Frost Pumpkin Pie

For Pumpkin & Other Hard/Winter Squash month, I'm pleased to share with you another one of my mother's recipes. It's refreshing and unusual and a great way to have "pumpkin pie" on Thanksgiving if your oven is just too dang full, but your freezer's got some room. Or maybe if you're living in a warmer climate than Wisconsin and Minnesota! Basically, it's pumpkin pie filling swirled with softened vanilla ice cream, refrozen into a graham-cracker pie crust. Yum!!!! Thanks, Mom, for a delicious recipe!

Frost Pumpkin Pie

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Beat the above together until smooth, then stir in
1 quart softened vanilla ice cream.

Pour into a 9-inch graham cracker crust.*

Freeze 8 hrs or more.

Remove from freezer 15 min before serving.

Optional: sweetened whipped cream, walnut halves or candy corn for garnish.

* To make your own graham cracker crust:

1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp sugar

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

Combine and press into 9-inch pie pan.

Optional: bake for 10 min at 350, then cool before filling.

Cinnamon-Raisin Whole-Wheat Waffles

This is probably our favorite waffle recipe so far. It comes from Waffles from Morning to Midnight by Dorie Greenspan. It makes 4 or 5 waffles.

3/4 c. plump, moist raisins [really good with chopped mixed dried fruit or dried berry mix instead or halvsies!]
4 Tbl. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. whole-wheat flour
1 Tbl. double-acting baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbl. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbl. granulated sugar
1 3/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

1. If your raisins [or dried fruit mix] aren't moist and plump, place them in a heatproof bowl [or Pyrex cup] and pour boiling water over them. Let the raisins steep for a minute, drain, then out onto a paper towel, and pat dry. Set aside.

2. Preheat your waffle iron. If you want to hold the finish waffles until serving time, preheat your oven to 200F. [My waffle iron heats fast, so I wait until I'm about ready to mix the dry and wet ingredients to start it.]

3. Melt the butter; reserve. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until combined. Whisk in both sugars. In another bowl, beat together the buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs with the whisk until well mixed. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold the raisins and melted butter into the batter.

4. Lightly butter or spray the grids of your iron, if needed. Brush or spray the grids again only if subsequent waffles stick.

5. Spoon our 1/2 to 2/3 c. of batter (or a little more than your waffles' manufacturer suggests) onto the iron. Use a metal spatula or wooden spoon to spread it almost to the edge of the grids. Close the lid and bake until browned and set. Serve the waffles immediately or keep them, in a single layer, on a rack in the preheated oven while you make the rest of the batch.

[Extras, especially if a little undercooked, keep well in the freezer for homemade frozen waffles!]

Marinara Sauce & "Favors From The Home" Review

I got this recipe from a community ed cooking class* I took a few times quite long ago, adapted just a tad, mostly in timing. It's a delicious, versatile sauce for spaghetti, manicotti, lasagna, etc. Mr. Kluges loves it best over Italian sausages and garlic mashed potatoes. You can do it with canned or fresh tomatoes, but I'm not sure of the quantity if you do fresh, so just give it a try. I'll try to update it with an approximate quantity of fresh tomatoes next time I make it.

Note: This one is doubled from the original because it's no more work & you can freeze half of it for later. Or just eat a lot.

MARINARA SAUCE
Two 28 oz. cans Hunt's whole peeled tomatoes (or equivalent fresh tomatoes, peeled & seeded**) [9/5 - I made these starting with a bit more than 4 1/2 lbs. of fresh tomatoes. I wouldn't do less, but you could probably go between 5-6 lbs. pre-peeling/-seeding weight.]
6 Tbl. olive oil
3/4 - 1 c. diced red onion
6 large cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil OR 3 Tbl. Chef Jeff's frozen basil*** OR 3 Tbl. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dry oregano
1 tsp. sugar
salt & pepper to taste
dash of crushed red pepper flakes to taste (opt.)

1. Rough chop tomatoes in a blender or food processor and set aside. (If doing with fresh, peel and seed them first. **)

2. Place a large pan or stock pot or Dutch oven over high heat; add olive oil, onion and garlic; reduce heat to medium high and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until mixture becomes pale golden in color (not brown).

