of Mexico, Kahlo’s paintings feature fruits, vegetables, plants and animals native to her homeland. Her paintings are beautifully done with exquisite detail and brilliant color. The plants of Mexico were featured in the conservatory buildings, which were decorated with deep blue and pink walls inspired by Kahlo’s own courtyard garden, Casa Azul. Musicians in traditional costume played lively Mexican music and posed for photos. Even the restaurants and food trucks featured Mexican food.

Kahlo didn’t leave home much. She had been in a car accident as a teenager, and suffered life-long pain as a result. Kahlo’s marriage to the artist, Diego Rivera, was childless having suffered several miscarriages which only added to her pain. Many of her personal self-portraits feature lonely gruesome depictions of blood, miscarriage, and the heartache she felt when her husband divorced her. Other paintings feature themes of feminist issues, and many portray her beloved pets – cats, parrots, monkeys and deer, and always the native flora and fauna that soothed her soul.

The trams weren’t working the day I was there, so I was only able to see what was within walking distance, but that was enough to keep me busy all day. I think that is the best way to experience the gardens anyway. I was able to walk about at my own pace, sitting when I just wanted to relax, moving on when I wanted to explore. The café was undersized for the number of people, and the prices were far too high for the quality, so if I were to go again, I would bring my own lunch and find a nice place to sit, relax, and enjoy. Experiencing the great outdoors is always the best way to play tourist. But who knew that by taking a few hours ride to New York, I would be transported to a whole other world in Mexico!

Laura S. Pringle is the author of The Pringle Plan, a series of educational guides.

See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon

Monday, October 17, 2016

Bridge of Flowers

Seeing all the beautiful foliage pictures on Facebook has me reminiscing about a day trip my husband and I took back in 2010. We were really in to going for long drives at that time. We had done the traditional drive to Vermont, and realized we really had never explored Massachusetts. So, feeling a bit adventurous, we hopped into the car and off we went with no real plan.

That decision turned out to be a smart move, because in our wanderings we stumbled upon Shelburne, Mass. This quaint little town, which neither of us had ever heard of, not only had a nice little diner for lunch, and shops to explore, but of all things – A bridge of flowers! I would never have imagined such a place existed, let alone gone looking for it, but there it was. As we drove across one bridge, we could see flowers hanging over the side of another bridge. The bridges both cross the Deerfield River.

The Bridge of Flowers is open April 1 – October 30^th. It’s a pedestrian bridge, (no dogs allowed), that is planted and maintained by an impressive group of very dedicated volunteers. I’m afraid my photos don’t do it justice, so I really hope you’ll use this link to check out the organizations website. Their photos are far superior to mine. They must have created a micro-climate on the bridge, because it really was amazing the number of flowers still in bloom during our visit.

http://www.bridgeofflowersmass.org/

Laura S. Pringle is the author of The Pringle Plan, a series of educational guides.

See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Scotland Highland Games

Feeling in need of experiencing my ancestral roots, I couldn’t wait to go to the Scotland Highland Games on Sunday. The weather reports had hurricane Matthew staying far to the south of Connecticut, so I felt good to go! I started preparing last Thursday by searching my Scotland Pinterest board for some traditional recipes. Many of the recipes no longer fit my diet. I rarely eat meat, dairy is out, and I’m a teetotaler. However, being a sandwich lover at heart, I loved the idea of hand held Shepherd’s pie pasties, and gluten free Scotch pies. Both are made with lamb. So, when I discovered Sterling’s own Ekonk Farm had a booth at the Bozrah Farmers Market Friday evening, I knew I had a chance to buy some pasture raised ground lamb. Sure enough they had a package of the frozen meat, and I’m looking forward to trying the recipes one cold winter day.

As for the Scotland Highland Games….well….you see….oh I’ll just say it – I didn’t go. I am and always have been a fair weather girl. I don’t do cold, humid, windy, or wet. Sunday was wet! So we put Plan B into action. We listened to bagpipes on Pandora and we watched You Tube videos of Scotland’s beautiful countryside, Scottish dancers, and bagpipe players. Thank goodness for modern technology. I’m now nearly maxed out on bagpipes and drums, big bushy hats, and tartan kilts. At least enough to get me through until next year! Oh and for those of you outside of Connecticut, the Scotland Highland Games I’m referring to are held in Scotland, CT.

If you’d like to experience a bit of Scotland, here is a Rick Steves video to enjoy.

Laura S. Pringle is the author of The Pringle Plan, a series of educational guides.

See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon

Monday, October 3, 2016

Off To Mystic

I’m off to Downtown Mystic, CT this week. Why? Do I need a reason! I love it there. The water, the bridge, watching the boats pass by as I take my walk on the boardwalk - What more reason do I need? Well, actually I do have a reason, or at least an excuse to take a mini-vacation.

We have finally planted enough flowers in our garden to attract loads of butterflies and hummingbirds. My husband and I both really enjoyed watching them this summer as we sat on the deck at meal times. The butterflies really hung by the purple flowers, and the hummingbirds seemed most attracted to anything pink in the garden. The problem was, there were so many different varieties, and we didn’t know the names of any of them. So, last week, still in September, my husband announced he wanted a butterfly book for Christmas!

Hmmm… I wonder where I could find a butterfly book? What’s that – one just like I bought you for identifying birds a few years ago? I know just where to get that! I’ll just have to take a drive over to the bookstore in downtown Mystic. Of course while I’m there, I may as well stop by the tea shop, take a walk on the boardwalk, and poke my head in a few other shops while I’m at it! See you next Monday!

Oh, here are a few links to some of my favorite places in Mystic.

http://www.spiceandtea.com/mystic.html/

http://www.banksquarebooks.com/

http://sp-oyster.com/

http://www.mysticmuseumofart.org/