Sep 12, 2010

Pumpkin Bars and Adventures in Golf Carting, Big Sunglasses, and Bad Hair

Hello ladies and probably 1 or 2 gents...

Last week Meg posted about a pumpkin crumble bar recipe she found on about.com. I've been waiting since January's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to start baking with pumpkin again. Yes, canned pumpkin has been available at Whole Foods all year, but is it appropriate to make pumpkin desserts in the Summer? I had no problem baking pumpkin muffins when I was in Massachusetts, but that was because it was like 60 degrees at night and it felt like it was fall. I guess it doesn't even feel like fall yet in SC, but damn it, it's September, and I was ready.

This recipe is super easy but it contains a truck load of sugar and butter, so I made some modifications that I knew wouldn't sabotage the flavor. 

Pumpkin Bars with Crumb Topping (adapted from Southern Food)

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup butter
Filling:
  • 1 15.5 oz canned pureed pumpkin
  • 2/3 cup skim milk
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 375*. Combine oats, flour, 1/2 cup sugar,  salt, baking soda, pecans, and butter. Beat until crumbly. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture and press remaining mixture into a lightly buttered 13x9 baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Prepare filling: Beat pumpkin, milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, egg, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Spread filling over the crust. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture on top. Bake for a 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.
Pecan oat crust:
Pumpkin filling:
Crumble topping:
Pumpkin bars!
These are the moistest bars ever ever ever. Margaret, Sarah, and I enjoyed them from Thursday until last night at about 3 am. They stayed incredibly moist and made our pee a really special highlighter color. Has anyone else experienced this from canned pumpkin?

Now that you have a delicious fall recipe, let's talk about some other junk. Golf carts. Marg's dad brought her a golf cart last weekend, and since I pretty much live with her now, we've been using this sassy vehicle to get around...
to places like Harris Teeter when we run out of wine...
...and to scare boys.
Say hello to Matt, fully dressed in boxers.
He was so impressed that he came for a ride around the hood too.

On Saturday, as much as we wanted to golf cart it to the beach, we drove a real car to Folly. 
Ummm how is it that I made pumpkin crumble bars on Thursday, yet went to the beach in 86* weather on Saturday? Oh, Charleston.

After the beach, we stopped at Chick-fil-A for Margaret's very first experience. Can you believe that she had never been before? We got one of each sauce!
I'm pretty sure she liked it.
And then Sarah brought home the largest banana pudding I've ever seen.
I liked it. FYI that is my beach hair look. Super hot.
That night we went out "under cover."
You can't see our faces in these glasses. 
Let it be known that wearing super large glasses to the bar brings a lot of attention.


Sunday morning, looking like people of walmart, we ran some errands for I don't even remember what. And we bought nothing. But damn, I looked good doing it. Kinda like my friend Tinkerbell!
Confidence and bloggy love is being able to show my readers when I look like Tinkerbell/trash :)


We sat on the couch for hours until Matt stopped by wanting to go for a ride on the golf cart. So we went for ice cream.
Since Matt was nice enough to chauffeur us downtown last night, Margaret let him drive home. Mistake. We went off-roading. 
And this driver of ours found it humorous to speed through every.single.puddle. The face of a naughty  man:


How was YOUR weekend? Any new fall recipes you'd like to share? 


50 comments:

  1. The bars look fabulous! And it sounds like you had a fun weekend. Love the giant sunglasses! I think your hair looks adorable curly. I straightened mine this weekend, which is a rarity lately. Fall recipes- stuffed squash and pumpkin soup are my fav!

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  2. Thank you for the pumpkin bar recipe. I shall use this to impress the new in-laws at Christmas.

    P.S. I want a golf cart.

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  3. Super cute dress. I love all of these new cookies in a bar recipes floating around. Bars are so much better. But I'm still not ready for fall flavors... I'm holding out until October.

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  4. I'm so glad it's pumpkin season! I have yet to start baking though. And you have some hilarious adventures! :)

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  5. I AM GOING TO MAKE THOSE!!!!! And, FYI, my hair always looks like that. Sheesh! Looks better on you. Thanks again for the cookie recipe.

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  6. i love cooking with pumpkin!!! im going to try this recipe....looks so great! also, i used to work at Harris Teeter....totally hated it...but it was to help me during my undergraduate years in college! thank goodness thats over!

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  7. BAHAHA, ♥ it, girl! I so want to go out with sometime! Your shenanigans sound a lot like my past bar hops.

