Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

If you are lucky enough to not live near any hoodlum neighbor kids and still have an intact pumpkin, roast that bad boy up! The little ones are the best in terms of flavor and ease but any are edible as long as they haven't been carved or have rotted. I secretly chose the 2 little ones at the patch for this very purpose. If you don't have a pumpkin, never fear Libby does a stellar job of it for a fraction of the time and effort!

Roasting pumpkins:

Preheat oven to 350. Wash pumpkin and cut in half (this is why a smaller pumpkin is preferred). Scoop out the innards - I just had to use that word - and place cut-side down in a large baking dish. Cover with 1/4 inch water and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size. Remove from oven and once cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and discard skin. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. And don't forget to roast those seeds for a tasty, healthy treat!

Now once you've made the puree, here are a couple recipes to use it up.

Pumpkin Brownies - These are the closest thing to chewy I've ever tasted that involve pumpkin. It typically provides so much moisture it's impossible to get this chewy texture. However, this recipe omits any baking soda or baking powder, which is used to make things rise and become fluffy. I prefer for my various pumpkin bars to stay away from the pumpkin pie texture and flavor and be more cakey or chewy, so this was a perfect fit for my taste buds.

Pumpkin Blossom Cookies with Pumpkin Spice Kisses - The first thing to note is that the original recipe used candy corn kisses but I'm in love with the pumpkin spice ones and snatched up the first bag I saw at Target. This recipe gets kind of involved with all the freezing components but it's all worth it in the end. The cookie is good and pumpkin-y and the kiss adds an extra little burst of sweetness. I'll warn you that the recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies, so be ready to pass these gems out to your closest friends! Or you could just freeze them and selfishly keep them all for yourself!!

And I had to share this next picture to display my little helper. I'm teaching him early the important stuff - cooking, photography, and blogging!

A Treat for my Sweets

One blog phenomenon that I don't completely understand is giveaways. How do the companies find these bloggers and why do they choose the ones they do? I guess some things I'll never know and I should just leave well enough alone. I've entered my fair share, thinking incorrectly that I might win, but I think I've only actually won one (thank you Graham Crakas!). I don't usually opt for the extra entries that require you to post about the giveaway on your own blog but I just couldn't resist this one. You might know it involves sweets - mac daddy cupcakes to be exact. That's not really their trademarked name but when you see these bad boys, you'll appreciate my description.

All you have to do is go to Leslie Loves Veggies blog, drool first, then go to Cupcakes in Jars to pick your poison. Leslie is giving away 2 of these little gems so that means if you win, you can surely share the other one with me! I'm kidding...well not really but I realize it might be hard for you to ship me a cupcake. Just think of me as you devour each and every morsel of the super moist cake and creamy icing!

Jean Farris Winery

Warning, this post is geared for locals or others passing through the beautiful Bluegrass. Over the last 10 years (maybe longer) or so wineries have been popping up in the most unsuspecting locations, including KY. While most of them are strictly in the wine business, there are a few that have also crossed over into the restaurant business. One of these is Jean Farris Winery.

On a recent evening, I joined several sorority sisters for a supper club outing to Jean Farris. Having never been there before I wasn't sure where I was going or what to expect in terms of the food. It was a beautiful day and therefore a great day to drive a good 5 miles through the countryside. It's not hard to miss it with the grapevines lining the road, even though I did!

Our group was one of only maybe 3 the entire evening. I can only assume this was due to the fact it was a weeknight. I'm sure it's hopping on the weekends - at least I hope so. The restaurant itself was almost barn-like from the outside and very open and somewhat cavernous on the inside. The bathroom was very nice (you know you can tell a lot about a restaurant from the restrooms!) and everything was very clean and nicely appointed.

The menu is very expansive and divided into four courses. After seeing the portions, I sincerely doubt anyone could eat 4 courses in one setting. I couldn't seem to get past the descriptions on the appetizer listing, or second course. I contemplated trying to make 2 of them work together for my meal but I couldn't seem to make it work. It's a little hard to justify both a ravioli and a gnocchi dish. And somehow shrimp tostada just doesn't sound like it'd pair well with pasta of any kind. After hearing the soup of the day, Butternut Squash and Shrimp Bisque, I thought I could combine that with one of the pasta dishes for a perfect amount of food. Or so I thought...

