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So many things to do with pumpkin

November 12, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

There are many things that can be done with pumpkins. We carve them, toast the seeds, puree the filling of them and use that for multiple things. I believe we can all agree that the most popular use for pumpkin is Pumpkin Pie. Although I think people are trying to change peoples minds and expand their outlook on pumpkin and uses for it this year.

Over the past few months I have seen so many different uses for pumpkin. I have seen the pumpkin quarted and baked and then served with meat, I’ve also seen it hollowed out and used as a bowl for soup; as well as seeing it served with pasta as a sauce. There are many uses for pumpkin, other than pie, there just needs to be a little creativity!

I decided to try something different with pumpkin as well. For round 4 of Operation Baking GalsI decided to send them a “taste of the season” by making Pumpkin Butterscotch cookies. Many of you are probably turning your noses up right now, just like my darling Spencer did. Let me tell you, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. These cookies were very good, and the flavors were mild but still delicious. If you’re looking for a cookie that has very strong flavors this isn’t for you; if you’re looking for a cookie that has a more mild flavor but is still tasty then you must try it!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. Can pumpkin puree

1 Cup butter flavored crisco

1/2 Cup sugar

1 Cup brown sugar

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

1 Teaspoon vanilla

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1 Teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves

4 1/2 Cups flour

1 Teaspoon salt

1 Bag butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large mixing bowl combine crisco and both sugars and cream. Once creamed add the pumpkin puree and mix together well. Once cream mixture and puree are mixed well add in cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and cloves and combine.

Sift together baking powder, baking soda, flour and salt. Add mixture into pumpkin mixture 1 cup at a time. Once all the flour is added and mixed fold in butterscotch chips.

Spoon on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on sheet before removing to cooling racks to completely cool.

Recipe by: Lynsey Lou

Operation Baking Gals…Round 4

November 12, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Round four of Operation Baking Galsconcluded this past Monday, November 10. This is only my second round but it’s amazing. It’s such an incredible feeling knowing that I’m helping to send a little piece of “home” to the men and women so bravely serving us and our country. What better way is there to celebrate Veteran’s Day than to be part of this “Operation” that ended the day before. We are giving thanks to the men and women that are serving our country and who is also one day call themselves veterans.
During each round there are multiple teams that are formed. For each team formed there is a soldier which the team bakes goodies for. We have a designated window of time in which we ship our baked goods to the soldiers. Having this window of time guarantees that the soldiers will recieve the goods around the same time and they will have tons of goodies to enjoy.
Personally I am so grateful for every one of these men and women and their selflessness. If it weren’t for them and all the ones that were there before them and the ones that will be there after them we would not have the country that we do. I’m so proud to be an American and I’m so proud of every soldier in the U.S. forces. Baking cakes and cookies isn’t a huge thing; but it’s one thing that we can do for them to send them a little piece of home every month until they return.
This month I joined two teams so I had two soldiers to bake for. The teams I joined were “Team Just Add Nuts” and “Team Crumbly Cookie”. I appreciate both teams; their willingness to lead groups and find soldiers to support are amazing.
The leaders of “Team Just Add Nuts” are Val and Randy Romeo of Michigan of Just Add Nuts. They were wonderful leaders who provided tons of support for the bakers and gave us a little background on our soldier, Alex Herrera.
Here is a little about our Soldier:
Our soldier for this round is SFC Alex Herrera. Alex is a husband and father of two sons. His family lives in the Sterling Heights, Michigan area and are anxious to see him return. This is Alex’s fourth tour of duty. He has served our country in Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He is a member of the Army.

The second team I joined was “Team Crumbly Cookie”. The head of this team was Bridget of The Way The Cookie Crumbles. She was also a great team leader. She answered any questions we had but she was very layed back as well.
I don’t know very much at all about this soldier. I do know that his name is Joshua and he is stationed in Iraq. I hope that he along with the rest of the soldiers remain safe and return safely.

For this round I wanted to send them something homey feeling but also something with the flavors of the season. I made Oatmeal Raisinwith a hint of clove for a classic recipe to send them. I also made Pumpkin Butterscotchcookies so they could have a taste of the season.
May God Bless Them. Please remember to keep the men and women of the service in your thoughts and prayers everyday.

Don't Drop the Hot Potato or it will Crash…

November 12, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

I don’t guess a crashed hot potato is a bad thing… it’s actually very good. Just add a little salt, pepper, butter and chives and you have a wonderful side dish for any meal:). Can I just say I loved this recipe!?!?

This is yet another recipe from The Pioneer Woman. She definitely knows her way around a kitchen and cooks meals that could feed an army. Which is a good thing since she has a small army of her own. For this recipe I downsized quite a bit; if I hadn’t then I would have had enough Crash-Hot Potatoesto last me the rest of the year! I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe as well.

