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We’ve introduced a new tradition for the season.  Each child gets to pick one holiday cookie recipe, alternating a recipe a week.  Jellybean got to pick first and she wanted the gingerbread shaped men without the ginger so we went with a sugar cookie recipe.  While we were making them she referred to them as “Sugarmen”, a name worth keeping around.

I’ve tried different sugar cookie recipes before but never found that right one. Soft and chewy, a little crispy in the bottom. This year, Mary Engelbreit came through for me with a recipe that did it all. Others agreed so I thinks it’s a winner.

In case you find yourself in the same boat, ready to run out and buy the Pillsbury sugar dough, give this recipe a try.

Make some Sugar Camels while you at it.

Mary Engelbreit’s Sugar Cookie Recipe

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup(2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• Colored Sugar and multicolored sprinkles

1.Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2.In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then the vanilla. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture.
3. Divide dough into thirds, shaped each piece into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for atleast 2 hours, or overnight.
4.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5.On lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick.  Cut out Christmas shapes with cookie cutters and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Decorate with colored sugar and sprinkles.
6.Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. If you would like to hang these on your tree, you can use a skewer to make a hole as soon as they are removed from the oven and then add ribbon after cooled completely.

Note: For me, sprinkles will always be made my Granny’s way. A few bowls of sugar, food coloring added until bright green and red colors appear.  Sprinkle generously.

Here’s the cake my daughter envisioned for her 9 year old birthday.  I hemmed and hawed, tried steering her a different direction, and then folded.  I’m thrilled that I did because her vision was right on and we were able to capture it.  I’d like to point out with respect to Mookie that this is not a princess castle cake. More like an adventure castle cake.  She was very emphatic about this point. I’m just passing it on.

The second best thing about this cake was the frosting(the first being the above mentioned visionary daughter). We made a chocolate cake with peppermint frosting(tinted blue) and I see quite a future for me and this frosting.

In the near future I see brownies, topped with this frosting(maybe white, maybe red or green) and crushed peppermint candies.

Peppermint Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1(16oz) powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 to 1 tsp peppermint extract(or 1/4 tsp peppermint oil)

Beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat after each addition at low speed. Stir in peppermint extract. Lick all mixing utensils. Save some frosting for your cake or brownies.

posted by Mr. Darcy

Here’s a dessert guaranteed to impress your friends & family! It will elicit wonderous “ooooh’s” and “aaaah’s” from just about anyone who spies or tries it! This recipe has become a family holiday tradition at our house and it is as fun to make as it is to eat. (Ooooh’s and aaaah’s are included, of course!)

The Recipe:

• 1. 75 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 0.25 cups finely ground pecans
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick (0.5 cup) of unsalted butter, melted
• 3 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 0.25 cup heavy cream
• 1 (14-oz)  can of pumpkin pulp or 1.75 cups of fresh pumpkin pulp
• 0.25 cup caramel sauce (our one cheat… bought at a store)

Directions: the pumpkin

The steps for baking a pie pumpkin, from whole pumpkin to pulp.

First, why cook a pumpkin over buying canned pumpkin at the store? I guess that depends on you and what your time and kitchen fortitude allow. Many feel both get you the same result. Some reasons I decided to take the plunge are: (1) at $1-2 per pumpkin, you get more pumpkin pulp for your money  (2) plus, though many disagree, I think the end result simply tastes better because it’s freshly made. And now for the best reason of all, (3) you may think I’m crazy, but I swear it’s fun!

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Take a pie pumpkin, available at most farmers markets or produce stores during the fall/winter season, and cut it into quarters.

3. Scoop out the seeds and cut your quarters into 4-inch pieces.

4. Place the pieces of cut pumpkin into an oiled roasting dish, rind side down, cover tightly with foil, and bake for about 1 hour or until the pumpkin is soft and cuts easily with a fork or spoon.

5. Pull it out of the oven, allow it to cool, and then with a spoon or knife, scrape the pumpkin flesh away from the rind as shown in the bottom two photos above. The pumpkin flesh should easily come apart from the rind leaving a pile of empty rind and a bowl full of fresh pumpkin.

