Pumpkin Bars

My friend Kristen made these bars for dessert the other day, and in between me scarfing down the first and second bars, I asked her to forward the recipe to me immediately. I unfortunately ate a pumpkin loaf from Starbucks (it's really just a slice) everyday for two weeks while studying for my first year law school exams, so I think I know a little something about pumpkin bars. Kristen's bars are delicious! And, unlike the Starbucks "loaf," they are fat and calorie free ;-)

Bar/Cake Ingredients
4 eggs
1 ½ cup sugar
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 can pumpkin (15-16 oz.)
2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon

Set out cream cheese and butter for icing (to get them to room temperature) while you make the cake portion.

Mix eggs and sugar with a mixer. Add oil and pumpkin. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Grease jelly roll pan (deep cookie sheet) and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely before icing.

Icing Ingredients
3-4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 bar) at room temperature
¼-1/3 c. butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Cream together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar. Add milk or cream until desired consistency.

Herbed Basmati Rice

This is my go-to rice. It's simple, flavorful, and can be served with a wide variety of cuisines.

2 teaspoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 cup chicken broth (or water for a veggie dish, but the broth makes it more flavorful)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion tops (I omit)
~1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
~ 1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in rice. Add broth, salt and dried herbs and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup each)

Spanish Rice

This rice is infinitely better than the boxed Spanish rice you can get at the store. It goes great with with any Mexican/Spanish meal. I find that the amount of broth used should be approximately what your box of rice indicates, so you shouldn't just automatically use 3 cups broth for 1 1/2 cups rice. I say approximately because I use a little less broth than what my box of rice says due to the addition of the tomato sauce.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice, such as Texmati
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery (some grocery stores sell celery by the stalk, so you don't have to buy a bunch)
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon salt
~ 2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups chicken broth (or water, to make it a vegetarian rice)
1 (8 0z.) can tomato sauce

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the rice until it is golden brown. Add the vegetables and seasonings, and continue to sauté for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Add the chicken broth and the tomato sauce, bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for the time indicated on your box of rice.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Lentil Vegetable Soup (with Optional Chorizo)

This is a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook with some tweaks. First, I don't make it vegetarian, but it can be made meatless with vegetable stock and no chorizo. Alberto loves it with chorizo, though, and he says it "tastes just like home" (Madrid, Spain). I also usually make half of the recipe because it makes so much, but you can also freeze half. Once it's all in the pot, you can ignore it for an hour. Simple!

1 pound French green lentils (Puy lentils)
3 large onions, chopped
2-3 leeks, chopped, white part only
3 cloves garlic, minced (when making half, I use 2 cloves)
1/4 cup good regular olive oil (not extra virgin), plus additional for drizzling
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
8 stalks celery, chopped
8 carrots, large dice
3 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water with vegetable powder - I like the Marigold brand)
1 big heaping spoonful of tomato paste
*1 link of cooking chorizo, sliced into round coins, then slice in half
a big splash of red wine
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. If using the chorizo, add it now.

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for one hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan.

*Cooking chorizo is soft, like fresh sausage. It is not a dried link like salami. It is not usually very spicy. Regular chorizo is dried and cured and can be eaten immediately. Cooking chorizo must be cooked before serving. It freezes well, so you can buy a package and just take out as much as you need at one time.

Big Crunchy Salad

This has become a staple dish at our annual IT potluck. It also makes an annual appearance at Brizendine Christmas Eve dinner.

Salad:
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 head Nappa cabbage (I prefer purple cabbage for the color)
1 red pepper
(Chop as much of the above ingredients as is needed for number of people.)

1 package Ramen noodles – chicken flavor
1 small package sliced almonds
1 tbl butter

Crush noodles. In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and brown noodles and almonds. Stir continuously – you may need more butter. Right before mix turns light brown, add chicken flavor packet. Stir a few more minutes until light brown and crunchy.

Dressing:
(Mix together and shake or whisk)
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. black Pepper
1 T garlic powder.

Toss all three together just before serving.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Monica Simpson gave this recipe to me. Kenneth and I love this dish. It's easy and very tasty. Give it a try and I'm sure it will become one of your staples. I like to use my little grill pan on the stove instead of firing up the big Weber outside.

1/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
1 tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil leaves

PLACE large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.

GRILL chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing.

TURN chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170ºF).

