Hurricane Pie (Crustless pumpkin pie)

So, we are going to try to make crustless pumpkin pie today, before Sandy takes away our power. (We do have a gas stove, but I'm not sure how to get it lit w/o power. It seems that throwing a match indiscriminately down to the bottom of the oven might not be the best method.) I have ONE crust in the fridge, and a 29 oz. can makes TWO pies. If you google "pumpkin pie no crust" you get lots of hits. Here was one with pretty favorable reviews.

photo courtesy of Maggie, when she was 7

NO CRUST PUMPKIN PIE
3 eggs 1 c. sugar 1 c. milk 4 tbsp. flour 1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spices This will make its own crust. Pour in pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Very good. Serve with whipped cream.

Thanks to Cooks.com!

Cast Iron Pancakes

I used to use this recipe a lot, but in the world of Pinterest, apps for cookbooks, and digital everything, this clipping got relegated to a large binder of unvisited clippings. However, I did recently visit it, and rediscovered the fun of a cast iron pancakes! Recipe is courtesy of Real Simple. They say there are more recipes for cast iron pans at www.realsimple.com/pan.

German Pancake

3 large eggs (I only had 2, so added 1 T ground flax and 3 T water)
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup milk (whole is preferred, but I had 1%)
1/4 t salt (an Ella-sized pinch and a Mommy-sized pinch)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 T butter

Heat oven to 400. Let 4-year-old break "okes" of the eggs in bowl. Add flour, stir. Add milk, stir, Vanilla, too. I added sugar because I was pretty sure they'd appreciate it--about 2 teaspoons. Put butter in cast-iron pan (mine was about 10"; RS said to use a "large" one). Melt. Add pancake mix. Cook 15 minutes. Slather with jam or maple syrup or Nutella or PB... get crazy.

Pics to come. :-)

Search for Homemade Ice Cream

I was searching for ice cream recipes for M's Little House On the Prairie 9th birthday party. We had the old fashioned crank machine (which the daddies nicely churned!) and just needed a good recipe! I looked at so many (including the one that came with the machine in 1950) that I started mixing them up. Below is one that had no picture attached, so I couldn't pin it. It seems worth referring to, at least. 


Low-fat French Vanilla Ice Cream
There's nothing better to top off a meal than a big bowl of homemade ice cream. If you've made your own ice cream before you know the ingredients: whole eggs, whole milk and cream. Those ingredients add up to lots of fat. So I've remade a recipe for French vanilla ice cream. It's smooth and creamy like the original, and while it's low in fat it's anything but low in flavor. 

Be sure to use vanilla flavoring instead of real vanilla.
Real vanilla extract contains alcohol
which sometimes keeps the 
ice cream from freezing. 
Dress up your homemade
ice cream with fresh fruits
or prepared topping.
Just make sure to check the 
ingredient label to for fat and calorie information.

Ingredients:
2 cups skim milk 
1 cup sugar 
4 eggs, beaten 
2 cups evaporated skim milk 
1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla flavoring 
Preparation:
Combine milk, sugar and eggs in large saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats spoon (160 degrees), about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. 
Stir in evaporated milk and vanilla flavoring. Chill. 

Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturers directions. Makes about 2 quarts. 

...so enjoy!
http://community.cookinglight.com/archive/index.php/t-863.html

Corn bread

So, Ella and I made white chili, green monster muffins, and this corn bread the other day. It's a great way to spend time together! This is Mark Bittman's recipe. If you have an iPad or iPhone (or iSomething I guess), the app is well worth the $9.99. Or buy the book!

Corn Bread
By Mark Bittman
From the How to Cook Everything^® app

Introduction:

Corn bread is unlike any other bread, with a deep corn flavor and slightly crunchy texture; few recipes deliver so much for so little work. The main recipe represents corn bread at its most traditional and most basic (some might call it slightly Spartan). For more intensely flavored renditions, see the variations here and the suggestions in 13 Additions To Virtually Any Quick Bread, Muffins, Biscuits, or Scones.

