I left my Heart…………

On top of this cake!

Red Velvet Cake with Pink Tinted Cream Cheese Frosting

Friday, February 5th was National Wear Red for Women’s Heart Health Awareness Day.  Katie and I went to a party that evening dressed head to toe in RED.  The theme of the party was, of course, wear red day.    Almost every person in attendance was decked out in some variation of red.  No one was as red as Katie and I though.  We both wore red dresses.  Katie had white thigh high stockings with red bows on the front (so cute!) and I had red tights.  I even had a chance to wear my sparkly ruby red slippers!  I have little feet and wear a size 4 1/2 in girls size.  I always love it when I see little girls wearing the glittery red shoes.  When I spied a pair in my size at Target one day, I had to buy them.  Finally, a chance to actually wear them! 

And of course, I had to out do myself and bake a Red Velvet Cake for the  occasion.

Everyone oohed and ahhed as I removed the lid of my cake carrier.  “You are so sweet” cooed the party’s hostess.  It’s so pretty and pink!  “Wait until you see the inside” I told them.  A few of them had never had Red Velvet cake so they were curious to try it.

Sweet details up close

Katie and I went downstairs to the party room and remained there for a couple of hours, enjoying party activities.  When our tummies and brains told us it was time to return to the kitchen for some cake and coffee, we ascended the stairs.  We could hear a lot of chatter and laughter in the kitchen.  It appeared that most of the party guests had congregated in the kitchen.  I looked in the direction of where I had left the cake and the spot was vacant.  I announced that we came for cake and coffee.  A room full of people starred at us with a mixed group expression of deer-in head-lights and guilt.  “You didn’t get any cake?”  Nope.  “Ah, there’s none left”  “Sorry”  “It was so good!  Absolutely amazing!  The best cake ever!”

One of the gentlemen sheepishly slunk into the living room and returned with a small sliver of cake.  “I hid it for later, but you can have it”  Katie started to protest but I grabbed for the plate.  “Thank you!”  I said, proceeded to pour us some coffee and settle into that sweet pink and red goodness.  Man, it truly was good cake!

My only regret is that I did not get a photo of a slice of cake to share with you.  It was so pretty.  Guess I’ll just have to bake another one……..”wink!”

Classes and birthdays and life, Oh my!

So, have you missed me?  Wondering if poor old Vampire Gran has fallen off the face of the earth?  Nope, just been having lots of fun!  I’ve taught two cooking classes in the past two weeks, one in my home kitchen and the other at the New Seasons Market Cooking School in Happy Valley.  Both of the classes were so rewarding for my students as well as for myself.   I took a chance and posted a shout out on craigslist.com for anyone interested in learning how to cook vegetarian fare.  A sweet young woman named Jess answered my ad and she and three of her friends came to my home and spent 2 delightful hours in my kitchen.  I taught them how to make Chili Cheese Tart and Tofu Veggie Stir Fry over Basmati Rice.  Yummy aromas wafted throughout the house and the ladies had a wonderful time, sipping wine, learning to roll corn meal crust, lining tart pans and filling it with spicy, cheese goodness.  They were amazed at how simple browning  tofu and then adding bottled teriyaki glaze to it transformed bland white bean curd into caramelized, salty sweet protein.  Lots of chopping sounds erupted as the girls cut onions, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic and carrots into bite size pieces.  I taught them how to quickly stir fry the veggies and then toss in the prepared tofu.  A few splashes of tamari and chili paste and it was time to eat.  I only wish I had pictures to share with you.  Jess took lots of photos and I have requested some from her, but have not received them yet.  If she comes through, I will be sure to add them to this post.  

Class Schedule from New Seasons Market Cooking School. That's my birthday gift from my wife it's leaning against - a beautiful red Kitchen Aid Food Processor that matches the stand mixer she got for me last summer.

Last Thursday was spent preparing and teaching a Scones 101 class at New Seasons Market Cooking School.  What a fantastic place to teach!  Lots of counter space, individual stations for the students and with a huge specialty supermarket right outside the door, it was a cinch to shop and prepare for this class.  I had six students in the class and they all got to make their very own scones.  It was interesting to see all the combinations they came up with.  From very simple date and nutmeg all the way to coconut, chocolate chip, pecan,and  cranberry!  That kitchen smelled heavenly.  

