Pumpkin Hummus

I made a batch of this the day before Thanksgiving and have had to make a couple subsequent batches to feed my addiction. I think the hummus is delicious and healthy (pretty sure the bags of pita chips aren't so much), but we've also tried this on veggies, tortilla chips, as a sandwich spread (on whole wheat rolls, with turkey...amazing!) and my husband has declared this the dip-of-the-year.

*3 cloves garlic

*2 TBSP. fresh parsley

*1 1/4 c. garbanzo beans, cooked, rinsed, drained (I think this is probably close to one can)

*2 TBSP. tahini

*2 TBSP lemon juice

*1 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil

*1 c. canned pumpkin

*1 tsp. cumin

*1/2 tsp. salt

*1/4 tsp. paprika

*1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne

*2 tsp. maple syrup

In a food processor, pulse garlic and parsley for about 10 seconds. Add garbanzo beans and puree for about 20 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. This makes about 2 c. Cover and it will keep in the fridge for a couple days. If you've got some pumpkin seeds or pepitas, chop and sprinkle on top for presentation if you'd like.

Henley Molasses Cookies

My sister strongly encouraged me to make these cookies which were "the best she'd ever had". Since I have given her many plates of cookies I figured that was her way of telling me that I need not fill a plate with any confection for her other than these. I made them and have eaten over three dozen of them myself in the past couple days and will say they are tasty, and will be even more so if you follow the recipe better than I did. Here are the real instructions.

*5 1/2 c. flour

*1 TBSP salt

*1 TBSP. baking soda

*2 tsp. cinnamon

*2 tsp. ginger

*2 tsp. cloves

*3/4 c. shortening

*1 c. sugar

*1 1/2 c. dark molasses

*4 1/2 TBSP. vinegar

*2 eggs

*1/2 c. milk

In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Set aside. In a larger bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Add molasses and mix well. Add vinegar, eggs and milk. Add dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Wrap in plastic and chill overnight. Roll dough out onto liberally floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out and bake on parchment lined baking sheets at 400 for 8-12 minutes. (This is a little tricky because they are so dark I had a hard time telling when they were done and overcooked mine. The last batch I cooked for exactly 8 minutes and they turned out the best). I used 2 1/2" circle cutters and got about 7 dozen cookies. I frosted them with cream cheese frosting (but according to said sister, didn't use enough, so double this recipe). These should have the texture of a very soft sugar cookie with the flavor of a mild gingerbread. I actually thought they were best on day two.

Stuffing

Ok, I know stuffing is something everyone has a preference on. Some like it cooked in the turkey, some will add meats or nuts, some like the kind that has to be cut and served like a brownie, some may not even like this staple Thanksgiving side dish, but here's how our family loves it.
*1 loaf bread
*1 large carrot, finely shredded
*1/2 onion, diced
*1 stalk celery, finely chopped
*2 1/2 c. chicken broth
*1/2 c. butter
*1 tsp. poultry seasoning
*1 tsp. sage
*1/2 tsp. onion powder
*1/2 tsp. pepper

Cut one loaf of bread (good old white works great) into 3/4" cubes and allow to dry out on cookie sheets for a day or two.In a saucepan bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add carrots, celery, and onion and simmer until veggies are tender.
In a skillet (use the biggest one you have), melt 1/2 c. butter. Add bread and 'toast' over medium high heat for a couple minutes. Use a ladle to pour the broth over bread (I usually do half of the broth mixture and wait a few minutes before adding more so I don't get this too soggy) and continue to stir every few minutes as it fries (a good 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle generously with poultry seasoning, sage, onion powder and pepper; continue to cook until well-incorporated.
Transfer stuffing to a casserole dish and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, heat (covered) in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. We usually triple this recipe for our Thanksgiving Feast for 20.

Wheat Dough (Rolls, Breads)

In my next life I'd really like to open a bakery and do nothing but bake breads and rolls all day long. I'm sure this stems from a long-time love affair with all things carbohydrate, but recently I can't seem to make enough with dough. Here is my favorite wheat recipe, which I use for bread and rolls.
*2 1/2 c. warm water
*2 TBSP. yeast
*2/3 c. brown sugar
*5 1/2 c. wheat flour
*1/2 c. gluten
*2 tsp. salt
*4 TBSP dry milk (if you use the instant kind, double this)
*2 TBSP. butter
*2 TBSP. vinegar
*1/2 c. potato FLAKES (not buds, pearls, etc.)

In the bowl of a mixer, dissolve yeast in water. Add remaining ingredients and knead (with a dough hook) for 12-15 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of bowl. Pull out dough hook, leave dough in bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise about one hour until double. You will know the dough is ready if you stick your finger in the dough and it leaves an imprint.
Punch the dough down and shape.If you are making bread this will make 2 loaves. Spray pans with cooking spray. Divide dough in half and on a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a rectangle that is the width of your pan by about 15-18". Starting from the short end, roll tightly like a cinnamon roll. When you get to the end of the roll, pinch the bottom edge/seam down and round off the side edges and place seam-side down in the pan. Cover and let rise to double for about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 until good and golden brown for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool about 5 minutes in pan and remove to cooling racks to finish cooling.
If you are making rolls this will make about 36 rolls. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into 2 oz. portions (about the size of a golf ball). Shape the rolls by pulling the 'sides' of the dough ball down and under to form a ball. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Cover with a towel and let rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

Beer Bread

This used to be one of my staple breads and was actually the first bread I ever made on my own without the help of a bread machine. I haven't made it for a couple years, but today was overcome by a craving for it.
*3 c. all-purpose flour
*3 tsp. baking powder
*1 tsp. salt
*1/4 c. sugar
*12 oz. beer
*2 TBSP butter, melted (I prefer salted for this)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a loaf pan. Combine dry ingredients in a sifter and sift into a medium bowl. Pour in beer and stir until well-combined. Spread batter into prepared pan and drizzle butter over top. Bake for about 1 hour until deep golden brown and set. Let cool slightly and serve with butter or whipped raspberry butter. The crust on this is slightly crunchy, but not tough, but the inside is soft and delicious.

