Day 332: Olive Garden Breadsticks

I brought the Olive Garden to our house tonight as I made my Zuppa Toscana (Oh my, remember when I made that for Day 1 of this blog???  Feels like forever ago!), a garden salad, and luscious garlic breadsticks.  I can't believe that I only have about 1 month left of this 365-day dinner-tracker!  I feel almost nostalgic as I think back to day 1 and the excitement I felt to start this blog.

The original recipe for the soup can be found from the link above, but it requires using a slow-cooker and letting the soup cook all day.  I didn't get the soup started today before I left the house and when I got back, the afternoon just started slipping away from me!  But I really wanted to have this soup for supper, so what was I to do?  If you want to make this dinner in less than 5 hours of slow-cooker simmering, here's the plan:

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Cut up the potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with garlic powder.  Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.  In a dutch oven, over medium heat on the stove, heat some olive oil and brown the sausage.  Add the onions and garlic to the pan.  (Using a dutch oven for the whole soup will keep the flavor of the browning sausage in the same pan, and if the soup isn't cooking for 5+ hours, you'll need all the flavor-boosters you can get!  (At this point, I poured in about 1/2 cup of white wine--that's not on the original recipe!)  Add the chicken stock.  But, instead of using 32 oz of chicken stock and water for the rest of the liquid, I just used 48 oz of chicken stock to enhance the flavor (see my point above).  Then, I added the potatoes to the soup and stuck the pot into the 400* oven.  When I was almost read to serve, I took the pot out of the oven and put it over low heat on the stove.  I added the heavy cream and kale and a little salt and let the soup continue simmering on the stove until ready to serve.  Voila!  Zuppa Toscana in about an hour and a half! :)

Olive Garden Breadsticks
My breadsticks didn't come out quite as light a fluffy as Olive Garden's, BUT.. the bread itself is sweet while the buttery goodness on top is garlicky and salty.  The flavor-profile is complete for this second Olive Garden recreation.  My favorite thing about these breadsticks is they only have to rise once, and for under an hour.  And they bake in only 15 minutes!  Easy and fast bread from scratch!

1 pack of active, dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 TB butter, softened
4 1/4 cups flour
2 TB sugar
1 TB salt
1 1/3 cup warm water

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, pour in the 1/4 cup of warm water and sprinkle in the yeast.  Let stand for about 5 minutes.  Add the butter, flour, sugar, salt, and warm water.  Mix on low until the dough comes together and is sticky.  Dump out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes.  Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces and roll the pieces out into small logs on baking sheets covered with parchment paper, lightly kneading the dough as you go.  Cover the breadsticks with a towel and let rise for about 45 minutes.
For the topping, I melt about 3 TB of butter and sprinkle in some garlic powder, salt, and dried oregano, all to taste.  I brush this mixture over each breadstick and bake in a 400* oven for 15 minutes.  When they come out of the oven, I recreate the same butter mixture and brush it over them again.  Then, I lightly sprinkle some salt on top of the breadsticks.  Serve warm.

"P" is for Pumpkin

You know that task you put off for a little while and then it gets increasingly hard to take the time to do it the more you put it off?  Like cleaning the refrigerator.  Every week I say I need to clean the refrigerator, but it has to be the day before I go grocery shopping, when the fridge is least full.  Then I keep forgetting and putting it off further.  Then the task seems even more daunting as the weeks pass.  (I am happy to say that I did clean my fridge Saturday night!  It was part of my pre-Thanksgiving task list and I wanted to do it before I lay a towel and the turkey on the bottom shelf to defrost.  I just reminded you to defrost your turkey.  You're welcome.)  Or organizing the top of my bureau--THAT'S something that just gets harder to do the more I put it off!  Or, of course, sitting down to work on this blog.  I'm simultaneously trying to set up my new website, which has been put on hold for quite some time, now, so keeping up this old blog just gets less appealing as time goes on; especially since I just get further behind on my daily recipe log!  In a recent post, "Letting Go of 'Supermom'", I simply listed some of the links to the recipes I used in the days captured in that post, which is what I think I'll do here, also.  As I looked back at my menu from the past 2 weeks, I realized that none of the recipes were new to the blog.  I've been researching new recipes to serve on Thanksgiving, so it's just easier if dinner is something I don't have to think about as much.  That's what good ol' stand-bys are for, right?  Randy worked late a few nights.  He went out one night, I went out another night, we both were out still another night.  The recipes I did use, though, I'll be sure to link to the bottom of this post.

