Steamed Butternut Squash Pudding

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Yesterday I turned to my old standby, Cooking Light, for some inspiration for two little butternut squash left over from my farm share.  I found Steamed Butternut Squash Pudding.  It’s a pudding like a British plum pudding (which, as an ardent fan of A Christmas Carol I’ve always wanted to make, but when I’ve read recipes for plum pudding, it turns out that it’s basically a fruit cake doused in a LOT of liquor and set in the pantry to stew for a couple of months.  As a non-drinker with no liking of fruit cake, maybe it’s not such a great idea.  Maybe all of the liquor was so the Victorians could stomach the fruit cake…?)

Jason and I ate the puddings late last night for dessert and they received two thumbs up.  Also, since we only have four ramekins, I discovered that the remaining batter bakes up quite nicely as slightly dense muffins.
FYI, I didn’t use the Vanilla Jack Sabayon to go on top because, hi, I don’t drink.  Instead I made a little glaze of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Frankly, I preferred the pudding plain, but Jason liked the glaze.

Emeril’s Southwest Meatloaf

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I found this recipe about four years ago, and luckily, it’s still on the internet! Our friend Corinne had made something similar, and when I found this recipe, I knew we’d like it, because we are always

This is the Food Network's picture. I think it's a little unappetizing, actually. . .

This is the Food Network's picture. I think it's a little unappetizing, actually. . .

suckers for anything with chipotles in adobo sauce. You can substitute oats or breadcrumbs for the tortilla chips, and perhaps tomato sauce mixed with ketchup (half and half) for the chili sauce, if you want. [Kelly: this isn’t the same meatloaf recipe, but it’s our favorite, and I’ll post the traditional Italian one we have later.] Click on the title below to access the recipe.

Emeril’s Southwest Meatloaf

Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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I made this today for my husband’s birthday. He always requests spice cake and, as I have sworn off supermarket cake mixes, I made a diligent search for a good recipe.  I came across this one on America’s Test Kitchen. It is fabulous!

Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/4 cups flour

1 T cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 sticks butter (16 Tbsp), softened

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp table salt

2 large eggs at room temperature

3 large egg yolks at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla 

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 T mild molasses

1 T grated fresh ginger (don’t substitute powdered ginger)

1 cup buttermilk at room temperature

FROSTING

5 T butter, cut into 5 pieces, softened

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp spice mixture reserved from cake recipe

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (opt)

 1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Combine spices in small bowl; reserve 1/2 teaspoon for frosting.

 

2. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light brown and has faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In small bowl, gently whisk eggs, yolks, and vanilla to combine. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream remaining 12 tablespoons butter with sugar and molasses at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl twice with rubber spatula. Reduce to medium speed and add cooled butter and spice mixture, ginger, and half of egg mixture; mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Repeat with remaining egg mixture; scrape down bowl again. Reduce to low speed; add about one-third flour mixture, followed by half of buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated after each addition, about 5 seconds. Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.

4. Transfer batter to prepared pan; zigzag tip of metal spatula through batter, pulling it to pan edges to release any air bubbles. Lightly tap pan against counter 3 or 4 times to dislodge any large air bubbles; smooth surface with spatula.

5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 32 to 37 minutes. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.

6. For the frosting: In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and reserved 1/2 teaspoon spice mixture at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream cheese one piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.  Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Using spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Sprinkle cake with walnuts, if using. Cut into squares and serve.

Gingerbread Cake

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I made this recipe two years ago for our annual Halloween party: it comes out of Martha’s special Halloween Living issue (probably the 2007 edition), and I was mostly attracted to it because she decorated it so well. But, it turns out to be a great gingerbread.  In fact, per Rex’s mom’s request, I’m posting it. The uniqueness of the recipe comes from using the unsulphured molasses–it gives the recipe it’s distinctiveness. Click here to see Martha’s fun Halloween stencils for it, too.


