Day 9: Spicy Pumpkin Marshmallows

Many months ago, I saw Martha Stewart make marshmallows. My first thought… why? Why, would anyone take the time and the effort to make their own marshmallows, when Jet-Puffed puts out a perfectly good bag of sweet treats that are not only convenient, but taste yummy in hot cocoa and rice crispy bars? I mean really, only Martha Stewart could make something as simple as the marshmallow, difficult.

But then I got to thinkin’ this morning, wouldn’t it be great to make pumpkin marshmallows? Honestly, I don’t know what came over me… it’s like I was abducted by aliens. It’s ridiculous.

But yet, here I go.













What you’ll need:

About 1 cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce Packets unflavored gelatin
3 Large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 Cup cold water
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 Cups sugar
1/2 Cup pumpkin puree
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon ginger
Pinches of nutmeg and allspice


Before you even get started: Line a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper (NOT for sissies) and dust the paper generously with cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer ready.

I had started the process – sugar, water and corn syrup were ready to go – when I realized I didn’t have a candy thermometer. I do, however, have three (THREE!) meat thermometers. It’s good to know that there will be no undercooked meat in my house.

So, I took my unshowered, no makeup, sweatpant wearin’ self to Target and bought one. I’m pretty sure the “guard” (who was like, nine years old) at the front of the store, thought I was there to rob the place. He followed me to cookware and ducked not-so-discretely behind the roasting pans… who knew that candy thermometers where such highly pilfered items? Let’s continue…

Whisk together 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of allspice. After the marshmallow batter is mixed, you will fold in the spiced pumpkin with a rubber spatula. Set aside.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup -- without stirring -- until it reaches 265* on the candy thermometer or about 10 minutes.While the syrup is cooking, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in the microwave for 30 seconds to liquefy it.

Working with a dry bowl and a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy. As soon as the syrup reaches 265*, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring slowly between the beaters and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another few minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Add the vanilla. Don't worry, this marshmallow madness is coming to an end. Add the pumpkin mixture and incorporate it by folding it in with the rubber spatula.Pour the marshmallow mixture onto the baking sheet. Then spread it into the corners.

Dust the top of the marshmallows with cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pizza cutter. Have a big bowl with the remaining cornstarch (and maybe some powered sugar mixed in) on hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like. As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you've got several marshmallows in the bowl, turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then one by one, toss the marshmallows to shake off the excess starch.





















These were good. They really were. I give them a solid A; tasted like really spicy marshmallows, which is what we were going for. But I've just got one more thing to say...

That Martha Stewart... she's nuts.

Day 8: Italian Night

Quick! What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think, “Italian?”

Possibly…

Meatballs (which always reminds me of the Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler).

Al Dente (i.e. undercooked) noodles.

The Tower of Pisa (otherwise known as home to the worlds most original “look ma, I’m holdin’ up the tower of pizza!” photograph).

Shoes (of which I own, not one pair. I mean, yes, I own shoes... I may live in Missouri, but we DO wear shoes… just none of them are of Italian descent).

Maybe you picture the beautiful, dark haired, smouldering eyed men and women of the country (of which I have absolutely NO relation to, evident by my neon white skin, mousy brown hair, and close set eyes).

Or like me, your mind went first, to pumpkin.

Uh-huh. That’s right. I got in touch with my inner-Italian and made myself some Pumpkin Lasagna. Now strap on your apron, crank up Andrea Bocelli, and start crushing some tomatoes… cause we gots to make'a some'a da lasagna!

(Yes, I’m ooooozing sarcasm. In no way, am I assuming that all Italians look beautiful, talk like sitcom New Yorkers, or listen to the Victoria Secret soundtrack .)

Now seriously, strap on that apron… I’m wearing a white t-shirt, that looks like it was in a bar fight, ‘cause I didn’t take my own advice…

What you’ll need:

1 Cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
4 to 6 Cloves garlic, sliced (I used minced)
1 Pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed (I used ground turkey sausage)
1/2 Cup red wine
1 28-ounce Can tomato sauce (I didn't have any in the house, so I combined a can of tomato paste and a can of diced tomatoes and threw it in a blender.)
1/4 Cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 Teaspoon dried oregano
Ground pepper
1 16-ounce Box lasagna noodles
1 Large egg
2 1/2 Cups ricotta cheese
2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 Cup shredded romano cheese
1 Large zucchini, very thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 more minutes. Add the sausage/turkey and cook until brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced by half. Throw back the rest of the bottle and see if you care what comes next. Stir in the tomato sauce and herbs and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Since I'm on this health kick, I used whole wheat noodles. Add the lasagna noodles and cook as the label directs. Drain and toss with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.

