Pumpkin Granola

Get a load of that massive granola-y goodness.

OM. NOM. NOM.

This isn't just any granola. It's pumpkin granola from Baked Bree. The weird thing is that it's not too much different than my go to recipe for granola.  The main difference is this one doesn't have any filler Rice Krispies, but does have pumpkin.  Hmmm...since this granola has applesauce and pumpkin in it, does it qualify as eating a fruit and a veggie?  Well if the government considers pizza a vegetable, then the answer must be a resounding YES!

I made a few minor additions to this recipe.  First I added about 1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts, and quite a bit more than 1/2 c of sliced almonds.  I just dumped the almonds into the cooked and cooled mixture until I thought it looked almond-y enough. I also added 1/2 c steel cut oats, 1/4 c wheat germ and 1/4 c ground flax seed.  I add all that to my regular granola for extra fiber so I did the same here.  With all those add ins the granola didn't clump up as much as it probably should.  I don't particularly care for the huge chunks in my granola either, so it worked well for me.

When this first came out of the oven, I snuck a tiny bit to test taste.  At the time, I didn't think it was anything special.  However, once the granola cooled, the spices and slight pumpkin flavor emerged.  YUM!  It was difficult to stop eating. It tasted that good.

This really is the perfect granola for the fall and winter.  There is something about it that tastes really hardy.  More so than my go to recipe.  I'll keep making my usual granola in the spring and summer.  I think the extra spices would be too heavy for the warmer months. 

Pumpkin Granola from Baked Bree
5 cups rolled oats
1/2 c rough chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 c steel cut oats (optional)
1/4 c wheat germ (optional)
1/4 c ground flax seed (optional)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (you can buy this or make your own. See below.)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar (use splenda brown sugar to reduce the sugar)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (Make sure it's puree, not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used the fake stuff, go ahead and use sugar free if you want)
1/4 cup applesauce (Again, sugar free is ok, I used Cinnamon applesauce as I am a cinnamon fiend)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds (or more if you are like me)

In a large bowl, combine oats, walnuts, flax, wheat germ, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar. In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla. Pour the pumpkin mix into oat mix. Toss til coated. Spread onto baking sheet lined with foil or parchment. Bake in a preheated 325F for 20 min. Take granola out and stir it around. Bake another 20 minutes or until granola gets crisp. (I usually have to cook mine for about an hour to get it as crisp as I like it.) Take granola out and mix in the cranberries and almonds. Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Pie Spice from Baking Bites
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
2 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Mix everything together and store in an airtight container.

Bread Bowls

These Soft bread bowls from Jamie Cooks it Up were a last minute addition to dinner.  I wasn't really thrilled with the idea of eating boring old leftover soup.  Fresh bread can jazz up any meal, and I was all about giving this ordinary soup some oomph.

I searched my "to make" list for breads.  Most of them had long rise times.  I didn't decide to make bread until about 4:00 after I got Blockette and M off the bus.  No way I was going to push dinner off until 7pm or later.  That never works well, especially on a school night.

The bread bowls only take about an hour to make.  They rise in a low oven, and then you crank the heat up and they continue to rise as the oven preheats.  It worked perfectly.

Look how yummy those little bread bowls are!  Tan and shiny, just like they've been sunning themselves on the beach.  I got a little giddy when I took them out of the oven.  I did that little hopping up and down happy dance because they actually turned out.  I'm always surprised when I make bread and it looks and tastes like something you might buy at a bakery.

And here's our little vessel filled to the brim with soup. Oh, it's far from boring and ordinary now! I gobbled up my portion with gusto.

Blockette thought they were awesome too. She got to eat her bowl, something that she thought was hilarious. Eating your bowl, I mean that is pretty cool whether you're 6 or 36.

One word of warning:  let the bread bowls cool before you attempt to hollow them out.  I was impatient and did it right away.  The center of the bread is quite soft and almost gummy right out of the oven.  It can be done, but it is much easier to scoop out the center when the bowls have cooled.

Soft Bread Bowls from Jamie cooks it up
2 T sugar
1 1/2 t salt
4 C flour
1/2 C warm water
1 C milk
2 T butter
1 T yeast
1 egg, beaten

1. Place 2 C flour into bottom of stand mixer. Add sugar and salt. Stir it around a bit to combine.
2. Pour milk and water into one measuring cup. Heat it in the microwave for 1 min, til bubbly and hot.
3. Carefully put the butter into the hot liquid and let it melt just a bit.
4. Pour buttery milk into \mixer. Turn \mixer on to low and let it mix for just 30 sec or so.
5. Add yeast and remaining 2 c flour.
6. Mix dough for 5 min.
7. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and set dough out on to it.
8. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into 6 equal parts.
9. Let dough rest 5 min, then shape each piece into a ball. Whisk egg up in a small bowl and spread egg over tops of each dough ball.
10. Place pan in a 170F oven and let dough rise until doubled in size. This should take 15-25 min.
11. Turn oven up to 350F (leave pan in oven while temp increases) Bake little bowls for 15 min (depending on how long your oven takes to heat up) or until golden brown.
12. Let bowls cool 10 min, then slice top of each bowl, scoop out middle, and pour some soup right on in!

