Pumpkin Spice Season

It's finally fall - the calendar says October, and even the weather has decided to drop the temperatures. At last we can get out the sweaters, boots, and rich colored clothing of autumn. And that means its Pumpkin Spice Everything Season! The cooler mornings call for a warm cup of pumpkin spice coffee and a fresh made pumpkin muffin.

Here's a recipe that my family enjoyed on a recent cool day:

Pumpkin Spiced Latte Muffins

Ingredients for muffins:

1¾ cup flour (blend of all-purpose & whole wheat

   or all-purpose)

1 cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1-15 oz. can of pumpkin puree

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup vegetable oil

Latte Glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons coffee

(or 2 tablespoons pumpkin spice coffee creamer)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil.

Gently combine the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture, fold with a rubber spatula until it is smooth.

Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray, blot away extra, and scoop the batter into each slot with an ice cream scooper.

Bake in a 375° oven for 22-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a cooling rack placed over wax paper.

Mix glaze ingredients together, whisk until smooth. Spoon glaze over each muffin allowing the glaze to coat the tops and run onto the waxed paper. Let set for 5-10 minutes and enjoy.

Favorite Cookies - even better!

My favorite cookies just got better. One of the things I like about this recipe is the flavors can be varied with the flavor of pudding mix used. Another - the pudding mix keeps the cookies soft and moist longer (but how would I know? Cookies do not last long at my house!). I've done this recipe with chocolate pudding mix (yummy), and with coconut cream pudding mix (with pastel colored white chocolate chips) for spring. And now -- with pumpkin pudding mix - this is the best!! I'd seen pumpkin pudding mix in the stores in previous years, but this year I haven't been able to find it. Except on Amazon.com - one of my favorite shopping spots. I had to order 4 boxes, but I'm sure that will not be a problem to use. Pumpkin Spice baking chips are more easily found, however not in my small town grocery stores - another trip to the bigger town.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
   (or, as I use - a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat)
1 package instant (3.4 oz) pumpkin spice pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin spice baking chips

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine oats, flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in baking chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto a parchment lined baking sheet, Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks.
When I've made this recipe and used to small cookie scoop for dropping onto the baking sheet, I get 6-7 dozen. This time I made them larger (about 2/3 of the ice cream scoop), and made 5 dozen.

National Coffee Day

Yesterday was National Coffee Day - a day to celebrate our caffeine habit and get a free cup of coffee at selected coffee houses. For many of us, Coffee Day is the way we start each day. My house offers a steaming pot of brew each morning, this week's flavor is Pumpkin Spice, anticipating the fall season. Yesterday's publicity of National Coffee Day reminded me of the coffee farms we toured in Hawaii. It was interesting to see coffee as a red bean on a short tree/shrub instead of a dark ground product in a bag.
Coffee is, and has historically been, one of Hawaii's main crops. The first coffee plant was introduced to Hawaii through King Kamehameha in 1813. In 1821, the first coffee tree was planted in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii by a missionary. Thus, the exquisite taste of the cup of Kona coffee had begun. Kona coffee is grown in a 20-mile area that offers just the right temperatures, rainfall, and mix of volcanic soil to produce the distinct flavor. Today the largest coffee farm there has 4 million trees.
There are 715 small coffee farms in the state of Hawaii, some on each island. Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. which grows coffee.

Coffee trees grow in rows in rich volcanic soil that reminded us
of Oklahoma red dirt. 

The trees are not large, and are trimmed every other year or every third year. 

Beans, called cherries, grow in clusters along the stem.
They are harvested after about 7 - 9 months. Each cherry contains
two small beans. 

Beans/cherries may be strip picked with a harvester machine such
as this one or selective picked by hand taking only the ripe cherries. 

Coffee beans are sorted and separated then dried. Other processing includes
hulling, polishing, and roasting.

The folks at Eating Well have given tips for brewing the best cup of coffee. It gives us something to think about, maybe a change of the plastic-can-brand to the grind-it-in-the-store (or at home) varieties. What ever  your habits are, there are some tips you can use:
1. Buy fresh beans
2. Keep beans fresh at home. They suggest to buy only a 5-7 day supply at a time and keep them in a glass canning jar with a tight fitting lid.
3. Choose good coffee - 100% arabica beans.
4. Grind your own.
5. Use good water.
6. Avoid cheap filters.
7. Don't skimp on the coffee. Their formula is 2 level tablespoons of ground coffee for 6 ounces of water/coffee.
8. Beware of the heat, best temperature is 200 degrees.
9. Keep your equipment clean.