The soup was definitely butternut squash, as told by the golden color, but shrimp? Um, where? I would think if you used shrimp in a soup you would not want to puree it with the rest of the soup. Well they did. Either that or they used shrimp broth and decided that was enough to add the word "shrimp" to the title. Either way, it was disappointing. The soup itself was fine but was extremely thick and didn't really have the depth of flavors I was hoping for.

Next up was the Baked Gnocchi. I was tempted to put the word baked in quotes because the only baking going on here was the melting of 2 whole sticks of butter! While the gnocchi were literally pillow-soft, the amount of butter they were floating in was revolting. My girlfriend and I both ordered this as our meal and both were sickened by the amount of pure butter. She joked that at least with a cream sauce the butter and fat is disguised but not here. It's really a shame because the mushroom ragout and aged goat cheese were a fantastic topping on the dish but I just couldn't get past the butter.

As I mentioned earlier, all of the dishes were huge. Our "appetizers" were large enough for a meal. The entrees that everyone else got were also enormous. There's a point where super-sized portions are just too much. I've grown to really appreciate the smaller, more appropriate portions that many establishments have gone to. Two pieces of fish just is not necessary - no wonder America has such an obesity issue.

All in all, the menu has good concepts. I would advise the chef to tweak his recipes a bit and focus more on the components than the size. I would like to go back and try other items to be fair and make a more well-rounded review. I won't rush back tomorrow but I also won't cross it off my list.

Weekly Recipe Roundup

This is a pre-Thanksgiving post to give you a few ideas for your upcoming T-day feast! I've never understood why turkey is reserved for one measly day a year. Well not in this house and especially not since I found this super easy crock pot recipe. It keeps the bird super moist, very flavorful, and hello, you do nothing but push a button! You still get the same great smell without tying up your oven, getting up at the crack of dawn to put it in the oven, and whatever other crazy hurdles you jump through to get the turkey on the table.

Like I said, the recipe is super easy and very flexible and forgiving. The first time I made it I topped it with a can of cranberry sauce and a dry onion soup mix. Below is the recipe I used this time. Sorry, no pictures because I figured everyone knew what turkey looked like (:

Crock Pot Turkey

1 8-10 lb turkey breast (just make sure it will fit in your crock pot)

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 white wine

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup onion slices

salt and pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

Pour broth and wine in bottom of crock pot. Pat the turkey breast dry. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Place turkey, breast side down, in crock pot. Cut butter into chunks and put on top and in turkey cavity. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Remove and let stand a few minutes before trying to cut.

*****

Even though I have a huge sweet tooth, I have never been a fan of Sweet Potato Casserole. I tried to explain to a friend that I just didn't like sweet vegetables (peas also fit into this category for me) but she nixed that theory by pointing out my love of corn. I guess I just don't prefer sweetened sweet potatoes and who knows why I don't love peas.

I had some canned sweet potatoes from Wes' grandmother that I wanted to purge from the pantry and looked for a way to incorporate them in my mock T-day meal. I came up with this Sweet Potato Souffle and boy howdy, I'm in love! It is sweet but you don't taste enough of the earthy sweet potato to make it weird. It's just a party in your mouth. Mine didn't rise and puff like a professional souffle, but who cares because it tasted so yummy. With only 1/4 cup sugar, no marshmallows, and just a little butter, this one is a healthy alternative to that calorie-ridden casserole that adorns every Thanksgiving table I've ever seen. Oh and I skipped the rum completely and while I'm sure it adds extra depth, I think it was plenty good enough without it! Ignore the not so appealing picture!

