Who needs a soup pot when you have a big old pumpkin!?!?!

So, today is my pumpkin-inspired blogpost day.  My friend shared a recipe for a stuffed pumpkin, which reminded me of one of my favorite vegetarian WOW dishes from back in my veggie days:  The Pumpkin Tureen from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest.  I loved to serve this in a big, beautiful cooking pumpkin and bring it to the table on a round platter, because something about a slightly browned, glistening pumpkin full of a lovely chowder is just jaw-dropping and drool-inducing in and of itself, before you even taste the yumminess within.  With that, I give you:

The Pumpkin Tureen

1 sincere 3-4 lb pumpkin

1 Tbs butter, softened

1/2 cup finely minced onion

1 tsp prepared horseradish (or to taste)

1 tsp prepared mustard (or to taste)

1 13-oz can of lowfat evaporated milk

2 slices rye bread with caraway seeds, cubed

a few dashes of each:  salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg

1/2 cup (packed) Swiss cheese (the sharper the better)

Preheat oven to 35o F.  Prepare the pumpkin as you would a Jack O'Lantern by cutting a circular opening in the top and scooping out the seeds and stringy stuff.  Rub the interior of the pumpkin with 1 Tbs softened butter.  Add all of the remaining ingredients into the pumpkin and replace the top.  Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet (either greased or lined with parchment to make it easy to remove) and bake until the pumpkin becomes tender, about 2 hours.  To test for tenderness, remove the "lid" of the pumpkin and gently poke the sides of the pumpkin from within with a fork.  You should feel scant resistance on the pumpkin's part.  

To serve:  Carefully and gently, place the pumpkin tureen on a round serving platter and plop it right down in the middle of your table as your guests oooh and aaaah.  When serving, scoop deeply to include bits of pumpkin flesh along with the creamy, yummy soup.  Enjoy!

What kills me about this recipe is how insanely simple the ingredients are and how easy it is to throw together.  Maximum WOW for very little effort, if you ask me!  (My favorite kind of recipe!)  Now I am off to the grocery to find a nice cooking pumpkin.  Or two.  I've got some recipes to try... or to revisit!

And what good is chili without cornbread!?!?!?

This is my favorite cornbread recipe, so I thought I'd share.  I don't know that any cornbread recipe is much different from any other, but I get compliments on mine and it does seem to be quite a bit moister than others.  And it's definitely better than Jiffy mix!


HONEY WHEAT CORNBREAD
1 cup good quality yellow cornmeal 
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (plus a bit extra) buttermilk
1 egg

3 T unsalted butter, melted

4 T honey 

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease your favorite cornbread pan or muffin tin.

Combine dry ingredients in bowl of mixer.

Combine the honey and butter and stir together.  

Beat the egg into the buttermilk.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 22 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.  Keep an eye on it though; you don't want to bake it!  For muffins, bake for 14-18 minutes or until golden.  (I never really know the range with my oven, sorry!)

Spread a little bit of butter across the top of the hot cornbread.  Devour immediately, or pace yourself and enjoy your cornbread warm or cold.

Tonight, I am making muffins so the girls can enjoy them with some jam for breakfast, but this cornbread, once cooled, slices beautifully so it's not too messy to serve to a crowd.  Store in an airtight container and you can enjoy this cornbread for several days, if it lasts that long.

Fall is Finally Here!

Ok, another drive-by:
Today's cool weather (coupled with my desire to use up stuff in the pantry and freezer) has inspired a Beef and Bean Chili.
I've posted about chili before, and I will say it again:  There is no such thing as a chili recipe, only chili suggestions.  So, here is today's 


BEEF AND BEAN CHILI SUGGESTION
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 small hot red pepper, and now I can't remember what kind it was, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Combine above ingredients in dutch oven and saute until soft-ish.
Add 1 lb ground beef (7% fat is what I used) and saute until browned.
Add the following HOMEMADE CHILI POWDER that I made from scratch:
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cayenne
Stir together and add to the chili, allowing it to cook in for a few minutes to release the flavors of the seasonings.
Add 1 20-oz can crushed tomatoes, and three cans of your favorite beans (rinse 'em first!); Today I used a can of light red kidneys, a can of black beans and a can of cannelinis.  Stir to combine.
Chop three Chipotle Peppers in Mole sauce and add it to your chili.
Bring it to a boil while stirring, reduce heat and allow to simmer for as long as you can stand it.
Serve with some chopped cilantro, sour cream, shredded Mexican cheeses and cornbread, or with Tortilla chips or whatever else you like with your chili.  This is just a suggestion afterall!


