Orange!

Photo Courtesy of Jaime Green

Ever Since I can remember I have always been a fan of the color orange. All I can say is that it speaks to me. I can be having the craziest or most stressful of days but when my eyes spy the color orange, I am quickly transformed into a state of bliss. With that admission, it should come as no surprise that pumpkins also make me happy, right? I don’t remember the first time I had a love affair with a pumpkin but I have no doubt that it goes back to the first time I bit into one of my grandma's yeasty pumpkin rolls. She was a huge fan of the pumpkin and all of its health benefits. As I sat in her kitchen she would share how important a pumpkin was with its high amounts of potassium and vitamin C.

As important as that info was it was not as important to me as that delicious aroma that would be coming from the oven, what can I say, I was easily distracted by a bigger reward! I loved how she would take a pumpkin and use its flesh in all sorts of sweet and savory dishes. I remember being more fascinated by the many recipes she came up with than by cutting a jack-o-lantern out. GG taught me how to bake my first pie and she taught me how to use the versatile yeast dough to create anything from coffee cake to pizza crust. Since then, I have spent many hours researching pumpkin recipes and have yet to come across one I don’t like. When I started this particular blog post I wanted to post some of my favorite recipes but quickly realized I have already done that over the last few years. So here are a few new ones I have tried recently and my hope is that if you give them a try, then maybe you, too, will see why this lovely orange orb brings me sweet bliss... I’m jus' sayin'!

Pumpkin Caramel Empanadas

Empanada Crust Recipe
http://latinfood.about.com/od/appetizersandsnacks/r/empanada_dough.htm
Pumpkin Caramel Filling

1 15-ounce can pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup of Kraft Caramel bits

Place all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside.

To make Empanadas:
Preheat oven to 350 F and divide chilled dough into 4 quarters. Roll out each quarter into 1/8” inch circles. Depending on your size preference you can cut circles out with circle cookie cutters or find a plastic lid that matches your size preference. Spoon about 1 tbsp (more or less depending on empanada size). I put 2 tbs. into the center of each circle. Fold the dough over so it resembles a “taco” shape. Seal the edges using the back of a fork to keep the filling in as well as to add that cool little decorative look. Brush with melted butter or beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar or cinnamon sugar (optional). Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes until golden brown. Be careful because the caramel can burn quickly so keep a watchful eye on these little treats.





Garlic Cumin Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups of fresh cleaned pumpkin seeds (rinsed and patted dry)
1 tbs. of olive oil
½ tsp. of garlic powder
½ tsp. of ground cumin
1 tsp. of kosher salt

Toss all of the ingredients together and spread out on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 F oven for approximately 20 minutes until brown and toasty. Cool and enjoy!





Pumpkin Ginger Jam
Courtesy of “The Pumpkin Cookbook”

6 lb pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
¾ cup of lemon juice
2 tbsp. grated lemon zest
1 cup of crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 tbs. ground ginger
6 lbs of sugar

Makes 6 ½ quarts

Boil or steam the pumpkin until tender. Drain well and mash. Put the mashed pumpkin in a large pot with the lemon juice, lemon zest , crystalized ginger and the ground ginger. Bring to a simmer. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally as the pulp thickens.

Meanwhile, wash some glass preserving jars and then boil them in warm water for 10 minutes. Dry upside-down in a warm oven. They should still be warm when you are filling them. Sterilize the lids by dipping in boiling water.

To test the jam to see if it is set, drop a small amount onto a cold saucer. Place in the refrigerator briefly. Then pour the jam into warm jars and seal. (I did a final water bath of 15 minutes with the sealed jars just to be 100% safe)





Hot Pumpkin White Chocolate
Courtesy of Phyllis Hoffman "Celebrate”

Makes 6 servings

4 cups whole milk
1 (15-ounce) can of pumpkin
1 (14-ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
8 oz. of finely chopped white chocolate
*Garnish-Whipped cream, pumpkin pie spice, marshmallows

In a large saucepan combine the milk, pumpkin, condensed milk and spice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat while whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add chocolate, whisking to dissolve. Ladle into mugs and garnish as desired.

Tricks To Make The Best Treats!

From the looks of the Christmas decorations in the stores one would think that Halloween and Thanksgiving are already over. Though this has always been one of my pet peeves about retail, I have found that I can also play this game. By starting my fall decorating on September 1st, I'm able to enjoy my favorite holidays far longer than most retailers might want me too. When it comes to getting a start on those holiday sweets, however, don't feel like you need to get that same early start. Consider one of the quick recipes below as a time-saving or last minute treat. Make one or two of these and then while your friends and family are satisfying their sweet tooths, you can take your sweet time planning the more elaborate holiday meals.

Lately, I have been addicted to www.pinterest.com. It's this amazing site that allows you to take all of your favorite images from the internet and categorize them into groups you will remember. It also allows you to share your favorite things with others. So when I was looking for some short-cut treats for Halloween, I was amazed at all the ideas already "pinned" on other people's walls. I'm glad I was able to save these because today, while I spent a whole day getting caught up on my wash, I decided to try out some of these quick treats for some upcoming get togethers. So instead of getting caught between the spooky ghosts of Halloween and the ghosts of Christmas past, try a few of these quick treats - they may just make you feel like your one step ahead of the retailers... I'm jus sayin'!

Homemade Butterfinger Bars
Recipe copied from In Katrina's Kitchen


Ingredients:
3 cups candy corn
1 cup peanut butter
Chocolate for dipping (I used Milk Chocolate Almond Bark for quick ease. You could use dark or even white almond bark if you like.)

Directions:

1. Melt candy corn in the microwave for about 60 seconds. Check and stir, returning to microwave in 15 second intervals until completely melted.


2. Add peanut butter and combine. Return to microwave if necessary to incorporate until creamy.


3. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan (or whatever pan you like to get the thickness you desire) and let cool about an hour.


4. Cut candy into desired shape and cover in melted chocolate.

To make traditional Butterfingers cut into rectangles and cover in milk chocolate.


Caramel Pretzel Bites
Recipe copied from The Busty Baker

One 14-ounce bag soft caramels
One 10-ounce bag pretzel nuggets
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups natural almonds, toasted and finely chopped (optional)
*I did not use almonds in the above picture and I sprinkled sea salt on the top after I dipped them in chocolate.

1. Unwrap the caramels, then using a rolling pin, roll out each one into a 1/8-inch thick oval. Wrap a rolled-out caramel around each pretzel nugget, pinching the ends to seal.


2. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt half of the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Add the remaining chocolate, remove the top of the double boiler from the saucepan and stir until smooth.


3. Place the almonds, if using, in a shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Using a fork, dip a caramel covered pretzel nugget in the chocolate to coat, tapping off any excess chocolate. Transfer the pretzel to the almonds and toss to coat; place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzel nuggets, reheating chocolate as needed. Let stand until set, about 3 hours.

Pumpkin Spice Krispy Treats

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package Kraft Pumpkin Pie Spiced Marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies®

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.


2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.


3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

* Just to jazz them up a bit and make them look like the star of the bake sale I drizzled melted white almond bark on top of mine.


Thin Mint Brownies


Bake your favorite brownies (seriously, this could be your favorite box or your Grandma's passed-down recipe). Here is the quick-trick. As soon as the brownies (13x9 in pan) come out of the oven. Sprinkle one bag of Andes Mint Chips on top. Wait 10 seconds and then spread the melted chips to evenly coat the pan of brownies. Cool to set. You will have them all guessing at your next "Bunco" party how amazing you are that you took so much time to bake such a decadent brownie!