Quick and Easy Pumpkin Pancakes

Maybe I should have called this Pumpkin Month since it seems like it is going to take me a whole month to get around to blogging a weeks worth of recipes.  Thanks everyone for always being so loyal in following my blog even though my life gets busy and I have to put it on the back burner sometimes.  I love blogging so much and wish I had more hours in my day so I could have a daily recipe for you.  Oh well, we do what we can I guess.

It has been so hard deciding which pumpkin recipes to make for this series.  There are so many good ones!  One thing I knew for sure was that I had to blog pumpkin pancakes.  Nothing says fall like pumpkin pancakes on a crisp Sunday morning.  These are super fast to make and are always a huge hit! The beauty of pancake mix is that you can play around with so many different ingredients.  For example, instead of adding pumpkin and spices you can add mashed ripe bananas, cooked oatmeal and cinnamon OR applesauce, oatmeal and cinnamon.  Just always reserve some of the liquid recommended on the package recipe until the very end so you can be sure to accommodate for the extra moisture from the added ingredients.  Pancake mixes are very forgiving so if you find it’s too thick, add more liquid, if it’s too thin, add a bit more mix.

Ingredients:

3 cups Bisquick (or your favorite pancake mix, *see below for tips*)

3 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups milk

***** these are the Bisquick package directions, you will add the following ingredients below to the mix of your choice along with any other ingredients called for on the package directions)

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients.  Add eggs, milk, pumpkin and vanilla, reserving some of the milk (or water) until the end so you can get the consistency you desire.  I prefer my pancakes thick and fluffy, you may prefer to add a bit more liquid for a thinner pancake.

Heat pan or skillet over medium heat for several minutes to evenly heat the pan.  If you start your pan too hot, your pancakes will brown too quickly and result in a gooey center.  Flip when undersides are golden brown and repeat on other side.  Serve with a slab of butter, a dusting of powdered sugar and some real maple syrup…. MMM.. MMM.. MMM! Breakfast is served!

These also freeze well so if you have extras, throw them in a freezer bag and then pop in the microwave for a quick, yummy breakfast.

Pumpkin Pillows with Salted Caramel Frosting

I have made several variations of this cookie over the years but I think this is my favorite. Before tasting salted caramel, I was not crazy about the idea, but after I did, I understood what this whole Salted Caramel craze was about.  This cookies are so light and “pillowy” (for a lack of a better word).  The frosting is rich and buttery and those little granules of salt on top break the sweetness slightly and just make the taste peak with perfection.   This is a family favorite of ours and will soon be a favorite in  your family I’m sure.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 can canned pumpkin (or 2 cups fresh puree)

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Caramel Frosting

3 Tbsp margarine or butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp kosher or course sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  In large bowl, beat sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 cup butter until light and fluffy.  Add pumpkin, vanilla and egg; blend well.

Add flour baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto un-greased cookie sheets.  (I prefer my medium sized-cookie scoop).

Bake at 350 F. for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. I usually touch the top off one of the cookies very lightly to be sure it is firm enough not to leave an indentation. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.  Cool completely.

While cookies are baking, prepare frosting.  In medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons margarine then add 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Bring to a boil.   Cook over medium heat 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Cool 10 minutes.  At this point, it will appear like brown sugar with butter melted into it, only a little darker.  It will not be smooth.  Add milk; beat until smooth (It takes a few minutes to get the brown sugar lumps out).  Beat in enough powdered sugar for a good spreading consistency.

Frost cooled cookies then sprinkle very lightly with kosher or sea salt.  Let stand until frosting is set.

Pumpkin Week! Pumpkin Bread Perfection

Your search for the perfect pumpkin bread recipe is over! This is the epitome of sweet bread perfection.  It is really moist and dense and has a delicious crusty cinnamon-sugar topping….mmmm. I can never wait until fall for my first batch of pumpkin bread.  I usually make some for the neighbors too because it’s just too good not to make a loaf for everyone.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute with whole wheat)

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups pumpkin puree

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together.  I recommend either sifting them or using a whisk to mix them, there are so many spices and additions to the flour that it is a good idea to get it mixed really well.

