TWD-Pumpkin Muffins

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe is Pumpkin Muffins and was chosen by Kelly from Sounding My Barbaric Gulp! What a great recipe to enjoy this time of year. I adapted the recipe, once again, to please the palates of my family. Why go through the time and effort of baking if it's not going to be enjoyed by your loved ones, right? Dorie's recipe called for raisins to be folded into the batter and also to sprinkle sunflower seeds on the tops of the muffins prior to baking. I knew my kids wouldn't come near the muffins if they saw seeds on top, so I added mini chocolate chips in the batter and placed regular sized chips on top. I can't seem to move past the wonderful combination of pumpkin and chocolate. O.k....you got me.....I like to add chocolate to nearly anything and everything that I bake and this gave me another opportunity to indulge in my craving. There, I feel better admitting my weakness.

The muffin batter was incredibly simple to mix together and took very little time. This would be a great muffin to whip up on a chilly winter-y morning for your family. I think the next time I make these I'll add a little more cinnamon and maybe some pumpkin pie spice. I like to really taste the pumpkin flavoring in my cookies and muffins.

As I write this post, the kids are beginning to devour the muffins. So, this is another Tuesday's with Dorie success. Thank you Kelly for choosing this great recipe!

Source: Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Sundays For Sarah-Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie

This is the first installment of "Sundays for Sarah" and I am thrilled to report to you that Sarah is doing well. It's been very touching to read through some of your comments and know that your thoughts and prayers for Hannah and Sarah began immediately after reading the post launching our exciting venture. Thank you. thank you!

For our first week of cooking, Sarah chose a Rachel Ray recipe. As you know, Rachel's 30 minute meals are so popular, not only for their preparation time but also for their wonderful flavors. This dish was very simple to prepare. You could summarize the process with just a few adjectives; browning, peeling, chopping, boiling, mashing and browning. That sounds so easy doesn't it? And aren't you proud of my literature skills? Well, I digress...the thyme and the chives that are added helped to create a fantastic, savory meal that was perfect to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon of football. I loved the crispness of the sauteed veggies with the creamy mashed potatoes, great combination! This was a definite success at both Sarah's and my home. I hope you decide to fix this wonderful, warm dish and think of Sarah and Hannah during your preparation. Enjoy!

Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie

3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
coarse salt
2 tablespoons EVOO-extra-virgin olive oil-2 turns of the pan
1 1/3 pound ground turkey breast
1 tablespoon smoked paprika, available in small cans on spice aisle of market
(You may substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons each sweet paprika and cumin combined)
coarse black pepper
2 tablespoons, 5 or 6 springs, fresh thyme leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream, divided
3 tablespoons butter
1 large egg, beaten
10 to 12 bladed fresh chives, chopped or snipped

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Heat a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, to the skillet. Add bacon and brown it up, then add ground turkey to the pan and break it up. Season the turkey with smoked paprika, salt and pepper and thyme. When turkey browns up; add onions, carrots, celery. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, then add red pepper and peas cook another 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook flour 2 minutes. Whisk broth and combine. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream and combine. Simmer mixture over low heat.
Preheat your broiler to high.
When potatoes are tender, add a ladle of cooking water to the egg. Drain potatoes and return to the warm pot to dry them out a little. Add remaining 1/2 cup sour cream, butter, half of the chives and salt and pepper. Smash and mash the potatoes, mashing in the beaten, tempered egg. If the potatoes are too tight, mix in a splash of milk.
Pour turkey mixture into a medium casserole dish. Top turkey with an even layer of smashed potatoes and place casserole 5 inches from hot broiler. Broil the potatoes until golden at edges and remove the casserole from the oven. Garnish the casserole with the remaining chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

Source: Food Network

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles

I mentioned in an earlier post that I love pumpkin...pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies etc. but in all my baking with this fabulous puree, I have never made pumpkin waffles. Never even thought about it, but what a wonderful idea! The other night I came across this recipe as I was reading through my new Taste of Home magazine and thought they sounded so good that I fixed these the very next evening for dinner. These were very simple to whip up and were perfect for our crazy, busy night. These are undoubtedly, unquestionably delish. I added mini-chocolate chips because I love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate. These Belgian waffles were wonderfully crispy on the outsides and the taste of the pumpkin slathered in butter and syrup was yummy. I can't imagine fixing ordinary waffles anytime soon.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles
1 cup all-purpost flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
4 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk the egg, milk, pumpkin and butter; stir into dry ingredients until blended. Fold in pecans.

Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.

Source: Taste of Home

Colors of Fall

The leaves around our home have had such beautiful, vivid colors this year that I had to take my camera out yesterday to capture the season. And I'm so glad I did, last night it rained and was quite windy so many of the leaves were blown off their branches and left to swirl on the ground. Typically, if your desire is to see vivid, fall colors you need to drive further south in Indiana, but this year God has blessed central Indy with the richness of fall. The above picture is of an old basketball goal on a small court in our side yard. This picture could be straight out of the movie "Hoosiers"....you know, the one with Gene Hackman. Yeah..we love basketball here in Indiana!!

I know you're checking my site today to look for another, new, yummy recipe and I promise you that I have some wonderful recipes yet to be posted, but I wanted to take a moment to slow-down and share with you what I captured and hopefully you'll enjoy the beauty of the season from our home.


This picture is taken from the road and shows the drive up to our house. The house sits beyond the tree-line to the right. Yes, this can be a BEAR to drive in the winter and can be downright scare if it's icy. But yesterday, I reveled in the beauty of the setting. With the horse corral, red barn and colorful trees it presented a perfect photo op for this amateur.





