Day 359: Apple & Walnut Crostata, Beef Stew with Butternut Squash and much more!!!

Happy birthday to my amazing husband, Randy!!!  He is 31 years young today!  Next to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Randy is the most important thing to me.  We have been together for six years, but have known each other for 9+.  I look forward to many, many more years as your wife, my dear!  You make my life comfortable, relatively easy, and all kinds of wonderful!
Of course I wanted to make Randy's day special with food, so here's how it went...

BREAKFAST: eggs benedict (Randy's favorite breakfast) & spiced Americano
While I was serving breakfast, Randy told me that he secretly hoped I was making eggs benedict.  I love how we know each other so well!

Spiced Americano
This is a great coffee for the very cold months!  The spices in it add an extra warmth--perfect for right before heading out into the cold to go to work!  (Or to sip around the house while doing dishes and laundry.) ;)

1 cup espresso
1 cup boiling water
spiced simple syrup (recipe follows)
whipped cream
cinnamon and cinnamon sticks (for garnish)

Let's talk about espresso.  (First off, it's a pet-peeve of mine when people call it EXpresso.  It's ESSSSpresso.  Ahem, mother.) ;)  I don't have an espresso machine, but you don't really need one to make espresso--especially if it's just going into a different drink like a latte, cappuccino, or Americano.  I just use half the amount of strong coffee grinds as water.  So for 1 cup of espresso, I use 2 cups of water and 1 cup of coffee grinds right in my coffee maker. 
I've been making a lot of simple syrups for drinks lately.  A simple syrup is very easy to make.  It's just water and sugar boiled on the stove until the sugar dissolves.  Generally I like to do 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar.  But you can use only 1/2 cup of water, too, for a thicker syrup.  For this spiced syrup, use 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, a pinch each of cinnamon, allspice, and ginger.  Once the sugar dissolves you are done!
Combine this syrup with the espresso and the boiling water.  Top with whipped cream (you can make your own with 1 cup of whipping cream and a couple TB of powdered sugar--whip until stiff peaks form) and a dash of cinnamon.  I stuck 2 cinnamon sticks in each Americano.

LUNCH: broccoli & cheddar soup in homemade bread bowls
Randy brought a few of his co-workers home for lunch and I made this soup and bread bowls and served it with salad.  We also had leftover Italian cream cake and coffee dessert.

DINNER: apple & walnut crostata, apply & thyme martini, beef stew w/ butternut squash, and chocolate & brie Panini
I started out the evening disappointed.  The appetizer that I originally wanted to make for "grown-up time" required hours of refrigeration.  I don't know why I didn't read the recipe more thoroughly a few days earlier!  Luckily, I had enough ingredients for a great back-up plan!  I told Randy that it just meant that his birthday food could be extended one more day--we'll have that appetizer tomorrow or the next day. :)

Apple & Walnut Crostata
Randy loves gorgonzola cheese so this was really a great alternative to my original plan.  I adapted this from Giada De Laurentiis' recipe.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3 TB cold butter
pinch of salt
1/3 cup cold water
2-3 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
2-3 TB butter
cinnamon

For the crust, place the flour, cheese, cold butter, and water in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until fully combined and the dough comes together.  Pull the dough out and place on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. 
In a saucepan, place the butter and apples and cinnamon and cook over medium-high heat until the butter melts and apples become soft.  Turn off the heat and add the walnuts and gorgonzola.  Stir.
Preheat the oven to 400*.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out and onto a greased baking sheet.  Pour the apple filling in the middle of the dough and then fold over the edges of the dough to form a crostata.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Apple & Thyme Martinis
A martini is Randy's favorite "mixed" drink.  I prefer something a little sweeter than a traditional dirty martini.  This is a perfect compromise, though definitely closer to a traditional martini than a sweet drink.  This was the second simple syrup I made today!

10 oz vodka
6 oz apple juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 sprigs of thyme, plus more for garnish

Place your martini glasses in the freezer.  Combine the vodka and apple juice and refrigerate them.  In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and 5 thyme sprigs and bring to a boil.  Simmer until the sugar dissolves.  Allow to cool.  When ready to serve, pour the vodka, juice, and simple syrup into the chilled glasses and garnish with a few sprigs of thyme.  Add ice if desired.

Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

This is a great dinner to come from the cold to and it's a little more elegant than a traditional beef stew or pot roast.

