Start Cooking...Thanksgiving is around the corner~

                                                                

 

 

 

Thanksgiving is around the corner and it's a big one here at Many Branches! Beth's family will be coming in from New Orleans and the Cincinnati Lechlers will be here as well.  Plus girl friends and boy friends...you know the drill. Thanksgiving Day will be the usual two meals with the dinner meal a candle light affair because of the late arrivals from New Orleans.  They are driving  and we hope for the best driving weather possible for them. (And, for us, when we go to Florida for the month of January.)

 

As you can see from the picture, I am not a ready mix snob.  I may adjust the things here and there, but I take the help no matter where it comes from.  For instance the wonderfully delicious spice swirl cake mix.  I made it for the OSU week end and could not get it out of the bunt pan (because of the brown sugar cinnamon swirl part), so it came out in pieces...so, I just put it in a pretty stemmed glass dish, made a custard pudding, poured it over the top and there we had a nice bread pudding style dessert. Lovely.  Today I made this cake again and this time I put it in a long baking dish and hoped for the best, and, the best it was.

 

The products shown here are from World Market and I have begun to really enjoy this store. If you buy a case of wine (they have wonderful selections) you get 10% off the case of wine.  The Ghirardelli brownie mix is stunningly good.  I use two boxes and it fills the longest baking dish really well.  Don't over bake. It's Ghirardelli chocolate, how could it not be good?

 

The pasta is from Italy and World Market has some nice selections that are not usually seen.  Lumaconi stands up well to the sauce which nestles in the little pockets, so when one bites in to a fork full, Carfagna's pasta sauce squirts from the shells and one gets double the pleasure. Carfagna's sauce is sold in many grocery stores in Columbus.  Their market is on route 161 in Columbus.  It is a very popular Italian center piece in the foodie world of Columbus, and, their products are fantastic.

 

So, the cooking begins and the freezer fills pretty rapidly.  I am planning on two or three turkeys this year.  Two of which will be roasted the day before.  Luckily Pam and George will be here the day before and George will wrestle the turkeys and slice them up.  I am making gallons of gravy, so two platters will be made the day before, covered with gravy on the day.... and Bob's your uncle. We will also do the ham the day before.  The rib roast, however, will be done on the day.  Too much food you say??? With every bedroom filled and four meals to do, there is never too much food.  We are expecting nearly thirty people. The 29th, the day after Thanksgiving we will gather again for a dinner as well. That's the plan.

                                                                                                                                                                                      

Falling for Florets

On the first day of snow in Columbus, how that happened I'll never know, Cook's Corner featured cauliflower recipes.  Love, love, love cauliflower. I am, however, beginning to re- hate the Columbus Dispatch. They have dreamed up yet another scheme to make money and to annoy (me.)  Now you can only view a section of the paper on line five times without paying for an on- line subscription. There is an over-lay on the recipe that one might want to see until one pays for a subscription.  This is foolish because there is probably not one recipe in this world that cannot be found FREE in the vast recipe offerings on line. So that's NOT going to work. I forgave them for cutting down the number of pages of Cook's Corner while hemming it with crossword puzzles and celebrity gossip, but I have reached my level of forgiveness, which is not large in the first place. Never mind, I found a way to give you some tasty recipes for this delectable vegetable.  I have a large head of florets at the moment and I am eager to try these recipes.  Week end company's coming, several soups are made, but I might add one more dish to the menu.  Oh, and I still have cakes to bake.  I am trying this peaches and cream cake shown here and I will let you know how it turns out. This is a perfect day for the kitchen because it is not nice outside.  The pool is still open and all the summer furniture is covered, briefly, in pure white snow with rain on the way to wash it away.

                                              Oh, yes, Happy Halloween too.

peaches and cream cake

 

For T.F., Hilliard
Makes 8 servings

Peaches and cream cake:
3/4 cup flour
  1 package (3.5 ounces) vanilla cooked  pudding mix
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1 egg
  1/2 cup milk
  3 tablespoons butter,  melted
  1 can (16 ounces)  sliced peaches
  1/2 cup sugar
  1 package (8 ounces)  cream cheese
  1 tablespoon sugar
  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking dish.

Stir together flour, pudding mix and baking powder.

Combine egg, milk and melted butter. Add to dry mix and mix well. Pour into baking dish.

