Pumpkin Cookies and a Sweetheat of a Mutt

Friday was my "I'm going to hang out with my sister and do things that sisters do" day. Miss Monkey and I don't get to hang out very often. She lives about an hour away and until a few weeks ago worked non-stop. I was also frantically trying to finish several projects at work. So, Friday outings to see her were pretty much out of the question.

Anyway, Miss Monkey and I were trying to figure out what we were going to do on Friday. We discussed shopping for beads, but I didn't think Bug would appreciate my homecoming with a haul of beads. He tolerates my camera habit, my bicycle habit, my book habit, and my running habit. He's aware that I have a bead habit and a yarn habit, but so long as I keep them somewhat concealed and under control, he doesn't mind terribly. He's also aware that if I go bead shopping with Miss Monkey I might not practice the necessary amount of restraint. (Miss Monkey also has a bead habit.) He practically begged me not to procure additional beads. So. Bead shopping was out.

We considered going for a walk, but it was overcast, windy, and chilly. Such a loss, because the leaves are changing. I've marveled at the colors all week. Stunning.

We opted for lunch at a Chinese restaurant, an afternoon filled with movies that most boys won't watch, and baking. Mmmm, cookies!

Miss Monkey also asked me to make her dinner. She specifically requested something that I love but Bug does not. Perfect. You see why I adore Miss Monkey, yes?

Now. My sister has a dog. He's named Marley. After the musician, not the dog from that book by John Grogan. Marley is huge. As in practically a horse huge. He's a mix of Great Dane and pit bull. Looks just like a Great Dane, but he's brindle like a pit. He's beautiful. But, most importantly, he's a sweetheart of a dog. Miss Monkey has a way with him. They're kind of incredible to watch.

Anyway, while Miss Monkey washed dishes, I mixed up a batch of pumpkin spice cookies and some maple royal icing. I dyed the icing a lovely shade of red, and the cookies were a perfect orange. I put the first tray in the oven and cringed through the opening credits of Music and Lyrics. Cute movie, but the corny 80s pop hit a little too close to home.

We got about 15 minutes into the movie before I went to put the next pan of cookies in the oven. A pan of cookies that I'd already scooped onto a cookie sheet and left on the counter. I'd left them on a counter that is about the same height as my sister's Great Dane/pit bull mix. There were no cookies on the counter when I wanted to put them in the oven. Marley had eaten the entire pan of cookies and licked it clean.

To be honest, we should have known something was up when he came out of the kitchen with his head down.

Miss Monkey, being the head of the household, scolded him and put him in his kennel. I've never seen a more dejected, sad looking dog in my life. He had his paw over his muzzle in shame. I let him out after about half an hour, and Miss Monkey told him that he needed to come to me for cuddles because she was still mad at him.

He's a good dog. You can't blame a dog for doing the things a dog does.

So, without further ado, I present to you, the recipe for pumpkin cookies:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 pinch salt

In a medium bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and orange zest. Stir in the pumpkin. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, mix well. Sift together the flour, spice, and salt; stir into the pumpkin mixture. 

Chill dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Decorate with frosting or candy.

Miss Monkey and I did not have cookie cutters. Thankfully. We would have made a mess of things if we did, because I didn't add enough flour. I'm a horrible transcriber of recipes. I forgot to write down how much flour was needed. So I eye-balled it. But, they were freakin' delicious. The recipe above is an approximation of what we made on Friday. Basically, add enough flour so the dough is stiff, but not unworkable if you're mixing by hand. Miss Monkey said that she preferred the cookies to pumpkin pie. Blasphemer.

Take Back the Value Meal

We're fans of local food in our house. We're lucky that in South Carolina we have access to amazing fresh, local produce for most of the year. There are so many reasons why eating local is a good idea - economic, environmental, and most importantly, it's delicious. It's kind of incredible to talk to the person who grew your strawberries. You can't put a face with the peach you buy at the grocery store. (Speaking of which, grocery store peaches are gross, don't go there. Anyone who has had a really good peach from a roadside stand or farmer's market can tell you it's not worth it.)

Unfortunately, local food has a reputation for being more expensive. While this notion is utterly incorrect, it's pretty common. The Boyfriend and I spent $12 at the farmers market and brought home a bushel of peaches, a peck of peppers, and 2 lbs of apples. And everything we bought was grown within 50 miles of our house.

Last weekend, I went to a potluck to celebrate Take Back the Value Meal and initiative by Slow Food USA to demonstrate that local food can be affordable. The basic gist is this: a meal created with local food that costs $5 or less per serving. I'm so there.

