Pumpkin Scones

I (Daughter) love pumpkin anything, and I especially love fall because it gives me a good excuse to add pumpkin to everything!  Yesterday, I bought some pumpkin butter at the store, and needed something besides a traditional biscuit or English muffin to spread it on (although either option sounds pretty darn good...).  I looked for a pumpkin scone recipe online when I got home, and of course, didn't like any of what I found.  So I took inspiration from several different recipes.  They turned out a little more moist and dense than a traditional scone, and I attribute that to the moistness of the pumpkin.  Here goes!

Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1 can unsweetened pumpkin puree

¼ cup milk

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Topping:

2 tbsp milk

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cinnamon

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 400° F.  Prepare a baking sheet…I like to use a Silpat silicone mat on a cookie sheet, but if you don’t have a Silpat, spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2.       Cream together butter and sugar, then add egg, pumpkin puree, and ¼ cup milk.  Beat until smooth. 

3.       In a separate mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Add pumpkin mixture, and knead together with a pastry blender until all ingredients are incorporated.  The dough will be sticky and somewhat gooey.

4.       Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Brush the tops of the scones with milk, and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the top.

5.       Bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool before serving.

Makes about 18 scones.

Green Chile Mac & Cheese

A few weeks ago, I (Daughter) started thinking about green chile mac & cheese.  Comfort food with a touch of New Mexico flavor.  It became a little bit of an obsession, and here's what I came up with.  In my humble (HA!) opinion, this one's a keeper!

Ingredients:

2 c whole wheat rotini pasta

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cans peeled chopped green chiles

Olive oil

Cheese sauce:

2 tbsp butter

¼ c all-purpose flour

1 can green enchilada sauce

1 can evaporated fat free milk

1 tsp ground mustard

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/2 brick Neufchatel, (or reduced-fat cream cheese) cut into small cubes

1 ½ c pepper jack cheese, shredded

1 ½ c Mexican blend cheese, shredded (I used reduced-fat, and it worked well)

Topping:

½ c bread crumbs

¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp ground mace

2 tbsp butter, melted

1.        Preheat oven to 375° F

2.       Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook 10 minutes or until al dente.  Drain pasta.

3.       While pasta cooks, sauté onion and garlic together until onion is crisp-tender and opaque in color.  Add cooked onion & garlic and green chiles to cooked, drained pasta.  Spritz with olive oil to keep from sticking.  Set aside. 

4.       In a large saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tbsp butter.  Whisk in a little flour (about 1/4 of the total amount) and cook, stirring 1 minute.  A little at a time, whisk in green enchilada sauce, milk, the rest of the flour, ground mustard, and fresh ground black pepper.  Stir constantly.  Whisk in cheeses little by little until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cooked pasta and pour into shallow 2 quart baking dish.  I sprayed the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray first for easier clean-up.

5.       Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter.  Stir in bread crumbs, cayenne pepper, cumin, and mace.   Sprinkle over pasta mixture.

6.       Bake, covered in preheated oven 10 minutes.  Remove cover, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I was FAR too eager to taste the final product, so I didn't get any good pics!

Serves: 8

Veggie (or not!) Corn Dog Bites

When I (Daughter) lived in California, I was a big Trader Joe's junkie.  Among my favorite freezer items were the Veggie Corn Dogs.  Simple.  Tasty.  One minute in the microwave and I was embracing my inner 4 year old.  So now that I live in Texas and the nearest Trader Joe's is 4 hours away, I needed to find a substitute.  Our local health food store doesn't sell anything similar, and I don't have the first clue how to make corn dogs, so here's my bite-sized veggie take on the corn dog.  This simple recipe could make a fun hors d'oeuvres for a casual bbq, too!
Ingredients:

• Corn muffin mix (I prefer Arrowhead Mills Organic Corn Muffin Mix)
• 4 Veggie hot dogs, sliced in 1/4 inch thick slices (or regular hot dogs, if you prefer)

Utensils:

• Melon baller
• Mini-muffin pan (the kind that makes 24).  I prefer the silicone pans.

Prepare corn muffin batter according to package directions. Spray muffin pan with non-stick baking spray, such as "Baker's Joy."  Using melon baller, fill each cavity halfway with batter. Place 1 veggie hot dog slice in each cavity, then fill cavity the rest of the way with batter.

Bake according to muffin mix instructions, or until muffins are golden and glorious! 

Makes about 36 corn dog bites. 

Spinach Basil Pizza

First you start with fresh basil. This basil plant was a gift, brought to me from a trip to Trader Joe's in Albuquerque. It had the most enormous basil leaves I've ever seen! Of course, now the plant is dead...I (Daughter) can't seem to keep a basil plant alive to save my life. It's really sad, actually, because I think fresh basil should be a food group.

I learned this simple recipe from friends, who used pepperoni* instead of the sun-dried tomatoes. Here's my veggie twist.

1 prepackaged pizza crust
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bag fresh baby spinach leaves, stems removed
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, stems removed
1/2 red onion, diced
1 pkg crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1. Preheat oven according to prepackaged crust directions.
2. In small microwavable bowl, combine olive oil and garlic together. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and set aside.
3. Combine spinach and basil leaves on a cutting board, and coarsely chop.
4. Spread olive oil & garlic mixture over pizza crust.
5. Top pizza with spinach & basil, add red onion, feta cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes.
6. Bake according to prepackaged crust directions.
7. Slice and enjoy!

*If you choose to add pepperoni to this pizza, spread a thin layer of pepperoni on a paper towel, cover with another paper towel, and microwave for about 20 seconds. Blot any excess grease before adding pepperoni to the pizza to avoid giving the spinach an oily texture.