Almond Crunch Ice Cream

     You would think that I was pregnant or something with all these recent posts about dessert! Nope, not pregnant, just a nursing Momma with cravings. We purchased this ice cream machine with wedding gift certificates but it wasn't until last summer that I started to use the machine. And THEN--my friend Christina recommended that I get Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream book. The ice cream I am able to whip up now could go head to head with B & J's any day....
       This particular flavor is one that I kind of made up as I am in love with all things almond flavored or with Almond chunks/paste. Trader Joe's makes these thin almond crisp cookies that are divine and I thought they would go well with some Almond Ice Cream and Mr. E. and I both agree--this is the best creation I have made yet!

Ingredients:
2 cups light cream
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp almond extract
1.5 cups crushed almond cookies

Mix the cream and milk together and then add the almond extract. Pour the milk and cream mixture into the ice cream maker according to their instructions. After 28 minutes of mixing, add the broken cookies for the last 2 minutes of mixing. Voila--believe me, you will not be disappointed. Oh, and you will even have a little bit of sweetened condensed milk left in the can and if you enjoy a cup of coffee at the beginning of your day, a spoonful of this yummy goodness will make an incredible cup of joe!

Buckley's Tavern

Mmmm... wild mushroom soup! I came across this recipe on the website for Buckley's Tavern in Centreville, Delaware as I was searching for their recipe for pumpkin hummus (still no luck), however, this looked like the perfect recipe for our lunchtime soups. Mmmm.... Unfortunately it is not made with the local mushrooms that southeastern Pennsylvania is known for, but rather run of the mill California mushrooms which are sold in our grocery.

Wild Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

3 lbs assorted mushrooms (they suggest portabella, shiitake and chanterelle's from Kennett Square)
2 leeks (whites only) cleaned and chopped
3 cups chopped tomatoes (if using canned, drain liquid and you will need 2 large cans)
1 tsp minced garlic or one garlic clove minced
1 Bay leaf, 1/4 cup chopped parsley and thyme
48 oz. low sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup sherry
EVOO for sauteeing

Directions:

In a heavy bottomed 4 quart pot, saute leeks, tomatos and garlic over medium heat until soft. Add mushrooms and cook for 5-10 minutes until mushrooms release some liquid. Deglaze pot with sherry. Add stock, bay leaf, herbs and cook for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a green salad and crusty bread!

Courtesy of Buckley's Tavern, Centreville, Delaware

Caribbean Succotash

Ooooo, this dinner was delicious! It was the cover recipe in the January issue of Bon Appetit so I knew it would be good. It is the perfect vegetarian meal--filled with veggies and protein and completely satisfying. Mr. E. ate this dinner... once... but is not a big fan of coconut milk so unfortunately this will not be one of our go to meals as I had hoped it would be.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen double-peeled fava beans, butter beans, or baby lima beans (about 9 ounces), thawed--I used one can of butter beans rinsed.
• 3/4 cup diced peeled carrots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup diced unpeeled Persian cucumber or English hothouse cucumber
• 3/4 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• Large pinch of cayenne pepper
• Large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

Cook fava beans in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fava beans to medium bowl. Add diced carrots to same saucepan of boiling water; cook until carrots are tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and transfer carrots to small bowl.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, diced zucchini, diced bell pepper, pressed garlic cloves, and minced fresh thyme. Sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add corn, diced cucumber, and reserved carrots; stir 1 minute. Add beans, unsweetened coconut milk, cayenne pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir until heated through, about 1 minute. Season succotash to taste with salt and pepper.

Ingredient Info: Double-peeled fava beans (beans that have been removed from their pods, then individually peeled) can be found at Middle Eastern markets. Unsweetened coconut milk can be found at many supermarkets and at Indian, Southeast Asian, and Latin markets.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Caribbean-Succotash-363249#ixzz1BgWx4eee

Super Sourdough Refrigerator Bread

This bread is so good that you will have a hard time resisting the urge to nibble on it before it is fully cooled after it comes out of the oven!

