Roasted stuffed pumpkin makes a beautiful bowl

Most women buy themselves a new outfit or a new pair of shoes when they have a little extra money at the end of the month. Anyone that knows me, knows my weakness isn't clothes or shoes, it's dishes. I don't have room to store anymore of them in my pantry or cupboards, but that doesn't always stop me.

When someone told me about using a real pumpkin as a serving bowl I was intrigued. At first I thought what a cool and unique idea. Then I realized an extra bonus... I wouldn't have to store it. When I'm done with it I can just throw it away. So, the day after Halloween I was knocking on the gate of the pumpkin patch to see if I could get some great deals on pumpkins.

I found directions for roasting a stuffed pumpkin at epicurious.com. I made a stew in the crock pot before putting it in the pumpkin to bake, but soup, mashed potatoes, or a vegetable casserole would work well in a roasted pumpkin too. The pumpkin kept the stew warm and well insulated while the pumpkin baked to a glazed-like texture. The end result looked like a ceramic dish and made a beautiful centerpiece.



STUFFED PUMPKIN

1 (8-9 lb.) pumpkin
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Soup or stew of your choice.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove top of pumpkin by cutting a circle on an angle around stem with a small sharp knife. Scrape out and discard seeds and fibers from inside pumpkin (including top)with a spoon. Do not discard top. Sprinkle inside flesh with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Place pumpkin on a large shallow roasting pan or a sturdy pizza pan. (I used a sturdy pizza pan so I wouldn't have to transfer the hot pumpkin on to something else when it came out of the oven.)

Carefully scoop hot pre-cooked soup, stew, or mashed potatoes into prepared pumpkin. Place top on pumpkin and rub outside of pumpkin with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Place a piece of foil over the stem to prevent it from charring. Place filled pumpkin in oven and roast for 45-60 minutes. It will be heavy, so be careful.

Carefully remove baked pumpkin from oven. I scattered colorful fall leaves around base of pumpkin to hide pan. Then sit back and listen to the oohs and aahs from your guests.

The aroma of chicken cacciatore fills the air.

It's said that our sense of smell can elicit stronger memories than any of our other four senses, and I believe it. For me, few things bring back the memories of childhood as vividly as the aroma of chicken cacciatore filling the kitchen.

I remember my Mom's electric skillet filled to the brim with chicken, onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers. She would have it bubbling all afternoon. My siblings and I were like Pavlov's dogs salivating from the aroma, anxiously anticipating dinnertime.

My daughter's boyfriend, Cory, had this simmering on the stove when I got home from a wonderful weekend in Monterey. I'm posting his recipe, but it smelled just like Mom's. All the childhood memories flooded my senses and was the perfect ending to an incredible weekend. Thank you, Cory.

CORY CORY CACCAITORE

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large white onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell papper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell papper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cup mushrooms sliced
2-16 oz. cans stewed tomatoes
1/2-3/4 cup red wine (chianti preferred)
1 Tbsp. fresh basil.
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil and brown chicken. Remove chicken and drain fat, leaving 1 Tbsp. fat in pan. Add onions and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 2 minutes. Add peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. Return chicken to pan and add wine and fresh basil. Cover and simmer 40 minutes. Remove lid and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve over cooked rice or pasta.

SERVES 4

If you really want to maximize your cooking experience while making chicken cacciatore, sip on a glass of chianti.

Comfort food for grieving friends

In all cultures, food is used as a way of bringing comfort and healing at a time of grief or great loss. We take food to those who are sick, or to families when they have lost loved ones. This pie was prepared for that reason, and its ingredients go beyond the traditional and include a big dose of love.

A family close to me lost one of their members this week. I know the devastation and helplessness that goes along with loss, and I want to help soften the pain any way I can. But, I also know that grief has to work itself out with each person in their own way, and that it is a necessary part of the healing process.

Souls are comforted with faith and time, and those are things we can’t help with, other than letting them work on their own pace in their own. But we can comfort their bodies with the food we bring, and make ourselves available in any way possible.

We hope that in comforting their bodies, maybe a tiny bit of comfort – maybe just momentarily -- will flow to their souls and bring them moments of peace at this difficult time.

CHOCOLATE-COCONUT PECAN PIE

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup whole pecans
1- 9” pie crust

Place large baking sheet on oven rack and preheat to 350 degrees. Whisk sugars, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract and salt in large bowl to blend. Whisk in eggs. Stir in shredded coconut, chocolate chips and pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. Place pie on baking sheet in oven: Bake until crush is golden brown and filling is set in center, about 45-55 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool slightly. Serve warm.

MAKES 1 PIE.

Serve with a scoop of love and vanilla ice cream.

