Pumpkin Pancakes

I have half a can of pumpkin in the fridge. What to do?

Recipe courtesy of Tidy Mom.

2 eggs
1-1/4 cups buttermilk or buttermilk substitute
4 TBSP melted butter
5 TBSP canned pumpkin
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
dash of nutmeg

The original recipe calls for food coloring, but I really don't think it needs it! It's pleasantly orange without chemicals.

1) Make your buttermilk substitute:

I used a cup of almond milk mixed with 2 tablespoons of vinegar. It came out perfectly! I imagine soy and rice milk would do equally well.
You can also use regular milk and vinegar.
Or yogurt and vinegar.
If you have no vinegar, use lemon juice instead.
The idea is that vinegar supplies the tangyness that is so distinguishable in buttermilk recipes.

2) Turn on your griddle and spray non-stick on it.
3) Combine all the ingredients in the order listed, stirring after each addition.
4) Cook away!

Maple syrup is even tastier than usual on these pancakes. Something about the cinnamon just makes it even yummier.

Kitchen Sink Chicken Noodle Soup

JT had a cold and I was just getting over one. We had no chicken noodle soup and no desire to go to the store. We were also mid-No Shop Challenge. Here is what I came up with:

6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 T olive oil
2 leftover cooked chicken breasts
1 bag penne pasta (use rice for a gluten-free version and add 10 minutes to total time)
1 large potato
1/4 cup minced onion (more if you are more fond of onion than JT)
2 strips pre-cooked bacon
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 t garlic salt
small dash cumin (optional)
large dash Italian seasonings
pepper to taste (optional)
several springs of fresh parsley

Here are other things you can add if you have them:

carrots
celery
sweet potato
corn
pine nuts
rice (instead of or with noodles)

1) Bring chicken broth, water, olive oil, and penne to boil. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
2) Chop and add chicken, bacon, potato and onion first.
3) Reduce heat to medium when soup is bubbling exuberantly. Add remaining ingredients.
4) Cover and boil until timer goes off.
5) Serve with love.

Balsamic Honey Chicken

This one is tasty, with a hint of sweet. Try for yourself and see!

Balsamic Honey Chicken 

Adapted from Honoring Health

3 chicken breasts
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup honey
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
1 tbsp minced onion
1/4 tsp salt
dash of ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Defrost the chicken breasts (if necessary) by placing in a zip-lock bag and soaking the bag in warm water. This takes at least 45 minutes.
2. Combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, onion, salt, ginger, and a dash of pepper in a large zip-lock bag. Marinate for up to 8 hours, a minimum of 1 hour. 
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the bag and throw away the leftover marinade. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and add the oil to the hot pan. 
4. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook on each side for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The outside will become a little black and charred. 
5. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Holiday Applesauce

I was given a wonderful gift by one of my students recently: a bag of freshly-picked, home-grown organic apples! These little yellow apples we so tiny and sweet, I wanted to make a special winter treat. What a great gift, especially in light of the No-Shop Challenge!

Applesauce is delicious all year round, but the holiday twist in this recipe is the cinnamon and cranberry flavors. You could also try adding a few tablespoons of leftover cranberry sauce - yum!

This recipe's a Twenty-Something Home original - enjoy!

• 3 - 4 pounds of apples. Type generally doesn't matter.
• 1/4 cup sugar (less if your apples are sweet, more if your apples are tart or you like a very sweet applesauce)
• 1 T lemon or orange juice
• 2 T butter
• 2 cups cranberry juice (pre-sweetened, from concentrate -- or 1 cup pure juice with 1 cup water, plus more sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg and ground cloves
• optional - several tablespoons of leftover cranberry sauce 

1) Wash your apples. There's no need to peel them - many of the nutrients apples provide are stored in the peel!
2) Cut your apples into medium slices.
3) Put all ingredients in a pot and cook over medium heat. Stir every five minutes for 30 minutes or until apples are very soft and mushy.

4) Use an immersion blender (if you have one) to chop up peels. If you don't have an immersion blender, use a regular blender. 

Enjoy!

Pomegranate Tart

This was my favorite Christmas dessert as a child, and I would ask for it on my birthday. Now that I cook for myself, I can have it whenever I want!

It looks complicated, but after you get into it, it really isn't. Enjoy!

Make the crust and white layer a day ahead - it needs plenty of time to chill.

One package graham crackers or gluten-free cookies (or pie crust)
3 T melted butter
2 cups nonfat yogurt (plain or vanilla - if using vanilla, use slightly less sugar and omit vanilla extract)
1/2 c sour cream
1 t grated orange peel
1/2 t grated lemon peel (if you have it - don't worry if you don't)
3 T lemon or lime juice, divided
1 t vanilla (if using plain yogurt)
1/2 c water
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin, divided
3/4 c sugar, divided
2 medium pomegranates or about a cup of pomegranate seeds
3 oz raspberry flavored gelatin (usually Jell-O packages are 6 oz)
2 cups raspberry-cranberry juice

1) Make your crust:
I just mashed up graham crackers and some melted butter, but you can use whatever you like. I once used gluten-free ginger cookies and it was delicious!

For graham-cracker version, use one package of graham crackers, minus a few crackers. For other versions, use whatever cookies desired. A basic pie crust should work too. Put in a plastic bag and mash with hands (this was always my job as a kid). Add 3 T melted butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of a spring-form cheesecake pan*. Bake at 300 for 20 - 25 minutes. 

* It is important to use a spring-form cheesecake pan, otherwise you will not be able to get the tart out of the pan without ruining it.

2) Mix the white layer. Combine yogurt, sour cream, orange peel, lemon peel and lemon/lime juice in a metal or glass bowl.