Drain peaches, reserving 1/3 cup of liquid. Chop peaches and sprinkle over batter. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and peach liquid. Pour over the peaches. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over all.

Bake for 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or cold, but it’s best warm.

S. Hill, Hilliard

Cauliflower, YUM.

Deb Lindsey | Washington Post photos

Roasted Cauliflower Gratin

This recipe was adapted from Washington-area chefs for  The Washington Post. 

Makes 6 servings

There is no need to whip up a bechamel sauce for this quick version of a gratin, made all the more alluring by first oven-roasting the cauliflower.

1 large head (2 pounds) cauliflower (outer leaves removed), broken into 11/2-inch florets 3 tablespoons canola oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 small clove garlic, minced 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; heat to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the florets, oil and salt in a mixing bowl to coat. Spread the florets on the baking sheet, flat edges down. (Wipe out the bowl; you’ll use it again.)

Bake on the lower rack for 20 minutes, then turn the oven on broil. When it’s heated, transfer the cauliflower to the top rack and broil for 7 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned and tender. Keep the broiler on.

Transfer the florets to the same bowl you first used. Add the cream, garlic, Gruyere cheese, half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and all the pepper and nutmeg. Stir to incorporate, then spoon the cauliflower into a large gratin dish.

Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and return to the broiler for 5 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

 

 

 

Cauliflower “Risotto” Recipe

Vegan, grain and gluten-free

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 medium head of cauliflower, chopped in a food processor
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained, divided (I prefer Great Northern Beans)
• 1/2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tb sundried tomatoes
• 1 Tb capers
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
• toasted pinenuts, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium-sized pot, heat 1 Tb olive oil on medium heat until warmed. Place the shallots, garlic, and thyme inside and saute for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and translucent.
2. Place 1/2 the can of beans and vegetable broth into the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. With an immersion blender (or if you do not have one, use a regular blender), gently blend all of the contents together in the pot until creamy and smooth.
4. Add grated cauliflower, sun-dried tomatoes, remainder beans, and spinach. Cover with a lid and allow to heat through for a good 5 minutes.
5. Add the capers before you serve and garnish with toasted pinenuts.

 

The Excess of Stack Pies

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Pablo Alcala photo  

 This must be the lazy cook's version of stacked pies.

 

 

Just when I think I have seen or read or heard of nearly every way to use a recipe, I get fooled.  I am stunned with this one found in today's Cook's Corner from the Columbus Dispatch.  It's stack pie.  It seems in Kentucky where it is, or may be, the only state to have a pocket of this phenomena there dwells a tradition of going to a potluck with a pie, arriving, and then stacking your (usually fruit) pie on top of another series of pies and then pouring (at times) caramel over the top and some times in between the pies (I guess to make them stick together). To eat it one must have only a tiny sliver because the flavors are so intense and rich...well, ya think? I guess stack cakes are common, though I have never heard of them either, but stack pies are more rare. Washington and Mercer counties in Kentucky seem to be the hot bed of stack pies. Stack pies were also served in Country Kitchen restaurant in Lebanon, Ky. These pies were at times made for holidays in some households. I understand that so much food was brought in and spread out on the tables that there was no more room for so many pies, hence the pies were stacked and then it got to be a habit. One person who now buys them to serve says they are very rich and there are around 12 pie crusts in the stack with caramel buttery filling in between.  It makes my teeth hurt just to type this.  I personally have trouble making ONE pie, so I will pass on this recipe to those who are brave.  The one shown in Cook's Corner has pecan pie on the bottom and pumpkin pie on top--a lazy stacker, no doubt.

           

Visit pinerly.com

KENTUCKY STACK PIE
4 or 5 (9 inch) pie shells
10 egg yolks
3 c sugar
1 1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. whipping cream

Line 4 or 5 (9 inch) pie pans with pastry. The one that is to be the bottom one is made regular depth. The others are cut short (or can be). Have these ready.
Beat egg yolks well until light. Cream in sugar, beat again until light. Add shortening and cream. Pour in pie shells, a little extra in bottom pie. Bake two at a time in 350 degree oven until filling is firm. Let cool in pan. Stack one on top of the other. Ice with Caramel Icing. Serve by cutting wedges clear through. 4 or 5 stacks.


