PUMPKIN STREUSEL MUFFINS

Combine dry ingredients:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

Then add:

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

2 eggs, beaten (or 2 Tbsp. powdered eggs + 1/4 c. water)

1/2 c. oil (I use 1/4 c. oil + 1/4 c. applesauce)

10-11 oz. applesauce (or you can use grated apples or crushed pineapple)

Pour into greased muffin tins and top with streusel mixture.

STREUSEL:

4 T. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

8 Tbsp. butter

Cut butter into flour, sugar and cinnamon until it forms a crumbly mixture.  Sprinkle onto muffin batter.

Bake muffins at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Yield: 2 dozen

Another popular way to use canned pumpkin is in cookies.  This week I product-tested a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix from Alison’s Pantry that was delicious (and made my kitchen smell fantastic)!  Spiced pumpkin and chocolate go together like Autumn and crunchy leaves! The cookies looked and tasted just like my favorite recipe, but whipped up in about 5 minutes.  I loved them warm from the oven, while the chocolate chips were still gooey!  My daughter actually took a plate of them to a party and no one would have guessed they were from a mix.  This mix is also convenient for food storage because it only requires oil and a can of pumpkin.  The package will make about 96 cookies and costs $7.69.

I know, it’s swimsuit season.  But I can’t resist a post on my favorite food group: breads. (So, they actually share a food group with grains and pasta…it’s a formality.)  It is starting to really heat up in the Utah desert and I am already looking forward to Fall.  Baking homemade breads not only makes the house smell fantastic, but it brings out all those nurturing, womanly kind of feelings in me. I love to see the family migrate to the kitchen for the first bites from the oven.  Here is a recipe my family loves for soft, fluffy breadsticks.  They use basic food storage ingredients, and are definitely worth breaking a diet.

FLUFFY BREADSTICKS

3 Tbsp. SAF yeast

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. salt 

6-7  cups flour (I substitute 2 cups with whole wheat flour and add 1 Tbsp. dough enhancer)

3 cups warm water

Mix yeast, sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour.  Add warm water.  Gradually stir in 3-4 cups more flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Dough should hold together well, but still be soft and not dry.  Knead 8-10 minutes.  Leave in warm spot for 30 minutes; punch down.  Divide dough in half.  Roll dough into a rectangle and slice dough into 1/2″ strips.  Fold strips in half and then half again.  Twist while pulling softly.  Dip twists into a bowl of melted butter and place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning of choice and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. We like to sprinkle ours with either Garlic Supreme or Tony’s Pizza Topping Blend and then shake parmesan cheese over the top.  To make them sweet, we like to use Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast Sugar. This recipe works well for sweet rolls as well, so often I make a cookie sheet of breadsticks and a small pan of  orange rolls.

We enjoyed this recipe last night with a bag of Flav-r-Pac Chicken and Dumplings Soup from the freezer.  Chances are you’ve tried Flav-r-Pac soups without even knowing it at your favorite deli or cafe.  They are a commercial grade frozen soup with high quality meats and vegetables.  I love having them on hand for a fast meal.   I have a funny little story about the Chicken and Dumplings Soup.  Ever since I first served it, my kids have been asking me to “make that yummy soup again.”  I have to keep explaining that I just poured it from a bag into a pot.  Flav-r-Pac Chicken and Dumplings might be one of my most requested “recipes.”  It is a rich, creamy soup with a generous amount of chunky tender dumplings.   These frozen soups are perfect for Fall gatherings.  Just choose 2 or 3 varieties to serve with an assortment of fresh breads for a low-effort menu.

Montreal Steak Seasoning–we use this peppery blend every time we grill steaks.  We douse the steaks in worchestershire sauce and then sprinkle on the Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Sometimes we freeze the meat in this mixture so the steaks are marinated and ready to grill when they thaw.  It’s also great mixed into ground beef for flavorful hamburgers. Sprinkled over roasts, it makes drippings pre-seasoned for gravy.  Alison’s Pantry carries Montreal Steak Seasoning in economical 1 lb. bags.

FAVORITE PASTA SALAD

10-12 oz. rotini, cooked, drained, and cooled

Combine and pour over rotini:

1 C. Italian Salad Dressing (made per package directions)

1/2 C. Miracle Whip

Stir in any combination of the following:

cucumber, peeled and diced

shredded carrots

roma or cherry tomatoes, chopped

black olives

purple onion, chopped

pepperoni or salami, quartered

shredded mozzarella cheese 

Chill in refrigerator.  Serve and enjoy!