In addition to all of this teaching plus going to work all week, my spouse and I each celebrated a birthday!  My wife’s birthday was on Monday February 1st and mine was today, Monday February 8th.  Since we share a birth month, I decided we should celebrate all month long.  It’s been fun so far.  We actually started celebrating early when my wife’s boss took us out for dinner the Friday before her birthday.  We went to one of our favorite Thai restaurants, E San in the Pearl District here in Portland, Oregon.  Our friends Lisa and Kelly were in attendance and it was a nice party.  Robert, the boss, spoiled us with a box of hand selected chocolates from Moonstruck Chocolate and a tin of Mexican Hot Cocoa.  

When I arrived home from work the Friday before my birthday, there was a big box waiting on our front porch.  I knew Katie had ordered something for my birthday and she was worried that it would not arrive on time.  It was a pleasant surprise when it arrived a bit early.  Since the writing on the outside blatantly told me what was within, the cat was out of the bag.   I sent Katie a text telling her the package had arrived.  She called me immediately and told me to open it, since I knew what was inside.  I put down the phone and eagerly slit open that brown box.  I lifted out the inner box and was stunned.  Katie had given me my dream food processor!  Empire red to match my Kitchen Aid mixer that she had gifted me with this past summer.  Little did she know that I had coveted and dreamed of owning that particular machine.  It had been in my vibrational escrow for at least  5 years!  And now it was mine!  I can’t wait to start using and writing about all the fantastic delicacies that will be coming out of that glorious red beast. 

So, now that I have you caught up a bit, I’m going to catch my breath, get a little rest and will be back very soon to write more and share more pictures of the luscious things that have come out of Vampire Gran’s kitchen.

I see healthy people…….

Fantastic salad meal with quinoa, purple potatoes and chickenless strips

Ever since my spouse had her surgery in early December of 2009, I’ve had to change my way of thinking about food.  She told me, in a narcotic haze, that she needed nutrition to facilitate healing.  Yes, even in a Oxycodone  stupor, she still talks like that.  Nutrition has always been a nasty word to me.  In my silly mind, nutritious foods always sounded bland, dull and boring.  And vegetarian nutritious food, even worse. Yes, people, I am the worst vegetarian because I don’t cook or eat a lot of vegetables, until now……….  

After getting over my 2 day pout fest about having to rethink how I cook and what I have been feeding us for the past two years, a light bulb went on in my head.  Yeah, just like in the cartoons! I  know how to make things taste fantastic.  Garlic and spices!  Everything tastes better when it is properly spiced.  I also looked at it as a culinary adventure.  This is my chance to perhaps try some vegetables that I’ve never had before or to discover new methods for preparing the old stand bys.   Lilias Folan, a television yoga instructor, used to always say “The joy is in the journey” and boy, was she ever right.  

Oh, we still eat pizza and veggie burgers and fries now and then, but a lot less frequently.  Quinoa and brown rice are our new carbohydrate.  We hardly ever eat pasta and we both have noticed that when we do, we always feel too stuffed.  I try to make sure we have at least one dark green vegetable each night for dinner.  I’ve replaced the anemic Romaine hearts from Trader Joe’s with the dark green Romaine heads for our salads.  There is an awesome kale and carrot salad at the deli at New Seasons Market that I am totally addicted to.  

The other night I came up with the salad meal you see pictured at the top of this post.  It was soooo yummy!  

I cut a purple potato into bite sized chunks and steamed until tender firm.  Set aside to cool.  I steamed some broccoli until still bright green and crisp, then I removed it from the heat and plunged the broccoli into ice water to retain the color and stop the cooking process.  Drain and pat dry with paper towels and set aside.  

I had some left over cooked quinoa in the fridge.  I added the beautiful bright green broccoli to it along with some shredded carrot, finely chopped red onion, some grape tomatoes that I halved, about a tablespoon of shredded Parmesan cheese and a handful of Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend ( dried fruit blend of golden raisins, cherries, cranberries and blueberries) and tossed gently to distribute everything.  

