Porter Beef Stew

I wanted a beef stew with a deeper flavor than just broth.  Since I had a busy day planned, I also wanted a stew for the slow cooker.  Even with those ideas in mind, I wasn't completely sure about how this would turn out.  I made a casserole earlier this year that had beer and tomato paste as the base, so I thought this would work.  I was pretty impressed with the end results.  It is especially delicious with a crusty bread or multigrain roll.

Serves 4

1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 lb beef, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 bottle porter beer
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. Cut up scallion.  Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl and stir with scallion.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until scallion is soft.  Stir in cornstarch until paste forms.  Pour mixture into slow cooker.  Add beef cubes and mix well.  Pour porter over mixture, then stir in tomato paste and broth.  Season with thyme and salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.  Stir as needed to prevent mixture from sticking to the slow cooker crock.
2. About an hour before you plan to eat, add potato and carrot pieces.  Stir well.  Cook until potatoes are cooked through.  Serve hot.

Peanut Noodles with Broccoli and Shrimp

Not real sure where the basis for this recipe came from, but this is a dish I have been making for a while now.  I sometimes change the vegetables (snap peas and green beans are also good) or the meat (I also like sliced chicken breast) but the sauce remains much the same.  It's a little sour, a little sweet, with a great nutty start.  The stronger flavors of broccoli and garlic tone down the shrimp nicely as well.  It's tasty all around.

Serves 2-3

8 oz linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb raw shrimp, skinned and deveined
1 1/2 cup broccoli pieces
2 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1. Cook pasta to al dente.  While pasta is cooking, clean shrimp, mince garlic, and cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces.  Drain and set aside.
2. In saucepan where you cooked the pasta, heat oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add drained shrimp and saute until shrimp is lightly browned.  Stir in broccoli, drizzle with water, and season with salt and pepper.  Cover saucepan and steam contents until shrimp is cooked through and broccoli is bright, about 5 minutes.
3. While shrimp and broccoli are steaming, stir cider vinegar and brown sugar together in a small bowl.  Mix until sugar is dissolved.  Add peanut butter and mix well.  Remove cover from saucepan and remove pan from heat.  Stir pasta into shrimp and broccoli, then top with peanut butter sauce.  Stir well and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

I had baking and other things to do yesterday, so I decided that something in the slow cooker was in order.  In looking at slow cooker recipes online, I happened upon one that was for a turkey breast.  I thought it would be far enough away from Thanksgiving to have turkey.  I decided to make it more-or-less how I would make a turkey for Thanksgiving, herbs and all, and was impressed by the results.  The turkey was moist and had a good flavor, just without the oven being tied up for hours.

Serves 4

1/2 onion, cut into pieces
2 sprigs fresh thyme
9-10 fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
3 cups water
2-3 lbs turkey breast with bone and skin
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Scatter onion pieces over bottom of slow cooker.  Add thyme, sage, garlic salt, and water.  Place turkey on top of this and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook turkey on low for 7-8 hours.  Remove from slow cooker carefully, as turkey will likely fall apart.  Cut into pieces to serve. 
3. If desired, reserve broth for another use.  Use a slotted spoon to remove onion pieces and herbs, then pour broth into a container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

German Chocolate Cheesecake

We had a family birthday this weekend and I had a football game to go to, which meant that the traditional cake that I am usually in charge of making was not going to happen unless I wanted to making said cake at midnight.  I realize that normal people would probably just buy a cake, but I am not really normal.  So I got the idea that cheesecake would be a lot easier and take less time.  For just being the easiest thing that I could think to make, this was absolutely delicious.  Notice that the dairy is all room temperature, which is to help the room-temperature melted chocolate mix in without clumping.

Serves 8

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons water
2 8-oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 9-inch chocolate crumb pie crust
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup sweetened flake coconut
1/2 cup pecan pieces

1. In measuring cup or small heatproof bowl, heat chocolate chips for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Set aside.
2. In small bowl, combine cocoa powder and water.  Mix until paste forms.  Set aside.
3. In bowl of electric mixer, beat cream cheese until it loses the shape of blocks.  Add sugar and mix until combined.  Beat in sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.  Scrap sides of the bowl.  Stir in the now-cooled chocolate and the cocoa paste.  Mix just until combined.  Pour mixture into chocolate crumb pie crust.  Place filled pie crust on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake cheesecake in 325 degree oven for 40 minutes or until center does not look liquid when pan is shaken.  Transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack.
5. As soon as cheesecake is out of the oven, start the topping.  In a small saucepan or skillet, whisk yolk and cream together until smooth.  Add sugar and butter, mixing until combined.  Place saucepan or skillet on medium heat and, stirring frequently, cook until mixture is thick and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans.  Drop small amounts of coconut mixture over hot cheesecake, smoothing as best you can to cover the top of the cheesecake.
6. Allow cheesecake to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Cheesecake can be stored in refrigerator for up to three days.

Pumpking Pasties

I have always been intrigued by the idea of these pumpkin pasties, which I always have to include the note next to that the word "pasty" that it rhymes with "nasty".  Having had a few pasties when I was in the UK--mostly in Scotland--I was curious how it would be that a pumpkin filling wouldn't just run everywhere.  I am sure that this could be accomplished with magic, but what about in the non-wizarding world?  So I decided to just jump in and try it.  Cornstarch seemed like my best bet, since it would probably take too much flour and then the filling would be peach, not orange.  From there, I basically just added bits and pieces of pumpkin pie filling that made sense.  I was amazed at how nice these looked and how great they tasted.  Now whether they are like the ones Harry Potter ate on the Hogwarts Express, well, that I think is debatable.  But I enjoyed them. Note about how I shaped these: I have a cut and seal tool, which really saved me time and gave me a very polished finished product.  You can buy a cut and seal tool like I have here: The Pampered Chef Cut N Seal #1195

Makes 12 pasties

1 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (if using homemade puree, use 1 1/2 tablespoon)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Generous dash ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves
Dash ground ginger
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3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Dash cinnamon
3/4 cup oil
6 tablespoons water
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1-2 teaspoons sugar, for sprinkling

1. In mixing bowl, stir pumpkin and cornstarch together until cornstarch is absorbed and no lumps remain.  Stir in 1/3 cup sugar--you will notice it get a little watery with this and that is fine--cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.  Set aside.
2. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. In medium mixing bowl, toss flour with salt and cinnamon.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.  In measuring cup, measure oil and water together.  Whisk oil and water together until the mixture looks milky.  Pour liquid, all at once, into well in the center of the flour.  Stir liquid into flour until all flour is absorbed.  Divide dough into thirds and shape each third into a ball.
4. Cut two squares of waxed paper.  Place dough ball between the two sheets of waxed paper and roll out until dough is the same size as the waxed paper.  Cut large circles with a cookie cutter or your cut-and-seal instrument, turning the cutter to make a clean cut.  With one third of the dough, you should have 8 dough circles.  Any scraps between circles can be lifted and incorporated into remaining 2 thirds of dough.   Using a small cookie cutter, press a shape into 4 dough circles but do not wiggle the small cutter to cut through the dough.  Place 2 tablespoons of pumpkin mixture on the 4 dough circles without the shape cut-out, then spread the pumpkin into a disc of equal thickness to within about 1/4 inch of dough circle edge.  Use a spatula to lift a dough circle with the shape cut-out, then use your hands to place the cut-out over the pumpkin.  The edges of the bottom (no cut-out) dough circle and the top (cut-out) dough circle should be about even.  Seal edges of dough with fork or with cut-and-seal.  Lift sealed pasty onto prepared cookie sheet.  Fill, layer, seal, and transfer remaining 3 pasties from this dough.  In the process or making the pasty, the cut-out in the dough will likely free itself from the dough circle.  As long as it is in place, leave it. The cutouts allow steam to escape, but exposed filling will get leathery so leave the cut-out in as cover against that.
5. Roll out the other thirds of dough as described in step 4.  Make 4 more pasties out of each remaining dough ball as described in step 4. 
6. Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons sugar over tops of pasties on cookie sheet.  Bake pasties in 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until edges are dark gold and tops are lightly browned.  Allow pasties to cool on the cookie sheet, then store in an air-tight container.  They can be frozen for 1-2 weeks or kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Caramel Apple Cake

