Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pies are something that I have NEVER made in my life but was presented with a book the other day in my office called "Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix 'em Match 'em Eat 'em Up by Sarah Billingsley & Amy Treadwell.

This book is so sweet in more way than one. After looking through this book I knew I had to make the Pumpkin Spice Whoopies first. But before I start baking I looked through this very sweet book, everything you need to know about making, filling and the history of whoopies. The book is illustrated so simple, ANYONE can make these, and want to make these. The other really nice thing about this book is there are Gluten-free whoopies, Vegan whoopies, and Savory whoopies. The book is laid out so that the pies and the fillings are separate so you can mix and match. YUM!!

The Pumpkin Spice Whoopies seemed very fitting for a dessert with Turkey and all the fixings. Keeping the theme of dinner start to finish is what I like to do most often, and since pumpkin is in season this time of year, made it the perfect choice.

I will tell you that the recipe calls for pumpkin, and this when you have to decide do I want pumpkin that comes in a can or do I want to roast my own pumpkin? Even though filling in a can is so cheep you get so much more natural flavor and texture from the real thing. And since roasting a pumpkin is so easy why not roast your own vegetable. (side note: you can also salt and roast your pumpkin seeds for a snack while you make your whoopie pies

This is what I did ...
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose baking flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cup solid packed pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt on wax paper. Set aside.

Mix brown sugar and butter on low speed until combined. Add the pumpkin, then the egg, beat well. Add the vanilla and beat till combined.

Add the flour fix and to mix, beat on low till combined

Drop 2 tablespoons of batter on lined cookie sheets spacing them 2 inches apart. bake for 15 minutes, until firm to the touch and beginning to crack. Let the cakes cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack for them to cool completely before filling.

The filling ...

Classic Buttercream
3 cups confections' sugar
1/2 cup (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-4 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Beat together the confections' sugar with the butter, starting on low and increasing the speed until the mix is crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, vanilla,and salt and beat on high until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Fill the whoopies and serve!!!

These were such a hit after turkey I had to snap a photo before they all got eaten.

YUM!!!

Apple Bread

Now that the fall is here there are cool days and cold nights. The leaves are changing (well they are are here in New England) and the days are getting shorter. All of this means I am cooking and baking more. My husband loves it too ... well, his waist-line may not like it too much but he sure loves it all.

I noticed the other day that I had some apples that were looking not so good, well for eating raw, but that means they are perfect for baking. And that is exactly what I did with them. You see a few years ago a friend of mine made this great Apple Bread and brought it over to my house for tea, it was so good I had to get the recipie and make it myself. It is quite different than many of the other breads I make, but so yummy.

This is what I did ...

Makes 2 loafs

Cream: 1 cup shortening (I use butter flavored shortining)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
Add: 2 eggs
1 cup milk
Sift: 4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Chop: 2 cups of apples (peeled & cored)
Slice: 2 apples (peeled & cored)


Preheat oven to 35o degrees


Blend dry ingredients, fold in apples


Pour into greesed loaf trays (two). fan the sliced appples on the top.


Bake for 1 hour




The original version did not have as much spices and the sliced apples on the top. But much of what I like to do is make it my own. Think about that when you make your version of Apple Bread.

YUM!!!

Corn on the Cob

Corn on the Cob in New England is a HUGE summertime side dish. At most BBQ's you find someone shucking, boiling and eating Corn on the Cob. It is quite primitive food but when harvested at the right time and cooked the right way this can be the BEST part of the meal.


To begin the process of making corn on the cob don't buy corn in the grocery store. Look for a farm stand, a neighbor or a local farmers market. The best corn is the corn that has not traveled at all and is still in its husks. A local farmer once told me that as soon as you shuck your corn it starts to age. So the best thing for corn is to wait till the very last minute before it goes in the pot to shuck your corn.

The way we cook corn is a tad different than others ... or at least it seemed

You see after the corn had been shucked it goes in a large stock pot of water, just high enough to cover the corn. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of butter and about a 1/2 cup of milk to the water. put on high and allow to boil for about 10 minutes. Good fresh corn will tell you when it is finished but smelling so wonderful you want to eat it right away.