Gingerbread Cake Serves 12

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan; set aside. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light. Beat in brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in molasses and grated ginger, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in eggs.

Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares; dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder

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This is Martha's Picture, not mine

Of all the recipes I tried from September’s Everyday Food, this one was my favorite. I made it last week, and I’m planning to make it again this week. Hope you like it. Incidentally, the picture is from Martha, not me.

Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder

  • 2 T. vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 5 cups)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed (or I used a can of corn)
  • 1 1/2 t. curry powder
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) vegetable broth
  • 1/2 c. heavy cream

In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high; add squash and onion. Cook until onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add corn and curry powder; cook until curry is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. In a blender, blend half the soup until smooth. Return to pot and stir in cream; heat through over medium-low (do not boil).

Cinnamon Spice Filling for Sweet Rolls

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This filling accompanies the Sweet Dough recipe and comes from the Best Make Ahead book. The Orange Cinnamon Roll recipe is my own variation.

Cinnamon Spice Filling for Sweet Rolls

2 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 T. butter, melted

Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and cloves in a small bowl. After the first rise of your dough, press the dough out to about 12″ x 16″.  Brush the dough with the melted butter and spread the cinnamon filling across the inside, leaving a 1″ border along the two long edges. Roll the dough up, jelly roll style, from long edge to long edge, and pinch the edge closed. With a sharp serrated knife or with a string, cut the dough into 12 rolls. Place into a buttered dish, and let rise an additional 45-60 minutes, until doubled. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I tried my Aunt Barbara’s filling, and the results were good, but didn’t taste too much different than this easier filling above. However, they did have a nice orange flavor. So, for a sweet roll with orange in it, I would recommend this,

Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Before rolling out the dough, combine in a small saucepan
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 t. grated orange peel

Bring to a boil for two minutes, then pour into an 9 x 11 baking dish. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, complete the cinnamon rolls with the filling above, but add an additional 1 t. grated orange peel to the filling. After you have cut the cinnamon rolls, place on top of the syrup and allow to raise. Finish as specified above.

Frosting

Either of the above recipes go well with this frosting:
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. whole milk
Beat the ingredients with a mixer until combined, adding more/less powdered sugar to get your desired consistency. Frost the rolls after they have cooled slightly.

Sweet Dough (for Cinnamon or Sunday Rolls)

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There’s a little tradition at our house of making cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning’s General Conference. Instead of Aunt Ruby’s recipe, I went back to the other recipe I’ve used, which doesn’t stay as moist as Aunt Ruby’s, but has a lighter texture and crumb. So, I’m posting it as an alternative if you, too, want to try something else (this is also in response to Kerstin’s comment on Aunt Ruby’s rolls a long time ago). Note: this recipe is a conglomeration of the Best’s Make Ahead Sweet Dough and my Aunt Barbara’s Sunday Rolls. The higher amount of sugar and butter are from Aunt Barbara’s recipe, the lower amount is from the Best’s, which surprisingly was the main difference in the two recipes.

Sweet Dough (for Cinnamon Rolls)

2 1/4 t. yeast
1/4-1/2  c. sugar (see note)
1 1/4 t. salt
4 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. powdered milk (or use 1 c. milk, warmed to about 110 degrees in lieu of the dry milk and water)
6-8 T. butter, melted
3 eggs
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)

In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, combine yeast, salt, 4 c. flour, sugar, and powdered milk, if using. In another small bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the butter and water. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the egg mixture to the flour. When combined, turn the mixer to medium speed, and knead for 10 minutes, adding up to 1/2 c. flour after 5 minutes, if the dough is really sticking and is not coming off the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for about 30 seconds, then place in a deep, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to raise for 2 hours in a warm spot.

You can either then place the bowl in the fridge overnight, or you can push the dough down, shape it, allow it to raise a second time, and bake. Mine is going in the fridge tonight, and I’m trying two different fillings for the morning, so I’ll report how they each go.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes

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Oh Yum! This is from the September 2009 issue of Gourmet. They are a piece of cake (no pun intended..)

