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Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread

September 28, 2012 by 19 Comments

 

A couple nights ago I had a sudden and overwhelming desire to stuff my face full of my Grandma’s cornbread. It’s hard to explain if you didn’t grow up on cornbread, but the drive to consume it can be a powerful force. So powerful, in fact, that I actually made two pans full at ten thirty at night just so I could eat a huge wedge warm from the oven and have an untouched pan to take to a friend’s house the next day.

The smell of toasty corn bread baking up in a coal-black cast-iron pan is pretty close to one of the best things on earth. I have a Pavlovian response to the aroma of cornbread. By that, I don’t mean I bark and run around in circles, but I may have been caught panting and drooling and maybe even wagging my tail a time or two.

I’ll get it out o the way right now and say that cornbread is not sweet. That’s cake. Corn cake, if you want, but it’s cake. And I’m not saying that’s nasty, I’m just saying it’s not cornbread.

The cornbread I’m sharing with you today is the be all and end all of cornbreads to me.

My Arkansan grandma made this cornbread for me probably less often than I have in my memory, but often enough for it to define Grandma’s cooking in my mind. I know it was always at our Thanksgiving table, often in the stuffing, but just as often in a bread basket in gloriously big yellow squares. I remember getting a wedge from the cast-iron pan right after it was pulled from the stove; a sinfully large pat of cold butter melting and sliding right off of the top of the steaming bread.

When I was first married, I quizzed Grandma on why this was her favourite cornbread recipe of all. She grew up on a very plain cornbread; one that was almost pure cornmeal and water and a smidge of egg. No leavening, no nothing. It was a corn-lover’s dream, but very crumbly. She told me, “That bread crumbled if you looked at it.” As an adult, she got all that great corn-y flavour of the cornbread she knew and loved in a package that held together when she discovered the Buttermilk Cornbread recipe that she wrote out by hand for me.

I still have that recipe card, laminated and caked with flour over the years, written in Grandma’s own hand. Although I have it memorized, I still look at the card every time I prepare it. It’s like a sweet hug from Grandma.

Now, if you want to get really stratospherically happy, there really isn’t anything better than a pan full of Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread with a potful of bubbling hot beans. Oh mercy. Seriously. Just typing that sentence made me start drooling like a baby. That’s a complete meal in and of itself, but you can up the vegetable content by adding a BIG GREEN SALAD alongside it if you want.

The cornbread is equally at home accompanying chili or soup. More than once, I’ve used the cornbread batter to coat corndogs or top a casserole dish or chili for tamale pie. Most often, though, it’s a cast-iron skillet, a stick of cold butter, a fistful of napkins and me flying solo. Butter dripping down the sides of a steaming hot wedge of golden, fragrant cornbread and my fingers digging in to pull off piece after piece.Grandma said I could.

Thank you, Grandma!

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Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread

Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread

As long as I live, there will not be anything that tempts me as powerfully as a hot-from-the-oven wedge of golden cornbread freshly taken from the cast-iron pan with a pat of cold butter melting and sliding right off of it.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal (not self-rising)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • bacon grease or butter for the pan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a whisk to gently combine them, ensuring there are no dry pockets of cornmeal.

Pour into a generously greased 8-inch or 10-inch cast iron skillet, preferably, or an 8-inch by 8-inch square cake pan, or 8-inch round cake pan. Pour the cornbread batter into the greased pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm for best flavour. Leftovers can be stored -wrapped in a towel or plastic wrap- at room temperature for up to 48 hours, but will taste best if reheated slightly before serving. If your cornbread gets a little old and stale, crumble it and use for the best Cornbread stuffing that you will ever eat in your lifetime. Guaranteed.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/28/grandmas-buttermilk-cornbread/

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Appetizers & Snacks, Bread, Comfort Food, Holiday Food, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

September 26, 2012 by 17 Comments

There is nothing like a warm cookie on a cold day. While my husband and I play our annual game of “just how long can we wait to fire up the wood stove”, the days are getting cooler and the nights are colder yet.

We try to eek as many days wood stove-free as we possibly can out of each year and steadfastly refuse to start a fire at least –AT LEAST- until fall has officially started. It’s ridiculous. It’s petty. It’s stupid… we march around in so many layers that we look like the baby brother in ‘A Christmas Story’. We wear gloves in the house. I bake like it’s my job. In a way, I suppose it actually is, considering how many mouths we feed.

Baked potato lunches are had for no reason other than I want to warm the darned place up a bit. Bread is baked for anyone who looks like they might have ever been hungry just because.  The boys check on the progress of whatever is in the oven even more than they usually do because, well, they want to warm up as much as I do. No soufflés this time of year, no sireebob. The oven door is opened too many times for something as delicate as that.