Add pumpkin, vanilla, vegetable oil, and eggs.  Mix until no streaks of flour are visible. Confession time… I got completely distracted while making this batch (doesn’t take much) and l forgot to put the oil in!  Seriously, who does that? It’s the oil! The bread STILL came out fabulous! It was not quite as moist as usual but I was shocked at how little difference the oil actually made in this recipe.  As a result, your batter will appear a bit thinner than mine in the above pic, unless of course you decide to leave it out too.

Pour into two greased bread pans (8″).  Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar topping over each loaf. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until the top no longer appears wet and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool on for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool on wire rack until you just can’t stand it anymore and you have to bust into one.

 

Pumpkin Week!!! Homemade Pumpkin Puree

I can’t wait for each and every recipe I have coming up for you this week.  I am a huge fan of pumpkin everything so I have more than enough FABULOUS recipes to give you a full week’s worth of pumpkin heaven.

With my hubby gone hunting and the rainy season started, the boys and I decided we would head down to our local farm stand and pick up some sugar pie pumpkins for a day full of baking.    They had so much fun getting all of the “guts” out of the pumpkins and separating all of the seeds so we could roast them.

Now, I can honestly say, I cannot taste a HUGE difference in flavor between canned pumpkin and fresh pumpkin puree, but if you are looking for a really fun, cheap fall activity to stock up on puree (which is generally pretty expensive otherwise) for the season, this is definitely worth it the effort.

Ingredients:

1-2 sugar pie (or baking) pumpkins – your local farmer or grocer will be able to point you in the right direction.  They are generally small, round, pretty smooth pumpkins with little speckles on them.
I roasted 2 pumpkins and got 10 cups of puree (which is equivalent to 5 cans of puree) and at $2/pumpkin, it is much cheaper.

Directions:

Cut pumpkin in half, vertically.  These pumpkins are generally pretty firm so be careful.  I find that a bread knife or serrated steak knife work better than my big sharp chef knives.  Cut right up to the stem on both sides then break apart with your hands.  You should then just be able to grab the stem and break it off pretty easily.

Remove the “guts” as my boys would call it.  Be sure to scrap the inside well with a spoon to remove any of the stringy pulp.  Separate the seeds into a bowl and rinse. If you fill the bowl with water, the seeds will float and the pulp will generally sink to the bottom.  Lay on a paper towel to dry.  We will be roasting them later this week

Line large cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Place pumpkin halves face down on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for approximately 90 minutes or until pumpkins are soft.  As you can see in my pictures, one of my pumpkins cooked much faster than the other so it was extra soft after it was baked.

Cool until you can handle them safely.  The skin of the pumpkin should peel off very easily.  After you have them peeled, cut into chunks and place into a food processor or blender.

Puree until very smooth.  Using a fine mesh strainer, strain excess liquid from puree.  It seems like the puree will just run right through but it won’t.  Don’t force it through the strainer, just let it drain naturally.  Let each batch drain for several minutes. *One of my blog followers recommends in the comments below to let the puree sit in the fridge overnight.  The liquid will all come to the top while the puree sinks to the bottom so if you are not planning on using it right away, this would be a really easy option. *

If you aren’t planning on using all of your puree now, divide it into freezer bags in 2 cup portions.  I like to fold the top of the bag over before I start measuring.  This will keep the top of the bag where you need a good seal from getting all gunky.  Press the excess air from the bag, label bag and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Fall Zucchini Bread

I LOVE FALL! I love everything about fall! I love the crisp foggy mornings, the smell of harvest candles burning throughout my house and  soups simmering on the stove. I love jeans, sweaters and boots especially because they cover my glaringly white skin (there is no  chance of getting any color when you live in the Pacific Northwest). I love the sound of football games playing in the background and my husband yelling at the TV and the “horrible refs ” and the .  Wait, where was I?… Oh yeah, foot ball games playing in the background, open windows and doors, falling leaves and I especially love the smell of all of the fall breads baking in my oven.