I have mentioned in previous posts my love of caramel apple flavored desserts.  I happened upon a cake mix in the grocery store for caramel apple cake.  I'm not a huge fan of cake mixes--mostly I think they taste like preservatives and their extremely fluffy texture is slightly unnatural--but I liked the idea of the cake.  I decided to make a version of what I imagine the mix tasted like: caramel-flavored cake with apple bits and caramel drizzled over it all.  This cake came out so much more moist and flavorful than even I expected.  Score one for the from-scratch cake.

Makes 8-inch square cake

6 tablespoons sugar
3/8 cup water
3/8 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
Caramel topping, for serving
Cool Whip, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. Grease 8-inch square pan.  Set aside.
2. In small heavy skillet, evenly scatter 6 tablespoons sugar and place on medium heat.  Stirring constantly, caramelize the sugar.  This will take some time, but resist the urge to raise the temperature.  The sugar should begin to melt along the bottom, then form white crystal clumps, them melt into a clear syrup, then the syrup will darken.  You should heat your 3/8 cup of water to a boil in the microwave once the sugar makes a syrup.  When the syrup is a dark amber--about the color of maple syrup--begin to add the boiling water.  Stirring constantly with one hand, pour a very small amount of the water into the sugar.  This will steam an sputter, but keep stirring.  Add the rest of the water, a little at a time, and keep stirring to bring up the syrup from the bottom of the skillet.  Once all of the water is added and no sugar crystals remain in the skillet, pour caramel mixture into measuring cup.  Stir in enough sour cream to reach 3/4 of a cup of mixture.  Set aside.
3. In bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour and 1/2 cup sugar.  Add brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Stir at lowest speed until combined.  Scatter butter over dry ingredients and mix at lowest speed until crumbly.  Pour half of the caramel mixture into bowl and beat until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and fluffy.  Scrap bowl and beater.  Add remaining caramel mixture and beat until smooth.  Add apple pieces and stir at lowest speed just until incorporated.
4. Spoon all of apple cake batter into prepared pan.  Use spatula to make sure top is smooth and apples are evenly distributed.
5. In small bowl or custard cup, mix 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over top of cake.
6. Bake cake in 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick.  Because of the apple bits, you may want to test it in multiple places around the center.  Transfer cake pan to wire cooling rack to cool.
7. To serve cake, cut into desired pieces.  Drizzle cake with caramel topping and top with desired creamy topping.  Cake is also excellent on its own.  Cake can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

I still had squash sitting on my counter from the last CSA delivery, so I decided to try making homemade ravioli.  I have only had this as a frozen entree and I figured if it tastes good even frozen, I might as well take a swing at it. I made my own pasta dough for this ravioli, but the internet assures me that wonton wrappers can also be used if you don't want to take the time to make pasta.  Overall the nutty flavor of the onions and the creaminess of the squash really worked together.

Makes

Butternut squash
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup coarsely chopped onion (about one small)
Dash salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Fresh Pasta or wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
Desired sauce (I used alfredo, but sage butter sauce like this one would also be fantastic)

1. Prepare butternut squash using same technique as used on pumpkin here. Puree can be made and refrigerated a couple of days in advance.
2. Melt butter over low heat in a small skillet.  Add onions and cook--still over low heat--until onions are caramelized.  Resist the urge to turn up the heat here; the low slow cooking gives the onions a nutty sweet flavor that cannot be rushed.  This caramelization can take 20-30 minutes.  You can use this time to do something else, but be sure to stir the onions every few minutes so they cook evenly.  Once onions are uniformly brown and very soft, remove from heat.
3. In bowl of a food chopper, mince sage.  Add caramelized onions and process until paste forms.  Add squash and cheese; process until well combined.
4. If using pasta, roll pasta out thinly.  Using a circle cutter, cut rounds of dough.  Place enough filling to fill but not too much as to have trouble sealing in center of rounds.
5. If using wontons, flatten wrapper on counter.  Place filling in the center.
6. Brush edge of wrapper or pasta with egg-water mixture.  Seal edges with fork or fingers.  If making immediately, drop ravioli into boiling water.  If storing raviolis, place on cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.  To store, freeze ravioli on cookie sheet until solid and then store in airtight container until ready to use.
7.  Boil ravioli for 3-5 minutes or until they begin to float.  Remove from water with a slotted spoon as they float up.  Serve with desired sauce.

Fresh Pasta

I remember that my grandmother used to make her own noodles and I am pretty sure that I helped her at least cut them and lay them out in long strips on her bed to dry, but I haven't made fresh pasta myself for years.  I had some free time and it seemed like as good a time as any to try.  Note about the process: I used my food processor to speed up this process, but it can be done in a bowl with your hands or a fork.  The food processor that I used can be found here:KitchenAid KFPW760WH 700-Watt 12-Cup Food Processor, White

Serves 4, depending on shape

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash dried herbs, if desired
Tiny pinch baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil

1. In bowl of food processor, process flour, salt, herbs if you are using, and baking powder.  Add eggs and pulse until mixture forms crumbs.  Mix together water and oil.  With food processor running, pour oil-water mixture through tube just until a dough forms.
2. Turn dough onto generously-floured counter.  Knead dough until no longer sticky and smooth.  Cover with overturned bowl for 15-20 minutes, allowing dough to rest and gluten to form.
3.  Divide dough ball in half.  Roll dough half until very thin, about the thickness of construction paper.  While doing this, make sure to move dough around and flip it over to make sure it is not sticking on the rolling surface.
4. Cut dough into desired shapes.  Dry shapes on counter overnight or drop into boiling water as soon as formed.  Fresh pasta will take 3-7 minutes to cook in boiling water, depending on size.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I really like pancakes in pretty much any form and flavor.  When I still had a cup of pumpkin left from the puree I made, I immediately earmarked it for pancakes.  I served it with Cinnamon Pecan Sauce, but they are also excellent with maple syrup or just a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

Makes 16 pancakes

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups buttermilk, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons shortening
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)
2 1/2 cups flour
Shortening, for skillet

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups buttermilk and eggs.  Add in baking soda and whisk well.  Baking soda will fizz as it reacts with buttermilk.  Add sugar and shortening, whisking until shortening breaks up into bits.  Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and pumpkin puree and whisk well.  Stir in flour and stir until it is evenly distributed.  Use remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk to thin batter as needed (the consistency will rely a great deal on the moisture in the pumpkin, so you might need all of the 1/2 cup and you might only need 1 tablespoon) to reach desired thickness.
2. Heat skillet or griddle to medium heat.  Grease with extra shortening.  Spoon 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle or skillet and cook on one side until bubbles appear consistently throughout cake.  Flip pancake over and cook until brown on the second side.  Remove to plate or serving platter and keep in a warm place or serve immediately.