But cookies… Cookies get the most play of everything. Cookies are the almost instant gratification of the baking world. You whip the dough together and then you wait about twelve minutes. Sure, you probably oughta wait at least until they cool down enough not to take the skin off of the roof of your mouth, but let’s not kid each other. I bite into a cookie as soon as it holds together long enough for me to get it to my maw from the pan.

Since we’ve already established my bonafide obsession with all things pumpkin, you probably shouldn’t be surprised that one of my favourite cookies at this, the very cookie-est time of year, is a pumpkin one. It’s not just any pumpkin cookie, though. Oh no. It’s a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. Hallelujah! It’s everything wonderful all at once.

I have to confess, I roast the pumpkins to make the pumpkin puree for these bad boys. I do it for two reasons (one of which I’m sure you’ve already sussed out.)

  1. While the pumpkins are roasting, the house is warming. Heck yes.
  2. I like homemade pumpkin puree better. I just plain do.

Now, if you don’t have access to sugar pumpkins or don’t feel like roasting your own or aren’t as dogged and stubborn as I am and have a plenty warm house, by all means, use canned pumpkin puree. And I like my cookies made with white whole wheat flour (King Arthur, thankyouverymuch), but you’re more than welcome to substitute all-purpose flour in equal amounts if that doesn’t float your boat. Just think, though… pumpkin, whole wheat, oats and chocolate? That’s practically a health tonic. Right? RIGHT?!?

I’m partial to using Nestlé TollHouse SemiSweet Morsels here. Honestly, who doesn’t get excited when they see that yellow bag of sweet goodness? You know it’s going to be good when you see that! Pumpkin and chocolate were meant to be together. Truly.

One more thing, and then I’ll leave you to cookie baking; if you have kids at home, please get them involved in baking these.  Taciturn teenagers (and I am NOT saying mine is one),

Look! A Jedi is making cookies in my kitchen!

silly sweet eight year olds,

Pssst. He’s wearing a pumpkin coloured shirt. We are all obsessed.

and every age in-between and above and below love having a hand in making cookies. If they balk, go all Little Red Hen on them and inform them that they have to make ‘em to eat ‘em. I guarantee they’ll enjoy it once they get started. And when they get to eat the fruits (or the cookies, rather) of their labours, they’ll be so proud.

What I especially love about these cookies is that they have a little bit of an identity crisis. Like me. Hello, I’m the girl who equally loves Downton Abbey, Dr. Who, Tommy Boy, The Godfather, Babette’s Feast, Punk, Gospel Music, Bluegrass, and Classical.  I can’t make up my mind! The cookies almost act like little hand held cakes. But then they’re like oatmeal cookies. And then they’re ever so slightly pumpkin-y. But no! They’re a chocolate chip cookie. Oh geez. Whatever. They’re just wonderful!

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Indulge in this taste of the season -Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Cookies- all you want; they're made with real pumpkin and oats. You'd never know how healthy they were to taste them!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat (or all purpose) flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup chilled butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin (or butternut or acorn squash) puree
  • 1 3/4 cups rolled or quick oats
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, preferably semi-sweet

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two butterknives, cut in the butter until it the butter is pea-sized or smaller.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin or squash puree and the egg until smooth. Add that into the dry ingredients along with the oats and chocolate chips until the mixture is evenly combined and there are no dry pockets.

Scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet by rounded tablespoons (or with a cookie scoop/disher.) Bake for 12 minutes or until the cookies are set and lightly browned around the edges. These cookies will not flatten as they bake.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/26/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

 
All opinions are -as always- my own.

This post is sponsored by Nestlé®
Toll House® Morsels, the perfect special ingredient for all of
your family’s favorite treats!

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Three In One Pears: Canning Ginger Pears, Dark Ginger Pear Syrup, and Pear Juice | Make Ahead Mondays

September 24, 2012 by 5 Comments

It is officially harvest time and officially fall and I am officially so excited about it that I’m about to explode. This is high gear food preservation season for me. I have an ant-and-grasshopper parable complex and I start flying around stuffing things maniacally into jars. My benchmark -and you may have heard me mention it before- is “Would I love to eat this in the middle of winter?” If the answer is yes, I figure out a way to preserve it. Since freezer space is at a premium (I’m saving room for the venison that I’m hoping will fill it), I rely on canning to hang onto that harvest freshness year ’round.

I’ve had to scale back my canning efforts this year due to a busy summer schedule, but this has been a good thing. I’ve had to focus on what we really want to eat, what we want to give as gifts, and what makes me weepy-happy to have on the shelves. Among those are home canned pears. Not just any pears, mind you, but my favourite ginger pears in dark syrup.

Home canned pears are -on their own- some of the best things on earth: tender, sweet, and full of pear-y goodness. When you add just a smidge of the warming power of ginger to those pears, they absolutely sing. Hang on. I need to channel my best internal infomercial hawker.

But wait… There’s MORE. Not only is this one of my favourite things to eat, it’s one of my favourite kinds of recipes; it’s a three-fer! Three recipes for the price of one!