2 lbs stewing beef
2 TB olive oil + 2 TB butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3 cup flour
salt, pepper
2 TB chopped rosemary
2 TB chopped thyme
1 lb butternut squash, cubed
1 cup marsala wine
2-3 TB sundried tomatoes
3-4 cups beef broth

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter with the oil over medium-high heat.  Cook the onions until they're translucent.  Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for another minute.  Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl and toss the beef in it.  Add the beef to the pan and cook until brown on the outsides of the cubes.  Add the marsala wine, squash, and sundried tomatoes.  Cook for a few minutes to let the alcohol cook out.  Pour the beef broth into the pot until it covers the beef and squash.  Simmer for one hour and then serve.

Chocolate & Brie Paninis
I thought this looked like a really cool and different dessert.  Actually, it seems like the perfect, hearty afternoon snack for my kids when they're older.  But Randy and I really enjoyed them as a sweet/savory dessert.  The basil is a great complement to the chocolate and we never would've thought of that!

Make a sandwich with artisan crusty bread of sliced brie cheese, chocolate chips, and chopped basil.  Butter the outsides of the sandwich and place on a grill pan with a weight on it to press it down (or use a panini press).  Flip the sandwich when it has dark grill marks on one side.  Serve warm.

     

Days 356 & 357: Prosciutto & Linguine Frittatas and Italian Cream Cake

 Today we had an "appetizer" gathering for a belated Christmas party with Randy's side of the family. (The crazy side of the family--see photo above.) ;)  Then my parents came over in the evening for dinner and Randy's birthday, so I was up at the crack of dawn preparing food.  I made 2 appetizers and a dessert for our Christmas party and then we had a roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli au gratin for dinner.  His birthday cake this year was an Italian Cream Cake. Sunday (Day 357) was another busy day and it was a "leftover" day food-wise. :)
The appetizers I made for the party were (once again) my jalapeno poppers and these prosciutto & linguine frittatas...

Prosciutto & Linguine Frittatas (Giada De Laurentiis)
1/2 lb linguine
7 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
6 oz diced prosciutto
5 oz mozzarella cheese, diced
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Cook the linguine in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 8-10 minutes to al dente.  Drain in a colander and use kitchen shears to cut the pasta into smaller pieces.  You should have about 3 cups of pasta in the end.
Preheat the oven to 375*.  In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, milk, cream, and mascarpone.  Pulse until well combined.  Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and add the cut pasta, the prosciutto, mozzarella, Asiago, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.  Stir the ingredients to mix thoroughly. 
Spray a couple muffin tins with cooking spray.  Fill the muffin cups so the mixture comes about to the top.  Bake for about 30-35 minutes.  Allow them to cool a few minutes before removing from the pan.

I let Abby look through a recipe book of holiday desserts that I have so she could pick what kind of dessert to make for our Christmas gathering.  She picked out an arrangement of cupcakes in the shape of a Christmas tree.  Together we made chocolate cupcakes from scratch with vanilla buttercream frosting.  Here is our creation:

Special Note: We had an "ugly sweater" contest which is why Randy's shirt has a giant bow on it!

Italian Cream Cake (Ree Drummond)
I sometimes struggle to come up with a cake design for a grown man.  Most elegant cakes are kind of girly--I don't want to give Randy a birthday cake with flowers all over it.  I like the birthday cake to somewhat represent the person they're for.  Last year Randy requested a chocolate chip cake with chocolate frosting for his party.  That was perfect because the chocolate frosting with white icing designs looked great and wasn't "girly" at all!  This year, I decided to do this Italian Cream Cake because it required literally no design.  It's more about the flavor and architecture of the cake.  And since Randy's Italian, it was the perfect fit!

5 eggs, separated
1 stick butter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 TB vanilla
1 cup sweetened coconut
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
Frosting:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 1/2 pints fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Butter and flour 2 round cake pans.  Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in the egg yolks, vanilla and coconut.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Alternate adding the buttermilk and dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Mix until just combined, then fold in the egg whites.
Pour evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Then turn the cakes out onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.
For the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until well combined.  Mix in the pecans and coconut.
To assemble, cut each layer of cake in half lengthwise so you are left with 4 layers.  Spread the first layer with frosting and top with blueberries.  Repeat the cake, frosting, and blueberry layers until you have 4 layers of cake.

