Frosted Pumpkin Bars

Oh heavens! These are Tasty with a capital "T". I have been craving pumpkin goodies, and as you probably know if you've ever made a pumpkin confection, you always have more pureed pumpkin in a can than you actually need. So you get to make several pumpkin treats. It is a great deal if you ask me. I mean you don't want to waste any food do you? No, that's what I thought.

German Donuts

If you ask any of my uncles what they wish my grandma would make more often, they'd promptly respond "keekles." Also known as fasnachts or Küchle if you're German (or spudnuts if you're an Idahoan), they're basically a donut made from a potato enriched dough. We all have fond memories of fall days at grandma's house with gallons upon gallons of cider and mountains of freshly made keekles rolled in powdered sugar, enough to satisfy the entire Koeberle clan. 

Traditionally these donuts are served on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), obviously because of all the gluttony they inspire. My grandma's newspaper clipping with the original recipe tells the story of a little girl who ate 15 donuts all in one sitting...her mother encouraged her to repent afterwards, but the girl remained unrepentant, proud even, of her donut binge. Such is the way with keekles. I know from experience (though you might want to ask my sister Kate how she felt after eating 8 before you try it yourself).

Warm Cabbage Apple Salad

There's something about cooked cabbage that I just love. A good coleslaw is always appreciated, but if you really want to do me in, give me an egg roll stuffed with shredded cabbage or maybe some hearty borsch. And since I've been craving cabbage lately, I found this apple-cabbage salad to be pure fall perfection.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

This is really my last recipe from The All-American Dessert Book. I think I have about 8 posted on our blog--if you haven't realized by now that this is one of my favorite cookbooks ever, I'm going to be direct and just tell you: THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE COOKBOOKS EVER! But I feel a little overzealous having posted all these Nancy Baggett recipes (they're just so good I can't help it), so after today, if you want to try a traditional American delight, you'll have to go buy the book yourself. It's totally worth it.

There. Now that we've gotten that out of the way let me tell you about our recipe today. Whoopie pies are a traditional American treat that all Americans should try if only because 1) they're delicious; 2) they're a part of history! And I love history, especially east coast history; their roots come from New England/Pennsylvania. They're called "whoopie" pies because when the children would see momma laying out these sweet treats, they would shout "Whoopie! Pies!" Or so the story goes.

Pumpkin-Apple Muffins

My dear friend and co-chef Kelly was so kind as to search out some delicious recipes for me to try a couple weeks ago. She sent me several options from main courses to treats. Of all of them, this one stuck out to me the most; right away I knew I wanted to try it.

To my delight these muffins turned out just as I had hoped, better really. Much to my pleasure the enjoyment started with mixing the ingredients. No, I didn't have images in my mind of pumpkin fairies sprouting from the can of pumpkin filling (although that would have made for some great pictures), but the smell of the spices mixed together instantly made me feel fallish. It was intoxicating.

Steamed Cranberry Pudding with Butter-Orange Sauce

Today was the first cool and blustery day we've had since June. It poured buckets on and off all afternoon leaving me in a delightedly fall-ish mood. And you know what that means?

Cranberries. Finally!

This is one of the strangest but most delicious cranberry desserts I've ever made. The pudding is more like an English pudding, which is actually a very dense and moist cake. The spices are heavenly and the butter-orange sauce...I don't have the words. It's a perfect blend of sweet buttery creaminess on the tart spicy cranberries.

The weird thing about this pudding is how you cook it. Rather than being baked, you steam it (obviously), but I did not have the most ideal cookware to steam my pudding. The idea is to put the pudding pan inside of a large pot with simmering water, which will slowly and gently cook pudding. As you can see from the picture (bottom left), my husband and I had to make a few adjustments- we used my biggest pot with 3 of my husband's sockets to keep the pan out of the water. It worked like a charm. If you don't have a small wire rack, I'm sure you can create some similar jerry-rigged system to steam your pudding. It's totally worth it.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

If it were up to my husband, he would eat apple crisp morning noon and night. As a kid, he loved it for the buttery, oaty, sugary topping, and usually begged his mother for double (or even triple) topping (because everyone knows that any dessert with sugar, butter and oats is simply divine). Now that my husband is no longer 8 years old, his tastes are more refined: he actually enjoys the apple in apple crisp, even without triple topping.

We added cranberries to this apple crisp for the tartness, color and, obviously, the flavor. My husband would probably prefer them left out; Caroline and I are both big fans of leaving them in. Try it and you can be the judge.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Recipe by Twolittlechefs

Pictures by Caroline

4-5 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 1/2 cups cranberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup quick oats

1/2 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 1/2 quart baking dish (or n 11x 7 inch pan).
2. Soften butter and stir in brown sugar, oats, flour, and spices until mixture is crumbly.
3. Fill a small saucepan with water and add cranberries. Cook 2-4 minutes or until cranberries just begin to split. Immediately remove from heat and drain.
4. In a large bowl, toss apples and cranberries in 2 tablespoons sugar and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle oat mixture over the top. Bake 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden.

