Pumpkin Spice Syrup

October 19, 2011 by
 
When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.  While it is meant for coffee, we don’t drink coffee.
But I wasn’t about to let that stop me!  We love it in apple cider, hot or cold, and hot chocolate especially.  What are you going to try it in?
 
PUMPKIN SPICE SYRUP
 
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3 T pumpkin puree
 
In a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar.  Heat over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved.
Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.
Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring often.  (Just don’t let it boil).
Let cool then strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer.  Store in the refrigerator.
 
Add 1-2 tablespoons to hot cocoa, apple cider, hot cider, milkshakes, anything!
 
Recipe source: Annie’s Eats
 
Filed Under: Drinks, Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

October 18, 2011 by
 
Yet another pumpkin recipe! I haven’t even gotten through half my stack of recipes and scribbled ideas for pumpkin uses, but I’m having lots of fun getting through it. : )
Pumpkin is one of my hubby’s favorite foods so he makes a great test subject.  We really loved the fall flavors of this shake, and while we don’t usually have many milkshakes in the fall and winter in particular, these were a very fun fall treat.  In fact, I think we’ll be making these again soon and trying them with a little extra pumpkin puree and maybe a drizzle of caramel sauce.
 
PUMPKIN PIE MILKSHAKE
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground nutmeg
2 T brown sugar
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 graham cracker, crushed
 

Combine everything but graham cracker in a blender until smooth.

(Add more milk to desired consistency and thickness)
Pour in glasses and top with crushed graham cracker.

 

Recipe source: very slightly adapted from our best bites
 
 
 
 
Filed Under: Drinks, Ice cream, Pumpkin

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

October 17, 2011 by
 
What is it about homemade whoopie pies?   I love all the variations and flavors they can take on, and these were a perfect pumpkin fix.  They have a great spicy flavor, balanced with the milk cream cheese filling.  In Martha’s original recipe it states it makes a dozen whoopie pies (or 2 dozen cakes before assembling), I thought little miniature ones would be fun, and it turned out to make quite a bit!
But they whip up so easy, I think I’ll be making these for potlucks and parties, so the larger amount will come in handy.  Stay tuned for lots more pumpkin recipes every day this week!
 
PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES
Makes 4 1/2 dozen miniature whoopie pies (about 9 dozen cakes)
 
Whoopie cakes:
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 T ground cinnamon
1 T ground ginger
1 T ground cloves
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
 
Cream Cheese Filling:
4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 oz cream cheese
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 T milk
 
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a large bowl.
In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined.
Whisk in pumpkin until combined.
Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.
Add flour mixture and stir in well.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfulls onto baking sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.  Let cool before removing from pan.
(OR make large whoopies using a large scoop or ice cream scoop to measure them. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in their centers comes out clean.)
 
Make filling:
Cream butter and sugar together until smooth.  Add in powdered sugar until combined.
Add vanilla and start with 1 T milk.  Mix for about 3-5 minutes until creamy.  Add more milk if needed to make spreadable.
 
Assembling:
Spread half the whoopie cakes with filling, top with other halves.
 
Recipe slightly adapted from Martha Stewart
 
 
 
Filed Under: Cookies, Pumpkin

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

October 14, 2011 by
I’ve been going a little nuts experimenting with pumpkin recipes around here lately.
It started innocently enough, with our all time favorite pumpkin bars, and then it got a little crazy from there. : )  So I hereby declare next week….
PUMPKIN PALOOZA!
I know, i know, you can’t stand the excitement can you? : )  I thought so.
I’ll be sharing all sorts of pumpkin recipes with you all week long next week, so make sure to check back!  But for today, I wanted to share the base with you.  Now, you could just go out and buy cans of pumpkin puree, but I much prefer homemade if I have the option.  I stocked up my freezer with it and I know it will save me quite a bit of money going that route.  I bought my pumpkins for 19 cents a pound, and about 2 lbs. will make one container.  I don’t recall the last time I saw a can of pumpkin for 38 cents, do you?
 
My mom canned a lot when I was a kid, pumpkin included.  I’ll never forget one year the pumpkins from our garden covered our entire porch.  I was about 10 and my mom announced in a cheery voice after breakfast “It’s time to can the pumpkin today!”  “Who’s going to help?”
It was like someone had just announced there was a gas leak.  All of a sudden my 4 older siblings were flying out the door, citing something or other they HAD to go do.
I was left staring at my mom.  (Okay, I may have been too busy reading my book at the breakfast table to respond quickly). 
 
And so it was me. And my mom.  And the pumpkins.  Soooo many pumpkins.
Do you know how sticky pumpkin is?   It wasn’t pretty people, trust me.
But I survived, and here I am making pumpkin puree myself. Voluntarily even. : )
More recent canning guidelines have shown that pumpkin puree cannot be safely canned at home, so I suggest freezing it in 15 oz. amounts (about 1 3/4 cups) so you can easily swap them out for the canned option without having to measure out.
Make sure you start with sugar pumpkins, not carving pumpkins.  They are less stringy and sweeter.
 
