jerry

It's pumpkin time!!! The pumpkin is an amazing vegetable. It's been around for 7000 years and originated in central America but now is grown all over the world. When the early settlers were introduced to the pumpkin they used to hollow it out and fill it with milk, honey, and spices, and bake it. This was how the pumpkin pie was born. I like everything pumpkin but I really love pumpkin pancakes. I bought the halloween molds at Williams Sonoma and even though they are a pain to use they make these pancakes taste even better.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
dash of salt
2 tsps baking soda
1 cup milk
2 Tbsps vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream

Combine all ingredients. Batter will be lumpy. Spray grill with cooking spray. Bake pancakes on grill using medium heat until bubbles rise to the surface and edges are brown. Turn and bake until golden brown. Serve with Honey-Pecan butter. Serves two.

Honey-Pecan Butter:
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey

Spread pecans on baking sheet and toast in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Chop nuts in food processor or blender. Beat butter and honey together until smooth. Add pecans. Serve with Pumpkin Pancakes. Makes one cup.
jerry

Do I watch Oprah? Sometimes. I did watch it last week when she had her former personal chef Art Smith on. If it has anything to do with cooking I'll watch it. I just tried these biscuits the other night and they were good. I loved the goat cheese but I think you could use any kind of cheese.

2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) goat cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
Extra butter to grease pan and top biscuits
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat your oven to 425°. Place one 10-inch cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating. Place flour and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until the mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into the pan, (use a muffin scoop to drop the batter if you have one). Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake from 14–16 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Enjoy warm!
jerry

What do you do with edamame and mustard greens? You make vegetable Lo Mein. I love Lo Mein. you can usually put anything in it, and I do. I know those yellow things don't even come close to looking like mushrooms..... they don't taste like mushrooms either. I didn't have mushrooms so I decided to put whatever I had in the fridge. I used summer squash. Honestly I think this would be a tasty recipe no matter what you put in it. The husband loved it and the kids didn't complain so I guess it's a keeper. Traditionally Lo Mein is never fried. In fact some would even serve the parboiled noodles in individual bowls at the table and pour the other ingredients over top. So this could be considered a Chow Mein due to the 2 minutes that it cooks all together. Since I'm making it and I like Lo Mein I'm calling it Lo Mein.

1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
2 quarts water
3 cups chopped mustard greens
1 (14-ounce) package fresh Chinese egg noodles
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 cups (1/4-inch-thick) red bell pepper strips (about 1 medium)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans), thawed
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Combine 1/2 cup boiling water and mushrooms in a bowl; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Drain mushrooms in a sieve over a bowl, reserving soaking liquid. Remove and discard stems. Chop mushroom caps; set aside.
Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add greens, and cook for 1 minute or until greens wilt. Remove greens from water with a slotted spoon. Plunge the greens into ice water; drain and squeeze dry. Set greens aside.

Return water in pan to a boil. Add egg noodles, and cook for 2 minutes or until done. Drain and rinse with cold water, and drain well. Place noodles in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and sesame oil, tossing to coat, and set aside.

Heat canola oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger; stir-fry 5 seconds. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender. Stir in greens and edamame; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in reserved mushroom soaking liquid, noodle mixture, remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and hoisin sauce; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
jerry


I've found what could be one of the best blogs ever...... The Pioneer Woman. This girl does everything. She cooks, gardens, takes fabulous pictures, and homeschool her kids, all while living on a ranch. I absolutely love her cooking section. She takes pictures of the step by step process of every recipe which make the posts not only stunningly beautiful but very helpful as well. I'll be bookmarking this site because I'm sure I'll be coming back to it often to get some good ideas and great entertainment.
This recipe is my first taste of TPW cooking and it quickly became a big hit with the family.

1 quart of whole milk
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
9 cups of all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 "scant" (less than a full) teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon of salt
4 cups butter
1 cup of sugar
generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Frosting
1 bag powdered sugar
2 teas maple flavoring
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1/8 teas salt


Mix 1 quart of whole milk, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of sugar in a pan.
"Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in 2 packages Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute so the yeast gets all warm and moist and happy. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour. Now add 1 more cup of flour…
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder…1 "scant" (less than a full) teaspoon baking soda and 1 heaping tablespoon of salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to splurge out of the pan, just punch it down.
Sprinkle surface generously with flour.
Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle.
Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in both width and length as you roll it out.
Now drizzle 1 1/2 to 2 cups melted butter over the dough.
Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter…followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Some of the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture may ooze out toward the end, but that’s no big deal.
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in seven round, foil cake or pie pans. Then begin cutting rolls approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. This recipe makes approximately seven pans of rolls.
Let the rolls sit for 20 to 30 minutes to rise, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
While the rolls are in the oven, make the deliciously sinful maple frosting.


To a mixing bowl, add 1 bag of powdered sugar.
To this, add about 2 teaspoons maple flavoring…
1/2 cup milk...
1/4 cup melted butter……and 1/4 cup of brewed coffee.
Also add 1/8 teaspoon (a generous pinch) salt.
The mixture should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed.
jerry

One of the only shows my husband will watch with me is Good Eats with Alton Brown. I like watching his show because I enjoy learning the how and why details of cooking, and that's what Good Eats is all about, but I don't try many of Alton's recipes. We were watching it earlier this month though and Alton made a Tres Leche cake. My guy turned to me after the show and said, "I would love to try that cake some time". Since my husband was nice enough to watch the show with me I couldn't refuse his requested. I love cake and milk and to be able to combine them in this beautiful creation is well worth the effort.

Vegetable oil
6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze:
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half
For the topping:
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cake:
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:
Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Topping:
Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
jerry

I got this from my friend Cindy. She is such a wonderful cook. She uses the freshest ingredients, usually from her garden, and it makes for the most amazing dinners. After her wonderful dinner yesterday she brings out this amazing cheesecake. I couldn't wait to make it for myself because having just one piece just wasn't working for me.

From Rocking V Cafe Kanab, Utah
Makes a 9 or 10 inch cheesecake, 12 servings

Crust
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Filling
1 1/2 pounds (24 Ounces) softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teas salt
2 table vanilla extract
1/4 cup amaretto, or other almond flavored liqueur
3 cups sour cream
1 cup prepared caramel topping
1 cup pecan halves
whipped cream for garnish

For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl mix the ingredients together and press into the bottom of 9 or 10 inch springform cake pan. Bake 8 minutes. Cool while preparing the filling, and turn the oven down to 325.

For the filling, in a large bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Add salt, vanilla extract, and amaretto, again beating until smooth. Beat in the sour cream until just blended. Pour into the crust. Gently stir 3/4 cup caramel topping into the top half of the cheesecake, being careful not to lift the graham crust into the mixture. Arrange pecan halves around the edges of the pan. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup caramel syrup over the pecan halves.

Bake for 50 minutes, then shut off the oven and leave the cheesecake in it for 1 hour. Cool the cheesecake on the countertop for another hour, then refrigerate for 6 hours. Remove the springform ring. Place the cheesecake in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Stays fresh up to 3 or 4 days in refrigerator.