Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

An Allrecipes.com favorite.  Over 7000 reviews and still maintains 5 stars.  What else can I add to this except....I modified it.  Don't worry, the modifications are minor.  This is an excellent pumpkin bread recipe.  I urge you to try it sooner rather than later.

Ingredients

15 oz. pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/2 cup veg oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 cups sugar
3.5 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour one extra large loaf pan, a Bundt pan, two large loaf pans, or 3 small loaf pans.  Set aside.

Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, applesauce and sugar in a mixer.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and spices.  Whisk to combine.

One low speed of mixer, combine the wet ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients in thirds until combined.  Then add the walnuts and raisins.

Pour mixture into loaf pan(s) and cook 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Who doesn't love fall?  The beautiful colors on the trees. The crisp chill in the air as summer steps aside.  The way that we all begin to look forward to the holidays.  For me, one of the best ways to get in the fall mood is to pick up a sugar pie pumpkin and put it in absolutely everything!

Found this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis and the Food Network and knew it had to happen.

To prepare the pie pumpkin, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Using a large chef's knife, split the pumpkin in half.  Using a sturdy spoon, scrape out the fibers and seeds.  Don't throw the seeds away!  They are great toasted later.

Place the halves of the pumpkin cut side down on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 45-50 minutes until a knife inserts smoothly.  After the pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the pulp and place in a food processor.  Pulse until smooth.  Then put that stuff to good use.

Ingredients

1 cup flour
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 raw sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon purple maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix flour, oats, cinnamon, soda, salt, and allspice.  Whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin, sugar, oil, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla extract and raisins.  One cup at a time, add the dry to the wet ingredients, stirring to completely combine.

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Using a mini cookie scoop, scoop onto a prepared cookie sheet (either lined with parchment or using a silicon mat).  Sprinkle with a bit of sugar before baking.  Bake 20 minutes.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Similar to the chocolate snowballs cookies recipe (the one from Dan Savage's mom), this recipe is a traditional Mexican wedding cookie and is so easy and delicious.  The sugar is primarily on the outside, so if you are watching your sugar, you can moderate.  However, this is a butter-based cookie, so if you are watching fat, I'd try a different recipe.

These are so stinking good and remain one of my favorite cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
1/2 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups flour
Confectioners sugar (for rolling)

Combine butter, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until well combined.  Add pecans and salt and mix well.  Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough comes together.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until set but not browned.  Cool cookies completely before rolling in confectioners sugar.

Yum.

Chocolate Snowballs

This cookie recipe came from Dan Savage.  Yes.  THAT Dan Savage.  Well, from his mother, really.  But Dan passed the recipe along and I decided to take a chance and I'm glad I did.

This is the second new recipe I've gotten from a radio podcast.  (The other being the Sweet Potato Pie recipe below.)  Both of them are egg-sell-ent.
I'm going to have to take up NPR all over again.
These are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  A chocolate, butter-based cookie with pecans and tossed in sugar. What's not to love?
Without further ado....

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa
2 c pecans

confectioners sugar

Directions:

Sift flour, salt, and cocoa together.  Cream butter & sugar until fluffy.  Add vanilla.  Mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Gradually beat dry ingredients into butter mixture.  Blend in pecans. Form a log, wrap in saran and then foil, and put in fridge overnight.

Cut loaf into inch-thick slices, then into quartered cubes.  Roll cubes into balls about 1 inch in diameter.  Bake on a non-greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350.  Transfer cookies as soon as they come out of the oven to a cooling rack.  Allow to cool completely before tossing in confectioner's sugar.  Much easier than they look when you finish them.  A great beginner's cookie.

Nana's Sweet Potato Pie

I'm not going to lie to you.  This pie is so good, you'll stick a fork in your grandmother's hand if she tries to steal a bite.

Thanksgiving is coming up.  At my house, pumpkin pie reigns supreme. Every year I watch my relatives dive into a national favorite.  I watch, but I never partake.  I'm no fan of pumpkin pie.  I am a fan of sweet potatoes.  This year, I decided to take the bull by the horns and make my own pie.  In advance.  Just for me.  Let them have their pumpkin. I gots me some sweet taters.

This is a delicious pie.  I kid you not.  Easily made it into my top five pies.  Try it. You won't be disappointed.  Got it from a NPR podcast.  You just never know.