Ingredients:

• 1¼ cups buttermilk, milk (mixed with 1 tablespoon white vinegar if you want; see Step 1), or yogurt, plus more if needed
• 2 tablespoons butter, extra virgin olive oil, lard, or bacon drippings
• 1½ cups medium‐grind cornmeal
• ½ cup all‐purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar, or more if you like sweet corn bread
• 1 egg

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. If you want to make sour milk (approximating buttermilk), warm the milk gently to take the chill off—1 minute in the microwave is sufficient—and add the vinegar. Let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Put the fat or oil in an 8‐inch ovenproof skillet or square metal baking pan over medium heat; heat until good and hot, about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the egg into the buttermilk. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients just enough to combine; if it seems too dry, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top if necessary, and put in the oven.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the sides have pulled away from the pan; a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Serve hot or warm.

Better than the Box Mac-n-Cheese

So, you know how kids always like stovetop box mac-n-cheese better than the wonderful, hearty, feels-like-a-casserole baked kind. Well, mine sometimes like that, too, and my friend Renee has a fabulous recipe for it. But sometimes they (and let's face it, we) crave the smooth silky stovetop variety. SO. Alton Brown to the rescue! I copied this recipe from him--scribbled it on a magazine page, as a matter of fact, as he was giving it on Good Eats. It's great!

Alton Brown's Stove-top Mac-n-Cheese

First, cook

• 2 C elbow (AB says it MUST be elbow) macaroni in salted water

While it's cooking, whisk together:

• 2 eggs
• 6 oz. evaporated milk
• 3/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. hot sauce (I do skip this for my kiddos, although I add it back in for me)
• 1 tsp. salt
• pinch pepper

When pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot. Add these in this order:

• 4 Tbs. butter (melt it in)
• mixture from above
• 10 oz. shredded cheese (I tried half cheddar, half Gruyère last week--not a hit with Miss Three!)

Eat right away!

I half the recipe (halve?). It works just fine.

PS We just watched an episode of Good Eats called "The Ballad of Salty and Sweet." We're making this soon!

Multi-Grain Waffles

Thanks to my friend, Mrs. Carter the Culinary teacher, I have some easy and delectable recipes that I make with my kiddos. This morning it was Multi-Grain Waffles. Thanks, Mrs. C.! (She got it from EatingWell.com)

• 2 C buttermilk (I use milk when I don't have buttermilk)
• 1/2 C rolled oats, old-fashioned
• 2/3 C whole wheat flour
• 2/3 C AP flour
• 1/4 C toasted wheat germ OR cornmeal (I used cornmeal--can't find the wheat germ in the freezer)
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 lg eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1) Mix buttermilk and oats in medium bowl, let stand 15 minutes (while you mix up the dry team). (Mommy did this)

2) Whisk flours, wheat germ or cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon in large bowl. (This is Ella's job.)

3) Stir eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add wet team to dry. Mix with rubber spatula just until moistened. (Also Ella.)

4) Coat waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon enough batter to cover 3/4 of the surface. Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. (Mommy's job.)

Prep time: 30 min (it didn't take us that long)

Cook time: 15 min

Serves: 8, 2 waffles each

My New Helper

So, Maggie no longer seems interested in helping as much in the kitchen, but Ella always wants to! So I either need to make a new blog or expand this one.

Today we made our favorite chocolate chip

cookie recipe. Actually, any cookie recipe is Ella's favorite, but I've been making this one because it uses melted butter. And it's just easier to melt it than get it that just-right-warm-not-cold-not-melted consistency. Also,

if you use salted butter, this recipe has almost a caramel-like flavor to it. I use a whole bag of Ghiradelli chips, minus 4 or 5 for the kiddos. Ella had a few and then saved the rest for Maggie, who was at school.

We packed some up to bring to the green and share with our friends, but our outing was short-lived. The past few days it's been cold enough to skate, but today it was decidedly NOT. The big kids decided to traverse the pond and Maggie almost made it. Three feet from the edge, she went through and lost her shoe! I think she was more upset about that than getting soaked and freezing! That set about a chain of events that ended in our friend's 4-year-old trying to get the shoe and getting stuck in the hole! The water was past her knees, and she could not and would not get out. So I trekked in, grabbed her AND the shoe and we were all out. Cold, wet, but safe. Did I mention it was about 50 degrees? No hardship. Oh, and we were each within minutes of our homes. So we went our separate ways, to warmth and baths, but no cookies! We will share them a different day. Maybe the green will be cold enough tomorrow! If only we can skate around the giant holes somebody made...