6. Puree the freshly cooked pumpkin and set aside for later.

Note: If after you puree the pumpkin, the final consistency is wetter than what you’d normally see in a can of pumpkin, wrap in cheese cloth and strain a little bit of the excess water from it until the consistency looks right.

Directions: the cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. If you are starting with whole pecans, place them in a food processor and pulse them until they are finely ground. Then add the graham cracker crumbs to the food processor with the cinnamon and pulse once more to quickly blend.

3. Pour the crumb mixture into a medium bowl and add the melted butter. Stir until combined.

4. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and about half way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.

Note: I like to take a butter knife and even up the edge of the crust all the way around the pan. It will make for a better presentation when it’s done.

5. For the filling, combine cream cheese through vanilla in a mixer bowl. Beat until fluffy.

6. Add eggs and yolks all at once, beating on low just until combined.

7. Fold in the cream and the pumpkin pulp. Don’t worry if it appears broken and not mixed in. Leave it that way. It will bake beautifully.

The filling just before folding in the pumpkin and heavy cream.

8. Pour into the crust lined pan.

Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan.

9. Place on a shallow baking pan in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center appears nearly set when shaken.

10. Cool 15 minutes. Loosen the sides of the pan and cool for 30 more minutes.

The pumpkin cheesecake just after baking.

11. Chill for 4 hours before serving.

12. Decorate with a drizzle of caramel sauce over the top of the cheesecake or over each individual slice. A sprinkle of powdered sugar makes a lovely garnish, too.

Drizzle with caramel sauce and, if desired, a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Occasionally I get tired of the lunch routine at our house.  A quick sandwich, a luna bar, maybe a warmed up can of soup, and on the really good days, leftovers.  Today I couldn’t face the pile of bagels I saw laying on the counter(especially with no cream cheese in my dairy free life at the moment), so I moved dinner up to lunch.  Now we’ve enjoyed a warm, fall lunch with a lot of leftovers for tonight.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite and most versatile cookbooks, How to Cook without a Book by Pam Anderson.  I recommend it.  The dish highlights a seasonal favorite of ours, the butternut squash.  If we didn’t entice you with the fall pie, maybe this will be the one.

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Thyme

• 1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into medium dice
• 1 pound pasta(short and stubby, like rotelle or orechiette)
• 4 tbs rendered bacon fat from 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 medium garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• Parmesan Cheese to taste
• Black Pepper to taste

1.In the skillet, fry bacon over medium heat until crsip, about five minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon; set aside.  Saute garlic and thyme with the rendered bacon fat.

2.Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water to a boil over medium-high heat in a soup pot; add 1 tbs of salt and pasta to the boiling water. Using pasta box guide, cook pasta, partially covered and stirring frequently, until about five minutes from doneness.  Add the prepared butternut squash and continue cooking until pasta is done and vegetable is tender.

3.Drain pasta and squash, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

4.Add pasta mixture back to pot, along with contents of skillet, and cooking liquid. Toss to coat.  Add bacon with parmesan cheese, toss to coat.  Add pepper to taste.

note: I cut my squash into 1 inch cubes, rather than reading the directions more carefully.  Stick with the medium dice, it will work better because it will cook quicker with the pasta and blend more easily with the flavors.

I promised a few friends that I would post the pumpkin butter recipe mentioned in this post.  It’s our first year of pumpkin butter and it’s already a favorite, destined to be a fall tradition.  While the rest of the family enjoyed their pumpkin butter on pancakes(pumpkin, of course), I tried my portion on some plain oatmeal cooked on the stove.  Instant, delicious success.  So today I served it up in mugs with the oatmeal, pumpkin butter, and topped with toasted walnuts.  Fall goodness!

Pumpkin Butter
from the Book of Days, Autumn 1

2 cups puree(from one pie pumpkin or 1 can)
3/4 cups white sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a small pot and put on stove over medium heat.

2. Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring often, until the pumpkin butter is thick, like pudding. Ladle into clean canning jar.  There will be some that won’t fit in the jar, but we’re pretty sure you’ll find a good use for it! It’s great on waffles, muffins, toast, and spoons.

If you’d life to make a few extra batches, you can freeze them, as long as you leave a half an inch or so at the top of the jar so that the butter has more room to expand as it freezes.