How is this even possible? Oh gosh. It’s so easy, it’s almost criminal. You know how light fleshed fruits brown when cut unless they’re treated with lemon juice, fruit fresh, citric acid solution or somesuch? That little lemony bath that prevents your pears from becoming ugly and brown does double duty. After all the pears soak in it, you leave just a couple in the drink and boil it, then strain. Ta da! A delicate, mild pear juice with a bit of body. And the pears you soaked? You warm them and then pack them in a dark ginger syrup (courtesy of raw or brown sugar) that has been steeping some finely sliced ginger. You pack the extra syrup -because there WILL be some- into other jars and Vi-Oh-Lee! You have pear juice, ginger pears in dark syrup, and ginger pear syrup.

Let’s examine the possibilities, because they’re numerous! Aside from eating the pears straight from the jar, you can bake them in a crisp, eat them on vanilla or pumpkin ice cream, serve with roasted pork, toss into smoothies or winter fruit salad. Yes, you can drink the pear juice as is, but it’s wonderful in party punch or hot toddies, and since it is sweet enough without added sugar, it’s wonderful for the kiddies. “Dark ginger pear syrup?” you say. “What do I do with THAT?” Oh people. Oh my. You drizzle that on ice cream, over apple pie, add a tablespoon or two in apple or pear crisp, use it in mixed drinks, or pour a little over ice then top off with seltzer for -wait for it- GINGER PEAR SODA. Holy moly.

Is there work involved? Yes, but it is worth every second of effort. I even have a tip to share with you on how to get through the pears more easily (although it’s playing it a little Thomas Keller)… After hours upon hours of pear processing over the years, I’m happy to say that I have the method. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Cut the pear in half. Seriously. Start here before you peel it.
  2. Use a vegetable peeler -not a paring knife- to peel the pear. That way you only pull away the skin and don’t lose any precious pear flesh.
  3. Use the small end of a melon baller to remove the tough core at the base of the pear.
  4. Use the larger end of the melon baller to remove the seed area from the pear.
  5. Repeat.

I can’t wait to hear how you use your Three-In-One Pears. I’ll just wait here slurping them right out of a jar.

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Three In One Pears: Canning Ginger Pears, Dark Ginger Pear Syrup and Pear Juice | Make Ahead Monday

Three In One Pears: Canning Ginger Pears, Dark Ginger Pear Syrup and Pear Juice | Make Ahead Monday

This recipe requires a little time commitment, but you get three different products for your efforts. You'll find it was more than worth it when you crack open a jar of delicately ginger flavoured tender pears in a dark, caramel-scented ginger syrup, or drizzle some of the extra syrup over a bowl of vanilla ice cream or into a pear crisp, or sip on a glass of chilled pear juice.

Ingredients

    For the Dark Ginger Syrup:
  • 4 1/2 cups raw sugar (Can substitute light brown sugar if raw is unavailable.)
  • 6 cups water
  • 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into very thin matchstick like pieces
    • For the Ginger Pears:
  • 8 to 12 pounds fresh pears, ripe but firm, plus 6 extra pears (for the juice)
    • For the Pear Juice:
  • 12 cups fresh, cool water
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice

Instructions

To Make the Dark Ginger Syrup and Ginger Pears:

Prepare canner, jars and lids. Follow this link for more detailed instructions on how to do this. You will want 6-8 quart jars and 2-4 pint jars or 4-8 half pint jars and the lids/rings for them.

Combine the raw sugar, sliced ginger and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar, bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Add a lid to the pot, turn off the heat and leave on the burner to keep warm and infuse with the ginger flavour. This is the dark ginger syrup.

Combine the juice ingredients in a stainless steel, plastic or glass bowl. Set this near a cutting board on the counter top. It is going to do double duty by preventing discoloration of the pears and then becoming juice.

Working with one pear at a time to prevent browning, cut the pear in half, peel with a vegetable peeler and use a melon baller to remove the tough core and seeds from the pear. Ease it into the lemon water. Repeat until all of your pears are peeled and cored and in the water (including the 6 extra pears.)

Remove the lid from the syrup and place it over medium low heat until steam is coming from it. Gently warm all but 12 of the pear halves in a single layer until heated all the way through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears, cored side down in overlapped layers, leaving between 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch of head space (err on the side of more rather than less head space if necessary.) Be sure you've left 12 pear halves in the lemon water.

Use a ladle to pour the hot syrup over the pears (allowing the ginger shreds to pour into the jars, too.) Remove air bubbles from the jars (using a thin, flexible knife or a chopstick and adjust syrup levels if necessary. Wipe rims, center lids on jars, and screw rings into place until fingertip tight.

Pour additional syrup into pint or half pint jars leaving 1/4-inch of head space, wipe the rims, center the lids on the jars, and screw the rings in place until fingertip tight.

