Pumpkin Fudge from Allrecipes Magazine

Pumpkin Fudge

We had to put our oldest male dog to sleep today. He got a very aggressive form of bone cancer and within a month could no longer walk and was barely eating. It was time. My two sons cried for almost 2 hours straight this evening. I felt horrible for them and wish that I could have taken away their pain. Tomorrow we are going to paint a brick and make a gravestone for our backyard. They are intrigued by this idea and I am hoping it will help them with the grieving process. When we lost our oldest female dog a few years back they were too young to remember or understand. Today was very different. I spent most of the evening explaining what it means when something passes away. That is such a hard topic for anyone to process so I hope I did an adequate job. My husband and I adopted our dog from the pound a year after we were married. We had just graduated from graduate school and were looking for work. It was a rough year, we both worked 3 jobs at the mall to make ends meet. Our male dog brought joy into a stressful period. I will always remember him as the bumbling 60 pound puppy that would jump into the air when he was excited. He was the right dog at the right time for us. Since today has been stressful I have done a lot of baking. I bake when I am stressed. After my mother passed away I made 10 dozen cookies. It's my form of therapy and stress relief. This week I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Fudge from All Recipes Magazine.

Rotary Park Sign Huntington, WV

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 16 squares. I followed the recipe pretty exactly, I only made two change. First, I used parchment paper instead of foil. I find that foil shreds too easily when cut upon. Second, I found that I had more than 16 squares when cut. They must have made some very large pieces of fudge in their test kitchen. I also added the 1/8 teaspoon of salt suggested by the magazine.

Rotary Park Overlook Huntington, WV

My family loves pumpkin. I make a ton of pumpkin recipes during the fall and winter, but I had never tried fudge before. My two boys really liked this fudge. It is very different than traditional chocolate fudge, with a nice subtle pumpkin and cinnamon flavor. This would be a nice recipe to take to a party or to host a Halloween get together.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Fudge.

Pumpkin Fudge

Recipe Type: Dessert

Summary:

A creamy recipe for Pumpkin Fudge. Great for fall or a party.

Cooking Time: 0h, 20m

Total Time: 1h, 20m

Yield: Serves 16

Soft Pretzels from the Food Network Magazine

Soft Pretzels

So apparently I no longer know how to do elementary mathematics. I went through upper level calculus in college, but my 7 year old had to explain his homework to me last night. Just so you don't think I'm a total failure let me give you the background. He was adding three number together (so lets use 4+5+9). I told him to add the first two and then add it to the third. He looked at me and told me I was wrong. What? Then he had to spend 10 minutes explaining how they learned to do it (completely different than I learned). I was so confused until I finally understood it. I laughed telling my husband the story, who still doesn't understand what my son is talking about. I'm just glad that I went to school in the 80's since everything is apparently turned upside down and backwards. The same thing has happened on other assignments. Apparently even though I have a Master's degree I would fail elementary school. My son finds it hilarious, I just remind him if the answer is the same I don't see why it matters how I get to it. It doesn't help that both of my in-laws taught school for 40 years a piece so I am surrounded by teachers. Luckily they don't know how to do his worksheets either. That at least makes me feel slightly better. This has been a long week for my household so I decided to reward my kids with a new recipe for Soft Pretzels from the October 2013 Food Network Magazine.

Rotary Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 6 ingredients. I takes 3 hours of total time, an hour of which is active and makes 12 large pretzels. I followed this recipe pretty closely to the original. I did make a few minor changes. First I found that I only needed 5 cups of flour and I added two more tablespoons of warm water. My dough would not come together with less water. Additionally, I used bread flour instead of all purpose. I turned my oven down to 400 since they browned way too quickly at 425 for the first batch (I baked my pretzels in two batches).

Rotary Park Huntington, WV

My husband really thought that these pretzels would go great with beer, mustard or as a sandwich bread with ham. They would also go well with any German dishes especially those with sauerkraut. My two boys loved these pretzels and ate them as soon as they were cool. They do get a little less firm after they are stored so they are best served warm.

For the recipe go to Soft Pretzels. 

Soft Pretzels

Recipe Type: Snacks

Summary:

A delicious and straight forward recipe for Soft Pretzels. Great with mustard.

