Maple Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

I cannot for the life of me remember what magazine I got this recipe out of. I tore the clipping out and promptly lost it after making it the first time and being blown away. I scoured the internet for the recipe to no avail. My one replacement attempt was an epic fail and ended with me throwing the whole pie in the trash while a stream of obscenities came flying out of my mouth.

Then one glorious day not too long ago as I was cleaning out the junk drawer I found it. Torn, crumpled and with something spilled on it. I quickly copied it down to an index card and put it in my recipe book. Tonight I made it to go along with the leftover corn chowder. Instead of my usual baking soundtrack of "Minor Threat" I went with some "Iron & Wine". It's just that kind of day. Sierra helped make the whipped cream. She's an excellent helper....

For the pie you will need:

15oz pumpkin ( I used canned. If you're feeling feisty go ahead and roast one. See if I care)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
Bottom crust

Preheat oven to 375
Line Pie Pan with dough
Combine Pumpkin, sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon & salt
Add eggs and mix all together
Add milk gradually
Pour into pie shell
Cover the crust with foil or a pie shield (I LOVE those things!!) and bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover crust and bake another 30
When you can insert a knife and have it come out clean your glorious pie is done.

Now while your pie is cooling you can make the whipped cream. I kind of just wing it. I use a cup of heavy whipping cream. Probably a little more than 1/8 of a cup of maple syrup and a sprinkle a bunch of cinnamon in. Whip it all up. You want to be able to see the cinnamon in there.

Top the cooled pie with whipped cream and a dash more of cinnamon.

Tara's top secret (well not anymore) Chowder recipe

Corn Chowder is one of my favorite fall/winter time meals. This recipe is one I adapted from my Grammy's recipe and my ex-mother in laws. They both had elements I really liked and then some I didn't so I smooshed them together to make what I consider to be perfect corn chowder. And yes it does contain copious amounts of bacon...duh.




You will need:

2 medium onions chopped
3/4 of a stick of butter
10 strips of bacon
4 medium potatoes
2 Tbl flour
2 cans of creamed corn
24 oz of half and half
1/2 cup of milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot start the potatoes cubes to boil.
While they are boiling fry the bacon in the pot you will make the chowder in.
When the potatoes are soft but firm take them out and put them aside.
When the bacon is crispy remove it and put it aside.
Dump all but about 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat out and then cook the onions with some salt and pepper in that.
Dice the bacon and add it to the onion.
Add the flour to the onion mixture and blend until smooth
Then add: Potatoes and the stick of butter, corn, 1/2 & 1/2 and milk.
Stir it all together and heat over low/medium heat for 1/2 and hour 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can set it over night but I find it's plenty thick using just a 1/2 cup of milk.

Queso! Umm yum!

It was taco night at the Sully residence tonight. Only this time, I was going to make not only tacos but to try my hand at making some fresh, and hopefully close to authentic queso. A quick search on the internet yielded so many variations I didn't know which direction to take. I've never actually *had* queso. I've only read about it, and seen lovely pictures of it.

I decided that I would use Emeril's recipe. It had good reviews, and I could get everything I needed for it from a quick trip to the grocery store. No wine, or strange peppers they don't typically carry on cape cod. The one special thing I did need to do though was to put together a spice combination that Emeril likes to call "Baby Bam". Why...I don't know, but I will give him this, it is a good combo and I was glad to bottle it up so that I can use it for other things. The recipe for "Baby Bam" (everytime I type that I cringe) is as follows:

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 3 tablespoons paprika

Mix it all together and store in an old spice container.

This Queso is AMAZING. As I said before this was my first time having queso so maybe i'm not the best judge but it was so good I only had ONE taco. That's saying a lot, typically I eat 2 or 3 tacos. I'm excited to get into this stuff tomorrow, and i'm excited to bring it to the next potluck I attend.

Ingredients

• Tortilla chips, for serving
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 cup canned, chopped mild green chiles
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (1/2 pound), shredded (about 2 cups)
• 8 ounces white Cheddar cheese (1/2 pound), shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped seeded tomato
• 1 teaspoon Baby Bam
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot, about 1 minute.

Add the onion and Baby Bam and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato and garlic and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cheeses and chiles. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the sour cream, white pepper, and salt and serve immediately with tortilla chips.

YIELD: 3 cups, serving 6 to 8

Fried Green Tomato BLT's

My garden is full of green tomatoes so last night I decided to put them to good use. I probably shortened my life span a bit my eating this sandwich, but it was totally worth it. Oooooh Yum!!

