Halloween Treats

Well, day 2 of hurricane hibernation is well underway. Although the hurricane has passed (and thankfully Bax and I survived safe and sound and, more importantly, with electricity in tact), the officina was closed again today, causing me to once again spend the majority of the day on the couch. Fortunately, Bax and I were able to walk outside a more today than yesterday. She was such a trooper, but the 24 hours of rain made going potty a very unenjoyable task for her. I also caved and went for a mid-afternoon run in the rain. My building has a small gym with a treadmill in the basement, but I hate treadmills like no other and my desire to avoid the dreaded treadmill trumped my desire to stay warm and dry. As it was, half the town was out running as well (and the rest were in the gym, which I stopped by during my run for some weightlifting). I complain a lot about DC, but I do enjoy the health conscience nature of many of the people here.

A driving factor in my decision to go for a run in the rain were the leftovers from today's recipe that still remain in my fridge. I made this recipe twice last week for two different Halloween parties and it was a hit with both. It's super easy to throw together in a hurry (a huge selling point for me last week) and it's so delicious people will think you're a culinary genius. Plus, it's topped with the most addicting cream cheese frosting (which, for reasons unknown to me, I had never made before a couple weeks ago) ever! I've had leftovers from party number two in my fridge since Sunday, with the intention of taking them into work, but the surprise string of days off from the hurricane resulted in me eating about half of the leftovers. Consequently, I'm actually excited to go into work tomorrow as I can finally get rid of these crazy addicting bars before they all end up in my stomach!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

[Brought into my life by Kitchen Daily]

 

Post baking. Cooling and awaiting the finishing touch of frosting

 

Frosting complete. Ready to be cut and enjoyed by the masses....or one very stir crazy girl :)

Bars

• 1 (15 oz.) can of pureed pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

 Frosting

*I ended up doubling the original recipe (the below is the doubled version) and it worked much better. I think it would've been too dry otherwise.

• 8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners sugar

 Preparation

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. With an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin in a medium bowl.  Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda and beat until smooth and thoroughly blended
3. Spread mixture evenly onto an ungreased pan. And based on the size, you can bake accordingly:
• 10 x 15 x 1 inch pan- bake for 20-25 minutes
• 9 x 13 x 2 inch or 10 x 13 x 2 inch pan- bake for 25-30 minutes
4. For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in vanilla.  Slowly add confectioners sugar a little at a time, beating until mixture is smooth
5. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares

Roasted Butternut Squash

Nothing like an impending hurricane to get me caught up on some blogging. With Hurricane Sandy's arrival imminent, I spent the better part of yesterday on my couch, both recovering from some Halloween festivities the night before and anxiously stalking Twitter/email for news that I wouldn't have to venture into work today. Mother teaches in Maryland and her school district was one of the first to see the writing on the wall and tossed in the towel yesterday morning. This further heightened my hopes of a day off work as well. Although the feds (I work for the government) spent most of the day toying with me, they finally made the call around the dinner hour and I was gifted another day to do all the things that I didn't do yesterday (namely cleaning and sharing the recipes I had stockpiled from last week).

And so, here we are. The rains have been present for some time and poor Shepherd dog is not amused. She hates been damp more than anything in the world. Despite my care to dress her in her rain slicker every time we go out, she's already begun to pray for daylight. Here's hoping that city living has some perks and we can survive the storm with electricity in tact. While we await the end of this storm, I'll be spending some time thinking about all the fun fall flavors in this recipe:

Roasted Butternut Squash Linguine

Ingredients

• 1 medium/large butternut squash
• 1 package of whole wheat linguine
• 2 cups fresh kale (washed and torn into small pieces) 
• 3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 cup olive oil + some for drizzling
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Slice butternut squash in half starting at the stem. Using a spoon or fork, scrape out seeds. You can either wash and toast them (like pumpkin seeds) or discard. Sadly, I was not feeling up to picking through and cleaning the seeds, so I opted to discard them this time around.
3. Drizzle halves with olive oil and place skin side down in a 13x9 baking dish
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender
5. While squash is baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions
6. In a large skillet, saute minced garlic in 1/2 cup olive oil + Italian seasoning (this will create an olive oil and garlic sauce to be used on the pasta)
7. Once squash is cooked, allow to cool and then remove skin and dice into 1 inch cubes
8. Add pasta, squash pieces, and kale to large skillet. Toss with olive oil and garlic sauce. Heat through until kale begins to wilt before serving
9. Enjoy!