Finally an october sweet corn that I can really enjoy, not the horrible stuff called candy corn. Blech.

Our family loves a big bowl of popcorn fresh off the stove, but until today, we’ve never made Kettle Corn.  The inspiration came from a treasure I discovered earlier this week.  It’s called the Book of Days, and it’s a monthly downloadable book full of seasonal activities, recipes, and discoveries for families.  I love everything about this whimsical, artistic, inspiring book. Two nights ago we tried the pumpkin butter recipe, deliciously topping off our pancake dinner.

From the Writer and Illustrator:

“Our goal with the Book of Days is that any family, with just a few minutes to spare, can do something fun and meaningful together. Our hope is that those few minutes will lead to lots of exploring, creating and following your curiosity together.”

And, yes, we do have plans to get to the other less, ahem, food related activities very soon!

The kids and I just finished the entire bowl of kettle corn.  The perfect snack for a cloudy autumn day, with a view of falling leaves.

Do be careful making this with your kids, my 7 year old and I both got zapped with hot, popping kernels during first few steps.

Kettle Corn

from the Books of Days, Autumn Book 1

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup unpopped kernels
• large pot with lid
• salt shaker

DIRECTIONS

1.Heat the oil and three or four kernels of popcorn in a large pot over medium heat.

2.Once all the kernels pop, stir in the sugar and wait until it dissolves. Then stir in all the popcorn.

3.Cover the pot and let sit as you count to five.  Then raise the pot up and shake as you count to five.  Once the popping has slowed to once every 2-3 seconds, remove pot from heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has fully stopped.

4.Pour into a large bowl, and sprinkle with salt.  Stir the popcorn as it cools so that it doesn’t form clumps.

If Autumn were a pie it would have some of my favorite ingredients.

• 1 crisp autumn breeze
• 1 cup orange and yellow leaves(maple, preferably)
• 1 warm wool sweater, not too hot
• 3 children jumping in leaves
• 1 trip to the farmer’s market
• cinnamon to taste

Hmm, but how to serve that pie?  Well, we made one tonight that captures the feel of my whimsical fall pie.  We found it in our new favorite baking book, Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.  Already smitten with butternut squash, we felt more than willing to give this less common(okay, I’ve never heard of anything like it) pie a try.  We knew by the ingredients-the squash, pears, dried cranberries, orange zest-that it was going to be good.  But until we took the first bite………

Oh, sorry, I was still thinking about that first bite.

This pie is a beautiful thing.  I see the future of this pie on our table next fall, and then the fall after that, and then the fall after that….

Depths of Fall Butternut Squash Pie
recipe from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• Pie Dough from book or store bought crust(such as pillsbury)
• 1  1/4 pounds(2 cups) cubed(1 inch), peeled butternut squash
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup moist, plump dried fruit, such as cranberries, raisins, or finely chopped diced apple or pears
• 1/2 cup(packed) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Grated zest of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbs fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 tbs plain dry bread crumbs
• sugar, for dusting

To make piecrust-Follow directions in book, use your own recipe for double crust pie, or thaw store bought.

Getting Ready to Bake-

• Position rack in lower third of oven.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pre-cook the squash in a microwave or steamer until almost cooked through. Pat it dry and toss into a large bowl.

• Add the remaining ingredients.

• Then turn them gently with a large rubber spatula (and a four year old if you’ve got one) to blend.
• Let the filling sit for 5 min. or so to give the sugar time to melt, then gently mix again.

• Coat the pie plate with a little bit of butter or margarine and place the ingredients into the pie plate. Then level it out and set it aside.

• Lay your pie crust over the top, trim and pinch into shape. Then make four slits with a sharp knife on the top. We used a cookie cutter for a more creative touch on ours.

• Then lightly brush the pie crust with water and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juices from the pie bubble up through the slits in the center of the pie. Note: If the edges of your crust begin to brown before the pie is ready, cover the edges with foil leaving the center/top uncovered. This will prevent it from browning more and allow the rest of the pie to finish cooking.

• Serve with a little scoop of cinnamon ice cream and watch it disappear!