Bye, bye American pie

I think America should throw out the saying, “As American as apple pie,” and replace it with “As American as banana cream pie.” I love apple pie, but if you put a slice of apple pie next to a slice of banana cream pie, I’d choose the banana cream every time.

I think most of America feels the same, but I put my theory to the test. I called a specialist to see which pie was the best selling, and according to Amanda, at my local Marie Callender’s Restaurant, more banana cream pies are sold than any other pie. There you have it! It’s time to change the nation's slogan.

I found this recipe over 20 years ago on the back of a 5-pound bag of C and H sugar. Most of the words are illegible from spilling milk, vanilla, and eggs on it(I'm a messy cook), but I’ve made it so many times I have it memorized. The beauty of this recipe is you can make four variations of cream pies with it.

VELVET-SMOOTH CREAM PIES

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs yolks or 2 whole eggs
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1- 9" pastry shell (baked and cooled)

Combine sugar, flour, and salt in medium saucepan. Stir until blended. In separate bowl whisk egg yolks (or whole eggs) into milk and pour into flour/sugar mixture. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and whisking until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool 5 minutes. Pour into pastry shell and chill until set.

MAKES ONE PIE

Banana Cream Pie: Make basic filling and cool. Slice 2 or 3 ripe bananas in bottom of baked pie shell. Add cooled filling and chill. Serve with whipped cream topping. (If the whole pie isn’t going to all be eaten that day, I slice fresh bananas on top of the whipped topping on each individual piece.

Chocolate Cream Pie: Make basic filling. Add ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips to hot thickened filling in saucepan. Stir until completely melted. Pour into cooled shell and chill. Spread with whipped topping and garnish with shaved chocolate.

Coconut Cream Pie: Stir 1 cup flaked coconut into basic filling before pouring into pie shell. Top with meringue or whipped cream topping. Garnish with toasted coconut.

Butterscotch Cream Pie: Add ¾ cup brown sugar instead of granulated sugar to basic recipe. Make as directed. Increase butter to 3 Tbsp. Top with meringue or whipped topping.

If made with 2 whole eggs it can appear lumpy. Using an electric mixer to hot thickened filling works quite well to smooth out lumps.

Jimmy crack corn and I don't care...

For me to enjoy entertaining I have to be able to visit with my guests. I do not want to be chained to the kitchen the whole time sweating over a hot stove while my guests are left to fend for themselves.

So, you’d think by now I’d learn. You’d think I’d know the importance of timing in entertaining. I should know not to have three things on the menu that all require last minute preparation right before serving.

The problem with yesterday's dinner was just that. I had chicken and corn on the cob to grill, and fries to fry. To top it off, I didn't have enough grill space to barbecue the chicken and corn at the same time so I had to barbecue in shifts… something I don't recommend. The only thing that saved me and the dinner was my helper, Jimmy. With two extra hands and an extra brain, we managed to pull it off without anyone else knowing the frustrations and strategies required to bring it all together.

One thing I have learned over the years…just how therapeutic a good glass of wine can be after a long hard day in the kitchen.

GRILLED SPICED CORN ON THE COB

8 ears sweet white or yellow cobs of corn
¼ cup butter, room temperature
¼ tsp. chipotle chili pepper powder
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
½ tsp salt

Shuck corn and remove silk. Combine butter, chipotle chili powder, garlic and salt and divide evenly among corn cobs. Smear seasoned butter all over cobs of corn and grill about 20 minutes until cooked and nicely browned in areas. Serve hot.

SERVES 8

Chipotle chili pepper has a great smoky flavor that blends well with the sweetness of the corn. You may want to start with less chili pepper and taste test it to your liking, as it can be very spicy.

Spice up some carrot soup with cumin

I don’t usually make soup in the summer, especially when it’s over 100 degrees outside… except when someone in the house is sick. When you don’t feel well there is nothing more comforting than soup.

I found this original recipe years ago on a wonderful internet site called epicurious.com. I go to this site frequently for ideas in cooking and love to read the reviews submitted for each recipe to see how other cooks liked or disliked it. It's also fun to see how different cooks tweak the ingredients. The main thing I like to change with this recipe is double the cumin, since I love that spice.

CARROT CUMIN SOUP WITH TOASTED PECANS

1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 ½- 4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

In medium saucepan cook onion in butter over moderate heat until onions are soft. Add sliced carrots and cumin and stir 1 minute. Add chicken broth and simmer, covered, 25 minutes, or until carrots are very tender. Let soup cool slightly.Place pecans on cookie sheet in 350 degrees oven for about 8 minutes or until fragrant and one shade darker.

