South Dakota Magazine Recap

It is that time of year when things start to get a little cray-cray. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and then there is no stopping Christmas and all of the many holiday events. Throw in a little year-end business and a few bouts of bad weather, and before we know it 2014 will be done.

Before I get caught up in that whirlwind, maybe I should do another South Dakota Magazine Recap. I have shared several recipes (and a few stories) online with South Dakota Magazine since my last update in early April.

For Easter, I considered a new tradition of layering asparagus, ham, and pasta with cheese and a creamy sauce. Ham and Asparagus Lasagna is a perfectly elegant comfort food worthy of a Spring holiday table.

Cinco de Mayo was observed with simple Sausage and Feta Tacos. The day is a celebration of a Mexican military victory and more than just party with "2 for 1" margarita deals.

My husband was fearful that I would give up his prime asparagus hunting ground when I shared some of his wild asparagus secrets. If you are lucky enough to receive a bouquet of freshly cut wild asparagus, I recommend trying Asparagus Ravioli in Parmesan Broth.

I am happy to report that as summer dawned, the snakes in my backyard seemed to move on. Harvest of strawberries and rhubarb for Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars was uneventful...and the bars were delicious.

Nilla is still living in town with us, and before the snow, I noticed a new hole in my cleared-for-fall garden. She must still be digging for worms. I should have taken her fishing for some walleye to make Lemon Butter Fish.

Avocado Toast with Radish Salad pulls from produce both local, and not. Sourcing my food from whatever origins are available for the tastiest options is my "diet" plan.

I didn't get a great spinach harvest from the garden this year, but did manage enough for a few Spinach and Garlic Vinaigrette Salads.

Keeping cool was easy this summer with the Asian influenced Peanut and Cucumber Salad.

If I want to kiss my husband, I need keep my toothbrush handy whenever Bleu Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad is on the menu.

Scrambled Eggs with Pesto and White Beans is a powerhouse for breakfast and an excellent place to start while working toward those big dreams for the day.

In September, I guided Laura from the South Dakota Magazine offices through a south-central South Dakota adventure and made time for some Pho-ish Soup.

Homecoming revealed a little background of a long ago spontaneous pancake party in Colome, and I shared the story with the puffed pancake of a Dutch Baby with Caramel Sauce and Bananas.

As the winter allows Hubs more time at home in the evenings, I can't wait for movie night and Pomegranate and Popcorn.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup is a perfect fall bowl of comfort. Topping this rich, savory soup with crumbled queso and sliced green onions enhance the earthy flavors.

And, finally, I have the tart jewel of your Thanksgiving table: Homemade Cranberry Sauce, even though I kinda miss the nostalgia of those perfect rings on the log of sauce from the can.

Whew. What a list of amazing recipes! I hope you have had the opportunity to enjoy a few, and I can't wait to share more On My Plate and with South Dakota Magazine.

Vegetables Are a Must

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. ~ Jim Davis

I suggest Pumpkin Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies. These slightly spiced, soft, cakey cookies have a nice texture from the oats and the perfect sweetness from the butterscotch chips. They have become one of my favorite autumn treats. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
(recipe adapted from Food.com)

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 cups flour
1 cup oats (I use traditional oats because they are firmer than quick-cooking.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Cream butter and sugars.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Add the pumpkin.
Combine flour, salt, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in a separate, large mixing bowl. 
Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture.
Fold in chips.
Drop by tablespoon (I use a cookie scoop.) onto greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. (2 dozen cookies)

Turning Into a Pumpkin

It is late and I am about ready to turn into a pumpkin, but after reading about Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle over at Jeanne Eats World (Go ahead. Click over there. Did you see it? Don't those layers sound absolutely delicious?), I can't get my own Pumpkin Gingerbread with Warm Caramel Sauce out of my mind. I came to the blog to refresh my memory of the ingredients and discovered that I HADN'T POSTED THE RECIPE. Sacrilege. It is too good not to share.

This, just like Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce, was snagged from one of those little Pillsbury cookbooks sold at the checkout stands of the grocery store. I think it might have even been the cover photo. (Theirs was perfectly topped with a scoop of ice cream because, unlike me, they used special "food photo techniques" to keep it from sliding off.) The photo and recipe were oh so tempting, and I just couldn't resist. Pumpkin Gingerbread with Warm Caramel Sauce quickly became one of my fall and winter staples. It is truly old-fashioned, comfort-food dessert at its finest.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter

3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cloves

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine flour and sugar.
Mix in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
In a 9-inch square baking pan, place 1 3/4 cups of the mixture and press evenly along the bottom to form a crust.
Add pecans, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves to crumb mixture and stir well.
Add buttermilk, molasses, pumpkin, and egg.
Pour batter on top of the crust in the baking pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Warm Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan.
Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup.
Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil, and cook for 1 minute or until sugar dissolves.
Gradually add cream and return to a boil.
Remove from heat.