Now, on to the point of this post.  The long-awaited pumpkin post.  I wanted to get this done before Thanksgiving and was hoping it would actually be sooner than this, but here we are.  At least I can cross it off my list when it's done!  Actually, I don't think I even wrote it on my pre-Thanksgiving list.  But I AM the type to write something on my list just to cross it off.  But I bet you already knew that.  So anyway, here's a collection of some pumpkin recipes to help carry you through the rest of autumn or to look forward to using next year if you're already onto your peppermint mocha lattes and baking sugar cookies.
 
Pumpkin Butterscotch Mini-Muffins
I got this recipe from a friend last year.  Randy calls these "crack-muffins" because they're so addicting and since they're mini, you feel like you can eat a whole bunch!  The nickname is fitting because just like a drug-addict may show signs of aggression during withdrawal, Randy can get pretty upset when he sees me making them and discovers that they're not actually for him.  I find it a little amusing.  Is that wrong?  ;)

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup canned pumpkin

6 oz butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.  Sift together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, numeg, baking soda, baking powder, and slat into a large bowl.  Whisk together the eggs, butter, and pumpkin in a separate bowl.  Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture.  Stir in the butterscotch chips; pour into each cup of the mini-muffin pan.  Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean, about 10-12 minutes.  (If you want to use regular size muffin tins, you will have to increase your bake time.  Try 25 minutes and then just keep them in there until a toothpick comes out clean.)

 

Pumpkin Belgian Waffles 
I can't say enough about these waffles!  I made them once on an experimental whim and have made them weekly since!  I don't think I or anyone in my family will ever get tired of this goodness...

2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs, separated
2 TB sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 TB butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat the waffle iron.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.  Add the vanilla, butter, milk, and pumpkin and stir.  Mix in the flour mixture and whisk just until blended, but don't overmix.  In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gently fold in the egg whites to the rest of the batter.  Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and ladle the batter into the waffle iron as usual.  Cook 2-3 minutes.  Serve immediately with fruit garnish.

Pumpkin Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups canned pumpkin puree

Preheat the oven to 325*.  Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.  In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.  Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Or until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

These are always a huge hit, no matter when I make them!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350*.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugars, oil, egg, and vanilla until combined. Mix in the flour mixture until just moistened (do not overmix). Drop mounds of the dough (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until golden and firm to the touch, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling on the flat side of half the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies. If soft, chill for 20 to 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie 
I love this pie, by Bobby Flay.  The graham cracker crust makes this the perfect pumpkin pie!  The recipe for filling actually makes more filling than needed but that's not really a problem--just eat it out of the bowl! ;)


1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly warm
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Add all the ingredients for the crust to a food processor and pulse until combined; it should feel like wet sand, and just come together.  Spread the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan, using your finger tips or the flat bottom of a glass. Firmly press the mixture over the bottom and sides of the pan.  Put the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the crust is light brown and firm to the touch, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the filling:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.  Whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugars in a large bowl. Add the butter, pumpkin, cream, spices, salt and vanilla seeds and whisk to combine. Strain the mixture into a bowl.  Pour the strained mixture into the baked pie crust and bake until almost set, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove and let come to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, if preferred.

Pumpkin Scones

So, I haven't quite perfected this recipe yet!  I like the way my one batch came out, but I didn't LOVE it--they weren't quite Starbucks-worthy yet, so I have to keep working on it.  But if you don't want to wait for my recipe to "publish" here are some tips: 1) Take your favorite scone recipe and swap out the cream/milk for pumpkin puree (in part or in whole).  2) Make an icing out of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.  3) Melt butterscotch chips and drizzle on top!

Links to recipes from the past 2 weeks:

chicken tetrazzini (and mocha brownies), whiskey-cream rib-eye steaks, tortellini soup, shrimp penne with tomato-cream sauce, roasted chicken

Day 58: Pulled Pork Ragu over Fettuccine, Bruschetta, Salad, Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Tonight I had the privilege of dining with a dear friend and her family!  I brought them supper because her husband is traveling for work and I know it can be difficult to be home alone with kids in the evenings and to think about supper, dishes, baths, etc.  People have done similar things for me since Randy is away a lot with work (and before it was school + work) so it was nice to be able to "pay it forward."  Isn't that what the body of Christ is supposed to be doing for each other anyway?  It was a treat for me, too, because I got a break from my own nightly routine--sometimes you just need that one night "off" to kind of break up the monotony.  My own family had cheddar corn chowder from the freezer for dinner.