Pour cooled soup into a blender and puree until smooth (never work with hot soup in a blender, as it can be dangerous). Pour back into saucepan and reheat to desired temperature. If soup is too thick, add more water or chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Divide soup into 4 bowls and top with toasted pecans or a dollop of sour cream, if desired. Serve hot.

SERVES 4

If you prefer a vegetarian soup, use water instead of chicken broth. Serve with a loaf of French bread and butter.

All for rum and rum for all...

My all-time favorite thing to prepare, and eat for that matter, is dessert. It could be the sugar-addict in me, but there is nothing like the aroma of chocolate chip cookies or cinnamon rolls wafting through the house to pique my appetite. My love of sweets could explain why I’ve never been successful with the Atkins diet.

Today’s recipe comes from The Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook, by Anne Byrn. It’s a wonderful book that uses cake mixes but adds a twist to the recipe. Bacardi Rum Cake was created in 1976 by a neighbor of William Walker, the president of Bacardi. The neighbor brought this cake to a party Mr. Walker was having… and the rest is history.

BACARDI RUM CAKE

CAKE:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 cup finely chipped pecans or walnuts
1 package plain yellow cake mix (not with pudding-in-the-mix) **
1 package vanilla instant pudding (3.4 oz.)
½ cup Bacardi dark rum
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
4 large eggs

GLAZE:
6 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. water
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup Bacardi dark rum


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly mist with vegetable oil spray and flour bundt or tube pan. Sprinkle nuts in the bottom of the pan. Set pan aside.

Place cake mix, pudding mix, rum, oil, water, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 3 minutes, scraping down sides bowl with spatula as needed. Pour batter evenly over nuts into prepared pan.

Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes. Run sharp knife around edge of the cake and invert it on a serving platter. Poke holes in the top of the cake with a toothpick.

Prepare the glaze. Place butter in a small saucepan and melt it over low heat. Stir in water and sugar. Increase heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and let the glaze simmer until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat and add rum. Spoon the glaze over warm cake, allowing it to seep into the holes and drizzle down the sides and into the center of the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing.

SERVES 16

**If you are using a cake mix with pudding-in-the-mix, use 3 eggs, reduce the oil to 1/3 cup, and don’t add the instant pudding mix. Bacardi rum cakes made with pudding-in-the-mix tend to be heavier and very moist, but still tasty.

I’m wondering if the neighbor of the Bacardi president that developed this recipe was ever rewarded for her efforts.

Room for 'shrooms

Today’s recipe is for all my vegetarian friends out there. It’s low in fat and packed full of nutrients, fiber and flavor.

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SANDWICHES

4- (4 inch diameter) Portobello mushrooms
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. dried basil leaves
Salt and pepper,
4 slices provolone cheese
1 large tomato sliced
1 avocado, sliced
alfalfa sprouts
4 kaiser rolls or 8 pieces whole wheat bread
Dijon mustard and mayonnaise

Remove stems from mushroom. Rinse and dry caps. Whisk together vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and basil and brush on the top of the caps. Heat grill and place caps on grill, bottom side up. Brush inside of each cap with remaining oil mixture.

Grill about 3-4 minutes on each side until mushrooms are soft. Place cheese over each cap to melt. Remove from grill. Spread bread with condiments. Place each cap on bun or bread and top with avocado, tomato, and sprouts. Serve hot.

Serves 4

Some sweet potato fries would go great with this sandwich.

It's too hot to cook

When the temperatures are above 100 degrees for over a week, the last thing I want to do is eat something hot. That's when this recipe comes out of my bag of tricks. Chinese chicken salad is refreshing, filling, and nutritious.


CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

SALAD
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast meat, cooked, cooled, and shredded
1 head shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup green onions, chopped
3/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
3/4 cup toasted sliced or slivered almonds
1 package maifun (rice sticks or bean threads)**
Vegetable oil for frying

DRESSING
1/4 cup salad oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar


Combine chicken, lettuce, onions, and cilantro in a large bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Fry 1/4 package maifun in vegetable oil as package directs. Set noodles aside after fryng. Place all dressing ingredients in jar and shake to mix. Immediately before serving add dressing and maifun to salad and toss. Top with almonds. and sprig of cilantro.

Serves 4

It's really quite fun to watch these noodles puff up as they hit the hot oil. But, be sure all noodles get submerged in oil. Otherwise, you will have some very hard uncooked pieces of maifun. I usually cut the maifun into 1 inch pieces with a sissors to make it easier to get full coverage in the oil.


Complete this meal with a loaf of french bread and butter. A bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio or Reisling would go nicely with this salad.

What wine should I serve with this incredible meal?

