Autumn Baking...

Friday's have always been  'book work free' days. These days are reserved for our co-op which happens every other week. Together we do our OHC, art and music appreciation, we have an art tutor who comes and gives the children a lesson and we use these times to recite our memory verses that we have learned over the previous fortnight. On alternate Fridays we are at home. We do our Bible time of course, our OHC and then we work on our 'Hope Chest' studies.

Our 'Hope Chest' studies are based on the good old fashioned notion of creating useful things to stow away, while learning valuable home arts, all in preparation of one day become a wife and mother. Hand work happens through out the week. We have a project that we work on, for example, we might be mastering the art of knitting and therefore be following a pattern for a pair of socks or something similar. Hand work happens during out read aloud time. Our Friday morning session is where we will focus on the kitchen. We have learned how to make jam together, various main meals, baking etc... The recipes are copied out and added to their own recipe binders which they will take with them when they leave home one day. My goal for the girls is that they will be accomplished home makers when the time comes for them to run their own homes.

Living our lives in tune with the seasons, we decided that today we would make pumpkin pie. I wrote up the recipe and put it up in the kitchen...

next we got busy to peeling and cubing and cooking the pumpkin...

Then it was making the pastry base - so easy when you just pop it all in the food processor. While we waited for our pumpkin to cook, we washed the pumpkin seeds, cooked them in salted water for 10 minutes and then popped them into the oven to roast. This is such a yummy snack and never lasts long in our home.

Then  Miss J-L got the filling ingredients together while Miss V-L worked with the pastry  lining the pie dish and cutting out little decorations for the top...

Once the pie was in the oven and the kitchen all cleaned up, the girls copied down the recipe on some pretty pumpkin pie inspired notebooking pages I created.

After that there was nothing left to do other than to enjoy a delicious piece of pumpkin pie!

 It's been voted a firm favourite  We have so much pumpkin squash left over that we can make another two pies - but we'll leave that for another day :o)