CARAMEL ICING:

2 c. brown sugar
1 c. whipping cream
Pinch salt

Cook together to soft boil stage. Remove from heat. Beat by hand until creamy. If frosting gets too hard before you get it all on, beat in a little cream

Soup's on~

Sorry, but I  laughed out loud at the irony of this: Three Americans Win Nobel Prize In Economics. HUH?

                                                      

 

 

 

 

Is there anything prettier to eat than a bowl of soup?  I don't believe I have every followed a recipe for soup.  It is so freeing to make these hearty dishes because the are so forgiving. I feel creative and free of paper cards instructing me to do this, add that, season to taste.  I am sure that when people ask for these recipe that they think I don't want to share.  The point being,  not one of my soups can be duplicated.  They are all different.  Beth asked for the barley mushroom soup recipe today and it is easier for me to make it than write it down.  Some of my Otterbein sisters want that recipe too, but I did not have a chance to explain that I don't have a soup recipe of any kind.  The request was easily forgotten because we were all talking at once, stirring this and plating that, so I hope they did not think I had become stingy. I have found my niche with soups and stews and roasts.  I don't bake as much as I used too because it is so exacting.  I lose interest pretty quickly in that arena while a pot of soup or stew can have things added and taken away with no harm done to the end result.  Too much salt?  Add potatoes...that kind of thing.

 

Sunday. I'm in a soup and stew making mood.

 

 

 

Long noodles !

 

An autumnal apple and ginger tart.

Le Palais des Poulets

                                                          

Not too many years ago we had chickens.  Their palace was an elegant place where many people said they could easily live.  My good neighbor across the road and I were excited each spring when the babies arrived by US postal service, usually on Sunday.  We would get a call from the main post office in Columbus to PLEASE COME GET THESE BLASTED CHICKENS, they are driving us nuts. (If they had just pecked their way out of an egg, were thrown in a box with 25 other chickens with no food or water, one would guess they might be a tad noisy as well.) Pauline and I loved our chickens and for a few years named them, fussed over them and mourned them when they died. We had green eggs, blue eggs, brown and white eggs, all delicious and lovely to see. However, chickens are needy.  They are not like cats that take care of themselves if left with food and water, these girls needed attention ,and, heat lamps in the winter. So after a several years, we stopped ordering chickens and then we had none.  We didn't eat chicken for quite some time and never one of our own. I suppose we could do with two or three chickens, but now I think the dogs might be too interested in chasing them into the bad neighbors yard and then all hell breaks loose...again.

                                                    The chicken palace for many years.

Below is dinner tonight, plus, I just made the recipe for ginger syrup that is listed and shown on the Otterbein sisters section of the blog.  It can rest in the frig and I am already dreaming of ways to use it in cocktails and other drinks and dishes.

Andy bought a  packet of those darn tiny, tasteless carrots, so I am using them  with this pork and potatoes roast, hoping to get some flavor out of them. Oven ready.

Ginger syrup for drinks and dishes...let your imagination go wild.

Under the pergola~

                  “Ah! There’s nothing like staying home for real comfort.” ~Jane Austen                                           

While several family members are getting ready to journey to the Citadel to see Brooks during Parents' Weekend, I am planning on nesting. There is so much going on here on a daily basis that I cannot see how anyone with a brain can get bored. So I am deciding how to spend this valuable time. It won't be cooking, I can reveal that right now! Nate jokes that after a week of entertaining the Lechler kitchen is closed for several days and I am in my woman cave with the dogs, my books, and as in the last retreat,  the Breaking Bad marathon. I am considering going to Sam's to get the Game of Thrones series...am I too lazy to hold the fat book(s) or should I buy the dvd(s)?

 

The time will not be spent putting the property to bed for the winter either.  The days are glorious, so the dogs and I will putter around the yard in the golf cart, sit in the sun watching the plethora of butterflies that have found our yard once more, and maybe a snooze or two which is a very different scenario for me. I have discovered I can actually nap in day light, something I have never been able to do. How did that happen?

 

I might start planning Thanksgiving which is turning out to be another big event.  George and Pam are coming the day before to help.  George is now the official turkey(s) wrestler.  There may have to be three turkeys this year, or maybe two and a ham.  Tom will be disappointed if there is no rib roast, that's for sure, so maybe I'll work that in.  Hopefully there will be Beth's family from New Orleans coming too this year.  Many things to consider after a short, refreshing nap under the pergola.