Maple Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake

The part of me that disparages anything pre-made or from a mix (other than things like ice cream topping and such) cries a little bit admitting that this cheesecake is in a pre-made crust.  And no, it doesn't taste the same as one I would have made myself.  But it did have the major selling point of being 6-8 servings, rather than the 12+ servings that I would have had if I had made this in my springform pan.  If you want the 12+ servings of a springform pan, just 1 1/2 this recipe, combine it with your favorite homemade graham cracker crust recipe, and increase the baking time to 40 minutes before you put the topping on.

With that out of the way, I will say that this cheesecake is fantastic.  I made it and even I was impressed with how good it is.  It has a creamy filling that has a good pumpkin flavor and a crunchy topping that balances it nicely and gives an extra hit of flavor.  I will definitely consider making it for Thanksgiving this year.

Serves 6-8

Packaged 9-inch graham cracker crust, without cracks or holes
2 8-oz packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin puree ( homemade or canned)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash ground cloves
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1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
Dash cinnamon
1/3 cup pecan pieces, toasted
Whipped cream or Cool Whip, for serving

1.  In mixing bowl of a electric mixer, beat cream cheese for about 10 seconds until it is creamy.  Add sour cream and beat well.  Add brown sugar, vanilla, and bourbon.  Beat well, scraping sides of bowl as needed to incorporate everything.  Add eggs and beat until eggs are full incorporated.  Stir pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into cream cheese mixture.  Stir this only until incorporated and do not whip.
2. Pour cheesecake mixture into prepared crust.  Set filled crust on baking sheet so you can lift it in and out of the oven easier.  Bake cheesecake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Note that, at this point, the cheesecake will not be completely done.
3. While cheesecake is baking, prepare topping.  In the bottom of a small bowl, melt butter in microwave.  Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon until mixture is crumbly.  Stir in pecans.  Set aside until cheesecake has baked 30 minutes.
4. After cheesecake has baked 30 minutes, sprinkle pecan topping evenly over top.  Return cheesecake to oven and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheesecake seems set.  Move cheesecake to cooling rack to cool completely.  Once it is room temperature, cover the cheesecake and place it in the refrigerator.  Chill for at least 2 hours or up to three days.  Cut into wedges and top with whipped cream or Cool Whip for serving.

Cinnamon Pecan Sauce

When I decided to make pumpkin pancakes, I wanted to make some kind of flavored syrup to go with them.  In the past I have made fruit sauce and had good results, but this was different. It needed to have a lot of flavor, which is what the fruit usually provides.  I was surprised that a flavor like cinnamon could carry an entire sauce.  It was really good on pancakes, but it would also be good on french toast and baked apples.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce

2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1. In small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.  Mix until cornstarch is no longer clumped and evenly distributed.  Mix in cinnamon.  Slowly stir in water.  Place saucepan on medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Once sauce is simmering, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or until it thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.  Add maple syrup and pecans.  Stir well and return to a simmer.  Serve hot.

Eggplant Lasagna

I got an eggplant in my last CSA box, so I decided to try to make something different with it.  I was reading something about different kinds of lasagna and that seemed like a good plan.  The rest of the ingredients, well, I had them around.  Surprising how good something without any real plan can be.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large or 2 small chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small eggplant, diced small
2 tablespoons water
Dash salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Salt, ground black pepper, and garlic salt to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
8 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1. In large skillet, melt butter and oil over medium heat.  Saute chicken breast(s) until done.  Remove to plate to cool and set aside.
2. In same butter and oil, saute garlic until soft.  Add eggplant and saute until soft.  Pour water over and simmer at high heat until water disappears.  Season with salt and garlic salt, then basil.  Set mixture aside.
3. In saucepan, whisk flour and milk together.  Place saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens.  Simmer for 2 minutes, still stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 Parmesan cheese.  Stir until melted.  Set aside.
4. Dice chicken.
5. Grease a 8-inch square baking pan.  Pour 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of pan and tilt to cover bottom of pan.  Layer two noodles over sauce.  Top with 1/3 of the eggplant--spreading to make it even--then 1/3 of the chicken, then 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.  Repeat noodles, then eggplant, then chicken layers twice more.  Top final layer of lasagna with 2 more noodles to cover.  Pour all remaining sauce over lasagna.  Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
6. Cover dish with foil.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.  Allow lasagna to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Technique Post: Making Pumpkin Puree

I thought I would try branching out from the usual recipes into how it is that I do some things.  Also, the recipe for pumpkin puree would be ridiculously direction-heavy, so it might as well be a different sort of post.  Anyway, I got this pumpkin from the CSA so I decided to bite the bullet and do something with it.  Last year I made puree and just froze it, then promptly made nothing out of the frozen puree.  So this year I made the puree and made stuff out of it the same day.  Much more work on that one day, but also no freezer door full of pumpkin that makes me feel guilty for not using it.  I used a food processor to make this puree.  If you don't have one, a good one can be found here: KitchenAid KFP750OB 700-Watt 12-Cup Food Processor, Onyx Black.  You don't HAVE to have a food processor to accomplish this, but I have done it with a potato masher and found that the end product is still really stringy and that it is a lot more work.

1. Prepare the Pumpkin: Cut pumpkin in half.  This is a fantastic task to accomplish with your pumpkin-carving tools or any sturdy serrated knife with a comfortable handle. Once you have two halves, scoop out the seeds and the strings holding the seeds in.  If you are feeling really industrious, feel free to save and roast the seeds.  I didn't, but I could have.

2. Bake the Pumpkin: Once you have two halves that are clean of seeds and strings, place them cut-side down in a baking dish.  I used a large Pyrex pan, but it can be anything with tall sides and enough room to hold both pumpkin halves.  Pour enough water into the pan to come up about an inch on the pumpkins. If your cut line on your pumpkin is really straight, you should also make sure that water got into the pumpkin center (that the pumpkin isn't suctioned to the pan, basically).  Place dish with water and pumpkin in a 350 degree oven and roast until pumpkin is cooked through.  For my pumpkin, this took about an hour but my pumpkin was pretty big for a sugar pumpkin.  Check it after like 30 minutes and judge from there.  Pumpkin is done when a fork can pierce the skin and flesh with minimal pressure.
3. Cool the Pumpkin: Lift the pumpkin halves up so that the cut sides are exposed and prop it up in the pan.  I did this with forks.  This is less important to the whole process, but it does help the pumpkin cool faster so I recommend it.  Allow the pumpkin to cool until you can handle it with your bare hands.