Makes 4 servings

Cheese Enchiladas with Chile Con Carne

This recipe is one of my favorites. When I moved to Boston, I moved out of Tex-Mex land and into Seafood and Italian land. This recipe fills the void, and, while it takes time to make (especially if you make your own tortillas), it is certainly worth it. The enchiladas are actually better the next day, after the ingredients have had time to marry. How sweet! I recommend tasting the chili along the way to see if you want to change the flavor (salt and chili powder are typically the two ingredients I need to alter). Lastly, according to Wikipedia, chile con carne is the official dish of Texas.

Chili con carne ingredients
1 pound ground beef
~3 tablespoons chili powder
~1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
~1 tablespoon granulated garlic
~1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
4 tablespoons coarsely chopped sweet white onion
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1 (14 oz.) can whole stewed tomatoes
2 cups water

Brown the meat until it is done, then drain the fat. Add all of the seasonings, the onion and pepper, and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and water, and simmer uncovered for approximately 1 hour (more water may be added as needed).

Enchilada Ingredients
1 batch of chile con carne
Vegetable oil (enough to fill a small, tortilla-sized skillet half way with oil)
12 corn tortillas
3-4 cups Cheddar-Jack cheese
1 cup finely chopped onions (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat (you know it's hot enough when you sprinkle a bit of water in the oil and it pops - watch out though!). With tongs, carefully swipe each tortilla through the oil, no more than 2-3 seconds. Drag the tortilla over the side of the skillet, removing the excess oil, and stack the tortillas on a paper towel-covered plate. Then, one by one, dip the tortillas into the chili con carne and stack them again on the plate.

Fill the tortillas with cheese, and if you want, onions. Then, tightly roll up each tortilla. Arrange the enchiladas in a 13x9 glass baking dish and spread the chili over the tortillas. "Sprinkle" with more cheese on top (I prefer to release the cheese floodgates). Bake the enchiladas for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is completely melted. Serve! I typically serve this meal with Spanish Rice.

Baked Scrod with Breadcrumbs

This recipe is a great weeknight recipe because it takes no time to make! You can alter the crumb to butter ratio to suit your taste.

1 pound scrod
~1 cup plain breadcrumbs
~4 tablespoons butter
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, careful not to brown the garlic. Add the breadcrumbs and cook until just toasted/browned.

Wash the fish and pat dry. Place fish in a glass baking dish (coated with cooking spray) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Squeeze desired amount of lemon juice over the fish. Add the toasted breadcrumbs on top of the fish and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Pollo con Mojo de Ajo (Chicken with Garlic Sauce)

A quick and easy meal that's great for weeknights. I really enjoy it with this simple rice and a green. This recipe comes from Cooking Light, which generally recommends using nonstick skillets. I prefer a "stick" skillet in this case because you're making a sauce from the chicken bits leftover in the pan (more flavor!).

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I love garlic, so I use a couple more)
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro (I leave out because I'm not a big fan of cilantro)
4 lime wedges

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick/stick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm (I wrap mine in foil).

Melt butter in pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute (do not brown). Add broth; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in lime juice. Serve sauce over chicken; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

4 servings

Pecan Pralines

I'm not going to lie, I had a minor breakdown the first time I attempted this recipe. The second attempt was an improvement, but still not restaurant quality. The pralines weren't as hard as I wanted them. I think it takes a decent amount of practice to get these right because you have to recognize the point in time when you should stop cooking the praline mixture. In my case, it seemed to be a small window. I'm sure a candy thermometer would help, but I don't have one. So, that being said, good luck!

4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 (14 oz) cans Borden's Eagle Brand condensed milk
2 cups water
4 cups broken pecan pieces

Bring all the ingredients except the pecans to a boil in a 5-6 quart heavy pot. Once boiling, lower the heat to a frisky simmer. Do not stray far from the stove; the mixture will foam over the sides of the pot for the next 20 to 25 minutes. Continue to whisk down the foam with a heavy metal whisk, until the foaming settles and no longer overflows.

Continue to cook at a frisky simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not stop cooking until the praline mixture has solidified enough to make several soft balls. To see if the praline mixture has solidified enough, drop 1/4 teaspoon of the hot candy into a cup of cold water. Let is sit in the water for about 30 seconds, then try to form a soft ball with it. Until you can form a ball, the mixture is not ready. Once ready, add the pecans, stirring them into the candy thoroughly.

