Pumpkin Bumpkin

The fall is surely pumpkin time, one of our favorite flavors. Pumpkins have been American favorites for centuries, and connected with history and folklore through the ages. The Indians roasted strips of pumpkin for food. Colonists sliced off the top, removed the seeds and filled the center with milk, spices and honey which they baked in hot ashes; probably the beginning of pumpkin pie. Folklore is filled with pumpkins in stories and fairy tales. Cinderella rode to her dream-of-a-lifetime ball in a pumpkin-turned-coach. She just had to remember to be home by midnight (have you heard someone say they'll turn into a pumpkin if they don't go home early?).  Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater kept his wife in a pumpkin (not an appealing adobe). And, on Halloween, let's not forget The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with Ichabod Crane disappearing after meeting the headless horseman, leaving behind his horse, his hat, and a pumpkin.

Today, I haven't heard any modern pumpkin stories, just good pumpkin recipes. And its a food you can enjoy for the taste and for the nutrition. The orange color of pumpkin is a sign of the rich antioxidant beta carotene, and Vitamin A. This nutrient may help reduce the risks of certain cancers and protect against heart disease as well as some degenerative aspects of aging. And, if you're worried about freckles or snakebite, Indian legends claim that pumpkins are good for curing both!

Most of the pumpkin supply is available in October and the fall is my favorite time for baking with pumpkin. I recently visited son Clint in Iowa and did a 'pumpkin weekend', making pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin pie.  Here's my recipe for pumpkin muffins, quick and easy, and extra good!

WHOLE WHEAT PUMPKIN APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

2 cups whole wheat flour (or blend)

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

⅓ cup white sugar

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup applesauce

½ cup canned pumpkin

⅓ cup buttermilk (or 1 tsp lemon juice + milk = ⅓ cup)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl; set aside.

Beat eggs. Combine brown sugar, white sugar, oil, applesauce,, pumpkin, buttermilk, and eggs in a medium bowl. Mix until well blended. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in raisins and pecans, if desired (1/4 cup each)

Divide the batter evenly in 12 muffin tins. Bake 15 – 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack and remove from pan. 

another favorite, and quick-to-do recipe, is this one for pumpkin bars: I made this for church coffee time earlier in the fall. 

Pumpkin Spice Frosted Snack Bars

1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 cup Miracle Whip dressing

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, beat cake mix, pumpkin, dressing and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour into greased 15x10x1-inch pan.

 Bake 20-22 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

 Frosting:  (or if you're in a hurry, use a can of ready-to-spread cream cheese frosting)

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 pkg (16 oz) powdered sugar (about 4 cups)

Beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add sugar beating after each addition until well blended. Spread over cooled cake. Cut in to bars to serve. Store any leftover bars in tightly covered container in refrigerator. 

Crumbs from Germany

Crumbs - the tasty small bits broken from the whole. Thats what this blog is - bits and pieces of food pictures and trivia from our River Cruise through the Netherlands and Germany that didn't fit with the other blogs (Apple Strudel 10/12; Sweet Dishes 10/11; The German Table 10/10; German Beef Rolls 9/13; and Garnished! 9/9).

I'm not sure there are still 'traditional' German foods as food preferences everywhere are constantly evolving. Some regional dishes have blended to become national or international. Other cultures have added flavors. Lifestyles and health concerns changed preferences. But we still found unique food trends and deep held traditions in the 'street food' of Germany.

People in Germany, like in the U.S., buy much of their food on the street. Whether it is a local bakery, a sandwich shop, or a small grocery store - convenience, location and taste are important. The grocery stores we saw were much smaller than our supermarkets, but I'm sure there were larger markets farther away from the town centers where we were touring.

Pretzels always come to mind with German food - Pretzels, sausages and beer.

Pretzels are often served with mustard - we did a bit of shopping for things to bring home and bought German mustard (senf). Mustard, and many jams and other condiments, are sold in tubes. Just be sure you don't brush your teeth with it!

