Pumpkin Bread

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Even though the calendar says it has been fall for over a month, we have had some beautiful, warm, summer-like days lately. While I will take a warm day in SF any month I can get it, I have been really craving all things fall.  The crisp air, darker evenings, and pumpkin flavored things.

Over the years I have tested out numerous pumpkin bread recipes, and while all have been delicious, I was never committed to one recipe. Until now, that is. This year I was given the Tartine Cookbook as a gift, and I decided to test out theirs. Oh. My.Word. This bread was rich with flavor and had the perfect moist vs crumb ratio. I have found my recipe, and I'm sticking to it. Of course, I changed a few things, like using a mix of butter and applesauce instead of oil, and eliminating the cloves (I think my cupboard ate my jar of them).  Thank you Tartine (and Soph for the book!).

Makes 1 loaf
Adapted from Tartine 

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking Soda
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg (fresh if you have it, I used dried)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 Tbsp sugar for topping (I used 1 Tbsp each brown and granulated)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices and set aside.

In a larger bowl, mix together pumpkin, butter, applesauce, sugar and salt using a whisk or hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix!

Pour into loaf pan, sprinkle sugar on top, and bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool on a baking rack. Slice and serve!

Here are some pics from a few weeks ago when we took advantage of the great weather to visit the pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay. I picked my almost-larger-than-I-could-carry pumpkin and Kevin picked a more appropriate sized one :) Happy Halloween!

Veggie Pizza and Caesar Salad

Hello, friends! It has been a busy summer. Two great friends got married, another is expecting their first baby (yay!) so we have had showers and parties galore!  While we may have taken a brief break from the blog, I assure you, there was no shortage of brewing or baking, so we have lots of catching up to do!

Up first- a veggie pizza and Caesar salad with homemade croutons. Pizza and salad is a great, quick meal any time of year, and it an easy way to use ingredients that you already have on hand. Artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, red onions and bell peppers topped with Feta and Parmesan cheeses made for a light, Greek-inspired pizza. We served with a side of greens topped with homemade croutons. Easy as pie!

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pizza dough (we used whole wheat)

1 bell pepper, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 can artichoke hearts, sliced

1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced

Feta cheese

Parmesan cheese

Salad:

Romaine lettuce

1/4 loaf french bread, cubed

olive oil

salt

caesar dressing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Croutons: slice the french bread into bite sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Pizza: Slice all your veggies roll out your pizza dough. Drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom of the dough and layer on the veggies and cheese. Bake 12 -15 minutes in preheated oven, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

While the pizza is baking, chop the lettuce, top with croutons, Parmesan cheese and dressing.

Enjoy!

Smoking Stove IPA

Time for another beer post! Our last few batches of beer have been Belgian-style ales, so we decided it was time for a good ol' hoppy (make that VERY hoppy) IPA. A fellow brewer was kind enough to share some home-grown hops, and we were excited to brew with them.  Thanks Jay Thayer!

The Smoking Stove IPA was loosely based on a recipe for a clone of the Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, but rather than using the hops called for in the recipe we replaced most with the home-grown Chinook hops. We used a LOT of hops, adding in just under 1/2 ounce every 7  1/2 minutes for 90 minutes. The aroma was amazing, but  we had to watch the wort constantly to make sure it didn't boil over (which it did) and make a huge mess (which it also did, hence the name).  This one was truly a labor of love, and we can't wait until it is ready to drink!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Pilsner malt grain
8 lbs dried malt extract
3.2 oz Chinook hops
2 oz Amarillo hops

Cinnamon Streusel Cake

A few weeks ago we were having one of those Sundays. You know the kind, where you just want to curl up inside and hang out with friends and family. Cooking (and eating!) comfort food. The foggy summers here in San Francisco will do that to you...

We were hanging out with Kevin's sister (yes, the lucky recipient of this birthday cake) and she and I decided to bake. While searching for a recipe, she and Kevin started reminiscing about a cake their mom used make. Cinnamon Streusel Cake. Layers of cinnamon and brown sugar on top of fluffy yellow cake. It was perfect for this lazy day, and we had to make it.

The cake from their childhood was from a specialty box mix, which we were unable to track down at the local corner market. So, we found this recipe, and got to work. We omitted the glaze and served with homemade ice cream. Mmmm. Just like old times!