 

For a fun drink with dessert, I made pomegranate bellinis.  To make, simply combine 1 cup of pomegranate juice, 1 cup of cranberry juice, and 1 cup of simple syrup with 1 bottle of champagne.  Mix and pour into champagne flutes garnished with pomegranate seeds, lemon slices, and mint leaves.  Cheers to Randy!

Merry Belated-Christmas & Happy New Year from this Ugly-Sweater Rockin' Family to Yours!

Days 354 & 355: The "Ultimate" Cheesecake

Thursday night (Day 354) I used the pecorino crackers I made recently as a salad topping and then crumbled in our leftover soup.  We had leftover zuppa Toscana and "zesty" green salads topped with lemon zest, freshly cracked black pepper, pecorino crackers, and parmesan peppercorn dressing.  Soup and salad suppers are a great way for us to use up leftovers, enjoy a "lighter" option for dinner, but still feel satisfied!

Friday night was Randy's first "official" birthday celebration.  We had some friends over and enjoyed some meatball subs and cheesecake for dessert.  Cheesecake is Randy's favorite cake, or dessert in general.  Since the beginning of our relationship, every year for Randy's birthday he's requested cheesecake.  Sometimes it's red velvet cheesecake, sometimes raspberry, sometimes plain.  But I've never wanted to put candles in a cheesecake!  haha  I usually make him 2 cakes; sometimes on the same night!  This year, we had cheesecake with friends and then we'll have birthday cake tomorrow night with family.

Here's the recipe for cheesecake that I love to use...

Ultimate Cheesecake (Tyler Florence)

2 cups graham crackers (18 squares)
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 pint sour cream
1 cup of sugar
zest of 1 lemon
3 eggs
dash of vanilla

For the crust, pulse the graham crackers, cinnamon, and melted butter in a food processor until the crackers are completely crumbled and moistened.  Spray an 8-inch spring-form pan with cooking spray and spread the crumbles evenly throughout the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan.  Refrigerate to "set" for 5 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer (or you can use a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on low for 1 minute until smooth.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time and beat slowly until combined.  Gradually add the sugar and beat until creamy.  Add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla.  Mix well, but do not over beat the batter.  Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.
Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with tin foil and place in a roasting pan.  Pour boiling water in the roasting pan until it comes about half way up the sides of the spring-form pan.  The foil will prevent water from seeping into the cheesecake.  Bake at 325* for 45 minutes.  Do not open the oven while the cheesecake bakes.  Let the cheesecake cool in the water-filled roasting pan for 30 minutes.  The cheesecake will still jiggle a bit, but will firm up when refrigerated.  Be careful not to overbake.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
I like to top my cheesecake with fruit, especially strawberries.  I use frozen strawberries, and warm them in a saucepan with a bit of sugar.  Randy sometimes likes to drizzle caramel sauce on his cheesecakes.  Whatever your topping preference, this cheesecake is perfect and delicious!

Gingerbread Doughnuts and Other Christmas Treats (Days 335-343)

Christmas week flew by and was filled with yummy treats in this house!  We had people over here and we gathered with family elsewhere.  I made dinners, desserts, appetizers, and breakfasts--basically, we feasted (and continue to do so)!  Here's a recap of some of our holiday feasts:

Day 335 (Saturday): We had my dad's concert tonight so we quickly ate some leftover pizza from the night before and then had my parents over for coffee and cookies and fudge.  For Christmas cookies, we had spritz (a Swedish cookie), gingerbread cookies, and chocolate fudge.  I just follow the fudge recipe that's on the Fluff container--it's name is accurate "Never Fail Fudge."  At least that's how it's always been for me!

Spritz
I triple the recipe, but then use 1 cup less of flour so the dough is easier to handle and press.

1 cup soft butter
2/3 cups sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.  Squeeze dough into a cookie press (I use Pampered Chef) and press out onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Sprinkle with colored sprinkles and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Day 336 (Sunday): Today I made my roasted whole chicken for Sunday dinner and my sister-in-law was able to join us after watching Abby sing her Christmas song at church.  I love making big dinners--especially around the holidays.

Abby singing and waving at church.

Day 337 (Monday): Vegetarian Enchiladas
So, a while ago I started making vegetable tostadas which you can do grilled or roasted and use pretty much any variety of vegetables you like.  I started dinner tonight with that recipe in mind, but it ended up turning into vegetarian enchiladas.  First off, my tortillas were a little too big for the "tostada" idea, so they were better treated as a wrap.  Second, I had some avocadoes that were about to become overripe, so I decided to make an avocado-ranch sauce.  So when everything was said and done, I had some roasted eggplant, squash, and peppers.  I mashed up the avocadoes and mixed in a little ranch dressing and spread that on my tortillas, then topped it with the roasted vegetables.  I sprinkled in a little cheese, rolled the tortillas, and sprinkled more cheese on top.  Then they went back in the oven (400*) for a few minutes until the cheese was melted.  I served it with sour cream and my homemade salsa.

