Pumpkin Pie (with recipe)

Thing #4 desperately wanted to make pumpkin pies this weekend, so we indulged him!  This comes at the perfect time for the season anyway, so we thought we would share our recipe with you!

I got our recipe from our local Co-op and it's always a hit!

This recipe calls for pumpkin puree.  If you want to used canned, that is fine too, but if you want to use fresh pumpkin (as we usually do) - buy 1 or 2 baking pumpkins, cut in half, scoop out the center (save the seeds for roasting later!) and lay flat in a baking dish with a bit of water in the bottom and bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes or until a fork is easily inserted into the flesh of the pumpkin.  Scoop the pumpkin out of the skin and into a blender to make your puree.  You would be surprised the added flavor this adds to your pies!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 Cups (or one 15oz can) pumpkin puree (can substitute butternut squash if you prefer)
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup Half & Half
• 1/3 Cup Milk
• 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 9-inch Homemade Pie Crust or pre-made frozen pie crust
• Whipped Cream for Topping

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Put all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth - if you don't have a blender, you can use a large bowl and beat with a mixer.
• Pour into pie shell and bake at 400 for 15 minutes
• Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours before slicing.

Children are always closely supervised
While cooking and baking in the
Brownifer kitchen.  Especially
when fire is involved.

We let our whipped topping sit on the counter and come to room temperature while the pie was cooling, then spooned it into a piping bag to make the whipped topping look pretty :-) 

The kids have fun making this, it's nice and simple and though I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, I'm told it's amazing! 

We doubled the recipe for two pies and had some filling left over, so we poured it into ramekins and baked it with the pies in the oven.  When it cooled, we sprinkled it with sugar and torched the sugar like you would for a creme brulee.  We have organic sugar that isn't very fine, so it didn't torch so well.  It was sort of a fail, but it tasted good and they ate it, so .... is it really a fail?  :-)

We'll be making plenty more of these this season, they go FAST!

Homemade Spicy Laab (with recipe)

So, Laab (also known as Laap, Larp, Lahp, Lahb) is a family favorite around here!  It's a spicy minced meat salad that is usually eaten with/on greens.  Normally we use a Laab spice packet we buy at the Asian food store and eat it on Romaine leaves.  But last night, Brownie didn't find the packet in time and we proceeded to make our own while researching recipes online.  So this is our version!  It turned out great and I love that we can control the heat!  Laab is notoriously spicy; VERY spicy.

Never fear that this recipe calls for no salt or garlic....you won't be lacking flavor!  We had a beautiful organic head of cabbage, so we attempted to use it with our Laab, but....while the flavor was amazing, it just didn't work.  We were wishing we had our trusty Romaine leaves, so that's what we're going to list in the recipe.

If you're intimidated by Asian cooking, try this!  It's a simple process and it will impress anyone who tries it!  You'll be a hit!

Ingredients:

• 2 Lbs Ground Pork
• 1 Large Red Bell Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 Large Shallot - very thinly sliced
• 2 Green Onion - chopped
• 5 Tablespoons Lime Juice
• 6 Tablespoons Fish Sauce (we found a wonderful MSG-free one at a local Asian food store)
• 1 Tablespoon Cayenne (adjust if you want more or less spice)
• Whole Romaine Leaves, rinsed
• Chopped Green Onion (for garnish)
• Sweet Chili Sauce (for garnish - we found some at Market of Choice in the ethnic aisle)

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large skillet
• Brown pork in oil over medium heat until nearly cooked through
• Add shallot, green onion, bell pepper, cilantro, fish sauce and lime juice and cayenne to pan and mix with meat
• Simmer on Med/High uncovered until liquid is evaporated. (You'll still have a bid of oil in the bottom of the pan, that's fine)

NOTE:  Yes, Fish Sauce has a foul smell that will make you think of vile things.  Just go with it.  It will cook down and taste delicious!  Trust us.

Serve Laab scooped into Romaine leaves (like a taco) or over rice with chopped cabbage, top with chopped green onion and sweet chili sauce.

I'm not a fan of sweet chili sauce, but it's one of Brownie's favorites.  The regular cabbage was a total fail, but it was perfect chopped up with the Laab over rice!  SO good!  We made some bowls of this for our lunches today .... yes, it's delightful leftover too!

