How 'bout them pumpkins?

Fall, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love the autumn displays of hay bales and mums, the apple cider on the grocery store shelves, Trader Joe's pushing all things pumpkin, and the chance to stop by an apple orchard and get some fuji apples fresh from the tree! I'm wearing a flannel shirt, I've worn scarves the last two days, and my roommate brought home some adorable mini pumpkins to adorn our counter top. This season is sheer bliss.

I went to the mountains last weekend and enjoyed the color on the trees and coffee on the porch. I'm thankful for space to relax and breathe in fresh air. As I gazed at the brilliant leaves filling the woods next to my dad's house, I thought, I want to make some fall dishes...cooked apples, oven-roasted sweet potatoes, and something with pumpkin. Well, check, check, and check. I did all of that within two days that thought. After leaving my dad's house, I stopped by Barber Orchards and procured 1/2 peck of fuji apples, a bag of sweet potatoes, 2 bell peppers, and 4 apple muffins. I came home and cooked up the apples with some butter, cinnamon, sugar, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg. I didn't really use any measurements...just kept tasting and throwing in what I thought it needed. Mary called them "magnifique." Oh, Julia. I'm making you proud!

Round 1 of the sweet potatoes was not the best. They stuck to the Corningware dish and never got crispy enough. During lunch the next day, I asked my co-workers for some advice, and I took a look at the Food Network. Combining the information of both sources, I put the chunks of sweet potatoes in a gallon bag, tossed them with fresh thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil, then sprayed a glass Pyrex baking dish with olive oil spray, scattered the potatoes in the dish, and baked them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirred, then baked another 15 minutes, occasionally stirring. Round 2's result was much more successful, even garnering a request for the recipe from one of my small group girls.

Speaking of small group, they again served as guinea pigs for my culinary experiments. I kept this harvest hay ride going with the recipe of the week: Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce.
No, this dish did not come from RR's vintage book, but it did come from October 2008's Everyday with Rachael Ray, so in a way, it's still "vintage." Even though I didn't actually cook pumpkin (I definitely believe that doing so is utterly ridiculous when the result is the same from a can), I did produce an fantastic fall feast. I'd say it's pumpkin yummy-ness meets mac 'n' cheese. A true stand-out of all that I've made so far this year, this dish will be repeated within a month of its debut. Seriously, what else would better to eat while watching the Peanuts classic, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The only changes I made to the recipe were adding a couple of dashes of ground nutmeg and using Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese (I didn't have parmesean). Everyone on in small group responded well, some wanting to know the recipe even as we ate! Try this one out before the season's over...and pull out the can of puree so you can leave the pumpkin on the stoop.

Stay tuned for this week's recipe: "Cashew God Bless You Chicken."

Let's play catch up

Alrighty, I know. I had hoped in the ideal world that is my mind to have posted each week's recipe that actual week. Well, here we are at almost the middle of October, and I'm a bit behind. I apologize, dear loyal readers and foodies.

Allow me to press rewind. My last recipe for September was indeed the blueberry pound cake on the cover of my Cooking Light book. I kid you not, I am downright scared of really baking. I find much more rest in letting various boxes dictate the science of dry ingredients. Leave me to the measuring and you find downright craziness. I think this is why I don't teach math. Anyhoo, I did not have a tube pan, so I improvised with my trusty bundt pan. That might have been my downfall. Well, here's what I think would reverse that downfall: the recipe asks you to bake the cake for an hour, and I think I should have baked it another 5-8 minutes. Another issue: the lemon glaze needs a bit more powdered sugar for a thicker consistency. What happened is my cake just soaked it all up. It was super yummy, but super moist, much moister than normal expectations of a pound cake. Nevertheless, the taste was good, so I consider that victory. Take a gander:
Onward, ho! So the source of all my October recipes lies in the hands of that Food Network and talk show host diva, Rachael Ray. My hope is that with all the media exposure of Ms. Ray and her lingo, I won't need to tell you what "evoo" means. Well, I decided to pull out her first book, the original 30 Minute Meals. I flipped through and marked many a recipe, and here's what I made this past week:

White Bean Dip with Garlic Toasts

Toasts:
2 baguettes, sliced at the bakery counter in market
1/2 cup evoo
2 cloves of garlic, popped from skin