 

I am going to have to get some books for sure.  I've been plowing my way through David Baldacci's Simple Genius.  After the latest Lee Child's book, however, no author has caught my interest. Child's is back!

 

So much time, so little to do...life is good. 

 Nate's moon flowers this evening.

OSU over night party with family~

I let myself go today and really went all out.  Three different soups, a seafood pasta dish, cauliflower gratin, Italian monkey pull-apart pizza bread, the last of fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden, a salad and fresh peach cobbler with ice cream. This cider caramel vodka drink is delicious.  It and the Italian pizza bread recipes are on the previous post. So good.  Guests arrive by 2:30.

 

 

 Pizza Bread

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz) tube refrigerated flaky biscuits

1 tbsp. olive oil

16 slices pepperoni, quartered

1/4 cup shredded pizza-blend cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

t tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

pizza sauce, for dipping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Note: The original recipe states to line your bundt pan with aluminum foil, then spray with nonstick cooking spray. I just used the nonstick spray and I did have to kind of go around the edges with a butter knife before it would release. But it did end up coming out just fine.

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces, place in a bowl. Toss biscuit pieces with oil and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well.

Add biscuits; toss well to coat. Arrange in the prepared Bundt pan.

Bake at 400F degrees for 15 minutes (or until golden).It takes much longer than 15minutes to get this baked through in a tube pan. But, the results are delicious if you bake them on a baking sheet as shown below.

Turn bread out of pan onto a serving plate while still warm.

Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Makes about 2 dozen pieces.

 

 

This is the best way to do the pizza bites.

The recipe calls for a tube pan for the bites, but I could not get them done.  They were piled up and doughy.  Spread out, it bakes in just a few minutes and they are easy and delicious.

More to come. This is OSU day and the party will begin at 2:30.  Then the girls are taking me out this evening for an all girls night out. Dinner and the movie at the Fork Theater.
Note: People say the funniest things leaving a movie after the show.  The movie was Prisoners, a dark, black and white, rainy movie about the abduction of two little girls and the parents' search for them. There was nothing obviously cheerful about it.  On the way out of the movie one woman said I wish it could have been a more cheerful ending...like that's going to happen! 

☾ °☆ 　. * ¸.　　　★　

Doris Lechler

Hot Caramel Apple cider for Grown-ups

4 mugs worth of apple cider
1 mug worth of Caramel Vodka
1 T. cinnamon...
1/4 C. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients above in a large pot
Heat over med-low heat, stirring occasionally
until liquid just begins to steam
(don't over heat or else the alcohol will burn off)

While cider is warming up, take your mugs or glasses
and rim them with brown sugar

Pour cider into glass and enjoy

We made this and had it today and it is fantastic.

Angela, Johnna's sister from Florida, Tom and Chee (married), Johnna (David's wife from Fla.) Pam and George, (married)

 

Andy, married to Doris, Angela from Fla., Pam, Beth, Johnna and Chees is hidden.
 

My Otterbein sisters came for lunch~

 



What a glorious afternoon we had with eleven of my sorority sisters and dorm mates from college. The day was perfect, but to be sure I had the table set in the dining room for lunch and then we had coffee and Glenda's (my sister-in-law's cake recipe which is now called a poke cake) outside on this wonderful autumn day. It is always with trepidation that I see people from long ago because I like to remember them as they were in college.  It made no difference, however, because these women were just so kind and happy. We had never had a disagreement and they were so accepting.  I adore them still.

                                             ☾ °☆ 　. * ¸.　　　★　
Laughter is timeless,
Imagination has no age,
And dreams are forever☾ °☆ 　. * ¸.　　　★　
~Tinkerbell

(These picture won't mean much to some of you but I need them here for my 3rd blog book.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish I had known about this recipe from David Lebovitz before our luncheon.  I would have made the iced tea with this recipe.  I actually used crystallized ginger in the tea I served, but this would have been better and a good thing to have on hand.  I am making this right away for the week end guests that we are anticipating, with pleasure.

 

 

"Fresh Ginger Syrup (I just made this and it is wonderful!)
About 2 cups (.5l)

I don’t automatically peel ginger; if you choose not to, it will give the syrup a slightly darker color, which I don’t mind. If you wish to peel it, you can. The leftover ginger can be added to a batch of marmalade, or patted dry and chopped further, then added to just-churned ice cream or gingersnap cookie dough. If you plan to reuse it, you should peel it before making the syrup with it.