Day 338 (Tuesday): My parents and brother came over for dinner tonight and I remade my entire Olive Garden dinner experience consisting of Zuppa Toscana soup, salad, and homemade breadsticks.  It was delish!

Day 339 (Christmas Eve):

We went to my aunt and uncle's house for Christmas Eve dinner.  I come from a Swedish family, so Christmas Eve is a huge deal--we have a smorgasbord of food!  I brought desserts including a bourbon spice cake, cherry cordial trifle, and a mint chocolate ice cream cake.  Christmas Eve morning I also made my homemade cinnamon buns for my family.  I didn't get any pictures of the desserts, but they are all Pampered Chef recipes and you can look them up here.

Day 340 (Christmas Day): After presents were opened, coffee was had by adults and Santa's leftover cookies were eaten by the children, we had a nice, big breakfast!  I made a kale and sausage strata and gingerbread doughnuts.  We went to my parents' house for Christmas dinner and I brought homemade jalapeno poppers for an appetizer.

Gingerbread Doughnuts
I follow a few blogs of my own, in order to stay "in the loop" with different cooking techniques, writing styles, and blogging trends.  I don't always get to read every post that comes my way due to lack of time. ("No, really?"  You might be thinking.)  But I had to read this recipe that came to me from The Texan New Yorker.  These doughnuts are absolutely divine and will now become a staple among our breakfast items!  This recipe makes 6 doughnuts and uses a doughnut pan which you can buy at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar (she called for dark, but I used light)
3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 sour cream
1 TB honey
1 TB molasses
2 TB vegetable oil
2 TB whole milk

GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
2-3 TB whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease a 6-count doughnut pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, honey, molasses, vegetable oil, and milk.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined.  (Don't overmix or you will get a heavier doughnut.)
Spoon the batter into a pastry bag or a ziploc bag and cut one corner off.  Pipe the batter into the doughnut pan, being careful not to overfill the doughnut rounds.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly.  Whisk together the glaze ingredients, adding more milk for a thinner glaze if desired.  Pour over the doughnuts.

Day 341 (Friday): Tonight we went to Via Italian Table to celebrate my parents' 30th anniversary.  It was a great time with great food!  And if I can take a minute to share a "proud mom moment"--a couple who sat near us came over to me when they left to tell me that my kids were very well-behaved and that I should be proud.  I was! :)

Day 342 (Saturday):

Smoked Gouda Burgers for family movie night!  I bought a variety of cheeses for a cheese and cracker appetizer Christmas day.  I used the leftover smoked gouda as inspiration for these burgers.  I cooked up some bacon and crumbled it and put it in the actual burger meat with a dash of hot sauce, some Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, a bit of mayo and a tad of stone-ground mustard.  I caramelized some onions to top the burgers with and melted the smoked gouda on top.  Those burgers were delicious!



Day 343 (Sunday): We had our 3rd floor tenants over for Sunday dinner today.  I made a rosemary-salt crusted rib roast, mashed potatoes, and broccoli au gratin.  One thing I love about hosting dinners around the holidays is that I seldom have to worry about dessert.  We just passed around cookies and more fudge and that definitely satisfies everyone's sweet tooth!

Catching Up: Days 320-331

I look forward to the day this 365-day journey is over and I can just blog when and where I feel like it, for whatever (food-related) reason.  It will also mean my new website will be up and running!  Yep, can't wait for that!  In the meantime, however, please enjoy this rambling re-cap of the last 11 days with some new recipes sprinkled right in!

Days 320 & 321: Randy and I had the privilege of being out 2 days in a row!  Friday (12/5) was to celebrate my birthday.  We went to Leo's Ristorante in Worceester which was fabulous as always.  Then on Saturday night our church had a Christmas Gala which we attended.  It was a very nice evening and good food!

Day 322: I made my chicken & spinach alfredo pizza for our life group.  However, I cheated and used store-bought pizza crust, unlike the link above.  It wasn't as good. :/

Day 323: (Monday, 12/8)  Randy worked late this night so I drove my kids down to Auburn to visit my parents.  My mom and the kids and I went to Applebee's (or as Abby used to call it, "Bumblebee's", her new favorite place) for dinner. 

