Pumpkin Bread

Nothing like a little pumpkin treat to make the house smell amazing on the last day of November. According to the calendar winter doesn’t begin until mid-December but in my heart it feels as if winter starts on December first. Since fall always makes me think of pumpkins I decided to make a loaf of pumpkin bread. I’m not in the mood for anything sweet so I didn’t want to make any cookies. A loaf of hearty pumpkin bread with tangy cream cheese spread on it sounds like heaven.

I found this recipe in a cookbook given to me by one of husband’s former coworkers. The cookbook is circa 1973. The pictures are dated and there is still a price sticker on it that says $2.95. Dated or not, a good bread recipe never goes out of style. I’ve made several bread recipes from this cookbook and I have yet to be disappointed.

For a yeast bread this bread cooks up rather quickly. I mixed the dough together with little one before lunch. He loves watching the stand mixer in action. While the dough was rising we had lunch and little one went down for a nap. I was able to let it rise a second time and bake before little even woke up from his nap.

I still have canned pumpkin that needs to be used and I know that I won’t be able to use it all before tomorrow morning. The nice thing about pumpkin is that it freezes beautifully. I’m looking forward to using this remaining pumpkin for soup, pancakes or perhaps another loaf of this yummy bread.

Enjoy!

The ginger is missing - I used it all in a failed pin.

3 ¼ - 3 ½ cups flour

2 packages yeast

½ tsp. ginger

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. cloves

¾ cup milk

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

1 ½ tsp. salt

½ cup canned pumpkin

In a large mixing bowl combine 1 ½ cups flour, yeast and spices.

In a saucepan heat milk, brown sugar, butter and salt until just warm (115 degrees) stirring constantly to melt the butter. Add to the dry mixture in the mixing bowl. Add pumpkin and beat on a low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the sides. Beat for three minutes on high. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make the dough moderately stiff.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about five minutes. Shape dough into a ball. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about one hour. Punch down then cover and let rest for ten minutes. Shape into a loaf and place into a greased bread pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 35 – 40 mints. Remove from pan and cool.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Cook Book

Barbeque Chicken Crescents

I’m making an effort to start a new tradition in our house: Fun Food Friday! Family meals are very important to me and I want to do what I can to make them as fun as possible. During meal planning I have been plugging “fun” meals into Fridays. While I do what I can to making all meals child friendly so that little one can always eat what we eat, I am making Friday dinners SUPER kid friendly. My goal is to make little one feel that I am making a meal just for him.

The nice thing about kid friendly meals is they are usually quick and easy. The ingredients are usually easy and few. They aren’t always the healthiest meals but I strive to make all of our other meals healthy so I figure a not so healthy meal once a week will be fine. Also, I’m convinced that whatever I make at home is way better than a fast food meal.

I saw this recipe on a commercial at the gym. Yes, the gym. A little counterproductive but eh.  I didn’t go find this recipe the first time I saw the commercial. It took multiple times before I finally looked up the recipe. The ingredients are easy especially if you use a rotisserie chicken. I balance out the fat content of the crescent rolls by pairing these with a fruit, a veggie and a salad. Adjust the flavors to meet your needs by changing up the flavors of your barbecue sauce and the type of cheese you use. Quick, easy, child friendly and yummy!

Enjoy!

Yes, Devil's Spit. Little one can handle a little spice.

1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 cup shredded cooked chicken

¼ cup barbecue sauce

1/3 cup shredded Cheddar

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375°F

Separate dough into 8 triangles.

In bowl, mix chicken and barbecue sauce. Spoon chicken mixture onto short end of each triangle. Sprinkle each triangle with one teaspoon cheese. Roll up loosely as directed on can. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with egg and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Adapted from http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/bbq-chicken-crescents/0429b068-1d32-45f8-a375-be567e889244#

White Balsamic Pork Chops

Before I share with you the wonderful trip Husband I recently took to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary I need to share this delicious recipe! November has been such a beautifully busy and exciting month for our family. I feel like we have hardly been home at all. I have been able to make a few new recipes and I am very anxious to share those with you. This one came from my airport indulgence, Fine Cooking. Fine Cooking is by far my favorite cooking magazine. There are only a handful of recipes in each issue so I don’t feel overwhelmed by the recipes I feel that I “need” to make. Each issue also has a few short articles on a fun fruit or vegetable in season and kitchen basics. Who knew an article on salt, rice or stovetops could be so interesting!