Oven S'mores

I am a sucker for s'mores and we often make these for a quick bed-time (or lunch-time) snack.

*graham crackers
*big marshmallows
*chocolate bars
(Seriously, use the name brand on each of these ingredients, you will not be as happy with store brands)

Break a graham cracker in half to make two squares. Top each square with one or two chunks of chocolate and a marshmallow, torn in half. Place on a baking sheet (broil) or in a toaster oven (350) for a few minutes until golden brown. Enjoy and be thankful you don't have to spend the next two days getting campfire smell out of your clothes and hair.

Citrus Salad with Bacon & Red Onion

I needed a salad for a family gathering and found one here. I altered it a bit for what I needed. I made oodles and there was nothing to speak of left in the bowl.

*10 c. mixed greens, packed
*15 oz. can of mandarin oranges, drained
*3/4 c. dried cranberries
*1/2 c. thinly sliced purple onion
*8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
*3/4 c. Light Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
*1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. (I sliced the oranges in half so they were thin wedges). Toss with dressing right before serving.

Pizza Dough Bread Sticks

I got an email from here a while back touting these herb-stuffed bread sticks. I will say they were tasty, but they took nearly 2 hours to make, so I'm not moving them to the top of my list. Basically, you make pizza dough and then roll out, smear with herbs and oil and twist up to bake.
The Dough:
*2 pkg. dry yeast
*4 1/2-5 1/2 c. AP flour
*2 C. warm water, divided
*2 tsp. salt

Stir together 3 c. flour and salt. Whisk together yeast, 2 TBSP. flour and 1/2 c. water in a cup; let set until foamy (10 minutes). Add yeast mix and remaining 1 1/2 c. water and flour mix; stir until smooth. Add 1 c. flour. Stir in more flour (up to 3/4 c.) to make dough come away from bowl. Knead on a floured surface (or in a mixer) for about 10 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic. Divide into 2 balls, cover and rise until double (about 1 hour).

The Filling:
*1 TBSP. finely chopped rosemary
*1 TBSP. finely chopped thyme
*1 c. Parmesan-Reggiano, shredded and divided
*salt & pepper
*1/4 c. olive oil
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*1/4 c. finely chopped parsley
*2 lbs. dough (above, or just buy some)

Preheat oven to 400. Move racks to the upper and lower thirds. Oil 2 baking sheets. Stir together rosemary, thyme, 1/4 c. cheese, 1/2 tsp. salt. 1/4 tsp. pepper. In a small bowl mix olive oil, garlic and 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper.
Roll 1/2 of the dough into a 15x10" rectangle. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Sprinkle half of the dough with 1/2 of the herb mixture. Fold and roll out again until you have about a 10x8 rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 9 strips. Twist the strips and place on the baking sheets. Brush with 1 TBSP. garlic oil. Let stand 5 minutes. Bake 20-25 minutes, switching trays halfway, until golden brown. Stir together parsley and 3/4c. cheese in a shallow pan. After baking, brush each twist with oil, then roll in parsley and cheese to coat.These are rich and filling, so even though I can normally consume half dozen or so bread sticks with a meal, plan 1-2 for each person of these.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I am way behind on blogging all of the fun things I've been making. I made these a while back for a church party and enjoyed each and every one of them I ate. Really, how can you go wrong with lemon, cream cheese and cupcakes...

*1 pkg. white cake mix
*1 pkg. (3.4 oz) lemon instant pudding mix
*1 c. water
*4 egg whites
*2 TBSP. oil
*16 oz. powdered sugar (about 4 c.)
*8 oz. cream cheese, softened
*1/4 c. butter, softened
*2 TBSP. lemon juice

Heat ofen to 350. Beat cake mix, pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in a large bowl with a mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Spoon into 24 muffin tins lined with cupcake wrappers. Bake 21-24 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.
Beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and lemon juice with mixer on low speed until well blended. Frost cupcakes.I was glad I had a little frosting left as I really enjoyed spooning it on some Nilla wafers.

Creamy Rice, Chicken & Spinach Dinner

I got this from Kraft Food & Family several years ago and we used to eat it all the time, until I forgot about it. I found it a few weeks ago in one of my binders and decided to revisit it. I couldn't find the Roasted Red Pepper dressing at my grocery store, so I used a sun dried tomato one instead.

*1/4 c. Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing
*1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used tenderloins)
*1 1/2 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
*2 c. Brown Minute Rice, uncooked
*4 oz. Neufchatel cheese, cubed
*8 oz. baby or torn spinach leaves (I usually only use half this amount and do a spinach salad)
*1 medium tomato, chopped (or a can of diced tomatoes)
*2 TBSP. shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat dressing in large deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min. Add broth; bring to boil. Stir in rice; return to boil. Cover. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 5 minutes.
Stir Neufchatel cheese into rice mixture until melted. Add spinach; cover. Cook 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Stir rice mixture gently to mix spinach. Cover.
Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, (I warm them in a skillet so they are hot when added) sprinkle with cheese.
Photo from Kraftfoods.com