Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin muffins are a pretty big deal in my family. My little sister once wrote a poem about herself that began, “I come from pumpkin muffins.” Yep, really. These ones are adapted from my family banana bread recipe, with some spices and flavors changed up, and a topping of pepitas for crunch.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup cold water
2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Raw pepitas for topping

Steps
Preheat your oven to 350º Fahrenheit and grease a muffin pan with butter, or line with muffins liners.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin puree until mixed thoroughly, then add vanilla, molasses and water and mix again until thoroughly incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to wet ingredients and mix until fully combined.

TIP: For perfectly portioned and neat muffin batter distribution, use an ice cream scoop with a trigger to portion and deposit the batter in each cup.

Scoop into muffin tin and sprinkle the top of each muffin with a few to several pepitas. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn muffins out of tin and place it on a wire rack to cool, or just a cool surface.

Best served immediately, while still warm (with a little bit of extra butter) but will keep for a few days.

Poached Salmon with Mango Salsa

This mango “salsa” is one of the first of my original recipes‎ that I began to share at the request of friends – one of the inspirations for this blog! It’s not very spicy, but you can up the ante with some fresh sliced jalapeño if desired. It makes a great accompaniment to salmon (including the very healthy, moist, flavorful poached version below), scallops, or shrimp. It’s colorful, summery, and incredibly simple to throw together.

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TIP: Look for a mango that has a reddish peel and has some give when squeezed‎. 

Ingredients

SALSA

1 mango

3 medium tomatoes on the vine

1/2 red onion

5 scallions

Handful cilantro

Handful basil

1 tablespoon lime juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

‎

POACHED SALMON

Slices of onion‎

Splash of lemon juice

‎Pinch of salt

Sprinkle of peppercorns ‎

1 to 1 1/2 pounds salmon filet‎

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Steps

‎Peel the mango and cut the soft fruit away from the pit. You’ll be able to feel the hard pit with your knife: don’t try to cut through it, just cut around it to remove the usable fruit. Dice the mango, tomatoes and red onion, and add to a medium sized bowl. Finely chop scallions, basil, and cilantro, and add to the salsa.

 

 In a separate small bowl, whisk together lime juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. ‎Pour over salsa and stir to combine. Set aside to poach salmon.

In a large pot, combine sliced onion, lemon juice, salt, and peppercorns. You can add in carrots, celery, and other aromatics of citrus to flavor the salmon. ‎Add 3-4 inches of water (enough to cover the salmon once you add it) and heat on high. When the water boils, add the salmon and boil for approximately 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filets.

 

TIP: If you don’t have a large enough pot, you can slice the salmon in half and poach one at a time. 

Serve salmon warm or chilled, topped with mango salsa. ‎The leftovers do great as the filling of a fish taco, or made into a dip for tortilla chips. ¡Buen provecho!

Bourbon Sour

Nick the bartender returns! If the words “whiskey sour” conjure up thoughts of bitter bar mix and an obnoxiously sweet cherry garnish, then behold: the delicious, from-scratch bourbon sour! Part wintery bourbon and part summery lemon, it’s the perfect springtime cocktail. Nick’s secret to a super foamy head is to shake it twice – first without ice, then with.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon simple syrup
1 egg white
¼ cup bourbon or rye whiskey

Steps
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake well for 30-60 seconds. Hold the cover on very securely, as the pressure from expanding ingredients can cause it to pop off and create a mess. Fill halfway with ice, then shake another 30-60 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass.

TIP from the Bartender: “‘Shake it Out’ by Florence + the Machine is the perfect song to jam to when spinning this cocktail. Gives you something to shake your hips to when you’re shaking those tins. Boom shakalaka.”

To garnish, dot around the outside rim with small drops of Angostura bitters. Using a toothpick, trace a circle through the dots to create a leaf/heart pattern along the outside of the glass. Small, precise dots made with an eye dropper will form beautiful hearts, whereas larger drops right from the bottle will form… let’s call it an abstract leaf pattern, like you see below. Serve immediately.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I’ve been looking forward to writing up this banana bread recipe since I started the blog because it’s a much-loved family treasure from my Aunt Margie. I’ve made my own additions in the form of chocolate chips and a warm pop of cinnamon, but the basic recipe is one of those amazingly-delicious-every-time family favorites. A loaf of this in the kitchen of my mother’s house will disappear, a slice at a time, in a matter of hours (if not minutes!). If you can manage to get it out of the house, it makes a fabulous treat for coworkers or addition to a potluck brunch with friends.

