Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

These were very good.  Of course, I couldn't wait the two hours for the filling to freeze (really I need to start reading the recipe more thoroughly before hand) so it was sticky and hard to handle. But they turned out all right anyway.  I didn't have pumpkin pie spice (I looked at the grocery and it's cinnamon, cloves and allspice), I just upped the cinnamon, added allspice and dropped the cloves to 1/2 teaspoon.  In my opinion, cloves are strong enough that in equal amounts it overpowers other spices.  Next time I'll probably drop them down to 1/4 teaspoon.  The recipe came from Annies Eats

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients:

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

For the muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:

½ cup sugar

5 tbsp. flour

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter.  Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil.  Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil.  Mix on medium-low speed until blended.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.  

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend.  Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons).  Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces.  Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well.  Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely.  Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.  (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)

Seafood Enchiladas

So a couple of weekends ago I went to dinner and a play in Warrensburg with my sister.  We debated as to where to eat, but just the day before someone at work had said that C**per C*y*te had the best seafood enchiladas they had ever had.  SEAFOOD ENCHILADAS?! Why hadn't I ever thought of that?  It sounded wonderful.  BUT the reality was very disappointing.  The white processed cheese sauce that they were drenched in overpowered the seafood and made the flour tortillas soggy.  There had to be a better version.  I started looking online and found a lot very similar recipes, mostly copycat from a chain restaurant.  But the one I chose was actually from one of my favorite blogs, Annie's Eats.
 I changed just a couple of things, a little more cream, a little less cheese, and a small package of scallops added to the shrimp. Also, I didn't bother to add and extra cheese to the enchiladas, just what was melted in the sauce and a little sprinkled on the top.  Next time I'll use skim milk instead of cream and maybe add some crab instead of the scallops.

Shrimp Enchiladas

3 tbsp. butter, divided

1 lb. medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 red bell pepper, diced

¾ cup onion, diced

¼ tsp. oregano

¼ tsp. salt

Dash garlic powder

Dash cayenne pepper

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

6 tbsp. heavy cream or half-and-half

¼ cup sour cream

6 oz. shredded cheese (such as Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, etc.), divided

1 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced

8-10 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Cooking spray

Directions:

In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp to the pan in an even layer and let cook without moving, about 1 minute.  Flip the shrimp over and continue to cook until just pink and opaque, 30-60 seconds longer.  Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.  When the shrimp is cool enough to handle, roughly chop into bite sized pieces, if desired.

Melt the remaining butter in the pan.  Add the diced bell pepper and onion, and cook until just tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the oregano, salt, garlic powder, cayenne and flour to the pan; stir well and cook briefly until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.  Lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream to the pan, stirring to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook just until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the sour cream, half of the shredded cheese, and the tomatoes.  Return the shrimp to the pan as well, and mix everything together until the sauce is well blended and the cheese is melted.  

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Scoop 1/3 cup of the filling and sauce mixture down the center of a tortilla.  Sprinkle lightly with some of the reserved cheese.  Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place seam side-down in the  prepared baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining filling, tortillas and cheese.  Spray the tops of the finished assembled tortillas lightly with cooking spray.  Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before serving.

Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut flavor
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup coconut
1 pie shell

Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium saucepan.  Add the yolks, then immediately but gradually whisk in the milk and evaporated milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently at first, then constantly as  the mixture starts to thicken and begins to simmer, 8 to 10 minutes.  Once the mixture simmers, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer.  Remove the pan from the heat; add 1 cup coconut,  whisk in the butter, vanilla extract and coconut flavoring.  Pour the filling into a shallow pan.  Put plastic wrap directly on the filling surface to prevent a skin from forming;  cool until warm, 20 to 30 minutes.  Pour the warm filling into the pie shell and, once again, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the filling surface.  Refrigerate the pie at least 3 hours.  Before serving top with whipped cream and toasted coconut

Black Bean Soup and Jalapeno Bread

Black Bean Soup, it sounded delicious and I love soup especially when the weather starts to cool.  Even after making and eating this, I'm not sure about it.  It was OK, kind of bland like beans usually are, but I would prefer regular navy bean soup.  But the Jalapeno Cheese Bread, OH YEAH-that's what I'm talking about!  I could have skipped the soup and eaten the just the bread.  I ate a couple of slices and took the rest of the loaf to work to put it out of my range of temptation.  Right now there's another loaf in the freezer quietly whispering my name.
Anyway, I halved the recipe, added jalapenos instead of celery, a little more spice, left out the corn starch and added a can of southwestern corn.  Don't leave out the lemon juice, it really brightened up the soup.

Black Bean Soup

1 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1/4 large red bell peppers, finely chopped

2 small chicken bouillon cubes

1 -1 1/2 cup boiling water

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 lemons, juice of

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

In a pot, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 10 minutes.

Add half a can of beans, salt and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.

Puree soup (I use an immersion blender which makes it easy to do it right in the pot).

Add the rest of the beans to the soup.

Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.

