Punkin

Pumpkin Muffins

(makes 8-10)
1 stick margarine
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1.75 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat 400°. Grease muffin pans or line them with paper baking cups.
Combine the margarine, brown sugar, and molasses in a mixing bowl, and beat until creamy. Add the pumpkin and the egg, and mix well.
In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and stir well. Add the combined dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat just until the batter is smooth, about 20 seconds with a mixing spoon.
Spoon into muffin pans, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Guesses?

Any guesses on what these used to be?



Fish tacos tonight. Tilapia.

Painfully Full

Corn and Wild Rice Soup with Smoked Sausage

12.5 cups broth
1.25 cups wild rice
5 Tbsp veg. oil
10 oz smoked sausage, preferably turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2.5 cups chopped onions
1.25 cups diced carrots, 1/4-inch diced
10 ears fresh corn, boiled until tender, scraped clean
or
2.5 lbs frozen kernals, defrosted
2.5 tsp salt
1.25 tsp pepper
1.25 cups half and half
2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives or flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

Place 5 cups broth in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When it just begins to simmer, add wild rice. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed, 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat. You should have 3.75 cups cooked rice
Heat oil in a large, deep-sided pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add sausage and saute, stirring , until golden, 4-5 minutes. Add onions and carrots and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes more. Add 6 cups broth and bring mixture to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare corn broth: Set aside 2.5 cups fresh or frozen corn. In a blender or a food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree remaining 1.5 cups broth. Puree well to produce a thick, opaque broth.
Add cooked wild rice, corn broth and reserved corn to pot and stir well. Cook 10-15 minutes more. Season with the salt and pepper. Stir in the half and half. If soup is too thick, thin with additional half and half. Taste and adjust seasonings.


Simmered Cabbage and Spinach with Peanuts

1/4 cup raw peanuts
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
6 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed, thinly slicedcrosswise
2 tsp mustard seeds, ground
2 tsp coriander seed, ground
2 tsp cumin seeds, ground
2 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 lbs cabbage, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 lbs fresh spinach leaves, well rinsed and coarsely chopped
Juice of one medium lime

Pulse the peanuts in a food processor until they have the consistency of fine breadcrumbs

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the peanuts, ginger, and chiles, and stir-fry until the mixture has a light honey-brown color, 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle in the mustard, coriander, cumin, salt, and turmeric, and stir once or twice to cook the spices, about 15 seconds.

Pile in the cabbage and stir to coat with the spices. Add 1 cup water and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and braise the cabbage, stirring occasionally, until it is fork-tender, about 15 minutes.

Add spinach, cover pan, and cook until it has wilted, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the lime juice, and serve.


Spinach and Cheese Strata

Chill for 10 hours
1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
1.5 cups finely chopped onion
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread
6 oz coarsely grated Gruyere (2 cups)
2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)
2.75 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.
Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.
Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3 quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).
Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining salt and pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata.

Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours.
Preheat 350°. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45-55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.


Cornbread Muffins

Preheat 425°.
Butter muffin tin (makes 10 or 12).
Mix together:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
Pour into a 2 cup measuring cup:
1 cup milk
Whisk in:
1 egg

Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the egg and milk mixture, and whisk or stir until well mixed and smooth.
Stir in:
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the muffins are brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


(To make buttermilk muffins, use 1.25 cups buttermilk instead of milk and instead of 1 Tbsp baking powder, use 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda.)

Tiina and Darden

...came over for dinner.


A bad picture for a great meal.


Salmon with Maple-Thyme Glaze

1/2 cup country-style Dijon mustard
4.5 Tbsp pure maple syrup
3.5 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
6 8-oz salmon fillets (or one huge one)
1.5 Tbsp (packed) golden brown sugar
1.5 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350°.
Whisk mustard, 3 Tbsp maple syrup, 3.5 Tbsp water, and horseradish in a small bowl to blend.
Arrange salmon on baking sheet.
Whisk 1.5 Tbsp maple syrup, sugar, and thyme in another small bowl to blend.
Spread thyme mixture evenly over salmon.

Bake until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes.
Transfer salmon to plates and spoon mustard-horseradish sauce over and serve.


Baked Shrimp with Fennel and Feta

4 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups 1/2 inch diced fennel bulb
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, with their juices
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 lbs feta, crumbled (about 3/4-1 cup)
1.25 to 1.5 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined


Preheat oven to 425°.
In a 12 inch oven proof skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the fennel and saute, stirring occasionally until slightly softened and lightly browned, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, 1 minute.
Add the wine and bring to a boil.
Add the tomatoes and their juices, season with salt and pepper, and stir to heat through.
Spread the tomato mixture into an even layer in the skillet.


In a small bowl, stir the breadcrumbs, parsley, feta, the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, and salt (about 1/2 tsp) and pepper to taste.
Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on the tomato mixture, and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the cheese is melted, 12-15 minutes.

Served with rice.

From Fine Cooking Magazine



Pan-Roasted Carrots

2 Tbsp olive oil
16 long, thing carrots, peeled and trimmed
salt and pepper
4 rosemary sprigs
4 tsp honey
1 Tbsp butter

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over low heat. Add the carrots and salt and pepper to taste.


Cook, turning the carrots occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the rosemary during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Just before serving, add the honey and butter and mix well.
Serve hot.