Notes: You might have noticed our version only used a top crust instead of a double.  We really liked it with the single, the crust didn’t overpower the amazing flavor of the filling.  Not finding an orange in the fridge, we used orange juice from the carton and skipped the zest.  Though the zest will be great next time, this worked in a pinch and no one refused their pie because of it.  If you don’t have an orange, but do have the rest of the ingredients, make the pie!

To make this pie dairy free, use a crust that is made with shortening, use dairy free margarine or cooking spray to coat the pan, and serve with dairy free ice cream.

I love a big pan of meat.  I like to pretend that I make meatloaf for Mr. Darcy on his birthday because HE really likes it.  But the  truth is that if he tried to pick something else, I’d probably find a way to make him change to meatloaf instead.  It’s really the same when it comes to roast, beef brisket, pork chops..well, I could go on but I won’t.

Though I’ve come a long way(if I do say so myself) on my culinary journey, roasting meats still daunts me.  Images of tough, dry chicken and hard beef spring to mind.  About 5 years ago I started cooking a roast with veggies in the crockpot and it’s come out tender every time, so I thought I might get away with taking that route-forever.

But still it seemed rather shameful to be at a loss for roast all because of my broken crockpot.

Today I threw all caution to the wind and tried this recipe for Mom’s Pot Roast from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster.  Sprigs of rosemary combined with red wine and tender meat-I decided to sacrifice my time and energy and make it for Mr. Darcy, really, I did, selflessly, for him.

The good news-I can lift my head high! Moist, tender, rosemary infused meat and vegetables-and no crockpot in sight.

This is for you honey.  Would you like it for your birthday?

Mom’s Pot Roast
from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster
serves 4-6

• 1 3-pound beef chuck roast, at room temperature
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tbs canola or safflower oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
• 6 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 4 to 6 cups beef broth
• 1 pound small red-skinned or fingerling potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Season the roast generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or deep, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast and sear to a rich, brown color, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the roast to a plate and set aside.
4. Add the onion, 2 of the carrots, and the herbs to the pot you cooked the roast in.  Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are light brown and the onion is soft., 3 to 4 minutes.   Return the roast to the pan, add the wine and enough broth to nearly cover the roast, and bring to a low boil over medium heat.
5. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and place the meat in the oven to roast for 2 hours 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and the remaining carrots and continue roasting for another 40 to 60 minutes, until the meat breaks apart easily and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
6. Transfer the roast to a shallow serving bowl and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.  Remove the herb stems from the pot or skillet. Use a large spoon to skim the fat.  Pour the juices and vegetables over the roast, and serve warm.

Aimee’s Notes:  Rather than spend 7 dollars just on the herbs I cheated and bought the fresh rosemary and used dried thyme.  Though the rosemary gave the dish a wonderful aroma and flavor, I’m sure it would have been doubly flavorful with fresh thyme as well.  Do what your budget allows.  I cut up larger potatoes since that’s what I had on hand, but I’ve always wanted to try the fingerlings.  The roast was done before the time suggested in the directions, but didn’t suffer from slow-cooking a little longer while the veggies finished tenderizing.

We have a new soup to add to our Fall Menu.  Our family has a thing about soups. We’re ever so slightly, but not enough to be hospitalized, certifiably, and rather proudly-obsessed with soups.  Just follow this blog over the fall and winter and it will speak for us.

I found this recipe in a new cookbook.  Besides the obvious draw of being a soup, it also called for both sweet and white potatoes, which were sitting together in our csa basket as I flipped through the cookbook.  The combination of vegetables and flavors was new to me but I’m happy to report, a zinging success.  An excellent first fall dish of the season and not just loved by my own stomach, but by a handful of voices around the table shouting, “Let’s add this to the fall menu!”

Chicken, Potato, and Black Bean Soup
serves 6

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 4 medium-size russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium-size sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 cups chicken cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tsps dried oregano
• 2 tsps ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 2 tbs seeded and diced green chiles(optional)
• 15 ounce can black beans, undrained
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• Sour cream and taco chips

1. Bring broth and water to boil in a soup pot; add potatoes and boil ten minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook until it turns opaque. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring a few times, until vegetables are soft.  Add oregano, cumin, cayenne, sage, and green chiles.  Stir to combine and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer.
3. Add mixture from skillet into soup with boiling potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and add black beans including liquid in the can.  Simmer soup until potatoes are tender.  If soup get too thick, you can add another 1 to 2 cups brother later to cooking time.
4. When potatoes are done, stir in lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with sour cream and taco chips.