Now, while you enjoy the last couple of pictures, I want to share an exciting and fun new "element" to my blog that will begin next Monday, the 20th. My wonderful friend Sarah has been assigned to bed rest for the next three months of her pregnancy with her baby girl. Sarah has experienced some pre-term labor and to help the baby to grow and "stay put" until Sarah's due date, she has to take it easy for awhile. Sarah LOVES to cook and she's great at it. Just ask her hubby. Anyone who's been told to stay off their feet for a period of time will understand and tell you that there's not much to do other than read, sleep, watch t.v., or knit. Well, Sarah doesn't knit (I don't think), so she's relegated to sleeping, reading and watching the t.v. During the day there's not much worth watching except maybe every cook's favorite.....TheFood Network. Can you imagine having a love of cooking and watching chef after chef prepare savory dishes that you would love to try but aren't allowed to? I'm almost positive that in some areas of the world this could be viewed as some form of torture. So I came up with an idea to partner with her and with some coaxing, she jumped on board. I have asked Sarah to choose a dinner and desert recipe that she finds in books or sees on the tele' and my oldest daughter and I will prepare this recipe for Sarah's family and ours on Sunday afternoon. While Megan and I fix dinner, we're going to pray for Sarah and Hannah (their precious baby girl) that all stay healthy, relaxed and no further complications come up. I will post the recipe on Monday for all to see and ask that when you read over the post that you lift Sarah's family up in your thoughts and prayers and if you decide to prepare the meal, you think of them during that time too. I get chills thinking about the many blessings that could be reaped while people all over the country and possibly outside of the USA think about and pray for Sarah and her family! WOW!! I'm calling this new adventure...."Sundays for Sarah". With Sarah's permission, I will share updates on how they're all doing and hopefully we'll be able to post a picture of a full-term, beautiful baby-girl that you've been praying for.

I can't tell you how excited I am about this new partnership with Sarah and trying out some new recipes that she chooses to post on "Sundays for Sarah". I hope that many of you will become as energized and excited as I am and that you'll share this opportunity with many of your friends and family. Let's begin this fun, flavorful food adventure together!! Stay tuned....

Tuna-Cheddar Melts

This is one of my favorite "fall-back" recipes. No matter how well I've planned our weekly menu, there are times that the best intentions go flying out the window with wings and I am rushing to put something edible together at the last minute. This recipe is quick, easy and delicious! It's ooey-gooey with cheese and is flavored up with chopped onions and olives and the buns are warm and crispy from baking. Delish!!

Tuna-Cheddar Melts

2 cans (6 ounces each) water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use a little more)
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Dash of ground black pepper
8 hamburger buns

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine tuna, celery, onion, cheese, olives, mayonnaise and pepper. Divide tuna mixture evenly among buns. Wrap sandwiches loosely in aluminum foil. Place on baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Source: Recipes from the Heart Cookbook

TWD Lenox Almond Biscotti

This week's TWD post was chosen by Gretchen of Canela and Comino (www.CanelayComino.blogspot.com). I had such a great experience with this recipe. I have never tried to bake biscotti before but have salivated over the many different variations I have seen on mulitple blogs. But whenever I decided to bake a batch of cookies, the kids' requests always win out over my desires, so this was a valuable opportunity to try biscotti. My dough was the perfect consistency...sticky to the fingers, and it was fairly simple to make the logs. The almond extract added the perfect touch and smelled wonderful while the cookies baked. Yum! I can never leave good enough alone, so I melted some semi-sweet chocolate and drizzled over the biscotti. I love the presentation it gave the cookies. Thank you Gretchen for choosing Lenox Almond Biscotti for this week, otherwise I would probably continue to postpone trying these and would have missed this pleasurable experience!

Source: Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Reece's Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

"You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!"......"You got your peanut butter on my chocolate!" This is the dialog from the Reece's Peanut Butter Cup commercial when I was a kid. I remember the first time I tasted the yummy combination of these two ingredients....fantastic and addicting! It remains a favorite to this day, some 20 something years later. When I saw this recipe on Annie's blog (Annieseats.wordpress.com) I knew I would have to make this. What an ingenious idea..put the combination together in a cake. Wow! I first baked this and served it poolside for our end of the summer celebration for the kids and they raved over how wonderful this was. And this past weekend, our little girl requested it as the cake for her birthday party. How could I tell her no?

The cake is so moist and rich and when you add the creamy peanut butter icing and chopped up Reece'...it's a combination that can hardly be topped! It's an incredibly rich cake, so I served small pieces along with ice cream. It's also great with an ice cold glass of milk.

Reece's Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt.
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (optional)

For decorating:
1 1/2 - 2 batches peanut butter frosting
miniature Reese's cups, halved and/or chopped

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

For the cake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9x2" round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Place the pans on a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk; add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). Mix each addition only until it is blended into the batter. Scrape down the bowl and add the melted chocolate, if using, folding it in with a spatula. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 26-30 minutes or until the cakes feel springy to the touch and start to pull away from the sides of the pans. Transfer to wire racks to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cardboard circle covered in foil. Spread peanut butter frosting on top of the cake layer. (If desired, sprinkle with chopped Reese's cups). Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Frost the top and outside of the cake with remaining peanut butter frosting. Decorate with halved and chopped Reese's cups as desired.

Source: from Annie's Eats, cake from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, frosting from Ina Garten