*****

I didn't make this next dish to go with my feast but it would be a great alternative to traditional stuffing. I'm sure I just lost 95% of you with that suggestion. I'm not typically a stuffing fan but I used 365 Stuffing with Cranberries and used the stock from the cooked turkey instead of water. That would convert any stuffing hater I think but I digress. This Harvest Wild Rice Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette is such a versatile side dish. I paired it with pork tenderloin and it went perfectly with that protein. In case any of you were turned off with the notion of pumpkin in the dressing, you really can't taste it. Sure a refined palate could detect a hint of it but it really is quite subtle.

*****

Finally, what's Thanksgiving without Cranberry Sauce? If you aren't a fan, never fear I used to hate it too but I've discovered that was because I never tried a good one - as in fresh cranberries. Cranberry sauce is too easy to not just make yourself. This recipe has like 4 ingredients, so you should totally give it a try. Your kids will probably even eat it because it's laced with sugar!

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

by Pillsbury

1 (12oz) bag fresh cranberries

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 T. orange zest

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup pomegranate juice (I used Acai juice because that's what I had.)

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20-25 minutes, or until most of the berries have popped. Spoon into serving dish and refrigerate until ready to serve.

*****

Next up, what to do with that pumpkin sitting on your front porch!

Ribbit, Ribbit

I'm happy to report trick-or-treating went off without a hitch! Not only that, Colin actually enjoyed it and eagerly went door to door. No words, just taking candy. I tried to get him to say thank you every time but I'm not sure how successful I was. It only took him 2 houses to get the hang of it. The first house gave him candy and at the second house he tried to give the man the candy the first house had given him. He was just trying to share - how precious!

Thank heavens for his 2 older nieces who showed him the ropes. He loves these girls and does whatever (within reason) they tell him to do. Kiara, the oldest, just takes him under her wing and mothers him and watches over him as if he were her own. He loves older kids and I think these 2 girls are a big reason why.

We didn't see a Chick-fil-a cow but we did see a dad dressed as a king with his 2 princesses. Colin quickly told me he didn't want to go to the king or princesses house. He was also quite disturbed by one of our neighbors wearing a mask. Yep, still hearing about that one today. I guess the fact that his little mind is a sponge can also prove to be a bad thing!

All in all, it was a fun night for all of us. Colin got to collect things he'll never eat, I got to witness my adorable frog trick-or-treating for the first time, and Wes got to go to a football game (we lost but that's another story). I knew I had done something right when the first, and only thing, Colin wanted out of his bucket was a box of raisins! Don't think I didn't thank that mother for the healthy alternative. I also thanked the goldfish lady and my friend who passed out granola bars (not the healthiest thing in the world but better than candy).

I'm already looking forward to next year and since I had such fun finding a costume this year, maybe I should start looking now! Wes has already warned me that I only get to pick them out a few more years - until Colin knows enough to start making requests. Here are a few shots from the evening.

Nervously watching the kids coming up the street.

His first trick-or-treat house!

And we're off.

Do you think I'm crazy?

I came across this post on Centsational Girl (fabulous blog for inspiration, by the way) and it immediately got my wheels spinning. Well actually my wheels have been spinning for a while because I'm ready for a change in my house. We've lived in our house for 7 years and have had the same color on the wall in our foyer/kitchen/family room the whole time. Lately I haven't been feeling the khaki-green color and have been secretly longing for an elf to come in and paint it overnight. I think the strongest hatred right now is my kitchen, which is unfortunately, where I spend a lot of my time. It's the size but it's also the honey oak cabinets that match the floor and therefore create a terrible orangish yellow color for the entire room. I don't think there's any color I could paint the walls to lighten it up or fix it. But when I saw this post where she transformed her blah honey oak staircase to this fabulous dark mahogany/walnut color, I was smitten! I thought I could give it a whirl on my banister and then if I like it, I could move on to my kitchen cabinets. I wasn't too keen on stripping, sanding, taping, painting but then I saw this post and she just stained right on top of the wood. It gave me hope but now I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to try it. What do you think? Here's the before (hers not mine but mine looks practically the same with the same carpet, walls, and floor color):

And here's the after. Please note I'm just talking about the banister, not the wallpaper and moulding on the wall. Baby steps people, baby steps!

Isn't that amazing how that little touch makes such a big difference?!

Genius or just a recorder?