PUMPKIN PUREE
Sugar pumpkins
1 T vegetable oil per pumpkin
 
Quarter pumpkins and scoop out the seeds and pulp. (See below how to treat the seeds).
Rub the insides with a little oil.  Place on baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees until soft, about 1 hour. (This will depend on your size, but you want them thoroughly cooked to get a nice smooth puree.  Let cool slightly. 
 Remove outer peel and puree in a food processor or blender, working in batches. (You could also use a food mill, but I don’t have one of those so I don’t).
You can add water if it’s too dry, but I have never needed to do that.  I would suggest you might need to work in smaller batches if you aren’t getting a smooth puree.
I package mine in 1 3/4 cup amounts in pint freezer containers.  These are equal to a 15 ounce can.
About 2 lbs. of pumpkin raw will make one of these finished containers.
 PUMPKIN SEEDS
Remove the majority of pulp (If you have kids, put them to work)  : )
Throw seeds in a large bowl with water.  Swish gently then let sit for 15 minutes.
The remaining pulp should sink and the seeds float.
Gently scoop the seeds off the top without disturbing the pulp and give a final rinse in a colander.
Lay out on tea towels and pat dry before using.
I roast mine: Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Filed Under: Freezer, Pumpkin

Spaghetti Squash

October 12, 2011 by
 
This is one of my favorite side dishes in the fall.  I’ve made it many, many times and it never fails to please.
I usually serve it with a sauce, mostly my easy alfredo. (Or one of it’s variations).
But it goes great with a red sauce as well, we pretty much just treat it as a pasta substitute.
 
SPAGHETTI SQUASH
Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop our seeds and pulp.
Rub inside squash with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place cut side down on baking sheet or a glass 9 by 13 inch pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until you can easily scoop out squash from the shell.
Fluff squash with a fork and serve hot.

Filed Under: Side Dishes Tagged With: ,

Baby Bok Choy and Beef Stir Fry

October 10, 2011 by
I made this using an electric skillet when our kitchen was out of commission during it’s remodel.  I was desperate to cook a halfway decent meal and threw it together with things in my fridge on my makeshift “kitchen” (a card table with an electric skillet).  Funny thing is, it turned out being one of our favorite stir-fry dishes!  My hubby isn’t a huge stir fry fan, but he loved this one.
BABY BOK CHOY AND BEEF STIR FRY
1 1/2 lbs steak, thinly sliced (I used top round, also labeled london broil)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 egg white, beaten
oil for frying
1 onion, sliced
3 baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup peanuts
3 green onions, sliced
2 T sesame seeds
Combine soy, sesame oil, pepper, ginger, and garlic in a medium bowl.
Add meat, cover, and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, enough to coat the bottom.
Dip steak slices in cornstarch, then egg white, then fry in oil.
Don’t crowd the pan, do a second batch if needed.
Remove from pan, then saute the onion, bok choy, and peanuts.
Cook until softened, then add back beef.
At end of cooking add green onions and sesame seeds.
Filed Under: Asian, Beef

Battered Chicken Strips (AKA Chili’s Chicken Crispers)

October 7, 2011 by
 
A friend asked me if I knew of a copycat recipe for Chili’s Chicken Crispers, and I didn’t, but upon a little internet digging I did find one that looked promising, and after some slight adjustments I have to say they taste just like theirs.
We don’t have fried food often, but this is kind of a fun treat kids will love. 
 
BATTERED CHICKEN STRIPS
 
Batter:
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup flour
 
Oil for frying
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins (I just used boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut into strips)
1/2 cup flour
 
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
2 T Dijon mustard
pinch paprika
pinch salt
 
Make dipping sauce:  Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl, then chill until needed.
 
Fill a heavy pan with tall sides with enough oil to come up about 2 inches.
(You could also deep-fry, but I found it worked fine to turn chicken halfway through cooking.  Just don’t overcrowd your pan, if you do the oil temperature will drop too much and the chicken will be greasy).
Heat to 350 degrees.
Make batter:  Lightly beat egg in a medium bowl, then add buttermilk, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and baking powder.  Add in flour, whisk to combine.  Let sit for 5 minutes.
Coat chicken in flour, then into batter.
Let excess batter drip off and then fry in hot oil until golden brown, about 8 minutes, turning once.
Place cooked chicken on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
Serve hot with dipping sauce.
 
Filed Under: Chicken / Turkey

Pumpkin Bars

October 5, 2011 by
 
This is my favorite recipe to welcome in Fall.
If nothing else, just so I can bribe my hubby to do odd jobs for them. : )
But they are my favorite as well, so everyone wins.  A friend brought them to a potluck at our house once, years ago, and we loved them.  I’ve been making them ever since and we still love them!
 
