Pumpkin Casserole

This is a recipe of my second experiment with pumpkin. It is not a traditional dessert, but it can be a nice side dish for your chicken or fish (anything that is not too heavy) or a meal by itself.

You need:

Pumpkin (I used 1 medium sized tiger pumpkin and 1 medium sized golden squash)

Milk (about 1.5 cup)

Flour (1 tablespoon)

Butter (2 tablespoons)

Panko breadcrumbs (to your taste, depending on the sized of the baking dish)

Swiss cheese (depending on the size of the baking dish, I used about 6 oz)
Salt

Clean the pumpkin from seeds, peel and cut in cubes. Ones again I had two different types - tiger pumpkin and golden squash. You can use regular pie pumpkin.

Sauté pumpkin in one tablespoon of butter.

To make the sauce:

Melt one tablespoon of butter on the pan, add one tablespoon of flour. Sauté until golden. Add 1.5 cup of milk. Cook for 5-20 minutes. Add salt.

  Layer pumpkin in the baking dish.

Add milk sauce.

Cover with shredded Swiss cheese.

Cover cheese with panko breadcrumbes.

You can sprinkle a little bit of melted butter on the crumbles.

Bake at 350-400 F for about 40 minutes or until cooked.







 You can make some variations with this meal. Add sugar in the milk sauce and do not add cheese and you'll get sweet pumpkin casserole! Or substitute Swiss cheese with parmesan to add it more flavor.

Enjoy!

Ala

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients


• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs,beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• if desired, 1 cup chopped pecans, or chopped walnuts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Chocolate chip cookies represent half of the cookies baked in American homes each year. I remember getting off of the school bus and walking into our house that smelled like fresh baked cookies! The aroma of these chocolate chip cookies still bring back wonderful memories for me, and I know they are making great memories for my family each and every time I bake them.
This chocolate chip cookie recipe will produce a treat that is sure to please everyone in your house! It's easy enough that you can whip up a batch of these cookies (or even a half a batch) just after dinner so you and your family can have warm cookies for dessert. Add a glass of milk and the smiles will broaden even more.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl by hand. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. The dough will be very stiff.

You can even use a mixer for this first step. I use the batter attachment and mix on a lower setting. Just be sure that the dough is well mixed before moving on.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand. You'll need to use a sturdy wooden spoon for this and a bit of muscle. You can add the pecans, or other nuts, at this time if desired. Keep stirring and folding the chocolate chips and nuts into the dough until they are evenly dispersed. (This makes sure you have enough chocolate in each cookie!!)

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. The chocolate chip cookies need to be this far apart because the dough spreads during cooking. No one wants to cut the cookies apart after baking.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. You may even think that the chocolate chip cookies are underdone, but they will finish cooking through out of the oven. If you leave them in too long, the cookies will be tough or crispy.

Voilà!

By: DD

Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breasts (with bone)
1 Chicken Bullion
8 oz Baby Carrots, peeled
1/2 Medium Onion
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Leek
Crackers or Bread, if desired

This recipe is very easy and delicious. In medium pot, place peeled and sliced garlic, sliced onions, baby carrots, both chicken breasts and bullion. Fill with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 30 minutes or until chicken falls off the bones. Remove chicken and bones. Discard bones. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and return to pot. Wash Leek and cut off roots. Cut into thin slices and add to pot. Cook for 5 minutes and serve. (Leeks will dissolve completely if cooked too long.) Add crackers or bread. Enjoy!

It is easy to make variations of this recipe. If you like celery, mushrooms, tomatoes or any other vegetable, toss them in the pot. If you want, add noodles or rice. To change it up a bit, I will add a few slices of jalapeño peppers and then remove them before serving. They add a nice flavor without burning your mouth.

Be BOLD!  Experiement with the ingredients and have fun!
Posted by PAR

Fall's Favorite: Pumpkin.

There are many meals that can be done with pumpkin. Today I decided to try two different recipes that I found on the Russian Web sites. I have never cooked anything with pumpkin before, so this was totally new field for me. First recipe is a pumpkin and raisins dessert, and second one is pumpkin casserole. At the end I enjoyed latter one more. In this post I'll share the firts recipe:

Pumpkin with raisins and cream desert

You'll need:

Pumpkin (I used about a pound)

Cream (Half and half), amount depends on the baking dish size.
Raisins (about a half a cup)
Sugar (to your taste)
Butter (1-2 table spoons)
Vanillin (to your taste)





Clean the pumpkin from seeds, peel and cut in cubes.
Mix cubed pumpkin with sugar and vanillin. Use natural, not artificial vanillin for better taste. Artificial vanillin gives a bitter taste to your meal. I used about 5-6 tablespoons of sugar. Let the pumpkin with sugar stay for several minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the baking dish (or dishes). Spread butter on its buttom.




