Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy turkey day everybody; I hope yours has gone well. Hubby and I enjoyed a nice, quiet day at home with me tinkering in the kitchen. I successfully had dinner ready at the exact time we planned to eat, so congrats for me. Everything was made from scratch (including that gorgeous roll and cranberry sauce) so I'm feeling pretty great this year. I'm also feeling pretty tired, so expect recipes within the next few days.

Some disappointments

Since I have some time off from class, I thought I'd bake some goodies and eagerly post them. Alas, that plan was thwarted. I did bake, fear not. I just didn't bake anything I want to post. Now, I know I should post everything, good and bad, but I've got a kitchen to clean, papers to write, and a thanksgiving feast to prepare for. So, short descriptions will do.

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I've gone a bit crazy while shopping this past month or so and ended up with 6 cans of pumpkin! It's crazy, I know, but I've discovered I LOVE pumpkiny goodness. I've been making alot of the cookies I usually do (with the delicious cinnamon chips, of which I currently have 5 bags), so I decided to try another pumpkin bread recipe. I got UBERexcited because I was going to give a loaf to my friend as a house-warming gift, then I had another loaf I planned to bring to work, and then for hubby and me I made little mini-muffins, because they are adorable.

At this point in the story, I'd like to say that you should always trust your intuition. Bakers are not demigods, especially those who blog. Accidents/typos/mistakes occur. So when you think it calls for too much baking soda, listen to yourself. Otherwise, you'll end up with 2 loaves and 24 mini muffins of inedible pumpkin bread. I was so disappointed; I kept trying bites hoping that perhaps I'd just gotten a not-well-mixed area... Alas, it was all ruined. The day when you throw away that many freshly baked goodies is a sad, sad day indeed.

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BUT I decided to keep going. One little mess won't ruin my spirit! I recently bought a bunch of apples, as it is that season and there are a million and one apple things I want to try. I recently discovered that hubby is a huge fan of coffee cake, so I went for this recipe. Apples, streusel, coffee cake.. how could it not be delicious?

Well, my oven has decided the heating element should be way off and way uneven. As in, 1 bottom half burns black while the other side is still only partially cooked. Great, right? Now, disregarding that, there's nothing particularly wrong with this recipe; it just doesn't wow me. And what I'm going for is a reportoire of recipes that WOW me and hopefully you (the eater) too. I think the shortening makes it funny. It's not light and fluffy enough. It needs WAAAY more appley goodness. And much less streusel.

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Thanksgiving tomorrow. YAAY!

Squash Hearthbread

So, remember that time I posted about spaghetti squash? (Pssst, it was only 20 minutes ago!) Anyhoo, I had tons of squash left over from when I made it yesterday, and I really didn't want to throw it out. I wanted to give the squash a chance to shine and make itself beloved in my eyes. At first I thought savory muffins might be nice. Then I remembered the tasty, tasty bread at Biaggi's and thought perhaps I could mimic that.


So basically, I used Nigella's hearthbread recipe that I adore, and modified it a bit. I prepared the dough as usual and let it rise. Then, when it came time to halve it and roll it out, I stretched it a bit then put about 1/2 a cup of squash on each half. Then I pulled the edges together, sealing the squash inside. I rolled the dough and had a few bits where the squash exploded through, but it's okay. I then brushed the tops with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, then baked as per the recipe.

It's pretty tasty, though I don't think this is the best way to do spaghetti squash either. My friend Amanda, who loves squash, seemed to enjoy the bread. Even hubby thought it wasn't too bad (he's not a gourd fan). It's tasty. I plan on eating some and then bringing some to work. This seems to be a good way to get rid of leftover veggies.

Spaghetti Squash

What is this, a sea anemone?? No my friends, it is the spaghetti squash, of which I have just recently become aware. My friend at work had recently made some, so I talked with him a bit, got some ideas, and decided to try it.

I'd seen a recipe online and decided to try that idea. Basically, you bake the squash, remove the "noodles" and toss it with whatever you want.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's sweet and crisp. I think I didn't have enough savory to balance the sweet, but it's not a gourd I'm giving up on easily (you'll hear more about that soon).



Spaghetti Squash

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise
• 1 onion, diced
• a couple garlic cloves, minced
• a few tbsp butter

I used a few different sources to bake the squash. I halved it, then placed it face down on a baking sheet. I baked it at 350F for about 20 minutes, then flipped the halves over and brushed them with olive oil. I let those bake until the squash was soft.

While that's going, saute the onion and garlic in the butter.

Once the squash is baked, use a fork to scrape the strands out. You'll easily be able to tell which way to go. It's super fun.

Toss the squash in with the onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes.

Serve sprinkled generously with parmesan.

Bread Pudding wtih Amaretto Sauce

So today I went all out homestyle. By that I mean Cajun/Creole food. The best Louisiana dessert is by far bread pudding. Its something everyone seems to know how to make. I mean, I got this recipe in 5th grade from my best friend at the time. So perhaps - since it was a 10 year old recipe trade off - it might be a dumbed-down version of bread pudding, but it's so tasty I can't bring myself to find a new recipe. I found the recipe for the Amaretto sauce years after that initial recipe swap. I had one for brandy too, but I didn't really like that one. Amaretto all the way!