At lunch during a Frankfurt tour outing, we ate at a local restaurant, the food served was similar to a German ravioli. It is called "maultaschen", supposedly developed by monks in the 16th century who wanted to eat meat (and hide it from the Lord) during Lent, so they mixed the meat with spinach and herbs and hid the mixture in dough pockets.

 Many shops and stores have large signs to illustrate what they offer. Makes it much easier than trying to read German! This is a pretzel shop.....

Bakeries are on many streets, as everyone likes sweet treats. The Berliner is a popular German, and Dutch, jelly-filled donut. When President Kennedy visited Berlin in 1963 during the Cold War, he meant to express solidarity with the people of Berlin, but instead he said "I am a jelly donut".

Other sweet treats were Schneeballens - Snowballs. It seems every cuisine from the State Fair to fine French cooking has a favorite fried dough recipe. The Snowballs were strips of dough formed into a ball, deep fat fried and coated with powdered sugar.

We like to look at grocery stores when we travel, even if its Dillion's in Wichita! Just to see what other people might be buying for their foods. We always check out the meat counter. In Karlstadt we compared the milk products and meat . "fleisch" is meat, Hackfleisch is ground meat. 

In Nurnberg we saw representations of tradition and today. Saturday's activity filled the town square with street market stalls of fruits, vegetables, flowers and baked goods. The McDonalds (also know as the unofficial American Embassy) was right behind the street market. Guess where the tour group headed on a rainy morning! 

Sampling the food and learning about a country's culture through food are part of the fun of traveling. We sometimes find things we like and will adapt at home (German Meat Rolls) and some we won't try again (roasted duck). I'm sure our Taste of Germany was only a small sample of the foods German families enjoy, just as I hope travelers to the U.S. don't think that we eat hot dogs and popcorn all the time (although popcorn is one of my favorite foods!) 

Apple Strudel

Apples are a fall favorite in many countries and apple strudel is a favorite German dessert.  Strudel is a pastry with a filling rolled up in a very thinly stretched dough. The name "Strudel" means Whirlpool since the dough is rolled and the center of the pastry resembles a whirlpool. After the ship chef's demonstration of Apple Strudel and the delicious dessert at dinner that night, it was something I wanted to try. But I had memories of a long ago Extension lesson with much kneading, rolling and folding. Traditional strudel dough is made with high-gluten flour, water, and oil. Preparing the dough requires intense kneading to develop the gluten, followed by resting for the dough (and the baker!).  The dough becomes elastic enough to be stretched into a very thin sheet that is almost transparent.

Easier recipes, such as the one the ship chef used, substitute the traditional dough with a ready-made phyllo-dough or puff-pastry.  But the chef's demonstration still seemed difficult to follow:
His recipe, spoken with a heavy German accent, is: Apple 1 kg, Sauer cream 200 g, Hazelnut powder 100 g, Raisin 200 g, Cinamoon powder 50 g, Butter 1 pk, Sugar 350 g. It was made with philo dogh layers and baked at 180 C degrees for 20 minut.

But luckily Taste of Home has a similar recipe with American measurements and instructions. The bonus is that it is easier and quicker, as well as lower in calories that the traditional strudel recipes. This recipe uses phyllo dough. I discovered that the original recipe for Strudel was called 'phyllo', which means 'leaf', by the Greeks who first perfected strudel, thus named because it was so thin. So, using phyllo dough for your strudel may be going back to the beginnings of the custom.

APPLE STRUDEL
Ingredients:
1/3 cup raisins
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups coarsely chopped peeled apples
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 sheets phyllo dough (14 inches x 9 inches)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons canola oil
Directions:
* In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the raisins, water and almond extract. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-1/2 minutes, let stand for 5 minutes. (this smells wonderful) Drain. Add the apples, 1/3 cup sugar, flour and cinnamon; toss to coat. Set aside.
* Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface. Combine butter and oil; set aside 2 teaspoons. Lightly brush some of the remaining butter mixture over the phyllo dough. Keep remaining phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to avoid drying out. Layer with 7 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each layer with some of the butter mixture. Spread apple mixture over phyllo to within 2 inches of one long side. Fold the short edges over filling. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting from the long side where the apple filling is 2 inches from the edge.
* Place seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With sharp knife, cut diagonal slits into top of strudel. Brush with reserved butter mixture. Sprinkle with remaining (2 teas.) sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden.
If cut into 4 servings, this is only 205 calories per serving, but I thought it was large enough for 6 or 8 servings. That makes the calories so low you could even serve it with ice cream! 

