With tomorrow marking the beginning of fall, it seems appropriate to post something, well, fall-ish. (I’m even drinking caramel apple coffee and burning a cinnamon-scented candle in the spirit of the season.)

I’ve been craving pumpkin bread for awhile now, and even had a can of pumpkin puree stashed away in the pantry from last year. Hey, I learned my lesson last year when I wanted to make pumpkin bars, only to find no grocery store around had any canned pumpkin! There was a pumpkin shortage, which I’ve heard is continuing this year.

So I made my bread, enjoyed the first loaf, and socked away the second loaf in the freezer. I also bought an extra can of pumpkin from a dwindling grocery store supply, just in case.

I have to say, the first loaf did not stick around very long, and I suspect the second won’t either.

Good thing I bought that spare can of pumpkin…

more pumpkin recipes on My Madison Bistro:
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

around the web:
Pumpkin Crunch Cake from One Ordinary Day
Chipper Pumpkin Loaf from My Tasty Treasures
Pumpkin Brioche from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Pumpkin Pie Muffins (Gluten-Free) from Elana’s Pantry
Pumpkin Cheesecake from Brown-Eyed Baker
Pumpkin Recipes from Pinch My Salt
Pumpkin Bread Pudding from smitten kitchen
Pumpkin Mousse from Cook 4 Seasons
Chocolate Pumpkin Mini-Muffins from Bake @ 350
Healthy Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake from Healthy Indulgences
Saffron Pumpkin Macarons from Tartelette
Pumpkin Muffins with Ginger Glaze from Union Street Eats
Spicy Coconut & Pumpkin Soup from Budget Bytes
Pumpkin Flan from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

One year ago today: Key Lime Cupcakes
Two years ago today: Chocolate and Salted Peanut Butter Macarons

Pumpkin Bread
adapted from Epicurious

Print Recipe

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9x5x3 or 8×4.5×3-inch loaf pans with cooking spray (or butter and flour). Stir sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and vanilla, then stir in pumpkin. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Do not overmix.

Divide batter equally between pans. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using a knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto wire racks and cool completely.

Watching football is stressful if you’re invested in one of the teams.

I was laughed at as I repeated, “Oh, my God!” over and over when I thought something bad might happen. In other words, constantly. And that was just during the first drive.

Not wanting to be laughed at further, I spent a good portion of yesterday’s game between the Packers and the Bears with my head hidden under a quilt, peeking out here and there when I thought it was safe. If my head was under a quilt, I reasoned, I wouldn’t panic so much during every. single. play.

It kind of worked.

I have to admit, the other reason I started to quiet down is because my throat hurt. I spent a good portion of the game with a cough drop in my mouth, hoping to ward off the cold that threatened. At this point, things could go either way.

Though I didn’t have these nachos yesterday, they’ve often graced my plate during a sporting event (and just might make an appearance during the Super Bowl). They’re incredibly fast and easy to make, because they rely on leftover taco meat, which I nearly always have a container of in my freezer.

These, of course, don’t require much in the way of a recipe, but here’s a list of suggested toppings:

Ground beef taco meat (warmed) using taco seasoning
Refried beans
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese*
Sliced green onions
Chopped tomatoes
Shredded lettuce
Salsa
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Tortilla chips

Preheat broiler. Lay chips out flat on baking sheet. (For easier clean-up, line sheet with foil.) Top chips with a spoonful of taco meat and/or refried beans, then cover with shredded cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with desired condiments and toppings.

*Avoid bags of preshredded cheese; it’s tossed with an anti-caking powder that prevents the cheese from melting as well. It’s worth the extra few minutes to buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself.

It’s funny how random recipes we try around the holidays end up part of the regular rotation. There are the old favorites, like shrimp dip and cheese & crackers, as well as newer items, like cranberry orange spread, my sister-in-law’s apple dip, my peppermint white truffles, and now this year’s chocolate peppermint cookies have been added to the list.

Occasionally some favorites get pushed aside, like your standard cheese spread. After all, did we really need both slices of cheese and a spread? And really, the new dips/spreads in the mix just scream the holidays: the classic orange/cranberry combination and the cinnamon-y flavor in the apple dip contrast nicely with the sharp cheddar, cocktail sauce, and salty crackers they share a plate with.

My mom has made this spread for the past several years, and each year I walk away from both Thanksgiving and Christmas with some extras to enjoy when I’m home again. This week, the cranberry-orange spread and crackers have served as both lunch and appetizer, and I have yet to tire of it.

Come to think of it, the extended joy we get from our holiday favorites is exactly why they are our favorites, is it not? We cherish these recipes because we enjoy them but once or twice a year, no more. And as I finish up my dwindling supply of cranberry-orange spread, I will patiently wait for Thanksgiving, and another batch.