Preparation Time: 2h, 45m

Cooking Time: 15h, 0m

Total Time: 3h, 0m

Yield: Serves 12

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

A nutritionist has been talking to my oldest son's class. While this would seem a good thing with most kids, not so with my son. He has decided that all he is now going to eat is salad. Apparently the kids have been told that they need to eat salad with low fat dressing and lots of green veggies. I would see this as great advice for households that rely on a lot of pre-packaged goods. We are not one of those households. The only thing that I buy pre-packaged is cereal. My son is not eating junk food at home and is very thin. He has decided that he should now never eat any red meat or anything high in fat. I'm really not happy with the lesson plan. I understand that our state is overweight. My city has been listed as one of the fatest in America. However, my family is thin. We eat a variety of foods and everything is made from scratch. That also means that I have no problem with my kids enjoying a homemade brownie or french fries from a fast food restaurant occasionally. I am a big proponent of moderation. I also wish that we could educate families about proper nutrition such as recipe selection etc instead of making my thin child think that he can't eat certain foods. I grew up eating red meat, home baked goods and my mother's mean lasagna. If you ask anyone that knows me I am also thin and exercise everyday. The food has not made me fat, I eat decent servings and don't eat to the point I am too full. I hope that my son moves out of this phase. I talked to him about healthy food choices and that those choices can include higher fats as long as there is balance. Today's recipe is an example. My youngest loves pancakes, I love him eating foods with vitamins. So I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes from the Food Network.

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This recipe has 14 ingredients (I only followed the part of the recipe for the pancakes). It takes 30 minutes all of which is active (different than the original recipe) and makes 4 servings. I made a large number of changes to the original recipe. The original recipe had a syrup and whipped cream, I prefer my kids to only have butter on their pancakes since too much sugar can make them a little wild. Additionally I made this batch gluten free using gluten free all purpose flour. Whenever you convert to gluten free you need to add more liquid, I added more buttermilk until the batter had a thinner consistency. I substituted low fat buttermilk for the half and half and used all canola oil instead of butter. I made the pancakes on my griddle, it's a great way to ensure nicely browned pancakes. Finally, I reduced the sugar to an 1/8 cup since my youngest doesn't like things too sweet.

Look Out Tower Rotary Park Huntington, WV

I doubled this recipe so my youngest had enough to snack on the rest of the day. They turned out very nicely and had a great pumpkin taste. Instead of topping them with syrup we ate them with melted butter and they were perfect. They are a nice way to celebrate fall and pumpkin is great since it is full of vitamins A and C. If you aren't a fan of pancakes I use pumpkin all the time in smoothies and they are delicious!

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Pancakes.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

I live in the state of West Virginia. Not Virginia. I have only been to Virginia once in college for a conference in Richmond. It was nice, but not my state. All of this has to do with an experience I had a couple of weeks back. I had a bad experience at a major fast food chain and went to their Facebook page to complain. I went to the drop down menu on the complaint form and my state wasn't there. There was a state abbreviated as WE. Ummm, okay that must mean that South Carolina is SO, oh wait that means that South Dakota would be the same abbreviation. It just doesn't work and there is no legal abbreviation of West Virginia that makes it WE. This experience only reminded me that my state is often the forgotten state. We make the news for being over weight, poor or having beautiful scenery and not much else. I wish that would change. West Virginia is a beautiful state, but it is much more than that. It is the state that I moved 2500 miles away from home and decided to make my life 'home' with my family. It's the state I am raising my kids. We are kind, smart and educated people. While we might talk with an accent we aren't stupid. Most West Virginians would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. While the pace might be a little slow, or people like to sit on their porch in the evenings it isn't because we are lazy. We have learned what it means to enjoy the journey.  I hope that by the time my kids are adults that West Virginia has stopped being the forgotten state and has started being recognized for so much more. West Virginians have a wealth of knowledge and kindness to be offered if given the chance. Many states could learn a lot by being a little bit more 'West Virginian'. Now onto the food (WV also has great food!). Last week I made one of my favorite recipes for Irish Soda Bread. I make it frequently for my family and it's so good.

Harris Riverfront Park, Huntington, WV

This recipe has 4 ingredients. It takes an hour of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 16 servings. I have made this bread for years. There are always a few changes I make to recipe. First, my husband and kids prefer the recipe with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. I use bread flour for this recipe, it gives it a nice texture. If you use the 14 ounces of buttermilk in the original recipe the bread can be a little hard to put together. I normally add 2 more ounces so the dough sticks together and forms a ball. Make sure to make a cross on the top of the bread for a nice crust.

Huntington, WV Flood Wall

I have been making this recipe for years and my family loves it. It was one of my favorite bread recipes when I could still eat gluten (now when I make wheat bread I wear gloves and make sure not to cross contaminate etc). If you prefer whole wheat flour you can also make brown soda bread. I have made it a few times and it is also very good. Make sure to eat the soda bread within a day or two, it dries out very quickly.