I cut up about half a package of Trader Joe’s Chicken-less Strips.  If you have not tried these, you should.  They are better than the Morning Star Farms brand, also cheaper and much lower in calories, fat and sodium.  Also, the list of ingredients is a lot shorter and all full of natural stuff that we have all heard of and can pronounce!  And they are VEGAN!!!

The first word on the back of the box is "Nutritious!

 Using a non-stick pan, I heated 2 teaspoons of olive oil and when nice and hot, I tossed in the steamed purple potatoes and sautéed them until lightly crisped, then I tossed in the chicken-less strips and a clove of minced garlic and some poultry seasoning.  Once everything had a nice golden look to it, I removed from the heat and set aside.  

Next I cut up several dark green leaves of Romaine and thin slices of red cabbage. and tossed in a large bowl.  

OK, almost ready to plate this wonderful nutritious meal up!  

I made my dressing:  

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil  

1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar  

1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce  

1 tablespoon raw honey  

Whisk together until emulsified.  

I took the bowl with the quinoa mixture in it and tossed with just a little of the dressing, saving the rest for the greens.  

Next toss the remaining dressing with the greens mixture.  

Place Romaine salad on the plate.  

Place a generous position of the quinoa mixture on top of the greens.  

Final step, place the potato-chicken-less saute on top.  

Eat your NUTRITIOUS meal!

Back in the Blogging Saddle

Individual Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Nutella Buttercream between the layers and Hazelnut Buttercream on the outside with candied hazelnut garnish. Happy Birthday Boss!

Well, it’s been far too long since I’ve posted anything here.  It’s not that I have not been baking and cooking, because, well, um, that’s what I do.  I’ve been busy and lazy at the same time.  Busy enjoying life and lazy about blogging about it.  I have two upcoming cooking classes that I am teaching and hope that they spur me to do more with my talent.  I am so pleased to announce that I am now offering small, intimate cooking classes in my kitchen. 

Can you believe that I have had over 1,200 hits on my Elephant Cupcake post?  Amazing!  If anyone out there has actually followed my instructions and made these cute critters, I would love to see some photos.  Anyone?  Anyone? Bueller? Anyone? 

A couple of weeks ago I had a client order a birthday cake for herself.  Anyone who bakes a lot knows that cakes usually dome up as they bake and are not perfectly flat when they come out of the oven.  After a cake cools down, a baker will wrap and chill the cake.  Once nice and chilled, it firms the cake up so it is easier to work with.  At this point the baker will grab a nice long serrated blade and remove that pesky dome so the cake layer becomes nice and flat and easy to frost.  What do you then do with that left over cake dome?  Well, I have done a lot of things with those pieces.  I love to make giant Susie Q’s or Ding Dongs with ‘em.  Turn one dome over so the flat side is facing up.  Frost with a generous layer of frosting (especially vanilla buttercream) then top with the other dome.  Next you pour chocolate ganache over the whole thing and smooth with an offset spatula and chill.  I used to make these things at work.  We always called them Giant Susie Q’s because Giant Ding Dong might not go over so well…….. 

So, what did I do with the dome top of that last cake I made?  I made the cutest individual cake ever for my spouse’s boss!  It was his birthday and we had already planned to take him to dinner to celebrate.  And what’s a birthday celebration without a cake? 

I took a stainless steel ring (you could use a cookie/biscuit cutter) and punched three circles out of the dome.  Then I leveled them with a serrated blade, and frosted between each layer and the outside and piped a decorative border around the top and bottom using a wee pastry tip.  I placed the tiny cake in an upside down lid of a circular Ziploc container to use as a base and then screwed the bowl part on to serve as a cake carrier.  Genius, no?  It was a perfect way to transport his cake to the restaurant.

The cake and wrapped gift were for the boss; the rest is just to show scale. And yes, that is MY Barbie, one of many!

By the time we got to VegStock…….

For years I have been buying boxed vegetable stock.  Call me lazy for I know it is the truth.  The real truth is that vegetable stock is so easy to make.  Most of us have the stuff on hand to make a good flavorful veg stock, right?  And really, it doesn’t have to simmer for hours, however I believe that intensifies the flavor.

