Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I am so proud of myself because I made this recipe up all by myself and it's a baking recipe!!! And it turned out delicious, if I do say so myself.

Preheat oven to 350.
Take a loaf of french bread and cut it into 1-2 inch pieces and put them in a souffle dish or a casserole dish.
Beat 6 eggs in a large mixing bowl.
Add 1 cup of milk or whipping cream.
Add 1 cup of pumpkin puree.
Add 1 cup of brown sugar.
Add 1 tablespoon vanilla.
Add the following spices:
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves

When the custard part is well mixed, pour it over the bread, making sure it's all coated. Let it soak for 10 minutes.
Cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until it's well browned on top.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or Marianne's homemade buttermilk syrup.

Date filled bars with nuts and coconut

Dad asked me to post this recipe from their mission. He said it's delicious!

1½ cups rolled oats (¾ cup ground in blender; (¾ cuprolled)

1 cup white flour (sifted)

½ cup wheat flour (sifted)

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup butter, softened

2 cups pitted dates (measure, then dice)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1+ cups water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup walnuts or pecans (chopped and toasted, not burned)

1/3 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, combine oats (ground and regular), both sifted flours, 2/3 cup brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix in the butter until crumbly and large chunks of butter are broken down to small lumps. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the dates, water and 1/3 brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened – add water until right consistency. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla, chopped nuts and coconut and remove from heat. Spread the filling over the base and pat the remaining crumb mixture on top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in preheated oven or until top is lightly toasted. Cool before cutting.

Marianne's Marinara Sauce

Sorry, this recipe is going to sound like a Marilynn recipe--which means it will be hard to follow, and yet so worth it. I've been canning my own marinara sauce for a few years now but I always tinker with the recipe. This year I hit gold--seriously. If anyone comes to visit me in Oregon I will give you a bottle to take home as a prize. :)

Anyway, enjoy! Call me if you have questions about this rather ridiculous recipe:

Homemade Marinara Sauce

1 Large sweet onion
1 bunch fresh basil
5 cloves garlic
Enough fresh tomatoes to fill a pot to the top
1 cup red wine
3 cans tomato paste
5 oz Romano cheese
2 TBSP basalmic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Spices (preferably from Italy)

Dice the onion and put it in the bottom of your biggest pot with olive oil. Allow it to carmelize for 10-12 minutes. At some point add the garlic to the onion so it can carmelize too. And add the Italian spices at this point. Then add the red wine, allowing the alcohol to cook off. Toss in the fresh tomatoes, filling the pan all the way to the top with fresh tomatoes (they will cook down). Throw in the fresh chopped basil.

Now allow the whole thing to simmer for a while--at least an hour. It will cook down and turn a gorgeous orange. Then it's time to season and tweak. Add 3 cans of tomato paste and puree with a hand blender until it's smooth. I also added 5 ounces of grated Romano cheese, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp basalmic vinegar.

So here is the part that is a bit ridiculous. When I went to Italy last year, I brought back this spice blend that is amazing. It has a lot of typical Italian spices, but it's also quite spicy and just fantastic. Unfortunately, I really don't know what is in it. Here is what it says on the package: peperoncino, carote, aglio, sale, pomodoro, sedano, cipolla, olive nere, prezzemolo.

The finished sauce is creamy smooth, with a sweet, yet spicy tang. It is so good I'm just eating it with a spoon. I'm pretty excited to bottle this for winter. I will use a pressure cooker canner, because it has onions, basil, and cheese. Enjoy!

Spinach, mushroom and Shrimp pasta

This recipe is slightly adapted from Paula Deen's Company Shrimp.  It is so delicious and quick but definitely fancy enough for a dinner party.

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
 dash or two cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 pounds fresh medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
2 cups fresh spinach
1 (16-ounce) package penne pasta, cooked
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese


Directions
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, wine, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Mix in the shrimp, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are pink and firm, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute until it is wilted.

In a large serving bowl, combine the shrimp mixture and hot cooked pasta, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle with the cheese.  I usually add another big squeeze of lemon over the top too.

Peach Crisp

This is the amazing peach crisp recipe I made the other night with the fresh peaches from the tree.  It was a huge hit!  Recipe is by Anne Burrell from FN.