I realize a) Colin is my first child and I have nothing to compare him or my experiences to and b) I am his mother and am therefore entitled to be somewhat biased but really people, this kid is smart! I'm trying to do a better job recording these genius moments and I figure the blog is as good as any - plus you can get a good laugh. Here we go and please note, some I'm proud of and some well, his daddy clearly had some influence. I'll let you guess which ones!

- We were walking outside to play and as soon as we got out of the garage he told me, "It's a beautiful day." Yes it was but how do you know what that means?

- That same night he was running around and stopped dead in his tracks to look up at the sky. He said, "Look Mommy, a half moon!" Again, how do you know that? Who taught you that or where did you even hear that. We've definitely talked about the moon but never the size and definitely not the word "half."

- Tonight when Wes went in to tuck him in tonight and Colin had some gas. He told his daddy he was "just tootin' away." In case you needed some help, this is all on Wes.

- He has also begun memorizing books and will sometimes quote the next page before I can even open my mouth. One of these said books is an Elmo book. There's a joke on one page that I was trying to skip for the sake of time. That is until he turned the page back and pointed to it and told me to read the joke. It's the knock-knock joke that goes, boo, boo-who, please don't cry. This is now his favorite joke and loves to tell it all the time. He doesn't quite have the middle of it down but he definitely has the "peas don't cry."

We're definitely starting to realize that nothing we say is safe. If we try to talk in low voices, he knows and asks what we said. Nosey little booger! Even if he doesn't repeat it right then, chances are he will sometime and even in the right context. I think that's the most amazing part. I mean anyone can repeat what they've heard but to actually apply it is a different story. See why I think he's such a smart boy?!

Good Morning Sunshine!

After I get ready in the mornings, Colin and I enjoy a little time together over breakfast. When we come downstairs I put him in his Spiderman chair and turn on the Disney channel. Somewhere along the way he has started bossing me around and says, "I want some nanas and blueberries while I wait." Geesh kiddo, this isn't a diner, you don't get to order an appetizer while you wait for the main course! But who could deny such a cute little boy from such a healthy treat? Not this momma. It buys me a few minutes to cook the oatmeal, so I'm really not complaining.

Wes, on the other, hand does not have the luxury of eating breakfast before he goes to work. Oh sure, he could get up 20 minutes earlier but silly, why would he want to do something crazy like that? I try to keep the freezer stocked with healthy muffins I've baked but I know he really prefers a heartier "meat and potatoes" kind of meal. I've also made big batches of breakfast burritos but there's some time involved in that and that's a lot of food. So when I came across this brilliant idea for make ahead breakfast sandwiches, I couldn't wait to surprise him with them. Cooking the eggs in a muffin tin = genius and oh so easy! I just fried some bacon while the eggs were cooking, added some cheese to the eggs in the oven, and then assembled the components on the English muffins. I wrapped them each individually and left a few in the fridge and froze the rest. I snuck and ate one myself to try and it really is quite tasty. He really likes them as well - score! Move over Egg McMuffin, here's something healthier!

Breakfast Sandwiches

scaled down from Chaos in the Kitchen

5 eggs

6 slices of bacon

1/2 cup shredded cheese (any variety will work)

6 English muffins (search for ones with no high-fructose corn syrup)

Preheat oven to 400.

1.) Beat eggs together, add about 2T. water, and salt and pepper to taste.

2.) Lightly grease 6 cups in a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil.

3.) Divide egg mixture evenly in oiled cups. Fill remaining 6 cups with a little water to avoid scorching.

4.) Bake for 10 minutes.

5.) Cook bacon and let it cool while eggs cook.

6.) Remove eggs and top each with shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted and eggs have puffed up some.

7.) Remove from oven and let cool.

8.) Assemble sandwiches with 1 piece of bacon (halved) and one egg cup.

9.) Wrap each sandwich in wax paper and either freeze or refrigerate. You can refrigerate for a couple days or freeze for up to a month.

10.) To reheat, cook frozen sandwiches in microwave for 1 minute to 1 1/2 minutes. For refrigerated ones, heat for 30 seconds.

