The World Series of Pumpkins: Nick’s Italian Pumpkin Seeds and My Carving Skills
This weekend, Nick and I went pumpkin picking for the first time. With Nick away at USAFA for most of our relationship, we were never able to enjoy Autumn together. This year, we took advantage and went on our first pumpkin picking adventure.
Nick was very specific about our pumpkin. My plan was to carve the Phillies logo onto the front of the pumpkin, so we looked for one that sat up straight, had a good stem, had enough space for the logo and was generally attractive. We found one we loved, buckled her in, and brought her home.
While I was carving, Nick checked out the internet for instructions on roasting pumpkin seeds. He came up with the delicious recipe below:
Nick’s Italian Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:
-pumpkin seeds from one large pumpkin, rinsed and dried as much as possible
-olive oil
-kosher salt and fresh black pepper
-grated parmesan cheese
-Italian seasoning
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, toss pumpkin seeds with enough oil, cheese, and seasonings to visibly cover the seeds. They should not be dripping with oil, and seasoning should adhere to the seeds. Spread onto a baking sheet in a level layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Seeds should be fragrant and crunchy.
Look forward to more Phillies and more pumpkins this week! Coming soon:
-Dorie’s Pumpkin Muffins
-My first fondant experience, Phillies World Series Cupcakes
-Other yet-to-be-created pumpkin treats
Smoky-Spicy, Take Two: Smoky-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
Apparently, I’m on a smoky-spicy kick. I made two back-t0-back recipes with this description: this Smoky-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup and yesterday’s Smoky-Spicy Tamale Pies.
I found this soup recipe in Rachael Ray’s October magazine. I’ve always liked butternut squash soup and pumpkin soup, so the recipe was right up my alley. The soup’s spicy notes come from the chipotle pepper, and the smokiness comes from the adobo sauce. There’s also a strong citrus flavor that comes through from the orange juice and zest.
I enjoyed the soup much more than my husband did. He wasn’t used to such a variety of flavors in one dish, so it’s a good thing I paired it with a little grilled cheese. We didn’t have any sour cream to cut the spiciness, so I ate mine with avocado, which worked well. Overall, I must admit that I’m glad this one wasn’t Nick’s favorite.. that means more for me!
Find the recipe here.
Mexican Oven Love: Smoky-Spicy Tamale Pies
My husband and I both love Mexican food, so I decided to try out this recipe for Smoky-Spicy Tamale Pies from this month’s Cooking Light Magazine.
The commissary on base doesn’t always have the right ingredients, so I substituted ground turkey for ground chicken in this recipe. The flavor of the pie filling was true to description- I’d say more spicy than smoky, very tasty. I think the topping could use a little work. I like a fluffier cornbread (see my favorite cornbread recipe), so I would probably tweak the recipe the next time I make it.
I ended up with more filling than I could fit in two larger ramekins, so I put the extra in a smaller one and baked it right along with the other two pies. If you like Mexican, definitely give this one a try. The recipe seems easy to work with and tweak to your own preferences- get creative – you can do whatever you like!
Find the recipe here.
My Favorites: Food Blogs and Websites
Part of the reason I got into food blogging was because I spent so much time looking at other food blogs. Lately, my Bloglines feed has been overflowing with wonderful blogs. Some blogs I’ve been following for a while, others I found more recently through Tuesdays with Dorie.
My Big Three:
Tastespotting
– LOVE this site. If you’re into food photography, need inspiration or just want to drool over some delicious treats, this is the place to go. If you’re a food blogger, definitely start submitting your photos.
Serious Eats
– This blog is great for a whole range of updates. They cover food news, recipes.. everything that’s current in the food world.
Dinner Tonight
– If you follow my blog at all, you know I love a little Martha. This is such a great blog for quick meal ideas!
My favorite foodies:
I won’t go into detail on all of these blogs, but they’re each wonderful in their own way. I’m drawn in by their unique recipes, delightful photography and love for food. Please check out these blogs- you won’t be sorry!
101 Cookbooks
A Consuming Passion
A Whisk and A Spoon
Bakerella
Cafe Lynnylu
Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Ezra Pound Cake
Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats
Happy Home Baking
LUSCIOUS
Mevrouw Cupcake
My Baking Addiction
Phe/MOM/enon
Scrumptious Photography
Smitten Kitchen
Sunday Nite Dinner
Tartlette
Tender Crumb
The Omnomicon
The Way the Cookie Crumbles
wee treats by tammy
Please comment with any other great finds – i’d love to see some new blogs!
Quick Blog: Quick Chicken. Seriously.
This is a meal you don’t even have to think about.
Say hello to Martha’s Spicy Apricot Chicken. Three ingredients: chicken, apricot jam, red pepper flake. Stick it under the broiler. Add some rice and a something green, and you’ve got a well-rounded meal. Great on nights like these when you’ve got to get dinner on the table quickly before the game starts! Go Phils!!