    Good for you for being a TRUE FRIEND and introducing your friend to Chick-Fil-A. Seriously, that bond shall never be broken, not after breaking bread (with a magnificent-tasting chicken inside) together:)

    Also, let it be known that that banana pudding looks so indulgent that I'm having to type this really fast so I can close out this page. It's just too tempting! Weird, too, because for 30 years of my life I've HATED bananas...until recently. I hope I'm not preggers, because I'm craving it like mad, girl! I even bought Banana SF syrup the other day to make banana shakes!!!

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  8. ah, Walmart, i remember her well. when i go back home to visit, that's the first stop from the airport, i kid you not :)

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  9. Haha chick-fil-a sauces!!! I swear they hand out more sauces then they do actual food. I used to have a stash of a bunch of them in my dorm and I'd pair them with anything I could fit in my tiny mini-fridge. Soooo good.

    And to me, the best part of fall is being able to use all of the recipes with pumpkin. Yummm.

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  10. I'm so flattered that you tried out my recipe! I will probably make them next time with your alterations! As for the bright pee, now that I think of it, yes, it has the same effect on me!

    Love the sunglasses and love the fact you have a friend named Margaret: my full name!

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  11. Looks like an awesome weekend!

    I laughed because I totally have a pair of stunna' shades like that- actually got them for $1 at Walmart one day with an old roomie... They're fun, but horrible to see out of! lol

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  12. Oh my gosh! That's so funny - I made fruit Plum Crumb Bars on Friday!! Great minds think alike...!

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  13. Hahaha you always have the best weekend stories! This weekend I moved back to school, caught up with friends, went out to the bars, and went on a day trip to the States!

    PS. I need those giant sunglasses for my next night out!

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  14. those pumpkin bars look DE-LISH! It sounds like you had a good weekend. Glad you introduced your friend to Chick Fil-A...she will never be the same.

    oh and you HAVE to try this recipe of pumpkin pie...my g-ma made it this Sunday.
    http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1932527

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  15. I am so going to bookmark this recipe. I LOVE pumpkin! Bring it:)

    Your pictures are cracking me up!!

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  16. HAHA, I've been loving your posting style lately...so funny!! And I'm obsessed with the Tinkerbell pic. You should think of being her for Halloween...you could totally pull it off.

    My weekend was definitely a SUCCESS!! Free wine + beach + tiramisu = time of my life. Love it. Hope you have an amazing start to your week girl!! xoxo

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  17. You totally look like Tinkerbell!! Halloween costume, perhaps??

    I totally didn't know canned pumpkin affected pee color... ca-razy. I can't wait to whip pumpkin candles... and eat pumpkin seeds!

    PS..I love golf carts...

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  18. 1. we will have a golf cart at our disposal in north carolina; 2. my goal in life is to own a golf cart of my own for adventures just like this; 3. THOSE PUMPKIN BARS LOOK AMAZING and i want one. see you soooo sooooooon, xo!

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  19. Banana pudding!!! *Lovelovelove*

    Mmmm...the modified pumpkin bars sound awesome...The only problem is that there still seems to be a canned pumpkin shortage in DC! Boo. Maybe I'll buy a gigantic pumpkin and puree my own.

    Muahaha...love your golf cart and Walmart adventures! And The People of Walmart website is hilarious! Thanks for the link!! I've already showed my roommates and we're all mildly obsessed.

    xoxo

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  20. That pumpkin bar really is perfect for fall. I'd like to try some of that giant banana pudding too!

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  21. Those glasses are awesome!! hehe

    AND OF COURSE I'M GOING TO THE AUBURN CLEMSON GAME! We're leaving town Friday night - are you going???!!!!

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  22. Oh my goodness! That sounds delicious! I love this time of the year and I LOVE anything pumpkin!

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  23. You are so beautiful!

    PUMPKIN?!!!! Now you KNOW I'm ALL OVER THAT :) I've been posting some pumpkin lovin' up myself lately, but these look fantastic!

    Tis the season :)

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  24. I want those pumpkin bars in my belly nowww! YUM! And your beach hair looks cute, I'm jealous. Also I have some big star sunglasses like that! The kids I babysit love them and so do I haha

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  25. I looove pumpkin anything! Those bars sound so good. And I remember my first Chick-fil-A encounter freshman year at Clemson...SO GOOD! Mmm I miss it :)

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  26. You definitely live the life. I feel like I had an amazing weekend (and eats) through you. lol Not that my weekend was bad, it's just fun to see yours. And my my what great food you did eat! Love the pumpkin bars!

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  27. The pumpkin bars look sooo good. I should probably make a separate bookmarks folder for pumpkin recipes alone, I have so many. And I've been baking all summer long, regardless of the heat. Call me insane for turning on the oven when it's pushing 100 degrees outside but sometimes you just want baked goods, you know?? Haha.