Day 324: Parmesan-Crusted Chicken, mashed potatoes, garden salad.  Today was a really gross day weather-wise.  Normally, it's my grocery shopping day, but I wasn't bringing the kids anywhere.  I let Abby pick something out of one of my cookbooks for us to bake together.  Her first pick was a roasted chicken with carrots and onions.  haha!  But after I nixed that idea, she picked these linzer cookies (luckily she picked something with few ingredients--so I had them all!):

Linzer Cookies
3/4 lb of butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
raspberry preserves
powdered sugar

In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar until smooth.  Add the vanilla, then the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together.  Dump dough out onto some plastic wrap.  Form it into a disk, wrap completely, and chill for 30 minutes.  Then roll the dough out and cut circles or different shapes you may desire.  Cut a small circle out of half of the shapes.  Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill for another 15 minutes.  Bake in a 350* oven for 20-25 minutes, until edges begin to brown.  Allow to cool to room temperature and make "sandwiches" by spreading the raspberry preserves on the flat side of the cookies without a hole.  Sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies with a hole and then place those cookies on top of the raspberry preserves.


Day 325: Sunday-Dinner Pot Roast on a Wednesday!  How awesome.

Day 326: Home all day to cook and play!  Spent the morning preparing the sauce and meatballs for the good ol' faithful: spaghetti and meatballs.  I also made up the dough for the gingerbread cookies we would make the next day.

Day 327: Tonight I made Hawaiian pizza and mozzarella spedinis.  These are a very filling but very delicious appetizer!  We also made our gingerbread cookies and read the story "Gingerbread Baby" by Jan Brett as a family.  We moved our family movie night to tonight (Friday) since Randy would be gone Saturday night.  Couch-cuddling and watching "The Santa Clause" was a great way to spend the night!

Mozzarella Spedinis
Inspired by an appetizer we had at Il Forno's about 4 or 5 years ago...

6 slices of white, hearty bread (or however many you want to make)
6 slices of mozzarella cheese
butter
breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten + water for dipping
2 cups or so of oil for frying

Spread the butter thinly on the slices of bread and fold in half over a slice of mozzarella cheese.  Press firmly to make a "tight" sandwich.  When the oil is hot enough for frying (350* or so), dip the sandwiches into the egg and water mixture and then into the breadcrumbs and then place in the oil.  Fry the spedinis in batches and place on a paper towel when golden brown and finished frying.  Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Day 328: Randy was out tonight so the kids and I rocked the leftover pizza from last night.  Delicious and easy!

Day 329: (Sunday 12/14) Surprise birthday party in the family!  I made a carrot-cake and chocolate-praline crisps.  Here is the EASY recipe for those crisps:

Chocolate Praline Crisps
12 whole graham crackers
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Layer the graham crackers on a baking sheet.  In a saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, and vanilla to a boil and boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in pecans.  Pour over the graham crackers and bake in a 350* oven for 10-14 minutes or until bubbly and pecans are lightly toasted.  Let cool slightly.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and then, using a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, drizzle the chocolate over the crisps.  Let cool until chocolate is firm.  Cut into triangles to serve.

Didn't get a picture of the crisps, but the cake was pretty enough for 2 pictures!

Day 330: Our church had an outreach event at Roll-On America, our Happy Birthday, Jesus! party.  It was a great night with pizza included!  Dinner=done. :)

Day 331: TODAY!!!  Served up some restaurant-style salsa along with chicken quesadillas.  #comfortfood

#yesplease

"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 294: Chicken Tetrazzini and Mocha Brownies

We have life group every Sunday night and I feel so lucky to be a part of this group!  We always have such a wonderful time and each week is full of lots of laughs!  Of course, since I'm (yet again) a week behind in my posts, I'm actually writing about the week before last Sunday's gathering.  We had a "fellowship feast" and we all brought something to contribute to dinner. I made a chicken tetrazzini and mocha brownies.  Yum yum!