4. Puree the Pumpkin: The pumpkin is now baked, soft, and cooled.  Use an ice cream scoop or soup spoon to scoop the meat from the skin of the pumpkin.  Try to not scrap hard enough to pull up pumpkin skin--it is hard and doesn't taste great--but if you do just take it off the scrapings.  Scoop the pumpkin meat into the bowl of a food processor.  Depending on your food processor and your pumpkin, you might need to make the actual puree in batches.  There is usually a "max fill" line on a food processor bowl and, for this project, I would really recommend using it.  You don't want lumpy puree.  Once your pumpkin meat is all in the processor or your bowl is full to the max fill line, affix lid and process pumpkin.  The actual puree will appear in seconds.  Scrap the sides of the processor down and give it a few more whirls, just to make sure it is smooth.
5. Use the Pumpkin: You now have puree.  If your pumpkin was anything like my pumpkin, you probably have a lot of puree (my pumpkin ended up being about 4 cups of puree).  Something you might notice is that homemade puree tends to be yellower and looser than the canned that you buy in the store.  This isn't wrong, it's just a different product.  The recipes that you will find for pumpkin on this site have generally been made with homemade puree not because I hate canned, but more because I tend to have pumpkins to deal with and create recipes to do just that.  Homemade and store-bought can usually be used interchangeably in things like pies, breads, and most cakes.  Just be aware that these recipes might turn out a little looser with homemade puree. I would not really recommend using homemade puree for cookies as it is, since the cookies will probably spread because of the extra moisture in the puree.  If you want to use homemade puree for such a recipe, I would recommend adding about 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch for every cup of homemade puree to help combat the loose-ness.  Another really important note here: you should not can homemade pumpkin puree.  Freeze it yes, can it no.  The USDA does not recommend home canning of pumpkin because the acid content of pumpkin is not high enough and the puree is dense enough to prevent the center from reaching the necessary temperature to kill bacteria and to prevent the growth of botulism.  If you make your puree and don't use it that day, it can be kept in a refrigerator for about a week and a freezer for about a year.  Or you can just use it right away, like I did, and have a whole bunch of delicious pumpkin products in your house.

Apple Crisp

I have a glut of apples at the moment, which is a positive problem.  I really like apples and it just doesn't seem like fall to me unless I make apple crisp at least a few times.  And when I say "apple crisp" this is always the recipe I mean.  The apples stay very apple-y, the topping is not overwhelmingly sweet, and it isn't real high on the calorie and fat scales.  Winner all around.  A short note here on what apples to use: I used 4 honeycrisp apples and 3 granny smiths when I made this batch.  This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, I mostly just like to mix something that bakes up sweet and mushy (macintosh, jonathon, honeycrisp) with something that will bake up firm and a little sour (granny smith is my go-to here and is pretty readily-available year-round).  Play with it a little on your own to find your preference or just use whatever is available to you.

Serves 4-6

7 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup quick-cook oatmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter

1. Prepare the apples and place them in a baking dish.  I used an oval 11-inch ceramic baking dish, but pyrex works well too.  Basically you want the dish to be full almost to the top with sliced apples, but not overflowing.
2. Drizzle lemon juice over cut apples.
3. In small bowl, mix together brown sugar, oatmeal, flour, and cinnamon.  I usually just do this with my hands.  Using your fingers, a pastry blender, or two knives, cut butter into brown sugar mixture.  Once mixture is crumbly and there are no chunks of butter, sprinkle it evenly over apples in baking dish.
4. Bake crisp in 325 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.  At this point the apples should be crisp-tender and the topping should be browned.  If you like your apples more done, cover crisp with foil for the first 15 minutes and increase baking time by 10 minutes.

Pasta Bolognese

I didn't really set out to make bolognese sauce, but I sort of realized partway through the day that I had all the ingredients for it if I did some tweaking.  This sauce was really good but make no mistake, this is not marinara.  I don't really have a lot of experience with bolognese, so I was surprised at how much flavor this had but also how filling it was.  Luckily the leftovers reheated really well.

Serves 6

4 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 cup sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
Salt and garlic salt to taste
1 lb pasta, for serving
Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. In large skillet with lid, saute bacon pieces until browned and crispy.  Remove bacon pieces and set aside, but reserve drippings in pan.
2.  Saute garlic and onions in bacon drippings until soft and opaque.  Add mushrooms and saute until soft.  Add pork and brown until pork is no longer pink.  Stir in oregano and basil.  Add beef broth and red wine, simmering until liquids in the pan are reduced by about half.  Add tomatoes and tomato paste.  Stir browned bacon pieces into sauce, season to taste, and cover sauce.  Simmer sauce on low for about 30 minutes to combine flavors.  Serve sauce over pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Slow Cooker Minestrone

Because my birthday cake was delicious, but also sort of rich, this was the soup that accompanied it.  It was hearty but also not terribly heavy, which was good because it has been unseasonably warm here and heavy food hasn't really been and option of late.  Putting this in the slow cooker also meant no added heat to the house, which is a definite bonus.  In the interest of full disclosure and giving credit where credit is due, I should also point out that I didn't make this soup.  It was made for me for my birthday.

Serves 6

2 links hot turkey sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
12 oz can canellini beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz can diced tomatoes, Italian seasoned style
2 bay leaves
9 cups chicken broth
2 cups small pasta
Parmesan cheese

1. In small skillet, brown hot turkey sausage with onion and garlic.  Season with salt, thyme, and basil.  Stir in flour and continue to cook over medium heat until liquids are reduced.  Pour mixture into pot of a slow cooker.
2. Add chicken, carrots, beans, and diced tomatoes to sausage mixture.  Stir well.  Add bay leaves and chicken broth and stir well.  Cook soup on high heat for 4-6 hours or low heat for 8 hours.
3. About 30-45 minutes before you are ready to eat, add pasta.  Serve once pasta is cooked through.  Remove bay leaves for serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for serving.

Brownie Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

I developed this recipe to have chocolate cookies that were also festive.  I love to make sugar cookies, but I also love chocolate.  It just seemed unfair that the only options for using all the fun festive sprinkles that I have are cupcakes or sugar cookies.  I also love the flavor of brownies with buttercream, but at times they just aren't as portable as they should be.  These particular cookies were made to go to a tailgater for a football game, which is a place where portability is a necessity.  They were a pretty big hit.

Makes about 60 cookies

1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
Basic Buttercream

1. In heatproof bowl, combine chocolates and butter.  Heat mixture in the microwave for about 2 minutes--stirring every 30 seconds--or until all chocolate and butter is melted.  Set mixture aside and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Mix sugar into melted mixture.  Stir in vanilla.  Mixture will appear grainy at this point.  Stir in eggs, a few at a time, and beat well.  Make sure eggs are incorporated before adding dry ingredients. Measure salt into mixture and stir.  Add flour, one cup at a time, and beat well.  Be sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl well, as flour seems to collect there very well with this recipe.
3. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. Drop scoops of dough onto prepared cookie sheet.  You will want each cookie to be about 2 tablespoons of dough.  Bake cookies in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  As these are very dark cookies, you will be able to tell that they are done when they are evenly puffed, the tops are dry, and the edges are crackled.  Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
5. Once cookies are completely cool, frost them with about 1 tablespoon of buttercream.  Add sprinkles, if desired.

Basic Buttercream

I use this frosting for pretty much anything.  I like it on cookies, on cakes, on graham crackers.  Pretty much anything that needs sweet or vanilla, this is the frosting I use.  This recipe will be enough for 12-16 cupcakes (spread frosting; it will frost fewer if the frosting is piped on), 30-45 cookies (depending on cookie size), or about half of a 9-inch layer cake.

Makes about 3 cups frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Milk, if needed
Food coloring, if desired

1. With an electric stand mixer, beat butter until fluffy to loosen it up.  This will take about 30 seconds.
2. Add vanilla.  Scrap sides and beat again until vanilla is incorporated.
3. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time.  Scrap sides of bowl and beater after each cup is added.  After all 4 cups are added, if the frosting seems too stiff to use, you will want to add milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time.  You won't need much milk, so don't add too much or you will have to add more powdered sugar to even it out.
4. Add food coloring, if using.  Frosting itself will be a very pale yellow / off-white color.  I usually use the gel food colorings for frosting, as the liquid that comes in dropper-bottles thins frosting.