Husband teases me when I pick up an issue but I know that he knows he’s going to get a delicious meal out of the magazine. While waiting to board a lady sitting next to me started chatting with me about how delicious the pictures looked (seriously, the cake on the cover is to die for) and I told her how amazing I think the magazine is. Next thing I know husband is flipping through the pages and reading the articles. He was impressed. I saw him practically drooling over this pork chop recipe so I decided to be a good wife and make it for him once we got home.

I was excited to make this recipe because of the white balsamic vinegar. I have a soft spot in my heart for WBV. I feel like it’s a luxurious alternative to regular balsamic vinegar. I kept true to the recipe except for two small changes. I didn’t have fresh herbs so I used dry. This didn’t change how I used the rosemary. I did have to add the thyme to the potatoes before placing them in the oven to ensure that they received all the flavor they could. I omitted the onions from the recipe only because I didn’t pick them up from the grocery store. I don’t think the final dish suffered from the lack of onions but I would add them in the future.

Even though I’m not a fan of pork chops I am looking forward to making this recipe again. The meat and veggies were just amazing. If you are a future dinner guest don’t be surprised if you find this meal gracing my tabletop.

Enjoy!

My sauce is a little dark but still yummy!

For the pork
¼ cup plus 1 Tbs. canola oil
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
3 medium cloves garlic, minced and mashed to a paste
1 ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 ½ inch thick boneless pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

For the peas and potatoes
4 slices thick cut bacon, cut crosswise into ¼ inch strips
1 lb. baby potatoes, quartered
8 oz. thawed frozen pearl onions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup thawed frozen peas
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme

In a shallow glass or ceramic dish wide enough to fit the pork chops in one layer, whisk the ¼  cup oil with the vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Add the pork, turn to coat, and leave at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for about 20 minutes, turning once.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Put the bacon in a heavy duty 10- to 12-inch ovenproof skillet with one tablespoon water and set the skillet over medium high heat. Once the water evaporates, stir constantly until the bacon is crisp, about six minutes total. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Reserve the fat in the skillet.

Heat the reserved bacon fat in the skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for one minute. Stir the potatoes once, and then add the onions and bacon. Cook, undisturbed, for one minute. Stir to coat the onions with the fat, and then season with salt and pepper. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the peas and thyme to heat through, season to taste with salt and pepper, and keep warm.

With ten minutes remaining for the potatoes, remove the pork chops from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Wipe the marinade off the chops and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly season the pork with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat the remaining oil in a heavy duty 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. (Love this description!) Add the pork chops in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until browned on both sides and slightly firm to the touch, about six minutes total. Transfer the pork to a platter, cover, and keep warm. Discard any oil remaining in the skillet.

Add the reserved marinade to the skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for one minute. Lower the heat to low and whisk in the butter. As soon as the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the pork. Serve with the potatoes and peas.

Adapted from Fine Cooking December 12/January 13

Beer Cheese Bread

Fall and winter are the perfect time of year to make bread. The oven adds a nice touch of warmth to a chilly house and the smell of homemade bread is comforting and warming in its own way. I’m used to making yeast breads so this recipe was a breath of fresh air. I was able to make a loaf of bread from start to finish in about an hour. This bread was a wonderful side to a pot of vegetable soup we had for dinner.

I loved that this recipe adds savory elements to the bread. The onions, garlic and cheese melt into the batter giving such a warm flavor. Best of all, this recipe is very flexible. I have listed the basic recipe below but the link will give you a few more ideas on how to use different flavors to make this bread perfect for you. Instead of the yellow onion I used green onions. Instead of Monterey Jack cheese I used cheddar. Delicious! Use what you have on hand; you never know what tasty combination you will come up with.

Enjoy!

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ cup finely chopped yellow onion

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

12oz. lager-style beer

2 Tablespoons melted butter, divided

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan and cook ten minutes or until browned. Stir in pepper and garlic and cook one minute more.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Add the onion mixture, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle one tablespoon butter over batter. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Drizzle the remaining  butter over batter. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for five minutes before removing. Serve warm with additional butter.

Adapted from Cooking Light – November 2008

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/basic-beer-cheese-bread-10000001853977/