Cranberry Orange Spread

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries
1 orange, zested
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

With an electric handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the cream cheese, orange juice, and sugar until smooth. Fold in the cranberries, orange zest, cinnamon, and pecans. Chill until ready to serve.

Serve with crackers.

When I was a kid, I never understood when adults would say they’d rather give presents than receive presents.

Huh?

What a foreign concept to a child! Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, they all seemed to be occasions specifically designed for us to get PRESENTS. The rush of excitement when you’d wake in the morning, waiting to see what Santa brought, or what scavenger hunt Mom had come up with for our Easter presents that year… it was all part of the excitement.

Well, at some point I grew up. I get just as excited for holidays, but now, I verge on giddy when it comes to giving presents. For Christmas, I start thinking as early as May or June. I don’t do much for birthdays; often, a card will have to do, as it’s difficult to get together for everyone’s birthday.

That said, this year when B’s birthday rolled around, I asked if he wanted the strawberry cheesecake I made him (pretty much) every year. He said no.

But I was determined to do something.

So I started thinking. What could he not possibly turn down? And then Martha Stewart came to my rescue, in the latest issue of Everyday Food.

There was a whole section on bacon. B has a love affair with bacon unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He’s so convinced that bacon goes with everything, he said if I ever made him a bacon cheesecake, he’d eat it.

Never fear, I did not do the bacon cheesecake. I did, however, have a recipe for bacon jam, which is in essence, spreadable bacon. So I gathered my ingredients, took out my slow cooker (yes!), and got to work.

So what do you do with bacon jam? Well, B said his favorite was simply toasted baguette slices with butter and bacon jam. It’s also good on sandwiches and burgers, and you could even pair it with waffles for breakfast.

If you have a bacon-lover in your life, consider this treat as an easy holiday gift.

Slow-Cooker Bacon Jam
adapted from Everyday Food, December 2010

2 pounds sliced bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium yellow onions, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons molasses

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until bacon is lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper-towel covered plate to drain.

Pour off all but one tablespoon bacon fat (reserve for another use). Add onions, cook until translucent. Add garlic, cook until fragrant. Add coffee, vinegar, sugar, syrup, and molasses. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add bacon, stir to combine.

Transfer mixture to a large slow-cooker (5-6 quarts). Cook uncovered on high for 4 hours or until syrupy. Transfer to food processor and pulse to coarsely chop.

Cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks. Also freezes well.

Makes about 3 cups.

When I was growing up, my parents made steak fondue every New Year’s Eve. It really was the perfect night: a relaxed dinner, followed by games and watching Dick Clark (at least, when my brother and I were able stay up that late). At any rate, we loved it much more than going out in the cold to a nice restaurant.

Thanks to the resurgence of fondue restaurants, I’ve been reminded of this simple dish and am enjoying fondue again. I even once threw a fondue party for my mom’s birthday. Let me tell you, when you do the preparation for cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, plus steak, shrimp, ravioli, and make several dipping sauces, you realize it’s worth every penny to go out to a restaurant for a multi-course fondue!

These days, I generally will only do cheese fondue at home, because I can make a meal out of it with plenty of vegetables and fruit. However, most of my friends and family don’t enjoy the traditional fondue of gruyere and emmenthaler, so I pretty much have to make this for myself. If you look at the recipe, you’ll see that it’s a LOT of food for one person, but never fear, I have plans for transforming the leftover cheese into a new meal.

This recipe was slightly different from all others I’ve seen and used previously. Instead of coating the cheese with cornstarch before melting, this recipe has you buttering the pot. I have to admit, whether intended or not, it made clean up so much easier; the cheese came right out of the pot, and that’s NEVER happened before, even with a nonstick fondue pot.

Cheese Fondue
Adapted from The Country Cooking of France

1 unpeeled garlic clove, cut in half
1 tablespoon soft butter
1 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
½ pound Gruyere, shredded
½ pound Emmenthaler, shredded
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Kirsch
dash of freshly ground nutmeg

suggested dippers:
sliced baguette
apple slices drizzled with lemon juice
cauliflower and broccoli flowerets
asparagus spears, raw or blanched
baby carrots
pear slices drizzled with lemon juice

Rub the inside of a fondue or enameled heavy duty saucepan with garlic. Spread butter all around inside of pot and add wine; bring to a boil over very low heat. Add the cheese in handfuls, stirring constantly in a figure-8 pattern with a wooden spoon, until the cheese is completely melted. Add pepper, nutmeg, and Kirsh; season with salt if necessary.

Spear bread, fruit, and vegetables and dip into the cheese.

I have to confess that I’ve made summer rolls three times in one week. After each meal, I still had dipping sauces leftover, and those sauces kept beckoning to me from the fridge. I also had prepped vegetables in the fridge, plus some leftover chicken. . . I simply couldn’t resist.