The simple cup of morning joe - gives us a lot to think about. Enjoy the brew.

Apples - for health and fun

For church coffee time - Apple Nachos
and sliced apples to dip

There are always apples in our refrigerator. A good snack, quick dessert, and available at a reasonable price, no matter the season. But fall is really apple season and a time I like to try new apple recipes. This fall's debuts were Skillet Apple Crumble and Apple Nachos.
Apples are a healthy food - after all, haven't we always heard "An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away"?. An average apple contains just 75 calories, no fat, and many nutrients including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Thiamin, Niacin, and Pectin, as well as being a good source of fiber.
There are lots of apple facts and trivia to tell. But instead I'll share another bit of Apple trivia - Do you know why the apple logo on my Mac computer has a bite out of it? To make you think Apple, not cherry! Made you look at the Apple logo, didn't I?

Skillet Apple Crumble

Filling:
 10-12 Granny Smith or Johathan apples

(or a combo), peeled, seeded, and sliced
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
Topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place apples into the bottom of a 12-inch seasoned cast iron skillet; toss with flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
In a bowl, combine crumble topping ingredients, then sprinkle prepared topping evenly over apples in skillet; top crumble with chopped pecans.
Bake, uncovered, on center rack of preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until apples are fork-tender and crumble topping is golden brown.
Optional: serve topped with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with warm caramel sauce.

Ready to serve - Thanks, Chef Alli for the recipe.

Caramel Apple Nachos     

Ingredients:
Sliced apples
caramel sauce
chopped peanuts
mini chocolate chips
Instructions: Easy, peasy
arrange slice apples on a serving plate (dip in lemon juice to prevent browning). Drizzle caramel sauce (and chocolate sauce too if you like) over the slices. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and mini chocolate chips.

Apple slices always have a place on the fruit platter
with dip made with Greek yogurt, sour cream, and
brown sugar. 

Fall Flavors - Pork & Sweet Potatoes

   

 Some recipes just say "Fall" and make us think of golden leaves, foggy mornings, and crisp weather. In Kansas fall likes to play 'hide and seek' with us, so although the day I planned this menu was fall-like, the day I made and served it seemed more like summer. But the calendar tells us fall, so we turn our thoughts and tastes to fall dishes...
     Pork Tenderloin is a surprisingly easy cut to prepare. It differs from pork loin and sometimes the two are confused as the names are similar. The tenderloin is a boneless cut from a muscle along the backbone of the hog, it is a thin long cut of meat, making nice medallion-like servings. This cut is very tender (as the name implies) and best cooked at a high temperature for a shorter time. The Loin cut is from the animal's back and can be bone-in or boneless. It is more like a roast and usually in a 3-5 pound cut. It is better cooked in a lower temperature for a longer time to tenderize the meat.
     My recipe was a slow cooker prep that I adapted to the oven, which I thought was more suitable for the tenderloin. I did precook the sweet potatoes to assure they were done when the meat was ready. I also doubled the recipe for a family sized meal and leftovers.

Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins (about 1.5 pounds each)
3 large sweet potatoes
3 medium apples
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/4 cup water

Directions:
1. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into chunks. Cook in boiling water until fork tender.
2. Peel and slice apples.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, thyme, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper.
4. Arrange sweet potatoes in baking pan. Add minced onion and sprinkle with half of spice mixture.
5. Coat pork with remaining spice mixture. Place on top of sweet potatoes in baking pan. Top pork with apples, cranberries, and water.
6. Cook at 425 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, or until pork internal temperature is 145 degrees (medium rare) to 160 degrees (medium).
7. Optional - glaze with a mixture of 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and broil for an additional 5 minutes.