Tour of Italy

So apparently it is as hard as I anticpated to stay put long enough to complete a blog post during the gorgeous fall season. The leaves are finally starting to morph into their beautiful colors and the college football season is alive and well. As the daylight hours begin to get shorter, I find myself wanting to be outside and doing as many fall activities as possible before the darkness of winter sets in. Consequently, this means I recently found myself with several recipes that yet to share. Shameful.

Although this recipe was made most recently, and thus should be featured last, I am still riding a weekend high and am anxious to relive it before settling into the harsh reality that is the work week. So induldge me if you will...

I spent the last couple of days in OKC, which isn't unusual at this point, but this visit included a visit to my alma mater (the University of Oklahoma) on homecoming weekend. As a student there for 7 years, (I feel the need to mention that this was for college and law school...I think my parents may have killed me if I stretched out college that long, although I now miss it desperately and it doesn't seem like the worst idea in the world) I always ensured that I had season tickets to the football games and going to the games basically commandeered my fall Saturdays. It's been 3 years since I've been there during football season, so when I found out I'd be in town at the same time as a home game, I was beyond thrilled. I spent most of last week marking off the days as the excitment continued to build within me like a child waiting Santa's arrival. Finally, Saturday came. The game wasn't until the evening, so I wanted to spend as much of the day down there as possible. Being the kind girlfriend that I am, I obliged TF in his request to dine at his favorite Mexican restaurant beforehand. We're both somewhat connoisseurs of Mexican food, but when we'd taken me to this place years ago I was less than impressed. Well, as it turned out (much to his joy) I kind of loved it. I hate giving TF any reason to say 'told you so,' but it was kind of impossible for me to deny this one. Damn. I'm chalking up my enjoyment to the fact that my eating tastes have evolved substantially since the last time we ate there (I still ate meat for starters). Plus, any presentation of food that is this beautiful and laiden with fresh ingredients scores major points with me:

After the joy that was my meal was over, the fun continued. I often find it difficult to explain to people that didn't come from football schools how big a deal Sooner football is...it basically shuts down the town and there are people adorning crimson and cream for as far as the eye can see. TF and I had been somewhat indifferent about whether we wanted to try and scalp tickets to the game. Since it was homecoming, we were playing Kansas (not a challenging opponent, as proven by our 52-7 victory) so neither of us was into spending much on a ticket. Well, as luck would have it, we ended up finding tickets for $10 each (down from their original $65 value) outside the stadium, thus making my day even better than it already was. TF grew up in Norman attending football games with his family, but I never went until I was a student at OU. Consequently, until Saturday, I had never experienced the wonder that is having an assigned seat, not having to get to the game 4 hours before kickoff, and not having to spend the better part of the game standing. One thing I do not miss about college: life in the student section. Our seats ended up being fairly decent (the stadium holds 85Kish, so being super high up is always a fear of mine) and I was beyond thrilled to be back watching my Sooners play live (and stomping Kansas).

While my day in Norman was clearly the highlight of the weekend, I did find some time to try out my ever-improving cooking skills on TF. Unlike me, he is a huge fan of the Olive Garden. Since he'd already gotten his way with choosing our dining place Saturday, I was not willing to allow a trip to the Olive Garden into the mix as well. Aside from my growing distain for chain restaurants, I also dislike paying for food that I can make healthier and better in my own kitchen. So, as a compromise, I agreed to create a pasta sampler based on TF's favorite Olive Garden dish: the Tour of Italy. We hit up our beloved Whole Foods for fun pasta noodles and then got to work picking out the sauces to include in our feast.

First up, one of TF's ultimate favorites, broccoli alfredo, gets a healthy makeover.

