It takes a lot of energy to get kids carrying sleds and twice their body weight in clothing back up a sledding hill. Last weekend our 4-H club had a sledding party. And while the kids flew down and trudged up the country-park hill, we adults manned the campfire and the food. My party contribution was cranberry pumpkin bars. Although I was surrounded in the whites, blues, and grays of winter, I still hadn't given up on fall. Those harvest colors of orange and crimson soothe this soul who reminisces of a warmer time, - a time when I didn't have to hop to feel my toes. Fall comfort foods should never be far from a Wisconsin winter table, especially if that table is an old picnic table half buried in snow in the woods.
An added benefit to eating pumpkin bars on the sledding hill is that they don't challenge the jaw muscles and teeth like frozen chocolate. The kids were trying to make s'mores. The roasting of the marshmallows went as expected, some turned out half-golden, others were charred black. And the graham crackers remained perennially graham crackerish. But at 15 degrees, Hershey's chocolate bars are rock hard. The warm marshmallows, which in summer's heat would have slightly melted the chocolate over the graham cracker, didn't leave any impression at all on that frozen chocolate. The kids obviously struggled as they attempted to maneuver the chocolate on to their back molars for maximum impact. My 7-year-old gave up on his s'more. (So I had to use extreme effort and consume his chocolate.) Good thing we had those pumpkin bars and cookies.
But challenging food, numb fingers, and smiles spread beneath frost-bit noses are part of the fun at an outdoor winter party. We all got fresh air; the kids got lots of exercise, and we adults got to chat as we rotated ourselves like marshmallows around the fire. Wisconsin has lots of great sledding hills. And if you're blessed with lots of snow and hills too, get out there and wake up to winter. And to keep the cranks away from your angels, just bring along fun food too. Read on for the cranberry pumpkin bar recipe.
This recipe for pumpkin bars comes from the cookbook Recipes For Sweetened Dried Cranberries written by Linda Urban Hamm whose brother, Dan, and sister-in-law, Cheryl, started up a cranberry business. They create sweetened dried cranberries which Linda writes, "are the best tasting dried cranberries I have ever tasted. They are much sweeter and moister than any other product on the market. People have been asking for recipes and ways to use these delicious berries. My cookbook is compiled of recipes that I have collected over the years as well as many that are my own. Enjoy! I hope you find these recipes to be Berry delicious."
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup oil or butter (I used butter. Of course, I'm in Wisconsin.)
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups and it was plenty sweet enough)
- 4 eggs
- 1 16-oz can pumpkin (small cans of pumpkin only come in 15 oz cans now!)
- 1/2 cup nuts (I didn't use)
- 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries (I definitely used, - cranberries make the bars outstanding!)
"Sift together dry ingredients. Beat eggs; add oil and sugar; beat well. Add pumpkin to eggs. To dry ingredients add pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts and dried cranberries. Pour into a greased and floured 15 x 10 -inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.
Frosting:
- 3 oz. cream cheese
- 2 Tablespoons margarine (margarine?)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (I only used 2 and it tasted great.)
- Milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream together cream cheese and margarine; add vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar adding just enough milk to make a good spreading consistency."
For more ideas for fun things to do in Wisconsin, check out Travel Wisconsin's events calendar. There's sure to be an ice-fishing contest near you!
Comments