4.)

Weekly Recipe Roundup

I've made a new rule for my Weekly Roundup to include no more than 4 recipes in one post. I don't want the post to get so long that you lose interest and potentially miss out a great recipe, so hopefully 4 isn't too many. Feel free to let me know if it's too hot to handle, too cold to hold. Thanks.

First up is a blend of 2 Beef Stroganoff recipes. I guess if you don't copy a recipe entirely, it's considered your own creation - at least that's what I'm going with. I couldn't find the source of the inspirational recipe anyway, so we'll just say it's mine (see below).

Beef Stroganoff

2 T. butter

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped

8oz fresh mushrooms, quartered

1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak, sliced very thin (smile really big and ask your butcher to do it!)

2-3 cups beef broth (depending on how thick/thin you want your sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup tomato puree (I mixed 2T. tomato paste with enough water to make 1/4 cup)

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 package of wheat egg noodles

In a deep skillet or saute pan melt butter. Saute garlic until golden. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cover and let mushrooms cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add meat, tossing as you go, and let it brown a few minutes. Sprinkle flour over meat mixture and stir until incorporated. Add broth, Worcestershire, tomato puree, bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. (Now is a good time to cook your noodles.) Remove bay leaf and stir in sour cream (feel free to add more than the 1/2 cup if you prefer a creamier version). Serve atop egg noodles.

*****

I have tried and tried to give Rachel Ray credit for the following recipe but alas, it isn't hers. I think it's the "sammies" part that makes me think of her. I don't care who's they are, they are delicious little gems! These Oven Ham Sammies are tasty little treats. I erroneously only made one for each of us and after we each devoured our sammie in 3 bites, I realized my mistake. And here I thought I was being frugal splitting the bag of Hawaiian rolls and freezing half for another use - that's what I get for thinking ahead! I did have scale the recipe down to accommodate my 7 rolls but that was no problem. I did omit the poppy seeds and probably reduced the amount of butter and ham a little more but it's all in the name of the good ol' gluteus maximus! These would be great for tailgating or as an appetizer at a party.

*****

Every time I go to an Italian restaurant, I always wish I had an extra stomach so I could eat more and try more things. One thing I always see but never want to waste the stomach space on is Pasta e Fagioli soup. I'm just not a soup-ordering-out kind of girl. But when I saw this recipe for Pasta e Fagioli, I knew I wanted to try it. Unfortunately, I can't compare this to the real thing but after having this one, I'm not sure I want to try anyone else's! We had this the same night as the Ham Sammies and I felt like a kitchen goddess with the rave reviews I was getting from Wes. You would've thought I had slaved in the kitchen for 3 days - too bad I made the soup the day before and the sammies took a whopping 10 minutes! I did alter the recipe a touch by adding ground turkey instead of hamburger. The recipe calls for a seasoning blend and since I don't have any such blend, I used a little cumin, chili powder, and dried onions. I ditched the V-8 because of the high sodium and used an organic tomato juice from Whole Foods that was much easier on the sodium and actually quite tasty for breakfast! Oh and I also can't get used to using the leaves of celery, so I omitted that part too. The ingredient list leaves out the pasta, so don't forget it like I almost did!

How to be healthy

So often my little Colin says the funniest things but my ever-slacking brain can't remember them long enough to share with you. Not this time, I wasn't letting this one slip away.

This morning we - really just Colin because I only had one eye open at 7:30 - were watching Sid the Science Kid on PBS. For those of you not familiar with it, it actually does a pretty decent job of providing legitimate educational advice without being totally annoying. Today's lesson was on being healthy. Hello? Right up my alley! At the end of the show I recapped it by telling Colin that to be healthy we need to wash our hands, brush our teeth, and eat well. He said, "Hmph, I don't want to be healthy."

Great, how am I supposed to respond to that? I'm not sure I did respond actually. No need because he immediately gets down off the couch and tells me he's ready. I said, "Ready for what?"

As he's turning the door handle he says, "To be healthy." Still makes me chuckle! Oh that boy.