Broccoli Alfredo

[hat tip to Minimalist Baker]

Ingredients

• 1 box pasta noodles of choice
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup low-fat milk [plus more if sauce is too thick]
• 1/2 cup veggie broth [or chicken]
• 5-6 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 each tsp. salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 cups fresh broccoli (cooked for 2-3 minutes with pasta)

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil (add pasta when ready) and cook until al dente. Add broccoli 2-3 minutes before pasta is done
2. Heat medium to large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil and garlic, stirring quickly to ensure it doesn’t burn
3. Next, add milk and veggie broth and stir
4. Then, begin adding 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time, stirring with a whisk to reduce clumps
5. Add salt, pepper, and cheese and stir
6. Reduce heat slightly and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you notice the sauce is too thin, add a little more flour. If too thick, add a little more milk
7. Once sauce is done, drain pasta/broccoli and mix with pasta in saucepan. Toss until evenly coated. Top with parm and serve

I'm not an alfredo fan (and actually didn't even taste any because I made it with chicken broth at TF's request) but it looks and smelled delicious.

Next up, another sauce of TF's choosing, carnbonara, joins the party courtesy of this Food Network find.

Carbonara Sauce

Ingredients

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces pasta (we chose a fun squiggly noodle....definitely not the correct term, but just go with whatever speaks to you)
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
2. Combine the bacon, olive oil, garlic and 1/4 cup water in a large skillet Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the bacon crisps, about 12 minutes
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water as the label directs. Mix the eggs, cheeses and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water
4. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the pasta, reserved pasta water, and the egg mixture. Toss until heated through, gently cooking the egg 1 to 2 minutes to make a creamy sauce. Garnish with more parmesan

Similar to the alfredo sauce, since I don't eat bacon I didn't taste test this one, but it too looked divine  If I liked eggs I would possibly try a vegetarian version of this.

Finally, the last chosen sauce was I could get on board with. It's definitley a go to favorite for us that we've been making for years and it never fails. You can make it as chucky as you want to suit your tastes which is one of my favorite things about this recipe. We both perfer a chunckier sauce, but like I said, it's definitely amendable.

Chunky Marinara

Ingredients

• 2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (large) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine dice tomatoes, garlic, and whole tomatoes (drained) into a large pot
2. Simmer on medium until tomatoes are cooked down (about 25 minutes or so)
3. While tomatoes are cooking down, crush tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon and season as desired 
4. Serve over warm pasta of your choosing

As this was the only one I could eat, it was my favorite :)

And then Pumpkin Met Risotto

Last week was one of those weeks where I felt like I was just trying to make it through each day without anything else going wrong and Tuesday was the worst of the worse. It was raining when I awoke (never a good sign). The only silver lining was that it just so happened that I'd acquired a new pair of rain boots over the weekend and was dying to break them in. As I began my walk to the metro,e in nothing short of monsoon-like rain, I was thankful that they came into my life not a moment too soon! Despite my attempt to have a decent outlook on the day, my mood was soon shot to pieces when I arrived at the metro to a crowd of people.

Unlike many in the District, I've often tried to keep an open mind and fairly good opinion about the metro and its workers. Not today. I'm oddly aggressive in crowd situations and pushed my way to the front, only to learn that the workers were not being very forthcoming with information as to why we were not being allowed to enter the station. The only thing worse than waiting, is not knowing why you're waiting! This went on for sometime (it was also still pouring down) and with each passing minute I began to get increasingly irritated. Not only had I actually planned on being early to work today (early for me is arriving before 9), but I also had a meeting to call into at 9:30 so time was more of the essence than usual. After standing in a huff (and starting to feel sicker by the minute while doing so) for a good 20 minutes, with no freedom in sight, I threw up my soaking wet hands and began the trek home.

By the time I arrived back in my apartment I'd spent a solid hour out in the rain and was a sweaty, hysterical mess. I cleaned up and I ended up working from home for a second day in a row. Of course, in keeping with the theme of the week, things did not get better, as I'd expected, once home. Instead, my work computer decided to betray me like Judas, yet again. I really hate that thing and cannot wait for it to be replaced (this is actually a realistic dream as they're in the process of replacing everyone's laptops...my name is just apparently on the bottom of the list). I got completely locked out of the network and had to spend the day working on my personal computer and using webmail (I hate webmail). Ugh. I was also late to the meeting because of the rain fiasco. Luckily, I work with understanding people. The only good thing that came out of the day was that I got to try a second crockpot recipe: pumpkin risotto.