 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1 large egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 lb zucchini, coarsely grated (1 cup)

1 (6-oz) package semisweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350 F with rack in middle. Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Divide among lined muffin cups and bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out to cool completely. 

***The first time I made these I substituted apple sauce for half of the oil. The second time I substituted apple sauce for all the oil. Both are great alterations.

**Make sure you spray the muffin liners with PAM so they are easy to remove from your healthy but satisfying treat.

Frog-Eye Salad

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This is our family recipe for Frog-Eye Salad, written down by my great-aunt Marilyn. This is one of my favorite froofy salads (a salad which is more of a dessert, but somehow still finds a place on the main dish table at any Utah reunion). Actually, it’s my favorite. I have to admit I was shocked when I brought it to a Rhode Island potluck, and hardly a soul touched it. Can anyone account for this?

Frog-Eye Salad

1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. pineapple juice
1 T. flour
1 egg, beaten
1/4 t. salt
1/2 T. lemon juice
3/4 c. Acini de Pepe macaroni (very important to get the right kind–these are the frog eyes)
1/2 t. vegetable oil
1 t. salt
20 oz. can pineapple slices, drained (use the juice above)
8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained (use the juice above)
11 oz. can Mandarin oranges, drained
8 oz. carton Cool Whip, thawed (or 1 c. whipped cream, my preference)
1 c. miniature marshmallows

In a medium sauce pan, combine sugar, pineapple juice, flour, egg, lemon juice and 1/2 t. salt. Cook, stirring, until the mixture has thickened and is smooth. Set aside off the heat.

In another large saucepan, bring 1 1/2 quarts water to a boil. Add macaroni, oil, and 1 t. salt. Boil 10 minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse and cool in a colander. Combine with pineapple mixture. Place in refrigerator overnight.

The next day, cut pineapple slices in pieces and combine with crushed pineapple, mandarin oranges (cut smaller, if desired), Cool Whip, and marshmallows, and fold into chilled macaroni mixture. Serves 12-15.

Red Pepper, Chicken and Pesto Pasta

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For me, pesto is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s an easy thing to have on hand. If you make more than you can use in one meal, you can freeze the leftover pesto in muffin trays (or ice cube trays), and toss it in with warm pasta the next time you make it. Anyway, I love this pesto, and it’s a simple dinner.

Pesto

3-4 cloves garlic, skins on
1/4 c. pinenuts
2 c. basil leaves, packed
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t. salt

Warm a small skillet over medium heat, and toast the pinenuts until fragrant and lightly browned (be careful not to scorch–turn the heat down if the nuts are blackening), tossing the pan gently every couple of minutes. Remove nuts to a small bowl to cool, and add the garlic to the pan. Heat garlic until fragrant, and skins have browned as well, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a cutting board to cool.

After nuts and garlic have cooled enough to touch, peel the skins off of the garlic and place both the garlic and nuts in a food processor (I do this in my mini-prep plus–a very small food processor). Add the basil, olive oil and salt and process until finely chopped. Remove to a bowl, and add the parmesan cheese. Pesto is done.

Red Pepper, Chicken, and Pesto Pasta
So, for a meal, I heat some olive oil, saute a diced onion and red pepper until softened (about 8 minutes), and turn off the heat. Meanwhile, I either reheat or cook chicken sausages until done (I like Sweet Italian or Apple Sausage), and then slice them and add the it to the onion and red pepper mixture. I then toss the onion/sausage mixture with cooked pasta (I like either penne or spaghetti) and the pesto in one bowl. It’s a whole meal in one :).

Note: I’ve learned this year that there are a lot of different combinations for pesto that work out well. A few that I’ve tried are substituting 1 c. parsley and 1 c. spinach for the basil, and substituting walnuts for pinenuts. You can also add spinach or parsley to the basic pesto–it keeps the pesto greener and gives it a few more nutrients as well.