I used to make veggie stock when I had my business, Naked Baker.  I made a large batch every 3 days or so.  Now, I don’t know as I need to make it that often for my home kitchen, but once a week is certainly doable.  And don’t think it is only for soup.  I use it instead of water when I cook rice, couscous and quinoa.  It adds a subtle flavor to all grains.  It’s great for thinning out refried beans so you don’t have to add a bunch of oil.  It’s even nice to drink on a cold, snowy day or when you are under the weather.

It holds in the refrigerator for about 4 days and it is totally freezable.

You can't really see 'em but there are carrots, celery and potatoes in there

 

Vampire Gran’s Vegetable Stock

1 large onion, any variety you like, cut in large pieces

3 stalks of celery, cut in large pieces

3 large carrots, cut in large pieces

1 large potato, cut into chunks

6 large cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt to taste

3 tablespoons black pepper corns or coarsely ground pepper to taste

crushed red pepper, to taste, if you want it to have a kick

water

Using the largest pot you own, fill 3/4 full with water.  Add all of the veggies and spices.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a nice simmer and just let it do it’s thing for at least an hour.  If you are not in a hurry to use it right away, let it go longer.  When it reaches desired strength, strain it through a sieve into a large container and toss out the veggies.

Super easy, right?

Tastes just like Chicken Soup!

Winter staple gone vegetarian

This time of year always means two things to me:  Sweater weather and soup.  As I get older, the pretty pull over sweaters of my youth have given way to cardigans (for fast removal during those pesky hot flashes!) and my soups have become more complex.

I have always loved soup.  I could eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  When I was a kid, I would go on soup jags.  Everyday, for weeks, I would eat either chicken noodle or tomato soup for lunch.  Of course, these soups all came from the familiar red and white can and you just added a can of water.  That was how soup was made in our house.  Being a kid and never having tasted real home made soup, I didn’t know what I was missing. 

When I grew up (stop laughing, those of you who actually know me!) and started cooking for my own family, I made several attempts at home made soup.  I will admit that a lot of them were bland and lacked flavor.  Soup stocks were still a mystery to me so suffice it to say, my soups were pretty watery. 

Years fly by (calendar pages fly by in rapid succession, like in the movies) and my love affair with soup has blossomed into a comfortable relationship.  I can whip up a soup in no time flat.  Good soup. Hearty soup with lots of flavor and enough heat to coax the chill out of your bones at this very cold time of the year.  When I owned Naked Baker I made two types of soup every day.  I made my own vegetable stock.  My customers loved my soups.  I only wish that this recipe I am about to share with you had existed when I had my little shop.  I know it would have been a favorite. 

Six years ago I cut a recipe out of the food section of the newspaper.  It was for a chicken soup.  Now, being a vegetarian, I would never make chicken soup.  But I love to do a redux of nonvegetarian dishes and make them veggie friendly.  This soup became an instant hit with family and friends.  It is velvety in texture, chunky with bits of goodness and pure comfort food. 

TASTES JUST LIKE CHICKEN SOUP! 

  

8 OZ CHICKENLESS STRIPS (Trader Joe’s or Morningstar Farms) 

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL 

3 TABLESPOONS BUTTER 

1 MEDIUM ONION, FINELY CHOPPED 

3 STALKS CELERY, FINELY CHOPPED 

2 LARGE CLOVES OF GARLIC, MINCED 

1 TEASPOON DRIED TARRAGON 

1 TEASPOON DRIED OREGANO 

2 TEASPOONS HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA 

2 TEASPOONS KOSHER SALT 

½ TEASPOON FRESH GROUND PEPPER 

½ CUP PLUS 2 TABLESPOONS FLOUR 

8 CUPS NO CHICKEN BROTH (Imagine Brand) 

1 14.5 OZ DICED TOMATO IN JUICE 

¾ CUP HEAVY CREAM 

2 CUPS THINLY SLICED FRESH SPINACH 

Hot sauce to taste!

