Iced Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Ingredients:

CRUMB-TOPPING

• 1/2 cup (62 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons or 60 grams) unsalted butter, cold
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE

• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (careful not to overmeasure)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
• 1 cup (244 grams) pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 1/4 cup (82 grams) pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk*

VANILLA GLAZE

• 1 cup (120 grams) confectioners' sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer or milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Generously spray a 9x9 baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping first: In a small bowl, toss the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together.  Cut in the cold butter  using a pastry blender or a fork.   Mix to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside.

Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a large bowl until combined.  In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until *just* combined. Try not to overmix the batter. It will be very thick.  Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread to make an even surface.  Pour the crumb topping evenly on top and gently press them down into the batter.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes.  Check the cake's doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes on clean with a moist crumb or two, the cake is done.  If the toothpick has wet batter on it, bake the cake for 5 more minutes.  The cake takes 32 minutes in my oven.

Make the glaze:  Whisk the confectioners' sugar and 1 Tablespoon of creamer/milk together until smooth. Add more creamer/milk to thin, if desired. Drizzle over cake.  Enjoy cake warm or at room temperature. Cover cake tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Cake may be frozen for up to 2 months.

*Instead of nutmeg + ground cloves, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice can be used in addition to the cinnamon.

*I prefer to use buttermilk in this coffee cake.  Buttermilk makes the cake even moister than any other kind of milk.  I highly recommend it.  However, regular cow's milk or dairy-free milk would be just fine. 

Recipe Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Peasant Bread

So Delicious!

http://www.alexandracooks.com/2012/11/07/my-mothers-peasant-bread-the-best-easiest-bread-you-will-ever-make/

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 pound Penne Or Rigatoni
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Plus More For Drizzling
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Small Bite-sized Pieces
•  Salt And Pepper
• 1 whole Large Onion, Finely Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 jar (25 Ounce) Good Quality Marinara Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
• 1/2 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
• 8 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella, Cut Into Medium Cubes
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Shavings
•  Extra Parmesan, For Serving
• 12 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to cook without stirring for 2 minutes, or until golden. Stir chicken around to brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions and garlic and stir immediately to start cooking. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden.

Reduce the heat to low and pour in the marinara sauce, red pepper flakes, and the water. Stir until the onions and garlic are mixed in, then add the chicken back into the pan. Add the parsley, stir to combine, then allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 7-8 minutes.

Make sure the sauce is bubbly and very hot, then gently stir in the mozzarella. Let it sit, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes, until you can see that the mozzarella is very soft.

Drain the pasta and pour it onto a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Immediately sprinkle on 1/4 cup Parmesan shavings (or grated Parmesan.) Pour on the sauce, sprinkle with extra Parmesan and the chiffonade of Basil, and serve immediately!

* NOTE: The mozzarella should be very soft but should still be in visible chunks rather than distributed throughout the sauce. It's better for the chunks to be on the firm side than the falling-apart side! You can always heat it a little more to get the cheese to the consistency you want.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman

Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded (3 cups)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled*
• 1/4 cup butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 1/4 cups)
• 1 - 2 jalapenos, seeded for less heat if desired, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced slightly less than 1/2-inch thick (3 cups)
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• Green onions and seeded, finely chopped jalapenos (optional), for serving 

Directions

• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, onions, jalapenos and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour, and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. While stirring, slowly add in chicken broth and whisk until well blended.
• Add potatoes, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil stirring frequently, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or just until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add in cooked chicken, corn and half and half and simmer, uncovered 10 - 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Serve warm topped bacon, green onions, and optional jalapeno peppers.
• Recipe Source: adapted by BHG with some changes from Cooking Classy

Not Your Mamas Meatloaf

This is an amazing meatloaf!

http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2009/07/not-my-mamas-meatloaf.html?m=1

Fresh Strawberry Gelato

Using the ripest, juiciest strawberries will give this gelato the best strawberry flavor. Also, I've doubled the gelato/strawberry base with great results - I had to process it in my ice cream maker in two batches (I have a 2nd bowl for my machine) but if you have a fairly large ice cream maker, you could probably process the entire double batch in one go. Check with your manufacturer's instructions to be sure!

Also, if the fruit you are using is ultra-ripe and really sweet, you might be able to decrease the sugar just slightly. If you want to take this gelato completely over the top, serve it with a few slices of ripe, juice strawberries. Heavenly!

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup granulated or powdered sugar (I've used either with good results)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups sliced very ripe, fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the milk and whipping cream.
2. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble and thickens, 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
3. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cool completely (either by pressing plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerating or nesting the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and stirring until it is cool to the touch).
4. Puree the strawberries in a blender until the mixture is very smooth.
5. Once the gelato base has cooled completely, strain the strawberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the creamy mixture. Use a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon to press the strawberry puree through the strainer so all the pretty strawberry liquid gets strained into the gelato but the seeds are left behind. Stir well.
6. Cover the gelato by pressing plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate 3 hours or up 24 hours.
7. Process the gelato in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. Scrape the ice cream into a container, cover and freeze for at least two hours or up to 2 days (and I'm guessing even longer than that).

Chicken Taco Pie

This was very good. I had 4 extra kids tonight so made 2. I used ground beef. Everyone loved it.

Ingredients

• 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 pound ground chicken or beef
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno slices
• Sour cream and additional salsa

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Unroll crescent dough and separate into
• triangles. Press onto bottom of a greased 9-in. pie plate to form a
• crust, sealing seams well. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook chicken over medium heat 6-8
• minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain. Stir
• in taco seasoning, green chilies, water and salsa; bring to a boil.
• • Spoon into crust; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes or until
  • cheese is melted.
  • Top with lettuce, peppers, tomato, green onion and pickled jalapeno.
  • Serve with sour cream and additional salsa. Yield: 6 servings