This was my first time making a risotto, but I'd heard that doing it in a crockpot (rather than on the stove with all the incessant stiring) was the best way to go. In keeping with the theme of the day, making this dish was not without its issues. I'd acquired two pie pumpkins at the farmer's market over the weekend and was all set to finally start using real (rather than canned) pumpkin in my dishes. Well, that plan was shot when I couldn't get a knife to cut into either of them! I tried for a bit, but after a while I became fearful that I'd cut a finger off (and mother would joyfully sing "told you so") and said to hell with it and broke open one of the cans I had stockpiled. Desipte my inability to use a real pumpkin, the dish still turned out devine and was truly the highlight of my otherwise miserable day!

Crock Pot Pumpkin Risotto

Ingredients
[Adapted from Chaos Served Daily...a fitting name for my week]

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup grated Parmesan

Preparation 

1. Combine olive oil, onion, rice, and stock in crockpot. Cook on high for 2-4 hours, until rice is tender (Mine took a little over 2 hours)
2. Stir in pumpkin, wine, and cheese before serving. Sprinkle each serving with fresh parsley and serve (I also made some fresh brussel sprouts to have on the side as well)

Soup Time

Fall not only marks the beginning of me being in a more pleasant mood, but also the return of soups to my life. As I've recounted on numerous occasions, my tolerance for hot foods in the summer months is minimal at best. But in the fall/winter months, I love nothing more than nestling up with a warm bowl on the couch. 

Last week a colleague shared with me the recipe for one of her favorite soups from Whole Foods. She began by describing the recipe as having kale and sweet potato in it...I was instantly sold. So, after picking up some goodies at the farmers market over the weekend I was ready to get to it. The original recipe was made on the stove, but since I've been anxiously awaiting the chance to break out my crock pot, I threw everything in there and let the wondrous pot work it's magic. As you may recall, I'm fairly new to crock pot cooking (my receipt of said crock pot from Santa was part of the inspiration for starting this blog) and was ready to get back into the game. It did not disappoint, and despite what I read on several websites, I didn't have any problem with needing to adjust the amount of liquid in the original recipe. And as the grand finale, I got to use my beloved hand mixer! It was a good day in my kitchen!

Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

Ingredients
[Adapted from Whole Foods]

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, minced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 5 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 3 cups chopped kale leaves
• Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Pre-Cooking

Preparation

1. Combine above ingredients in crock pot, cook on high for 4-6 hours (until veggies are tender)
2. Using hand blender, puree veggies until desired consistency. Serve with whole grain bread for dipping

Ready to be blended

Pumpkin Muffin Lovin'

Hello October! In addition to loving fall, I love, love, love the month of October!I've always been jealous of people with birthdays or occassions in this glorious month. I love it so much I feel as though it should be commerated with me receiving some sort of gift. Maybe I should just start giving myself gifts during October?? Ah the joys of being an adult...

Well, when not thinking about how to bestoy gifts upon myself, I'm working my way through my plethora of pumpkin recipes. Will I make it? It's impossible to know at this point. I was able to cross another one off the list last week though as we had a morning breakfast/baby shower at work. I'm not a huge shower person (I actually don't care for them at all...especially when they revolve around babies). I know what you're thinking, and yes, I'm dead on the inside (or at the very least am void of any sort of maternal gene).

Nonetheless, I eagerly volunteered to bring a baked good. I figure if I'm ever going to get through all these recipes, I can't be picky. And so, I whipped up a double batch of these bad boys and was given the praise I craved. This was my first time baking for my new teammates and I wanted nothing more out of the day than to have my creation be well received. It was, and I was thrilled. And, by doubling the recipe, I was able to pay my papa with the extras in exchange for serving as a bodyguard/accompanier when I ventured to the DMV. There's officially no place scarier, but at least I no longer have an Oklahoma license or, more importantly, have to fear not being able to obtain alcohol (my license was set to expire next month so I was forced to get my act together).

Even when not being used for bribery, these muffins are the perfect treat on a crisp autumn morning. Happy Fall!!

Pumpkin Oat Streusel Muffins

Ingredients
[Original from Mr. Quaker, although I made a few changes. Doubling recipe makes about 2 dozen]

STREUSEL

• 1/4 cup Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

MUFFINS

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup Pure Pumpkin
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with cooking spray
2. For streusel, combine all ingredients in small bowl; mix well. Set aside
3. For muffins, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda in large bowl; mix well. In medium bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, applesauce, and egg; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix)
4. Fill muffin cups almost full. Sprinkle with reserved streusel, patting gently
5. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool muffins in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm