The Best Pumpkin Bread (According to Dad)

Every year my father, (usually) brother and several friends head up to Northern Wisconsin to hunt. They have been doing this for over 10 years since they started when I was in college at University of Wisconsin (Go Badgers!). Through coincidence, poor planning or fatherly neglect, this trip has always been planned to coincide with my birthday. In fact, I cannot remember a time when my whole family was around for my birthday as a child. I assure you that I have not been permanently scarred by this neglect. Sometimes I think my sister has since she is always very affronted on my behalf. It is something I am just used to, and it really doesn't bug me too much.


It actually all ended up working out while I was away at college. I was over 8 hours away from home, and I was more homesick than you could ever understand. I never expected to be as homesick as I was, and lord knows I didn't tell anyone. I was embarrassed by my own inability to cope with missing my family. I would have continued to hide it from them if I could have, but my older brother happened to call me one October night and tell me that he missed me. He was watching some movie with "a bratty little sister" and he missed me. That was the end of my bravado. I think I burst into tears and managed to sob out to Chris how much I missed home. Now that I think about it, Chris is usually the sibling I want most when I am crying or upset. He can always calm me down - maybe I was just waiting to confess my fears and anxieties to him.


Anyway, back to the annual hunting trip. All of those missed childhood birthdays? They were totally made up for when I got to see my Dad and his friend, Dr. H, on my birthday. They would purposefully drive through Madison on their way to Northern Wisconsin to take me to dinner for my birthday. They usually managed to see me on my actual birthday, which was a great gift. Seeing my Dad for my birthday, talking to Chris, reading the letters that my Mom faithfully wrote got me through that homesickness. So when I think of their annual hunting trip, I automatically think of being away at school.

Now that I am back in Ohio, I like to send some food along with them for their week in the woods. My Mom always bakes bread, makes soup and chicken stock. She also bakes chocolate chip cookies that Chris loves. I have taken to making quick breads. I can pop them in the freezer so they are easy to transport, and they make a quick, delicious snack for the guys after being out in the cold hunting. This particular loaf is incredibly moist and flavorful. The tart bite of chopped, fresh cranberries is a pleasant counterpoint to the sweet pumpkin. My Dad's favorite part? The sugary topping with a delightful cinnamon bite. Make this bread and share it with someone you love - it is worth it.


Original recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook, but adapted from the Amateur Gourmet blog.

Pumpkin Apple Bread (with Cranberries)
makes 2 loaves, most of my adjustments came in the spice section - I increased them significantly

For topping:
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
5 Tbs sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

For bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsps baking soda
3 tsps ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (2 cups) (I have substituted both 1 cup chopped apple, 1 cup chopped cranberries and 2 cups chopped cranberries for the 2 cups of apples)

MAKE THE TOPPING: Blend together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.

MAKE THE BREAD: Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 350F. Butter two 9 X 5 inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice into a medium bowl.Whisk together pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Add flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Fold in apples. Divide batter between buttered loaf pans. Sprinkle half of topping evenly over each loaf.
Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool loves in pans on a rack for 45 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.

In the Kitchen with Mom (and Pickles)

I have previously mentioned my new-ish love of canning. My whole life, I have appreciated canning because I was fortunate enough to grow up with a mom and grandmother who canned all sorts of concoctions. Homemade grape jelly was only a cupboard away in my childhood. Playing dress-up at my Gramma's house while she and my Mom made quarts upon quarts of applesauce was a regular summer activity. Not to mention the adventure out to the family farm to visit the cows, chase the barn cats and pick the old apple tree clean. Those days were truly some of the best of my childhood. We had jams, chutneys, pickles, jellies, sauces, tomatoes, salsas, just about anything that could be put-up was put-up. I have become so enamored with the old-fashioned notion of putting-food-by that this was my summer of mastering canning. I have an ever-expanding library of cookbooks dedicated to canning and preserving the harvest. My Christmas wish-list is full of pressure canners and other canning cookbooks and cute jars. It is possible, during those long-ago summers, that my Gramma and Mom were creating a little canning monster. It only took 20 or so years for the monster to appear.

This process will be so much easier after my
Mom gets her kitchen remodeled!

I like to think those around me are lucky that monster has appeared. My friends and family have certainly reaped the benefits of my summer past time. But really it has been most beneficial for me. This past summer has been filled with more ups and downs that I know how to put into words. During some of the harder times, canning has cheered me up. I am sure that makes no sense to someone who hasn't fallen in love with canning. When I put a hard day's work into the kitchen, and I come away with jars of food that a loved one can treasure in the coming months, I am fulfilled. I am momentarily distracted from the chaos in my life, and honestly I am just totally proud of myself. Canned goods are a very physical, literal display of my efforts and achievements in the kitchen. Better yet, they are a very physical, literal display of my bond with my Mom.

Thanks to my Mom for modeling the careful
placement of the jars in the canner!
Note the gloves due to the hot peppers.

I would never be as confident with a canner if I hadn't learned from her. I am sure my Mom will laugh when she reads this because she only showed me how to can once (under some serious pressure because her hip had been replaced and she couldn't physically help - only instruct). But that day in the kitchen, and more importantly my entire childhood, taught me what I needed to know. Canning is a scientific process, but it doesn't have to be scary or intimidating. She has given me the confidence in myself to be successful at something that has brought me a tremendous amount of joy. That is a priceless gift.

Mom posing with the canner! I love this picture for a variety of reasons.
The mask cracks me up and the look in my Mom's eyes is just so her.

So a few weeks ago, my Mom and I decided to can pickles together. It was a very, very long day. But it was also a ton of fun! We actually did all of the work together, and I couldn't have asked for a better day with her. Sadly for my Mom, what we pickled she will never eat - a variety of hot peppers that are too spicy for her. But she was a trooper and insisted we keep going even when I was ready to toss out the rest of the pickles because I couldn't face another round of wiping down jars and waiting for water to boil. We were in the kitchen for about 12 hours with only a quick lunch break. We were exhausted but came away with dozens and dozens of jars of Mixed Pickled Peppers (just plain in a vinegar solution) and Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles.

Onions - sliced and ready to be pickled.

If you are unfamiliar with Bread and Butter Pickles, I think they are some of the most delicious homemade pickles on the planet. They are incredibly sweet with a nice oniony flavor accented with mustard seeds. On their own, they are too sweet for me, but on top of a hamburger or tuna sandwich, they are pure heaven.

A pile of peppers preparing to be pickled.

Traditionally, my family makes them with a mixture of cucumbers, bell peppers and onions. I, of course needing to fool with tradition, told my Mom that we needed to substitute hot peppers in for the cucumbers. Not to pat my back or anything, but I am brilliant. The spicy flavor of hot peppers mixed with the sweet vinegary sauce is perfect. To make your own Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles, just follow my lead and substitute hot peppers in for the cucumbers or zucchini in your favorite recipe.

The original Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe -
in my Mom's words and handwriting!

I am submitting this post to Laura of The Spiced Life for October's Family Recipes Blog Event. Laura and Shelby host the event monthly. Be sure to check out Laura's blog for the round up!

Pumpkin Blueberry Poundcake with Cranberries!

I have been planning my moving strategy for awhile now. I enjoy doing stuff like planning and strategizing. It helps me to avoid the actual doing of things. Procrastinate? Me? Never. One of my big dilemmas after packing my cookbooks (dare I share with the world that I have over 16 large, paper boxes worth of cookbooks?!?!) is my cooking magazines. What would you do if you had bookshelves of foodie magazines collected over the past 7-10 years? Stare at them bleakly trying to come up with a plan? Admit to yourself that you haven't actually thumbed through any of the back issues you've collected? Cough and gasp when you breathe in the frightening layer of dust you disrupt when you pull a few of the magazines out? Realize that if your sister were moving and packing, you would tell her to get rid of them!


I think that was the final straw - realizing that if it was someone else's junk, you'd encourage them to let the magazines go. So for the past week, instead of simply strategizing, I have actually been doing something. I have been flipping through all my accumulated food magazines and clipping any recipes or articles that look interesting to me. I am reminding myself to only keep stuff that I think I will actually use or reference later. Fortunately, I already had a little recipe scrapbook started from when my mom got rid of all of her Bon Appetit magazines from the early 1980's. I decided to just keep cutting and pasting recipes into my little food journal. I am passing the magazines on to anyone who wants them - food magazines never really expire, so someone else can read them now. I feel like I have actually accomplished something. My bookshelf is completely empty now - free from the dozens of magazines that were weighing heavily on my mind!


And the best part? I rediscovered tons of recipes I want to make as soon as possible! It is so much fun being reminded of dishes I wanted to try but never got around to making. I have especially enjoyed running into the autumn issues. The food perfectly fits the weather we have had around here lately. I have made so many loaves of pumpkin bread, I am surprised I haven't turned into a pumpkin! Fortunately my dad and his hunting buddies like the pumpkin bread so I am freezing much of it to go with them on their next big trip.


This recipe comes from Cooking Light, which is unusual for me, as I often feel like I find nothing I want to bake in that magazine. Apparently I need to change my tune and get over my idiotic bias. This "poundcake" is exactly like a quick bread. In fact I baked it in two loaf pans instead of the tube pan as instructed in the recipe. My dad said this was his second favorite of my pumpkin bread experiments, so I will be sure to share his favorite soon. The loaves come out with a very dense, moist crumb. It wasn't too sweet, but I think it could be if you don't follow my one significant change to the recipe - instead of 2 cups of blueberries, I added 1 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of chopped, fresh cranberries. The tart tang of the cranberries really make this bread special.

Blueberry Pumpkin Pound Cake
from Cooking Light

This cake was adapted from Debra Ayers's original recipe, which earned a blue ribbon at the Machias Blueberry Festival in 1999. Frozen blueberries tint the batter purple.

Cake
Cooking spray
3 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup fat free sour cream (I used fat free Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup 1% low fat milk
2 cups fresh or frozen wild blueberries (I used 1 cup each of blueberries and chopped, fresh cranberries)

Glaze (I skipped the glaze since I was going for more of a quick bread)
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon canned pumpkin
2 1/4 teaspoons 1% low fat milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 deg.
2. To prepare cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray, dust with 2 teaspoons flour. Set aside. (I used 2 loaf pans instead of the tube pan)
3. Lightly spoon 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 3 cups flour and next 6 ingredients (through cloves), stirring with a whisk. Place butter in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minutes or until fluffy. Gradually add granulated and brown sugars and 1 teaspoon vanilla, beating until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and sour cream, and beat well. Beating at low speed, add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. (I did all the mixing by hand without any problems)
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 deg for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes on a wire rack. Place a wire rack upside down on top of cake, invert onto rack. Cool completely.
5. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and remaining ingredients, stirring until well blended, drizzle over the cooled cake. Yield 16 servings (serving size, 1 slice).

More Birthday Wishes! With a Side of Pork Chop

Happy Birthday to my boyfriend, Jason! Love you!!


Onto the main event: Pork Chops with Braised Cabbage and Apples in a Hot Pepper Apple Jelly and Oven Roasted Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts. Is that a mouthful or what? This dish was divine! It was the perfect meal for a cool autumn day - and I know it is a meal that my boyfriend would have loved to eat with me. I must remember this meal and share it with him!


I had a craving for pork chops recently, and I wanted to sample some hot pepper jelly my mom canned earlier this summer. To me, pairing pork with a spicy, tart, sweet jelly seemed like a no-brainer. My mom tried a new recipe which incorporated apples with the hot peppers, sugar and vinegar to make a thick jam with flecks of red pepper. It was quite good, especially with the pork. I first pan seared the pork chops while I roasted the brussels sprouts and mushrooms in the oven. Then I removed the chops and added some sliced red onions, apples and cabbage into the pan. Then I added a bit of water, a splash of cider vinegar and a dollop of pepper jelly. Once the jelly melted into the vegetables, I added the pork chops back into the pan, covered and cooked the chops until done.


The cabbage and apples kept a little bit of crunch from not cooking too long, and the pork chop was moist and tasty in the sauce. I loved the roasted vegetables alongside the pork, but I think mashed potatoes would make an equally lovely accompaniament. If you wanted to make the sauce a little more decadent, you could stir in a couple pats of butter after taking it off the heat at the very end. It would create a richer sauce, but I thought it was very nice on its own.


Since this isn't an actual recipe - just follow your gut instinct. But here is an approximation of what I did:
Serves 2

2 Pork Chops (I used boneless here)
1/2 head of savoy cabbage, shredded
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large apple, thinly sliced
1.5 T hot pepper jelly
~ 1/4 cup water
~ 2 T cider vinegar
~ 1 T olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste


-Liberally salt both sides of pork chops (I used over 1/4 cup of salt total - use plenty cuz you will rinse most of it off) and allow to rest on the counter for about 20-30 minutes before cooking
-Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat, add oil when you are ready to cook the chop
-Rinse and dry the pork chops and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper
-Sear both sides of the pork chops for about 2 minutes/side and remove chops from pan
-Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions; cook for 3-4 minutes
-Add the apples and cabbage; cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the water and vinegar
-Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the carmelized bits up and add the pepper jelly, stir to combine
-When the jelly has melted into the sauce, return the chops to the pan, cover and cook over medium heat until chops are done to your preference

Perfect Summer Lunch with Tzatziki

First of all - Happy Birthday to my sister, Laura, today!!



Phew. I am still trying to get caught up from my weekend in Chicago. In case you missed it, Laura posted many more details and pictures on her blog about our adventure. It truly was a wonderful, whirlwind trip, and I am really happy I got to do with my big sister. It was like our last big adventure before I move away (and really, we haven't had any super-cool-adventures since she had kids, so that was extra fun too!). Anyway, go check out her blog if you are interested in more U2 pictures or her ode to Rick Bayless - who 110% totally deserves his reputation as a Mexican Food God. O I wish I could live closer to his restaurants... so freakin' tasty.

But life goes back to normal in Ohio... well kind of normal...I was back and forth to my little brother's house last week for my niece's birthday party and other visits. My sister in law made awesome food again - especially, as usual, the delicious Kielbasa and Sauerkraut and a really tasty Jello creation with cranberries that I am going to have to get the recipe for! Also, my roommate is moving out since I am getting ready to move to Massachusetts to be with my boyfriend. Which in turn means I need to get my butt in gear and start packing. I have no official moving date, but there is a tentative closing date on his house which is my current guiding light - October 30th. Understandably, my blogging and cooking are sporadic at best with my inability to concentrate on anything.

But in true procrastination mode, onto food! Greek food in fact. Greek food always seems really complicated to me - I rarely feel like attempting to make it at home. Which is pretty strange considering much of it is simple and easy to throw together. I think this must be one of my mental blocks, of which I seem to have many! :) I think Greek food does dips better than any other cuisine other than maybe Mexican. Anything you put in a food processor and can schmear on pita or vegetables, makes me so happy. I was flipping channels (more procrastination!) and noticed a tv chef making tzatziki, I decided I should try it at home - how hard could it be? I am thrilled I took the plunge.


I had a large container of my favorite Greek yogurt in the refrigerator- Fage 0%- and I decided to drain some of the yogurt overnight. I have always heard that yogurt gets even better with draining, and I must admit it was shocking how much thicker and creamier a no-fat yogurt can become. It was like thicker whipped cream cheese, or a really dense ricotta. I could have eaten it with a little salt on crackers on its own. But I went ahead and consulted a Martha Stewart book and adapted her Tzatziki recipe to suit my tastes. The cucumber and dill are such a lovely combination. You should try it too - so yummy on any vegetable or bread, and I discovered I love it on hard-boiled egg whites! (I give my dogs my hard-boiled egg yolks since I don't care for them, but it would probably be tasty on the whole egg.)


Tzatziki
adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The Original Classics
(my changes are in red)

Makes 1 Quart

This Middle Eastern condiment is often paired with spicy foods; yogurt tames the heat of chiles and spices.

3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (I coarsely shredded on a box grater and used large pickling cukes - so no need to seed or completely peel)
2 t kosher salt
2 c plain yogurt (I used Fage 0% and drained it overnight in a paper-towel lined colander set over a bowl in the refrigerator)
2 t minced garlic (I used one small clove) 2 T minced fresh dill
1 T minced fresh mint (I ommitted and subbed in 1 T fresh basil)
1 T extra-virgin olive oil (I accidentally omitted, but the drained yogurt didn't need it)
1 T fresh lemon juice

In a colander, toss cucumbers and 1 teaspoon salt. Place colander in sink; let drain 20-30 minutes. Press cucumbers to extract the excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl; mix in yogurt, garlic, dill, mint, oil, lemon juice, and remaining salt. Chill about 1 hour for the flavors to blend; serve at room temperature. (I added freshly ground pepper and added the salt to taste)

Where Have I Been Lately?

In the Windy City watching U2.

Twice.

Once in the front row.


Bono was about 3 feet from me.

Adam grinned at us.

Forgive me for not cooking for a few days... I am all atwitter (and very, very tired).