Place those jars in the canner, cover with water, bring to a boil and process the jars for 25 minutes. When the time is up, turn the heat off, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes. Transfer the jars to a cooling rack and let them cool undisturbed overnight, then remove the rings, wipe down, label and store.

To Make the Pear Juice:

Transfer the liquid and 12 remaining pear halves to a large stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let simmer uncovered until the pears are falling apart.

Line a colander that is positioned over a large stockpot with at least two layers of cheese cloth and and use a large measuring cup or ladle to scoop the pear/water mixture into the colander. Let it slowly filter -without pressing it down- until it stops dripping through the cheese cloth. This may take up to two hours.

Place the stockpot over medium high heat and bring it up just to the point where steam is rising from the top- 190°F. Ladle the hot juice into prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch of head space in the jar.

Wipe the rims, center the lids, and screw the rings in place until fingertip tight.

Place the jars in the canner, cover with water, add the lid to the canner and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Transfer the jars to a cooling rack and let cool undisturbed overnight. Remove the rings, wipe down and label and store.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/24/two-in-one-pears-canning-ginger-pears-dark-ginger-pear-syrup-and-ginger-pear-juice-make-ahead-monday/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Canning, Condiments, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, kid food, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian

Chunky Monkey Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

September 21, 2012 by 13 Comments

 

Happy Friday, everyone! I have such a treat for you today!

We are a granola family. I’ve been making homemade granola for years upon years. My second born son has a real thing for it; he doesn’t like breakfast cereal, but he adores granola. I try to keep it on hand for him at all times. This is something of a task since I’m feeding a small regiment who likes to squirrel away fistfuls of granola in their jeans/shorts/shirt/jacket pockets and nibble on the stuff constantly.

I used to buy chewy granola bars to supplement their snacking but stopped when a.) I realized how much money I was spending in granola bars alone to keep up with five boys’ stomachs and b.) I looked at the ingredients list. You know that sound on Popeye? The aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhOOOOOOOOOgah! sound? Yeah. That’s what happened when I read that list and saw three of the ingredients I try very hard to avoid feeding my family in a granola bar -A GRANOLA BAR, PEOPLE! What?!? I put my eyeballs back in my head and the box of granola bars back on the shelf and vowed to learn to make it myself.

A couple years passed (I was busy, what can I say?) and I saw these chewy granola bars from my friends Maria and Josh. “Oooooh, yeah,” said I to myself. I thought I might change it up a bit, amp up the nutritional value and toss a little dried fruit in there. As the mother of the honyaks I have, I knew my choices were limited. One child ONLY likes dried bananas while another just doesn’t like any dried fruit at all unless it’s minced to the point of disappearing in something. Since it was bananas or nuthin’, I decided to go the Chunky Monkey route: banana, toasted walnut and chocolate. You know, because if there are nuts and fruit in it it’s healthy even if you cover it in chocolate, right? It’s dark chocolate. That’s practically health food by itself. Ahem.

I whipped up a batch. As soon as I transferred them to my cutting board there was a SWOOOOOSH and five boys materialized behind me: “What are you doing?” “What are those?” “Can I have one?” “Is dere fwoot in dose?” “Are those GRANOLA bars?” Then came the silence when five hands conveyed five granola bars to five mouths.

Then five hands reached back toward the cutting board for more. I call that a win. A big win. Big bonuses: the granola bars are simple to make AND they end up cheaper than the ones you purchase. Easy, cheaper AND better for you? Sign me up. These will be a regular at our home. Thanks for the inspiration, Maria and Josh!

 

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Chunky Monkey Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

Chunky Monkey Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

These banana, toasted walnut and chocolate granola bars are fabulous. They're chewy, sweet, crunchy, and satisfying. They're everything a purchased granola bar SHOULD be but isn't. Besides, I dare you to find Chunky Monkey granola bars on the shelf. Can't be done! Not even in Vermont!

Inspired by Maria and Josh from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups quick oats
  • 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
  • 3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 3/4 cup chopped dried banana chips (Store bought or homemade chips can be used.)
  • 3/4 cup cup dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

Instructions

Place an 8-inch by 8-inch square of parchment paper into the bottom of a pan of the same size.

Stir together the oats, crispy rice cereal, walnuts, and banana chunks in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter then stir in the brown sugar, honey, and peanut or sunflower seed butter. Bring to a boil. Once it's bubbling hard, let it boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Be careful, it will bubble up crazily when you add the vanilla!

Immediately pour over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir it in thoroughly. Turn it into the parchment lined pan right away and press into the pan evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks or chocolate chips over the pan and let stand, undisturbed, until the chocolate looks shiny, about 5 minutes. When the chocolate looks very shiny it should all be melted and can be spread evenly with an offset or silicone/rubber spatula. Let stand until the chocolate has firmed back up.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen any chocolate that stuck to it, then turn the large block of granola bar onto a cutting board. Flip it chocolate side up and cut into bars of your desired size. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week... not that they'll ever last that long!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/21/chunky-monkey-chewy-no-bake-granola-bars/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Healthy Foods, kid food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting and Apple Cider Caramel

September 18, 2012 by 23 Comments

Fall.

Autumn.

It’s just around the corner. As in, it’s four days away. Could you pardon me for a moment?

(FALLFALLFALLFALLFALLFALLFALL YAY! WAHOO! WHOOPWHOOPWHOOP! Zippity hippity hoppity doo dah! YEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!AU-TUMN! Uh huh, uh huh, uh huhuhhuhuhhuh. Happy DANCE! )

Um, thank you. I kind of needed to get that out of my system. I wait from February fifteenth (there’s something so romantic about snow on Valentine’s Day) to -oh, say- September twenty first of every year to get to fall. I love pumpkins and apples and squash and brightly coloured leaves and crisp air and apple crisps and oh my gosh… I just love everything about it.

I love drizzly, cold days and grey skies. I love driving down the road and seeing all the pumpkins for sale. I am passionately insane over winter squash. Butternut squash makes me swoon. Pumpkin. Pumpkin makes me flip my lid. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin custard, little bitty pumpkins stuffed with rice and sausage, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin soup. I’m like the Benjamin Buford Blue (a.k.a.the Bubba in Bubba Gump) of pumpkin.

I could eat pumpkin in just about any form, but my favourite is dessert. There’s something about pumpkin desserts that bridge that savoury/sweet line with such ease. It’s a vegetable so it almost feels like desserts made from it are health food. Hoo-yeah.And this cake I’m about to show you today… It has a vegetable and a fruit. That’s so healthy it’s almost disgusting.

It’s everything autumn; super moist pumpkin spice cake with a maple sugar glaze and apple cider caramel. Rawrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Just look at this.

 

Can you guess how long that cake lasted at our house? I can’t give you an exact time, but I can tell you it was less than twelve hours and probably less than eight. Time is a little fuzzy. We were kind of on a bit of a pumpkin high…

There’s a bonus -as if the cake wasn’t good enough by itself- the apple cider caramel portion of the recipe makes more than enough for the cake. In other words, you have some apple cider caramel leftover. In other other words, EXTRA CARAMEL for more cakes later or for drizzling on oatmeal or stirring into coffee or tea or hot cider or over ice cream or just plain on a spoon.

Oh gosh, I so love fall.

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Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting and Apple Cider Caramel

Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting and Apple Cider Caramel

Super moist pumpkin spice cake -redolent with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves- topped with a silky smooth maple sugar frosting and drizzled with tangy, sweet apple cider caramel. This is pure fall!

Ingredients

    For the Cake:
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) or homemade pureed pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
    • For the Maple Frosting:
  • *Note: If maple sugar is not available, substitute dark brown sugar for a brown sugar frosting.)
  • 1/2 cup maple sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 tablespoons milk (preferably whole milk)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • For the Apple Cider Caramel:
  • 1/2 cup Boiled Cider Syrup also available through Amazon.com or King Arthur Flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into four pats

Instructions

To Make the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a bundt pan with oil or non-stick cooking spray then flour the pan. Tap out the excess and set the pan aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the batter blade (or in a bowl with an electric mixer) cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs, one at a time, blending and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. When the eggs are fully incorporated, blend in the pumpkin and vanilla. It may look curdly and horrid, but that's okay! Keep going!

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients. Add about 1/3 of the flour to the butter mixture and blend until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk and blend in completely. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour and blend. Finish mixing the batter by adding the final 1/2 of buttermilk, mixing, then adding the final 1/3 of flour.

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan, gently smooth the top and bake the cake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly with your finger.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes before carefully turning out onto the rack to cool completely. While the cake cools, make the caramel...

To Make the Apple Cider Caramel:

Bring the boiled cider syrup and brown sugar to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream and return to a boil. Boil for 2 more minutes then drop the heat to low. Add the butter one pat at a time, whisking it in until it's fully incorporated. When all of the pats of butter have been added and incorporated, pour the hot caramel into a clean pint jar, reserving any excess for drizzling over the cake. Let cool completely before drizzling on the cake.

To Make the Maple Frosting and Assemble the Cake:

Bring the maple sugar, butter, and milk to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute, still whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Be careful, it will boil up!

Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar. Continue whisking it gently until smooth, cooled slightly and thick, about 3-5 minutes.

Place the cooled cake on a cake plate or serving platter and immediately pour warm maple frosting over the cake. Let the frosting rest for 5 minutes, then drizzle with the apple cider caramel.

Store leftovers, well covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/18/pumpkin-cake-with-maple-frosting-and-apple-cider-caramel/

 

Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Grape Pie Filling and Grape Pie | Make Ahead Mondays

September 17, 2012 by 14 Comments

 

I’ve been blessed to have the chance to move around a little bit in this great country of ours and see a bit of the world. Although I’ve lived in rural Western New York longer than I have anywhere else, I was born a Michigan girl and I believe I’ll always identify myself as a Michigander. There are, however, a few moments where I’m close to claiming that New Yorker moniker.

It probably comes as no surprise that most of those moments are surrounding food; beef on weck, white hots, wings, salt potatoes and grape pie. Grape pie was -perhaps- the biggest revelation of all of those quintessential New York foods. Made of Concord grapes, it retains that highly perfumed, heady scent that fires up instant salivation. It’s the smell that every grape soda and candy in the history of soda and candy has tried and failed to capture. There’s something about those fresh Concord grapes that makes my brain absolutely swim with joy. It is pure autumn.

New York is carpeted with vineyards and u-pick grape farms. If you drive through the right area of the state with your windows down in September you will smell that distinctive aroma. The perfume drifting across the countryside combined with the Crayola-tinged leaves and the brisk air is a clear indicator that the season has turned.

Grape pie is a food I used to wait for every single year. That is until I learned to make and can my own grape pie filling. Why this hasn’t caught on commercially is beyond me. Grape pie is tart and sweet, juicy and velvety, with the soft, simmered grape skins providing body and texture. It’s a little high on the labour side, when you’re used to just tossing berries into a pot with sugar and Clear Jel, but part of the initial joy of the grape pie is the experience of sitting in a circle around two big pots on the front porch slipping the skins from the grapes two at a time. Holding a grape in each hand, we laugh as we gently squeeze the juicy insides into one pot and deposit the grape skins in the other. Maybe it takes us a half an hour? Maybe an hour? Time has a mind of its own with a mug of whatever gets you out of bed in the morning -coffee or tea- wedged between your feet and enjoying that weather and each others’ company so thoroughly.

Into the kitchen with the pots… the grape guts simmer until the seeds come free and then are poured through a colander to filter out the pesky seeds. The remaining pulp and juice go into the pot with the skins and just enough sugar, a little lemon juice or citric acid and some Clear Jeland bubble away ’til boiling and thick. Fill the jars, wipe the rims, add the lids and tenderly lower those jars into the canner. When they’ve processed, wipe them clean, label them and put them on the shelves for mid-winter attacks of grape pie cravings coupled with reminiscences of autumn splendor.

And geez. Don’t feel obliged to make pies only. Grape pie filling transforms into a lovely cake filling or ice cream topping. You wouldn’t be too far amiss spreading it on a sandwich and I certainly wouldn’t judge if you made turnovers or ‘jam’ filled cookies with it.

When it’s time for the fabled pie you ease your favourite crust into a pie plate, open a jar of the royal purple filling and empty it in. Crimp the edges, cut a few vents in whatever style dings your chimes…

The trickiest part of the whole process comes right now. It’s the waiting; waiting for the pie to bake, then waiting for the pie to cool, then waiting that seemingly interminable wait for that wedge of fragrant, sweet, caramelized-sugar dusted crust to be delivered to your hands.

In the end, it is all worth it; it delivers on all of the tantalizing promises of scent and vision. Every second of what sweet torturous anticipation was worth it when your fork drops into a flaky pie crust surrounding thickened, silky grape juice surrounding tender grape skins. Lips and teeth and tongues are stained purple like your finger tips were months earlier when you put up the pie filling. These are the moments that hook you on canning.

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Grape Pie Filling and Grape Pie | Make Ahead Mondays

Grape Pie Filling and Grape Pie | Make Ahead Mondays

This classic autumnal Western New York pie captures the pure perfumed, robust sweet and tart essence of Concord grapes.

Do yourself a favour and serve the pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The cool, sweet, vanilla is the perfect foil to the tart, sweet grape pie. It's a match made in heaven.

Ingredients

    For the Pie Filling:
  • 22 cups Concord grapes, washed
  • 4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (or 1 teaspoon citric acid)
  • 1 cup ClearJel starch (or another brand of the same type of starch)
    • For the Grape Pie:
  • 1 quart of grape pie filling
  • Pie pastry for a double crust
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • raw sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling over the crust, optional

Instructions

To Prepare and Can Grape Pie Filling:

Working over two pots, take a grape in each hand and gently squeeze it over the first pot. Deposit the grape skins in the second pot. Continue until you have separated all of the grape pulps from the grape skins.

Place the pot with the grape pulps (do not add water!) over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, allowing it to boil for 5 to 6 minutes. Put the hot pulp through a food mill or pour it through a colander, pressing to get as much pulp through as possible. Pour the hot, sieved pulp over the reserved grape skins.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and ClearJel (and citric acid, if using.) Sprinkle over the grape pulp mixture and use a big whisk or sturdy spoon to mix in thoroughly. Put the pot over medium heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick. It should thicken quickly, but it does still need to be bubbling before you can put it in jars.

Place a canning funnel -for neatness' sake- over the opening of a clean, sterilized quart jar and ladle in the hot pie filling leaving 1-inch of headspace. For help on learning how to sterilize your jars, click this link Moisten a paper towel and wipe the rims of the jars so they are spotless. Center a new lid on the jar and screw the ring in place until fingertip-tight.

Place the jars in a canning pot, ensure they are completely covered with water, bring to a boil and process for 30 minutes. When the 30 minutes are up, turn off the heat, remove the canner lid and let the jars rest for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack or a towel on the counter. Let cool, undisturbed, overnight before removing rings, wiping clean and labeling. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to two years.

To Make the Grape Pie:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out half of the pie pastry and lay it gently in the pie plate so that it covers the whole plate and drapes a little outside of the top, too. Pour the jar of grape pie filling into the crust and spread it with a spatula. Roll out the second crust to just slightly larger than the circumference of the top of the pie plate. Lay it on top of the pie filling and gather the excess pastry, folding it under to form a neat edge. Crimp with a fork or whatever style you prefer, cut a few vent holes in whatever shapes you like.

Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and then sprinkle generously with the sugar, if using. This creates a deeper coloured crust and a little bit of sparkle.

Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is deep brown and the filling is bubbly. If you find the crust is browning too quickly, you can gently crimp foil around the outside edge to protect the edges.

Carefully transfer the pie plate to a cooling rack and let cool completely -if ever you can make yourself wait- before slicing. The filling will still slump out, but may hold together a bit better if you let it cool first.

For the ultimate Western New York experience, serve each slice of pie with a scoop of Perry's Vanilla Ice Cream on top.

Store leftovers tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/17/grape-pie-filling-and-grape-pie-make-ahead-mondays/

Filed Under: Desserts, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

White Russian Milkshake

September 14, 2012 by 8 Comments

When I was in Oregon a few weeks ago, my friends were shocked- SHOCKED, I say- to find out I had never had a margarita in my life. They remedied that pretty quickly, let me tell you…

Everyone wanted to know why I hadn’t had one before. The truth is, I’m picky. I’m not a big drinker, so when I have one, I want to make sure it is a good one (and preferably not a strong one or I’m going to need to go to bed very quickly after having it. Zzzzzzzzz.) I didn’t dare tell them how short the list of mixed drinks I’ve actually had in my lifetime is. Honestly? I can count them on one  hand; Long Island Iced Tea (meh), Daiquiri, Gin & Tonic, Mojito, and now Margarita. I’m a sophisticated party animal, apparently.

One drink I’ve always thought sounded appealing was the White Russian. The thing is, I don’t go out for drinks and when I go out for dinner, I’ll have a glass of wine if anything at all. (I’m sounding more and more exciting by the moment, aren’t I?)

While I’m clearly not a real adventurer when it comes to mixed drinks, I do like to make alcohol-laced desserts. I love rum soaked cherries, flambéed bananas, Grand Marnier cheesecakes, and more. There’s something about the way spirits enhance sweets that just dings my chimes. I decided to play around a little bit with the classic White Russian* cocktail to turn it into a dessert.

*Before you ask, no. I hadn’t ever had a White Russian. That kind of thing doesn’t stop THIS gal from playing around with things, no-siree-bob. And I have a great reason for not having had a White Russian. I don’t drink milk.

A White Russian is usually nothing more than coffee liqueur, vodka and heavy cream (or half and half or full-fat milk.) “White Russian Milkshake!” said my brain. I don’t drink milk, but if it’s blended with a bunch of ice cream, I’ll toss it back faster than you can say “You’re nuts!” Because the White Russians look so pretty with their black and white layers, I opted to layer my milkshake instead of tossing all the ingredients into the blender willy-nilly.

What was the verdict from this unsophisticated lady? It was darned good. It was slurp it with a straw good. I highly recommend you give this creamy twist on tradition a spin!

This drink is to celebrate the anniversary of The Friday Cocktail over at Creative Culinary. Barb, unlike me, is a wildy creative cocktail creator. The fact that she invited me to be part of the party is both befuddling and flattering. Thank you for including this classy, drinking-wine-from-a-jar gal, Barb. Can I say bottoms up?

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White Russian Milkshake

White Russian Milkshake

Give this sweet and creamy spin on the traditional White Russian a whirl!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces Kahlua liqueur
  • 1 1/2 ounces vodka
  • 2 ice cubes
  • 1 cup vanilla ice cream
  • 1/2 cup-3/4 cup whole milk or half & half

Instructions

Add the vanilla ice cream and milk or half & half to the carafe of your blender. Fix the lid in place and blend until smooth and creamy.