P. S.  I did take some pics of this chili, but I have to go pick the girls up for dance, so I'll post 'em later!

Drive-by Blog Post

Okay, so maybe I've been a slacker of late.  I have decided to start posting recipes in five minutes or less, recipes that either I know by heart, or have so few ingredients that I can crank out a blog post in, yep, you guessed it, five minutes or less.
So the inspiration for this post:  I read an article this summer that stated if you have four things you do well, you can convince anyone you are SuperMom or something like that.  Well, so far, I can only think of one thing I do well, and that is find ways to avoid doing housework and, apparently, blog posts.  I'll let you know if I ever figure out the other three!   Oh, wait, I just thought of another:  I have an arsenal of super-quick, super-delicious salads that can go with just about any main course and are perfect for pot-lucks, impromptu meals with friends, or just those "oh, I should have made a salad" moments in life.
Today's yummy, easy, you-should-always-have-this-stuff-on-hand recipe:


Cranberry Feta Salad
1 cup Dried Cranberries
3/4 cup LIGHTLY toasted walnuts, chopped
3/4 Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 head  Romaine Lettuce, chopped
Your favorite Poppyseed Dressing (I prefer Brianna's)
Put your clean, dry, chopped Romaine lettuce into a pretty salad bowl.  (Glass is best, because this one is pretty to serve.)  Sprinkle the feta cheese over the top.  Sprinkle the walnuts over that.  Sprinkle the cranberries over all of it.  Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve.  To serve:  Use about a half-bottle of dressing to begin (though you might want to add more to taste), and toss the salad to disperse the dressing and toppings throughout the greens.  Very delish!


This salad is soooo incredibly nommy, that I feel guilty taking all the credit, so I am going to give a shout-out to one of my awesome peeps:  The stylish, beautiful, and great cook, Aimee Carroll.  She brought this salad to one of our SeaFair parties in Seattle and I've been using this recipe ever since. (For those of you keeping count, that's going on about 12 years now!)  I've served this salad with ham, pork, chicken, fish and beef and it ALWAYS gets gobbled up and everyone asks for the recipe.  It travels well and you can always bring extra fixin's to make more on the spot if you need to.
I don't know what else to say.  I LOVE THIS SALAD!  Go try it RIGHT NOW!

Mandarin Salad for Jimmy and Mary

Okay, so I know it's been a while since I posted, but it's been a heckuva year.   A REAL heckuva year.  But, I've still been cooking and sharing food with family and friends, so have no fear:  Recipes are here.
As a little welcome back, I thought I'd post a much-requested recipe for Mandarin Salad, an easy, yummy, always-have-this-stuff-on-hand salad that is great with fish or chicken, or if you are having any kind of Pan-Asian menu on your buffet.  I, for one, love to keep it simple:  I served this last week with some Grilled Steelhead that rubbed with some sesame oil and soy sauce and a little black pepper.  I grilled the fish skin-side down and, along with this salad, it was a yummy, delicious meal to share with my brothers, their families and my mother and her husband.  


Mandarin Salad
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 T sugar
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 whole green onions, chopped
1- 11-oz can of mandarin oranges, drained
Dressing:
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 T chopped parsley
2 T sugar (I have also used Splenda and it worked well)
2 T white wine vinegar (I often use apple cider vinegar)
dash Tabasco


On medium heat, cook almonds and sugar, stirring constantly until almonds are coated and sugar dissolved.  Stir until they are evenly browned, though be careful NOT to overcook.  Watch 'em closely, they will burn once the sugar starts to caramelize.  Cool almonds and store in airtight container.
Mix all dressing ingredients and store in airtight container.
Mix lettuce, celery and green onions.  Just before serving add almonds and oranges.  Toss with dressing.
Note:  Almonds and dressing can be done ahead of time, so this makes a great salad for taking with you to pot-lucks and such.


I love, love, LOVE this salad and pretty much everyone who tries is loves it too:  After I served it last week for my family, my brother in Richmond AND his daughter at UVa both called and texted me to get the recipe.  Jimmy and Mary, I hope your friends enjoy this salad with you!  xoxoxox


Oh, and for those of you who've wondered where the recipes are:  There will be more.  I've been working on several posts and will get them on here ASAP, I promise.  A new school year, some new recipes!

So Many Treats, So Little Time!