The nice thing about making corn on the cob the way we make it is you really do not have to add butter or anything else, since it was all in the water the corn was boiled in.

Try this one day ... this may be the way you too may make corn from now on.

YUM!!!

Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie is on of my favorite pies to eat in the summer, and sometimes the only reason why on a 90 degree day my oven gets turned on. As some of you may already know I really love to make pies, and would try any pie recipe you put in front of me and see if I like it or not. If it is one I like I guarantee I will make it again and again.

The nice thing about making pies is in most cases there is not too much work that has to be done and you can have one of the most tasty and beautiful baked goods. Fruit pies are usually very easy and very good, since when you add sugar to the fruit the flavors ooze out of the fruit and make the fruit oh so much better then in their raw state. This holds true with this pie ... My Blueberry Pie, which really should be called Mixed Berry Pie but since there are more blueberries in it than any other berry I fool everyone with the name.

This is how it is made ...

2 Crusts for 9" pie
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh cut strawberries
1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl mix together the sugar, flour, salt and spices. I a large bowl mix the berries and then sprinkle the dry ingredient over the berries.

Line a pie pan with one of the crusts. Pour in the Blueberry mix. Dot the top with butter. Cover the pie with the second crust. (if you do not lattice the top don't forget to cut in vent holes). I also like to egg wash my crust tops and sprinkle with sugar ... makes the top golden brown and gives it a bit of crunch.

Bake in oven for 50 minutes till crust is golden brown.


Yum!!!

Tea at the Taj

A few weeks ago a close girlfriend of mine (Allyson) and myself went out for a girls day, and it took us to the Taj in Boston for Traditional High Tea. This was one of the most exciting experiences of our lives. We were truly treated like queens while we were there.

Our afternoon began with a walk through the Public Gardens and a stroll down Newbury Street in Boston for some shopping, and gallery browsing. What made it better was the day was a perfect 10, which made walking such a nice thing to do.

When we were seated at our table ... it was such a cute table for two in an elegant room with high ceilings, a fireplace and the most beautiful drapes adorning the windows. The room was wall covered with damask fabric which made each table have its own personal conversations that stayed with them and not with everyone in the room. Did I mention that there was a woman playing the violin the entire time. The setting and the company were just awesome that day.

We both had a difficult time deciding on what we were going to drink for tea and what we were going to eat for sandwiches. But then we realized all we had to do was figure out the tea and the sandwiches and sweets would be chosen for us.

The tea that was chosen was Green and Earl Grey ... and when they arrived we each had our own pot, warmer and tea leaf strainer ... it was so nice.

This is the Menu for Taj Royal ... as they call Traditional High Tea, and what we had ...

This was our First Course:

Smoked Salmon and American Caviar

Cucumber & Cream Cheese

Traditional Egg Salad

Lobster Profiterole

Prosciutto and Melon

(and that is Allyson)

As you can see they come to your table on this beautiful tiered platter. I am not sure if we know which one is best ... but what we do know is each bite was a mouth full of flavors that complimented the tea so nicely.

Then came the Second Course

Currant and Cherry Cornmeal Scones served with Devon shire Cream and Lemon Curd

Traditional Opera Torte

Citrus Tartlette

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry

Pistachio Financier

Madeline

Spiced Chai French Macaroon

As you can see it was on another tiered platter. Each level had its own yummy goodness to be savored bite by bite.

By the time we finished eating all the sandwiches and the sweet treats we were full. Not only were we full of sweet treats and savory bites but we were full of stories and memories to last us both a long time.

Thank you Taj Boston for such an enjoyable day being a girl.

YUM!!!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

It is game night and you have your friends and their children over and you want the kids to get involved in what you are making and still be able to watch the game at the same time. I found that pizza is the answer to all this.