From The 150 Best American Recipes


Panna Cotta

2 Tbsp cold water
1.5 tsp unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, or more to taste
Pinch of salt
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (an 8-oz container) sour cream

Put the cold water into a small cup, and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a 3 quart saucepan, warm the cream with the sugar, salt, and vanilla over medium-high heat. Do not let boil. Stir in the gelatin mixture until thoroughly dissolved. Take the cream off the heat and cool for about 5 minutes.
Put the sour cream in a medium bowl. Gently whisk in the warm cream, a little at a time, until it is smooth. Taste the mixture for sweetness; it may need another tsp of sugar. Turn the panna cotta into a serving bowl or into eight 2/3 cup ramekins, custard cups or coffee cups, filling each one 3/4 full with the cream. Chill for 4 to 72 hours.

From The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

Easy

Grilled Marinated Chicken Breasts

3/4 head of garlic, pressed/minced
2 Tbsp ginger, grated
1.75 cups soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey

Mix together.
In a bowl, marinate the chicken in this mixture for one hour before grilling.




French Bread

5 cups white flour
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast (I use instant yeast, if you use active dry yeast, you must proof it first.)
2 cups luke warm water

First still together dry ingredients together in a bowl, then add and stir in the water.
Once the mixture is mostly stuck together put it on the counter and knead it for 10 minutes. Use extra flour to keep the dough from sticking to you and the counter.


Place the kneaded dough into a clean, oiled bowl, and cover.
Let it rise (at least 1-2 hours, but may go for longer).
PUNCH it, because it's fun, then divide it into two long loaves.
Using a knife, make slits in the loaves.
Brush with eggwhite if you want to get a browned top of the bread. Or don't.
Place in the pans.


Then into a COLD oven.
Set to bake at 400° and timer for 23-25 minutes


Baked Rice

For four people:
2.5 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp minced onion
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 cup uncooked rice
1.5 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs parsley
1 sprig thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 °.
Melt the butter in a heavy oven proof saucepan and cook the onion and garlic, stirring with a spoon, until the onion is translucent. Add the rice and stir briefly over low heat until all the grains are coated with butter.
Stir in the broth, making sure there are no lumps in the rice. Add the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne. Cover with close-fitting lid and place in the oven.
Bake the rice exactly 17 minutes. Remove the cover and discard the parsley and thyme sprigs.


The usual salad as well.

Birthday

It's my mom's birthday. Saturday night we will be having her real birthday dinner, which is, as usual, fried chicken. Tonight we were originally going to have fish tacos again, but this looked better.

Shrimp Burgers

For four people:
2 quarts water
1 lbs headless large shrimp, shells on
2 Tbsp chopped scallions
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1.5 tsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 cup bread crumbs
Kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
vinegar to taste
1 egg, beaten
1.5 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp Lee Bros Shrimp Boil Seasoning:
1 Tbsp peppercorns
1 Tbsp celery seeds
6 bay leaves, shredded with scissors
1/2 cup kosher salt
3 Tbsp ground cayenne pepper
Pound the peppercorns, celery seeds, and bay leaf with the salt in a mortar.
Place in bowl and stir with cayenne.

In a 3-quart saucepan, bring the water and shrimp boil seasoning to a boil over high heat. Turn off heat. Add the shrimp and let stand until they are just pink, about 2 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Peel the shrimp and chop coarsely. You should have 1.75 cups chopped shrimp.


In a large bowl, mix the shrimp with the scallions, corn, parsley, ginger, and lemon zest. Stir in the mayonnaise and bread crumbs and season with salt, black pepper and vinegar. Add the egg and gently fold with a wooden spoon or spatula until evenly distributed.


Form the shrimp mixture into 4 patties (3.5 inch diameter). Wrap the patties in plastic wrap and let stand in the fridge for 30 minutes.


Remove burgers from the fridge and unwrap. Place the oil in a 12 inch skillet and heat over high heat. When it shimmers, add the burgers and saute until both sides are gently browned, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a dinner plate lined with paper towel.


Serve on toasted buns with whatever you want really. We use Mayo and Lettuce.

From The Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook

Healthy

As the winter sets in, it gets more dark, and people become less active, it's important to try and make meals healthy. I always kind of feel that I am ok with a less healthy dinner if the rest of my day consisted mostly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. However, after long vacations (like down to Florida) keeping dinner as healthy as possible seems essential for the time being.

Soup, fish, salad...well, and a new beer.

Cauliflower Soup With Dry Roasted Almond and Pepper Relish

Kosher salt

1.75 lb (6-7 cups) cauliflower florets (from one medium head)

You can use white, but orange gives it a nice color.

4 Tbs unsalted butter

Pepper

1/4 cup dry roasted, salted almonds, finely chopped

1/4 cup red roasted peppers from a jar, finely diced

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs thinly sliced fresh mint

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a 4 quart pot. Add 1 tsp salt, then add the cauliflower and boil until very tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the cauliflower in a colander set over a large bowl to catch the cooking liquid and let the cauliflower cool slightly.

Working in 2 batches, puree each batch of cauliflower with 2 cups of the cooking liquid and 2 Tbs of butter in a blender until very smooth. Season to taste with salt.

In a small bowl, combine the almonds, mint, peppers, oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, gently reheat soup. Garnish each serving with a spoonful of the almond relish.

From Fine Cooking Dec 09/Jan 10

Grilled Blue Fish

Blue fish

onions, diced

Dijon mustard

olive oil

Brush the fish with oil and place it on aluminum foil. Brush the fish with the mustard and cover the upper surface with the onions. Grill the fish on high for about 12 minutes. Serve with mustard on the side.