Alison’s Pantry Lemon Zest and Orange Zest :  In a previous blog, I linked to a great method for storing lemons while they’re on sale.  For the rest of the year when citrus prices are high, or if you just don’t want to mess with grating zest, these little wonders are heaven-sent.  I used to grate and freeze citrus rind for easy use later, but now I save myself the time and just use these.  With little ones underfoot, I sometimes feel like I don’t have time to cook the “fancy” recipes I enjoy because they have too many steps.  I feel like these zests save me a lot of time by eliminating the step of grating.  The flavor is the same fresh, potent citrus zing without any effort.  Here are a couple of recipes I love to use the zests in:

1. Soft Gingersnaps

(I’ve tried a lot of gingersnap recipes, and I still haven’t found one that compares to this one. The Lemon Zest is what makes them special.)

2 1/2 C. flour

2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1/4 c. vegetable shortening

1 c. sugar

1 large egg

1/3 c. unsulphured molasses

1 tsp. AP Zesty Lemon Zest (or 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Sugar to roll the cookies in.

Heat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease baking sheets (the light shiny aluminum ones work best).  Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl.   In a separate bowl, combine the butter, shortening, sugar, egg, and molasses.  Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the ingredients for about 2 minutes until well blended and fluffy.  Add the lemon zest and vanilla and stir in.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet about a third at a time.  The dough should hold together well but still be soft. Use a cookie scoop, or roll dough into rounded tablespoons, and then roll in sugar.  Place on greased cookie sheets about 2″ apart.  Bake for 9-10 minutes for soft cookies, 12-13 minutes for crunchy ones. 

2.  Gooey Cinnamon Sticky Buns–This recipe from a 2006 O Magazine is my favorite cinnamon roll recipe.  I don’t even try to make this one healthy.  The best thing about the recipe though is that it goes in the refrigerator overnight so you can have warm, fresh rolls in the morning.  I replace the grated orange zest with the AP Orange Zest granules to save time.  I have also converted this recipe into orange rolls by making the dough as the recipe directs, then sprinkling in white sugar and more orange zest for the filling.  Then I frost it with a basic buttercream frosting that is dressed up with some cream cheese, a little bit of orange juice and a shake of orange zest.  My family actually likes them better than Oprah’s version.   Here’s a link to the recipe, where it is easier to print:

http://www.oprah.com/recipe/omagazine/recipes/food_200602_buns

3. Frosted Lemon Drop Cookies:  This is another great use for the lemon zest.  Alison includes this recipe on her website:  http://www.alisonspantry.com/p_details.asp?PaID=8&PDID=6463

These zests are also good for healthier fare.  Combine either one with dried or fresh herbs and rub onto a whole chicken before roasting.  Sprinkle a little into fruit salad. Use your imagination! 

For the baker on your gift list, a gift of fresh spices is both thoughtful and practical.  These cute 16 oz. jars are available from Alison’s Pantry for $9.99 per dozen and can be filled with homegrown, dried, crushed herbs or purchased bulk herbs or spices.  The jars above are a Christmas gift for my grandma, who is a fabulous cook.  I hot glued ribbon around the lids and attached labels made from scrapbook cardstock with safety pins for a cute country look.  I think spice blends are fun and multipurpose, so I included these great spices from Alison’s Pantry:

Garlic Supreme:  a blend of minced garlic with chives and parsley that has so many uses!  My kids think it’s a gourmet meal when I pan fry chicken breasts in a little olive oil sprinkled with this.  Garlic Supreme is also great on buttered french bread and in sauces, soups or gravy.

Superb Spaghetti Seasoning Mix:  This is an italian spice blend that combines with tomato paste, oil and water to make a savory marinara sauce.  It is great for food storage because it can be pulled out any time the Prego runs out…but you’ll probably find that you just stop buying the bottled stuff and make homemade sauce with this blend that removes the seasoning guesswork.  Easy and delicious!

Pronto Potato Topper:  I love “loaded” baked potatoes, but when I don’t have fresh chives, bacon, etc. on hand, I always have this little sprinkle to dress my baked potatoes up.  It makes basic baked potatoes special, and is also great stirred into creamy potato soup.

Cozy Mulling Spice:  A perfect spice and citrus blend to steep in apple cider.  This beats powdered apple cider packets hands-down!  I pour a little bit into a tea ball and simmer it in my cider for a late night treat.  About a tablespoon of the blend offers plenty of spicy flavor for a 1-2 qt. pan of cider.  LOVE IT!

Apple Pie Spice and Pumpkin Pie Spice:  Pretty self explanatory, but I love the convenience of these two blends.  In all of my spice cake or cookie recipes, I just total the spice measurements and use one of these rather than measure the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.  It saves time and tastes great.  They also taste great stirred into oatmeal.  And, they can be mixed with sugar and put into a shaker for a spicy addition to buttered toast.

Spices make a fun gift for cooks and Alison’s Pantry has a great selection in bulk 1 lb. packaging to choose from.  San Francisco Herbs (www.sfherb.com) has any that AP may not carry, as well as other packaging ideas.  I love to buy herbs and spices this way because I can bottle one jar for myself and one for a gift.