 Cut chickenless strips into bite size pieces.  Heat a small amount of oil in sauce pan.  Add chickenless pieces to hot oil, sprinkle with salt, poultry seasoning and dried garlic or garlic powder to taste.  Saute until pieces are lightly browned, about 3 – 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add butter and melt.  Sauté onion and celery until the onions are translucent, about 7 – 8 minutes.  Add the garlic, tarragon, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, for 3 or 4 minutes.  Add the flour and stir until well combined.  Slowly whisk in the no chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add the tomatoes, with juice, and cream.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the “chicken” pieces and simmer another 10 minutes.  Stir in the spinach just before serving.  Serve with extra hot sauce to help warm you up!

 

Yo Ho, Yo Ho a Pirate’s Tart for me!

Captain Morgan's Apple Tart

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post.  I’ve been missing writing about what’s been cooking in my kitchen.  A lot of tasty concoctions of course, but this one really made the cut.  I had a few Fuji apples in my fruit bowl and I needed to use them.  I whipped up a flaky crust and while it was chilling I peeled, cored and thinly sliced the Fujis and tossed it with a few key ingredients.  Slammed it into a hot oven and the house filled with the amazing aroma of warm, baked apple.  Yum. 

CAPTAIN MORGAN’S APPLE TART 

  

PREPARE THE FLAKY CRUST FIRST 

  

4 -5 FUJI APPLES, PEELED, CORED AND SLICED THIN 

1 CUP SUGAR 

¼ CUP FLOUR 

1 TEASPOON GROUND CINNAMON 

1 TEASPOON GROUND CARDAMOM 

½ TEASPOON GROUND NUTMEG 

3 TABLESPOON CAPTAIN MORGAN’S SPICED RUM 

4 – 6 TABLESPOONS BUTTER, CUT IN SMALL CUBES 

Combine all ingredients, EXCEPT THE BUTTER CUBES,  in a large bowl. 

  

FLAKY CRUST 

  

1 ¼ CUPS FLOUR 

1/8 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER 

¼ TEASPOON SALT 

8 TABLESPOONS UNSALTED BUTTER (1 STICK) 

2 – 3 TABLESPOONS ICE WATER 

  

9” tart pan, lightly sprayed with non stick spray 

Place flour, baking powder and salt in bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to mix.  Cut butter into small cubes and toss into food processor.  Pulse until fine crumbs form.  Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time.  Be careful not to add too much water.  You will end up with tough crust if you add too much water.  Mix until the dough sticks together when you press it between your thumb and fingers.  Dump dough into large mixing bowl and gather to form a ball.  Flatten the dough ball into a disk, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate for an hour.  Once dough is chilled, remove plastic and roll out on a lightly floured flat surface, about 1/8 inch thick.  

Place the rolled out dough in a tart pan, overlapping the sides and pour in the apple mixture

 

  

  

Generously sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top of the apple mixture and dot with butter

Wrap the overhanging dough up on top of the apple mixture

Brush the top crust with half n half or heavy cream and sprinkle with more turbinado sugar

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 - 55 minutes, until the apples are bubbling and the crust is a beautiful brown

That’s it.  Pretty straight forward and simple.  If you are one of those people who have a fear of making pie crust from scratch, you could use the pre-made kind.  Just don’t let your shipmates know cuz’ they just might make you walk the plank while they eat the tart.  

  

 

Pies, Pies, Pies, Yeah!

Chocolate Pecan Pie and Southern Pecan Pie with Spice Crust

Okay, so the last post was all about Pumpkin Pie.  I showed you how to make a crust and gave you all handy tips about putting the pie on a sheet pan to ease it in and out of the oven.  The second most popular pie for the Thanksgiving holiday is, of course, Pecan Pie.  One of my spouses co-workers was wise enough to track her down and inquire if I made pies to order for this holiday.  I LOVE SPECIAL ORDERS!  I welcome them.  I live for them.

So, this lovely lady wanted a Pecan Pie.  I just happen to have a wonderful recipe for Pecan Pie.  I’ve shared with you, in a past post, another one of my fave baking gurus, Nick Malgieri.  This guy has great pie recipes.  The above pictured pies are the ones I baked yesterday using Nicks recipes.  “How to Bake” is one of my “go to” books when it comes to pies.