Week 17 Box

This was the last box that we will get this year, the newsletter this week informs me.  It was a little strange in its proportions (for example, the box had one brussell sprout in it) and a lot of it was already of a somewhat-questionable freshness.  Many of the sweet potatoes have already been thrown away because they were already moldy.  What is listed below is what I saved.  It should also be mentioned that the herbs listed here are actually from my mom's garden, so they were in extremely plentiful quantities.

• Carrots
• Garlic bulb
• Sugar pumpkin
• Butternut squash
• Oregano
• Basil
• Thyme

Shrimp Florentine

I saw a commercial the other day for some kind of pasta Florentine.  I've never made Florentine before, but it seemed like as good a time as any to try.  I like shrimp, so I thought I would make my Florentine with that.  I know that Florentine is supposed to have spinach in it, but I had swiss chard so I decided to use that instead.  The cheese tortellini combines well with the cream sauce to calm the swiss chard and shrimp flavors down.  It's nicely balanced.


Serves 4

1 package cheese tortellini
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
30 leaves swiss chard, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. In large skillet,  heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic until soft.  Add swiss chard and continue sauteing until swiss chard wilts.  Add shrimp and cook until no longer opaque.  Toss tortellini with shrimp mixture.  Leave on very low heat while you make sauce.
3. In saucepan--it can be the same one that you used for the pasta--whisk flour, milk, basil, and garlic salt together.  Place on medium head and stir constantly until it simmers and thickens.  Turn off heat and add cheeses.  Pour sauce over pasta and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper to serve.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti with Cherries

I've made biscotti a couple of times before, but usually it's for a pretty specific occasion.  Where I live is transitioning between summer and fall now and somehow biscotti sounded good.  The combination of chewy cherries with crunchy almonds with crumbly biscotti dough, I think, is a good one and the chocolate is really just the icing on the cake.  The cookies are good on their own, but they are made for dunking in coffee or milk so plan your enjoyment accordingly.

Makes about 25 cookie slices

3/4 cup whole almonds
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup dried cherries
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks if a bar
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar

1. Toast almonds in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or at high power in a microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside and allow to cool.
2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until combined.  Add extracts and eggs, then beat well.  Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder. This will create a thick, sticky batter.  Using a sturdy spatula, fold in almonds, chocolate, and cherries.  Distribute ingredients as best you can.
3. On a floured surface, turn out batter.  Knead a few times to decrease the stickiness and to distribute the whole ingredients fully.  Divide dough in half and form each half into a log that is about 10 inches long.
4. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place each dough log on the parchment paper, spacing so they are about 3 inches apart.  In a measuring cup or small glass, beat the 1 egg until frothy.  Brush egg over dough logs using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle logs with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
5. Bake logs for about 25-30 minutes or until they are golden and firm.  Pull parchment paper off the cookie sheet and transfer it to a cooling rack.  Allow logs to cool until they are warm and you can handle them easily, about 20-30 minutes.
6.  While your logs are cooling, fit the cookie sheet you were using with a cooling rack that can go in the oven.  Set aside.
7.  Remove cookie log from the parchment paper to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut logs at an angle into 3/4 inch slices.  Each log will make about a dozen slices.  Place cookie slices on the cooling rack you placed on the cookie sheet.  Cookies can touch because they won't change shape at all.  Once you have cut one log and placed it on the rack in the cookie sheet, cut the other log in the same manner.
8. Bake cookie slices in a 300 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  Cookies will get slightly more brown on the edges, but you will know they are done when they don't give as you poke them.  Leave cookies on the rack in the cookie sheet to cool completely.  Moisture is the enemy of biscotti, so store it in an airtight container for up to a week.

Oatmeal Cookies

Whenever fall rolls around, I tend to want oatmeal.  I really like oatmeal cookies, but they always cause a bit of a controversy in my house.  I love oatmeal raisin and like oatmeal chocolate chip; but Husband hates raisins and isn't real fond of chocolate chips in his oatmeal cookies.  So in my house, oatmeal cookies mean just oatmeal.  The problem with this is that there are very few oatmeal cookie recipes without something in them and--I say through years of experience--taking the something out usually results in sub-par cookies.  So I invented this recipe. The abundance of flavors helps cover up the lack of somethings, making a cookie that is very wonderfully simple.

Makes 36 cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon molasses
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups quick-cook oatmeal
2 cups flour

1. In mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until combined.  Add vanilla, molasses, and eggs.  Beat at medium speed until fluffy.  Scrap sides and add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and whole-wheat flour.  Stir at low speed until all are incorporated.  Scape sides again and add oatmeal, then flour.  Beat just until incorporated.
2. Grease a large cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.  Spoon cookie dough by tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheet.  Bake cookies in a 375 degree oven for 9-11 minutes or until edges and bottoms of cookies are deep golden.  Cool before storing.  Store cookies in an airtight container with waxed paper between any stacked layers to prevent cookies from sticking together.

Chocolate Almond Trifle

I wanted to make some different kind of chocolate dessert this week, so I started thinking trifle.  I thought that brownies would make a good base, but the rest of the ingredients threw me.  For only planning on something creamy and something frothy, this trifle came out amazingly good.  The chocolate is rich and bittersweet, the almond is sweet and smooth.  It looks much harder than it is, which I consider a nice bonus.

Serves 8

3/4 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons amaretto
4 oz Cool Whip

1 package chocolate mousse mix, made according to package directions

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. In heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together.  This will take about 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds.  Once mixture is smooth and melted, allow to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Stir sugar into chocolate mixture.  Add eggs, one at a time, until smooth.  Stir in extracts and flour.  Stir in 1/2 cup almonds.
3. Grease an 8-inch square pan.  Pour brownie mixtures into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.
4. Once brownies are cool, cut them into small squares.
5. In mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Once smooth, beat in amaretto.  After amaretto is incorporated, fold in Cool Whip.  Set aside.
6. Prepare chocolate mousse according to package directions.  Set aside.
7. In large glass bowl, place a scant half of the brownies.  Smooth half of the amaretto cream mixture on top of the brownies, then smooth half of the mousse over it.  Sprinkle mousse with half of the toasted almonds.  Repeat layers of brownies, cream, and mousse.  Sprinkle with any remaining brownie bits and remaining toasted almonds.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Chicken Marsala

This is one of those dishes that I love, but I never order at restaurants.  I like the way that I make it and apparently not many other ways.  It's not a terribly difficult meal, but it tastes pretty fantastic.

Serves 4

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cup sliced baby portabella mushrooms
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup marsala wine
3 cups farafalle pasta

1. Put water on for pasta.  Leave to heat while you complete the rest of the steps.
2. Heat oil and butter in a skillet with a lid.  When butter melts, add garlic and onions.  Saute until they just begin to turn golden, then add mushrooms.  Continue sauteing until the mushrooms put off liquid and garlic and onions are soft.  Remove from skillet and set aside.
3. On small plate, mix marjoram and flour.  Dunk chicken breasts in flour mixture until evenly coated.  Saute coated chicken breasts in skillet until golden brown,flipping as needed.  Top chicken with garlic mushroom mixture.  Reduce heat to low.  In measuring cup, combine broth and wine.  Pour broth wine mixture over chicken and cover skillet with lid.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
4.  While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta until it is slightly undercooked.  After chicken is done, remove from skillet but leave liquid.  Toss pasta with liquid in skillet and bring pasta to a simmer in sauce.  Remove skillet from heat.  Serve pasta with chicken breasts.