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted sweet butter, room temp
1 can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 9-inch pie crust

Directions:

Boil sweet potatoes in their skin until fork tender.  Drain water and allow potatoes to cool.  Peel and discard the skin. In a medium bowl, add the sweet potatoes, eggs, butter cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, and whip until incorporated.  Add evaporated milk a little at a time until the filling becomes loose.  Pour the filling into the pie crust.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take the remaining evaporated milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar and heat just until sugar is dissolved. Brush the mixture on top of the filling.

Place pie in oven and bake for 50 minutes or until the pie is firm to the touch.  Remove pie from oven and allow to cool slightly before eating.

Thanksgiving Dinner

I made Thanksgiving for myself this year.   Not the first time.  Probably won't be the last.  I don't mind at all. I love cooking.  It's a relaxing day for me.  No pressure.  No worries.

So even though I'm alone, I still put on the full Thanksgiving spread.  Just a little pared down.  Here's my recipes for dinner.

Cranberry sauce

12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1/2-3/4 cup white sugar

Put all in a pan and heat to a rolling boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until sauce thickens a bit.  Take off the heat, allow to cool and put in a serving dish.  Can be made ahead and chilled.

Sweet Potato Casserole

My favorite part of the meal.

3 whole sweet potatoes, peeled and boiled until soft
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup orange juice
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white or brown sugar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Whip all with a beater.  Put in a casserole pan.  Cover with topping.  Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Pecan topping
3 tablespoons butter, melted in microwave
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Mix sugar, flour and nuts with butter in a bowl and sprinkle over sweet potatoes.

Stuffing
I do not stuff my bird with stuffing while it roasts.  I make it separately and have never bothered to stuff the bird with it.  I serve it on the side.  I always use Pepperidge Farm sage stuffing and follow the directions on the package except that I also add one can of diced water chestnuts.  Mmmm.  That's good eating right there.

Turkey
I brine the turkey for approximately 24 hours.
Brine solution:
14-16 lb. turkey
1-2 gallons of water (whatever it takes to cover the bird)
1 cup salt
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
3 sprigs rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
handful of black pepper corns

To roast the turkey, I've been using Bobby Flay's Roasted Turkey Rubbed with Roasted Jalapeno-Sage-Orange Butter

2 cups orange juice
Zest of one orange, grated
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3 jalapenos, roasted, peeled, seeded
1/4 cup fresh sage (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
Salt and pepper
and, of course, the turkey

Put the orange juice in a nonreactive pan and bring to a boil over high heat.   Reduce to about 1/2 cup.  Let cool to room temp.  Put the butter, cooled orange syrup, orange zest, japaleno and sage in a food processor and whip until smooth.  Scrape into a bowl.  Make this a day in advance and store it in the fridge.  Bring to room temp before using.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Remove the innards from the turkey and set aside.  Rinse the bird with cold water and pat dry. Rub the surface of the turkey with 1/2 of the butter.  Season the skin and the cavity liberally with salt and pepper.  Truss the turkey, put in a roasting bag, and place on a rack in a large roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 375 degrees and continue to roast for 1.5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.  I usually buy a bird with a pop-up thermometer, so I use that as my signal that it's done.  Brush the remaining butter on the bird every 15 minutes.  Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.  I generally watch the bird pretty closely and loosely cover the top of the bird if it is getting over browned.

I usually carve in an unceremonious manner.  First I remove the legs and thighs, then I remove both the breasts and pull off the wings.  I slice one of the breasts in thick slices and leave the remaining pieces whole.  I usually go for a thigh.  I like the dark meat.  No pun intended.

After dinner, I go back and start picking the carcass clean and put on a stock pot, dump in the carcass, some celery and carrots and usually a yellow onion, quartered, cover with water, and make some stock.  The stock comes in handy for the leftovers.

Broccoli Casserole

1 large head of broccoli (approximately 5 stems)
1 cup mayo
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 small onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
Durkee French Fried Onions
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Prepare the broccoli. Place broccoli in an oven- and microwave-safe bowl with approx. 2 tablespoons of water and microwave on high for 7-10 minutes.  Remove from microwave.  In a bowl, beat 2 whole eggs.  Add mayo, mushroom soup, cheese and onion to the eggs.  Spoon liquid mixture over broccoli and cover with dried onions.  I skip the cheese because I'm lactose intolerant, but it is very good in the dish.  Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 50 minutes.

And there you have it.  My Thanksgiving dinner in a single post.   I wish you all the best Thanksgiving you can possible have.   Maybe one day, we'll enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together.