Pumpkin Butter / Thanksgiving 2013

Fall is about the flavors of the season. I love Apple, Pumpkin, Squash and Corn recipes for Fall. I make a lot of  Fall Soups and a lot of Fall desserts.

Here's another great recipe that's been shared and shared.......

This one comes from Citronlimette via The Fountain Avenue Kitchen.

The process I use in determining a recipe that I post goes something like this:

When I see a recipe shared online, I'll research online and in the hundreds of cookbooks that I own, dozens of recipes similar to the one I like. I may adapt it, change it and make it my own, or I may get permission to copy and post it on the blog.

If I find that a recipe has been shared my many with no reference to an origin, I'll simple post it.

I've stated in the past that I never post someone else's photographs. I only post my own. 

After seeing this recipe for Pumpkin Butter and researching dozens of others, I've chosen this one to write about.

Other recipes include clove. Clove is a very strong and fragrant spice that needs to be used in recipes with other strong flavors that can work well with it. I believe it would be too strong and overpowering in Pumpkin Butter. I've seen them with granulated sugar. I happen to like the added flavor of brown sugar in Fall recipes. Many times I use half brown sugar and half white sugar when a recipe calls for only white sugar.

I'll be making this soon and will post photographs.

Pumpkin Butter:

1 can ( 29oz.) pumpkin puree , not Pie Pumpkin ( I used 2 - 15oz. cans)

1 C brown sugar

3/4 C apple juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

juice of 1/2 lemon

In a large saucepan:

Whisk all ingredients well, except for the lemon juice.

Bring to a boil

Reduce to low heat, simmer 30 minutes

Stirring occasionally

Remove from heat

Add lemon juice

Cool completely

Pour into jars, sealed with a lid and refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Fall Fruit Crumble

New Update, 9/20/2013 I bought Peaches today to make this with only white sugar and the addition of baking powder. I'll update when it's done. I'm convinced I'm going to create the perfect crumble..... it may already be perfected! More to come.........

I just made a new one with firm Peaches and a new topping, 9 /26 / 2013. I Sliced the Peaches, cooked them in the same amount of sugar and cinnamon as I did  the Apples. I only used white sugar and I added 1 tsp of baking powder. The end result is totally different. The crumble is not "crumbly" when its prepared. It has the texture of dough. I simply crumbled it  as I dropped it in the Spring Form Pan. I still placed it on the bottom and then on top of the fruit. I baked it at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. I'm keeping the original recipe because I prefer a crunchy crumble and I'll keep this addition because my wife likes a cake like crumble. So both turned out great.
The next time I'll use firm Pears.


9/19/2013
Here's the final recipe. It's been perfected and taste tested........! This is a Best of the Best Recipe!
It may seem common, but all of the recipes I've seen, only have a topping they don't include a bottom.
When I lived in Germany, the family I lived with made something similar to a fruit crumble with a bottom and a top crumble. I've been getting nostalgic about my time spent in Europe when I was a college student and this is a fond memory. I only had to come up with the correct quantities of the ingredients to be pleased with the result.

Here's how this came about:
I wasn't planning on posting this because I didn't really have a recipe. I needed something for a dessert at the last minute and put this together.
It actually turned out really nice. I'll make it again with other fruit or pie filling.
In place of Apples you can use fresh firm Pears or fresh firm Peaches and prepare them like the Apples.
You could even use 1 can of your favorite fruit pie filling. You could even spread a jar of your favorite jam in the center.


2 pounds of Granny Smith Apples ( I used 4), peel, core and slice thin. I prefer Jonagold but the store I went to today did not have them,

3 TBS granulated sugar
1/8 tsp  cinnamon

Cook the apples in a saucepan just until tender.

Make a basic crumble:

2 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 stick of butter,  softened.

Place all of the crumble ingredients in the bowl of a Stand Mixer with a dough hook.
Mix until it forms a crumble.

Sprinkle 1/2 of the crumble in a 9" spring form pan, (I buttered the pan on the bottom and sides).

Top it with the fruit
Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of the fruit.

Option:
Top the cake with 10 walnuts halves and sprinkle with 2 TBS of raw sugar. ( bake as directed)

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack in the pan.
Transfer to a platter to serve.

I left it on the bottom of the pan when I transferred it to the plate.
My Spring Form Pan has a tempered glass bottom so I could easily have slid it onto the platter.

Note: I baked the pan on a cookie sheet to collect some of the juice that came out.
The next time I make it I will double wrap the Spring Form pan with heavy duty foil. I use this method for my Cheese Cake Recipe.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen

This one has 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 granulated sugar in the flour mixture, no baking powder.
 This crumble is crunchy. I like this one.

This is Peach, with the cake texture crumble.
It has all white sugar and baking powder. 

Same as above, out of the spring form pan.