Add the lemon and the cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

If I was the only one eating this, I'd probably double the jalapenos, maybe thinly slice the jalapenos leaving in the seeds or use some canned jalapenos so the heat could be better gauged.

Whole Wheat Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Bread

1 ½ tablespoons dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups unbleached bread fl our

1 1/2 cups whole wheat fl our (more as needed)

½ cup jalapeno peppers, coarsely chopped and seeds removed

2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon Tabasco

1 cup milk, warmed

2 cups (8 oz) cheese, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes

Proof yeast in water with 1 teaspoon sugar for 8-10 minutes, or until foamy. Heat milk in the microwave for about 50 seconds on High. In the stainless steel bowl, add in 4 cups fl our, chopped jalapenos, salt, sugar, egg, hot pepper sauce and warmed milk. After the yeast has proofed, add to the bowl and start kneading, adding in more fl our as needed to create a soft, smooth semi-sticky dough, keep kneading for about 8-10 minutes. Towards the end of the kneading add in the cubed cheddar cheese and mix until combined (the dough can be removed from the bowl and you can ad/mix in the cheese by hand if desired). After kneading, let the dough sit out on a board or counter top to rest, covered with a clean tea towel for 8-10 minutes. Gather up dough and knead gently for 30 seconds.  Then place the dough in a well greased bowl and let rise until doubled (about 1 ｽ hours). Punch down dough and slice into tow even pieces. Shape into two large balls and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray or into two large loaf pans that have been greased. Cover with a clean tea towel and rise again for another 1 hour or more until doubled. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25-35 minutes or until the crust is a dark golden brown.

Fondue

C and I went to a Fondue place on the plaza today.  Neither one of us had ever been before, so it was a new experience. It was good, but a little pricey.  We had a cheese fondue & then a dessert fondue.  The cheese consisted of Fontina and Butterkase cheese and a small amount of Bleu Cheese.  They started with some white wine, a little sherry, added the shredded cheese gradually, then stirred in some sauteed scallions.  It was served with bread cubes (pumpernickel, rye and french), vegetables (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) and apple chunks.  We chose the Ying-Yang chocolate dessert fondue, a combination of half white, half dark chocolate.  It was served with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, brownie chunks, pound cake, cheese cake and rice krispie treats. The chocolate fondue was delicious, but how can you go wrong with anything dipped in chocolate?  I had it with a nice glass of pinot grigio that went perfectly with the cheese and chocolate.

Angel Biscuits

So after making all my pies and pie filling for the freezer, I still had enough apples left to make a batch of apple butter.  We don't eat much jelly, but do like apple butter on pancakes or biscuits once in a while.  I usually cut back on the sugar about 40 to 50% so it's not quite so sweet and add some extra spices.  Angel biscuits are a staple and very easy to make.

Angel Biscuits

1 package yeast
2 tablespoons very warm water
5 cup fl our
1 teaspoon soda
3 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
2 cups buttermilk
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Sift all dry ingredients into a large
bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender. Add buttermilk, then
yeast mixture. Stir until moistened, turn onto floured board and
knead a minute or two. (No rising is required) Roll out to desired
thickness (½ inch) cut into rounds, brush with melted butter and
bake on an ungreased pan at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or
until lightly browned. Baked biscuits freeze beautifully.

CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

I was actually looking for a filled chocolate bundt cake on line, but they all called for a cake mix, which I didn't have on hand.  So I used this recipe instead.  It made a very moist, chocolately cake & I'll definitely make it again.  I just used a thin frosting for the glaze & sprinkled with chocolate shots.  It turned out pretty & it was very easy.

BUNDT CAKE

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups dutch process cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup sour milk
1 cup freshly brewed strong black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a bundt pan and dust the inside with cocoa powder, set aside.
Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.
In a mixer on low add the milk, coffee, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla one at a time. mix until everything is incorporated. Then, with the mixer still on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients. Once all of the flour mixture is added, mix the batter for a full four minutes on medium speed.
Then, pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

PSARI PLAKI - BAKED FISH

One last Greek dish and then I'll move on to some fall favorites now that it's getting cooler outside.  Greek style baked fish.  I used 1 lb of fish so cut the recipe into thirds.  It  had a good flavor & I'll make it again with a few adjustments.  I'll skip the rings of onion on the top, they just got kind of dry and chewy.  Also I'll not add the water called for, the dish had plenty of liquid and just did not need it.  I'll leave the crumbled crackers off too, they got a little soggy and if I want some crunch on top I'll add some panko crumbs or some nuts.  But I liked the flavor of the fish with the seasonings and the vegetables.


PSARI PLAKI  BAKED FISH

3 lbs baking fish
salt & pepper
oregano
1/2 cup olive oil
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
20 salted butter crackers, finely ground
butter
2 large onions, sliced into rings
lemon slices
1 cup water


Place fish in greased baking pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil.  Add tomato slices, scallions, parsley and garlic.  Top with cracker crumbs, dot with butter and decorate with onion rings and lemon slices.  Add water. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes 6 servings