Pumpkin Time!

It's almost Thanksgiving, and although Tom the Turkey is the official savory star of the meal, the glorious pumpkin holds its own as the leading lady during dessert.  Now, if you can find your own flavorful, heirloom pumpkin to roast at home for your final course, more power to you. But, if you prefer canned, like I do most of the time, I won't tell anyone (and neither will Henry).

My nephew: Henry the Pumpkin Hunter

Now I'm not the biggest fan of the traditional pumpkin pie, so I've included my nomination for a fun, easy pumpkin dessert that few will turn down.  It's also a fairly easy project to do with kids since they can help mix the batter and filling, and they can help sandwich them together at the end.  Maybe you can even teach them the joy of giving by not scarfing them all down immediately.... Good luck with that!  If you can't find it in your heart to ditch the conventional pie on the big day, there are 17 other days this month that could use the ego boost.  Enjoy!

Totally worth it...

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling 

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Yield: 12 2-inch whoopie pies

Notes: Whoopie pies can be made in advance. Store baked whoopie pies without filling in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. Store filling in fridge, for up to one week. If you want to assemble them in advance, store them in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Dry ingredients:

1 ½ cups AP flour (200g)
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar (100g)
½ cup white sugar (100g)
½ cup vegetable oil (50g)
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (360g)
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla

Tools: large mixing bowl, medium mixing bowl, measuring cups or scale, measuring spoons, spatula, whisk, baking sheet pan, small scoop, two spoons

Directions:
1. Place all dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Whisk to distribute spices evenly.
2. Place all wet ingredients in large mixing bowl. Whisk until completely smooth.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, using a spatula to mix. Stir just until everything is combined and there are no traces of dry flour.
4. Use a small scoop to create 24 small mounds on two parchment-lined baking sheet trays (12 on each).  If you don't have a scoop, but want them to be perfectly round, transfer the batter to a large zip-top or piping bag, and pipe out small rounded discs.  If you don't want to mess with a scoop or with a bag, you can always use two spoons to create rounded mounds.  Just keep in mind they will not spread very much, so you might want to flatten them out with the back of the spoon.
5. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, rotating after 10 minutes (or 10-15 minutes with convection rotating after 7 minutes). Whoopie pies are done when they spring back when touched lightly with a clean finger. Allow to cool completely before filling with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Filling
Yield: Enough for filling 12 whoopie pies generously
Notes: Can be made up to a week in advance

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese (112g)
4 tablespoons butter (56g)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar (180g)

Tools: Medium mixing bowl, mixer, measuring cups or scale, measuring spoons, sieve or sifter

Directions:
1. Place cream cheese, butter and vanilla in mixing bowl. Mix until completely smooth.
2. Sift powdered sugar. Add to cream cheese mixture, beat until completely smooth. Use immediately or cover and store in fridge.

Don't lick the screen, you'll be disappointed  

Cream Cheese Frosting/Filling is one of the most beautiful things on earth...

The Result: I guarantee that anyone who receives one of these treats will be very thankful.  If you don't have ground nutmeg or ginger, use anything in your pumpkin pie spice arsenal (cloves, allspice, madras curry powder).  Also, if you are wondering what I changed from the original recipe, I substituted in white sugar for half of the brown sugar because the original recipe produced a whoopie pie that was little too sticky.  If you have leftovers, you know where to find me.

Vermont v1.0

More photos, fewer words.  

Vermont: A delicious state.
And, here's a moderately interesting tidbit, this trip marks the first time Sean and I have ever visited a new state together (and we've been to ~36 between the two of us).  Clearly we had a lot of driving time to figure this one out....

Silver Service Inn, Manchester, VT -
I've never eaten so much for breakfast!  Ok, that's not true.  Maybe just not in the last 5 years.

Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, Websterville, VT -
Needless to say, I was mesmerized by this process.  Anyone up for some goat cheese in the next cheesemaking class?

It's so beautiful in its tiny crate! This is one of my all-time favorites: Aged goat cheese with a wood ash. 

Cremont: Double-cream aged milk and cow cheese.  Thick and creamy.  Perfect with sweet red pepper jelly.

Ben & Jerry's, Waterbury, VT -
The original van burst into flames and was dubbed the "World's Largest Baked Alaska"

The flavor graveyard!  This one had the best epitaph, but the flavor with the shortest life span was Sugar Plum at 6 weeks.  It was so bad, people called them up to ask them what was wrong with their ice cream.