To serve, top each serving with scoop of vanilla ice cream and spoon sauce over warm gingerbread. (Serves 9-12)

Gooey. Pumpkin. Butter. Cake.

Gooey.

Pumpkin.

 

Butter Cake.

Need I say more?

Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake 

(adapted from The FoodNetwork)

1 package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin (NOT pie filling)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 8 tablespoons butter with an electric mixer. 

Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 10 or 12-inch spring-form pan. 

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.

Add the remaining eggs, vanilla, and remaining butter, and beat together. 

Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. 

Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 50-55 minutes. (I place the spring-form pan on a sheet pan just in case of leakage.)

Make sure not to overbake as the center should be, of course, gooey. (It is a Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake, right?) 

Serve with whipped cream (fresh is best). (Serves 8-12)

Peter, Peter Pumpin Eater

I love Autumn. The chill in the air, the smell of wood smoke drifting from chimneys, and the brilliant leaves are all cozy comforts for me. Of course, I can't forget about the crisp, fresh apples and round, luscious pumpkins of the season. I love pumpkin. Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Spice Lattes (no whip, please) from Starbucks, Pumpkin Pudding, and Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup; pumpkin in any shape or form is vying for my attention during the fall months.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I blew the dust off of an old standby fall muffin recipe featuring both pumpkin and cornmeal. These muffins are dense, moist, and hearty. I like them paired with flavorful Chili Relleno Egg Bake and a fruit salad for a complete breakfast/brunch. However, they are certainly robust enough to stand on their own. Serve warm and slather with butter, or dare for more and drizzle on a little honey, too. I love Pumpkin Cornmeal Muffins on my plate.

Pumpkin Cornmeal Muffins

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup milk
4 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Heat oven to 350F.
Lightly coat muffin tins with vegetable cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
Spoon the batter into the muffin pans.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack. (12 muffins)

Pumpkin and Spice and Everything Nice

I like to start my day with a mug of tea. Several years ago, I discovered the Republic of Tea line and love their varied flavors and blends. My all time favorite is the Vanilla Almond, but I am also partial to Pomegranate Green Tea, Good Hope Vanilla Red Tea, Kiwi Pear Green Tea, Tea of Inquiry and Pink Grapefruit Green Tea. I am addicted to my teas and have collected a large assortment.

However, a recent find has left my teas collecting dust. I have blown the cobwebs off my coffee maker and brewed pot after pot of dark, rich coffee just to savor Coffee-Mate's seasonal Pumpkin Spice Creamer. Friends had been raving about it, but I hadn't been able to locate it in any local stores. I did find Southern Butter Pecan creamer just before Thanksgiving, and while it was good, it didn't set off any cravings for me. I enjoyed it, but could easily walk away from it and go back to my beloved teas. The Pumpkin Spice has me hooked. It is cream of the crop of pumpkin and spice and everything nice.

Another way to enjoy pumpkin and spice and everything nice is a super simple dessert pudding. I originally tried this recipe for our anniversary back in early October, and have repeated it several times since. While pumpkin and spice are traditionally considered fall and winter treats, this cool and creamy dessert doesn't have to be pegged as seasonal (like the Coffee-Mate creamer which will soon disappear from the dairy shelves). Those of us who love the flavor combination can savor it any time. You could even use low-fat products for the calorie conscious. Dig into some Pumpkin Pudding and start enjoying your own pumpkin and spice and everything nice.

Pumpkin Pudding

½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup cooked pumpkin (canned stuff)
1 ¼ cups cold milk
1 large package (or 2 small packages) instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 ¼ cups whipped cream (Cool Whip works)

Combine spices and baking soda in bowl.
Mix in pumpkin and blend well.
Add milk and pudding.
Beat for one minute.
Fold 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the mixture.
Garnish with rest of the whipped cream. (Serves 4-6)

Not On My Plate, But In My Bowl

Today, it isn't on my plate, but in my bowl. I hosted a get-together last evening and served 4 different types of soup along with some snacky nibbles, and a couple of desserts. Today, I am savoring one of the leftovers, Pumpkin Black Bean Soup. It is even better on the second day.

Originally from Cooking Light, I have modified this soup slightly to suit ingredients that I usually have on hand. I love the smokey flavor that the cumin brings to the soup.

Pumpkin-Black Bean Soup

1/2 cups canned tomatoes, petite diced, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon olive oil cooking spray
1 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
pumpkin seeds (optional)

Place tomatoes and beans in a food processor, process until about half of the beans are smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan, sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cumin and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add bean mixture, broth, and next ingredients (through pumpkin); bring to a boil.
Ladle about 1 cup of soup into each of 6 bowls; sprinkle each serving with about 2 tablespoons queso fresco and about 1 tablespoon green onions. Garnish with pumpkin seed kernels, if desired. (Serves 6)