Garden Spaghetti Squash Pasta

Have you ever had spaghetti squash? It is quite amazing actually. It looks like any other fall squash that you might find, it is equally as difficult to cut into, and its insides look similar to any other. But, once you cook it, you realize this is no oridinary squash and its name tells it all. A tender spaghetti squash will pull away from its rind in long narrow pieces, just like spaghetti noodles, it is quite remarkable!Another great thing about spaghetti squash, you can use it in place or in addition to spaghetti noodles! In this recipe I use half pasta and half squash for my noodles, but really you could use any ratio that you want. In the picture above you can see the difference between the two - now I use whole wheat noodles so the difference between the two is quite noticable. But for anyone that uses your typical white noodle, even your kids will have a hard time telling the difference.

Try it out and learn a whole new way to get one of your required servings of vegetables.

Garden Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Recipe and Pictures by Caroline
4 Servings

2 large chicken breasts, cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil for pasta cooking water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ cups diced carrots
1 bell pepper, diced into 1 inch pieces
3 cups broccoli pieces
3 teaspoons dried basil
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
½ to 1 large spaghetti squash, quartered*
Spaghetti noodles*

For the vegetable sauce:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken 5-6 minutes over medium heat until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in over low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, careful not to burn. Add the carrots to the skillet and ½ cup chicken broth. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the bell pepper and broccoli to the carrots. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Add the remaining chicken broth, butter, salt and pepper, and basil until the liquid is at a very low simmer uncovered. Add the chicken pieces. Continue to stir and cook at a low simmer until the liquid begins to reduce to about ½ of its original quantity and the vegetables are tender.
4. When the vegetables are tender, pour over pasta/squash combination, add the parmesan cheese, stir, and serve.

Directions for the pasta/spaghetti squash mixture:
*I left the amount of spaghetti noodles and spaghetti squash open because you can cater the ratio of squash to noodles for your family. I personally like about half pasta and half squash, but if you prefer you can just use all spaghetti noodles.
1. While your vegetable sauce is cooking heat water for the pasta, adding ½ tablespoon olive oil (this will help your noodles and squash mingle). Cook to package directions, timing to finish with your vegetables.
2. Before draining your noodles add the spaghetti squash strips and gently stir into the spaghetti noodles; drain. Pour vegetable sauce over noodles, add parmesan cheese, stir, and enjoy!

Two options for cooking spaghetti squash:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place quarters of spaghetti squash and cut side down on baking sheet in about ½” water. Cook for approximately 45 minutes, or until squash is tender and will easily pulls away in long spaghetti noodle like strips. Once the squash is tender, use a fork to pull squash away from the rind – you will get long spaghetti noodle like strips. Add to the spaghetti noodles as in direction (2) above.
2. Or, place quarters of spaghetti squash cut side down in a glass pie dish in about ½” water. Microwave on high for approximately 5 minutes, or until squash is tender and will easily pulls away in long spaghetti noodle like strips. Once the squash is tender, use a fork to pull squash away from the rind – you will get long spaghetti noodle like strips. Add to the spaghetti noodles as in direction (2) above.

Note: You could leave out the chicken, use a vegetable broth and this could be a vegetarian delight! Omit any pasta and this could be a gluten free dinner...so many options!

Caramel Apples

With Halloween approaching, it seemed appropriate to post some caramel apples. Yes, you can just buy a tub of caramel from the store. But this caramel is naturally delicious (and by natural, I mean no corn syrup, no preservatives, no sugar. It's just cream, honey and salt. Simple), and if you have about 40 minutes to spare, you might decide not to go back to the pre-packaged stuff.

If you happen to have a candy thermometer, this will be a lot easier. If you don't, fill a glass with cold water, and periodically drop a small amount of caramel in the glass (you'll need to change the water each time you do). If the caramel turns into a ball when it hits the water, it's ready. If it swirls around in the cup, it's not ready. If it turns into a rock solid mass, you've probably cooked it too long...hurry and eat it before it solidifies!


And finally, I've always loved the combination of caramel and apples, but hated eating them on a stick. There's just no getting around the messiness factor. But slicing the apples and then dunking them in one at a time is not nearly as visually appealing. So my very wise friend Kate suggested dipping the entire apple in the caramel, letting it set a few minutes, and then, once you're ready to eat them, cut one large slice from each side of the apple, leaving the core behind, and you with a perfect coat of caramel. Yum.