I love this chicken dish.  When Randy and I first met, we dated for a little while and ate together quite a bit.  I soon learned about his love of broccoli, pasta, and white sauces.  He ordered chicken and broccoli alfredo pretty much everywhere we went.  Well, Randy and I ended up taking some "time off" from dating and at the time, neither one of us imagined we'd ever end up married!  One day, I was watching Giada de Laurentis on the Food Network, back when her show was "Everyday Italian."  She made this dish and I instantly thought of Randy.  I actually went to my computer right away and printed the recipe so I'd have it on the off chance that we ever hung out again, much less I'd cook for him.  Of course we know how the story goes, we did end up getting married.  While we were engaged, I made this dish for him for the first time and he loved it!  It then became his signature birthday dinner for a few years.

Chicken Tetrazzini
This is the original recipe, which calls for linguine for the pasta.  I prefer to use penne or some shorter pasta because it makes for easier division of portions.  I also use only half an onion rather than a whole. :)  Also, you can easily make this recipe up ahead of time and stick it in the refrigerator until you need it.  Just be sure to let it come to room temperature before putting it in the oven.

9 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk, room temperature

1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

1 cup chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 ounces linguine

3/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 1-2 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.
Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.
Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Mocha Brownies
OK. Can Ree Drummond get any better than this???

Four 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

2 sticks butter

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

 

Icing:

2 sticks butter, softened

5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 to 3/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
For the brownie batter: Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, being careful not to let it burn. Set it aside to cool slightly.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the melted chocolate. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the flour to the bowl and mix just until combined; do not over mix.
Pour the batter in the prepared baking pan. Spread it to even out the surface. Bake until the center is no longer soft, 40 to 45 minutes. Set the brownies aside to cool completely before icing.
For the icing: In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla. Mix until slightly combined, then add 1/2 cup of the coffee. Whip until the icing is light and fluffy. If the icing is overly thick, add 1/4 cup more coffee. It should be very light and fluffy.
Ice the cooled brownies, spreading the icing on thick. Refrigerate until the icing is firm, and then slice the brownies into squares.

An Apple A Day... 7 Apple Recipes!

This post is All About Apples!  It is not a recap of any specific day on this recipe journey, just a collection of apple recipes for your convenience.  I've blogged quite a bit about apples in the past couple of weeks/months, so it seemed fitting to combine all of my apple recipes into one, easy-to-find apple post so that when you or I are in need of an autumn apple recipe, one click brings us right to it! :)  Here are 7 recipes for your drooling pleasure...

1. Apple Pecan Cake
From: "Entering Autumn" Posted September 25

2 cups sugar

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 TB cinnamon
1 TB vanilla
3 cups peeled and chopped apples
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 325*.  Combine the sugar, eggs, oil, juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla and mix well.  Fold in the apples, coconut, and pecans.  Pour the batter into a grease tube or bunt pan and bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Right before the cake is done, start the sauce.  In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the sugar, baking soda, and buttermilk and then bring to boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
When the cake comes out of the oven, pour the hot sauce immediately over the hot cake. (You may want to prick some holes in the cake and have a baking sheet under the bunt pan to catch any drips.)  Let stand 1 hour then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

2. Apple Walnut Pancakes
(new recipe to this blog!)
I follow my very easy pancake recipe (which you can easily substitute buttermilk for regular milk to get those nice, fluffy, crave-worthy buttermilk pancakes they serve at restaurants):

1 egg, beaten
1 TB vegetable oil or melted butter
1 cup of milk
2 TB sugar
1 cup of flour
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp salt
To that, I add 1 apple, finely chopped, and about 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.  Cook pancakes as usual: pour batter onto a hot griddle by the ladleful.

3. Apple Fritters
From: "Recent Catering Job..." Posted October 15
Like pancakes, with subtle differences...

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup apples, finely chopped

Cook bacon in a fry pan. Remove bacon and place on a plate with a paper towel. Leave the grease in the frying pan.
Sift dry ingredients together.  Combine the egg and milk and stir in with the dry ingredients.  Stir in apples.  Drop by the spoonful onto a hot griddle or fry pan greased with bacon fat.  Fry on both sides for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-covered plate.  Roll in a mixture of 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Serve.

4. Apple Turnovers
Another delicious apple breakfast, also new to this blog!

Yes, that's a scoop of vanilla ice cream next to the turnover--for breakfast!  They were so hot, fresh out of the oven, that we needed something to cool them down.  Don't judge.

I use about 3 apples, peeled and finely chopped.  Place the apples in a small bowl and mix with about 1/2 cup of raisins, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 3 TB flour, 3 TB sugar, 3 TB of freshly squeezed orange juice, and a pinch of salt.  Unfold 2 sheets of puff pastry, and cut them each into 4 squares.  Fill with the apple filling and fold each square into a triangle.  Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle a sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.  Cut little "steam holes" in the pastries.  Bake in a 400* oven for 20 minutes.