I decided to make these potatoes to have along side the Crispy Yogurt Chicken. Boy did it compliment the chicken well. This recipe was very easy; I also timed it perfectly so they were done at the same time as the chicken. There isn’t a whole lot that goes into these potatoes but they sure are good and very full of flavor. Pretty much everything used in this recipe are things that are on hand at all times. I followed the recipe pretty much step by step, but I’m sure it would be good with any other toppings desired.

My dad and Spencer were in the kitchen visiting with me as I made this meal and they started watching with particular interest when I started making these potatoes. Everything was pretty normal with the boiling part but when I moved them from the pot to the baking sheet is when they starting paying close attention to what I was doing; with all the smashing it’s can get pretty interesting. After I finished the process and put them in the oven they both said, well that’s a great way to cook potatoes!

The end result of this recipe was awesome. The potato was nice and soft just like a regular baked potato but the skin and outer parts were a little crispy and crunchy…crunchy is right up my dad’s alley! I loved how these came out; it had a couple of different textures and tons of flavor. Next time I make these (and there will be tons of next times for this recipe) I may try to add some other toppings and flavors…we’ll see. So now, on to the good stuff!!!

Pioneer Woman’s Crashed-Hot Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 Bag new potatoes (I used a couple of regular baking potatoes)

Olive Oil, for drizzling

Salt and Pepper, to taste

A fresh herb of choice (I used fresh chives)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add desired amount of potatoes into boiling water, cook until they are “fork tender” (You should be able to gently press a fork into the potato).

Drizzle olive oil generously onto a baking sheet. This will keep the potatoes from sticking to the sheet…this is a critical step so drizzle generously!!! When the potatoes are tender place them on the cooking sheet. With a potato smasher (I used the bottom of a glass) gently press down the potato until it’s smashed, then rotate the smasher 90 degrees and smash again (not necessary if using a glass). ***Don’t smash them all the way. Make it about the thickness of a cookie. Repeat process until all potatoes are smashed.

Generously brush the top with olive oil. Sprinkle potatoes generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. After salt and pepper, top potatoes with the fresh herb of your choice.

Now place the potoates in a 450 degree oven on the top rack. Cook potatoes for 20-25 minutes…or until golden and sizzling.

Recipe from: The Pioneer Woman

Crispy, not fried chicken

November 12, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

I have been wanting to try The Pioneer Woman’syogurt chicken for a while. The recipe makes quite a bit, I knew I could down size it but I could only down size it so much so I wanted to make it when there were others eating with us so we didn’t have a ton of leftovers. My dad came in town the other day so I decided it would be the perfect time to try this recipe.

This is a wonderfule recipe and it’s pretty easy and not ver time consuming at all. There really isn’t a lot of prep work for it; so as along as you have everything on hand there’s really not much to it. I was able to assemble it, put it in the oven and do some other things. It’s a main course that is no fuss to put together.

Another thing I loved about this recipe is that it’s a great alternative to fried chicken. The end result is crispy chicken but it’s much healther. You also get the nice crunch of fried chicken; but the flavor is a lot different than that of fried chicken. The flavoring that’s included in this recipe is awesome; both Spencer and my dad were very impressed as was I. I know I will definitely be making this recipe over and over!!!

Pioneer Woman’s Crispy Yogurt Chicken

Ingredients:

1 package chicken legs (or any type of chicken desired)

2 Cups plain yogurt

2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped

Parsley, chopped…a tablespoon or so (I used fresh chives)

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and Pepper

Butter

Panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

In a medium bowl mix together yogurt, garlic, fresh herb (of choice) and lemon juice.

Rinse chicken and salt generously with Kosher salt.

In another bowl pour in the panko breadcrumbs, start with about 2 cups. Salt the breadcrumbs and mix.

Butter the dish being used to bake the chicken.

Roll the chicken in the yogurt mixture, 1 piece at a time, then roll in breadcrumbs. Place chicken in baking dish. Repeat process with all chicken. Once finished breading the chicken, place a slice of butter on the large part of each piece of chicken. Be sure every piece of chicken has a slice of butter on it so the Panko breadcrumbs have enough moisture and don’t dry out.

Cover with foil and bake about 1 hour on 350 F. Remove foil for the last 15 minutes or so to allow the chicken to get nice and golden. Bake until golden, you may need to leave it in the oven a little longer.

Recipe from: The Pioneer Woman

A Little Sauciness

November 6, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

When we had “Taste of the Tropics” meal I decided to make a dipping sauce for the coconut shrimp. Although they were wonderful by themselves and full of flavor I wanted a light sauce to dip it in; I guess because I was in a sauce mood! I didn’t want regular cocktail sauce; I wanted something light and semi-sweet to compliment the flavor of the sweet coconut on the shrimp.