Enjoy!

Tangent Inn

Formerly known as 'Dixie Creek Saloon', the 'Tangent Inn' has been remodeled and is now open for business!  We've all been watching and waiting for this classic to re-open and it's finally here! Although the Grand Opening hasn't happened yet, and from what we were told the menu will be expanding, we dropped in to see the face-lift and sample the menu.  We were excited to see in which direction the new owners would take this.

The parking is still the same, the exterior is very familiar, but the interior is clean, updated and much more pleasing to the eye.  The bathrooms were clean, the floors were shiny and the staff was polite and helpful.

The menu is simple; appetizers, soups & salad, sandwiches and burgers.  We were very impressed with the polite and attentive service we received; the staff is knowledgeable and was very helpful with menu recommendations.

We started with appetizers as recommended and tried the Fried Zucchini which is Panko-battered, sprinkled with shredded parmesan.  Nothing frozen here, these were real, juicy zucchini spears and they were delicious!  It comes with ranch or honey mustard, but we asked to sample all dipping sauces and we actually determined that the bleu cheese is the dipping sauce to order with this.  The flavor doesn't overpower the zucchini as ranch and honey mustard both tend to do.

The Beer & Cheese dip was our 2nd appetizer, made with Gilgamesh Classic Ale, cream cheese and

cheddar cheese.  It is served with homemade pretzel bites.  This was good as well - a bit heavy on the salt in both the cheese sauce and the pretzel bites, though not uncommon in a bar establishment.

For dinner, Brownie ordered the Tangent Burger with tots.  This 1/2 pound brisket/chuck mix patty is made with a cheese skirt and comes loaded with hickory smoked bacon (no skimping here) and a roasted

garlic aioli. As you can see in the photo, it's a good size portion.  Eating through the crispy cheese and bacon ends is a delightful pathway to the burger - enjoy!  The burger itself was a bit dry and overcooked, though we tend to believe this may because of the timing of the cheese skirt rather than incompetence in the kitchen.  Time will tell as it's been less than two weeks since they opened their doors.  As for the tots .... tots are tots.  They tasted as you would expect tots to taste.

Cheese. Skirt.

I ordered the Roast Pork Loin Sandwich; thinly sliced pork loin, smoked gouda cheese with sage mustard

on homemade sourdough bread.  The pork was tender and flavorful, though the smoked gouda flavor didn't come through as much as the sage did for me.  I love sage and it was delicious, so no complaints there!  My sandwich came with fries, which are hand cut in the restaurant; our waitress proudly told us this when ordering.  They are well worth ordering as a side!

Ask for this mustard, it's divine!

Overall, we enjoyed our experience. The staff was so friendly and helpful and the atmosphere is a lively bar; we even got to enjoy a  couple dancing near our table when a slow song came on.  Minors are allowed in the dining room until 9pm just in case you want to bring the family to eat.

We were told that the menu will be expanding soon during or after the Grand Opening to include family-style options and a breakfast menu.  We will not be giving Tangent Inn a Brownifer star rating until after we sample all of these options.  Too bad for us, right!? :-)

Until then, we highly suggest you head out to Tangent and check out Tangent Inn!  The prices are reasonable and from what we experienced, you'll enjoy your time at this new restaurant, they're off to a great start!

Spicy Autumn Soup

It's that time of year!  Soup!  I love making soups, but I can never create the same one twice, so I've decided to start writing down what I did so I can remember some of these amazing creations.

Of course this time of year is full of pumpkin this, squash that.... it's dizzying.  But Trader Joe's had
a few spectacular things on the shelves that inspired this soup for me.  Photos help, so I'm including those.

I also cooked by candlelight (Brownie thinks I'm insane for doing this) so I didn't have a chance to take many photos during the process, which is why you get to admire this lovely shot of my leftover soup in tupperware.  You're welcome. I promise it's just as scrumptious leftover!  Noodles a little softer, but still good!

This has a kick to it, so be ready to clear those sinuses!  It's also incredibly filling, so small portions go a long way.

