Main Dish
Each year when fall rolls around and the pumpkin pie spice and canned pumpkin makes it into the house Jim always reminds me he does not like pumpkin. Each year I remind him of all the pumpkin recipes he likes! This year was no different and the result this year was the same. He took a bite of this pumpkin cranberry loaf by Molly Yeh, a Food Network chef and he said how much he really liked this loaf! Needless to say, I really liked it too, it’s sweet but not too sweet and the coarse sugar on top makes it feel like it came from a bakery. There is just enough tart from the cranberries.
This is a delicious loaf and would make any friend or neighbor happy they received it!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used all purpose flour for this)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1.2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Put the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Melt the butter and let simmer until the butter browns. You will see tiny little brown specs on the bottom of the pan and the butter will begin to smell nutty. About 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Combine the brown butter, pumpkin, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth, trying not to over mix. Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Press the cranberries into the top of the batter. Sprinkle the top with the turbinado sugar, don’t skimp!
Bake until the top is browned and crusty and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 50-55 minutes. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes. then Un mold to cool completely.
Enjoy!
What a year we are having. I don’t know about you but my cooking has been up and down partially because of the pandemic, but also because Jim, was deployed to Afghanistan during much of this time. He is home and we are enjoying getting back to some normalcy, but that’s still difficult with Covid 19 not letting go. I have some great recipes coming up for you and a few restaurants we were able to go to while the covid numbers were low in our area.
Today’s recipe is one of my absolute favorites. I made this a couple of times this fall when the apple orchards opened up. I made my own apple crisp, but your favorite store-bought will work just as well.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups prepared apple crisp, cooled
- 1/4 cup prepared caramel sauce, more to drizzle if desired
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
DIRECTIONS
Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sweetened condensed milk and continue to mix until slightly thickened. Fold in the apple crisp and caramel. Put the mixture in a freezer-friendly container and freeze for six hours. When ready to serve, drizzle with extra caramel sauce if desired.
Enjoy!
I know I have mentioned many times about Robby our son having to be gluten-free but there are also a number of vegetables that he cannot have so I am constantly having to adjust recipes to accommodate his dietary restrictions. This recipe is just one of those, I’m going to give you the recipe in full but I was unable to add the bell peppers. This recipe makes plenty of sauce which we love. I served this over white rice.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, more if needed
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 cup steamed green beans (can use the freezer steam bags)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 bottle of sweet chili sauce (1 1/4 cups)
- cooked white rice For serving
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl add the diced chicken and tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic powder and corn starch. Mix until all of the chicken is coated With the corn starch.
In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat add 3 tablespoons of oil. Let the oil heat up until it glistened slightly. Working in small batches, add the chicken and cook turning often until the chicken is cooked through. If the pan or wok gets dry go ahead and add more oil. Do this until all of the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the bell peppers and cook until just slightly soft. Next, add the garlic and let cook for just a minute or two. Add the chicken back into the pan, add the steamed green beans, sweet chili sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes into the pan. Stir until combined and everything is coated in the sauce. Serve over rice.
Enjoy!
I saw the idea of pizza fries on Pinterest but changed it to what I had on hand for Robby to give this a go. One of the biggest things he misses the most while having to be gluten-free is a really good pizza. If you have never tried the frozen gluten-free pizzas from the store you are lucky. Cardboard would be a good alternative to those pizzas! The fries take the place of the crust. This worked really well as Robby enjoyed it. I’m not going to write this like I normally would as you can change this a million different ways with literally any pizza toppings you like.
The base of this is obviously the fries. Cook them as directed or air fry at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or to your desired doneness. For the topping, I used 1 pound of spicy crumbled sausage, chopped onion, and garlic. I sautéed these all together until the sausage was cooked through. I added 1/2 jar of pizza sauce to the pan to warm through. Finally, I added the shredded cheese to the top of the meat mixture. I let the cheese melt then added this mixture over the top of the fries.
Using a full bag of fries and the above measurements, it will feed a small army! Easily 6 people. Great for a small gathering or hungry teenagers. Add anything you would top a pizza with the combinations are endless. Keep in mind if you add lots of meats and veggies you may need a bit more pizza sauce. Put your creative hat on and make your own pizza fries!
Enjoy!
Chicken salad sandwiches are one of my favorites because you can make it so many ways. Using a rotisserie chicken makes it that much easier to put together in no time! I used fresh pineapple because I had it on hand and used a green apple because I prefer it. You can certainly make it any way you like! This is so simple but delicious, and perfect for an afternoon lunch or picnic.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup cubed rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup chopped apple
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained (or fresh, chopped)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 pita pocket halves
DIRECTIONS
C.ombine the first nine ingredients. Fill the pita pocket halves. With the chicken mixture and lunch is served!
Enjoy!
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