Caramel Apples
Recipe from 101cookbooks.com
Pictures by Caroline

6 small apples, unwaxed*
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I actually used aluminum foil). If serving on a stick, push a lollipop or popsicle stick deep into each apple - in through the stem. Fill a large bowl 1/2 full with ice water and set aside.
2. In a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan heat the cream and salt until tiny bubbles start forming where the milk touches the pan - just before a simmer. Stir in the honey. Bring the mixture to a boil. Now reduce the heat to an active simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 15-20 minutes minutes or until the mixture reaches about 255-260F degrees (just barely in the hard ball stage).
3. To stop the caramel from cooking, very, very carefully set the bottom of the saucepan in the bowl of cold water you prepared earlier. Stir until caramel begins to thicken up - you want the caramel to be thin enough that it will easily coat your apples, but not so thin that it will run right off. If the caramel thickens too much simply put the pot back over the burner for 10 seconds or so to heat it up a bit.
4. Tilt your sauce pan so all the caramel forms a pool on one side, and use your other hand to dunk and twirl each apple until it is thoroughly coated with caramel.
5. Place each apple on the parchment lined baking sheets and allow the caramel to cool and set.

*If you buy your apples at the grocery store, they will inevitably be waxed, which means the caramel will slip right off when you dip the apples in. If you buy your apples from a farmer's market or pick your own, you can avoid this.

Spiced Roasted Squash

When I was growing up, I was a huge fan of the American Girl Dolls. My personal favorite was Samantha, but I couldn't help reading all the books for each of the dolls, even if I didn't particularly like that doll. Molly was the one I never really liked. I still don't. But I do remember reading one of the Molly books where her mother serves her mashed squash for dinner (at least I remember it as squash. It could have been sweet potatoes, but that would make this story inapplicable to my post...so let's just say it was squash). Now Molly hated squash. And one day during WWII, her mother tried to feed her squash. Molly refused, and mother told her she couldn't leave the table until she finished her squash.

So Molly waited. She stared at the squash and hoped it would disappear. It didn't. So she waited longer.

And still refused to eat the squash. By this point, it had become cold and tasteless, possibly resembling cold baby food. Yuck.

Her mother finally took pity on her. She took the nasty squash and reheated it, added a bit of cinnamon (and I imagine a bit of butter), and suddenly the nasty squash was quite delicious. And edible. So Molly ate it and bonded with her mother and everything was ok.

When I was trying to think of what I could do with the squash sitting in my cupboard, I thought of Molly's cold squash. But I thought that maybe if Molly had been given this squash, this warm, buttery, cinnamon deliciousness, she might have just eaten it in the first place.

If you like the looks of this, but want your vegetables and meat all in one dish, try the Fall Pork Dinner.


Spiced Roasted Squash
Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

Serves 4

1 small butternut squash, quartered and seeded
1 medium acorn squash, quartered and seeded
4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg
dash of cloves
dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place squash on a large cookie sheet, face down (skin side up). Pour about 1/2 inch of water onto cookie sheet and bake 30-40 minutes, or until squash is almost tender when pierced with a fork.
2. Remove squash from cookie sheet and let cool about 5 minutes. Carefully peel skin off of squash (you may have to cut a few pieces that aren't quite done yet).
3. Chop squash into 1-inch cubes. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 12 inch pan.
4. In a small bowl, melt butter. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Pour over squash and stir.
5. Bake squash 10 more minutes, or until squash is tender.

Chicken Corn Chowder

This is one of my favorite blustery, cool day dishes, and I've been waiting to share it with you for weeks! It includes some of my favorite fall vegetables- butternut squash, and potatoes, and then, of course, bacon. Bacon makes everything taste better. Kind of like butter. If you use butter, you know it's going to be good! (Maybe not healthy, but definitely tasty!)

The original recipe suggests using a purchased roasted chicken to make the prep faster and easier. They're right- it does help speed things along and makes the soup delicious, but buying a pre-roasted chicken and pounds of fresh vegetables can get expensive. You may want to either omit the chicken (this chowder is hearty enough without it) or just broil and chop a couple of chicken breasts you have on hand.


Chicken Corn Chowder
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Octboer 2003
Pictures by Kelly

Serves about 10

10 bacon slices, chopped
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped red and green bell peppers (about 2 large)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
9 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled seeded butternut squash
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 16-ounce bags frozen corn kernels
1 cup whipping cream
4 cups diced skinned roast chicken
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook bacon in large pot over medium-high heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.*
   
2. Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from pot. Add butter to pot; melt over medium-high heat. Add onions and 1 cup bell peppers. Sauté until onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
   
3. Add flour; stir 2 minutes.
   
4. Mix in broth, then squash, potatoes, and thyme; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until squash and potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.
   
