Welcome!
And thank you for stopping by for the Pick A Pumpkin blog hop which is hosted by Carla at Creatin' In The Sticks! We will, no doubt, see lots of pumpkin-y inspiration!
Fall is a favorite time of decorating for many. It it kind of the "kick-off" for the many seasons of decorating... Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter and Valentine's.
The nice thing about Halloween and Thanksgiving is that many of decorations can carryover. Anything pumpkin (with out the jack-o-lantern face) and leaves can serve as double duty.
It is for this very reason that I wanted to make a wall hanging that could be used from late September through November... it features pumpkins of all sorts, flying geese and leaves.
Last year I had participated in the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks blog hop where I featured my Pumpkin Log block and some yummy pumpkin recipes. The inspiration for my pumpkin blocks came from this block...
As I made my variety of pumpkins for my fall wall hanging I recalled the story of my Mom being tricked into eating sweet potatoes... You see, Mom is not a fan of sweet potatoes!
Shortly after Mom and Dad had been married she had enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with Dad's family. When it came time for dessert, which was "pumpkin pie" (one of my Mom's favorites) my Grandma Schleich >>> (who was an excellent cook and rocked an amazing apron) served up the pie and then watched her closely and asked if she liked it... she said yes. When she was done with her pie it was revealed that the pie had been made with mashed sweet potatoes, NOT pumpkin! Everyone had a good laugh...
And because I was influenced by my mom's taste, or distaste, for sweet potatoes, I never tried them.
My first pumpkin was string pieced with scraps of orange...
When our children were young, and we still lived in Illinois, we participated in a fundraiser called Market Day where you could order a variety of food boxes for a reasonable price, AND support the group that held the sale. One of the regular items I would purchase was a fruit and vegetable box. The fruits were always good, as were the veggies, but not always vegetables I would choose to buy. I sometimes had to be creative to use them...
One such time was when the box included sweet potatoes! I recalled the story of the "pumpkin pie" and thought I would give it a try.
We LOVED it! It was even better than pumpkin. It had a creamier, smoother texture. From that time forward I knew what to do with sweet potatoes. :) Pies!
The second pumpkin was just a patchwork of orange...
After moving back to Colorado in 1995, our family had been invited to visit a Ranch in Stonewall, CO for the day. We enjoyed horseback riding and touring the ranch on a beautiful fall day. When it was time for lunch we all balked a bit when we were told that sweet potato fries were part of the meal. Dave and I bravely tried them and with much surprise enjoyed them. Their girls enjoyed them as well.
Ok, another way to cook sweet potatoes! And now that I have to follow a restrictive diet that did not allow for regular potatoes (they have since been added back in), sweet potatoes are now all we eat. Wow! Has my taste palette expanded and matured. I have to say that white sweet potatoes are not as soft and mushy as the regular potatoes or yams.
I can still be a picky eater though...
The third block was a wonky log cabin... One of my favorite blocks to do since there is no worry of precise cutting for the width of the logs.
Recently one of Dave's customers brought us two winter squash. It looked basically like a pumpkin, but looked as though it has some warts. I knew that I would be able to treat it as pumpkin and use in muffins or breads... or even a soup. I did a quick search for some butternut squash recipes. I came across one for Butternut Squash Enchilada Casserole. I was feeling brave and wanted to try it...
It called for corn tortillas, which I cannot have, so I substituted some grain free tortilla chips in their place. I omitted the spinach since I didn't have any on hand. It makes a large portion so I divided it in two smaller cake pans and froze one for a meal in the future...
When I placed the casserole on the table... Dave was skeptical. Okay, so was I... We each dished up a small portion and ended up going back for seconds. We ate half of the pan and saved the remainder for another meal. It was just as good the second time around! I recommend it!
For my final pumpkin block I just used a handsome looking plaid...
I had a beautiful day to photograph my quilt... It was reassuring to know that our dog, Shelby, was performing a security sweep of the various locations in the yard... she gave the all clear. 😉
Thanks for stopping by! I am offering another pattern give away. This one is for the Blossoms pattern by Great American Quilt Factory. Now, it looks a little old school, but I am certain that using modern, brighter (maybe even batiks... ooooh! That could be nice) fabrics would bring it to life. Simply leave a comment before November 10th letting me know...