Monster Cookies

Fall is coming, and so is the Dallas Morning News / Central Market , Holiday Cookie Baking Contest.
I've entered the competition for the past 6 years. I've been a finalist three times. I'm constantly working on cookie recipes for the contest. I don't post or share the recipes until after the contest, whether they get accepted or not.
I currently have 5 recipes in draft status on the blog. I'm looking forward to the event.
I have no idea which ones I'll enter this year, but I'll post them all before Christmas.
Until then, here's a recipe from the Wet Mountain Valley, where we have a place in Colorado. We have many Amish neighbors and we love it when they share their recipes. They've created a cookbook and this is one of the recipes from the book.


Monster Cookies:

Before I post this I have to mention that I find the name odd for an Amish recipe. There are some ingredients that I would not necessarily consider Amish. However, the recipe is from the book. I know that in some towns they have to shop at the grocery stores that are available, so, these products are quite common. When I did some research on these, I found the recipe to be quite common.

I happen to like this cookie!

1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 C white sugar
1 C brown sugar
4 eggs
1 pound of chunky peanut butter
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 pound of M&M's
1 (12oz.) bag of chocolate chips
Powdered Sugar

In a bowl, by hand:
Cream butter and sugars well
Add eggs, one at a time
Add all of the remaining ingredients
Add additional oatmeal if necessary to make a stiff dough

Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour
Use a cookie scoop, the size of a teaspoon
Roll the balls of dough in powdered sugar
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes
Do not over bake

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen

Cast Iron Dutch Oven Bread

Our favorite recipe for rolls is on the blog. They're Buttered Rosemary and Sea Salt Rolls from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. They're served at every family gathering, every holiday dinner.
Here's a recipe for homemade bread and I've taken the concept of the rolls and applied it as an option for this bread recipe. My wife was raised on homemade bread. She never had sliced bread as a child. I can't even imagine that. I was raised on nothing but white sliced bread from the grocery store. I have since acquired a taste for homemade bread. My first experience with homemade bread was in Europe, the first time I had a Baguette in Paris. I also spent some time in Germany and fell in love with German Bread. I have a recipe from Aunt Faye for Stone Ground Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread. I've made that since the early seventies. Since I acquired a passion for Cast Iron Cookware, I love bread made in a Dutch Oven.

Cast Iron Dutch Oven Bread:

3 C flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh active dry yeast
1 1/2 C tepid water

In a large bowl:
flour
salt
yeast
Whisk well
Add water gradually, with a wooden spoon, mix well
Cover with a tea towel to rise overnight or at least 12 hours.

Place the Covered Dutch Oven in  the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
Remove the Dutch Oven and place it on a stove, remove the cover.
Rub a thin layer of Crisco in the entire interior of the pot using a paper towel.

Flour a work surface
Remove dough from the bowl and , with floured hands, work it into a ball
Place it in the Dutch Oven, cover it
Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minute
Remove the cover, continue baking for 15 - 20 minutes more
The top of the bread should be golden brown

Remove it from the oven
Brush the top with melted butter, sprinkle it with Sea Salt and Fresh chopped Rosemary.
Allow to cool in the pot until cool enough to handle

When the bread is still hot, brush the top with melted butter, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh chopped rosemary.
Serve with additional butter

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Swiss Chard, Cannellini Bean and Barley Stew

Today there's a lot to choose from in the Taste Section of the paper. It's titled Super-Saver Specials.
It mentions meals that don't skimp on flavor, meals that are affordable, meals prepared on a budget. It's about the strategy for economical meals. There were savory recipes and sweet recipes.

 I tend to be attracted to the sweet recipes before savory. There are recipes for a Fritatta, Swiss Chard, Cannellini Bean and Barley Stew ( I like this one). There's Linguine with Spicy Lentil Sauce, it's interesting too. They are vegetarian and healthy!

I wasn't quite sure which one I would choose to blog about this morning and then I saw Crustless Coconut Pie with Jamaican Rum Sauce. It wasn't part of the "watch your dining dollars" recipes. It was a story titled " Coconut Pie Quest" by Alicia Ross with Kitchen Scoop.
I was about to post the recipe and then I continued to read the story about the pie. It began with a brief description of the pie and then she began talking about the restaurant that influenced her to research the recipe. It was then that I remembered I had already posted a story about the restaurant and the recipe.  In April ,I told my story about having dinner with my wife, son and his family at Bonefish Grill.
I was so impressed with the pie, that I researched it , found the recipe and it's history and blogged about it. So if you're interested , you can search it on my blog under Jamaican Coconut Pie with Warm Rum Sauce.

I've decided to post the following recipe today:

Swiss Chard, Cannellini Bean and Barley Stew:

I chose this recipe for a couple of reasons. It's vegetarian and I've never used Swiss Chard in a recipe.
Whenever I'm in the produce section of a grocery store or at the farmer's market and I see Swiss Chard, I'm tempted to buy it. I've read stories about how healthy it is, but I've never looked for a recipe that uses it. I'm not sure why...... maybe it's because I know that none of our children or grand children would eat it. I think my wife might like it. After all she did grow up on a farm and maybe her mother grew it in their  garden. I'll get back on that later.

I'll make this one when the weather begins to cool.