Layer pumpking and raisins in the dish.

Cover pumpkin and raisins with the cream. Pour crem to the point when there are still some pieces shown.

Place in the oven. Cook at 350-400F for 40-50 minutes.

On the pickture you can see how it looked after I took it out of the oven. I carefully took the creamy film off.

Serve cold.

Enjoy!

Come back to our site in the couple days to check pumkin casserole recipe!

Ala

Turkish Poached Pumpkin (Kabak Tatlisi) For Halloween Fun!

Looking for a quick and easy Halloween Dessert? This Turkish sweet poached pumpkin dessert, "Kabak Tatlisi" is delicious and a perfect dessert idea for upcoming Halloween or Thanksgiving celebrations. .Just five ingredients make it possible to prepare this dessert in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

5 cups pumpkin (peeled, seeded, cubed)
2 cups sugar
1 lemon, juiced
5 cloves
1/2 cup walnuts

Cut the pumpkin cubes into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes. Place pumpkin into a small pan. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Cover the pan and allow to sit for 2-3 hours. The sugar will draw out an amazing amount of liquid from the pumpkin.

When I uncovered the pan 4 hours later, the liquid had covered the pumpkin. Place on a medium burner and bring to a simmer. Add the cloves and lemon juice. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. After the pumpkin`s color change, remove from heat.

Serve in bowls along with the syrup. Crush walnuts over the top. Grab a spoon and dig in!

Enjoy!!!

Posted by C.A.

Your Health is in Your Food

Do you want to have a healthy, useful for your body food while enjoying delightful meal? Do you know what kind of vitamins and minerals you can get with the food products?

Check out these Web sites:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/vitamins-and-minerals-good-food-sources -  WebMD provides you with the list of vitamins and minerals, amounts that you need daily and why you need them, and food products that have them.

HealthCheck Systems also have a list of the most relevan vitamins and minerals and their sources. http://www.healthchecksystems.com/vitamins.htm

Allrecipes.com also has articals concerning your health. Check them out at http://allrecipes.com/Info/Healthy-Cooking/Nutrition/Vitamins--Supplements/Main.aspx and learn what do you need for stronger bones, healthy hair and nails and strong heart.

Also, check out an interview with nutritionist Joy Bauer with "Today's Health" at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15027475//

And remember: it is always better to take your vitamins and minerals from the natural foods first and then take necessary supplements that are unavailable as a food.

Ala

THE FOOD PYRAMID

 

WHAT COUNTS AS A SERVING?

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group (Grains Group)—whole grain and refined

• 1 slice of bread
• About 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

Vegetable Group

• 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
• 1/2 cup of other vegetables cooked or raw
• 3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit Group

• 1 medium apple, banana, orange, pear
• 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
• 3/4 cup of fruit juice

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group (Milk Group)*

• 1 cup of milk** or yogurt**
• 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese** (such as Cheddar)
• 2 ounces of processed cheese** (such as American)

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group (Meat and Beans Group)

• 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
• 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans^# or 1/2 cup of tofu counts as 1 ounce of lean meat
• 2 1/2-ounce soyburger or 1 egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts counts as 1 ounce of meat 

*This includes lactose-free and lactose-reduced milk products. One cup of soy-based beverage with added calcium is an option for those who prefer a non-dairy source of calcium.
**Choose fat-free or reduced-fat dairy products most often
#Dry beans, peas, and lentils can be counted as servings in either the meat and beans group or the vegetable group.

By DD from http://www.mstherapycentres.org.uk/food_pyramid.htm

Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients

Keebler Ready Crust (Chocolate)

1/2 Cup JIF Peanut Butter

8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1 Small Tub Cool Whip, Divided in Half

1 Small Package Jell-O Pudding (any flavor you like)

1 Cup Milk

1 Jar of Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping

Mix 1 Cup Milk with Package of Pudding and let set for 5 minutes in the refrigerator.  In separate bowl, mix Peanut Butter and Cream Cheese until well blended.  (Add 1 TBSP milk if not very creamy.)  Blend 1/2 tub Cool Whip into mixture and pour into pie shell.  Heat Hot Fudge in Microwave for about 30 seconds so that you can pour it.  Pour over Peanut Butter layer.  Blend the other half of the Cool Whip into the pudding and pour on top of the hot fudge in the pie shell.  (I cut the slices before freezing.) Freeze for at least an hour or until firm.  Enjoy!