I majorly over-did it in my garden this year with the zucchini and squash.  I currently have 3 paper bags overflowing with them and can’t give them away fast enough.  I have frozen about as much as we could ever eat in a year and am still left with 3 full bags and more coming out of the garden! So let’s make some delicious Zucchini bread to kick off fall.

This recipes is wonderful.  It is sweet, spicy, moist and so healthy.  Okay, so maybe not healthy, but it does have veggies in it right? So at least when I eat half a loaf in one sitting I feel better than when I sit and eat a dozen chocolate chip cookies. Let’s bake!

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded zucchini (2-3 medium) – I like to squeeze some of the excess moisture out of my freshly shredded zucchini.

1 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose or whole-wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

1/2 – 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Move oven rack to low position so that the tops of the pans will be in the center of the oven.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease bottoms of 2 8-inch loaf pans with cooking spray or shortening.  I like using parchment paper because there is nothing more disappointing than turning out your bread only for the bottom half to stay in your pan.  You can also make them into muffins (which I love) for easy individual snacks.  I usually add chocolate chips to the second half of he batch so half can be for desserts and half can be for snacks.

Stir flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, stir zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs until well mixed.  Stir dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips (optional).

Divide batter evenly between 8-inch pans or lined muffin tins (2/3 full).  Bake 8-inch loaves for 50-60 minutes or muffins for 20-25 minutes.  Be sure to keep an eye on the bread as it is baking (especially if you are making the muffins).  Every oven is different and sometimes you might fill your cups more or less than I did so keep your eye on them so you can be sure to catch them at their prime.  You will notice when they near perfection, the tops begin to have cracked look instead of a wet look. Before you go poking holes in your cake with toothpicks, just lightly touch it with your finger.  If it bounces back and leaves no imprint, it is ready to come out of the oven.  If the imprint remains, keep baking.  Again, touch lightly so you don’t make a big dent in your cake.  If it seems pretty firm, press just a little harder to be sure.  This seems to result in perfectly moist breads and cupcakes every time.  Sometimes it is really hard to tell with a toothpick.

Cool in pans on cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on cooling rack.  Cool completely, (yeah right) about 2 hours, before slicing.

Basil and Parmesan Orzo (Fancy Homemade Rice-O-Roni)

What a wonderful last five days it has been for me.  I love my kids more than anything, but it isn’t until I became a mother that I realized the value of absolute silence.  My boys, 4 and 6 (along with their two cousins, 6 and 9, also boys) got to take a five-day camping trip to the coast with their Grammie and Papa (Yeah, I know, they were brave grandparents).  While I missed my boys dearly and worried about them constantly, I was completely caught off guard with how much I enjoyed the silence I experienced for those five days.  No whining, no fighting, no yelling… just the faint sound of the fountain splashing in our pond…. aaaahhhhhh…. I completely organized and deep cleaned our house and re-arranged a bunch of our furniture.  My hubby and I went out on several dinner and lunch dates and even skipped our workouts and went straight for the sauna and hot tub at the gym.  I needed that time so much to rejuvenate me.  And now that my sweet, crazy boys are home, their yelling and fighting is met with a much softer, more understanding mommy.

So, I’m sure many of you are asking “What in tar-nation is Orzo?” Am I right? Okay, maybe you didn’t use the word “tar-nation.”  For those of you who have never heard of Orzo, it’s time you experienced the wonderfully versatile pasta that is shaped like a slightly larger grain of rice.  You can find it in any grocery store in the pasta aisle or some grocers carry it in their bulk section.  On of my friends (Miss Katie) also makes a killer cold Orzo salad with cucumbers and feta and some kind of dressing… yumola!

