It's Soup!

Think chili, but with a Harvest twist here. This recipe comes from a great fellow foodie friend of mine and is perfect for warming up on cold nights or entertaining. Absolutely delish!

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

taken from Steph's Kitchen, adapted from Gourmet Magazine

three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot
6 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 cups beef broth
a 15-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/3 c. P.O.M. juice

Topping: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

In a food processor coarsely pureé beans and tomatoes.In a large pot cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean pureé. Stir in broth, pumpkin, and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season soup with salt and pepper. Serve w/ with sour cream, sliced green onions and toasted pumpkin seeds.

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

I told you that there was bound to be pumpkin overload, and here it comes. Several years ago, before my family scattered to the four winds, my mom hosted an annual Great Pumpkin Dinner. Delicious food, a table full of bikers and vampire princesses, and trick-or-treating with the nieces and nephews at bedroom doors. It was a perfect way to kick off the fall season, and is a large contributor to my yearly pumpkin obsession. This ice cream was one of our favorite Pumpkin Dinner desserts, and now I'm thinking, how good would this be sandwiched between two double chocolate cookies? Mmm. I know I'm a fan!

The Great Pumpkin Ice Cream

14 oz can pumpkin

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

1 c. milk (either 2% or whole)

2 c. heavy whipping cream

Whisk together ingredients, chill at least 8 hours or overnight, pour into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

A few years ago my mom gave me this adorable little holiday book full of recipes and craft ideas for the Autumn season. That's where this one comes from (with a few tweaks). It's much more of a spice bread than your typical sweet one, and the orange juice gives it a great almost caramel-y taste.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

adapted from Fall, Family & Friends by Gooseberry Patch

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/4 tsp. cloves

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 c. canned pumpkin

2 1/2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 c. oil

1/2 c. orange juice

1 c. sweetened dried cranberries (optional) or 1 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line bottoms of 2 large or 6 small loaf pans with parchment rectangles.

Combine flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachement combine pumpkin, sugar, eggs, oil, and juice; beat just until blended. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing just until moistened; add cranberries or chocolate chips. Spoon batter into loaf pans. Bake immediately for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire rack.

Everything a Muffin Should be!

If you love muffins for breakfast, but want a faster way to have 'em hot out of the oven this little mix is perfect! It's adapted from Homejoys , an awesome blog written by a Mennanite woman who is an amazing cook- definitely check it out, especially all of her homemade bread recipes!

Mix up a batch of the Master Muffin Mix.

6 cup whole wheat flour
6 cup white flour
3 cup sugar
4 T baking powder
3 tsp salt

Store your master mix in an air tight container. When you want to make muffins, choose one of the liquid ingredient options.

Option #1
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Option #2
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 cup milk or buttermilk

Option #3
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup yogurt

Option #4
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk

Next choose the additional ingredients you desire. The sky's the limit but here is a few variations to get you started.

Almond Poppy Seed
2 tsp almond flavoring
2 T poppy seed
1/3 cup chopped or sliced almonds (optional)

Cheese Onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Berry
1 cup blueberry or strawberry, fresh or frozen
2 tsp grated lemon rind, optional

Cinnamon Apple
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped apple

Breakfast
3 slices chopped bacon
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Banana Nut
1 large banana, mashed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Chocolate
3 T cocoa
1/3 cup additional sugar
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine: First mix the liquid ingredients. Then stir in 2 3/4 cup of the dry master mix and the additional ingredients. Combine until just barely moistened.

Bake: Spoon batter into muffin pan. Makes 12 large muffins or 18 smaller muffins. Baking time will vary depending on variation chosen. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Check to see if additional baking time is needed. Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to sit for a few minutes before removing from muffin pan.

Here are a few holiday variations on the Master Muffin Mix-

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip

2 3/4 cup master mix
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Stir together egg, milk, oil and pumpkin. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake as usual.

Gingerbread

2 3/4 cup master mix
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup yogurt or milk
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

Mix together molasses, eggs, yogurt, milk and oil. Stir in dry ingredients. Bake as usual.

Pick a Peck of Pumpkins!

I tend to get a bit obsessive about cooking, or so I'm told by my doting husband. Mostly when it comes to certain seasonal ingredients. I can even think back over the years and say to myself, "Ahh, that was the lemon spring," or "Yep, that was candied ginger season." I absolutely LOVE cooking seasonally- for so many reasons I'll write a book about that someday. For now it sufficeth to say there is no better way to live in the moment, appreciate nature, or enjoy better quality food. This fall I'm fixating on an old classic, pumpkin.

So many possibilities- Sweet. Savory. Healthy. Decadent. So here we go, folks. Carpe diem.

Pumpkin Flax Breakfast Muffins

adapted from Land O' Lakes Treasury of Country Recipes aka, "The Blue Bible"

makes 1 doz. large muffins

2 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

1 Tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 c. or 1 stick butter

heaping 1/2 c. pumpkin puree

1/3 c. buttermilk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 c. raisins, plumped in a bit of hot water (discard water)

1/3 c. chopped pecans

1 Tbs. flax seeds

Heat oven to 400 F. Line muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, soda, and ginger. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives. In separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet, and mix just until moistened. Do not overmix! Fold in raisins, nuts, and seeds.

Scooping from the outside edge (don't stir anymore), spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 to almost full. Bake immediately for 12-18 minutes, or until lightly browned and spring back slightly when touched. Let cool in pan for 5-8 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

THE Banana Bread

This isn't one of mine, I am simply passing this little treasure on to the rest of the world! This recipe comes from a fabulous food blog I have come to adore over the last year:

Orangette.blogspot.com.

Check it out and you'll fall instantly in love with both the recipes and her charming writing style. This banana bread is one of our absolute favorites, in fact is now officially the family's #1 banana bread.

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping
Adapted from Bakesale Betty and Bon Appétit, September 2008

For bread:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
¼ cup water

For topping:
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 ½ Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a 9- x 5-inch metal loaf pan. Alternatively, you can spray the pan lightly with cooking spray and then line it with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the sides. That’s what I did, and it made it very easy to remove the finished bread from the pan; I just grabbed the parchment and lifted.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, eggs, oil, honey, and water. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir well. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle them evenly over the batter.

Bake the bread until a tester inserted into its center comes out clean, about 1 hour, give or take a little. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then carefully remove the bread from the pan, taking care not to dislodge the topping. Cool completely before slicing.

Yield: 1 loaf

Maple-Pecan Drops

Maple is one of those flavors that simply must be a part of the autumn baking ritual- it virtually screams (but in a pleasant way) homey, cozy comfort. These cookies get a double shot of the good (read: pure) stuff in both the cookie and the frosting, however, if you don't have pure maple syrup on hand, or want to keep things under budget, you can substitute some Log Cabin with tasty results. ;)

Maple-Pecan Drops

adapted from The Cookie Bible

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 Tbs. pure maple syrup

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. quick oats (if you have old-fashioned, throw them in your food processor and pulse a few times before adding)

1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

1/4 c. raisins, currants, or chopped pitted dates

Frosting

2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 Tbs. butter, room temperature

2 Tbs. pure maple syrup

1 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar

1/3 c. finely chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, soda, and salt in small bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in maple syrup. With the mixer on low, gradually mix in flour mixture, then oats. By hand fold in pecans and raisins.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.

For Frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in maple syrup and gradually beat in sifted powdered sugar until smooth. Spread frosting over cooled cookies. Top with a sprinkle of chopped pecans.