Did you know you that sweet potatoes could be subbed in for pumpkin???
Do you think this is something you would try? Our youngest daughter would probably prefer this... she is a hater of pumpkin anything... Sweet potatoes though are a different story!
Be sure to visit all of the hop participants. There is inspiration in abundance!
Quilt Happy!
Melva
Monday, November 5th
Tuesday, November 6th
Wednesday, November 7th
Thursday, November 8th
I love sweet potato pie! Your quilt is cute, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI love sweet potato pie. It has more flavor. The pumpkins are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pumpkin quilt!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your quilt with all those pumpkins! Your stories about sweet potatoes are great. I like sweet potatoes, but my husband doesn't. Last year, we were visiting my brother who whipped up a huge breakfast dish full of eggs, bacon, white potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Glen knew what he was eating, and I was surprised he didn't pick out the sweet potatoes. Later he asked if I noticed that he didn't get seconds. If he had really liked it, he certainly would have. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely stories and a beautiful quilt. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that sweet potatoes can be substituted for pumpkin. I love pumpkin seeds but do not like pumpkin, sweet potatoes nor yams. Growing up, while everyone else was eating their pumpkin pie, I was eating all the leftover whipped cream. That was a win in my book. :)
fabulous piece! How did you get it up on that building???
ReplyDeleteMelva, I definitely prefer sweet potatoes to pumpkin!! AND, I have an awesome sweet potato casserole recipe that my family loves! Great job on your project. I love all the pumpkins, but I think my favorite is the wonky log cabin pumpkin! So cute! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about subbing sweet potatoes for pumpkin! I adore pumpkin, though, so I'm not sure I'd try it. Maybe for my hubby, who isn't particularly fond of it! Your pumpkin blocks are such fun -- very creative! And they make a darling quilt! :)
ReplyDeleteYour pumpkin quilt is adorable and the plaid one fits right in. Yes, I am familiar with sweet potato pie but still use pumpkins.
ReplyDeletePumpkin and sweet potato are two different tastes.
ReplyDeleteI love those pumpkins and they look beautiful in the quilt! All your photos are amazing and it's good that Shelby checked out each location...such a cute dog! I've never replaced pumpkin with sweet potatoes, but now I'll have to try. I'm also going to try that casserole dish!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pic is hanging from the barn roof. =) It's a great quilt block combination. Thanks for sharing the close up pictures. Your stories were wonderful, and sometimes amusing. I did know about sweet potato substitution, as my mother grew up in the south, and sweet potato pie was a staple. I like sweet potatoes cooked any way, and squash, too, but just baked and with butter and salt and pepper is my favorite way. Our holiday meals always included candied sweet potatoes and those are yummy, too!
ReplyDeleteI love both sweet potatoes and pumpkins and use them both as vegetables and as a healthy base when baking. I have a recipe for sweet potato or it may be pumpkin biscuits. I can’t remember because I use whichever I have; often cooking more than I need just so I can make the biscuits. Love the variety of pumpkins. Such a great idea. I also love the story telling! Nice to meet you. Janice.snell@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThat first photo really caught my eye...all I could think was, now that's a barn quilt! LOL!! What a cute little quiltie no matter the location.
ReplyDeleteI did not know they could be substituted, but it makes sense. It might be really good.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is just beautiful. I love the different pumpkins. It would be hard to choose a favorite.
Your quilt is beautiful! My daughter-in-law made and served us a pumpkin pie one year for Thanksgiving. It was exquisite! It contained sweet potatoes as well as pumpkin. Yum, yum! Sweet potato fries are one of my favorites and I make them in the oven. They don't get as crispy but they certainly are delicious.
ReplyDeleteEach of your pumpkins are adorable though I'm partial to the patchwork squares one. Yes, I knew that sweet potatoes could be used like pumpkin though I have always used pumpkin. I do like sweet potatoes whether they are baked, fried, or in a caramel sauce like Mom used to make. Great quilt and one to enjoy for months each year.
ReplyDeleteLove pumpkin, and love sweet potatoes, have great sweet potato biscuit recipe that I make a lot.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is real pretty !
Great looking quilt and wonderful use of scraps!