On a table, butter a 3-4 foot piece of butcher paper. The candy will be too hot to touch. With one tablespoon, dip into the pot and remove a 1 1/2 to 2 inch patty, then use another spoon to scrape the "ball" of hot candy onto the butcher paper. Leave the balls of candy on the sheet to cool and harden, 30-45 minutes. When the candies are hard enough, pack them individually or together in an air-tight plastic container. They will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Makes 36-45 pralines.

Baked Pork Chops with Sauerkraut

Todd's mom introduced me to this dish and I now consider it one of my staples. It goes great with one of everyone's staples: macaroni and cheese:)

4 thin cut boneless pork chops (I usually buy 2 thick ones and cut them myself)
1 (14 oz.) can sauerkraut
Salt
Pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add all 4 pork chops, turning about every minute or so, just until all sides are browned (do not cook all the way through).

Coat a 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place pork chops into dish and cover each chop with some sauerkraut. Put remaining sauerkraut (and liquid) in the dish alongside the chops. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.

Chile con Queso

A dish sent from the heavens. Great for game day parties.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet white onion
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper or jalapeño (or a combination)
~ 3 tablespoons teaspoon ground cumin
~1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth (or water, for a veggie dish)
8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
1 cup chopped tomatoes

Using a medium sized pot (~3 qt.), heat the oil and sauté the onion, pepper and dry ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Add the broth and heat 3 to 4 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken, then add the cheese and tomatoes.

Simmer the queso on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, adjusting thickness to suit your taste by adding water or cheese.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Potato and Leek Soup with Cheddar Toasts

Castle Hill Muffins

Ditalini with Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella

This meal is so simple and delicious that I make it almost once a week. There are a lot of leftovers, which makes my husband happy because he has something to eat when I abandon him for the evening to hang out with friends :) I have found that the type and brand of Mozzarella make a big difference in the consistency of this meal. Mozzarella packaged in water is too soft and turns stringy once added to the pasta. The brand that I have found results in the best consistency is Belgioioso, specifically the Mozzarella in the vacuum-sealed package.

6-8 Roma tomatoes, chopped
Fresh basil, about 10 leaves, sliced into strips
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 box of Ditalini (small, tubed shaped pasta; Penne works well too)
8 oz. of fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you prep the other ingredients.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet. Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do not brown the garlic. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. I probably add about 2-3 tablespoons of salt, but you can adjust the salt to your taste. Using the back of a large spoon, slightly smash the tomatoes, creating a sauce-like consistency.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Continue to simmer the tomato sauce until the pasta is ready. Once the pasta is done cooking, add the basil to the tomato sauce and remove the sauce from the heat. Pour the sauce over the pasta, add the mozzarella, stir and serve.

Serves 4-6

About the Posters

Christy: My favorite cuisines are Tex-Mex and Italian, but I love cooking other cuisines as well. Let me take that back. My favorite cuisines are Tex-Mex, Italian and BBQ, but I leave it up to my husband to do the BBQing. I'm not much of an adventurous eater and would have to politely pass on many of the dishes served up on Iron Chef America (sweetbreads? no thanks), but I think I cook a nice variety of foods. I use approximations in a lot of my recipe posts because I typically don't measure what I'm tossing in the dishes (sorry bakers!). I'm especially generous with cumin, my favorite spice, so watch out for that one. Hope y'all enjoy!

Lyndsay: I am quite the opposite of Christy. I have to follow a recipe to the T. I'm not good at guessing how much a teaspoon of salt is so I'd rather pull out measuring spoons. Guess that makes me a good baker. I find comfort in baking. I love the way the house smells when a loaf of bread is in the oven. And I love putting my cakes in a cake stand on the kitchen table, although Spence ate the last cake I had on the table so I guess I won't be doing that anymore.

Kristy: I think I must be the adventurous eater in the group. I love all types of food, and I'll try anything at least once. My list of weird foods I've eaten includes haggis, smoked reindeer heart, and octopus puff balls. Nevertheless, I keep it more simple in the kitchen. I like weeknight meals to be fast and easy, and I experiment on the weekends. I use the grill pan a lot, and I love the oven because roasting requires no supervision. I'd say that my cooking has a California influence from my years there, but I'm equally comfortable with fancy broiled salmon and my mom's chicken casserole.