Thankful Thanksgiving Thursday 46.11

This year I'm especially thankful that my life is so full of all those things that money can never buy.  I am so blessed to have a weird, wonderful, drive me crazy, goofy, loving family that encompasses more than just those loonies I'm genetically related to.  I loves all y'all!

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Fail

Salted caramel seems to be all the rage these days. I've never had it before, but I do love salty and sweet things like chocolate covered pretzels or chocolate covered potato chips. So my logic told me that I would love salted caramel as well.

One of Starbucks seasonal beverages is a salted caramel hot chocolate, which I have also never had. (Yeah, I know. We've been through this before. I live under a rock.) When I came across the recipe on Taste and Tell for salted caramel hot chocolate I figured I had hit the jackpot.

This would be the perfect way to use some of that dulce de leche that I made in the microwave.  Woah.  That stuff totally solidified like real caramel in the fridge.  Man.  The slow cooked stuff never did that.  I gave the dulce de leche a test taste to make sure it was still good.  Yes.  It was good, but very very chewy.

So I heated up the caramel in the microwave in 20 second bursts until it was scoopable.  I put my 4 Tablespoons in the pan with the milk and cocoa, then heated the whole thing up on the stove.  I tested a spoonful and it was not nearly sweet enough. In went a few more tablespoons of DDL. Mrblocko gave it a test taste and we declared it to be sweet enough.

At this point I realized that I hadn't added the salt.  So I put in 1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt and stirred the brew some more.

Mrblocko divided the hot chocolate into 3 mugs and I heaped on the marshmellows as usual.  The first sip tasted fine.  But I couldn't drink any more after the second.  The drink tasted off to me. I thought it was just me as I had a cold.  Then Mrblocko put his mug down and made a weird face.

"It's too salty!" he exclaimed. 

Blockette thought it was too salty as well, but she insisted on eating the marshmellows before we dumped out the hot chocolate.  Apparently the marshmellows didn't absorb any salty taste, so at least there was that.

Oh well.  Lots of people like salted caramel stuff, but I guess it just isn't our thing.


Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Taste and Tell
4 tablespoons dulce de leche
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
whipped cream

In a small pot over medium heat, warm the dulce de leche. Whisk in the milk, cocoa powder and salt until smooth. Heat until warmed and serve immediately topped with whipped cream.

Coffee Cake in a Mug

I am a huge fan of this eggless brownie in a mug. It's the perfect treat when you don't have any sweets in the house and you've got a massive chocolate craving. Plus there is that bonus of not eating an entire pan of brownies as it is just one little serving, (or two if you feel generous and wanna share.)

But what happens when you are out of cocoa powder?  Then what do you do when you want something sweet that is quick, easy and portion controlled?  Well, you make this Mug o' coffee cake from Prudent Baby!

This dessert tastes super sweet, but, if you make it with sour cream, it has half the sugar of the brownie in a mug.  I'm sure you could use Splenda instead of sugar with no problem, if that was your thing.

I left the egg out in my version and it turned out just fine.  So whether you add an egg or not is up to you.  I also used Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt so I didn't add any vanilla extract to my version.  Light and fit is a fat free yogurt and the cake turned out just fine.  I think you'd be ok using the fat free sour cream as well.  There is enough fat from the butter in the recipe that the fat from the sour cream/yogurt is not necessary.  So use whatever you have on hand, your mug of cake will turn out fine either way.  Don't you love it when a recipe is flexible like that?!

5 minute coffee cake in a mug from Prudent Baby
1 T butter
2 T sugar
1/2-1 egg, or omit all together
2T sour cream or yogurt (I used 2 heaping T of yogurt since I omitted the egg)
few drops of vanilla (I omitted this as my yogurt was vanilla flavored)
1/4 c flour (I used whole wheat)
1/8 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon

Crumb topping
1T butter
2T flour
1T brown sugar
1t cinnamon

In a separate bowl combine all ingredients for crumb topping with a knife, fork or fingers.
In a microwaveable mug nuke the butter for 10-15 seconds, just enough to soften.  Add sugar and combine.  Next add egg, if using.  Mix in Sour cream/yogurt and vanilla.  Next mix flour, baking powder and cinnamon until all ingredients are combined. Add crumb topping to the top of the mixture in the mug.  Microwave for 1 minute.  If cake is not done enough cook for another 10 seconds at a time until cake is at desired texture.