We've discussed how best to match wines with what you’re serving and it often comes down to individual tastes. But there are some general guidelines that are helpful. I offer these from the Web site of the California Winery Advisor:

"Match rich foods with rich full-bodied wines; sweet foods need a sweet wine; salty foods need a strong, fruit forward wine for balance; fish needs a medium-bodied wine for balance; poultry can thrive with many a bottle; Spicy & Hot foods enjoy the company of lightly sweet, fruity wines with low tannins."

This site goes into much more detail and I would suggest that you make it one of your Favorites because it is an excellent reference guide that you can keep going back to. So click here to go to the site.

This site also lists all the California wine regions, and has extensive information on all the wineries, tours, tastings and wine-country recipes.

Who says KFC is the only finger-licking-good chicken?

Yesterday was a glorious day. My second grandchild, Zoe, came home from the hospital. I offered to make dinner for my son and his wife on their first night home with Zoe. When I asked what they wanted for dinner my son quickly yelled, "Sticky chicken"!

This recipe for sticky chicken came from my mom and was originally called "Brandied Chicken Wings," but when my daughter was 4 years old she continually called it "sticky chicken." The new name stuck to the very sticky chicken.

The original recipe called for chicken wings, which is OK if you are making an appetizer. But chicken legs work much better if you are using it as a main dish.

STICKY CHICKEN

3-4 lbs. chicken legs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white wine
4 green onions, green and white parts chopped

Serves 4-5

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, F. Spray 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken legs in a single layer in pan. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, and wine together and pour over chicken. Sprinkle green onions over chicken and bake in oven for 35 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over in sauce and bake for another 35 minutes, or until soy mixture has thickened and chicken is browned.

These legs are great hot but can also be served cold.

Hopefully, Zoe, eventually will enjoy them as much as the rest of her family does.

Being creative with tomatoes

Since I am on a tomato kick I must share another fresh tomato recipe. A while back Carla, a friend and co-worker, showed me a cookbook she picked up on an Alaskan cruise with a picture of a wonderful salad built in a hollowed-out tomato. It looked so elegant and fun that I had to try creating my own.

I found some long skinny mushrooms at the local farmers market that added contrast and added sliced orange bell peppers. What I found was using leafy vegetables with different colors.....dark green, light green, purple...made the tomato boats more appetizing. The more color, the better. I used several tongs of spring mixed greens along with one head of leafy lettuce. You won't need a large quantity of lettuce, just a variety of greens with different textures.

INDIVIDUAL TOMATO BOAT SALADS

6 medium ripe tomatoes, home-grown if possible
Variety of colorful lettuce with different textures and stalk heights
1 orange bell pepper, cleaned and sliced in long strips
1 handful fresh green beans, cleaned and briefly parboiled
12 asparagus spears, briefly parboiled
small bunch of enoki mushrooms, if available.
1 bottle Ken's Lite Accent spray on balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Fresh cracked pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired

Hollow out one tomato with a 2 1/2 to 3 inch opening cutting straight down sides, leaving the walls thick for support but not cutting through the bottom. If the opening is too big the ingredients will not stand upright, so experiment with one before you cut all 6 tomatoes. Spritz inside of all tomatoes well with dressing and lightly salt inside before you stuff them. Stuff the taller leafy greens in the back and work forward with other ingredients, balancing colors and weight as needed. Tomato boats can be assembled earlier in the day and refrigerated in large deep covered dish. Spritz well with dressing immediately before serving. Top with cracked pepper and shredded parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve with knife and fork.

When using freshly picked vegetables with lots of flavor I prefer to not use too much dressing as it drowns out the fresh clean flavors of ripe produce, but most people prefer more dressing than I do, so be generous with the spritzing and have more available on the table.

Serves 6

There's great joy in cooking, entertaining and sharing

With this first posting, I'm going off on a new adventure and writing about my passion for cooking and entertaining. I want to share some of my recipe successes and even failures so that we can learn from kitchen disasters. I hope to make this a community conversation on this subject and hope you will join with me in offering your pearls of wisdom.

For me, cooking is fun, therapy and a creative outlet. I like to experience flavors, colors, textures in my cooking. It gives me joy to share all this with my friends, and I hope to make many new friends through this blog. I have many friends who are great cooks and I plan to share some of their experiences in this blog.

Feeding those we love is one of the basic things that women do. It's in our genes. That's why entertaining has to be part of the equation. We love to cook and we love to share that cooking with others. So we'll be talking a lot about how to entertain.

I love baking (probably because I like sugar so much), but I like all forms of cooking. So we'll discuss everything that relates to cooking and the cooking experience. I live in the San Joaquin Valley of California, which is the most productive farmland in the world. I expect that I will be talking often about using locally grown products in my cooking. I also have a vegetable garden and that will be part of our discussion.

This is going to be exciting. Join with me in this experiment. I think it is going to be a lot of fun.