These rolls are perfect for summer – they are light and refreshing, and once you get the hang of rolling them, they assemble quickly. Don’t worry if they don’t look perfect – ahem, did you see mine?

I also really have to recommend making both dipping sauces. Both are delicious, but so different that it’s like having two meals in one night. They both bring out completely different personalities of the same roll. If you end up with leftover peanut sauce, simply toss it with pasta, some red pepper and carrot matchsticks (especially if you have some leftover from these rolls), scallions, and leftover chicken for a quick meal.

Summer Rolls
Adapted from Everyday Food, July/August 2010

Ingredients:

4 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
spring roll wrappers
½ pound cooked shrimp
6 ounces cooked chicken, shredded
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 mango, peeled and cut into strips
cilantro leaves
mint leaves
chives

Peanut Dipping Sauce:
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup warm water
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

Spicy Hoisin Dipping Sauce:
½ cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons Thai chili sauce
2 teaspoons white vinegar
¼ cup water

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add vermicelli rice noodles and remove from heat; allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Fill a pie plate with cool water. Place a spring roll wrapper in water for 30 seconds, remove to a work surface. Add desired fillings (see below for suggested combinations) and some vermicelli to the lower third of the wrapper. Roll wrapper over fillings, then fold in each edge. Continue rolling the rest of the roll; place on a damp paper towel and cover with a damp paper towel. Assemble the remaining rolls. Cover rolls with damp paper towel and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the dipping sauces, whisk all ingredients until smooth. Serve rolls with sauce.

Summer Roll Ideas:

Shrimp, mint, carrots, chives, vermicelli
Chicken, mango, carrots, cilantro, vermicelli
Chicken, carrots, red pepper, cucumber, cilantro, vermicelli
Avocado, mint, carrots, cucumber, vermicelli

I first started playing with choux dough back in college. At the time, my idea of cooking involved a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a sauce packet. My roommates and I would cut up chicken, then stir-fry the chicken, add the veggies, add the sauce, and let it simmer for a bit. Whomever wasn’t involved with the stir-fry would take care of making rice. It was several steps up from boxed pasta dinners and ramen noodles, and we felt quite virtuous when we made those meals.

When I baked, however, I brought out my cookbooks and started to really have fun. My first experience with choux resulted in chocolate éclairs. As you might imagine, those went over rather well in an apartment occupied by three young women. Next up was a lemon curd filling, with the finished puffs tossed in powdered sugar.

I never ventured to the savory side while in college, and it wasn’t until two or three years ago that I first made gougéres. I had high hopes, but I was a little overzealous with the eggs and cheese, and they didn’t retain their shape. I also used a recipe that utilized the food processor; that extra step keeping my hands away from the choux resulted in my not paying close enough attention to the dough; as with any dough, you really can’t blindly follow a recipe and you must pay attention to how the flour absorbs moisture. Since that kitchen embarrassment, gougéres have been on my To Do List to make again.

I’d promised to focus more on actual French recipes this year, though admittedly I’ve gotten off to a slow start. Because many of the recipes are more time consuming, I decided to start simple: gougéres. These instructions are fairly detailed and explain how to avoid the sunken cheese puffs I made a few years back. Definitely use the wooden spoon and forget about the food processor – it takes some muscle to work the dough, but then you won’t feel quite so guilty about eating the puffs!

Gougéres
recipe adapted from The Country Cooking of France

1 cup water
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup flour
4 to 5 eggs

4 ounces shredded gruyére cheese
1 egg, beaten with ½ teaspoon salt, for glaze
¼ cup shredded gruyere

Heat oven to 400*F and line baking sheet with parchment.

In a small bowl, beat 1 of the eggs and set aside.

Heat the water, salt, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring just to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball. Stir in one egg at a time until the mixture has completely absorbed the four eggs. Add just a little of the reserved beaten egg; continue to stir vigorously until the mixture has absorbed the moisture from the egg. Continue adding a little egg at a time until the mixture can absorb no more moisture. Do NOT add too much egg, or the puffs won’t hold their shape when baked. Stir the pan over low heat for 30 to 60 seconds to dry out the dough. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

With a pastry bag, two small spoons, or a small ice cream scoop, spoon or pipe 1 ½ inch mounds onto the baking sheet. Brush each with egg wash then top with shredded cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and crisp. The puffs should remain crisp on the outside and slightly soft inside.

Enjoy warm from the often, if possible, or reheat in a low oven. The puffs can be stored in the freezer.

When I first received my copy of Back to Basics, I knew that someday I would make the goat cheese tart. I mean, it has some of my favorite components: puff pastry, goat cheese, caramelized onions, parmesan, thyme…add a glass of wine, and life is perfect.