Dip:
2 cans (15 oz each) white cannellini beans, drained
1/3 cup evoo
2 cloves of garlic, popped from skin
Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stem

Heat oven to 325. Placed sliced baguettes on cookie sheets in a single layer. Toast for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Heat oil and garlic in an ovensafe dish in microwave for 45 seconds on high. Brush toasts with a dab of garlic oil and place in a basket to serve alongside dip. (time saver: buy a package of the Fresh Market's French Rounds...they have garlic ones as well as plain). Place beans in food processor. Heat 1/3 cup oil and garlic in microwave on high for 45 seconds. Add oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary to beans. Process dip until smooth and transfer to a serving dish.

This dip is a great one because it rests on staples in your pantry. I would recommend adding the salt after processing so you can really season it "to taste." Without a doubt, I'll make this one again.

In an effort to ward off the swine flu and all the other germs my precious students bring into my classroom, I also made Pasta e Fagioli. Ray has a variety of soups with this title, so I wanted to be sure you got the one I actually made. The only change I made was adding about a cup of shredded rotisserie chicken. I served it with rosemary foccacia from Trader Joe's (Ashley, I will make yours one day), and after it started drying out, I cut the remaining bread into cubes, tossed in olive oil, and baked at 375. Result: killer croutons that perfectly sit atop the soup. Seriously yum-o.

Pasta e Fagioli

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps evoo
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium, yellow-skinned onion, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, from the heart (tender pieces), chopped
2 stems fresh rosemary, left whole
Several sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped from stems and chopped, about 2-3 tbsps
Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
3 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans
1 cup ditalini noodles
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese

Heat garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a deep pot. Add vegetables, rosemary stems, chopped thyme, and a little salt and black pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add beans and ditalini. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, until noodles are al dente. Serve immediately with a generous amount of cheese and crusty bread.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of these. I did freeze some of the soup, so whenever I thaw that out, I'll try to remember.

I'm making at least two recipes this week, one that is not from the book, but is "vintage" in that it's from the October 2008 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. When I was perusing the magazine, I couldn't help but be inspired by the season, so I resolved to make Pumpkin Cream Pasta. I'll be serving it to my small group tomorrow night. They are quite kind to taste my concoctions each week. Check three of them out below, enjoying the aforementioned pound cake. That's excitement, folks.

Weekend @ the Beach, Fresh Shrimp Non-Negotiable

Back in February, my friends and co-workers attended the NCCAT Golden Apple Gala. Through the silent auction, we won a weekend at Emerald Isle in September. So, the four of us marked our calendars and looked forward to what would hopefully be a glorious, relaxing fall weekend at the beach, strategically placed a month into the school year. Unfortunately Kim couldn't go due to a school conflict, but Mary, Christy, and I pressed on and found ourselves in a lovely bay-front condo (that ironically belonged to one of my students!). We had a tremendous weekend: great weather and a discovery of the super-funny comedy Big Bang Theory. Check out this sunset from our porch:
While there, the three of us feasted on munchies galore. I decided to take on our meal for Friday night, and because we were at the beach, I couldn't ignore the option for authentically fresh shrimp. I chose to make Sauteed Shrimp and Thai Coconut Noodles. The shrimp recipe came from Cooking Light's website, while the noodles came from my Cooking Light book. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of fresh ginger and garlic, a lovely olfactory experience. I had never used fresh ginger, and I really enjoyed it. What it contributes to the flavor of these dishes is awesome. The only changes I would make apply to the noodles. While the recipe calls for 1/2 a cup of coconut milk, I think that it could use 3/4 a cup, if not a full. I just think the noodles could be a little saucier. The other change is regarding the actual type of noodle. The recipe calls for rice sticks (go to the Asian section and scour the bottom two shelves...you'll find it), but I think you could use rice noodles instead, and they might marry better with the sauce. You'll note that if you click on the link for the Sauteed Shrimp, it has a hyper link for Thai Coconut Broth with Noodles, which is not the same as the Thai Coconut Noodles (but maybe it's saucier...something to try next time).

Here's the finished product:
Bottom line: This meal packed a flavor punch, and it's pretty healthy for you. I give it a thumb and a half up!

Second bottom line: Never pass up an opportunity to cook with shrimp straight off the boat.