5. Apple Oatmeal Cookies
From: "A Day in the Life of..." Posted September 29

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsps cinnamon
1 cup oats
1 cup chopped apples

Cream together the sugars and butter.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.  Pour in the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda and stir all ingredients together well.  Fold in the apples and and oats.  Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes.

6. Apple Pie
From: "Comfort Food" Posted October 2

Crust
2 sticks of butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 3/4 cups flour
2 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
6-7 TB apple cider

Filling
6-8 apples (depending on their size--6 large apples is usually good)
1/3 cup sugar
1 TB cinnamon
1/2 stick of butter, sliced

I start by making the crust.  Using a food processor is literally the easiest way to make a crust or dough.  The machine does the work for you and it will come out perfect every time!  Place the flour, butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the butter is the size of peas.  Slowly add the apple cider and continue pulsing until the dough starts to come together.  Use your hands to press the dough together into a nice, sticky ball while still in the processor.  If it's not sticking, you may need to add more cider.  Once you have a ball of dough, divide it in half.  Form 2 round discs of dough and wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Peel and chop the apples.  Place the apple pieces in a colander over a small saucepan.  Sprinkle them with 1/3 cup of sugar and toss.  Cover the apples with a towel and let sit for at least an hour or more.  The juices from the apples will drain into the sauce pan.  This process helps release the juices now and not when their in the pie--so you won't get a super soggy pie.  Plus, you will use the juices on the crust of the pie, also. :)
You can let the apples sit all morning and the dough can hang out in the fridge for as long as you need.  When you're ready to assemble and bake the pie, preheat the oven to 425* and remove the dough from the fridge.  Let it sit out a few minutes to help it come to room temp and make it easier to roll out.  Start with one disc, roll out the dough and place it in the bottom of a pie plate.  Add the apples and toss them with 1 TB of cinnamon.  Place the slices of butter over the apples.  Roll out your second disc and cover the apples with it. Trim off any extra dough hanging from the side.  Pinch the dough together around the edges of the pie.
You should have a little apple "juice" in the bottom of your saucepan.  Turn the stove on high and boil the juice to reduce them.  Keep an eye on this because it will happen fast.  When the juices are reduced by half, turn off the heat.  You should have a sticky "syrup" at this point, which you can pour over your pie and spread it out with a pastry brush. Use a sharp nice to prick the top of the pie. Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil.  Bake on the very bottom rack of the oven for about 30 minutes (I place the pie plate on a baking sheet, also).  Then, remove the foil and place the pie on one of the top racks of the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.  When the pie is finished, let stand on a cooling rack for about an hour before serving.

7. Applesauce!
Another "new to this blog" recipe, this applesauce couldn't be easier to make!  Talk about "set it and forget it!"

I use 10 apples, any variety, and sometimes more than 1 variety in the same batch is best!

Peel and quarter the apples.  The best thing about this recipe is that you don't have to "chop" the apples!  Just the apple cheeks in the slow-cooker is fine!  Place the apples in the slow-cooker with 1 stick of butter, cinnamon (sprinkle it in as you wish) and a pinch of all-spice.  I also like to add the peel of 1 red apple--it will give the applesauce a deeper color!

Set it, and forget it!  With the slow-cooker on low, just let the apples cook all day!  You can adjust the temperature and time if needed, but you need at least 3-4 hours for the apples to soften enough to create sauce.  When they are soft, don't forget to remove the skin!

Mash the apples with a potato masher, or if they're soft enough, you just have to stir them. 

Serve alongside your favorite pork dish or as a snack for the kids!

Bonus Recipe: Apple Crisp

Apple crisp is kind of a no-brainer.  I wasn't even sure I'd include it in this post.  Then I figured, why not?  Almost everyone has their own version of this classic fall dessert.  Here's mine:

I use as many apples as will fill my 13 x 9 pan--peeled and sliced.  Then, in the bowl of a food processor, I combine 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of oats, 1 stick of butter that's been cut up, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1/3 cup of brown sugar.  I add a pinch of salt for flavor, and a tiny bit of cinnamon.  I pulse the processor until the butter is the size of peas.  Then, I sprinkle this "crumble" on top of the apples and bake at 350* for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.