1 pound of Swiss Chard, washed thoroughly
1/2 C barley
salt to taste
1/4 C olive oil
1 C finely chopped onion
1 C finely chopped celery
1/3 C finely chopped carrot
1 clove of garlic, minced
2/3 C canned Italian Plum Tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
1 (15oz.) can of Cannellini Beans ( white kidney beans)
Fresh ground black pepper
3 TBS freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, more to taste if you prefer

Detach the stalks from the Chard and slice them crosswise into 1/8" pieces.
Cut the Chard leaves into 1/4 " wide strips. Set aside

Bring 5 C to 6 C of water to a boil in a saucepan.
Add barley and 1/4 tsp salt
Cook at a gentle simmer for 40 - 45 minutes, until tender, but still chewy
Set a colander over a bowl and drain the barley and retain all of the liquid

While the barley is cooking, heat oil in a soup pot on medium heat.
Add onion and cook until tender and golden in color
Add celery and carrot
Cook 6 minutes, stirring
Add garlic and continue to cook another minute
Add tomatoes , continue simmering for about 5 minutes
Add Chard leaves and stalks
Season with salt
Mix well
Cover the pot and turn the heat down to low
Cook about 25 minutes longer

Add drained barley and beans
Mix well
Add enough of the reserved barley liquid to make a stew consistency, if not enough, add water.
Season to taste with black pepper

Serve with grated fresh parmesan cheese on the side

This recipe was adapted from Marcella Cucina by Marcella Hazen

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen

Dessert Desserts !

I've talked about my large collection of Mennonite and Amish recipe books. I buy them at the MCC Sale in Kansas. The Mennonite Central Committee Sale raises money for Mennonite Relief. The Mennonites are quick to react to disaster in the world and they arrive at a disaster to lend many helping hands and ask nothing in return. They have many venues at the sale to raise money. My favorite is the booth that sells family and church cookbooks. I buy as many cookbooks as I can each year. When I use them I'm constantly reminded of how important these recipes have been to the many families that were connected to them.
Tonight I was reading several of them and I discovered that I love the recipes that are called  "dessert" recipes. That's why I titled this story, Dessert Desserts.

Here's an example of what I'm referring to:


Apple Dessert
Blueberry Dessert
Butter Brickle Desert
Coffee Banana Dessert
Elegant Cherry Dessert
Heavenly Raspberry Dessert
Lemon Dessert
Marshmallow Dessert
Oreo Cookie Dessert
Pineapple Dessert
Pumpkin Dessert
Refrigerator Dessert
Rhubarb Dessert
Ritz Cracker Dessert
Strawberry Swirl Dessert
Buster Bar Dessert
Chocolate Freezer Dessert
Frozen Strawberry Dessert
Rice Chex Ice Cream Dessert

Do you see what I mean?
I could go on and on and on and on.......


I've chosen one to post.

Heavenly Raspberry Dessert:

2 C flaked coconut
2 TBS sugar
1 TBS flour
3TBS butter, room temperature
1 (10oz.) package frozen raspberries , thawed
1 TBS cornstarch
1/3 C water
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C confectioner's sugar
3 TBS milk
1 (8oz.) carton whipped topping
1/3 C chopped pecans

In a small bowl, combine well:
coconut
sugar
flour
butter
Press into a 9" pie pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes
Cool completely

Cook raspberries, thicken with cornstarch and water.
Remove from heat, cool completely
Spread Raspberries over crust

In a bowl, combine well, with a hand mixer:
cream cheese
confectioner's sugar
milk
Spread over Raspberry layer

Top with Whipped Topping
Sprinkle with Pecans

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!


Here's one more.

Cherry Dessert:

 1 - 21 oz. can of Cherry Pie Filling
1 - 14 oz. can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 - 20 oz. can of Crushed Pineapple, drained
1 - 8 oz. container of Frozen Cool Whip, thawed.
1 C Miniature Marshmallows

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Stir well before serving.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

My sister in law made this for a family gathering in Kansas. It was the first time I had ever tasted it. I did a story about the iconic American 9"X13" baking pan and one of the recipes in the 60's was called Crescent Roll Dessert. It was similar to this, but not the same. It had egg yolk and lemon juice in the recipe and no cinnamon and sugar. You can find it here on the blog under, 1960's American Desserts made in the Classic 9"X13" Pan. When I did additional research for this recipe I discovered that there are many variations.

Sopapilla Cheesecake:

1 - 9"X13" baking dish / un greased

2 cans of  Butter Crescent Rolls ( large size)
2 (8oz.) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp Mexican Vanilla
1 stick of butter, melted
1 TBS cinnamon mixed with 1/4 C white sugar and 1/4 C brown sugar

Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls and spread out evenly to cover the entire bottom of the pan

In a small bowl, with a hand mixer:
cream cheese
both sugars
vanilla
combine well

Spread the mixture evenly over the first layer of crescent rolls
Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and place on top of the mixture
Brush evenly with the melted butter
Sprinkle the entire top with the cinnamon and sugar mixture

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Cool completely
Cut into squares to serve

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!