    So sad you have never experienced the magic that is Graeters :( It's the most perfect ice cream I've ever eaten. I think you can ship it online but that's probably not cheap... but if you're ever in Ohio or Kentucky, you MUST seek out a store!!

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  28. Yummy lookin' pumpkin bars! We have a golf cart at the campsite, it's pretty sweet LOL!

    Jen
    http://jenslosinit.blogspot.com/

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  29. I noticed that pumpkin is REALLY orange...no wonder your pee looked weird! Um, I have to say...you looked hot in Walmart. Seriously, you are fooling no one!

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  30. I need to get my butt to Whole Foods..too bad the closest one's 2.5 hours away. But I *still* can't find pumpkin in this city so the trip may be well worth it. I'd probably buy a shopping cart's worth. ;)

    Love that you drive around in the golfcart! It reminds me of when I worked at a camp- we used golfcarts for transportation all around camp (of course) but into town as well. We were rockin' ;)

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  31. you are SO fun :) those glasses are a riot and I'd LOVE to have a golf cart to run around in... although I've gotten in trouble with them a few times :)

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  32. hahaha you are too fuuny! Those bars look awesome! My family has a golf cart that we drive around and it's super fun! Hope you had a great weekend!

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  33. WOW. I cannot you all rolled in a golf cart. Not literally---drove I guess. I like to talk hood. That's just awesome though. I love walking over to the Teet when I'm half lit for more wine--yay for vino!

    The bars look great but not as great as those sunglasses.

    PS---Soooooooooooo trying those bars!

    PPS-How has she never discovered the wonderfulness of Chick Fil A?

    PPPS-They have banana pudding???!!! GAH!

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  34. You are so much fun!!! :)

    And those pumpkin bars look delicious!

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  35. I simply can not WAIT to make all my pumpkin desserts...it's my FAVORITE time for baking!! Well, next to Christmas...but I always keep the pumplin trend going then too :-)

    I LOVE the sunglasses, totally HAWT!

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  36. whooooa. Get me some of that banana pudding please! Yum! And how about those pumpkin bars? I can practically feel the moist-ness through the screen. That was supposed to be a good thing, btw.

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  37. It's impossible to describe how jealous I am. I have ALWAYS wanted to drive a golf cart. We don't get a lot of opportunities in MN. :( I actually really wanted to leave my wedding in one, but my husband nixed it...which was smart cuz it snowed the day after our wedding...in October! Still, very jealous! I shall achieve my dream someday.

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  38. You are so funny and I love reading your blog! And I can't believe your poor friend had never been to a chick-fil-a! She was totally missing out! lol! And the sun glasses are too cute! Hope you have a good week girl :)

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  39. I think these will be made this Friday for my bake sale!! They look amazing! Perhaps I will have to make TWO batches!

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  40. ps. you left out the recipe part for the crumble topping? Or do I not see it?

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  41. People of Walmart-ha! I love the glasses too--very nice :)

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  42. blah. i tried commenting last night, but it wasn't letting me.

    anywayyyy...

    those sunglasses are the cats meow. love, love, love.

    i adore pumpkin-pumpkin anything! i will give these bars a try.

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  43. I am so happy that I can start whippin out the cans of pumpkin again--and these bars are now on my list of things to make--yum! You girls look like you always have sooo much fun..One of my friends worked on a golf course in high school and we'd go all out on the golf carts..glad we're not the only ones who find it entertaining! ha! :o)

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  44. In case anyone out there is like me and a little bit nervous around pumpkin food, I can assure that these are definitely worth making! I - yep thats me in all the awkward pics:) - ate like 8 of them! Usually i'm wary of the consistency of pumpkin things but these were a fabulous combo of oats, pumpkin, crumble, and nuts.... not weird textures!!

    Also - I HIGHLY recommend wearing sunglasses like ours if you want to meet lots of fun new people, as they tend to draw a little bit of attention!!!!

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  45. You always wear the most ridiculous things when you go out. And I love it. I also love that you take the golf cart actually out in public. I mean, do people do that? Or is that a Christina original...? Haha.

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  46. I LOVE fall! Probably because I enjoy eating anything and everything PUMPKIN haha

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  47. Love the healthy changes you've made to these bars. Thanks for lightening them up!

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  48. This post makes me miss Charleston! :(

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  49. I made the pumpkin bars and they were very moist, but in my opinion, they needed some sugar (or brown sugar) in the crust, too. I know it is less healthy that way, but a little sweeter would be better. I will try them again with the addition and see how it goes. Thanks for the idea. I usually just make pumkin bread and I'm excited to have a little change.

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