Ingredients: Adapted from Cooks.com

1 box yellow cake mix without pudding
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Optional: ice cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl (or your stand mixer) combine cake mix, sugar, oil, eggs, and buttermilk and beat 2 minutes on medium speed. While the batter is mixing, combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Sprinkle 1/2 of the sugar mixture in the bottom of a greased bundt pan. Top with 1/2 of the batter. Repeat with the last 1/2 of each. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Slice and serve with ice cream, or you could make the glaze from the original recipe... but I recommend ice cream!

Chilaquiles

One of our favorite brunches in all of San Francisco is a big plate of Chilaquiles from the Primavera stand at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market on a Saturday morning.

Before Kevin and I moved in together, he lived close to the Ferry Building and we would get there a lot more often than we do now. So, we had to learn to recreate them. If we make them for breakfast, we'll add an egg- cooked over medium so the yolk runs over top. For this recipe, we've omitted the egg and used chicken, as we were making them for dinner. Either way, the dish is divine!

We make our own chips by baking corn tortillas. We have substituted store bought chips in a pinch and it works great, too! If you do this, you can skip the first two steps in the directions.

Ingredients: 

Makes 2 servings
6 corn tortillas, quartered
2 cups fresh salsa
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 - 1 bell pepper (any color), cut in strips
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
diced tomato, cotija, avocado and fresh cilantro for garnish
Optional: 2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place quartered tortillas on a greased baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes or until the are golden brown and crispy. 

While the chips are baking, cook your chicken, pepper and onion in a skillet until chicken is cooked through. 

Turn the heat to low and add your chips and salsa to the pan, making sure to cover the chips completely. Let cook together for 3-4 minutes until the chips start to absorb the salsa.

Spoon chip and chicken mixture onto plates. Top with diced tomato, cotija cheese, avocado, fresh cilantro and egg (if you want). Forks optional :)

Funfetti Cookies

Oh, Funfetti, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways! Cake, cupcakes, ice cream, and now cookies?! I am SO in love!

Happy Friday the 13th! Whether you are superstitious or not, I have something for you that is guaranteed to make your day a good one...Funfetti Cookies. Yup, no joke.

Ever since I stumbled upon this recipe a few weeks ago I have become completely obsessed with making these cookies. Thank goodness for birthday parties, wedding showers and summertime holidays for giving me a reason to bake them. Otherwise, from the looks of the stacks of cookies in my kitchen, it might look like I have a slight problem. Seriously. They are that good.

Adapted from Fat Girl in a Skinny Body (don't you just love the name of her blog?!)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 whole egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
2 Tbsp nonpareil sprinkles (the small round sprinkles)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cream the butter and sugar, then add vanilla and egg and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients (except the sprinkles). Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the sprinkles (I used a wooden spoon) until just mixed so the sprinkles don't bleed.

Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet, about 1-2 inches apart. Bake 12-15 minutes, until they are just starting to brown on the bottom and sides. These are sugar cookies, so you want them to be soft and fluffy. Cool on a wire rack.

Who are we kidding?! Dig in! They are sooo good warm!

Meatball Potpies, a Lindsay Original

When the moon hits your eye, like a big... Meatball potpie? Yes, yes, THAT'S amore!

We are always trying new recipes to keep from getting bored with our usual standbys. And sometimes, that new recipe finds its way into the rotation for keeps. This, my friends, is one of those recipes. One that I thought would be fun to try. A new twist on old favorite. One that is now requested frequently, and received with a cheer when my taste-tester walks through the door. What could be better? Oh yeah, the fact that it makes enough for dinner for TWO nights, and is incredibly simple? Weeknight cooking just got a whooole lot better!

Ingredients:

make 4 potpies
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 small onion, diced
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned)
Salt and pepper
Sprinkle of nutmeg
1 cup frozen spinach
1 jar of marinara sauce
1 pre-made pizza dough (I used whole wheat)
olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and spray four ramekins with non-stick spray. Set on a baking sheet, a few inches apart and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine turkey, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix well. (Your hands work great for this!)

Add the marinara and frozen spinach to a large pot and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and begin dropping in the meatballs. Be careful because these little guys splatter! Brown on all sides and add to the sauce to finish cooking, about 10 minutes. You may need to do in batches if you do not have a large enough pan.

While the meatballs are simmering, roll out your pizza dough and cut into fourths. Make sure each piece is large enough to cover the top of your ramekin.

Once the meatballs are cooked through, divide them among the 4 ramekins, making sure to add the sauce, too. Then, cover each with pizza dough, drizzle with a little olive oil and a dash salt. Bake for 15 

minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.

Be careful! They will be steaming hot when you cut into them, so I suggest opening them up and letting them cool for a few minutes. Enjoy!