Pumpkin Cauliflower Curry

Extended Shelf Life for: Pumpkin, Cauliflower

Sometimes, I just put things together because it makes sense in my head and I look at a handful of recipes just to be sure it's worked out in somebody else's head at some point in history and then I simply go for it.

This is one of those recipes, so you know what that means...I didn't measure.

Except, I kind of did because I'd already frozen the cauliflower (1 cup) and pureed pumpkin (2 cups) and I used a single, normal sized can of coconut milk (maybe 14-16oz?) The part I didn't measure then, was of course the spices...go figure. But here's what I used, lots of curry, some cumin, cayenne, a dash of cinnamon, and salt. If I would have had other Indian spices, I would have used them as well, such as turmeric or graham-masala. Then, I simmered it all on the stove top, prepared some rice and we had a ridiculously quick, delicious dinner, just like that!

Pie-Inspired Tortes

Extended Shelf Life for: Lemons and Squash

First of all, being in the states during the holidays and partaking in holiday baking brings me so much joy!

Second of all, I've recently discovered the most amazing, fantastic use of my torte pan set and feel like I was truly 'inspired' over the holidays to make some new, delicious desserts, inspired of course by pies.

Since it was Thanksgiving, and I had recently acquired some happy little squash and pumpkins I went for a pumpkin-pie inspired torte. Additionally, since we were going to spend the holiday with my fantastic parents, and I knew that my mother loved lemon meringue, I decided to let that be the inspiration for the second torte.

Next up was making cakes in my torte pan, a pumpkin-cream cheese filling, lemon curd, purchasing whipped cream and marshmallows and hitting the kitchen!

First, you'll need a cake...

Ingredients/Directions:

Set 3/4 cups butter and 3 eggs out for 30 minutes until they reach room temperature.

Grease and flour two torte pans. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/2 flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt, set aside.

Beat butter on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 3/4 cups sugar and continue to beat for 2 additional minutes. Add eggs, one at a time followed by 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Alternately add 1 1/4 cup milk and flour mixture until combined, split between pans.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pans. Fill as desired.  

Note: If you are making the Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte, I recommend adding spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice to the batter. On the other hand, if you're preparing the Lemon 'almost' Meringue Pie Torte, I recommend adding a teaspoon or so of lemon zest to the batter, for added depth and flavor.

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte...

Ingredients/Directions:

I simply mixed about 1 or 2 cups of Pumpkin/Squash Puree with soft cream cheese, added some brown sugar and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc. However, I recommend looking for a more precise pumpkin cheesecake dip/filling to ensure the best, fullest flavor. For some good ideas on where to start, scroll through this page I created on Squidoo, you'll find some of the best pumpkin cheesecake dips on the web!

To assemble the Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte simply plop the filling into your torte cake, spread some whipped topping on top and sprinkle with nutmeg, you're good to go!

For the Lemon Almost-Meringue Torte...

Ingredients/Directions:

Buy or prepare Lemon Curd.

Fill torte cake with lemon curd, arrange mini-marshmallows over the top in any design or amount you want to, turn on the broiler and place your marshmallow covered dish under the broiler for 3-5 minutes (they'll burn quickly...which we actually think tastes quite nice, but for presentation, golden is better). The marshmallows will get toasty and melty and you'll have an extremely delicious and tart dessert to share with all your favorite people!

Pumpkin and Banana Spent Grain Dog Treats

I care about my dog and her health, a lot really.

I also have a husband who brews beer.

A husband who recently purchased and set up a kegerator.

Spurring a flurry of brewing.

And an abundance of spent grains.

So, I took my basic recipe for Spent Grain Dog Treats and made a couple of adaptations to get these Pumpkin and Banana Spent Grain Dog Treats - which the Lady is devouring.

In a large bowl mix 4 cups of spent grain, 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of pumpkin, 1 mashed banana and 2 eggs - you might need some additional flour to account for the moisture in the pumpkin and banana - the dough should be quite thick and require some muscle to stir. 