I originally made this recipe last year for the Barefoot Bloggers, which I was eventually a drop-out of. Someday, I might rejoin, but I’ve made so many of Ina’s recipes already that I’ve had commitment issues.

If you haven’t tried these yet, do so! With a glass of crisp white wine, they are the perfect weekend lunch.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts
adapted from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics

Ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
Olive oil
2 c thinly sliced onions (mixture of red & yellow)
3 large garlic cloves, sliced
Sea salt & black pepper
Dry White Wine
2 tsp thyme leaves
2 oz herb goat cheese
6 grape tomatoes, sliced in half length-wise
3 large basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade
8 shavings of Parmesan cheese

Instructions
1. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry and lightly flour each side. Roll the sheet into an 11×11 inch square. Using a 6 inch wide bowl, cut two circles from the pastry, reserving the rest for another use. Place the pastry on a sheet pan lined with parchment and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute or until fragrant. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and the thyme; stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with a splash of wine, scraping the bottom to loosen any brown bits.

3. Preheat oven to 425. Continue to cook the onions for another 10 minutes or until the onions are golden brown. Deglaze the pan one more time with a splash of wine to loosen any brown bits. Turn off the heat.

4. Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/2 inch wide border around each pastry circle, but don’t cut through the pastry. Dock the pastry inside the border with a fork.

5. Place half the onion mixture on each circle, being careful to keep the onions inside the border. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on each tart. Arrange tomato halves into a circle on top of the onions. Brush the tomatoes and onions lightly with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Top with parmesan shavings.

6. Bake for twenty minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Cut into fourths and serve.

Last night, I had a lovely dinner planned. It would be simple, fast, and delicious, a toned-down version of another dish I love. It’s one of those dishes that has few ingredients, but they all just blend so well together…the sum of the components is so far superior to the individual ingredients.

So what happened, you ask? Well, allow me to back up a step. I was out of town this weekend, and I didn’t restock my kitchen when I got back. I thought the food I had remaining from last week would still be fine…but it wasn’t. I came home to moldy grape tomatoes and spotted basil. ONE leaf of basil looked good yet, so I tore off that leaf and thought about what I could do with it, given what I had to work with.

I rummaged through the fridge, the pantry, and the freezer. And though my resulting dinner was hardly gourmet, it was tasty, it was fast, and the cleanup was easy (yes!).

Pesto Pita Pizza

This really isn’t a recipe, but it does serve as an example of what you can do by keeping a few basics on hand: some sort of cheese and whole wheat pitas. I happened to have some pesto, but you could just as easily use a brush of olive oil. This pizza is simply a pita, pesto, mozzarella, tomato slices, basil, salt, pepper, and a little grated parmesan on top with a drizzle of olive oil to finish. I baked it at 425F for about eight minutes. Serve this with a glass of wine (I prefer a crisp white or even a sparkling wine with pizza) and a nice salad tossed with a vinaigrette; the acidity of the wine and the vinaigrette balance the pesto and olive oil in the pizza.

Wait a second, tomato slices? You may be wondering why I couldn’t use these larger vine-ripened tomatoes in the first recipe I was hinting at. That recipe, which I promise I will make soon, uses grape or cherry tomatoes that are sautéed and used as a topping. Chunks of a larger tomato simply wouldn’t work, and I really didn’t have enough basil for the dish, either.

If you keep a stash of cheese and crackers or good bread in your house, you will always have an easy lunch or dinner option. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a meal consist of cheese, whole grain crackers or bread, and some fruit or a salad. When it’s dinner, I’ll throw in a glass of wine.

Today, I really, really wanted salt. Needed salt. Usually I’m a sugar kind of girl, but about once every month or two the salt craving hits me over the head. I’ve found it’s easiest to simply indulge it right away, before it’s done too much damage: think going through the drive-thru for some fries or picking up fish and chips for dinner. Yes, cheese and crackers seems like a much safer option.

Today, I went with a slice of gruyere, a couple of pieces of a medium-aged swiss, and two small pieces of a 10-month aged Parmesan.

I’ll be honest. On a normal day (or week), I would not like these cheeses with crackers; eaten together, the flavor of the cracker masks that of the cheese. I do prefer my cheese with some quality bread, which is more of a natural marriage to me.

And, to finish the meal off, a nice sized salad consisting of butter lettuces, seedless cucumber, and grape tomatoes. Oh, and Annie’s Organic French Dressing. For you purists out there, this is the only bottled salad dressing in my fridge. I love the stuff though, and I refuse to give it up.

It’s funny how appealing a salad can be during the middle of winter, but I’ve been craving salad like you wouldn’t believe. This simple dish has only resulted in me wanting more.