"susse Speisen" - Sweet Dishes

At the end of a meal we often enjoy desserts, or sweet dishes. The desserts in Germany on our River Cruise were delightful! When we think of German desserts, stollen (yeast fruit bread), Lebkucken (gingerbread), Black Forest Cherry Cake, Apple Strudel, and rich cheesecakes probably come to mind. Those are all German favorites, as well as many lighter fares such as cream puddings, custards and fresh fruit. These are especially tasty after the heavier meals often served.

We learned of many special German food inventions and traditions. Did you know Gummi bears were invented in Germany? The ship chef demonstrated Apple Strudel on board, but that's a topic for the next blog! Here are some pictures of the German desserts we enjoyed on ship.

Lemon white wine cream with merenque and berries

Creme caramel and almond panna cotta with fresh fruits

Black forest cake, served in the glas

Melted choclate cake with almond panna cotta and fresh fruit

Creme brulee with fresh fruits

Apple crumble cake with Bourbon vanilla ice cream

Apricot dumpling on orange sauce and ice cream

Apple strudel with vanilla ice cream

Warm plum crumble cake with ice cream and cinnamon sauce

"Kaiser Schmarren" with marinated strawberries and ice cream

Baked Alaska

desserts served at Tea Time

Cream brulee with fresh fruits

The German Table

We've been back from our river cruise of the Rhine and Danube for almost 6 weeks now, the pictures are even in a scrapbook, and I keep thinking about the food. Maybe its because German cooking is similar to much of our American basic "meat and potatoes" meals. Many German main courses are based on beef, pork or veal, with frequent servings of fish also. A favorite is Schnitzel, which may be any type of cutlet (and we called it "chicken-fried steak"!). The Braten, or roast, is Germany's national dish. The flavors are similar to midwest favorites, not too spicy or hot, with thick sauces or gravies.

Most of the meals were served with several courses, starting with an appetizer, often a salad of some sort. This was followed by soup, usually cream of something. The joke on-board got to be that today's soup was cream-of-yesterday's-vegetable. By the end of the trip I was passing on the soup course.

This blog has a selection of pictures of the main courses we were served on the ship as we sailed through Germany.

Fried filet of Norwegean salmon with vegetable rice and grapefruit beurre blanc

Fried trout on warm German potato salad with sauce remoulade

Roasted pork tenderloin, homemade spaetzle, buttered broccoli and creamy chestnut mushroom sauce

Corn fed chicken breast with sweet potato mash, assorted vegetables and veal glace

German Wienerschnitzel; served with french fries

Whole marinated roastbeef, with green beans, stuffed potato and Marsala sauce

Roasted rack of lamb, ratatouille vegetables, wasabi puree and garlic jus

White fish picata with vegetables and tomato basil gnocchi

BBQ spareribs, sauteed corn and baked potato with sour cream

Argentinian beef tenderloin on broccoli mousse with pommes macaire, sauce choron and port wine glace (this was served under a silver domed cover)

Hungarian beef stew with bell pepper and herb rice

Even the airplane food was served in a unique way! notice the triangle plate and dishes that fit together on the serving tray. 

Taste of Fall - Apples

The cooler weather brings a whole new menu to the table. Apples are a favorite all year round, but we especially think of them in fall. Americans eat, on the average, about 65 apples a year, and the red and yellow Delicious apples are the most popular. Those are followed by Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith. There are over 2500 varieties of apples grown in the U.S., and 100 varieties are grown commercially. No wonder its hard to make a choice in the grocery store!