This syrup is quite spicy and if you find it a bit too zippy and want to tone it down, the next time you make it (or the first time) you can blanch the chopped ginger first in boiling water, let it simmer for a couple of minutes, then drain it and proceed with the recipe.

• 8 ounces (225g) fresh ginger, unpeeled
• 4 cups (1l) water
• 2 cups (400g) sugar
• pinch salt

1. Cut the ginger into thin slices. Run a knife over it to chop it into rough, smaller pieces. (As shown in the post.)

2. Place the ginger along with the water, sugar, and salt in a nonreactive saucepan. Heat to a boil, then reduce the heat to a steady simmer, and cook for 45 minutes to one hour.

3. Let cool, then strain the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer. Store the strained syrup the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use. The syrup should keep for at least two weeks under refrigeration.

To make ginger soda: Fill glasses 1/3rd full with syrup and add a generous squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice. Fill the glasses with ice then top with sparkling water or tonic water (or a not-too-sweet citrus soda). Stir gently to mix the ingredients and garnish with a round of citrus or fresh mint.

Other Uses: You could also make a terrific cocktail with this as a base, using bourbon, whiskey, or rum."
Picture and recipe by David Lebovitz.

My friend, Celina, sent me this recipe.

Hot Caramel Apple cider for Grown-ups

4 mugs worth of apple cider
1 mug worth of Caramel Vodka
1 T. cinnamon
1/4 C. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients above in a large pot
Heat over med-low heat, stirring occasionally
until liquid just begins to steam
(don't over heat or else the alcohol will burn off)

While cider is warming up, take your mugs or glasses
and rim them with brown sugar

Pour cider into glass and enjoy

Whole Foods may mean whole paychecks. 

 

I have a love hate relationship with these stores.  Most of their food is outstanding but so are the prices. I was spoiled by the good prices and excellent choices when a new store opened on Sawmill. Now I see red.  However, my former cooking teacher, Betty Rosbottom, author of several well know cookbooks, wrote that there are bargains to be had there. She listed maybe five or six and that still is not enough to warrant the blood pressure issue when I view the prices of other things.  The $1.99 baguette does not take the edge off the other items in my book.  It's good, but not special. (We enjoyed a very tasty baguette from Trader Joe's for less.) I remember when a Whole Food Danish was 89 cents (each) and the next time I looked the same item was $1.89 each.  I don't know how much they are now, I have not been in the store in two years. I lust after them, but won't give in. For the savings according to Betty check out her blog: http://bettyrosbottom.com/2013/09/25/whole-foods-isnt-always-whole-paycheck/

 

 

Mushroom soup with harvest grains

Remember this? Speaking of memories:
Next Tuesday ten or more of my sorority sisters and former dorm mates are coming for lunch.  I haven't seen them for over fifty years.  They meet once every fall and I have never made the date, so I invited them here. There seems to be a set of rules for this and I am only allowed to make one dish as my contribution to my own luncheon.  This is difficult for me because I am used to cooking big.  I am trying out dishes all week much to my family's delight, although not so much today for Andy, who dislikes mushrooms with an intensity.  Maybe since he is once again a student at OSU, at age 78, his horticulture class may lend an insight to this delightful specimen. His other class is Political Science, so they may debate the issue on break. Nonetheless, today it is mushroom soup with harvest grains.

                                                                    

The harvest grains are a savory blend of Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa. This blend comes in a bag from Trader Joe's and it is going to be added to many of my soups from now on.  I created this recipe this morning and only hope I can remember how I did it because it is scrumptious and I want to be able to do it again exactly the same way. Only the grains came in the bag from Joe's, the rest is from scratch in a few easy steps.

Salty Caramel Cheesecake

                                                         

 

 

If I had a food truck I would sell only soups and cheesecakes.  There are only two more shows after tonight of the food Truck Race.  I like it but I have found something I like even more and that is Facebook's food truck game.  I only wish you could buy it out right and play it as much as you like.  Facebook keeps wanting you to spend real dollars playing this game and there are ways around spending real money, but the road is fraught with time elements that drive me crazy. The Big Fish games allows you to buy a game and play it forever without out any more money factors, but they don't offer the food truck game.  Anyway, I am enjoying the game which is difficult but not as hard as it would be putting food in that truck every day and selling it to cranky people waiting, hopefully, in line. The show is fun too because several family member drift in to watch this fast-paced hour show on Sunday nights. Togetherness. That's nice.