For the meal, I wanted to bring something "kid-friendly" but also something an adult could appreciate, too.  I remember seeing a recipe for a slow-cooker pork ragu in a magazine once.  I think I even tried it, and it was just OK.  I didn't care much for the sauce recipe it had.  I think it was supposed to be a very "simple" sauce for an easy dish.  But I thought, I love my own spaghetti sauce recipe, and I always have some in the freezer, why not just use that?  (Don't mess with perfection, right?)  So I simply bought a pork roast and threw it in the slow-cooker this morning.  I covered it with spaghetti sauce and cooked it on low all day.  When I got home, the house smelled delicious!  I feel like I'm always gambling with hunks of pork on how tender they will be, so I usually prepare for the worst.  I got out my largest knife and fork to attack the meat on the cutting board when I removed it from the slow-cooker.  But I was pleasantly surprised when I touched it and just fell apart!  I put my knife away and got out 2 dinner forks and easily shred the meat and returned it to the sauce.

 I served it with lots of parmesan cheese and salad.

Bruschetta
I love bruschetta and so does Randy!  And for us, the more garlic, the better!!!  I usually say 1 large clove of the garlic per plum tomato used.  Tonight I used 2 of each.  This recipe decently covered 6 slices of bread.

6 thick slices of French bread
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4-5 basil leaves, chopped
1-2 TB balsamic vinegar
fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (1 slice per slice of bread)
salt, pepper

Mix the tomatoes, garlic, basil, and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Spoon mixture evenly onto the slices of bread, on a baking sheet.  Place the slices of cheese on top and put under the broiler until the cheese melts.  Be careful not to burn the bread! :)

Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Peanut Butter Frosting (Ina Garten)
12 TB room temperature unsalted butter

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream (plain Greek yogurt)
2 TB brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350* and prepare the muffin tin with liners.  Cream together the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix.
Mix together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Add the milk mixture and the dry ingredients alternatively into the butter/sugar mixture and stir until it's all incorporated.
Divide the batter into the liners.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely before icing.

Peanut Butter Icing
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup peanut butter
5 TB unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Combine all ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until light, fluffy, and smooth!

Day 49: Maple-Oatmeal Scones, Tortellini Soup, Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread

This morning I made scones again!  I actually haven't made this recipe in a while, even though it is one of our favorites.  Randy has requested that I attempt writing my own scone recipe for him, which will be a fun project for me to do in the near future. :)  For now, here's another Ina Garten inspired fool-proof recipe:

Maple-Oatmeal Scones
4 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oats, plus more for sprinkling
2 TB baking powder
2 TB sugar
2 tsp salt
1 lb cold, unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 maple syrup
4 eggs, beaten
1 egg + water for eggwash

Glaze:
1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanillla

Preheat oven to 400*.  Combine the dry ingredients (stand mixer is good for this recipe) then add the diced butter.  Mix until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the buttermilk, syrup, and eggs and mix them with the dry ingredients.  When completely incorporated, dump sticky dough onto a floured surface and roll out to about 1/2-1 inch thick.  Cut circles out of the dough and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Brush with egg wash.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  When cooled, drizzle the glaze over the scones and sprinkles with additional oats.  (Makes 14-16 scones.)

For Ina's exact recipe, visit http://barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=188&S=0.

Tortellini Soup
This recipe is almost never the same when I make it.  I'm constantly changing amounts of ingredients or making minor adjustments as I go.  Here's how I made it tonight:

12-14 cups chicken broth
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 carrots, sliced
1 small bag of frozen corn
1/3 box frozen spinach (or 1 bag fresh spinach--I will probably do it this way next time)
2 bags of frozen tortellini
salt, pepper
shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the onions, garlic, and carrots in the broth over medium heat until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the corn, spinach, and tortellini and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve.  Season again with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread (Ina Garten)
3 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 TB baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 lb melted butter
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 scallions, finely chopped
3 small jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs, butter, and milk and mix until just incorporated.  Add most of the cheese, the scallions, and jalapenos, and mix together.  Let the batter sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350* and grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Day 36: Cheddar Corn Chowder w/ Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Cheddar Corn Chowder
This could almost be a vegetarian meal, if vegetable broth was used instead of chicken stock, and if you leave out the bacon.  But no one in this house ever wants to leave out the bacon (myself included)!  This is a very smooth, creamy chowder that is very simple to make.  The original recipe is from Ina Garten, but I adjusted the amounts and other details to suit our needs (I'm writing out the quantities I use).  I also don't cook up all the bacon, only what we'll need for 1 dinner and leftovers.  I'll freeze half of the soup, so there's no point in chopping and cooking all that bacon.