Notes: Next time I won’t use two pans.  I can’t see any reason not to go ahead and do step 2 in the soup pot, and then add the broth, water, and potatoes and continue on with the recipe.  I also think you can cook the onions and herbs right when the chicken starts cooking, not after.  I skipped the celery, green chiles, and cayenne(we have mild palates at our house), but next time I’ll throw in a can of green chiles.  I also added more cumin and sage to enhance the flavor.  The rest of the fam enjoyed the sour cream, but I didn’t miss it in my dairy free bowl.  We topped our soup with Trader Joe’s Vegetable and Flaxseed Tortilla chips-great color and taste.  Don’t skip the lime juice.

The cookbook: The recipe came from Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Osten. I’ve read several books in this genre and even though they usually have good tips for cutting costs on the food bill, I haven’t found them to be a mecca of good recipes. Hence, my surprise when I found myself salivating as I flipped the the recipes in Osten’s book.  With a family of six and one income, I’m looking for ways to save money.  But we also like quality, fresh, flavorful, healthy food and usually those elements are sacrificed in cost-cutting books. But in Family Feasts, she uses fresh vegetables, non-processed foods, and the recipes read like ones found in my other cookbooks.  Atleast, I hope so, since this is the first recipe I’ve made.  (side note: I was chagrined to find the customary salmon and tuna chowder recipes, but I’m not going to let that hold me back from the 198 other recipes and cost-cutting information)

If I look long enough I can see the leaves revealing their true colors: rusty reds and vibrant orange loveliness.  To some people they may still look green, but the butternut squash and sweet potatoes in my farmer’s basket tell me that change is very near. And so begins my favorite season of colors, weather, and food.

My friend had the great idea to create a fall menu with her family.  She explains more on her blog, but I’ll tell you why our family got inspired and created our own Fall Menu.

Our family has been part of the local csa for almost 4 years now. We’ve gotten used to(and come to love) eating by the season. Grilled zucchini in the heat of summer, strawberry pie at the end of spring, and apple crisp on the cusp of fall and winter.  It makes each season of food fresh and exciting, it builds anticipation for the dishes we love. Distance makes the heart grow fonder right? (in this case the distance is measured in months).

Now that we are a family of 6, there are many favorites amongst the crew.  One sister’s favorite is another brother’s dreaded dish(take black beans and rice for instance).  When we created our fall menu each of us contributed 2-3 ideas to each category. Now atleast they can be assured that when their least favorite hits the menu list, there’s bound to be something scrumptious in a day or two.  It also gives me a spring board of recipes for menu planning each week, rather than starting with a blank slate. Each week I’ll take a handful of recipes from the fall menu, along with some leftovers and some new fall dishes to try.  It was fun listening to the suggestions in our brainstorming session today.  Not so surprisingly they were very good at coming up with fall treats.  Surprisingly, everyone wanted butternut squash lasagna on the list.  The only drawback is the dishes I’ll be passing up in my current dairy free diet-well, maybe a few nibbles of the lasagna.

Here’s what has made the list so far:

Breakfast

• Pumpkin Muffins
• Apple Muffins
• Pumpkin Waffles/Pancakes
• Cinnamon Scones
• Baked Apple Oatmeal
• Grits with Apples Sausage

Main Dishes

• Pumpkin Soup
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Tuscan Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Harvest Chili
• Beef Stew
• Meatloaf
• Crockpot Roast
• Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Apple Porkchops
• Chicken Apple Tacos
• Lentil Tacos

Sides

• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Cranberry Sauce
• Harvest Grains with vegetables
• Baked Apples
• Roasted Veggies
• Carrots(soufflé or sauté)
• Orzo with carrots and peas

Breads

Cranberry Bread

Desserts

• Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Apple Cake
• Apple Pie
• Cranberry/Apple Crisp
• Pumpkin Bars

Let the feast begin.  Thanks, Wordgirl, for the inspiring idea.