Week 16 Box

Apparently next week we will be box-less, so they really overloaded this week's box. Many of the things listed were in bulk.

• Potatoes
• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Garlic
• Onions
• Edamame
• Green beans
• Rosemary

Baked Penne

I still had marinara sauce from the last time I made some, so I thought I would make something different with it.  I have made something like this before, but I wanted to try it with a few new things added in.  It still tastes delicious, even more so with the changes.  Notice that the tags include ingredients from the marinara.

Serves 4-6

3 cups uncooked penne
3 cups meatless marinara, homemade or jarred
5 oz Italian sausage
1 cup chopped swiss chard
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, undercooking slightly.  Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a small skillet.  Add swiss chard and cook until chard is wilted.  Set aside.
3. Also while pasta is cooking, mix ricotta and egg together in small bowl.  Add Parmesan cheese and garlic salt and stir well.  Set aside.
4. Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish and set aside.
5. In pasta saucepan, mix cooked pasta with sausage mixture and marinara.  Pour half of the pasta mixture into the greased baking dish and smooth.  Dollop ricotta mixture over pasta and smooth into an even layer over pasta.  Top with remaining pasta and smooth this pasta layer to hide the cheese.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over pasta.
6. Bake penne in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve hot.

Beef Stew

I love the convenience of the slow cooker.  Even though it is still in the 80s here, I decided it was close enough to fall to justify beef stew.

Serves 4

2 lbs round steak, cubed
6 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste
4 red potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup baby carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. In slow cooker, mix together beef and broth.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, red wine, thyme, and bay leaf.  Season to taste.  Cook beef and liquids on low heat for 8 hours.
2. Stir potatoes and carrots into slow cooker.  Remove bay leaf.  Raise heat to high and cook for 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are done.  Serve hot.

Shrimp and Grits

A restaurant here in town served shrimp and grits for a short time.  I never had them there, but I found the idea intriguing.  The sauce seemed to be tomato-based, which I like in general, but most of the recipes I found were cheese-based and that did not sound good.  I had bits of CSA stuff and I ended up throwing a lot of things together.  It was actually remarkably good and not as heavy as Southern Sunday normally is.

Serves 2-3

1 lb shrimp (60-80 size)
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Splash Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Salt and garlic salt to taste
Cheese Grits

1. Shell and de-vein shrimp.  Set aside.
2. Mix together tomatoes, pepper, and onion.  Stir to combine and set aside.
3. Mix cornstarch with shrimp.  Set bowl aside again.
4. In skillet, heat butter and oil.  Saute garlic until soft.  Add shrimp to skillet and saute until shrimp is cooked.  Drain any liquid from tomato mixture and pour over shrimp in skillet.  Cook until tomatoes release juices and those juices thicken.  Season with Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, salt, and garlic salt.  Serve over grits.

Chocolate Chip Cake

I love yellow cake with chocolate frosting, so adding chocolate chips seemed like an awesome plan.  I was not impressed, though, by the recipes all seemed like a lot of work.  I like to make cake from scratch, but the recipes that beat egg whites separately and fold them in is a little more work than I like to do.  Behold the easier--yet still unbelievably tasty--chocolate chip cake.  It's rich, dense, and decadent.

Makes one layer cake

1 1/2 cup flour, divided
1 1/2 cup cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1. Measure 1 cup flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl.  Stir together until combined.  Set aside.
2. Place miniature chocolate chips in small bowl.  Pour remaining 1/2 cup flour over chips and toss to coat.  Set aside.
3. Grease and flour round layer cake pans.  Set aside.
4. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and beat well.  Stir in vanilla and whip until fluffy.  Stir in half of the flours/powder/salt mixture and beat well.  Stir in half of the sour cream and mix well.  Add remaining flours mixture, then remaining sour cream.  Mixture might appear curdled at this point.  Stir in chocolate chips/flour mixture just until chips are distributed.
5. Divide batter evenly between cake pans.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes.  Allow to cool on a wire rack before removing from pans and frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

I have had a really hard time finding a good chocolate frosting that was not buttercream.  I wanted something that was more fudgy.  This one was a modified recipe from a few I found.  I was amazed at how easy it was and yet how good.

Frosts one layer cake

2/3 cup butter
4 oz unsweeted chocolate
4 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

1. In microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter together.  This will take about 1 minute on high, stirring every 30 seconds.  Set aside.
2. Place powdered sugar in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer.  Pour butter chocolate mixture over powdered sugar. Beat until crumbly.  Add vanilla and half of the milk to crumbles and beat well.  Add enough of the other half of the milk to make the frosting a spreading consistency.  Allow to sit at room temperature until ready to use.

Stromboli

I was watching a show about travel and food a few days ago.  I am very suggestible when it comes to food, so I decided to try making Stromboli myself.  I don't really know much about the dish other than what I saw on the show, so this is basically my best stab at it.  I was pretty pleased with the outcome, though.

Makes 2 large Stromboli

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2-3 cups flour
3 tablespoons pizza sauce
1 cup pizza cheese
1/4 cup ricotta
Pizza toppings to taste
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1. In bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast and sugar.  Pour hot water over yeast and sugar, then mix with a spatula until yeast is dissolved.  Let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy.
2. Stir salt and garlic salt into yeast mixture.  Add one cup of flour to mixture and stir until smooth.  Add another cup and place bowl in electric mixture with dough hook affixed.  Use dough hook to incorporate the cup of flour.  If dough is still sticky, add additional flour--up to one cup--until a stiff dough begins to climb the hook.  Use the spatula to shape dough into a ball.  Cover bowl with a wet towel and let rise for at least 30 minutes. 
3. While dough is rising, prepare your pizza toppings.  Stromboli fillings need to be pre-cooked, so take this time to cook meat, caramelize onions, or saute vegetables.  I made mine in four meats (Canadian bacon, pepperoni, leftover sausage, and a strip of bacon cooked and crumbled) and in kale with Canadian bacon. 
4. Divide puffed dough in half.  Grease your hands and grease an area to roll out the dough.  Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
5. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 10 inches long and 6 inches wide.  Top with half of the ricotta cheese; spread out but leave a rim around the edges of the dough. Spread half of the pizza sauce over cheese, leaving a rim again.  Top sauce with pizza toppings, layering your selected toppings with half of the pizza cheese as you go.  Pull one long side up over the toppings, trying to cover as much of the toppings as possible.  Bring short sides up over your previously-folded side.  The Stromboli should now look like an open envelope.  Bring the last long side up and press to seal all seams.  Using your hands, pick Stromboli up and flip it over--seams side down now--onto cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Repeat step 5 with remaining dough and toppings.
7. Bake Strombolis at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot with additional pizza sauce.

Week 15 Box

I neglected to pick up the box from the person I share with last week, so you might have noticed that there was no post for what was in the box.  I still had produce from the week before, though, so it was nice to use that up before getting new.  This week, though, I have the box all to myself so I'm going to have to work hard to use up all the stuff.  Fingers crossed.

• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• Green beans
• Tomatoes
• Thyme

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

I thought that something summery was in order for Labor Day.  I really like strawberries and I really like Bundt cakes, so I thought I would try to combine them into one.  Sweet, rich, and flavorful, this cake really fits the bill.  It has the added bonus of being made in one bowl and not requiring frosting, so isn't as hard as cakes sometimes can be.

Makes 10-inch fluted cake

1 pound fresh strawberries
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 scant teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups cake flour
1 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 egg whites
Whipped cream or Cool Whip, for serving

1. Clean the strawberries.  Hull the berries and dice them into a measuring cup.  When all of the berries are diced small, you should have 2 cups of cut berries.  Set aside.
2. Coat fluted cake pan with baking spray or grease with butter and sprinkle with flour.  Set aside.
3. Combine butter and shortening in mixing bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat until they are combined.  Add sugar and beat well.  Scrap sides of the bowl and add salt, baking powder, and cake flour.  Beat until mixture forms crumbles.
4. In measuring cup, combine milk and vanilla.  Pour into crumbly batter all at once and beat well until crumbles dissolve.  Scrap sides and bottom of bowl.  Add egg whites and beat well.  Mixture might appear curdled at this point.  Use a spatula to fold strawberry pieces into cake batter.  Spoon cake batter into pan and smooth with spatula.
5. Bake cake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until cake tests done.  It will likely rise to the top of the pan, then fall shortly before or after you take it from the oven.  This makes the cake dense.
6.  Remove cake from oven to a cooling rack.  Allow to rest in pan for 30 minutes.  Lift the cake in the pan and shake it to loosen cake.  Invert cake onto cooling rack, removing it from the pan.  Allow cake to cool completely before slicing and serving.  Serve with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

Pesto Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

My mother-in-law had an overflow of cherry tomatoes, so she gave me a fair number of them.  I am going to a barbecue for Labor Day, so I decided to try and make stuffed cherry tomatoes.  I like pesto and I had a package of basil, so making them pesto seemed like a good plan.  They were surprisingly easy, once I got the cherry tomatoes ready to be stuffed.

Makes 25 stuffed tomatoes

25 cherry tomatoes
2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1. Clean cherry tomatoes.  With a paring knife, cut the top off of the tomato.  Use the tip of the paring knife to loosen the center of the tomato, like the hull of a strawberry.  Working over a bowl or garbage can, remove the seeds and liquid from the center of the tomato with the tip of your finger.  Set tomato cut-side down on a paper towel to drain and repeat process with remaining tomatoes.
2. In sandwich-sized plastic resealable bag, combine the cream cheese and mayonnaise.  Add basil and garlic salt to bag.  Close bag, squeezing out excess air.  Squish the bags between your fingers until ingredients are combined.  Cut 1/8th inch corner off of the bag.  Squeeze filling from plastic bag into tomatoes as if from a piping bag.  Sprinkle filled tomatoes with Parmesan cheese.  Store tomatoes in an air-tight bag until you are ready to serve them, up to 24 hours.

Breakfast Pizza

This breakfast pizza is like an entire breakfast on a crust.  I use a whole wheat crust because I think it tastes like toast, then top it with all the breakfast things I like most.  It might sound like it takes a long time, but a lot of it is baking time.  I like to make it on days when I intend to be home in the morning--Labor Day this time, but I have also made it for New Year's Day or Christmas--so the time is less of an issue.  Notice that the tags of this recipe include the ingredients in the gravy.

Serves 4-8

1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 batch sausage gravy
1 raw potato
4 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded pizza cheese

1. In large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in water.  Allow to puff for 5 minutes.  Add oil and whole wheat flour.  Stir well to form a batter.  Add enough of the all-purpose flour to make a stiff dough.  Turn onto floured surface and knead until it is smooth and hard to fold.  Cover with inverted bowl and allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. If gravy is not made, make gravy.  Set aside.
3. Shred potato into very cold water.  Remove shredded potato to paper towels and cover with more paper towels.  Apply pressure to squeeze out excess water.  Set aside.
4. Scramble eggs with the 2 tablespoons water.  I do this in a microwave-safe bowl, but you can also do it in a skillet on the stovetop.  Set aside.
5. Grease 16-inch round pizza pan.  Stretch the whole wheat pizza crust dough between your hands until it covers the bottom of the pizza pan.  Bake crust in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes.
6. While crust is still hot, smooth gravy evenly over it.  Sprinkle evenly with shredded potato and scrambled eggs.  Top with cheeses and put back to bake in 375 degree oven.  Bake another 20-30 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.  Allow pizza to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.  Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Sausage Manicotti

With a lot of herbs to use and some free time in the afternoon, a more complicated dinner seemed in order.  The way I made this dish it took some time, but notice that there are substitutions listed.  Making this dish with sausage and marinara, it has a lot of flavor from a lot of different herbs.  It was just a nice bonus that it also got rid of a lot of my excess herbs.  Notice that the tags of this post are for all of the ingredients, including what is in the sausage and the marinara.

Serves 3

1/2 batch fresh sage sausage or 8 oz sausage
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 egg
7 manicotti noodles
1 1/2 cup marinara without meat or canned marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Brown sausage in skillet.  Place crumbles in heatproof bowl and cool for 5 minutes.
2. Stir Parmesan cheese, ricotta, and garlic salt into sausage crumbles.  Add egg and mix well.  If necessary, refrigerate until you are ready to use.
3. Cook noodles according to package directions.  Undercook noodles slightly.  Rinse noodles in cold water and allow to sit in cold water until used.
4. Placing your hand over one end of the noodle, spoon filling into other end.  The filling does not need to reach your hand.  When one end is full, flip and place your hand over full end and fill the other end of the noodle.  Full noodle should be placed in a greased 8-inch square glass pan.  Fill remaining noodles in this manner and place in one layer in pan.
5. When all noodles are full, pour sauce over filled noodles.  Smooth sauce over noodles and top with cheese.
6. Bake manicotti in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and brown.  Serve hot.

Fresh Sage Sausage

I still had a bunch of fresh sage leftover from last week and from even later.  Fresh sage keeps pretty well, I have learned, but this was really needing to be used.  I chose to brown it in crumbles to use in manicotti and to make more sausage gravy (as I might have mentioned, I plan almost to a fault; I have a plan for each of these) but it can easily be made into patties and served as breakfast.  Without the preservatives, this sausage really shines with herb flavor.

Makes 1 lb

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Generous dash ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 pound ground pork

1. Toss mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, ground black pepper, sage, and brown sugar together in the bottom of a mixing bowl.  Crumble ground pork over spices and mix until well combined.
2. In large skillet, brown seasoned meat.  If making patties, shape into patties and brown in skillet until done. 

Cream of Potato Soup

It might not be very exciting, but I find that when fall starts appearing I always want potato soup.  I have a lot of variations that I make, but this is the most basic.  It is just simply good.