Recipe note: You can substitute walnuts and/or raisins for the chocolate chips.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 medium-sized, ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cold water
2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but strongly encouraged)

Steps
Preheat your oven to 350º Fahrenheit and grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with butter.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Beat in bananas until mixed thoroughly, then add vanilla and water and mix again until thoroughly incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to wet ingredients and mix until fully combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

TIP: There is no such thing as too many chocolate chips.

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. After 5-10 minutes, turn the loaf out of the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool, or just a cool surface.

Best served immediately, while still warm with a little bit of extra butter, but will keep for at least a day—I’ve never seen it last longer than that without being eaten.

Frosted Orange Cookies

The fourth and final holiday cookie recipe is another treasure from a vintage magazine clipping that has become a beloved family tradition. Thanksgiving and Christmas in my house wouldn’t be complete without these special cookies.

Recipe note: The original recipe states that you can also substitute equal amounts of lemon juice and peel for the orange juice and peel to make frosted lemon cookies. If you are trying this, I would recommend reducing the juice used in the dough to 1 teaspoon.

Ingredients

COOKIES
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 orange, juiced and zested

FROSTING
1/3 cup butter
3 cups confectionary sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange peel (from orange)
3 tablespoons orange juice (from orange)

Steps
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and 2 teaspoons of orange juice and beat until dough is smooth. Wrap in wax paper and chill for one hour.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough to a 1/2 inch thickness on a well-floured surface, or between two floured pieces of wax paper for extra-easy transfer to the cookie sheet.

TIP: Warmer dough sticks more easily. Leave the excess dough in the fridge while rolling out each section so that it stays chilled until you are ready to roll.

Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and transfer them to the lined cookie sheets. Bake for 6 minutes or until lightly golden, and cool on wire racks.

To make the frosting, combine the butter, confectionary sugar, zest, and juice in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Frost cooled cookies and allow it to set for 1-2 hours before stacking in a tin or on a plate, or finish each layer with a sheet of wax or parchment paper to minimize sticking. Bon appetit!

Dark Chocolate Mocha Cookies

Happy Holidays! Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way we can focus on what’s really important this time of year: Christmas, and more specifically Christmas cookies. I’ll be posting a cookie recipe a week this month, starting with the cravings-inducing Dark Chocolate Mocha Cookies. These fudgey, delicious cookies are a favorite with my coworkers, family, and just about anyone else who tries them.

The recipe originally hails from Gourmet magazine, and I’ve tweaked and adjusted it to my liking, including the addition of dark chocolate and using fine Starbucks VIA, instead of espresso powder which can be somewhat grainy.

Ingredients
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pats
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons espresso powder, or 4 packets of Starbucks VIA Italian Roast
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Steps
Preheat your oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Use a double boiler to melt the unsweetened chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of the dark chocolate chips, and butter. Stir regularly. When the chocolate is smooth and melted, remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

TIP: A double boiler involves placing a heat-safe bowl over a pot with a couple inches of water heated to a bubbling simmer. You don’t want the water to contact the bowl, and you don’t want to boil the water.

In a small side bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs until they form soft peaks. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is thick and pale.

TIP: If you forgot to take your eggs out of the refrigerator, you can heat them to room temperature quicker by microwaving a bowl of water just long enough to make it lukewarm. Let the eggs sit in the water for a few minutes to warm up.

Next beat in the espresso powder and vanilla extract. Fold the melted chocolate into the mixture, gently mixing to combine. Then fold in the dry ingredients, mixing slowly until all the ingredients are fully incorporated. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips.

Let the batter stand for 15 minutes; during this time it will thicken and begin to look like something you could make cookies from. Like a baking sheet with parchment paper and use two spoons to drop the batter into globs or about 2 tablespoons of batter, leaving space for them to spread out.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 8-10 minutes until they are puffed and shiny and cracked on top. Give them a few minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer them to a wire cooling rack if you have one, or just a cool flat nonstick surface if you don’t. This recipe makes a few dozen cookies, so they are wonderful for sharing around. Enjoy!

Mom’s Chestnut-Apple Stuffing

Okay, so it’s McCall’s Chestnut-Apple Stuffing. (Remember my favorite old beat-up, go-to recipe book? That’s the one.) But it’s been perfected by my mom. You’re welcome, McCall’s.

This recipe is all about that prep work – which is not really my favorite kind, to be honest – but in this case I can enthusiastically vouch that it is totally worth it. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving in my house without this stuffing, and I can promise you will love it for any occasion.