For the recipe go to Traditional Irish Soda Bread.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Recipe Type: Bread

Summary:

A simple recipe for traditional Irish soda bread using cake pans. Great crust!

Preparation Time: 0h, 15m

Cooking Time: 0h, 45m

Total Time: 0h, 60m

Yield: Serves 16

Chicken Stew with Turnips and Mushrooms from Eating Well Magazine

Chicken Stew with Turnip and Mushrooms

I love fall. Hot weather isn't something I do well with and most of the summer I stay indoors. Growing up in Seattle it was never overly hot and the humidity was low. Then I moved to West Virginia. The humidity and heat almost did me in the first summer. It didn't help that we had a heat wave and the day my husband and I got married it was almost 100 (and yes my husband and I met and got married in only 11 months - sometimes things just fall into place). Fall is a total other story. I love fall in my state. The leaves are beautiful here and the weather is mild. Plus it means lots of soups, stews, and chili. It is by far my favorite time of the year. Tonight I tried a new recipe for Chicken Stew with Turnips and Mushrooms from the October 2013 issue of Eating Well magazine.

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This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 6 servings. I only made a few modifications to the original recipe. First, I used baby kale. I was so happy to have found  washed and ready to eat baby kale at the store this week. It's a new item and I scooped it up. So much easier than washing and cutting regular kale. In order to have the turnips fully cooked it took approximately 10 minutes more than the recipe suggested. I really don't like the texture of undercooked turnips. I served the stew with homemade Irish soda bread.

Bridge Ritter Park Huntington, WV

My whole family enjoyed this stew. The flavor was great and the fact that it had mushrooms was the selling point for my two boys. They are both obsessed with mushrooms. The stew was perfect for a cool evening and serving it with Irish soda bread was a nice combination since the bread could sop up the stew. This is definitely a recipe I would make again. If you aren't a fan of turnips this recipe would also work well with potatoes, sweet potatoes or parsnips.

For the recipe go to Chicken Stew with Turnip and Mushrooms.

Chicken Stew with Turnip and Mushrooms

Recipe Type: Main

Summary:

A filling chicken stew recipe with baby kale, turnips and mushrooms. Perfect for fall and winter!

Preparation Time: 0h, 15m

Cooking Time: 0h, 30m

Total Time: 0h, 45m

Yield: Serves 6

Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

Gluten Free Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

I got stuck in a thunderstorm with a scared and crying 4-year-old today. It seems that every time we have a late summer storm it hits right before I have to go to the bus and wait for my oldest to come home. Now it wouldn't be as bad if the bus actually came in front of our house, it doesn't. I have to walk a block down the street and across to wait for the bus. Plus the bus is never on time so I have to arrive 5 minutes early. Today there was lightening, horrible rain and wind waiting for me as I stepped out the door. My 4-year-old was terrified and by the time I got to the bus stop I was sopping wet. It only got better as the tree across the street got struck by lightening and my oldest stepped off the bus crying. It wasn't the best weather scenario to be stuck in. Luckily the nasty weather brought our temperature down 25 degrees from yesterday's high, so I will take the cooler weather. Cooler weather always makes me think forward to fall and most of all fall baking. This week I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins from Martha Stewart Living.

Ritter Park Sign Huntington, WV

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 1 hour of total time, a half hour of which is active and makes 12 muffins. The original recipe was for 8 mini loaves. I have never owned mini loaf pans, with two boys mini loafs just aren't something that would be eaten in my house. Muffins on the other hand are very popular. Plus they are easy for my boys to grab from the kitchen on their own, which is much easier than cutting a loaf of bread for them. I ended up with 12 muffins and my baking time was approximately 20 minutes. I also made a batch of gluten free muffins. For the gluten free version I used gluten free all purpose baking mix. I do make my own gluten free baking mix on occasion, but this time I used pre-made boxed mix. The baking time for the gluten free muffins was around 25 minutes. I did not garnish the finished muffins with sage. I figured the sage flavor would be too intense and I know my two boys would comment and refuse to eat them.

Ritter Park Huntington, WV

The funny thing with this recipe is that the gluten free muffins turned out higher than the regular muffins. They were crumbly, but that is normal with gluten free baking. The regular muffins were a little intense on the sage flavor for my two boys. It is definitely more of an adult taste, with the browned butter and sage combination. However, I loved the gluten free muffins and ate two while they were still warm. This recipe would also make a great full size loaf, just increase the baking time to about an hour.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins.

Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

Recipe Type: Muffins

Summary:

A simple recipe for pumpkin muffins with fresh sage and browned butter. Great for fall baking!

Preparation Time: 0h, 30m

Cooking Time: 0h, 30m

Total Time: 1h, 0m

Yield: Serves 12

Cinnamon Raisin Strata

Cinnamon Raisin Strata

I don't sit still well. I never have. If I don't have a project or something to do, I get bored. Very, very bored. I also fidget all the time. I am one of those people that is always tapping their foot or fingers. It drives my husband nuts. He loves to take naps in the middle of the day, but I just can't do it. The moment I try to lay down I think of something that needs to be done. At any given time I have at least 3 projects that I am working on. Today I decided that I needed to make new covers for the pillows in our living room. This weekend I started re-upholstering our chairs. Last week I painted the bookcase. My brain has the habit of always seeing what needs to be updated or fixed. There are many days that I wish that I was more like my husband. It would be nice if I could sit down and relax occasionally. Cooking is one of the many ways that I distract myself. Last week I tried a new recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Strata from the Eggbeaters website.

Ritter Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 9 1/2 hours of total time (including fridge time), 10 minutes of which is active and makes 9 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First, I made my own cinnamon raisin bread from scratch. Homemade bread is always better than store bought. I allowed the bread to sit in the egg mixture overnight and then cooked it for a little over an hour. I like to have the outside of my strata to turn slightly crispy and brown and cooking it for a little longer than the recipe suggested allowed for this to happen.

Water Fountain Ritter Park, Huntington, WV

I like that this recipe is lower in fat. Per serving it has 9 grams of fat and 13 grams of protein, making it a nice breakfast option. My youngest was a big fan of this recipe. However, I would suggest adding vanilla and more maple syrup, especially if you like your bread dishes sweet.

For the recipe go to Cinnamon Raisin Strata.

Cinnamon Raisin Strata

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Summary:

A very easy breakfast recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Strata. It has 13 grams of protein per serving.

Preparation Time: 0h, 10m

Total Time: 9h, 30m

Yield: Serves 9

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili from Taste of Home Magazine

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

This morning my youngest ran into the kitchen and announced "I love bacon". Then he ran away into the other room. That's how my household is, the three males in my house have a minor bacon obsession. As I was writing this post my husband went into a 5 minute one sided conversation about how he will only eat crispy bacon and that he judges Tudor's Biscuit World locations (a popular WV breakfast biscuit restaurant) by if they have crispy or chewy bacon. I should be used to this by now since growing up my father insisted on two things for Sunday breakfast, crispy bacon and fried potatoes. Neither of which I was allowed to cook, my bacon was never crispy enough and I have a bad tendency to over flip fried potatoes. A couple of weeks back I made a chocolate cake with bourbon glaze and chocolate covered bacon. My family is still talking about it and honestly I think it might be their favorite thing I have ever made. Maybe I should just cook bacon at every meal and then everything that I make would be well received. My youngest ended the day by informing me that he had seen a sign for bacon donuts and that he wanted one. It looks like I will be spending part of my weekend tracking down this alleged donut or I won't hear the end of it. While the rest of my family is bacon obsessed, I am obsessed with fall foods and in particular pumpkin and apples. Last week I tried a new recipe for Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili from the September/October 2013 issue of Taste of Home Magazine.

Church in the Southside Neighborhood of Huntington, WV

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 4 hours and 20 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 10 servings. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. First, I made my beans from scratch. I prefer this method since I can control the amount of the salt. I also used my own chicken broth. I don't salt the broth to cut down on sodium. Finally, I didn't add cubed avocado since my kids refuse to eat it currently and I used grilled chicken thighs instead of turkey. I rarely have frozen turkey leftovers, but I frequently have leftover chicken so the substitution was a nice way to save money.

Julian's Market Southside Neighborhood Huntington, WV

With only 5 grams of fat this recipe has a lot of protein (16 grams) while being low in fat. Plus since it's all done in the slow cooker it's very easy to prep and makes more than enough for multiple meals. With fall being right around the corner this recipe will be great when the weather turns cooler.

For the recipe go to Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Recipe Type: Main

Summary:

Review of Sow Cooker Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili from the September/October issue of Taste of Home magazine. Great for fall!