5. Add corn, cream, and 1 cup bell peppers. Simmer until corn is tender, about 10 minutes.
   
6. Add chicken (if including) and 1/2 cup cilantro; simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Ladle chowder into bowls; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro.

*Although the recipe doesn't call for it, because it tastes good (and because my husband is a bacon fiend) I sometimes include the bacon pieces in the chowder. If you'd like to do so, add them back in when you add the chicken in step 6.

Gingered Pear-Apple Cobbler

Fall might possibly be my favorite food season. Of course I say that nearly every season, but it's really hard to beat any recipe featuring apples.

Unlike the peach cobbler we posted during the summer (which tastes quite a bit better than Kelly's pictures might lead you to believe) this cobbler's topping is a cross between biscuit and pie crust and is placed on top of the fruit rather than below it. The flavors are simple, enhancing rather than disguising the apple, pear, and ginger.

Please don't be intimidated by this recipe because it has several steps. I promise it's really not difficult; you just need a little bit of time to prepare things. And it's oh so worth it.

Gingered Pear-Apple Cobbler
Recipe from The All-American Dessert Book
Pictures by Caroline

Filling
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 1/2 teaspoons peeled and finely grated fresh gingerroot
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
6 tablespoons apple juice or water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 1/2 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples* (about 3-4 medium sized apples)
6 cups peeled, cored, and coarsely sliced pears** (about 5 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan (If you have a Dutch oven, use it instead of a 9 x 13).
   
2. In a large pot, thoroughly stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in butter, ginger, lemon zest, apple juice and lemon juice until well blended. Heat over medium high heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, just until thickened slightly and translucent.
   
3. Add the apples. Let the mixture return to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add the pears and the vanilla. Cook, stirring gently, for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Pour into 9 x 13 pan.
   

*Choose tart apples such as Granny Smith
**Choose slightly underripe Bosc or Bartlett pears

Dough
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup sour cream, plus about 1 1/2 tablespoons for brushing on dough top
2 teaspoons cold water (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling on dough top (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, forks, or your ginertips, cut in the butter until the mixutre has the consistency of coarse meal (if you have a food processor, use that!).
2. Lightly stir the sour cream into the flour mixture, tossing until evenly incorporated. Briefly knead the dough in the bowl until it holds together. If necessary, work in cold water a teaspoon at a time until the dough is moistened but not soggy.
3. Let the dough stand for 5 minutes to reduce stickiness.
4. On a lightly floured surface (or between 2 sheets of parchment paper) Roll or press the dough into a rectangle slightly smaller than the 9 x 13 (or dutch oven). Peel the dough off the floured surface or parchment paper. Place the dough gently over the top of the fruit.
5. Using a greased knife, cut large slashes for steam vents in the dough top.
   
6. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the fough all over with sour cream (we warmed ours slightly in the microwave for ease of brushing). Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
7. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is well browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the dough comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve with ice cream, if desired.
   

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes of all time. I've been waiting and waiting to share it with you...waiting until it was harvest time and you could get all these vegetables fresh from your garden or farmer's market. It's super healthy (well, minus the cheese) and hearty enough that even the most carnivorous eater will enjoy it.

Aside from or cutting and chopping a mound of vegetables, there's nothing tricky about this dish. The hardest part is "peeling" the butternut squash. Don't ever believe a recipe that tells you to "peel" the butternut. Unless your squash has ripened to a state of mush or your peeler is super-powered, you'll spend a lot of time cursing the squash and nicking and cutting your fingers. I don't suggest you try it. Instead, I usually just cut the skin off, losing some of the squash in the process. If you're opposed to such needless waste (I'm filled with guilt every time I look at the perfectly good squash I throw out, not that it stops me), you can also halve the squash, put it a small glass bowl/pan filled with 1-2 inches of water and microwave it for 10-15 minutes. That will soften the squash to the point where you can actually cut the skin off without much waste. Or you could eliminate the butternut (which I wouldn't recommend- it adds such a buttery, nutty flavor to the dish) and substitute another type of squash or even eggplant.


Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis (foodnetwork.com)
Pictures by Kelly

Makes 1 very large 9x13 pan

2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 butternut squash, skinned and cut into 1-inch cubes*
4 cremini mushrooms, halved
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella**
2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
4. In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses (half the Parmesan), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
5. Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

*I would suggest roasting the squash about 10-15 minutes before you add the other vegetables. If you don't, you'll end up with either perfect zucchini, mushrooms and peppers and slightly crunchy squash, or squishy zucchini, mushrooms and peppers and perfect squash.
**Using smoked mozzarella will add a distinct flavor to your dish. If you don't like the smokey taste or can't find it in your supermarket, regular mozzarella will also do.