 

I have a pet peeve, well one of several, but hoarding recipes and not sharing bugs me.  A friend from my teaching days was a good family style cook.  I always thought it was a compliment if someone asked for a recipe but she acted as though I had asked to keep one of her children. I managed to squeeze two out of her with a promise, not quite in writing, that I would not give them out. Now that was around 1966 and I think the time limit has run out. This basic cheesecake is one of them. The salty caramel is an addition of mine which I am sure she would not approve. She always topped hers, and I did as well for years, with canned pie filling or fresh fruit or with a raspberry sauce. But anything caramel and I'm a goner.

 

Here is the recipe for the cheesecake--the other recipe I managed to get from her takes THREE DAYS TO MAKE and I am never doing that one again.

 

Bake 375 for 35 minutes and then turn off the oven and leave the door open and the cake in the oven without touching it for an hour.

 

I think it might be even better with plain caramel sauce now that I have had a piece of the salty caramel.  Put the topping on that pleases you. Swirl in what you like, you cannot go wrong here.

I may have to put the recipe on later because this computer is acting up...but I will get it on.  (Maybe it doesn't matter because I don't know if any one is reading this or not.)

• (2) 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• cream these two items together
• 3 eggs
• small pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/ 2 teaspoon almond extract
• beat and add these items to the above mixture
• after all combined add one pint (2 cups) sour cream and mix
• Pour over a ready made crust of crushed cookies or nut mixture or gram crackers which has been mixed with soft butter--a crumb crust of your choice in a spring form pan.
•  
• With the caramel I first pour a layer of the cheesecake over the crumb crust, then a generous drizzle of caramel and then more cheese cake mixture.  After the cake has chilled, after baking, I drizzle more caramel, either salty or plain over each slice. I like it with pie filling or fresh fruit or a fresh raspberry sauce in a puddle with the cake sitting proudly on top.

I am so making this today.  Love cauliflower and every roasted vegetable! Thank you Martha.

Visit marthastewart.com

Cauliflower Steaks with Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad

 

                                                sweet peppers and onion jam
I have recently fallen in love with sweet peppers and sweet onions jam.  I would not have been caught dead eating that until just recently and now I am slathering it on everything, well, not cheese cake, but everything else it seems.  We have a plethora of peppers and onions on hand and one simply sautés this mixture with a little butter and olive oil, salt and pepper until it is on the thick side.  I put in a little sugar to help caramelize this mixture. I had left over brussel sprouts (if you can believe I had left overs of this wonderful dish) and I combined them with the jam, some couscous, and WOW, I had a new and delicious dish. A variations of the above.

I must be hungry today.  Everything looks tasty.



*Escalloped Potatoes*
Serves 4 to 6

                                     

                                                                                   

  

 

Pumpkin oatmeal breakfast pudding

The minute I read the recipe and saw the pictures on The English Kitchen blog I got out the ingredients that I had on hand and with some variation I made this dish this morning.  It is delicious and different and a treat. I used my home made granola which the family calls crack, because I did not have plain oats having used them in the granola recipe. I used Trader Joe's sesame almonds because I had no plain pecans.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal* Serves 4


 Indulgent and delicious. Makes a change for breakfast! Treat your family today!

3 1/2 ounces (1 cup) old fashioned oats, not quick cook
2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp butter, softened
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) pumpkin puree
6 ounces (3/4) cup milk

Streusel Topping;
1 ounce ( about 1/4 cup) pecans, chopped
2 tsp butter, softened
1 Tbs brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a baking dish. Set aside.

Combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt together in a medium sized bowl, stirring all together well. Whisk the vanilla, butter, pumpkin puree and milk together in another bowl. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oats, and stir together until well combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish and then bake at for 10 minutes.

While it is baking, combine the ingredients for the topping together until crumbly. After the oatmeal has baked for 10 minutes, remove and sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over all. Bake for an additional 7 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a splash of cream and some dried fruit, if desired.

 

 

                                              

Picture from The English Kitchen. She nestled her dollop in a puddle of cream, but it would be good alone or with any form of cream you like...custard, milk, ice cream, on and on. Love it!