SWEET SPICE CRUST

1 cup all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

1 large egg

Place dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times to mix.  Add pieces of cold butter to the bowl and pulse until mixture resembles corn meal.  Add the egg and process, about 10 pulses, until dough forms a ball.  Flatten into a round disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Place in pie pan and finish edges as desired.

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE

1 cup dark corn syrup

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter

3 large eggs

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons bourbon

2 cups pecan halves or pieces or combination

 

Prepare and chill dough

Combine corn syrup and sugar in a sauce pan and stir to mix.  Place over low heat and bring to a boil, without stirring.  Remove from heat, add the butter, and allow the butter to melt.  In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs until they’re liquid and whisk in the salt and bourbon.  Whisk in the syrup and butter mixture, being careful not to overmix.  Allow to cool.

Set rack at the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Roll crust out and set in pan.  Arrange pecans in the crust.  Skim foam from the top of the filling (or the top will have an unattractively mottled surface) and pour over the pecans.  With the back of a fork, press the pecans down into the filling so that they are covered.

Bake the pie for about 45 minutes, until the crust is baked through and the filling is set and well puffed in the center.  Cool the pie on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Cocoa Dough

Same recipe as above except you need to add 2 tablespoons sifted non-alkalized cocoa powder to the dry ingredients before mixing in the butter.  Omit the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

PIE FILLING

Add 4 ounces coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate to the hot syrup along with the butter.  Allow chocolate to melt and whisk the filling smooth.  Stir the pecans into the filling, rather than pouring it over them.

Follow the same directions as Southern Pecan Pie

 

Trio of pies baked for Thanksgiving 2007

Two Thanksgivings ago, we were invited to join some family and friends for the holiday meal.  I volunteered to bring pie, of course.  Of course everyone expected Pumpkin Pie, but I wanted more.  I make a pretty good Rustic Apple Tart, so it was a natural choice for me to bring.  Someone else mentioned Chocolate Cream Pie, so why not make three desserts?  I’m tellin’ ya’, any chance I get to make something sweet, I’m up for it.

Makes my mouth water to look at this shot

This one was so much fun to make, all that whipped cream and shaved chocolate

Not the best looking Pumpkin Pie I've ever made, but tasty none the less

 I feel a pie kick coming on…………………………………..

 

 

It’s Time for Pumpkin Pie!!!!

Per some of my readers requests, I’m posting my recipe for pumpkin pie. I wasn’t going to because it seemed so redundant as every food magazine and blogger is also trotting out the pumpkin recipes as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving once a year. Thanksgiving is a way of life in our household. We write daily gratitude lists and steep in our own joyful juices every day. So, this Thursday if you were to drop in on us, you would not find any of the usual holiday trappings. Oh, there will be food, as there always is at our place, but no candied yams or gross green bean casseroles. Forget about mashed potatoes or jellied canned cranberry crap in a crystal serving dish. And of course, since we are vegetarian, you would never find a turkey being cremated in our oven.

But I digress, as I am want to do frequently. You guys wanted a recipe for pumpkin pie, right? Ok, let’s do it then. I have been making a whole wheat crust that works great with pumpkin pie.

Whole Wheat Pastry Crust 

1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/8 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ pound unsalted butter, chilled

3 tbsp ice water

Place flour, baking powder and salt in bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to mix.  Cut butter into small cubes and toss into food processor.  Pulse until fine crumbs form.  Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time.  Be careful not to add too much water.  You will end up with tough crust if you add too much water.  Mix until the dough sticks together when you press it between your thumb and fingers.

Dump the contents of the food processor into a bowl and gather the dough together, handling it as little as possible.  Form into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or until chilled.

Once the dough has chilled, roll out on a lightly floured surface.  Move the dough a round a lot so it doesn’t stick to the surface.  If it breaks a bit, just pinch it back together.  Place rolled out dough in pie dish and finish your edges however you like.