Do you see that delicious puddle of sauce? Here's a close up for ya!


So good. I actually had to eat that piece of bread pudding before updating this. It was irresistable!

Bread Pudding

• 1 loaf white bread, broken into bitesize pieces (somewhat old bread is best)
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 or 9x13 baking dish. It's your choice whether you want thicker or thinner.

Place the bread bits into a superlarge bowl.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, then the sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon (in that order). Mix well.

Pour the mixture over the bread and mix well. You have to do this with your hands. It involves lots of mashing and mixing. Fun times.

Put the bread into your prepared dish.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Amaretto Sauce

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup Amaretto

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Mix in the sugar until they are well combined.

Separate the yolk into a large bowl. Have your whisk handy. Pour the butter/sugar mixture into the yolk, whisking furiously the entire time. You don't want little baked yolk strands in your amaretto sauce.

Return the sauce to the saucepan. Set to a low heat. Stir in the amaretto.

Spoon over bread pudding and enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potatoes

I have been craving sweet potatoes like crazy lately. I was going to make my traditional Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole a few weeks early, but decided instead of bake some. My family never did the whole baked sweet potato thing, but my mother-in-law did time or two when I ate over there. It's super easy.


Baked Sweet Potatoes

• sweet potatoes
• foil
• brown sugar
• butter

Wash and pat dry the potatoes. Poke it all over with a fork, then wrap it in foil.

Bake at 425F for 40-60 minutes. You can tell it's finished by putting on an oven mitt and squeezing the potatoes to see if they are soft.

Cut open and add as much butter and sugar as you please. I'm sure marshmallows would work nicely as well!

Crawfish Etouffee

So it's getting cold outside, which means the menu changes quite a bit to stews and chili and such things. On top of the cold weather, my sister called me while she was at the grocery store shopping for crawfish etouffee ingredients and got both hubby and I craving some. Since today is Veterans' Day and hubby is a veteran, I decided to go all out. That means crawfish etouffee, french bread (storebought), baked sweet potatoes, and bread pudding. Yum yum. I don't miss home so badly (for the moment).

For those of you who don't know anything about Cajun cooking, an etouffee is a form of the French word for "smothered." You can have a variety of different etouffees, but I've only ever had crawfish. Some are more of a tomato base as opposed to the creamy base I've got. The recipe I use comes from a family friend. We usually have this on Christmas eve, and I like to make it for my friends to give them a sample of Cajun food. It's yummy and warm and filling. I love it.


Crawfish Etouffee
(this is a recipe that goes off of ratios. Expect a pound of crawfish to feed 1.5 - 2 people)

• 1 pound crawfish tails, thawed if from a frozen pack
  
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup butter
• Tony Chacheres
  

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add in the bellpepper and saute for a few minutes. Add the onions and saute until they are soft.

Stir in the cream of mushroom soup. Mix well and bring to a boil.

Season with Chacheres (a few teaspoons perhaps, I do it to taste). Bring to a low simmer and cover.

This is a dish that works well if it just simmers for a bit. Add the crawfish tails 20 minutes before serving.

Serve atop rice. Try not to overstuff yourself. It will be difficult, but I have faith in you!

Apple Pie

Have you figured out that I LOVE apples? Well I do, especially in baked goods. One of the best things about Thanksgiving is that I get to make apple pie. But, I usually find other excuses to make apple pie.. Most recently, I made one for my friend David's birthday. And before that, I made one for my friends at work.
The thing I love about this pie is its custardy base. Everyone is so surprised and delighted when they bite into it and feel the rich smoothness. The custard and the paper-thin apple slices make this pie unique in the world of chunky apples and goo pies. Not to rag on those pies; they're good and have a rightful place in the pie world. But this pie, MY pie, is better. I promise.


Apple Pie
(from Bell's Best, pg 433)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced very thin
1 uncooked pie shell (I use Pillsbury because I'm not that hardcore yet)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix well. Beat in the eggs until well combined.

Toss the apples in the custard mixture until they are well coated.

Pour into the pie crust. Make sure the apples and custard are evenly distributed.

Bake 30-45 minutes, until edges look a bit crisp and the middle doesn't jiggle very much. I usually stick a knife in the middle to make sure it isn't too runny.

Apple Pie Cookies

I first made these cookies awhile ago for some kids I help out at school. They are super delicious, and I absolutely love the itty-bitty chunks of apple in them. I mix in cinnamon chips as well, and they're just super moist and soft and amazing and soft and delicious. I heart them. These are probably in my top 5 favorite cookies.

Apple Pie Cookies
(originally Apple Jacks by BakingBlonde)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup apple, diced
  
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup Hershey's cinnamon chips
  

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat the butter. Beat in the brown sugar, vanilla, and egg until fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add to the butter mixture. Combine well.

Stir in the apple and cinnamon chips.

Using a cookie scoop (these things are amazing), drop onto the baking sheet. Make sure these are well spaced, because the cookies will expand a bit.

Bake 9-12 minutes until the cookies are a light/golden brown and the edges are set. Let cool a bit before removing them to a wrack.

IF you have leftovers (which I've yet to experience) BakingBlonde advises against covering them tightly. Instead, loosing wrap them and keep them in the fridge. Otherwise, all the moisture from the apples will make them soften too much.