There was nothing to the sauce. It was so easy to throw together and the end result was pretty tasty. I decided to carry the common element of the meal, cilantro, through to the dipping sauce as well. It was a very nice addition to a simple creation, but it pulled everything together. I’m sure this would be good served with other foods as well. Since there’s not a lot to it, it would be very easy to change up the flavors and things it would compliment.

Sweet Cilantro Cream

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 Tablespoon sugar

2-3 Teaspoons cilantro, diced

Directions:

In a mixing bowl add whipping cream and sugar. Beat on high until it begins to thicken a little. Once it’s at the desired consistency add cilantro and fold in. Serve along side coconut shrimp or any other desired dish.

Triple Cheese Threat

November 6, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

When I think grilled cheese, it just takes me back to my childhood. I love grilled cheese sandwiches, there’s not a lot to them but they are so very good. Sometimes all it takes is a tall glass of milk and a hot grilled cheese sandwich to hit the spot. It really hit the spot for supper!

This isn’t you’re everyday, regular grilled cheese!!! There is nothing wrong with the classic grilled cheese sandwich (it’s a classic for a reason), but I decided to put a little spin on it. I took the Cheesy Cornmeal Breadand made a grilled cheese sandwich, but made more of a grown up version. The end result was nothing but awesome! This is one of the simplest recipes but it is so good, and it definitely settles the craving for a grilled cheese sandwich.

Triple Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

4 Slices of Cheesy Cornmeal Bread

1/4-1/2 Cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/4-1/2 Cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Butter, for bread and skillet

Mayo

Directions:

Although I’m pretty sure everyone knows how to make a grilled cheese sandwich I’m going to walk through the steps anyway!

Preheat a small skillet with a dab of butter over low-medium heat. Butter one side of the cheesy cornmeal bread slice and place buttered side on the skillet. Spread a little mayo on the side of bread facing up. Sprinkle a generous portion of cheese (the more the better in my opinion) on the bread. Take second slice of bread and spread a little mayo on in and place on top of the cheese. Spread butter on the side of bread facing up. Cook until golden brown, flip and cook other side until it’s golden brown and the cheese melted. Serve up with a tall glass of milk and go back to your childhood!

Recipe from: Lynsey Lou

Is it white bread or cornbread?

November 6, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

It’s a mix of both! This is yet another recipe inspired by Spencer and one of his finds at a local restaurant. I remember the first time he had this bread he went on and on about how good it was and how unique it was. He was amazed how it was a normal bread but it had the flavor of cornmeal and the cornmeal could also be tasted. The next few times he went to that restaurant he had the same sandwich with the same “jalapeno cornmeal bread”; he was definitely obsessed with this bread by now. Ever time he had it he would come home and describe the flavors of it and tell me how awesome it was to have a bread that was a real bread but flavored with cornmeal.

From all of his raves I knew I needed to be hunting for a recipe that was similar to this amazing bread. I started my hunt not a moment too soon. About a week ago he was going to this famed restaurant to get his favorite sandwich but when he arrived they were closed. Just like so many other businesses right now, they were struggling to make it with the economy being like it is and unfortunately they are closed…hopefully just for the time being.

My first attempt of this famous bread was pretty good but I am still working on perfection. I didn’t stray too far from the original recipe since this was my first time baking it but it turned tasty. It smelled so good while it was baking and then when I pulled it out of the oven the loaves were so pretty and golden! They tasted awesome; and all the flavors were very evident but not overwhelming at all. This is definitely a “must try” bread! I’ll keep posting with my modifications to this recipe and possibly with a recipe of my own!

Cheesy Cornmeal Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 (1 tbsp) package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm milk
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/4 cups grated colby jack cheese
5 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used 5 Cups)

2 Tablespoons diced jalapenos

3-5 Tablespoons jalapeno juice (I will probably add more next time)

Directions

Pour boiling water over cornmeal and let stand until just warm.

Stir together sugar and lukewarm water. Sprinkle yeast over top and let stand until doubled in volume.

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, salt, brown sugar, 1 cup cheddar cheese, cornmeal mixture and yeast mixture. Stir well. Mix in jalapenos and jalapeno juice until evenly mixed. Add flour 1 cup at a time. When dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn out onto a floured surface. Knead in additional flour until dough is no longer sticky. Knead dough 10 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1/2 hours. Punch dough and divide in half. Shape into two loaves and place into buttered loaf pans. Let rise again until doubled in volume. Carefully sprinkle remaining cheese over bread.

Bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and sides of loaf are also golden. Remove bread from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Adapted From: Shop World Kitchen

Lime Style Asparagus

November 6, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Staying on my “Taste of the Tropics” theme; with our coconut shrimp and cilantro lime rice we also had steamed asparagus with a hint of lime. It looks like I was on another one of my lime kicks since both of my side items had lime in it. As I have said before, asparagus is a favorite side at our house. I love the flavor of it; I don’t mind eating it cooked in a very simple fashion but I also like to try new ways of cooking it too. I just like to have some “different tastes” if I feel like having a little something more.

Steamed asparagus is nothing new to anyone I’m sure. I did stay on the simple track with this specific version but I did want to give it a little something different. In trying to incorporate a little added flavor I decided to add some lime juice to the water I was using to steam the asparagus. The finished product was great; it gave it that little something extra I was looking for. This method is a great way of adding a little more flavor without drowning the food in spices, sauces and seasonings.

Lime “Infused” Asparagus

Ingredients:

1/2 Pound asparagus-fresh or fresh frozen

2 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice, divided

Water for steaming

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Place water in a pot being used to steam the veggies. Bring water to a boil then add 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Place asparagus on the steamer tray in the pot and cover. Steam to desired doneness (I steamed mine for about 4 minutes). Once asparagus is done drizzle with remaining lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve while warm.

Recipe by: Lynsey Lou

A Taste of the Tropics

November 6, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

The other night our meal was inspired a little by the tropics. We had coconut breaded shrimp with a sweet cilantro cream dipping sauce, cilantro lime rice and steamed asparagus with a hint of lime. All of those flavors combined remind me of somewhere sunny and warm with sandy beaches; and being somewhere like that sounds so awesome right now!

We have had a mix of weather here in Arkansas lately, so one week I can be cuddled up with big bowl of steamy soup and the next week soup is one of the last things I want to cook. Let me tell you, it’s now November and we are still experiencing weather in the upper 70’s! Crazy Arkansas weather; if you don’t like the weather just stick around and in about five minutes it will be completely different:).

Enough about the crazy weather patterns, this is a food blog not a weather blog. To compliment the coconut shrimp I made cilantro lime rice. It was awesome! You could taste a hint of all the flavors in the rice but none of them overwhelmed the other. This was a perfect side item; it was light and fresh and so simple to make. This meal was my taste of the tropics in mid November when the weather matches the weather in the tropics! CRAZY!

Ingredients:

1 Cup cooked brown rice

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped

1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice

Directions:

Combine cooked, warm rice and butter and stir together. Once butter has coated all the rice stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Mix together well and serve.

Recipe from: Lynsey Lou

A Big Bowl of Crabby Goodness

October 30, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Spencer has a new found craving for Crab Bisque. He has gone to a local restaurant a few times for lunch and this is his favorite thing on the menu. He has been wanting me to taste it for quite some time so I could get the taste for it and try to recreate it but I just haven’t gotten the chance. I finally decided to start searching for recipes, since I wasn’t sure when I would be able to go and try this bisque, in hopes to come across one that is similar to his new found favorite. I think we came close with this recipe!

It’s hard to try to recreate something not ever tasting it. I was going by Spencer’s memory and the recipe I found. He was very pleased with the outcome, as was I. I really didn’t know what to expect and what the texture was supposed to be since I had never had any type of bisque before. This recipe was awesome; it was so creamy and buttery and just full of flavor. I could taste every flavor that was included in this recipe; the flavor of the sauteed vegetables, even though they weren’t in the final product, were so evident…It was amazing.

This recipe was incredible and there really wasn’t that much to it. Out of all the ones out there, and there are a ton, I’m glad I chose this one to follow. Now that I’ve finally made a bisque I know that I will be making more; and I won’t be afraid to branch out now that I know what to expect. We enjoyed it so much, I hope you do too!

Crab Bisque

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrot, chopped
2 stalk celery, chopped
1 quart (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 (8-ounce) can tomato paste (I used Hunt’s Roasted Garlic)
1 Pound, 4 Ounces lump crab meat (Reserve a little to top when serving)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 cup heavy cream, divided
Sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
2 teaspoons paprika
Whole or chopped chives for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a large stock or soup pot, melt one tablespoon of butter with the olive oil. Cook onion, carrots and celery over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned. Add stock and tomato purée and simmer 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve and return liquid to pot, discard vegetables. Measure out 1 cup of strained liquid and set aside.
Melt remaining butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour and stir until smooth. Very slowly stir in sherry and the cup of reserved liquid. Add this mixture to the large stock pot and bring to boil, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat, add crab meat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Season with sea salt and white pepper.

In a small bowl, blend 1/4 cup cream with paprika. Set aside. When ready to serve bisque, whisk remaining 3/4 cup cream into bisque and adjust seasonings. Ladle bisque into bowls and top with reserved claw meat pieces. Garnish with paprika-spiced cream and chives if desired.

Adapted From: Whole Foods

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