I wasn't sure what I was going to make, so when we went to the farmers market, I bought what I could find. Some of the ingredients I used weren't strictly local. Butter for instance. I know that there are places to buy local butter, but I was under a time constraint and couldn't comb the city. Sugar and quinoa were other considerations. I had quinoa left from a dish I made the evening before. I would rather use what I have on hand than let food go to waste. And hell if I know where to buy local sugar. I don't think such a thing exists. Aside from those, most everything else was local, even the flour.

I made two dishes for the potluck. First up, peach cobbler.

You will need:

• 6 peaches of a decent size, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed, then divided
  
• 1 tsp. corn starch
• 1 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 1/4 c. hot water

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the peaches, half the sugar, and the corn starch in a large bowl. Mix until the peaches are coated with sugar. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the butter. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until pea sized pieces form. Or use a pastry blender. Whatever. Add the hot water, stirring until just combined. Now, the consistency is going to be...weird. Don't worry about it. It'll work itself out in the oven. Spoon the batter over the peaches. Don't worry if you've got holes in the cobbler topping, just try to make it even. It will spread as it cooks, and it'll be delicious.

Pop it in the oven and let it bake for 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

I also made stuffed bell peppers. From the peck of peppers at the farmers market.

Anyway, for this one you will need:

• 1 c. cooked quinoa
• 1 c. mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 1 c. artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• a pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 2 c. tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary
• a pinch of sugar
  
• A peck of peppers (I used 7 smallish ones, but you could probably stuff 4 large peppers)

Combine the olive oil, onions, and mushrooms in a skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms lose their liquid. Add the garlic, nutmeg, thyme, and artichoke hearts. Cook until the moisture has evaporated. Add the quinoa, and cook until heated through. Check the seasoning, and add salt and pepper if needed. (I cooked my quinoa in broth, so no additional salt was needed.)

While the vegetables are cooking, clean the peppers. I cut off the top and remove the ribs. Some people like to cut the peppers in half lengthwise and clean them that way. I like the fact that the peppers make a self-contained, easy to serve package of delicious. But, whatever. It's your food, do it your way.

After the peppers are cleaned, stuff them with the quinoa and vegetable mixture. Add them to your slow cooker or a baking dish. Combine the rosemary, tomato sauce, and sugar. Pour the sauce over the peppers. If this is in your slow cooker, cook it on low for 6 hours, or until the peppers are starting to look wrinkled. If it's going in the oven, cook it at 375 until the peppers are wrinkled. Feel free to top the peppers with cheese. I didn't, but it would probably be delicious.

An apology to a colleague

I need to apologize to one of my co-workers. You see, I promised her I would update this blog with a specific recipe. Then I forgot. And then, I promised again. I was busy. Truth be told, I feel pretty bad about it, but I'm going to try to get better. So, my friend (you know who you are), I am sorry.

A few weeks ago, another co-worker was kind enough to invite us to a potluck/game night. The Boyfriend and I had a fantastic time. More fun than we'd had in a good while.

I could not figure out what to bring. So many options -- I'm a decent baker, so dessert or bread would have worked. Baked goods are usually easy to transport, but I knew someone else would be bringing dessert. Some sort of an entree, but what's easy to transport? Another friend has food allergies, so I wanted to bring something that she could eat as well.

Finally, I decided on this: Spanish white beans with spinach. The boyfriend and I love this dish. I serve it to company when I know there will be a time crunch and I still want to impress. I've made it for job-related functions with great success. Of course I was taking the Spanish white beans and spinach.

This recipe is adapted from the November 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine. Oh, Gourmet, how we miss you in this household.

You will need:

• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped, oil reserved
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (If you cannot find smoked paprika, just use sweet. I won't tell.)
  
• 2 (19-ounces cans) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water
• 2 (10-ounces) bags spinach, tough stems removed
• salt and pepper
  

Add the onion, tomatoes, and reserved oil to a large, heavy bottomed pot. Cook at medium - low until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic, and paprika, and cook until fragrant. Add the beans, water, spinach, a pinch salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until the beans are heated through and the spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally.

That's it. Really. I can get this dish prepped, cooked, and on the table in 20 - 30 minutes. The Boyfriend loves it. I love it. Everyone loves it. Seriously. Even the self-avowed bean hater I used to work with likes this dish. Try it. It's fast, fairly inexpensive, and delicious. What's not to love about that?

Chipotle is the spice of life

I love spicy food. I'm not quite sure why - aside from my grandfather and aunt, no one in my family was fond of anything spicier than a bell pepper. Poppy and me though? Bring on the spice. Hot sauce on eggs. Wings. Sriracha. Curry. Mustard. I'm all about food so spicy it makes me sweat.