3. Add tomatoes, oregano, red pepper, sugar, salt and pepper to the onion mixture. (Also basil if using dried.)

4. Bring sauce to boil; reduce to simmer for 30-45 minutes for better flavor.

5. Add (fresh) basil and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached; remove from heat (and eat, or set aside to cool to use in lasagna, or to freeze).



* Oh, look - the internet is a wonderful thing! It was "Flavors From the Home" with Chef Jeff, and looking at his website, I see that it looks like he's still doing classes around the TC area, maybe starting in September. They were FUN classes where you actually get to cook and eat the menu, and take the recipes home. All the ones I took started off relaxed, but the pace picked up as you went and I think every one finished late. But the food made it all worthwhile! Note: Even though you'll get to eat, it wasn't until the end of the class, so don't go hungry or you'll be starving before the end. Also, Chef Jeff is a hoot. Looking at the menus, I took Oriental Favorites I - Menu #1, Southern Italian Family Style I - Menu #2, Gourmet with a French Accent I - Menu #3, Southern Italian Family Style II - Menu #5, Traditional Southern Italian - Menu #7, Pasta! Pasta! Pasta! II - Menu #13, and Traditional French II - Menu #14. They were all wonderful fun and delicious to boot. I highly recommend them, but I think they filled up fast, so if you're interested, check out which ones are nearby and call the appropriate contact on the registration page.

**An easy way to peel and seed fresh tomatoes is to bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Cut an X in the skin at the bottom of the tomato, then drop it in the boiling water for like 20-30 seconds. Take it out, and you should be able to peel it easily, starting at the X. To seed them easily, cut them in half along the equator, NOT from bottom to top. Then you can just take a half in your hand and squeeze out most of the seeds with ease.

*** Chef Jeff recommended taking large quantities of fresh basil, washing & roughly chopping it, mixing it with a good amount of olive oil, then making long tubes/rolls/fat-thumb-thick-snakes of it in plastic wrap and freezing it. You can whack off a hunk of it and get great fresh flavor, even if it looks browner than it would when actually fresh.

Garlic scape pesto

Ms. Huis Herself's CSA boxes made me remember and dig up this recipe I found a while back online. It's from Greensgal at The Omnivore's Solution. I went ahead and posted her comments at the top. This may be horrible Internet etiquette...



One of the most fantastic uses I know is in Garlic Scape Pesto. Our very favorite omelet is folded over a ribbon of this pesto – yum! We also eat it plain as a spread on crunchy bread or crackers. It can be used to season steamed vegetables, a topping for brown rice, or as an addition to potato salad for a mild garlic flavor. Stir some into vegetable soups as a garnish and flavor enhancer. This freezes amazingly well and keeps many months in the freezer.

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO

1/2 lb. organic scapes, top bulbs removed (chopped into 1" sections)
1/2 C pine nuts
2 c. grated parmesan cheese (substitute romano or asiago)
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil (to achieve the correct texture)

Use only the tender parts of the scapes, peeling bottom ends if tough.
In a food processor, combine the scapes and pine nuts, pulse to chop into a rough paste. Add cheese and pulse. With processor running, drizzle in just enough olive oil to achieve a moist spreading consistency. Taste for salt and add some sea salt if necessary. It depends on the saltiness of the cheese.

Note: I substitute a “lesser” parmesan for economy sake. Using the finest parmesan doesn’t make a tremendous difference because of the strength of the garlic taste.

Possible additions: 1/2 C fresh herbs – parsley, dill, or cilantro
Place in processor with scapes and pine nuts.

Rhubarb Jam

My mom used to make this when I was little.

5 c rhubarb, chopped
3 c sugar
1, 6oz pkg strawberry (or cherry) Jello
1 T butter

Combine rhubarb with sugar and let sit overnight. Next day, add butter and cook mixture for 10 minutes on med to med-high heat. Remove from heat. Stir in Jello. Place in glass jelly jars. Refrigerate or freeze until you want to use.