Super Pumpkin-y Beer Mac n Cheese

It's fall so I've been in the mood to make all things pumpkiny. I saw this recipe for pumpkin beer mac n cheese from The Fig Tree and thought it would be the perfect recipe to satisfy my culinary craving. We really love Rachael Ray's Pasta with Pumpkin and sausage, so I thought this would be a knock it out of the ball park grand slam.  The Fig Tree got this recipe from Rachael Ray as well, so considering they were created by the same kitchen, they're bound to be equally delicious.  Right?

Le sigh.  No such luck.  The beer made the dish taste super pumpkiny.  While I like cooking with pumpkin, I don't particularly like the taste of pumpkin, and neither does the rest of my family.  This may sound odd, but usually when you cook with pumpkin, you can't actually taste the squash. 

I pondered this recipe for several days after I made it. What was it that was so different from the other pumpkin pasta dish we liked so much?  Then it hit me.  This mac and cheese recipe uses a whole can, while the Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage only requires a cup.  My suggestion to you if you don't care for the taste of squash or pumpkin is to cut back the pumpkin to a cup.

P.S. With the leftovers, Mrblocko had the brilliant idea to add Salt Free Forward! from Penzey's Spices, and it totally saved the dish. The spices in that seasoning blend completely masked the pumpkin, without being over powering.  YAY!


Pumpkin Mac and Cheese via The Fig Tree
pound of short-cut pasta (I used a mix of cavatappi and gemeli)
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3 tablespoons of flour; slightly rounded
1 cup of amber beer
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 cups of milk (skim works fine)
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1 teaspoon of ground mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1-14 ounce can of pure pumpkin purée (I recommend using half a can/7 oz)
2 and 1/2 cups of shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese; divided
sweet paprika for sprinkling (Or Forward! from Penzey's)

Pre-heat oven to 350'F. Cook pasta toal dente. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour ensuring no lumps develop; cook for 1 min. Raise heat a small bit and add beer. Whisk well to ensure no lumps form. Once beer has evaporated a bit (5 min), whisk in syrup and milk. Season with  allspice, mustard, cayenne and  nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow  to cook on med til sauce leaves a thick coat on back of a spoon (3 min). Whisk in pumpkin then stir in 2c  cheese. Mix til cheese melted. Combine pasta and sauce and arrange in a casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Dust tops lightly with paprika. Bake for 15 min and/or broil to allow the top to get brown and bubbly.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sage via Food Network
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 T
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 T oil to pan. brown sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to stove. Add remaining Toil, and then garlic and onion. Saute 3-5 min til onions tender. Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to pan. Reduce wine by half, 2 min. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce til comes to bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season sauce with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer 5-10 min to thicken .Return drained pasta to pot you cooked it in. Remove bay leaf from sauce and pour sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low for 1 min. Garnish with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Just 'Cuz (PB White Chocolate Oatmeal ) Cookies

I'm still not 100% from my bout with the Victorian sounding affliction, Pleurisy. My best friend pointed out with all those ancient funky sounding ailments, they take forever and a day to recover from, and at least back then you got to recover sea side.  Where is my sea side recovery?  Huh?  And shouldn't it also include something brass-y and steampunkish? 

Yeah.  I don't wanna hear about how I'd be better already if I just listened to the Dr and didn't over do it.  It's boring feeling like poo.  And there are lots of things that need to get done around here.

So I was sitting around feeling bored and tired and tired of being bored and tired, when I got bit by the baking bug.  Baking isn't strenuous, at least it isn't if you only make one batch of cookies. Now I have cookie dough all rolled into balls, sitting in my freezer.  I very well could have just popped those bad boys into the oven.  But I actually wanted to make something, not just pop something in the oven.

Besides, these white chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies from How Sweet it is were begging to be made.  BEGGING I tells ya!

Thanks to Betty, my nifty swanky stand mixer, and Blockette, the cookie making was a breeze. Blockette even did her reading homework while the cookies were baking. Talk about multitasking!

These cookies are crack for people.  They really hit the spot: culinarily, creatively, emotionally and in my belly.  I may have even discovered the cure for Pleurisy.  Someone should call the Mayo Clinic and then alert those Nobel Prize fellows.  I'll be waiting by the phone.


White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies from How Sweet it is
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate morsels/chunks
1/2 cup peanut butter morsels

Preheat oven to 325F. ( I had to bump my oven up to 350F because they weren't baking fast enough.) Add butter and peanut butter to a microwave safe bowl, and heat in 30 second increments until melted. Let cool completely.

Mix flour, oats, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix cooled butter/peanut butter and sugars til combined. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir til mixed. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. You may need your hands to bring it all together. (My stand mixer did just fine on the lowest speed.) If necessary, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk. Fold in white chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Shape dough into a ball the size of a golfball. (I used my small cookie scoop because I wanted more smaller cookies vs. a few large cookies.) Place on a baking sheet two inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. The centers should be soft and slightly puffy. Do not over bake.