Add the ice cubes to the bottom of a glass, pour both the Kahlua and the vodka over the ice cubes and then slowly pour the vanilla milkshake over the liquor. Serve with a straw and slurp!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/14/white-russian-milkshake/

 

Filed Under: Beverages, Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Slow-Cooker Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

September 11, 2012 by 11 Comments

 

I think it’s been so long since I’ve been sick that my body forgot how to go about being sick. It’s not a complaint mind you, just an observation. I spent a day with a weird headache and sore throat of the move-slowly-through-the-day variety, went to bed with an ibuprofen cocktail and woke up with a good old-fashioned cold.

And so I plopped myself on the chair with a cuppa tea, dictated school lessons from my chair and plotted all the comforting foods I was going to inhale that day because my nose wasn’t doing any inhaling and part of me had to keep the process going.

I prioritized; nothing too complicated for energy and dish purposes, no running to the store- had to make do because I was not going out looking like this (pointed at the hair scraped back and perched on the top of my head and the Rudolph nose.), had to be a crowd-pleaser, and had to have big flavour. You know, so I could actually TASTE whatever it was I made.

At the top of the list was a version of slow-cooker black bean enchiladas I tried from TheKitchn a while back. Simple, not fussy, comforting, big-on-taste, hearty, filling and inexpensive, these enchiladas deliver a lot for the small amount of work behind them. They were just what I needed and wanted.

I’ve made this same recipe both in the slow-cooker and the oven. You get a more ‘authentic’ enchilada texture from oven-baking them, but they’re ever so good in the slow-cooker. The tortillas soak up everything and get all salsa-fied and still get some crispy edges where they come in contact with the side of the slow-cooker. The instructions specify to cook the enchiladas in the slow-cooker for two to four hours, and I’ve settled on about three hours as my preferred time. Closer to two hours yields a firmer tortilla while cooking it closer to four hours creates a much softer tortilla… almost fall-apart soft. When I let mine go the full four hours, I ended up with a texture that was more like enchilada casserole. It was still delicious, it was just different.

Whichever way you prefer to go, you’ll get a serious dose of delicious comfort for your minimal efforts. The enchiladas dress up nicely, if -unlike me- you’re serving dinner in something other than yoga pants with tissues stuffed in the waistband. On the other hand, they sit beautifully in a bowl that you can cradle in your lap while sitting on the couch watching BBCAmerica broadcasts.

Because sometimes, really, it’s not so bad to slow down and indulge the sniffles. At least not when you have a plate full of these…

 

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Slow-Cooker Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Rating: 51

Slow-Cooker Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Authentic? Maybe not, but these gooey, bursting-at-the-seams, simple to pull together, slow-cooker enchiladas are packed with delicious black beans, moist chicken, corn, and spices. Salsa delivers the saucy punch and loads of melted, oozy cheese makes it the perfect comforting dish for days when you're short on time.

Adapted gently and with thanks from TheKitchn

Ingredients

  • 1 cooking onion, diced small
  • 1 bell pepper (any color), diced small
  • 2 cups cooked black beans or 1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 2 cups shredded fully cooked chicken. This chicken is perfect.
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed (or 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder.)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 cups shredded cheese. I prefer a combination of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Queso Blanco, but use what you prefer and have available.
  • 3 (16 ounce) jars of your favorite salsa
  • 24 (6"-8") corn tortillas
  • Optional:
  • sour cream
  • additional chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
  • avocado slices or cubes

Instructions

Mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, chicken, cilantro (if using), garlic, spices, and 1 cup of the cheese in a mixing bowl. Pour one full jar of the salsa into the bottom of the slow-cooker and spread it evenly with a spatula.

Dampen a tea towel, wrap 12 of the tortillas in it and microwave for about 30 seconds, or until the tortillas are flexible and warm.

Working with one tortilla at a time, scoop about 1/3 cup onto the tortilla, roll it tightly and place it firmly against the edge of the slow-cooker, seam side down. Repeat this with another tortilla, nestling it against the enchilada that is already in the slow-cooker. Continue filling, rolling and nestling the enchiladas until the bottom of the slow-cooker is covered. Spread another jar of salsa over the enchiladas and top it with another cup of cheese.

Create a second layer of enchiladas with the remaining tortillas and filling. Pour half of the last jar of salsa evenly over the top. With the lid in place, cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours. 15 minutes before the enchiladas are done, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese, letting it cook just until the cheese is melted.

Serve the hot enchiladas with chopped cilantro and the remaining salsa.

Store leftovers, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Note: These are equally good (and maybe even a touch better, texture-wise) when baked in a 400°F oven covered with foil for about 20 minutes. Simply hold off on the last bit of cheese until you remove the foil, return it to the oven and bake 'til the cheese is bubbly.
http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/11/slow-cooker-chicken-and-black-bean-enchiladas/

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Chicken and other Poultry, Comfort Food, Main Dish, Recipes, slow-cooker Tagged With: , , , , ,
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