Super Sourdough Refrigerator Bread

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 tsp sugar
1 cup sourdough starter, room temperature
1/3 cup each sugar and oil
1 T salt
2 eggs, well beaten
about 8 cups flour

     In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1/4 cup of the warm water and the 1 tsp of sugar. let stand until bubbly (about 15 minutes). Stir in remaining 1.5 cups water, the starter, sugar, oil, salt and eggs. Beat in 4 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. With a heavy duty mixer or wooden spoon, gradually mix in as much of the remaining flour as dough will absorb. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn over to grease top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
     To continue, punch dough down and divide in half. With greased hands, shape each half into a smooth loaf. Place each in a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan; cover and let rise in a warm place until loaves rise 1 inch about pan sides (about 2 hours). Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven (325 degrees for glass plans) for 30 to 35 minutes until well browned. Turn out onto a rack to cool. Makes two loaves.

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Turkey Tetrazinni

Mr. E. and I hosted our first Thanksgiving this year. It was wonderful to spend the holidays in our new home with our family... and more importantly, the food on Thanksgiving was a success! We ordered a 16 pound turkey so we could be sure to have leftovers. Over the past few weeks we have had turkey sandwiches but we had been saving about 1.5 pounds of Turkey for a big casserole. This one turned out to be turkey perfection and it made a lot of leftovers which is always good with a 7.5 month under foot! It was delicious but I still cannot believe I served something as a main course for dinner that had potato chips in the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pound white button mushrooms, ends trimmed, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 12 ounces wide egg noodles
• 1 pound cubed or bite-size shredded roast turkey
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 (5 1/2-ounce) bag potato chips, crushed

Directions

Saute the onions and bell peppers in 6 tablespoons butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the mushrooms, Essence, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and have released their liquid, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and chicken stock and cook, stirring, until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and very flavorful, 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.
When the sauce has thickened, add the noodles, turkey, parsley, salt, black pepper, and Parmesan to the skillet and stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer to the prepared casserole and top with the potato chips. Bake uncovered until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

www.foodnetwork.com

Pumpkin Butterscotch Bread

Mmm... now that the weather is getting a bit colder, it is time to break out the sweet breads! This is my own twist on a classic and I must say, it is now at the top of my list of yummy sweet breads that I have tasted. Who would have thought butterscotch could make such a big difference?

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
8 T unsalted butter (one stick), melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips (or you could follow the traditional recipe and add toasted pecans or walnuts)

1. Adjust an oven rack to lower middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil or spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger together in a large bowl. Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla together in a separate bowl until frothy.

3. Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the butterscotch chips. The batter will be very thick.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45-55 minutes.

5. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.

From the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, p. 588.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

     I love Pumpkin...hence half of the title of this blog! A month or so ago when I began to crave all things pumpkin I headed to the store to stock up on the canned stuff. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any at any of my usual grocery stores...including Trader Joe's. My grandmother had the same problem and shared with me that she had heard we were going to have a canned pumpkin shortage because of a poor growing season last year... oh no! Alas, the pumpkin finally arrived in stores and I have been able to get my fill on nearly a daily basis.

     One of my favorite blogs to follow of late is "Kath Eats Real Food". The reason I like the blog is because it presents healthy ways to eat including new foods that I don't normally cook with. One of her breakfast staples is oatmeal and Mr. E. and I have heartily embraced breakfast oats because of this blog. Not only are they delicious and healthy, but this is really the only way Mr. E. would eat breakfast during the week because I can make individual batches and put them in a jar for him to grab on his way out the door. If you are interested in Kath's blog it can be found at http://www.katheats.com/

     The cold oats we have been rocking this week were made in one big batch so we wouldn't have to make breakfast each morning. We are super busy in the morning so anything that saves us time before Noon is great! So... I made a big batch of steel cut oats (these are the creamiest and healthiest oats you can buy... unfortunately they take about 30 minutes to cook which is why it is best to make a big batch at once). To make 6 servings you will need 1 cup of oats and 4 cups of liquid (I used 3 cups of lite vanilla soy milk and 1 cup of water. We love the flavor of the vanilla soy milk), and cinnamon. Bring the milk/water and a generous dash of cinnamon to a boil and then add the oats. Boil for 5 minutes until creamy and then reduce heat to a simmer and continue to simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. After the oats are finished, let cool and then add half a jar of canned pumpkin. When we are ready to eat them, I mash up a banana in a jar, add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the oats, a spoonful of apple butter and sometimes a spoonful of ground flaxseed meal if I remember and then mix it all together. Top that off with a spoonful of either almond butter or peanut butter for added protein. Top off the jar with your lid and it is breakfast on the go! Yum--you will really look forward to breakfast with this treat.