Apples are not only good, they are good for us. One medium apple only has 80 calories and is high in fiber - 5 grams. Last year (before the drought), we had a good apple crop in Kansas. Several of my friends had extra apples to give away and with some of those I made Apple Butter. This is much preferred in our family over the purchased choices and easy to make in the microwave oven. I freeze it in half-pint plastic freezer containers and we enjoy it for months later.

Microwave Apple Butter (makes about 4 cups)
8 cooking apples, cored and quartered
1 cup apple cider
3/4 cup (or less) sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
Wash apples and cut into four pieces and core. Combine with cider in a two-quart glass bowl; cover. MW on high for 6 minutes, stirring twice during cooking. Place apples in a blender and process until smooth and return to glass bowl.
Stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. MW uncovered on high for 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze in small containers.

Earlier this fall, Southern Living magazine had a delicious looking Apple bundt cake on the cover. I made it and it was just as delicious as it looked! So much in fact, that it was eaten before I got a photo, so the picture here is from the September issue of Southern Living, who also gets the credit for the recipe.

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• APPLE CAKE BATTER:
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• PRALINE FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.

3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

German Beef Rolls

One of the things we liked about the food on our cruise through Germany was that there was a lot of beef served. However, when COOL (county of origin label) was told, it was Argentina. One of my favorites was the beef rolls, and I knew if it was good with Argentina beef, it would be great with Kansas beef! A recipe search and a few modifications, and this is a keeper. I even served mashed potatoes and gravy with it, guaranteeing it's success!

I used minute (or round) steaks that I have our processor cut into thin slices and tenderize. I like this cut for stir-fry, stroganoff, and many recipes that one might use 'chicken fingers' for. You could also use slices of roast, freeze slightly so it can be sliced thin. I also changed the traditional preparation to use pickle relish instead of a whole pickle spear. I always have pickle relish on hand, useful for deviled eggs, potato salad, as well as hamburgers.

Here is my adaptation of the recipe:

GERMAN BEEF ROLLS STUFFED WITH BACON & VEGETABLES

2 lb. minute steak (1 package)

3-4 slices bacon

½ onion

carrots

pickle relish

sweet-hot mustard

2 Tablespoons butter

½ red wine (or water)

2 ½ cups beef broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel carrots and cut into strips about 2 – 2 ½ inches long. Cut onion in half and slice vertically to make strips about 2 inches long.

Lay meat flat and cover with plastic wrap. Pound to make each section flatter and larger. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Spread mustard thinly on each piece. Add pickle relish, carrot strips and onion to each, arranging in a line across the length of the beef.

Roll the beef up crosswise as tightly as possible. It helps to secure it with toothpicks as you roll it and tuck the ends in. Use butcher’s string to tie at 1-inch intervals to make a long log shape. Set remaining carrots and onion aside.

Heat half of the butter in a large cast iron skillet or heavy skillet or pan over high heat. Brown half the meat bundles on all sides and set the rolls aside. Add the rest of the butter and brown the other half, set aside. Transfer rolls to an ovenproof heavy roasting pan. Add left over carrot and onion to the pan and sauté until the onion is golden, about 3 – 5 minutes.  Pour in the wine (or ½ cup beef broth). Stir the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce. Add onion, carrot and wine sauce to the beef rolls. Add rest of liquids to cover beef rolls.

Braise (uncovered ) for 1 ½ - 2 hours or until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Carefully lift the rolls out of the dish and keep warm.

Prepare the gravy by straining the cooking liquid and discarding the solids. Measure 1 cup of cooking broth and add ¼ cup flour to it and whisk vigorously.  Put the rest of the cooking liquid into a pan and bring to a simmering boil, you should have about 2 cups, or cook to reduce until it measures about 2 cups. Carefully pour the flour/broth mixture into the sauce and let cook for 5 – 10 minutes to make gravy.

Remove strings from beef rolls and slice horizontally into serving pieces. Serve with a drizzle of gravy.  Mashed potatoes with parsley and peas go well with this meal.