What I do not like, however, is how god-forsaken hot it has been here. One day last week, the heat index was 114. In weather like that, what exactly, are you supposed to eat? I wanted something refreshing, but not a salad. I mean, I love salad. I eat it every day for lunch. But, woman cannot live on salad alone.

So, I thought, if I can't beat the heat, why not eat it?

I wanted something spicy, but refreshing. We'd already eaten stir-fry, and I can't make a good curry to save my life. I didn't want to have to turn on the oven, nor did I want to have to stand over the stove and stir. Soup. Corn soup. Not traditional corn chowder, heavy on cream, something lighter. Chipotle corn soup.

Oh, it was good. Slightly tart from the lime, but smooth and creamy. And spicy. The kind that almost makes you welcome the heat. Almost.

This is how it goes down.

You will need:

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 c. fresh or frozen corn

1 1/2 c. creamed corn

juice and zest of 1 lime

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely diced

1 tsp vegetable bouillon (I used a chicken flavored vegetable base)

2 c. water

1 tsp adobo seasoning, or to taste

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 c. soy creamer

1 Tbsp. corn starch

Combine the olive oil and onions in a pot, over medium - low heat. Saute until the onions have started to brown, then add the garlic. Cook until fragrant.

Add both types of corn, the lime, pepper, bouillon, adobo seasoning, and water. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the whole kernel corn is cooked through. Whisk the corn starch into the soy creamer. Add the mixture, along with the cilantro, to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until it has thickened.

Oh, failure, the best teacher

Since the last time I posted, I lost my vegetable garden. The Boyfriend was kind enough to till a 5' x 10' patch, and we put in all kinds of vegetables - sauce tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, squash, zucchini, banana peppers, hot peppers, bell peppers, and cucumbers. I harvested exactly 1 squash, 1 cucumber, and 3 tomatoes. From what friends and neighbor told me, I'm not the only one who lost a garden this year. It's been abnormally hot and dry, and even with daily watering, it wasn't enough. So it goes.

For the most part, the shade garden on the north side of my house has stayed clear of ivy. I've had to pull up a few vines, but it seems that for the moment, I have it under control. Unfortunately, there are two other invasive vine species in my yard, one of which is wreaking havoc. It's choking out the azaleas beside our sunroom. I had planned on pulling up the azaleas anyway, as it's too shady for them to bloom on that side of the house. A friend suggested painting Roundup on the stems of the cut vines, and although don't want to resort to pesticides, it's likely I'll follow her advice. These vines are very deep-rooted, spread underground, and are difficult to pull up.

I'm continuing to investigate xeriscaping. This summer really put a beating on us. The grass I planted last fall failed, even with watering. I realize that I'm probably not watering enough, but I don't want to encourage shallow roots in the grass. So, I'm looking for an alternate ground cover that does well in shade, can be planted this fall, and won't need tons of watering.

In other news, The Boyfriend and I have decided to institute crapshoot night in our house. Between the two of us, there are a limited number of foods we will eat. As noted previously, he does not like most root vegetables, with the exception of potatoes. I find this discouraging, as I love beets, onions, and a variety of other things he will not touch with a barge pole. I won't eat dairy unless it is in something in such small quantities t that it won't cause obnoxious skin problems.

So, crapshoot night. Last week I made myself eggplant parmigiana (made with Daiya). The Boyfriend wanted mac and cheese from a box with veggies mixed in. So, that's what he got. It was glorious. I was happy, he was happy, and angel choirs could be heard singing from the heavens. This week I decided that I wanted veggie burgers with sweet potato fries. Normally, The Boyfriend shrinks at anything involving sweet potatoes, so I was surprised when he told me that he wanted that as well, and I had to find something else to have for crapshoot night this week.

Well.

Clearly, he gets his way.

Also surprising to me was how long it had been since I last updated. Five months. I need to stay on top of it. I do have a few excuses though. Involvement in community groups, family commitments, and a new job have been keeping me busy. No more. I had coffee with a good friend today and he kindly suggested that I take time to write each day. He's not the first who suggested it, and he's right. Maybe I'll aim for three times a week?

Hard on the back, good for the soul

Pulling vines up by the roots leads to sore muscles. But it feels so good to look at an area that was previously overrun with ivy, briars, and vines cleared out and almost ready for planting. I know I've posted about my struggles with vines and grass in the past. I've decided to stop fighting the grass. If it lives, so be it. If not, we're going to start looking to alternative ground coverings. I'm a little anxious about something like periwinkle, ginger, or lily-of-the-valley. I don't want to have eradicated all the vines in my yard just to have something else take over and get completely out of control.

The ivy on the other hand...oh, it's on. Full out war mode here. The ivy, vines, and briars are going down. I will win this.

