Pesto

Summer is practically over. Okay, not practically, summer is over. Everyone's back to school, sweaters are making a reappearance, and the number of fresh veggies harvested from our garden is rapidly diminishing.

As a way to use up the basil that is still going strong despite its garden companions' vanishing, I made pesto. It's ridiculously easy to make. You just throw everything in a food processor and blend until combined.

We've been enjoying our pesto tossed in pasta, but there are a multitude of other ways to use it.  Spread it in a sandwich, mix it with olive oil to drizzle over salads, pair it with grilled chicken, etc, etc.

Pesto

makes approximately 2 cups

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

3 cups packed fresh basil leaves

2-3 cloves garlic
three-quarters cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
quarter-cup pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (I didn't use)


1. Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and pine nuts in bowl of food processor. Blend to smooth paste. Add parsley, if using.

Orange Cookies

I've got to admit something, guys: I have a soft spot for citrus sweets. Whether you offer me lemon poppy seed cake or an orange creamsicle, I'll eat it. So of course when I saw this recipe for Orange Cookies from the new cookbook in the library, I knew I had to make it.

These are wonderful little cookies to eat after a meal. They're deliciously orangey and buttery. The cookies themselves are not overly sweet, and the glaze complements them perfectly. The recipe makes plenty of cookies to share, so they're perfect for big gatherings. Plus, making these will leave your kitchen smelling like oranges and lemons, and that's never a bad thing.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Two Ways

My cat is a mystery to me. He loves peaches. Whenever anyone in the house is eating a peach, the cat is guaranteed to find out and come stare at that person with these big, inquisitive eyes until he finally gets a tiny piece of peach. Have you ever heard of a cat that loves peaches? I sure haven't.

He also enjoys sleeping in the bathtub and violently attacking people's feet.

But we forgive him because he's cute.

So, last week I made pumpkin puree and this lovely scone recipe. And those pumpkins left behind lots and lots of seeds.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are one of the perks of pumpkin carving. They're a yummy, healthy, crunchy snack for a fall day. Did you know that pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein and iron? (I didn't until a few seconds ago. I just looked it up on Wikipedia.)

Since we had so many seeds, I decided to make two different varieties.

The first is the traditional roasted variety. These are deliciously simple. All you need is seeds, salt, and olive oil. It's a great healthy alternative to other crunchy snacks.

And the second variety is a spiced-up, caramelized version, and boy are these good. Sweet and salty with a hint of spice. I've been snacking on these all morning.

The really beautiful thing about this recipe is that you can fiddle with it as much as you want. Add more cinnamon and less cumin, skip the ground ginger all together and go wild with the cayenne pepper, or go with a completely different selection of spices. The choice is all yours.

Roast Pumpkin Seeds

both recipes adapted from Allrecipes.com

Basic Roast Pumpkin Seeds:

1 1/2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds

2 teaspoons olive oil 

a pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Toss seeds in bowl with olive oil. Spread seeds in a single layer on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown; stir every 10 minutes or so.

Spicy Caramelized Roast Pumpkin Seeds:

1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar

quarter-teaspoon cumin

quarter-teaspoon cinnamon

quarter-teaspoon ground ginger

couple of pinches of cayenne pepper

2 cups raw pumpkin seeds, washed and dried

salt to taste

olive oil (to drizzle seeds with)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar


1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In large bowl, stir together white sugar, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Set aside.

3. Place pumpkin seeds on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste. Spread into an even layer and bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Four. Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, then add pumpkin seeds. Cook and stir seeds until coated with the sugar, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the caramelized seeds into the spice mix; toss to coat. Let cool.

Browned Butter and Sage Mushrooms over Cheesy Polenta

There was definitely a bit of autumn in the air this morning. That hint of a chill that makes you eager for sweater weather and hot cider.

This recipe is one way to bring the fall a little bit closer. It's comfort food at its best: a delicious meal that fills you up and leaves you feeling all warm inside. (And it has cheese. That's a necessity for good comfort food.)

The sage and brown butter were perfect complements for the mushrooms. And the polenta? Don't even get me started on the polenta. I could probably have eaten the whole pot if no one stopped me. 

Once you start cooking, things move pretty quickly so it's best to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go as soon as you start.

 The recipe said it would serve three to four people, but I made an additional half cup of polenta and was able to feed six people.