PUMPKIN BARS
 
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (just plain pumpkin, not pie filling)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
 
Frosting:
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 T milk
 
Mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. (I use a whisk or hand mixer).
Mix together in another bowl the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Stir in with the pumpkin mixture with a spatula, mixing until well combined.
Add chocolate chips if using.
Spread into a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan or a 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes for a 10 x 15 pan, or 35-40 minutes for a 9 x 13 pan, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool before frosting.
 
Make frosting:
Mix together the cream cheese and butter, add vanilla.
Add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until smooth.
Add milk if needed to reach desired consistency.
Frost bars, cut in bars or squares.
 
Recipe adapted slightly from All Recipes
 
 
 
Filed Under: Brownies / Bars, Pumpkin

Marionberry Pie (and how to make a lattice crust)

October 4, 2011 by
It’s official.  Summer is gone.  But luckily my freezer has been replenished with a plethera of berries to last through the winter, and then some.
My hubby’s favorite pie is marionberry, and I can’t say I blame him. : )
So I always make sure we have some stashed in the freezer for a winter berry fix.
If you don’t have access to them in your area, all I can say is I’m sorry.  They are soooo delicious.  They are similar to blackberries, (only better!) so I would substitute those if you don’t have any.
MARIONBERRY PIE
1/4 cup clearjel* (or flour)
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
zest of 1 lemon (or orange)
6 cups marionberries, fresh or frozen
1 T lemon juice
pie crust, a double batch of my recipe, or enough for a double crust
Egg wash (egg mixed with 1 tsp water)
sanding or coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Fill bottom of pie pan with crust, leaving an overhang.
Mix in a large bowl the clearjel, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.
Toss in the berries and lemon juice.  Pour in pan.
Roll out remaining pie dough on lightly floured surface and cut using either a knife or crinkle edge pastry wheel. (I like my strips about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide).
Lay half the strips out on top of pie, leaving space equal to the the width of strips in between each strip.
Starting at one end, fold back every other strip and lay a strip going to opposite way. Like so:
Fold strips back down:
Now do the same, alternating which strips to fold back:
When you get about halfway I find it’s easier to start working from the other side, from the middle out.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until bubbly and golden. (Check occasionally and cover with foil if top crust is getting too dark.)  Cool before slicing.
Recipe Source: My Stained Apron
*Clearjel is a modified cornstarch that works well for pie making, but feel free to substitute an equal amount of flour if you don’t have it.
Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Pie

Baked Egg Rolls

September 30, 2011 by
 
Over the years I’ve tweaked this recipe slightly and as much as we loved it before, it’s even better now! I’ve adjusted the recipe to show the upgrades.
-Dicing the cabbage instead of shredding makes rolling much easier.
-Added carrots, ginger, and cilantro for more flavor.
-Reduced the teriyaki slightly, along with the cornstarch slurry for a better texture.
-And if you have an air fryer use it! They come out so crispy! I was going to take updated pictures of some made in the air fryer but they were all gobbled up!

I should really put this under a “perfect score” category. : )  My hubby loves, loves, LOVES when I make these.  I’ve made them for him throughout our whole marriage (almost 10 years now!) and he still loves them.
 
I’ve never had the best luck making fried egg rolls, they just always end up limp and sad by the time we make it to the table (any tips, any one?)  But these never fail, and it is nice to be able to pop a whole tray in the oven and I never worry about them being greasy.
 
The dipping sauce is one of our favorites as well.  But you could always use your favorite teriyaki sauce or whatever.  I always make them with ground beef, but you could of course use the more traditional ground pork or chicken as well.
 
BAKED EGG ROLLS (with Honey Ginger Dipping Sauce)
 
1 lb ground beef (could substitute ground pork or chicken as well)
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 head cabbage, diced (about 4 cups)
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 T teriyaki sauce
2 T water
2 T cornstarch
3 green onions, sliced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves removed and roughly chopped
1 pkg large won ton wrappers (1 pound, should contain about 21 wrappers)
 
In a large skillet or wok, cook the ground beef until cooked through over medium high heat.
Add the celery, cabbage, and carrots.  Cook until softened.
Add the garlic, ginger, pepper, and teriyaki sauce.
In a small bowl, mix together the water and cornstarch until thoroughly combined.  Add to meat mixture, and stir to combine well.  Stir in the green onions and cilantro leaves.
I like to work in 4 batches.  Since there about 20 to 21 wrappers per package, I section the filling into four and lay out 5 wrappers at a time. (Unless I’m making a double batch, then I just double it).
Make sure if you aren’t going to be fast doing this to keep your wrappers wrapped up so they don’t dry out.  Now measure out about 1/3 cup into the middle of each wrapper.
Fold up the bottom point like so, and moisten outer edge with either a brush or your finger dipped in water:
Then fold the outer edges in toward the middle:
Now roll up as tightly as you can without tearing the wrapper
Like so:
Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
 
HONEY GINGER DIPPING SAUCE:
3/4 cup orange juice
2 T soy sauce
2 T honey
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 T thinly sliced green onions
 
Combine everything except green onions in a small bowl, mixing until well combined.
Add green onions, chill until ready to serve.
 
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Filed Under: Asian, Beef