Here Goes:

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Chopped Onion
• 1 Cup Chopped Celery
• 1 Cup Chopped Carrot
• 6-10 Garlic Cloves - Minced (however much or little you prefer)
• 1 Stick Salted Butter
• 3 small zucchini, sliced or chopped as you wish
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Bell Pepper
• Truffle Oil (totally optional but they have a tiny bottle of this amazingness at Market of Choice if you want to use it)
• 1 Package Trader Joe's Cheese & Garlic Croutons
  
  
  
• 1 Package Trader Joe's Fall Zucchette Pasta
• 1 Jar Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Sauce
• 1-2 Cups cooked or leftover meat of any kind that you may have on hand or need to use, chopped
• 1/2 Cup Chopped fresh Sage
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (The sauce has a bite to it, so if you're sensitive to spicy, leave this out)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 Teaspoons Cumin
• 1-2 Tablespoons fresh Thyme (1/2-1 Tablespoon dried)
• 2 Teaspoons fresh, chopped Oregano (1 Teaspoon dried)
• Dash of Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Paprika

Directions:

• Boil water with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and get noodles cooking in a separate pot for now.  
• Saute garlic, onion, celery and carrot with 1/2 the stick of butter and a few sprinkles of salt in a soup pot until butter is melted and onions are a bit soft
• Add water, about 8-10 cups and turn the heat up to bring to boil
• While the water is heating up for soup, add the cayenne, salt & pepper, cumin, thyme, oregano, cinnamon and paprika.  Stir.
• When water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer until the pasta is ready.
• Drain pasta, leave in the collander
• In pasta pot, put the remaining 1/2 stick of butter with chopped fresh sage - on medium heat, melt butter and cook sage until it's a bit crispy
• Turn soup back up to a boil, add jar of sauce, zucchini and bell pepper and let boil while you do the final step with the pasta.
• When the sage is ready, put pasta back into the pot and toss it with sage and butter, sprinkling with salt and truffle oil until you like the flavor
• Let Pasta sizzle in pan on medium heat, stirring often for about 5 minutes
• Add chopped meat to the pot, stirring in to let it heat up and flavor the soup a bit - 5 minutes while the pasta sizzles
• Taste the broth, making sure the flavors are where you want them, adjust as you wish.  If you didn't use enough garlic, sprinkle in some garlic powder for a quick fix :-)
• Stir pasta into the soup
• Serve soup with cheesy garlic croutons and enjoy!

This soup is very filling and this recipe will feed 6-8 people.

Homemade Organic Spiced Nuts (w/recipe)

One of my besties makes spiced nuts for a snack for her family regularly and I tried some last week.  So while I was cleaning out the Brownifer Pantry and re-organizing, I realized we have a TON of raw, organic nuts and seeds.  I decided to put them to good use and make a batch of my own spiced nuts!

So I did.  And they're amazing!  Healthy, organic and no chemicals or additives that will give me headaches!!!!!  SCORE!

These would be great for parties or divided in smaller containers/baggies for lunch snacks on-the-go!

Try it out:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Cups Nuts/Seeds of your choice (if using salted nuts, omit salt from spices)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon or so black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you want spicier)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (we used fleur de sel)

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees
• Mix the spices in a small bowl and set aside
• In a separate, larger bowl, mix the olive oil and maple syrup
• Spread the nuts on a large baking sheet and roast for about 12 minutes, watch them carefully and make sure they don't burn
• Pour the nuts into the larger bowl with the oil and syrup, stir to coat
• Sprinkle the spices over the nuts and stir again to mix in the spices
• Spread nuts back out onto the cookie sheet
• Bake for another 3 minutes  - taste to see if you want to add more salt before final bake
• Remove nuts from oven, stir/flip on the cookie sheet and back for another 3 minutes
• Let nuts cool on the cookie sheet until you can handle them and transfer to a storage container

We store our nuts in the pantry - they should be good for a week or so but I doubt they'll even last that long!  

Chicken Ramen w/Shiitake Mushrooms (with recipe)

I had huge plans the other night to actually make dinner.  But Thing #5 was so into her baking that it just didn't happen. I'd printed a recipe and everything!  Bless Brownie for taking over when he got home so the baking could continue.  He hates to follow a recipe, but he indulged me!