Ready to go into the oven

After roasting 1 1/2 hours

We served the sweet potatoes and apples
on the side

Sweet Potato Hash

Sweet Potato Hash by any other name would probably sound sweeter! Why is it that 'Hash" doesn't sound appealing to some of us? When I told my husband the name of this dish, he turned up his nose but later admitted "it was pretty good in spite of the name". Maybe the reputation of being a dish you could throw all the leftovers in is hard to forget.
The definition of 'hash' is diced or chopped meat and potatoes with spices cooked together. Maybe it will help to know the word 'hash' is from the French verb hacher - to chop. If it is French, it must be gourmet! But hash is making a trendy comeback in many modern ways. This recipe doesn't have meat, but has a healthy combination of sweet potatoes, edamame, and corn. It is low in calories and high in nutrition. Sweet potatoes have twice the fiber, twice the calcium and 1300 times more vitamin A than white potatoes. They also have anti-inflammatory characteristics. Edamame is another food that has arrived to be popular now. Edamame beans are immature soybeans in the pod (this recipe uses shelled ones). Often found in cuisine of China, Japan, Korea and Hawaii. They are a different variety than grown in Kansas so don't raid the field of lush green beans we're seeing now!  This legume is full of fiber, vitamins and minerals and low in calories. It also makes a good snack, usually you can buy them fresh or frozen. However, our smaller grocery store didn't have either, so without time for a trip to a larger town, I used Lima beans in my preparation. This worked well also and I think you could substitute some other veggies as you like but the sweet potato really gives good color and flavor.

This recipe was one Chef Alli demonstrated on our cruise, "Friends and Family of Kansas Farm Bureau". It was fun to meet Chef Alli and learn more about her Farm Fresh Kitchen, food programs and website.     https://chefallisfarmfreshkitchen.com

The sweet potato provided by
the ship's kitchen for the demo
was HUGE!

Chef Alli's hash cooking

Sweet Potato Hash with Crispy Bacon and Edamame and Corn  

3-6 slices, bacon

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 yellow onion, diced

1 sweet bell pepper, diced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/4 –inch cubes

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz. package frozen sweet corn, thawed

12 oz. package frozen shelled edamame

½ - 1 cup chicken broth

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook bacon until browned and crispy, then remove to paper towels to drain; reserve.

Remove all but 1 T. of bocon drippings from pan; add thyme, onionm bell pepper and sweet potatoes and sauté 5-6 minuts.

Stir in garlic and cook an additional minute; add corn, edamame and chicken broth to ban; reduce heat to medium and cover pan.

Continue to cook, stirring ofte, 12-15 mintues or until sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Add reserved bacon; season with salt and pepper to taste.

The first few ingredients are in the pan

The dish is ready to serve

When serving a new food, it is a good idea
to pair it with an old favorite - meatloaf,
tossed salad, and fresh baked rolls. 

Pineapple Upside Down

Sorry this blog has been dormant for a few weeks. It is not extinct, but about to become active again. Can you tell that I've been on a trip to Hawaii, the land of volcanos? So there are many blog ideas bubbling in my head, about to erupt on this site!

When we think of Hawaii, often it is pineapples that come to mind. Pineapple was brought to the Hawaiian Islands early in their history, perhaps as early as 1527 washed ashore from a Spanish shipwreck. In the 1800's it became a widespread crop. Pineapple canning companies were formed in the late 1800s/early 1900s by Dole and Del Monte, names we now associate with pineapple. However, today Hawaii produces only .13% of the world's pineapple crop, most of what we buy in the store comes from Costa Rica.

When choosing a pineapple at the store, smell the fruit to pick one with a nice fragrant smell. You should be able to easily pull one of the leaves from the top. At home store it at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 3-5 days to allow it to become softer and sweeter.

Fresh pineapple, or canned pineapple, makes a tasty addition to many recipes. An old favorite that I recently prepared is Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Remember it from past covered dish dinners or school lunch? Here's an easy recipe for that old favorite:

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 can (20 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved

1 jar (6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained

1 box yellow cake mix

Vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

Heat oven to 350°F. In 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

Bake 42 to 48 minutes (44 to 53 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cook 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool Store covered in refrigerator. I didn't have a serving platter to fit the cake pan, so I stored it in the pan and cut and flipped each piece as it was served. Just a little more guesswork on where to cut! 

Guess what? A can of pineapple slices has 10 slices,
we needed 12 to fill the cake pan.

So we make-do! A can of chunk pineapple contributed
to the missing slices. 

And Maraschino cherries add the color.  

After the cake is baked, it looks just
like a regular cake, until it is turned
UPSIDE DOWN.