Cool Whip to the Pudding.               Peanut butter w/cream cheese.

Half way done.                                              Voila!

Posted by PAR

Creative Table Decoration Tips!!

A well decorated table sets the right mood and ambience for any kind of celebration. This is a link to directions for table arrangements and wedding table decorations: http://www.targetwoman.com/articles/table-decoration.html
 
Posted by C.A.

Cream Mushroom Soup!

Here is my another favorite recipe for lunch. Simply amazing! Made this many time. This is very easy soup to make. It's tasty and durable. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients


3 tbsp/35 g butter

1/2 c. flour

8 ounces/227g white sliced mushrooms

1 spring of flat parsley

1,5 liter hot water

1/4 c. chopped parsley

1 pt/8 ounces heavy cream (optional)

Salt and pepper 

Equipment

Medium saucepan

Wooden spoon

Blender

Preparation

In the medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add flour and whisk to form a roux,  then add the hot water. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and carefully blend at high speed until smooth. When blended, return the mix to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper. Cook 15 minutes on low to medium heat. Add the cream to produce a richer soup. Cook 5 minutes more. Add the chopped parsley last.

Posted by C.A.

10 Fun Food Facts of the Day



It's that time again. Yes, fun food facts. Enjoy!!!


1- On average, each of us consumes: 290 pounds of dairy, 150 pounds of meat, 125 pounds of potatoes, 80 pounds of fruit, 68 pounds of bread, 48 pounds of poultry, and 35 pounds of eggs per year.


2- Pearls melt in vinegar.


3- Instant coffee has been in existence since the middle of the 18th century.


4- During a lifetime the average person eats about 35 tons of food


5- Frankfurter sausages were first created in China


6- Bakers used to be fined if their loaves were under weight, so they used to add an extra loaf to every dozen, just in case -- hence, the expression "baker's dozen"


7- There are over 15,000 varieties of rice.


8- Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or 350 slices per second.


9- Hushpuppies are pieces of fried cornmeal batter which are a great southern tradition. Years ago, pieces of the fried batter were fed to hungry dogs that begged for food. After the scraps were given to the dogs, the owner would say "Now hush, puppy."


10- Pasta made its way to the New World through the English who found it while traveling through Italy. The English made pasta by cooking it for about a half an hour and then smothering it with cream sauce and cheese. This was the beginning of Macaroni and Cheese- By DD

Source: http://breadplusbutter.blogspot.com/2009/06/10-fun-food-facts-of-day.html

For you, baking fans!

One of my favorite baking Web sites is http://www.joyofbaking.com/ 

It has it all: recipes, useful tips and hints and very, very appetizing pictures!

Remember short bread cookies I recently tried to bake? I found very useful tips at JoyOfBaking.com, such as:
If you substitute half a cup of flour with cornstarch, cookies will be more delicate and tender. If you substitute 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour with rice flour, your cookies will have nice crunchy texture. I tried to use some cornstarch and added a tablespoon of orange zest (to make it I took an orange and grated its peel on the very fine hand grater). Cookies came out perfectly delicious!

Check them out and bake, bake, bake!

Ala

Stuffed Steak

Stuffed steak (or chicken) is a very simple recipe but it tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen preparing a gourmet meal.

Ingredients
Steak, thinly sliced
Parmesan Cheese
Italian-style Bread Crumbs
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Butter, 1 pat per rolled steak
Toothpicks

Lay the steak out. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Add a layer of shredded cheese (or any cheese you like) and roll up. Hold in place with toothpicks.

Place in baking dish. Put a pat of butter on top of each steak roll (if you're a cheese addict, add more cheese here) and bake 20-25 minutes (less if you like the steak rare and more if you like your steak well done). Add a vegetable and enjoy!

Posted by PAR

Black Bean and Corn Salad!

Here is my favorite Black Bean and Corn Salad. I make it all the time when I grill steak. This salad can be served with all kinds of barbecue meat! They go very well together and look very appetizing next to each other! and maybe some fresh bread too! It is so easy and so good. Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

1 can Bush`s Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can corn, drained

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
4-5 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
2 tablespoons limon juice
Salt, pepper, oregano, sumac

Cut all the onions and cilantro into 1/4 inch dice. In a salad bowl, combine onions, cilantro, corn, bean and toss to mix. Add olive oil, vinegar, limon juice, salt, pepper, and oregano to taste your salad and toss again. If you like serve over a bed of lettuce with tortilla chips. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Toss again before serving.

Add also some sumac if you like to taste your salad.

Posted by C.A.