Preparation Time: 0h, 20m

Cooking Time: 4h, 0m

Total Time: 4h, 20m

Yield: Serves 10

Martha Stewart's Baked Ravioli Recipe

Baked Ravioli - Martha Stewart Website Recipe

I loved pasta growing up. I would come home from school, run for the fridge and eat anything I could find. One of my favorite foods was pasta and in particular ravioli. My mother would cook it for me at least once a week. She was always worried that I wasn't eating enough since I was rail thin growing up. My mother took me to the doctor multiple times thinking that I was sick or malnourished. I wasn't, I just didn't put on a lot of weight. Pasta was a food that she felt was hearty and I loved, so it was a great food match. I have carried on my pasta addiction with my two boys. They will take cold spaghetti out of the fridge and eat it straight from the container. No sauce, no butter, just the olive oil it was initially tossed with. Since my family loves pasta and I hadn't made any ravioli dishes in a very long time, I decided to give a new recipe a try. I tried the recipe for Baked Ravioli from the Martha Stewart website. It is as follows:

Everyday Food, September 2003  

http://www.marthastewart.com/331829/baked-ravioli

• Prep Time 25 minutes
• Total Time 50 minutes
• Serves 6

Ingredients

• • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or oregano
  • 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
  • 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 pounds store-bought frozen ravioli
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot.
3. Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Here are my modifications and review: 

First I used frozen beef ravioli. My husband isn't a fan of having cheese as the main protein of a dish, so I either add beans, tofu or meat to any dinner dish I prepare. I used dried oregano from my garden. Homemade dried herbs have a much better flavor and are fresher than store bought. Plus it's very easy to do just wash the fresh herbs, tie the ends with twine, hang upside down in a brown paper bag with air holes cut out and let dry for a week or two. Very easy. I found that I had to bake the ravioli a little longer than the recipe suggested. I ended up adding 2/3 cup of Parmesan on the top of the pasta the last 15 minutes. This added about 10 minutes to my cooking time in order for the sauce to fully thicken.

My kids absolutely loved this recipe. I did add a little bit of salt at the table, but my family is big on salt. Even my husband was won over by this dish. It was definitely a recipe that everyone in my house could agree upon. Obviously since I eat gluten free I couldn't taste the pasta, but it smelled so good! I did sample the sauce before the pasta was added and it had a nice sweet flavor.

For the recipe go to Baked Ravioli.

Recipe published with permission from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Baked Ravioli

Recipe Type: Main

Summary:

Martha Stewart's Baked Ravioli Recipe. Plus a tip on how to dry your garden herbs.

Preparation Time: 0h, 25m

Total Time: 1h, 50m

Yield: Serves 6

Thai Coconut Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

Thai Coconut Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

We live in a college football town. Once the college football season starts, during every home game the city gets a little crazy. Everyone literally bleeds green and white. This past Saturday I had forgotten it was a game day until we pulled into the drive thru and the person in front of us had painted themselves green. Yeah, it's that kind of city. Everywhere I went - the bank, grocery store you name it everyone was wearing green. Our state is divided. There are two big schools, Marshall and WVU (West Virginia University). Since there are no professional teams in our state, college teams reign king. While both schools have a large alumni base, most of the fans of both teams never went to school at either university. Somehow though they feel a connection to their football teams and get very adamant that their team is the best during games. According to my husband twitter gets a little crazy with back and forths between fans. So for Saturdays during the season we are a Marshall town through and through. Football season means lots of chili and game day foods, but with 95 degree days we are still enjoying food that sticks to the ribs a little less. I am a little behind on posts, so the recipe I am sharing tonight I actually made a few weeks back. I tried a new recipe for Thai Coconut Chicken with Pineapple Salsa from the April 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living.

B'nai Shalom Synagogue Huntington, WV

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 35 minutes of total time, 25 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. First, since I have never actually seen a fresh Thai chili at any store in my area, I substituted a jalapeno. I left the seeds in since my kids weren't going to be eating the dish. For the oil I used peanut oil, I love cooking at high temps with peanut oil, it's great. The recipe states that the dish turns out brothy, but I found that it didn't make as much broth as the photo in the magazine showed. It was still enough for three servings, but not like the soup shown in the photo.

B'nai Shalom Synagogue Front Steps Huntington, WV

My husband and I were big fans of this recipe. The flavors from the fish sauce and ginger were delicious and the spicy kick from the jalapeno was perfect. I liked that the broth was slightly sweet and savory, while the salsa was a little on the spicy side. They worked perfectly together and the flavors played off of each other nicely.

For the recipe go to Thai Coconut Chicken with Pineapple Salsa.