8 oz bacon, chopped (less if you want to freeze half the soup)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 - 1 large onion
4 TB butter
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
10-12 cups chicken stock
6 medium potatoes, medium-diced (bite-size)
1 lb frozen corn (1 small bag or 1/2 large bag)
2 cups half and half
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon in the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When the bacon is crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Cook the onions in the leftover grease and oil and add salt, pepper, turmeric, and butter.  When the onions are translucent, add the flour.  Cook 1 minute.  Add the chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a boil.  Cook over medium for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Add the corn and half and half.  Add the cheese and cook for about 5 more minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with a little extra cheese on top and bacon for garnish.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits
I think this is another Ina Garten recipe.  It's been in my own family recipe book for so long--we love it!  You can make the dough up ahead of time and keep it refrigerated, but there have been nights when I've made it all at once right before dinner.  If you make the dough in a food processor, it's so easy and quick.  One thing I love about biscuits is that shape doesn't matter.  You can literally just plop a handful of dough down on the baking sheet and move on--no need to roll it or shape it or fuss with it at all.  After the egg wash, I sprinkle some extra cheddar cheese on top and some sea salt.  Randy likes to break these apart and add to his soup.

2 cups flour
1 TB baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
12 TB cold butter
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 cold egg
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg + water for an egg wash

Preheat oven to 425*.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with the butter either in a food processor or an electric stand mixer.  Mix until the butter is the size of peas.  Mix together the buttermilk and egg.  Add to the flour/butter mixture and pulse just until the dough comes together.  Add the cheddar cheese and pulse a few more times.  When the dough has come together, break into 8 pieces and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Brush with the egg wash.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Day 10: Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Panini

On a night when Randy is working late and most likely heading to his second job right from his first, :(  Abby and I usually have something simple--PB & J, mac & cheese, or cereal. It's not that I don't enjoy cooking for my daughter, it's just that night's alone with 2 kids (and bath-time!) are easier when dinner is a non-issue.  So I present to you today: lunch!

I've said before that one of the ways I show Randy my love is by presenting him with good-looking and great-tasting meals.  (This is in no way something I believe all wives should do, it's just what I do--we all show love in different ways!)  Lunch is no exception.  I never used to care what I made myself for lunch until Randy started his internship this past fall.  It was the first time he would be out of the house all day, everyday, and need to pack a lunch.  So naturally, I started packing his lunch for him.  All of a sudden, I realized how awful my own lunches were--packed on a whim, no effort--sometimes I would just go without lunch!  But now that I pack Randy good, well-balanced lunches, I have better lunches, too!  We love sandwiches, so I usually try to mix them up a bit with wraps, subs, or paninis.   I don't have a panini press, so I either use my grill-lined cast iron skillet, or a flat skillet.  Then the panini can be warmed in the microwave at work before eating.

The recipe for the panini itself is simple: spread basil pesto (recipe follows) on both slices of bread, and stick a few slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese in the middle.  Set the sandwich on a panini press or a buttered skillet and press down (a foil-wrapped brick, or heavy pot works).  Turn when golden on one side.  Press down again.

There's nothing like a sandwich made on fresh bread!  Yes, I occasionally make my own bread.  It's really easy, and makes sandwiches so much better!  I was home yesterday with my sick baby and took advantage of some down-time.  I made Ina Garten's honey white bread.  Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup warm water (110*)
2 pkgs dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110*)
6 TB unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 TB honey
2 extra-large egg yolks (I use large and it still comes out great!)
5-6 cups flour
1 TB kosher salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Mix the warm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and let dissolve 5 minutes.  (You can use an electric stand mixer with the hook attachment, or mix the dough manually.)  Add milk, butter, and honey and mix on medium speed until blended.  Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour, and salt.  Mix on low for about 5 minutes.  While mixer is on low, slowly add the remaining flour until the dough doesn't stick to the bowl.  Knead dough in bowl for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.  Dump dough onto a well-floured surface and knead by hand 1 minute.  Roll in a butter-covered bowl and let sit under a damp cloth for about an hour.  Then divide the dough and place into 2 greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.  Cover with a damp cloth again and let rise another hour.  Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes.  Turn out of the pans and cool completely before slicing.  (I freeze one loaf.)

Pesto





 





I use as much basil as I have on hand at the moment (usually at least one bag's worth, or 50-60 leaves).  Wash and place in the bowl of a food processor.  4-5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped--added to the basil.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper.  Once the processor starts, drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil slowly and watch for the consistency you want to appear.

Randy's lunch.  He'll need some mint gum after that panini!