ReplyDeleteVery nice pumpkin quilt. I love all the different pumpkin blocks. I like both pumpkin and sweet potato pie, but do not think one is a substitute for the other. Pumpkin is the tradition in my quilty corner. I will only use puree I make myself from small pie pumpkins for the best taste or, if I use canned, it has to be One-Pie brand from Maine. Thanks for sharing in the hop. You always have such an interesting read ... :-) Pat
ReplyDeleteLove the different variations of your pumpkins. I like sweet potatoe casserole and fries. Not a fan of pumpkin pie but have great recipe for PPcake.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wendy, for helping to make this hop a fun and successful event. Good luck in the prize drawing :) BTW, the pumpkin pie cake sounds yummy!
DeleteMost sweet potato recipes are too sweet, but you might like one that I make. It has peach slices and cashew nuts and a lot less sugar. Love your quilt. Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteLove your pumpkin blocks -- I too made log cabin pumpkin blocks for the blog hop!
ReplyDeleteLog cabins are at the top of my list for favorites. I love the variety of layouts and patterns you can get with them. :)
DeleteSuch a cute little pumpkin patch!
ReplyDeleteSquash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes are some of my favorite foods. I love the story of your mom and the "pumpkin" pie. I did something similar to my middle daughter who hated peas but loved green beans. One time when I was serving Split Pea Soup, I told her it was Mashed Green Bean Soup. She loved it so much that she didn't even mind that she had been tricked into eating it.
ReplyDeleteI love this peace and the variety of pumpkins used as well as the variety of sweet potato recipes. I have never had sweet potato pie but I have had them as chips and fries and loved them. Never thought of them before as a substitue.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful quilt and depicts everything Fall perfectly! Have you ever tried a white bean pie? It is out of this world good! Very similar to sweet potato pie.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post to read. I just love your sweet potato stories. Your Grandma was a hoot when she made that pie for your mom. Melva, your pumpkin quilt is beautiful and so festive for the season. I just love how you showed each pumpkin pattern. Thank you for joining the Pick a Pumpkin blog hop!!
ReplyDeleteNope didn't know that but then again a sweet potato pie tast like pumpkin so why not.... happyness04431@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI love all the different sizes and styles of pieced pumpkin blocks in your quilt. And the colors just pop.
ReplyDeleteI think you can switch the ingredients without a problem. I haven't done it, though. I love just plain pumpkin pie ... or bread ... or ....
ReplyDeleteGive me sweet potatoes any day! I do not care for pumpkin. Your wall hanging is gorgeous! Too funny about the trick on your mama. My mother-in-law used to do stuff like that to my husband.
ReplyDeleteFun post, and I've heard of sweet potato pie before, but only like pumpkin chocolate cupcakes, lol. (Panera has a recipe).
ReplyDeleteWho knew?? But I sure love your quilt!!
ReplyDeleteThank you MaryBeth for helping to make the hop a fun and successful event. It has been fun seeing all of the comments. :)
DeleteThis is so great! As a follower of Dr. Steven Gundry, pumpkin is out and sweet potatoes are in on a limited amount.
ReplyDeleteThanks DawnyK for helping to make the hop a fun and successful event. :)
DeleteCute pumpkin wall hanging! Yes, I knew that sweet potato could be substituted for pumpkin. With the same spices, you can't even tell. I also love sweet potato fries.
ReplyDeleteHi Melva - it's me again. I wanted to say how beautiful that quilt looks hanging on the barn! That just warms my heart. Don't pick me for the pattern give away - I just won one!! I also wanted to say that I've been following your quilter's posts and enjoying them so much. Thank you! Roseanne
ReplyDeleteGreat pumpkin wall hanging! I love sweet potato pie more than I like pumpkin pie!
ReplyDeleteYou've created a bright, beautiful pumpkin quilt! So much fun to look at and take in all the colors! You have the perfect gate to hang it from for photographing...the perfect pup too to scour the area for critters! I love both sweet potatoes and pumpkin!
ReplyDeleteWe love sweet potatoes, but I had never heard of using them in pie. Thanks, we might have to investigate that. My favourite of your blocks is the wonky log cabin pumpkin too. Terrific.
ReplyDelete