Mix the pumpkin puree with the egg in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella and the romano. By now, after a bottle of wine, you may just want to sit down to a nice big bowl of cheese. Don't worry, no judgement here.

Build your lasagna in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish: Start with a layer of sauce, then top with a layer of noodles. Evenly spread half of the pumpkin filling, then half of the zucchini, over the noodles. Top with half of the cheese mixture and cover with some of the sauce. Repeat the layers, finishing with noodles and sauce; sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly. Let cool 15 minutes before slicing.

This was my first hand-made lasagna. And to be honest, I was a little leery... I'm one of those people who actually likes the "28 pounds of meat and cheese we call lasagna" that you can get at Sam's for $9.89. So starting with a lasagna made of pumpkin gave me pause, but....

That thing was GOOOOOOOOOOD! Definitely an A from both the hubby and me...the sweetness of the pumpkin plays off of the spice in the turkey sausage, so that you forget that there's pumpkin in it. A delightful dish from Robert Irvine of the Food Network. Apparently, they know what they're doing over there! Yum!

A Little Background

Me, 1981. This is when it all began... (don't you just love the dark paneling!)

Having a hard time finding cooking inspiration today... thinking maybe pumpkin lasagna or a pumpkin yeast bread, but my motivation to dirty my very clean kitchen, is diminishing. And I find myself dreaming about garlic and porkchops, thick crusted pizza and simple dinner salads. None of which, include the use of pumpkin puree. Hummm...

Day 7: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I tire quickly of health food... thus, my model good looks, that I referenced earlier.

I mean seriously, who really wants a whole wheat muffin, when you can have two sticks of butter and a cup and a half of sugar (I'm pretty sure we call that a cookie)?

I used to babysit a kid who liked to gnaw on sticks of butter.

Now before you contort your face in disgust, judging this baby's mother mercilessly, and consider shutting down your computer to fix yourself a wheatgerm and spinach smoothie (just so you can feel better about yourself) consider this...

There are approximately 91 grams of fat in a stick of butter. Yes, I know... that's a hefty number (in more ways than one).

BUT...

A hot dog has approximately 18 grams of fat. Times that by 8 in the package... you do the math. I'm tired. A side note: On Halloween, Sonic had their corndogs for 50 cents... (yes, you read correctly; a whole 50 cents cheaper than normal!!!) Do I really need to go into detail about how excited I was, or can I leave it to your imagination?

And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which I ate for lunch today -- what AM I? A five year old?) has 14 grams of fat (average sandwich). Times that by 5 school days...

Suddenly, a stick or two of butter doesn't sound so bad. So the next time you're in a hurry and have to get little Johnny off to the school bus... consider sending him out with a stick of butter, wrapped in festive saran wrap... all the other kids will be jealous, and it's really quite a time saver.

OR....

Send him with half a dozen of the best cookies EVER! I give you...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip.

What you'll need:

2 Sticks of butter (room temperature) -- stealing from little Johnny is bad, but it's totally worth it to make these cookies.

1 Cup white sugar

1 Cup light brown sugar

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon vanilla

2 Cups pumpkin puree

3 Cups all-purpose flour (none of that whole-wheat patooey, here!)

2 Teaspoons baking soda

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon ginger

1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 Teaspoon ground cloves (Yuck. Left this out.)

2 Cups mild chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. For the love of Pete... do this. I didn't. I thought, "parchment paper is for sissies." Well, as it turns out, I'm a sissy. I spent the greater part of the morning, trying to get 12 cookies off of my favorite cookie sheet, and was left with a pile of lifeless cookie parts and crumbs which, thankfully, my dogs devoured. So, line your pans with parchment paper. And I promise not to call you a sissy. Moving on.

Beat butter until fluffy, adding sugars until the mixture is light in color. Beat in the eggs then mix in vanilla and pumpkin. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter. Fold in the chocolate making sure to set aside a handful for yourself. Just sayin'.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies have browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the cookies "rest" for about two minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

These cookies will turn out nice and soft... almost cake-like. I give them an A, and my husband shared them with church folks last night... and considering they ate all the cookies AND the containers they came in... I'm assuming they'd give them an A as well. They're full of flavor and simply yummy. So wrap a few up in festive saran wrap and call it day. Your job, as a parent or caregiver, is done.

Day 6: Pumpkin Pomegranate Muffins

Dear Pomegranate,

Let's face it, you were an impulse buy. By the register. Worse, you were on sale.

Before I knew it, we were in my hand basket -- I was grabbed by your beauty, your shiny exterior, your promise -- and the fine folks at Whole Foods were asking me if I'd like a "how to" manual. I scoffed. A "how to" manual? Do I look like a novice?

