Jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon

I just couldn't resist the fall spirit and had to buy this at Trader Joe's. I just had to have the pumpkin! Sunday morning seemed like a great time to make these. Ryan was assembling my bike, so I directed myself to the kitchen to make some pumpkin waffles.

Working on a nice, smooth, pumpkin smelling batter.

Here is my fun little waffle maker. Ryan bought it for me last year for Hanukah.
Not perfect, but not too bad. I at least did not make a huge mess everywhere with too much batter. We usually over fill, so I was cautious this time.
They have a little orange tint to them.
Then the strangest thing happen after breakfast. I won't lie, I did ignore the pounding on the dorr the first 3 times I heard it. My neighbors are doing some construction and I thought maybe it was just noise from this. Finally I got up and checked the door to find my next door neighbor outside with some food. WOW, they brought us food they had cooked. These are little pastries with a custard filling. I asked what was inside and they said natas, which is cream.
And for Ryan there was chicken and pineapple (galina com ananas- I think I got that right). We are hoping this is not one of our little chicken friends that lay our eggs over there.
It was a gorgeous day so we went back to the ExpoTerceira. Much busier Sunday than it was on Saturday. We also wanted to come back so we could eat at O Pescador.
I just had to stop at this booth again and watch this man make funny sculptures out of produce.
This is why we really went back.
Awesome looking menu selections. Some different and some the same from the regular menu. Of couse you see the pumpkin soup, which would complete my pumpkin craving kinda day.

Bread
Plus Speadable Cheese
Equals YUM! This was actually very good cheese although processed. I admit, their real cheese in the restaurant is much better.
A smaller, but equally as tasty, portion of their delicious bruschetta with banana chutney.
Here's my pumpkin soup. Color was good, taste was not as good. I liked it, but I have had better. This was thickened with a lot of potato.
Veggies and tofu for me.
The small steak for Ryan. The food was good, but not as spectacular as usual. I give them credit for trying as they were cooking out of a makeshift kitchen on a pier in the marina. So with that in mind, it was actually good.
Now you know the meal has ended!
Then we walked around the expo a little. I found the Michelin tire guy made it all the way to the Azores.
They had a booth out displaying the many cheeses of the island (ilha quijos). This was a heat lamp that melts the cheese to make it spread on foods. Almost like fondue, minus the fondue pot.


Since this expo displayed local business and the economy of the island, there were also some home items on display.
This is the Prius, but not just any Prius.
This Prius is SOLAR powered. This is the panel.
A hot tub. It just looked very relaxing.
This is a TV. Look how thin they are these days. That is just crazy.
So that was mostly it for Sunday. Remember this bike I bought when I was visiting the States. Well Ryan reassembled my bike and the weather was just amazing, so we went for a little ride just to test it out. It was great. There are some massive hills here, so I will need to practice before giving those a try. The inclines are insane.
I also want to review this product for those of you with curly hair. I bought this at Sephora when I was home after my mom gave me an article about it from the newspaper. The woman at the store gave me great advice...use less than what the bottle says. The bottle says a QUARTER sized dollop. Then rub into wet hair and comb through. I did get my hair cut wile at home so it is much shorther than usual, but boy am I glad I followed her instructions. I have been using a DIME sized dollop and it workd great. The humidity is no match for this product. I could tell the difference that same night. I am very happy with this purchase and I will continue to use it for as long as I am on the most humid location on earth. My curly hair thanks this product!

Today is the last of my EASY days for a while. Tomorrow until Friday I am substitute teaching for the high school science teacher at the American school here on the base. That by itself does not sound busy, but it is also my one week Master's course (Creative Problem Solving) on base. At least all my precourse work and papers are completed. I just have to attend class 6-9:30 pm Tuesday-Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. Still, not too bad. But tonight I teach 12 am and 2 am seminars, and Thursday is a 12 am seminar, so I am wondering when I can get some sleep. I am hoping to still get some short posts up, so we will see!

QUESTION: My assigned day to bring food for class is Saturday. Any suggestions for a quick and easy, healthy brunch type item? I was thinking just grab some yogurts, but I feel very uncreative with that choice.

8 comments:

Astra Libris said...

Wow, pumpkin waffles sound SO amazing!! (I always have trouble with over-filling the waffle iron too... :-)

How incredible that your neighbors brought over homemade goodies! So sweet and thoughtful!

I love expos such as you described... It reminded me a little bit of a state fair! :-)

Congratulations on your new bike! And sending lots of good luck wishes with your very, very busy upcoming schedule... I hope you're able to get some sleep and rest sometime!

Anonymous said...

Your veggies/tofu dish looks incredibly yummy!! As for a brunch, you could go with your idea of yogurt and maybe some granola and fruit for toppings etc?? Good luck!

Nutritious is Delicious said...

What a yummy post! Pumpkin waffles?! Yes please! :D

Unknown said...

I LOVE teachers, and substitute teachers just rock because they can breathe a break and breath of fresh air into life...
So, I totally think you should mix a can of pumpkin in with yogurt and cinnamon make mini parfaits...preassemble the yogurt in plastic cups with bananas. Then before serving, top with Special K Almond.
http://thespecialktreatment.wordpress.com/
OR: this is super easy....slice up 6 varieties of apples and half a cup of OJ with spices and start on high early in the am (or low the night before) in a crockpot. About one hour before the meal, throw in 1.5 C. STEEL oatmeal.
Have three little dishes with honey, walnuts and cranberries for toppings. If you are pumpkin-fied, you can add in half a can as well...

Anonymous said...

Oh, I love Krystal's food suggestions!

How exciting that you got your bike assembled! Enjoy! :)

Every time I go to TJ's I see the box of pumpkin mix and reach for it... But I haven't bought it yet... I don't really like to make waffles because I ALWAYS overfill the waffle maker no matter how careful I am. (Or I make really pathetic waffles...) But I love to eat waffles... :)

Anonymous said...

AAH! I saw that mix at TJ, but I didn't buy it. Now I regret not getting them! >:-(

Hey, what about overnight oats? Or jazzed up bananas: banana split and stuffed with nutbutter, topped with nuts and granola!

Melissa said...

I just jumped on the pumpkin train too. I finally bought my first can of the season yesterday.

The Michelan man made me laugh. So funny!

You could bring yogurts, Larabars, wraps filled with peanut butter and bananas...have fun teaching!

Emily said...

Hooray for jumping on the pumpkin bandwagon. I saw that mix at TJ's, and now I want to try it!

Hmm, brunch food. I always like bringing muffins and fruit. Or you could bring oatmeal in a crockpot with different toppings. :-)

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