Serves 3-4

1 tablespoon butter
1 large or 2 medium leeks, chopped small
5 potatoes, cubed
2 cups water
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Dash ground mustard
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add leeks and saute until tender.  Add potatoes and stir until leeks coat potato cubes.  Pour water over potatoes and bring to a simmer.  Simmer potatoes and leeks until potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile, mix flour and milk together in a measuring cup.  When potatoes are tender, add milk mixture to potato mixture in saucepan and stir well.  Return soup to just a simmer until soup thickens.  Add ground mustard, salt, and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Vanilla Icebox Cookies

Since I used the pod of a vanilla bean to make these custards, I needed something to do with the seeds.  If I had to pinpoint two things that get me into trouble almost daily, it would be my tendency to multitask and to over-plan.  With that in mind, of course I made the dough for these cookies while I was making the custard.  You don't have to, you can actually just soak the pod in the milk for the custard while you are making these cookies.  Or you can just throw the pod away and make these cookies.  They are a lovely simple cookie with a light vanilla taste and, best of all, they are convenient.  Just make the dough, freeze it, and slice and bake when you need cookies up to a month later.

Makes 28 cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
Sanding sugar, optional

1. In mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Add sugar and beat well.  Beat in eggs, vanilla bean, and salt.  Scrap the sides of the bowl and make sure there isn't residue in the bottom.  Add flour and beat until combined.
2. On surface covered with plastic wrap, turn out dough.  Use your hands to compress dough into a log about 8 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.  Place log of dough in freezer until solid, at least 2 hours.
3. When ready to bake, cut frozen log into 1/4 inch slices.  Place slices on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and sprinkle with sanding sugar, if using.  Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown and cookies are solid.  Allow cookies to cool before serving.  Cookies can be kept in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

The number of batches of bread pudding that I have made in my life really can't be calculated.  For a while in England, my roommates and I had a really hard time judging how much bread to buy for all of us.  We tended to overbuy and then have a real back-stock of bread.  I would make bread pudding to use up the extra.  The sweet custard with little bits of fruit became a staple.  It has been years since I made it now, but it sounded like a good idea again.  The air almost feels like fall here and caramel apple is one of my favorite flavor combinations, so this seemed a natural.

Serves 9

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
8 cups french bread cubes (3/4-1 loaf)
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped small
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Caramel sauce, for serving

1. In heatproof bowl, microwave milk until bubbly.  Stir in butter, brown sugar, and lemon zest.  Butter will melt with the heat of the milk.  Add cinnamon and vanilla, stir well, and set aside to cool.
2. If bread is not already cubed, cube bread into a large bowl.  This is also a good time to peel, core, and chop the apple.  Stir until apple is evenly distributed.
3. Beat eggs into milk mixture.  Pour milk/egg mixture over bread cubes and stir well.  Let stand for 10 minutes to allow bread to absorb liquid.
4. Pour bread pudding into greased 9-inch square pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve warm or cool with ice cream and caramel.

Yellow Squash and Onions

I had these in North Carolina when I was there this spring.  It seemed like a fitting way to use the yellow squash that has been building up and to accompany a Southern entree. 

Serves 3

1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 slice onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 small yellow squash, cut into coins
Dash garlic salt
Dash salt
Dash ground black pepper

1. In skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and squash and saute until edges are brown and vegetables are soft.  Season with garlic salt, salt, and pepper.  Serve hot.

Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe was developed last year, when we decided that chicken and dumplings were pretty Southern.  I think it is one of the few recipes that I invented that has not changed since I started making it. To me, it is perfect just as it is.

Serves 3-4

1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, quartered (or about 15-20 baby carrots)
1 stalk celery, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
2 slices of lemon
3 lbs chicken thighs with bones and skin, skin removed
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Extra water as needed

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Dash ground black pepper
3 tablespoons shortening
1/4-1/2 cup cold water
Extra flour, for rolling

1. Place onion, garlic, celery, carrots, lemon, and chicken thighs in large stock pot.  They can be stacked.  Pour chicken broth and water over top.  Add thyme, garlic salt, and bay leaf.  Stir to distribute, cover, and heat to a simmer.  Simmer on low heat for at least an hour or until chicken is tender.
2. Remove vegetables, bay leaf, thyme, and chicken from pot. Discard vegetables and herbs.  Allow chicken to cool while you prepare the dumplings.
3. In bowl, combine flour and seasonings.  Cut in shortening until mixture resembles crumbs and a a handful clumps when you squeeze it.  Stir in water until it forms a dough.  On floured surface, knead dough until smooth.  Roll dough out into an oblong rectangle that is about 1/8 inch thick.  Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut dough into 1-inch wide strips.
4. Return broth to a simmer, if it isn't still. If broth looks lower than 1-2 cups, add a cup of water and bring broth to simmer.  Tear strips of dough into pieces and drop into simmering broth.  Simmer dumplings for 10 minutes, uncovered, while you shred the chicken and drop it into the broth over the dumplings.  After 10 minutes of uncovered simmering, cover the stockpot and simmer for 10 minutes more.  Serve immediately.

Week 13 Box

I didn't do a great job with using last week's box, so this week the goal is to get it gone before another box shows up. We'll see how that goes.

• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Onion
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Okra
• Green peppers
• Sage
• Thyme
• Tarragon
  

Farfalle with Kale and Ham

I have posted this sauce before on this blog, but it tasted so different with this combination of ingredients that I thought it warranted another post.  I struggle every year to find things to make with greens.  This pasta dish might also warrant repeating, since it uses kale.

Serves 3

2 cups farfalle
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup diced ham
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and garlic salt to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. If you have not already done so, now is a good time to chop the kale and mince the garlic.
3. In same saucepan as pasta was cooked in, melt butter over medium heat.  Add garlic to pan and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add ham to the butter and garlic and stir until ham is fragrant. Mix kale into garlic and ham, stirring and sauteing until kale is wilted.  Toss pasta into kale mixture and remove from heat.  Pour sour cream and Parmesan cheese over hot pasta mixture.  Stir well until sour cream is evenly distributed and Parmesan cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

Vanilla Custard with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

I'm not a huge fan of custard.  Mostly I think it tastes like eggs and I'm also not a huge fan of eggs, so I suppose it isn't surprising.  So when we were running out of ideas for Southern desserts and custard was suggested, I figured I should make it as flavorful as possible.  I also have vanilla beans that I have been meaning to use for a while now, so it seemed like a good time.  Creamy custard, sweet sauce, lots of layers of flavor.  Even I like this custard.

Makes 6 custard cups

2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean pod (use the seeds for something else)
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups hot water

1. Pour milk into small saucepan.  Add vanilla bean pod and nutmeg.  Set aside.
2. Butter 6 custard cups.  Place cups in large glass pan, spacing so that they barely touch.
3. In small skillet, pour 1/2 cup sugar in even layer.  Place skillet over low heat and stir until sugar caramelizes.  Sugar will crystallize and turn tan, then the crystals will dissolve into deep brown liquid.  Stir in bourbon and mix well. Divide syrup evenly between the 6 custard cups.
4. In heatproof bowl, beat yolks and egg.  Add 1/3 cup sugar and salt.Whisk until frothy.  Set bowl aside, but close at hand.
5. Place small saucepan of milk on medium heat.  Stirring constantly, scald milk.  You should see a film on top of milk and tiny bubbles appearing around the edge of the milk when it is ready.  Remove vanilla bean pod.  Whisking with one hand and pouring with the other, stir milk into egg/sugar mixture all at once.  Stir until smooth.  Divide custard evenly between custard cups, pouring over caramel.  Pour hot water in pan around custard cups, stopping once water is about an inch up the side of the cups.
6. Bake custard in water bath for 30-35 minutes or until it thickly coats a knife inserted into the center.  Cool in water bath and chill before serving.  Invert on small plate to serve.  Some caramel may stick to bottom of cup.