I've been dedicating an hour a day to yard work. The side yard beside our kitchen is almost completely cleared of overgrowth. Next week will see that I start foxglove to put in that space. Our sunroom overlooks the area between our kitchen and our neighbor's yard, and it's perfect for a shade garden. Right now, I'm looking at a combination of hostas, foxglove, and astilbe. There were a few other plants I considered putting in that space, but aside from foxglove, I haven't made any final decisions about that flower bed.

I'm pondering whether or not I want to start a vegetable garden this year. I love fresh tomatoes and bell peppers. I think The Boyfriend would die and go to heaven if we had an abundance of yellow squash. Fresh sweet peas. Cucumbers for uborkasalata. Sauce tomatoes. It all goes off without a hitch in my head. In my life, I would be fighting the squirrels for every morsel.

Speaking of the squirrels, I'm pretty sure I angered a large portion of the neighborhood squirrel population by digging up all the vines in our side yard. I've never seen so many pecans buried in all my life. The Boyfriend and I need a trained hawk or something to control that particular population. The neighborhood cat is doing a lousy job.

Clearing out the vines has been good for my spirit. I won't go into detail, but it's given me a lot of time to think about the nature of our relationships with each other, as human beings. No profound metaphors from me, but it's been a good place for me to clear my head. It's filling the space left by running. Hopefully I'll feel well enough to start running again next week, but even if I do, I think I'll keep this habit of spending some time each day gardening.

A final comment: Earlier today, The Boyfriend tapped on the kitchen window to let me know it was time to come in and get ready for work. He caught me at the exact moment I had discovered that I was going to be able to uproot some briars. After giving him a smile and a thumbs up to let him know I was headed inside, I grabbed the briars by the root and pulled with all my might. After a couple of good tugs, it finally came out of the ground, sending me tumbling over backward. Immediately, I sprang up, smiling triumphantly, holding the mess of briars up for inspection by The Boyfriend. He looked mildly alarmed at first (it must have looked pretty bad to see me go head over heels) then smiled. Overjoyed, I dragged it to the street, tossed it on the pile, and went inside for a most satisfying lunch.

Yum, onions

Last week I made two dishes that required deeply caramelized onions. At that point, the Boyfriend (who does not care for anything in which onion is the dominant flavor) was in California for an undetermined amount of time, so I figured I'd better jump on my opportunity to take down 5 lbs of onions in one fell swoop.

After thinly slicing an entire bag of onions and putting them in the biggest dutch oven I own, I added a stick of butter, turned the stove to low heat, and let the onions and butter do their thing. I cleaned the kitchen, then stirred the onions. Vacuumed the house. Stirred the onions. Read a few chapters of a book. Stirred the onions. Spaced out for a while. Stirred the onions. Basically, my entire afternoon was dedicated to killing time while the onions did their thing. It got pretty frustrating toward the end, because they smelled AMAZING.

By the time they were ready, it was time for me to get ready for dinner with The Boyfriend's family. Dinner was amazing, but that's a story for another time. So, the onions got scooped into a container so I could deal with them when I got home.

Back to the onions. Half stayed in the container, while the other half went to make French onion soup. So, back into the dutch oven they went, along with:

• 6 c. beef flavored broth*
  
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c. white wine**
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. thyme

I let everything simmer for 30 minutes or so while I finished cleaning the kitchen, then put it in the fridge for lunch the following day. One of my co-workers joined me for lunch the next day. I didn't have any gruyere or swiss on hand, so we just ate it with hunks of bread and a salad. So tasty. While part of me thinks it's a pity The Boyfriend hates onions, I just remind myself that there's more leftovers for me.

* I used Better than Boullion's No-Beef base because that's how we roll at this spinster's house.
**White is what I had on hand. Next time I'll probably use red.

"So, what," you ask, "happened to the rest of those caramelized onions?"

Well, I'll tell you.

I made mujadara. It was so good that I think I've sworn off chicken and rice forever. Chicken and rice is my go-to dish when I'm sick, and although we've given up meat, chicken and rice is what I crave on days I feel lousy.

Mujadara is incredibly simple to make. You will need:

• caramelized onions
• 1 c. lentils
• 1 c. basmati rice

That's it. No, really. Cook the lentils and the rice, and mix everything together. It's mindbogglingly good. So simple. So delicious. My brother was in town for the evening and between the two of us, we took down almost the entire pot of mujadara. I had a little left over for lunch the next day, but that's because we went out to have a couple of beers. I'm pretty sure if we'd stayed in, there wouldn't have been any left.

Also, neat little trick I learned: caramelized onions can be frozen. Oh, and another quick note, both of these dishes can be made vegan by switching the butter for a spread like Earth Balance.