Ingredients
For the filling:
5 large ripe peaches, pitted and cut into chunks
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins
Pinch kosher salt
For the topping:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pea sized pieces
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Pinch kosher salt
1 to 2 tablespoons cold water
Special equipment: 6 (6-ounce) ramekins
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the filling:

Toss the peaches in a large bowl with the zest and lemon juice. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Divide the filling evenly between the ramekins.

For the topping:

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor except the water. Pulse until combined, this will take about 30 seconds. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture is clumpy but crumbly.

Top each ramekin with the topping. Be sure to loosely sprinkle the topping and not pack it down. The idea is to look very crumbly and craggy.

Place the ramekins on a sheet tray and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping, brown and crispy.

Note: This is great served hot with vanilla ice cream

Panzanella Salad

I was craving a panzanella salad because I bought some delicious multi-grain bread from Costco.  So I threw this together for dinner last night and had to make it again for lunch because it was soooo good!

Here is the ingredients picture.  Unfortunately, I was too excited to eat it once it was all made so I didn't get a finished product picture:)  The key to this salad is good bread since it is a "bread" salad so don't skimp on the quality of bread! Also, you might think this salad needs more lettuce once you get it all tossed but it is really about the bread so it's not supposed to have tons of lettuce.  In fact, traditionally panzanella salads don't have any lettuce but I like to use a little.

-One loaf 2 day old whole grain artisan bread from Costco or any other bakery bread you choose cut into cubes

-about 1/4-1/2 cup fresh mozzerella cheese cubed(use the fresh kind packed in milk, not the dry stuff!)

-2 Tbsp Diced Red onion

-large handful grape tomatoes cut in half

-small handful kalamata olives cut in half

-4-5 fresh basil leaves sliced thin or chopped

-3-4 artichoke hearts chopped

-3-4 leaves romaine lettuce chopped, or you can use a handful of mixed greens or arugula

-Extra virgin olive oil

-balsamic vinegar

-salt and pepper

I chopped up the whole loaf of bread and then kept it in the bag on my counter so it would dry out but not get too stale.  Then add the first 8 ingredients together in a large salad bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  You want to use about a 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Then drizzle about 2 Tbsp of olive oil and 3 tsp balsamic over the top.  Toss all together.  Taste and add more salt, pepper, vinegar or oil to taste.  Serve immediately.  

Recipe by Rachel Hall

Berry Tarts

I don't think I've posted this before, and it is one of my very favorite recipes. I make it all summer long--with whatever berries happen to be in season. Cherries, strawberry rhubarb, raspberries, blueberries--they are all simply fantastic. Top with whipped cream. From Joy of Baking.com Berry Tart Recipe
Pastry Crust: In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined.  Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds).  Pour 1/8 cup (30 ml) water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched.  Add remaining water, if necessary.  Do not process more than 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and gather it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an one hour before using. This will chill the butter and allow the gluten in the flour to relax. While the pastry is chilling, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Once the pastry has chilled sufficiently, remove the pastry from the refrigerator and divide into four equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of pastry into a 7 inch (18 cm) circle. Place the four pastry circles onto the prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in the refrigerator to firm up the pastry while you make the filling. Filling: In a large bowl, combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest (if using), and flour.  Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and divide the filling between the four pastry circles, leaving about a 1 inch (2.5 cm) border around the outside edges of the pastry. Gently fold the edges of the pastry up and over the filling, leaving the center of the tart open. Press the edges gently so the pastry sticks together. Once all the tarts are assembled, cover and return to the refrigerator for about 15 - 30 minutes to chill. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Remove the unbaked assembled tarts from the refrigerator and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling and start to run out from the center of the tart. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool before serving. Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 4 individual tarts. (Can double recipe for 8 tarts.)

Pate Brisee (Short crust Pastry):

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt

1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces

1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice water

Filling:

1 pound (454 grams) berries (combination of cut up strawberries, cherries (halved and pitted), blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries)

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar, or to taste

Zest of 1 lemon (optional) (outer yellow skin of lemon)

1 - 2 tablespoons (10-20 grams) all purpose flour