We may have missed the peak of the fall foliage season, but it was still beautiful. 

Hildene, Manchester, VT -
A beautiful estate built by President Abraham Lincoln's son.  Apparently, they usually have one of the few remaining stove pipe hats that Lincoln owned on display, but theirs is on loan to the Reagan Library in California.  Just our luck. 

View from the Hildene property

A $2 waffle cone: A Manchester ice cream shop was hosting an ice cream sale before it shutdown for winter.
A massive cone to top off a dairy-focused weekend.

Just about to crossover into upstate New York heading home.  I hope there's a v2.0, and I hope it's during maple syrup season.....

Soup Soulmate

Ok, I'll admit it, I got lazy on the blog front last week.  However, it was only because I was so busy in the kitchen.  With what exactly?  Let's just say, I don't want to see any cookies for awhile.  For maybe, like, a whole week.

Anyway, fall is definitely in full swing, and I absolutely love it.  I put the upstairs fan away, I've taken the blankets out of the closet, and I'm wearing fuzzy slippers.  It's also just cool enough to take the big stock pot out of the cupboard to make soup.  I love making soup and eating soup.  So comforting, so easy, it's like a nice, warm, food hug.

To complement a good soup, I like a nice hunk of bread.  Maybe even a slice of baguette, a wedge of corn bread, or at the very least a handful of those little oyster crackers.  Maybe even a savory scone?  With corn, bacon, and cheese?  Uh, yes.  Now, please.

Cilantro, roasted corn, thyme, applewood smoked bacon.
This is what I had in my freezer and fridge this morning...use what you have.

I was inspired by a party I attended down in DC this past weekend hosted by my college roommate for her husband.  On the menu were those mini quiche hors d'oeuvres.  Damn, they are so cute!  What's not to love about cheese, bacon, and a few herbs?  Ok, now put it all into a tender scone.  Now there's even more love to go around.

Savory Scones
Yield: 8 scones

Notes: You can freeze well-wrapped, unbaked scones in the freezer up to 1 month.  No need to thaw before baking.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups AP flour (200g)

¼ cup cornmeal (30g) [if you don't have this, just substitute in an extra ¼ cup flour]

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons butter (75g)

½ cup cheese (30g)

¼ cup corn [mine was roasted and frozen]
¼ cup cooked bacon, chopped [maybe sausage, or ham?]
1 tablespoon assorted herbs, chopped [thyme, green onions, cilantro, sage]

¾ cup cream + 2 tablespoons (200g)

Tools: Large mixing bowl, measuring cups or scale, measuring spoon, spatula, knife, baking sheet pan

Method:

1. Combine all dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt) in a bowl

2. Use your fingertips to break up the butter into small pieces. Stop once the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized.

Before.

After:
Small pieces of butter are ideal.
Just no gigantic chunks, please.

3. Add in any extras, including cheese, corn, bacon, herbs.

I used Dubliner from Kerrygold, but any cheese will work.
[Thanks for the suggestion Mark!]

4. Pour cream into butter and flour mixture.  Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon just until combined. Dough should look very shaggy.

5. Shape dough into a disk by pressing firmly and cut into wedges

Don't be scared, shaggy is good!

Using your hands, press it into shape.
Pretend you are playing in the sand, and get your hands dirty!

Cut with a sharp knife.

6. Bake at 375°F until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes, rotating after 10 minutes.

The Result: A flavorful, and buttery sidekick to soups everywhere.  A nice stand in for biscuits.  Slice and heat leftovers, for an awesome breakfast sandwich.  Remember, use what you have already in your kitchen.  Sharp cheddar and pickled jalapenos.  Gruyere and ham.  Get hungry and creative.

Linvilla Orchards

Last week I was invited to participate in a quintessential fall activity: Apple picking.  Little did I realize it would turn out to be so much more than that.  With the help of some new friends (with cars!), a group of us headed southwest out of the city to Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA.  Make sure to check out the before and after photos once I got home...

Back in the kitchen...

For those who know me, it's a big deal that I ate some of these....

Tomato, fresh basil, homemade mozzarella, balsamic, olive oil

For those who know Sean, it's a pretty big deal that I got him to like eggplant.... 

Baba Ganoush! Get the recipe here

Last, but not least!

Easy apple upside-down cakes with apple chips (the topic of a future blog post)