Next, cut into shapes or just press into a cookie sheet.  If you press into cookie sheet, use a butter knife to separate the biscuits into bit-size/treat-size pieces for your dog and cook at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Remove from oven and break apart the biscuits (unless you already cut them into shapes). 

Return to oven, reduce heat to 250 and bake for a couple of hours until they are completely dried out. 

Serve up to your pup and watch them enjoy!

Puppy Rice Bowls

For awhile now, I've been wanting to feed our sweet pup nutritious, real food. She's never been that pumped about her kibble and I can't say I blame her. I'm quite confident one can feed their animals with relative ease and great affordability while all the while making for a much happier and grateful pet-friend.

 You'll find the internet littered with various recipes and ideas, advice for and against feeding your pets 'real' food. As well, everyone suggests that you chat with your veterinarian to make sure your planned feeding schedule meets your pets individual needs.

I started with a number of dog-friendly recipes and ideas and continue to post them on my Pinterest Pinboard For the Lady (because our pup's name is Lady Annyeong). I also made sure to search foods that are safe for dogs and unsafe for dogs before starting on this feeding adventure.

For the past couple of weeks then, I have been serving Lady up a morning and evening bowl of brown rice mixed with boiled carrots, squash and/or pumpkin. I pre-cook these ingredients to last one-to-two weeks. Then, I've been adding a few slices of hard-boiled eggs in the morning, banana on occasion, a bit of yogurt, fresh parsley, flax seed and even blueberries and strawberries on occasion. She's much more eager to eat these days, although she's getting a bit picky about carrots...

Choco-Chip Spent Grain Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin during fall and especially as Thanksgiving approaches is homey and perfect, especially when you're feeling a little too distant from the friends and family you love.

I was of course inspired by a Pinterest find and was so thrilled with the way these turned out, as were my co-workers and friends whom I 'reluctantly' shared them with.  The original recipe at Petite Kitchenesse doesn't involve spent grain, rather it just calls for oatmeal.  However, I used some spent grain in these, which worked out brilliantly and I'm quite confident I could use even more and still have a delicious cookie. I'm hoping to play around with the recipe soon, maybe foregoing pumpkin and throwing in some peanut butter or bananas or Nutella - anything really to use up all these spent grains (leftover grains from my husband's brewing process) we've been producing.

Ingredients/Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (177 Celsius) Combine 2 sticks butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cups white sugar until fluffy (or combined if you accidentally melt the butter, not that I would know from experience). Add 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (or a full cup if that's what you thawed from the freezer), 2 eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla and beat until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves and a dash of nutmeg.  Stir in 2 cups of oats and 1 cup of spent grain. If the dough is too wet and sticky at this point (because generally spent grains hold a bit of moisture) add some flour and mix until you acquire a dough that can hold it's shape and isn't too wet. Finally add 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips, plop dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown and beautiful.

Fresh Pumpkin Pancakes

These can easily be made with canned pumpkin as well and, as is the case with pancakes, they are super simple!

Ingredients/Directions:

To your favorite pancake mix (hand-made or from a box) add cinnamon, nutmeg and pureed pumpkin. (Roast a pumkin until tender, puree). Make sure you pancake dough is a little runny but not to runny, definitely able to stand on it's own before scooping some into a hot griddle and cooking all the way through. For a real treat, enjoy these pancakes with the syrup from the Baklava Crepes recipe.

Stuffed Pumpkin

A pumpkin for two dollars, feta left over from some special event, beer bread waiting patiently in the freezer for a moment of glory and it was long before the pumpkin was stuffed and in the oven roasting.

Ingredients/Directions:

Gut a small pumpkin and save seeds for roasting or discard. Layer in the pumpkin Day Old (or older and recently thawed) Bread (I used an old 1/4 loaf of Beer Bread), followed by a bit of minced Garlic, Green Onions and Feta Cheese, continue until the Pumpkin is filled to the brim. Mix into about a cup or less of milk a dash of salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg; pour into pumpkin. Place pumpkin lid on top and roast for about an hour and a half to two hours at 350 degrees until the pumpkin is tender and easily pierced with a chopstick or a fork. Cut in half and enjoy!

For more complete directions or just to see where the inspiration for this recipe came from, click this.