Browned Butter and Sage Mushrooms over Cheesy Polenta

adapted from The View from Great Island

serves six

Ingredients:

Mushrooms

1 ounce package of dried mushrooms
8 ounces chicken stock or water
1 1/2 pints fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 stick unsalted butter
3 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1/3 cup Marsala wine, or dry sherry
quarter cup heavy cream (I used half and half) 
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Polenta

1 1/2 cups polenta
3 cups water
3 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Three-quarters cup grated Parmesan cheese


1. Heat the stock or water in the microwave until hot. Pour over dried mushrooms and let soak for about 30 minutes.

2. Brush the dirt off fresh mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice. Set aside.

3. Heat the butter in a large saute pan on medium heat. Continue heating butter until solids start to turn brown. The overall color of the butter will turn golden first, and then the milk solids will start to turn brown. As soon as this happens, add sage. Let cook for about 30 seconds, then add fresh mushrooms. Turn down the heat a bit and saute mushrooms for a couple minutes until they turn golden.

Four. Add the dried mushrooms with their soaking liquid along with sherry or Marsala. Bring to a simmer, then add cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a minute or two. Check seasoning and set aside.

For the polenta:

1. Bring milk and water and salt to a simmer in saucepan. Slowly pour in polenta, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Cook polenta for 15 minutes, or time indicated on the box, until thickened.

2. Take the polenta off heat and stir in butter and cheese until smooth and creamy.

3. Ladle into shallow bowls and top with mushrooms.

 

 

Back with Pumpkin Scones!

Hello again, blog! Sorry for leaving you for so long. This has been a busy (ish) year for me. I've just been doing so many things, like watching way too many superhero movies, going to the beach, reading lots of books, and helping out in the garden. Not to mention playing with the newest member of our family, this little rascal here:

OK, so I don't really have any good excuses. I just kind of forgot about this blog for a while, but I'm back now and planning on posting more regularly.

As I mentioned earlier, I've been helping my mom in the garden. This year, we decided to try growing pumpkins and boy am I glad we did. 

I used this wonderful pumpkin puree recipe from The Pioneer Woman and cooked up some of these babies yesterday. It's  actually a lot easier to make pumpkin puree than you would think.

This morning I made a recipe from the Alice's Tea Cup cookbook that I've been dying to try for ages: Pumpkin Scones.

I'm a big scone lover, and I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to try. And let me tell you, this one is a hit. My mom got upset with me for letting her eat too many, and that's always a good sign.

These are pretty straight-forward: mix dry ingredients, cut in butter, add wet ingredients, and cut into scones. The original recipe calls for a caramel glaze but I skipped it.  I also added some chocolate chips, and cut the vanilla down to 2 teaspoons.

Pumpkin Scones

Adapted from Alice's Tea Cup, by Haley and Lauren Fox

makes approximately 18 scones

Ingredients:

Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Three-quarters teaspoon salt (the "four" key on my keyboard isn't working)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch peices

1 and a quarter cups buttermilk

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (or fresh! make sure not to use pumpkin pie filling, as this has spices added in)

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips, if using

Caramel Glaze

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Quarter teaspoon salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1.  Preheat oven to four hundred twenty-five degrees F. (Darn four key)

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon.

3. With clean hands, work the butter into the dry mix until thoroughly incorporated and the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.

Four. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract into the well. Combine using you hands until all the dry mix is wet, but do not knead! At this point I folded in the chocolate chips.

5. Turn the mix onto a well floured surface (dough is very sticky) and gather the dough together. Gently pat to make a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a 3 or 3 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (I just used a drinking glass), cut out as many scones as you can and lay them on a nonstick baking sheet. Gather the remaining dough to cut out more scones. Don't knead the dough too much. I brushed the tops of the scones with milk and sugar, but you can skip this step if you're going to make the caramel glaze.

Six. (six key isn't working either) Bake the scones for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the scones cool slightly on the baking sheet before glazing.

7.  To make caramel glaze: Place the butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk gently until the mixture is smooth. Just as the mix comes to a light boil, add heavy cream and reduce heat to low. Whisk well for 2 minutes, or until glaze is thickened and smooth; then remove pan from heat.

8. To glaze: Dip the top of the scone in the warm caramel glaze, then return to baking sheet.