I am woefully behind on posting the many yummy treats I've made in the past week or so.  It's just been busy, busy, busy!  So, I am going to post recipes RIGHT NOW, and I'll have to add some pictures in later, just so you can get inspired.
Let's see.  My first super-easy and super-yummy treat:
Hugs Pretzels
Bag of Hershey's Hugs
Bag of Pretzel Snaps (the square/grid ones, salted)
1.  Turn oven to 200 degrees.
2.  Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
3.  Spread a layer of pretzels on the wax paper.
4.  Place a Hug in the middle of each pretzel.
5.  Place in oven for 3 to 4 minutes, until Hugs are just melting.
6.  Remove from oven and gently place another pretzel on top, making a tidy little sandwich.
7.  Allow to cool or even pop in the freezer for a few minutes to harden.
8.  Remove from wax paper and store in airtight container for as long as they last, which isn't long around here!  
You can also make these with Rolos or any other Hershey's Kiss Variation.  A friend of mine is making some with a Rolo, then skip the second pretzel and push a Mint M&M down into the Rolo after it's melted to make a gooey, chocolatey, caramelly pretzel thingy.  I plan to snag one of these from her in the next few days and will report back with my findings!  
My second super-easy and far-too-yummy treat:  
Homemade Marshmallows
Back in October, sweet Maggie had the flu and was home with me for a few days.  I can honestly say it was fun; I kinda miss the old days when it was just the two of us!  We spent a lot of time watching Maggie's favorite channel, Food Network, and there were a LOT of Halloween treats being made.  One of them really got Maggie's attention:  Homemade Orange Marshmallows by Giada DiLaurentiis.  Though I think the orange-flavored ones would be divine, I decided to make these for the holidays in some crowd-pleasing flavors:  Vanilla and Peppermint.  
First of all, here's the recipe for 
Homemade Orange Marshmallows:
Butter, for greasing the pan
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1/2 cup water, plus 1/4 cup
3 tablespoons (3 packets) unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 large orange, zested
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch straight-sided baking pan. Dust liberally with sifted powdered sugar and set aside.
Pour 1/2 cup water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and allow to soften, about 10 minutes.
In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk and 1/4 cup water. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees F, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour the syrup over the gelatin mixture. Beat the mixture at low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick, fluffy and tripled in volume, about 10 to 12 minutes. Beat in the orange zest and vanilla extract until just combined. Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle with orange decorating sugar. Allow the mixture to set, uncovered, in a cool place (not refrigerated) for at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove the marshmallows from the pan and place on a powdered sugar-dusted surface. Using scissors, dusted with powdered sugar, cut the marshmallows into about 1-inch squares. Dip the cut sides into powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
For PEPPERMINT MARSHMALLOWS:  Omit the orange zest and add 1 tsp peppermint extract.
For VANILLA MARSHMALLOWS:  Omit the orange zest and add an extra 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract.  (For a total of 1-1/2 tsp of vanilla for the recipe)
Now, the best part:  I cut the peppermint marshmallows into 1" squares, put three of them on a lollipop stick, drizzled them with semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkled them with crushed old-fashioned peppermint stick.  I put them in a little baggie and tied 'em up with a bit of white and red curling ribbon. 
I LOVE the texture of these marshmallows.  They are light, but firm and they flavor is incredible.  They are soo easy to make that when I made the second batch, I pretty much just went by time instead of temperature and they turned out great.  And here's a little confession:  My candy thermometer is about 10 degrees off, so I actually burned the sugar candy base of the marshmallows, but since I'd already invested so much time, I just poured the sugar base into the gelatin and didn't scrape the pan (left the burned parts behind) and the marshmallows were still incredible!  How's that for Katy-proof!?!?!?!
Pictures coming soon, because these were just awesome!

My favorite cookies... A Fairy Tale

Many years ago, in a land far, far away, there was a little dessert shop called The Dessertery.  The Dessertery worked hard all day making things to make my butt bigger, and Butt and The Dessertery were great friends.  One of their favorite things to do together was eat The Dessertery's very own "Desserty Cookie", which was some divine-inspired butterscotch chip oatmeal cookie with a crazy delicious texture.  Butt and The Dessertery spent many hours and many afternoons enjoying these cookies.  One day, Butt had to leave for college with me, leaving behind her old friend The Dessertery.  They saw each other less and less.  The Dessertery got a little uppity and decided to leave its cute little shop space and move to a bigger buliding down Stratford Road and become a full-fledged restaurant.  It did well for awhile, but then, like so many other formerly humble cafes, it suffered from declining food quality.  The Dessertery now no longer resembles its old self at all and is more of a market and cafe, and, honestly, the desserts just aren't the same.  And the Dessertery Cookie no longer exists.  So, Butt never saw her friend again.   
One day, as Butt and I were reminiscing about good times, we remembered that we missed The Dessertery and especially those incredible cookies.  We searched high and low for the recipe and even asked once if The Dessertery had her old recipes available for loyal customers and friends.   She did not.  After much thought and missing our old friend, Butt and I decided to take matters in our own hands and tried to reproduce the recipe.  I don't know that we'll ever rekindle the magic, but these cookies come pretty darn close:
Butterscotch Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Mix together flours, baking soda and salt, set aside.
Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl. Add vanilla extract, milk, and eggs and mix well. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in oats and chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 12 to 13 minutes for crispy cookies (Never occurred to me, but you can always try!  I like my cookies chewy!) Cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks. Devour warm or cool.
Makes about 4 dozen very healthy cookies! :)
Slight variation:  If you're feeling a bit adventurous, include a 1/4 tsp. of orange extract in your cookies, add it in with the vanilla.  It takes these cookies to a whole new level.


On a side note, these cookies really are a favorite of mine and I've enjoyed sharing them with friends and family for many years.  For some reason, though these cookies originated in Winston-Salem, they always remind me of our awesome friends in Seattle.