This recipe is one of our family’s favorites because it tastes a lot like the Rice-O-Roni (“the San Fransisco Treat!” …maybe I am dating myself a bit here..) but waaaaayyyy better.  Anyways, bottom line, Rice-O-Roni tastes delish in a Kraft Mac ‘n’ Cheese kind of way but it is one of those boxed food items that probably has more preservatives and terrible stuff for you in it than it does good stuff.  Here is where the boxed treat meets gourmet. This recipe would go over as a side with just about any meal from burgers to roasted lamb.  It’s fabulous and just as fast as the boxed stuff.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup uncooked Orzo pasta

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth – or 2 tsp chicken base and slightly less than 2 cups of water.

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1 and 1/2 Tbsp dried basil)

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil and Parmesan for garnishing

Directions:

Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in Orzo and saute until lightly browned.

Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. If you are using dried basil, add it now, if using fresh, wait.  Cover.  Reduce heat and simmer until Orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.

Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil (if using fresh).  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to shallow bowl.  Garnish with fresh basil sprigs and shaved Parmesan.

As always, I like to give credit where credit is due.  I found this recipe a few years back on allrecipes.com, submitted by DODIEPAJER.

Succulent Crab Cakes

As the season of summer is coming to a close and school is on the horizon, I find myself a little sad that the chapter of our lives where the boys are at home during the days are coming to a close.  Wyatt will be starting first grade and Henry will be starting preschool 3 days per week.  But in all total honesty, summer is making me a tad crazy.  My boys love each other and for the most part play very well together but something about being together every single day for months on end is wearing on them.  I think they have been fighting more than getting along lately and it is making this momma feel frazzled.  Have you ever yelled at your kids to stop yelling??? Did that today.  One of those things that as soon as it comes out of your mouth, you think “Did I seriously just do that?” They were fighting in the car so loud that I yelled even louder “SSTOOOP  YELLING!!!” Haha! Good example I set today for them.  One of those finer moments as a mom where you really shine

Okay on to good food…One thing is for certain… I LOVE crab! I love the anticipation of cracking all of the legs and getting to little nuggets of salty, sweet meat.  I have to say, as much as I love fresh crab, crab cakes take it to another level and are seriously one of the best foods on the planet (in my opinion of course).  The secret to a great crab cake is lots of crab and not much in the way of other fillers.  Simplicity is key.

If you are buying crab that is still in the shell (crab legs), please know that the weight ratio is about 1/2 meat, 1/2 shell.  So, if you want 1 lb of meat, you need to buy 2 lbs of crab legs.

Ingredients:

8 saltine crackers

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 egg, beaten

salt to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 lb crab meat

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs or Panko breading

2 Tbsp butter

 

Directions:

Crush saltine crackers.  Add mayo, Dijon, Old Bay, Worcestershire, egg, salt, and cayenne.  Mix thoroughly.  Fold in crab being very careful not to break up the chunks.  The bigger the chunks of crab, the better.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the ingredients to absorb.

Make patties as large or small as you desire.  They will be very fragile since there aren’t many fillers.  Place crab cake on top of a bed of bread or Panko crumbs.  Sprinkle crumbs and pat to make them stick.  Carefully flip over and coat other side.  Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a heavy skillet (I highly recommend cast iron, but if you don’t have it, a regular pan will work fine). Heat your butter over medium-high heat until it is good and bubbly hot but not so hot that it is turning brown.  Carefully place four cakes at a time into the butter.  Let crab cake brown for several minutes before flipping. Because the egg is now solidifying, your cake will become a bit less fragile.  Be sure your crab cake is nice and brown before you flip it.  Brown the other side. The crab is already pre-cooked so you do not need to get it to a certain temperature, you are just browning the outside. Place on a paper towel in a warm place (preferably a warm oven) until all of the crab cakes are cooked.  Do not cover with foil to keep warm if you can help it because you will be allowing steam to build up, therefore making your breading soggy.  Dry heat is best.  Serve with a fresh lemon wedge and your favorite tartar sauce.