Rhubarb Bread

Per Pusher's request. This one is tried and true. Hope you like it.

1 1/2 c brown sugar
2/3 c oil
1 egg
1 c buttermilk (or sour milk which is almost 1 c milk with 1 T of lemon juice)
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 1/2 c rhubarb, cut up
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c nuts (optional)

Topping:
1 T butter
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine sugar and oil; add egg and sifted dry ingredients with buttermilk. Add rhubarb, vanilla and nuts. Pour batter into 2 large or 4 small pans. Top loaves with topping mix. Bake at 325 for 60 minutes, less for small loves. Freezes well.

La Bamba Casserole

This is from Cooking Light October 2002. It's not very spicy, so if you like it hot, you'll need to dial it up with some Tabasco or red pepper or something. It reheats very nicely, and the leftovers are also very, very yummy when heated up and eaten wrapped up in a tortilla! Yum! Yield: 6 (1 1/3 c.) servings of 344 calories and 10.7 g. fat each.

I'd suspect it'd freeze very well, being casserole-y and all, but I'd probably freeze it without the cheese, then heat it up nearly all the way, THEN add the cheese and heat until melted and maybe a little brown. I think if you tried to freeze it with the cheese, when you reheated it in the oven the cheese would burn before it was heated all the way through, but if you do try it either way, leave a comment and give us your insights.

1 (5.25 oz.) can whole green chiles, drained [I use chopped.]
Cooking spray
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
2 c. frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (16 oz.) can fat-free refried beans
1 1/2 c. (6 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese [or "Mexican blend"]
1 c. chopped tomato
1/2 c. chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Cut green chiles in half lengthwise. Arrange chiles in a single layer in a 8-inch square [9-inch round is equivalent] baking dish coated with cooking spray. [I just get chopped ones and spread them out. Much easier to do and to find.]

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic; saute 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add diced tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

4. Spoon turkey mixture over chiles. Top with corn. Carefully spread beans over corn. Sprinkle cheese over beans. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; top with chopped tomato and green onions.

Tried freezer meals

Tried these freezer meals from the website I posted:

Honey Lime Chicken - too sweet, okay with a bit of soy sauce, but bland overall and I probably won't make it again. This is my issue with many cookbooks - blah.

Pork Chops - WAY too salty, won't make them again.

Chicken Pie - just took this out of the oven and put it into tupperware for lunch, but it's simple and hard to mess up. I don't like that it takes an hour to cook after you thaw it, but it works on a weekend or making it later in the night to pack for lunches.

Chicken Florentine

I was inspired to try a recipe like this because of those frozen Bertolli meals Ms. Huis was talking about. The Chicken Florentine one is good- but has lots of sodium and I kept thinking "it can't be too hard to make this!" And it's not. Here is the basic recipe (adapted from one I found on allrecipes.com) - it's very forgiving though and you can really make it up as you go along. See notes at the bottom.

Chicken Florentine Casserole

Ingredients:

4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 slices of bacon, chopped into bits
1-2 Tbs butter (or olive oil, or blend)
1/4 C. white wine
3 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning (or your preferred mix of basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary & thyme)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C. half-and-half (0r milk)
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
2 C. shredded Mozzarella cheese
4 to 6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 to 2 bags of fresh baby spinach

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1. Melt 1 Tbs butter (or oil) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Lightly saute spinach and mushrooms. Place in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.
2. In the sauce pan, cook 3 slices of bacon (you can skip this step if you microwave, but the bacon adds some flavor to the chicken) until done. Remove bacon, chop to bits and set aside.
3. Add chicken to the pan along with the garlic, saute until no longer pink. Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Stirring constantly, mix in the cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.
4. Spoon the chicken and sauce mixture over the arranged spinach in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees, until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve as is, or over rice, farfalle pasta or egg noodles.

Notes:

• The original recipe called for canned spinach (yech!) but it's much better with fresh. I've also used frozen, just be sure to drain well.
  
• Skim or 1% milk is fine in place of the half and half.
• The amounts are very much just suggested. If you really like mushrooms, use more. Don't like them, leave them out.
  