I hurriedly stuffed the manual in my coat pocket and bolted for the door.

Now you sit on my counter... and we are at an impasse. I'm cooking with pumpkin now. Not pomegranate. You somehow, must be married to pumpkin... because that's all I know. So do me well, dear Pomegranate, and I will return the favor...

Peace, t

********

After my exceedingly glutenous previous posts, I figured it was time for something that has at least an iota of nutritional value. I give you... Pumpkin Pomegranate Muffins. These guys are made with whole wheat flour, no butter or oil, one little egg, and lots of pumpkin and pomegranate avrils. Not bad for a muffin.

What you'll need:

1 Cup all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
1/4 Cup Grape-Nuts cereal (or similar cereal)
1/2 Cup sugar (or Splenda - I used organic raw sugar)
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon cinnamon

(I added a teaspoon of vanilla)
1 Cup canned pumpkin
1 Cup fat-free buttermilk
1 Egg, beaten
Seeds of one pomegranate

Pre-heat oven to 350*. Combine all the wet ingredients and whisk together (another great thing... don't have to drag out the mixer!). Add the baking soda and powder, whisk. Add sugar, cereal, and whole wheat flour and whisk to combine. Put the all-purpose flour in bowl, but before you combine, pour your drained pomegranate seeds on top and lightly coat them with flour. Then gently combine the seeds and flour with the rest of the ingredients. Bake in a well greased muffin pan (or use cupcake papers) for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I found this recipe at the RecipeZaar.com but can't figure out who to attribute it to, other than "picclo".

They're good. Not great, but good. They're sort of what you expect when you use whole wheat flour and no butter. The pomegranate gives a lovely crunch to the muffin, and despite the fact that there aren't a ton of spices, there's quite a bit of flavor. I'd give it a B, B+.

Feeling a Little Too Skinny Lately?

How many times a day, do you say to yourself... "Geeze, I'm getting skinny."

Or, "Golly, my cholesterol's a little low... better work on that."

And if I had a penny for all the times I've caught myself thinking, "I'm too healthy... I better not work out today..." well, you know, I'd have some change in my pocket (let's face it, pennies don't add up very quickly).


So if you're like me, and people are constantly coming up to you and asking if you're a supermodel or a yoga instructor...

I've got the perfect answer.














Chocolate Covered Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls (on a stick, so they're more fun!)

Yep. Took the Pumpkin Cheesecake, and MADE IT EVEN MORE FATTENING... er, I mean delicious... by covering it in chocolate! (Does it matter that I used dark chocolate?!)

If you've never been to Bakerella, you're missing out. She has one of the most creative and inspiring blogs that I read. She is, The Cakepop Master. And after spending two hours this afternoon, trying to force cheesecake into a ball, I have much respect for the master. Believe me. Let's just say, I had one lonely cheesecake pop to photograph... because that's the one lonely cheesecake pop that turned out. So I threw a bow on it, and called it Fancy.

If you wanna give it a whirl, I'm going to direct you over to Bakerella and let her explain how to make it happen. I'd give these a C just for the labor intensive nature of it all; but my husband gave it an A+! They DO taste good.

Day 5: Pumpkin Cheescake

Some foods look lovely, but don't taste very good. Example: fruit filled jello molds.

Some things don't look great, but taste like heaven. Example: any casserole that involves cheese and sour cream.

And then, there are those dishes that look great, taste great, and make you wanna put elastic wastebands in all of your pants.

Example: Pumpkin Cheesecake

Thank you Paula Deen.

What you'll need:

Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar (Didn't have any, so I used Raw Sugar)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used more like 1/2 Tablespoon)
1 stick melted salted butter (I only used 6 Tablespoons)

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) Packages cream cheese, room temperature (I used two packages reduced fat, one regular)
1 (15-ounce) Can pureed pumpkin (or in this case, 2 1/4 Cups puree)
3 Eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 Cup sour cream (I used reduced fat sour cream -- NOT fat free)
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 Teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 Teaspoon ground cloves (you know how I feel about cloves, so I used 1/8 Teas. allspice)
2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*.

For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside. To prevent butter drippage, I suggest covering the bottom with foil, like so:

For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Then strap on the sweat pants and dig in!

Here's my husband, trying his first bite (you know, because everybody likes to have their picture taken, when they're eating):

We both give this cheesecake a standing A-vation! Great texture (smooth and creamy), mild pumpkin flavor (with a bit of tang from the sour cream), and yummy crust. Try this... and invite me over... I'll wear sweats so you won't feel bad. Or maybe I'll wear sweats, 'cause nothing else fits. Whatever.