Rope Edge: Position the thumb of your right hand over the edge of the dough at a 45 degree angle across the rim of the pan. Press the side of your index finger from outside the pan against your thumb and squeeze gently to form a diagonal ridge on the rim of the crust. Continue around until the entire edge is fluted.

Now you need to do a little par baking of the crust.  Place a piece of foil or parchment paper over the crust and weigh it down.  I use pie weights, but raw beans or rice work just as well. 

I like to put pie dishes on baking sheets to make it easier to put in and take out of the oven.  Just a helpful hint, especially with liquidy fillings.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes.  While crust is baking, make your pie filling.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1  15 oz can pumpkin puree

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 eggs

1  12 oz can evaporated milk

In a large mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients until smooth.

Remove crust from oven.  Remove foil or parchment and set aside.  Carefully pour filling into pie crust. 

Place pie into 350 degree oven and bake until a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 – 60 minutes. 

And your finished pie should look like this.

There you have it.  A simple recipe for a tasty pumpkin pie.

In case you are wondering what we will be eating this Thanksgiving (and I’m sure you are) it will be something tasty.  We started this tradition last year and we enjoyed it so much we decided to repeat it.  We stay in our jammies, watch old black and white movies and eat pizza (homemade, of course!) 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

 

Vegan Enchiladas

I love Mexican food.  Especially enchiladas.  There’s something comforting about that plate of cheesy enchiladas, spicy rice and garlicky refried beans that warms my soul as well as my belly.  And speaking of bellies, mine has taken to expanding a bit these days, so I came up with this next recipe to ease my waistband, but still give me plenty of flavor that I so dearly crave.

You remember all those pesky green tomatoes from my garden?  Well, there are still a few hanging around.  I usually just use canned sauce for my enchiladas, but I thought the green tomatoes might just lend a nice flavor to a home made sauce.  Turns out I was right.

I cut up both red and green tomatoes, about 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, three jalapenos and one habanero and spread them on a sheet pan.  I drizzled the whole thing with olive oil and seasoned to taste with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Then I roasted the tomatoes for about an hour at 350 degrees.  I pulled the pan from the oven and after taking a quick photo, placed the hot mixture into the food processor and pureed until I had a nice spicy, thick sauce.

Earlier in the day I took advantage of the nice fall weather and started up the grill outside.  I grilled Portabella mushrooms and some peppers.  I planned for two meals:  Enchiladas one day and chili rellenos the next.

While I was busy grilling in the backyard, I had the oven going  inside baking an acorn squash.  I chunked up the squash after it was cool enough to handle and cut the grilled Portabella up into bite size pieces, readying them for their place in the enchiladas.

Normally I would just make refried beans to accompany my beloved enchiladas, but I decided they were going to a part of the filling this time. 

 I sauted onions, red bell pepper, ground cumin to taste and jalapenos in olive oil until soft.  I added an undrained can of black beans, cooking and mashing until they were a nice consistency.  I put a large clove of garlic in the press, and squeezed the garlic into the beans.  I like adding the garlic after the beans are hot because it gives it a better garlicky flavor and doesn’t actually cook the garlic.

OK, so once all of these components are ready,  I heated corn tortillas on a griddle, spraying each side of the tortilla with non stick spray, until it was soft enough to roll.  I spread some of the beans on the soft tortilla, then added mushroom bits and squash chunks.  I rolled the enchiladas and place seam side down, in an oiled lowed rimmed dish.  Once all of the enchiladas were in the pan, I poured some of the sauce over the top, evenly coating  each one.  I made sure to save some sauce for plate finishing.  The enchiladas were then popped into a 350 degree oven and baked for about 20 – 25 minutes, until very hot.

Here is the resultant meal.  I thinned the remaining sauce in the pan with a little water and poured it over the plated enchiladas.  Spicy Mexican style rice and a little fruit salad completed my healthier version of a Mexican meal.  The acorn squash gave the enchiladas a nice mouth feel and we didn’t miss the cheese at all!  The beans and rice gave us our complete protein and the fruit helped cool the mouth from the burn of the habanero and jalapeno in the sauce.

If you don’t have green tomatoes, you could use tomatillos or just use all red tomatoes.  Either way, it’s a great little sauce, tasty and simple.