3) When the crust is done and cooled, prepare a large bowl of ice water in the sink.
4) Mix in a small saucepan: 1/2 cup sugar, 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin, and 2/3 cup water. Bring to boil on high, remove from heat.
5) Working quickly, add to yogurt mixture, whisking thoroughly.
6) Put yogurt bowl in bowl of ice water, stirring continuously. Stir until the mixture thickens slightly and is cool to the touch.

7) Pour into pie crust. Chill for at least 4 hours.
8) While it is chilling, break apart pomegranates in a bowl of water and extract seeds. This is way less messy than harvesting the seeds on the counter, and doesn't stain your hands. Refrigerate until ready to use.

 9) When white layer is done setting, prepare another large bowl of ice water.
10) Combine remaining packet of unflavored gelatin, raspberry gelatin, remaining tablespoon of lemon/lime juice and cran-raz juice in a small saucepan. Heat until just boiling.
11) Just as with white layer, place saucepan in the ice water and stir frequently until the mixture is cool but still liquid.
12) Add pomegranate seeds to cool liquid.
13) Pour pomegranate mixture onto white layer. Pomegranate seeds will naturally float to the top.
14) Chill for at least 4 hours.
15) Cut with a sharp, warm knife.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese

I used to make a special, inconvenient trip to a bagel store to get pumpkin cream cheese. No more, no more!

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 c canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
4 TBSP brown sugar

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate.

The No-Shop Challenge

I noticed something the other day. I noticed that my kitchen is overflowing. I only cook for two people, but I'm pretty sure I have enough food to feed a family of eight at any given time. This is most likely due to the following:

• I over-shopped for Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving yielded lots of leftovers
• I like to have lots of options when I start getting creative in the kitchen
• I go grocery shopping every week
• I shop at Costco for many things, thus creating stock-piles of certain foods like canned beans, pasta, chocolate chips, flour, onions, peanut butter, sugar and frozen chicken

In an effort to make up for going over-budget on groceries the past few... months, I am challenging myself to use what I have.

That's right. For the next month, I will not go grocery shopping. Wait, I take that back. For the next month, I will only allow myself to purchase:

• eggs and dairy (but no specialty cheeses and such)
• fresh fruit and veggies (AFTER I use the fresh and frozen we have)
• brown sugar (it's Christmas...)
• wine (for entertaining and gifts only)
• cat food

By doing this, I will be saving:

• Money
• Gas
• Time
• Food
• Myself from the evils of over-consumerism

So here are my official no-shop challenge rules:

1. No grocery shopping until January 1 except for above-mentioned items
2. I cannot cheat by buying groceries at the drug store or mega-stores like Target.
3. Gift certificates and store-credit cannot be used until January unless it's about to expire
4. Accepting leftovers, gifts and home-grown produce from friends and family is OK. (Thanks for those beautiful pomegranates, Grandma!)
5. I can't ask JT to buy groceries for me.
6. I will still cook the same number of meals per week, but I will only use ingredients I have.
7. If I don't have the ingredients I need, I will use a substitution or create something new and different.

I'll let you know what I create!

And what about YOU? Do you think you could take on the no-shop challenge? What will you make?

Thanksgiving Leftover Cooking: Curried-Turkey Wrap

Thanksgiving is over. What to do?

Recipe adapted from this Real Simple recipe. Makes three servings:

• About a cup and a half of leftover Thanksgiving turkey, give or take
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 celery stalks
• one teaspoon curry powder, or more if you like -- see this recipe* for a home-made version!
• a handful of raisins, dried cranberries, cut-up grapes or small pieces of apple
• pita bread or tortillas

1) Pull turkey meat into small pieces or use a Cuisinart to chop.
2) Chop two sprigs of celery (in a Cuisinart if you have one).
3) Combine everything in medium bowl. Taste-test to see if you want to add more curry powder.

4) Put a spoonful or two into your pita or tortilla.
5) Yum!

Make-Your-Own Curry Powder

This is kind of a recipe, kind of guidelines, but mostly a post encouraging you to be creative.

I wanted to try a recipe using my Thanksgiving leftovers. I had everything except curry powder. I always try to not make special trips to the store when I can use a viable substitution. So here's my curry powder substitution.

I used this recipe from eHow. But I didn't have everything it called for, and I didn't want to make a huge amount. So I used what I had, threw in a few other things, and here's what my final product contained (approximately):

2 t turmeric
1 t cumin
1 t garlic salt
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t allspice
1/8 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1/8 t cayenne pepper
dash of ground pepper

Combine in a clean recycled spice jar. Seal and shake. Go ahead and cook with it!

Holiday French Toast

If you get e-mail, most likely in the last few years you've been sent the "Recipe Exchange" e-mail, where you send a few strangers one of your favorite recipes and get a few new ones back. I'm always hesitant to participate in chain letters, even if it includes tastiness. But I did get a few gems from participating, and this is my adapted version of one:

Holiday French Toast

6 pieces bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk, cream, half and half, rice milk, soy milk or almond milk
1/2 t vanilla
1 t pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 cup orange juice
1 oz brandy
2 T butter
syrup

1) Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
2) Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, spices, orange juice and brandy in a pie pan, casserole dish, or other piece of bakeware convenient for soaking the bread.

3) Soak 2 pieces of bread at a time in the liquid.

4) Run your hand under water. Shake onto skillet. If it sizzles, your pan is ready.
5) Cook 2 pieces of toast at a time, flipping after a minute or two.

6) Serve with plenty of syrup. This toast goes well with Good Earth herbal tea.

Extra French toast can be frozen and reheated for a quick weekday breakfast.