Ingredients
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1 cup (1 medium or 1/2 large) chopped onion
1 cup (2-3 medium to large stalks) chopped celery
1/2 cup raisins
4 cups chopped (3-4 good sized) apples, half Granny Smith and half McIntosh
6 cups fresh white bread, cubed
4 cups (1 1/2 pounds) coarsely chopped chestnuts
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Steps
First things first: peel the chestnuts. It’s nobody’s favorite thing to do, but there is an easy and quick way to get it done. You can use pre-processed chestnuts here, and normally I’m all for a convenient shortcut, but you will taste the difference in the finished product.

Use a small paring knife to make five cuts in the shell of each chestnut, radiating out from the center of the flatter side. Use the tip of the knife to pierce the shell in the center of the chestnut, then lever it down to slice the shell. Microwave the chestnuts seven at a time, spaced evenly on a plate, for four minutes. Why seven? I have no idea; this is one of the increasingly rare occasions where I just do what my mother tells me and don’t even ask.

As each batch comes out of the microwave, allow them to cool then peel the shell and skin away from the yellow meat of the chestnut. Don’t wait so long that the layers begin to fuse together again. I found that after about two minutes they were cool enough to handle. Cover peeled chestnuts with water and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Drain and chop coarsely.

Next prep the apples: peel, core, and chop them into small chunks. Set them aside and chop the onion and celery. Heat a large skillet on medium and add the butter. When it has melted, add the onion and celery and cook about 5 minutes until transclucent.

In a large bowl, combine apples, breadcrumbs, chestnuts, and raisins. Add cooked vegetables and butter and toss lightly to combine. Add salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, and mix thoroughly.

If you’re using the stuffing in a bird, it’s ready to go at this point. The juices will hydrate and flavor it beautifully as it cooks. If you’re cooking it separately out of preference or to keep it vegetarian, pour 1/2 cup of water, or vegetable or chicken stock, in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Pour in stuffing and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 375º Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.

Everyone’s Favorite Apple Pie

Apple pie is my best dessert, a knack inherited from Grandmas and honed over years of baking. It’s also the recipe I’m most frequently asked for, so here it is in plenty of time for Thanksgiving!

Absolutely use the recommended All-Butter Pie Crust recipe here. It transforms crust from the flavorless dough you push aside to get at the filling into the rich, flaky magic it should be. One bite and you’ll be a believer.

Ingredients
All-Butter Pie Crust (x2)
6-7 apples, mix of braeburn and granny smith
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter

Steps
Make All-Butter Pie Crust (double the recipe!), wrap tightly in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Preheat your oven to 375º Fahrenheit.

Peel, core, and slice your apples into 1/4 inch thick slices and place them in a large mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Pour over apples and stir well to coat each slice of apple with seasonings. Add vanilla and lemon juice and stir again to mix. Set aside.

TIP: No one has ever complained about too much cinnamon in an apple pie. Ever.

Retrieve your dough from the refrigerator and half it. Flatten half with the palm of your hand and roll out your bottom crust. See my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie post for my all-time favorite pie hack, which makes rolling out dough a cinch!

Pour the apples into the pie crust and dot the filling with dabs of the cold butter. Why, my baby sister always asks? Because butter makes everything taste better, sis.

Cover with top crust, as simple or fancy as you please. If you’re doing a simple cover, be sure to cut vents for the steam to escape as the filling cooks.

Wrap the edges with tin foil to prevent the rim from burning and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove the tinfoil from rim after about 20 minutes, rotating the pie 180º if necessary to ensure even cooking of crust.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh homemade whipped cream.

 

All-Butter Pie Crust

This classic all-butter pie crust recipe comes from a beat up, decades old copy of McCall’s Cook Book. It is the best and only pie crust recipe you will ever need.

Note: Double this recipe for a two-crust pie, and consider tripling it if you’re planning a fancy lattice or other decorations that will require more crust!

Ingredients
1 cup sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter
2-2 1/2 tablespoons ice water

Steps
Sift flour with salt into medium bowl. With pastry blender, using a short, cutting motion, or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Quickly sprinkle ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over all of pastry mixture, tossing lightly with fork after each addition and putting dampened portion to side of bowl; sprinkle only dry portion remaining. (Pastry should be just moist enough to hold together, not sticky!)

Shape pastry into a ball; wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate until ready to use. If you’re not planning on using it within about 2-3 days, wrap it securely in wax paper then a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer. Take out and put in the refrigerator 24 hours before using.