*Coming later this week: my favorite food blogs and websites!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Lenox Almond Biscotti
Tuesday is becoming my favorite day of the week. Tuesdays with Dorie is such a lovely excuse to expand my baking horizons. This week’s recipe was chosen by Gretchen from Canela & Comino.
This was my first biscotti experience. I was a little thrown off by the odd consistency of the dough, but it turned out to be pretty easy to shape. I was also expecting longer biscotti, but Dorie’s recipe said to shape the dough into two logs, so I went for it.
The dough baked up a little unevenly. It could be my miniature oven (one step up from an easy-bake) or the pans that I used.. not exactly sure. I had to keep them in longer about 8-10 minutes longer than Dorie’s suggested bake time.
Some of the biscotti got a little too brown for my liking, so I used a serrated knife to trim off the edges. After that, I took Dorie’s advice to play around – what better way to hide a mistake than by covering it with chocolate?
These tiny biscotti are delicious dipped in tea, coffee or all by themselves. The cookies are about 100 calories each and don’t take long to make. Ignore your barista today and make your own treats. 🙂
*Tuesdays with Dorie is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Fridge Creation: Mexican Pizzas
We’ve all had those nights where we have no idea what we want to make for dinner. In this case, I had ingredients for a few different recipes, but I wasn’t in the mood to make any of them. I noticed the tortillas, ground beef and scallions, and my mind started wandering toward Mexico.
I thought about quesadillas first, but I wanted to try something a little bit different. I came up with this idea and ran with it!
Mexican Pizzas
flour tortillas
olive oil
shredded cheese, cheddar or Mexican blend
ground beef (1/2 lb is enough for four pizzas)
assorted vegetables – anything you’ve got laying around – like corn, spinach, tomatoes, etc.
salsa
scallions (for garnish)
chili powder
cumin
salt and pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange tortillas in a single layer on the baking sheet (you may need more than one baking sheet).
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, breaking up and cooking until no longer pink. Add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste (I would recommend at least 1/2-1 tablespoon of the chili powder and cumin).
Assemble the pizzas – spread on salsa, vegetables, ground beef and cover with cheese. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Sprinkle with scallions, cut into slices and serve immediately.
Cooking During the Commercials: Chili Chicken and Vegetable Soup
I love to cook, but sometimes my other loves can get in the way during meal time. On Friday night, it was my Phillies in Game 2 of the NLCS. Knowing that I would not want to be in the kitchen, I decided to go for this soup recipe from the latest EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine. I know, I’ve been using Rachael’s recipes a lot lately, but she is known for quick meals with no lack of flavor.
Instead of using a rotisserie chicken like the recipe calls for, I had some chicken breast cutlets in the fridge and just poached them in broth. (feel free to leave a comment if you aren’t sure how to do this and you want to give it a try.) During the first few commercial breaks, I shredded the chicken with a fork and finished the minimal chopping that the recipe requires. It got a little tougher to watch the game while sauteing the onions, but after that, I was free to watch the action.
I really enjoyed the addition of the chili powder to the soup. It gave it a unique flavor that stood out from most basic chicken soup recipes. What I enjoyed more, though, was my Phils finishing up the night two games up. 🙂 Definitely give this soup a try and let me know what you think!
Good Morning: Whole Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce
Usually, I save pancakes for the weekend. But this morning, my husband asked for them specifically and I couldn’t say no. It didn’t hurt that just yesterday I found this recipe for whole wheat pancakes in Ellie Krieger’s book, The Food You Crave. Her book is full of healthy recipes, nutritional information and tips about eating well.
I was very excited about the strawberry sauce, but I wasn’t that impressed. It didn’t come out as sweet as I’d hoped. I would add a little more maple syrup to the mixture, or a little less lemon juice.
Nick passed on the strawberries and went straight for the syrup. I might go that route with the leftover pancakes (the recipe makes 12-14 pancakes, serving size is 3). I think the texture of the pancakes was great, and they didn’t take long to pull together. They make for a healthy breakfast that doesn’t feel healthy at all!
Find the recipe here.
Summer’s Gone To Soon .. Smoothies
Don’t get me wrong – I love Autumn – but there are some things about summer that should really stay around all year. Smoothies are delicious and easy to throw together. This weekend, two of my best girlfriends, Erin and Liz, came to share smoothies with me.
Here’s all you need:
Frozen or fresh bananas
Yogurt
Other frozen fruit of your choice (we went with mangos- peaches and berries are great, too)
Fruit juice (apple and orange work well)
Throw it all in a blender and mix until you like the consistency. More juice if you like them thin, less if you’d rather use a spoon.
These are great for breakfast, a snack, a base for mixed drinks or even dessert!