If you are an avid reader of my blog you know that my husband is lactose intolerant and for a while he was having issues with gluten (I am happy to say that gluten is back in his diet and he is not allergic as we first thought). But there is really no good way to make pizza unless you use mozzarella cheese and white pizza dough. So this did cause some issues in my house, but my husband likes my pizza so much he found a way to eat it. The answer is Lactaid Tablets. They are what helps my husband and so many out there to eat the dairy they love and not suffer after. And yes we do have these tablets everywhere; the car, house, my purse, etc.

Pizza is something we usually remember as kids having at sleepovers or pizza day at school ... but this is not the pizza I like to eat so why should I subject my guests or husband to it. My husband and I do go out for pizza but the pizzas we go out for are usually wood fired pizza with very unique toppings such as duck con fit, ricotta cheese and fig compote. I am not the large cheese type of person. The more unique the topping combination the happier I am. But this topic can be saved for another blog.

When the time came for me to make my first pizza I wanted it to be more like me and what we like so the BBQ Chicken Pizza was born. If you think about it all you need is three basic ingredients to make a pizza they are dough/bread, sauce, and cheese and you have a pizza.

This is how I make my Pizza
1 dough ball
1 small container of pizza sauce
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced onion
4 precooked chicken tenders, shredded
thyme, basil and oregano to sprinkle over top
salt n pepper to taste

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees

Start by rolling out the dough so it is the desired size for baking (meaning if you are using a 18" round stone roll to that size or if you are using a cookie sheet roll to that size)

Like traditional pizza add the sauce to the center of the dough. Then add the BBQ sauce to the exterior of the dough ... and with the back of a spoon in a circular motion mix the sauce and the BBQ sauce so the top of the dough is completely covered.

Next add the toppings of chicken, onions, and red bell pepper evenly over the sauce mix. Next add the seasonings and the salt-n-pepper. By adding the seasonings now they become married to the the veggies and chicken and the flavors cook under the cheese layer. Then lastly add the cheese. By topping it all with cheese the bubbly goodness can bake under that layer and meld all the flavors together.

It usually takes about 35-45 minutes to bake a pizza. When it comes out of the oven let it rest on the counter for a few minutes before cutting and serving.





YUM!!!!

Stuffed Peppers

Keep in mind with this post today that this was the 1st time I made Stuffed Peppers, so this is very much trial & error. And as you guessed it there was an error but much of it was right on and I cannot wait to make them again. They are really easy to make and if you have eaten the right things during the week this is a good way to use leftovers you may already have in your fridge. Stuffed Peppers are one of those dishes that my grandmother would make on a week night for dinner, and after making mine I know why.


This is what I did

Ingredients:
2 bell peppers, with tops cut off and cleaned out
1/2 lb. ground meatloaf mix
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Pappy's Choice seasoning


1 cup brown rice (cook accordingly)


1 teaspoon thyme, dried
1 teaspoon basil, dried


1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Saute the onions ans the garlic in olive oil with Pappy's Choice/your favorite seasoning. Add ground meat and dried herbs. Let rest and drain all the oil from the meat. By giving the meat time to rest it will give you the opportunity to handle it when stuffing the peppers.


Mix the meat and the rice together in a separate bowl. Stuff the peppers and top with the cheese.


Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes till the cheese is melted.


YUM!!!

The day I made these ones we only had American Cheese in our house, each pepper was topped with one slice of cheese and as it melted and became golden brown it had a strange effect ... but it was very yummy.

There are substitutions that can be made through out this recipe based on what you and you family likes to eat. For instance instead of using Pappy's Choice seasoning you can use your favorite salt-n-pepper seasoning mix. If you would rather use ground turkey, chicken or deer meat it can be substituted for the meatloaf mix. White rice can be used in place of brown rice any time.

These peppers also had one more hidden ingredient ... Home-made pesto. I had a small container leftover from another night so I thought why not add the pesto to the peppers ... a tablespoon was added to each pepper between the meat and the cheese. It gave these peppers more flavor and made them more yummier than imagined.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to stuffed peppers. Give them a try ... I guarantee you and your family will love them like my family does.