• The original recipe also called for 1 Tbs of lemon juice in the sauce, but it seemed useless to me. *shrug*
  
• You could also add breadcrumbs or something on top if you are so inclined.
  
• I've also made this with the pasta baked in. Add 2 cups of cooked bowtie noodles on top of the spinach layer- cover with the chicken sauce and continue as above. I haven't tried baking the rice yet, but I bet you could do that too- maybe just add a little more milk to the sauce so it has some moisture.
  
• I haven't tried it yet, (the next time I make it, I am making 2) but I bet this will freeze well.
  

Harira

This recipe is slightly adapted from Emeril on Foodnetwork.com. I thought his version could use more of the warm spices and less cilantro. (Of course, I'm not a big cilantro fan, so maybe I'm wrong about that. :-)) Anyway, it smells lovely, makes good winter comfort food, and has lots of good-for-you ingredients. I'll definitely be making it again. (It also makes quite a lot and I suspect it would freeze pretty well!)

Harira (Morroccan Chicken, Chickpea, and Lentil Stew)

1/4 pound dried chickpeas
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (including juice)
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 pound dried green lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Cilantro sprigs, for garnishing

Pick over the chickpeas, cover with cold water, and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain chickpeas and rinse well with cold running water. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken in batches, and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Stir in the chicken stock, lentils, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer for 1 hour.

Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and return the soup to a simmer. Cook covered for 45 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

Freezer Recipes Galore

I found these - post if you try them!

Doc Holiday's Passion

I love the name of this recipe almost as much as I find it delicious. I got it from my mom, but don't know where she got it or the origin of the name. It's a bit time-consuming, but if you double it, you can freeze half and you'll thank yourself later when you pull it out of the freezer! Serve with egg noodles.

2 lbs. boneless beef round steak, 1" thick
salt & pepper
1/4 c. flour
approx. 4 Tbl. butter
12 oz - 1 lb. mushrooms
10 oz. beef broth (canned or made from bouillon)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 shallot, minced
1 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. brandy

chopped fresh parsley
egg noodles


Cut round steak into 1/4" strips 2-3" long. Roll in flour and salt and pepper. Working in 2 or 3 batches, melt some butter in a large pan over fairly high heat, then brown the beef in it quickly. Set the beef aside and keep warm.

To the pan, add mushrooms and saute in pan juices, plus butter and/or olive oil as desired. (I always have to add butter and/or oil.)

Add beef broth, garlic, shallot, cream and brandy. When that mixture is heated through, return the meat to the pan and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Serve over egg noodles, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Pasta Sauce

This one's easy!

Take 2 large (15 oz.) cans of tomato sauce and heat in a large saucepan. Add whatever excites you - spinach, herbs from your garden (or your spice rack), garlic, onion, vegetables, meat.

Some herbs that are nice with this:
Thyme
Rosemary (my fave!)
Basil
Oregano
Sage

Or you can experiment with smaller batches and try:
Cayenne
Ginger
Mustard Seed

Allow the sauce to simmer at least half an hour - the longer the better. I then pack it in my Ball Freezer containers (available at the grocery store by the canning stuff) and freeze them. Thaw one or two prior to dinner. One is perfect for two people, two is just right for 4.

And no more wasted sauce because you didn't eat the whole jar.

Wednesday Fun #16 - Freezer Keepers

Based on last week's question and poll, I'd say there might be some desire out there for homemade recipes to keep in the freezer. So this week, I'm going with a two-parter - a challenge and a question.

If you've got any good recipes that can be made ahead and frozen, or that double easily so you can freeze half, or can be made through a certain stage and then frozen until later, could you please try to post one sometime in the next month?

And the question is - what SORT of recipe would you like to have for freezer keepers? I know I've got a couple of lasagna-type recipes and some soups that are easy to double, but a sore lack of anything freezable and ethnic, which would be nice for variety.


(Oh, and I put in the tag "Freezer Keeper" to use for things like this that can be made or almost completely made ahead of time and then stored in the freezer, so go ahead and label them (new or existing recipes) as such so they'll be easy to find. Thanks!)