This is easy, delicious and inexpensive to make.  You'll love it!

Our meat counter would not remove the bone from breasts AND leave the skin on, so we opted to grill our chicken instead.  No regrets, it was amazing just how it turned out.

A bit of advice for those who don't like spicy food .... this isn't spicy. Don't let the jalapeño scare you!  I don't eat the jalapeños in this type of recipe, but I leave them in the broth for flavor - it just wouldn't be the same without them!


This recipe is for two people - two bowls.  Adjust accordingly!!!

Ingredients:

Costco has these!!!!!

• 2 chicken breasts
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to season/to taste
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp sesame or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 tsp fresh garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 cups rich chicken stock
• 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms (or 1/2 cup fresh)
• 1-teaspoons sea salt, to taste
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup scallions, diced
• 2 (3 oz) packs dried ramen noodles
• Fresh jalapeño slices for serving

Directions:

• Cook the chicken - rub meat down with desired amounts of salt, pepper and garlic powder and grill outdoors as you normally would, cooking thoroughly
• Make the ramen broth:  Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, until shimmering. (yes, shimmering like hot oil does - not simmering as in bubbles)  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes until softened.  Add the soy sauce and apple cider vinegar, stir to combine.  Cook for another minute.  Add the stock, cover, and bring to a boil.  Remove the lid, let simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, then add the dried (or fresh) mushrooms.  Simmer gently for another 10 minutes and season with salt to taste.
• Make the soft-boiled eggs:  Fill a pot with enough water to cover the eggs, bring to a boil.  Gently lower the eggs (still cold from the fridge) into the boiling water, let simmer for 7 minutes (for a slightly runny yolk) or 8 minutes (for a soft, but set-up yolk)
• Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water.  When the timer finishes on the eggs, transfer them to the ice bath to stop the cooking process.  Wait at least 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle, then carefully peel away the shell and slice in half, lengthwise.  Set aside until ready to serve.
• Add ramen noodles to boiling water, cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft, then divide the noodles into two large bowls.  
• Chop the scallions and jalapeño
• Add the sliced chicken and the ramen broth, dividing the mushrooms between bowls.  Top with the fresh scallions, jalapeño and soft boiled egg.  Serve immediately.

We loved this so much!  It's definitely going in our recipe box for future use!!!!

Fluffernutter Cookies (with recipe)

Monday was Peanut Butter Cookie Day and Thing #5 loves any excuse to be in the kitchen baking!  She wasn't thrilled with plain PB cookies, and the 2nd recipe we tried was not to her liking.  Not sweet enough.  I linked to it, however, in case you want to give it your own try!  I think it would be delicious if you were detoxed off sugar!

No, the Fluffernutters were far more interesting to a 9-year old with the marshmallows :-)  I printed a recipe for her and she was ON it!

A couple of comments on the recipe first:

Yes, moving the marshmallows from the edge keeps them from getting chewy and sticking to the wax paper but .... if it happens, don't panic.  It's actually a nice texture and gives it a toasted marshmallow effect.

The 7 minute baking time....I think we make bigger cookies than most?  7 minutes wasn't nearly long enough in our oven.  The centers were not cooked.  We experimented and 12 minutes in the oven with a 5 minute resting time was what worked for what we wanted.  Big spoonfuls, I guess?

This makes a LOT of cookies!  Make sure you have time for baking or use two cookie sheets to bake at a time.

Don't skip the wax paper!  Your cookie sheets will be a nasty mess if you do! :-)

Ingredients:

Yes, organic marshmallows
exist!!!!

• 1 cup organic butter
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (we used Adams)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup mini-marshmallows

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, oil and sugar until light and creamy
• Add eggs, salt and vanilla and mix well
• Mix in baking soda and baking powder and gradually mix in flour until combined.
• Stir in chips and marshmallows.
• Drop spoonfuls of dough on parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2" apart (If any marshmallows are on the very edges of the cookies, move them into the middle or they will caramelize and get a bit crunchy)
• Bake for 7 minutes and let rest on cookie sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
• Store tightly covered and room temperature