Ingredients (for 2 sandwiches)

2 Kaiser Rolls
10 strips of bacon
2 big green tomatoes
2 eggs
1 cup of cornmeal
Salt & pepper
Vegetable Oil
Lettuce
Mayo


Fry bacon in a deep frying pan. Remove and put on a plate with paper towels to soak up the grease.

I just left the bacon fat in the pan and added some vegetable oil to it. I don't know how much oil was in there just eye ball it.

Next slice your green tomatoes into 1/4 of an inch thick slices. Dip in egg, then in cornmeal/salt/pepper mixture. Fry them until they are crunchy and a nice golden brown.

Toast your kaiser rolls and spread mayo on the top if you like (which I do)

Assemble sandwiches like this: FGT, Bacon, Lettuce

It's a good thing i'm out of bacon because I would totally be making this for lunch today.
Enjoy!

Chard & Caramelized Onion Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust, Fresh Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheese

Finally the chard in my garden is big enough to eat. I decided I wanted to try making a pizza with it. This won't be the most detailed recipe because, well I didn't really measure anything at all. It's a pizza though, you can eyeball it. I know you can.

I used:

1 ball of Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Olive Oil
4 Cloves Garlic
1/2 onion
1 Bunch of Chard Chopped
Handful of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Mozzarella
Ricotta Cheese
Fresh Ground Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 450
First I made some Garlic infused Olive oil by heating some olive oil & the four cloves of garlic in a pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the garlic was soft.
Then I removed the garlic and mushed it up with a fork.
I brushed the oil on the pizza crust and then spread the mushed up garlic on top of that.
Then I caramelized the onions and spread them on.
Next I took a handful of shredded Mozz cheese and sprinkled that on top of the onions.
Saute the chard until it's just wilted and spread it evenly on top of the shredded mozzarella
Finally I just put dots of Ricotta and Fresh Mozzarella all over and cooked it for 15 minutes
Top with freshly ground salt & pepper and serve with a salad

Crepe Night!

Dinner tonight was another recipe from Eating Well Magazine slightly changed because I hate chives. I have no logical explanation for this aversion because I like scallions, I like onions, I like green onions. I just *hate* chives. So I asked my friend Carolyn (who incidentally works for Eating Well Magazine) what a reasonable substitute would be. Dill was one of things she listed and I went with it because, well, I love dill. The other thing I changed is that they call for part skim ricotta & reduced fat sour cream. I used full fat because I think it just tastes better and i'm not on a diet.....yet.

And for dessert we had Crepes with Banana and Nutella because I had some for breakfast way back in November at a fancy buffet and i've wanted another one ever since.




Ok so first here is a basic crepe recipe:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Next here is the modified Summer Vegetable Crepe recipe (the original can be found here http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/summer_vegetable_crepes.html)

1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, divided, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 1/4 cups chopped green beans
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 9-inch crêpes

1. Stir sour cream, 1/4 cup dill, milk, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, green beans and corn and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in ricotta, Monterey Jack, the remaining 1/4 cup dill, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook, stirring gently, until the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. To roll crêpes, place one on a piece of parchment or wax paper (or leave it on the piece of plastic separating the crêpes in the package if you use ready made). Spoon one-fourth of the vegetable-cheese mixture (about 3/4 cup) down the center of the crêpe. Use the paper (or plastic) to help you gently roll the crêpe around the filling. Place the crêpe seam-side down on a dinner plate. Repeat with the remaining crêpes and filling. Serve each crêpe topped with 2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce and more chives, if desired.


And dessert (my favorite part)

2 Crepes
2 Bananas
Nutella

All you do is take a crepe, spread some nutella on the inside. Fill the middle with banana slices. Roll them up. Then I melted some Nutella to drizzle over it. That's it!

Lemon Cheese Pie with Blueberry Compote

Ok so it's not dinner, but it can certainly be for after dinner! Right?

Scott and I went out to dinner a few nights ago and the dessert was Lemon Cheese Pie with Blueberry Compote. When I took the first bite it reminded me of a pie my Grandmother used to make. I saw her today and asked her about it. It's the most remarkably easy dessert I think i've ever made.


Grammy's Lemon Cheese Pie (with Tara's blueberry compote)

1 Package Cream Cheese
1 Can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
1 Graham Cracker Crust

Compote
2 1/2 cups blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

Mix Cream Cheese & Condensed Milk together with a hand mixer until almost smooth. Add lemon juice and continue mixing until all of the lumps are out.
Pour into Crust
Let set in fridge for a few hours

Compote
Heat Blueberries, sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then simmer until blueberries start to pop. Remove from stove.

I spoon the compote over each piece as it's served. Grammy uses that pie filling in the can and she puts it all over the top and it seems to hold up fine.

Enjoy!