Happy Halloween

Fall-ing in Love with Hash

• Sweet Potato, Bacon and Apple Hash
• Anne Burrell, Food Network
• 2 garnet yams, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 4 to 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into lardons ( I used Turkey Bacon)
• 1 large onion, cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted (I did not use these)

This fall-flavored hash is so good! The combination of the semi-crisp and tart apple bits merge in your mouth with the caramelized sweet potato and the saltiness of the bacon converges with the sweet soft onion. You will surely fall in love with this fall hash, it defiantly leaves you wanting more!

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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, add the sweet potatoes, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, to taste. Toss to coat and arrange them on a baking sheet. Roast the sweet potatoes until they are soft but not mushy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the bacon and put the pan over medium heat. When the bacon has started to get crispy and brown, add the onions, season with salt and saute until the onions are very soft and aromatic. Add the apples and the scallion whites and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the sweet potatoes, and saute until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and starting to become crispy, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the scallion greens and pumpkin seeds.

Weight Watchers: Aprox 1/2 cup equals 7 points with the Turkey Bacon

Zero, Zilch, Zip, Nada, Nil

All of these add up to 0...  nothing. Not a single Weight Watcher point!  Not a one!  

No points hanging out here!  

This is a Halloween miracle. I have two, zero point recipes here for you lucky lucky people.  So you ask yourselves... (in disbelief) Kate, how is this possible and does it taste good?  Ok, so life isn't ever really like this, but it is really late and I have been cooking and working on my halloween costume all day... so I might be a bit crazy; but not about the W.W. points.  I have been working on low and no point snacks and meals and this is my favorite so far. Please enjoy, even if you are not on W.W. and you are happy with your weight!

I know a lot of people would rather get their fill of pumpkin out of the can or pumpkin bread or soup. I also know that many people I know don't even know how to make pumpkin from a pumpkin, so let me help you out.  I love pumpkins, everything from the smell of raw to cooked, the color to the  feeling of holding a pumpkin. I love holidays (if you didn't know by now) and turkey for Thanksgiving, latkes for Hanukkah and to pumpkin for Halloween.  Now turkey and latkes are not going to work as well as pumpkin for my W.W. diet, but I will cross that delicious bridge when I get there. For now, I will enjoy my fill of pumpkin.

Kate's Roasted Zero Point Spiced Pumpkin: #1 Zero W.W. points

These are from 3 different pie pumpkins, cleaned and seed free. I recommend the Pie Pumpkins. The darker the pumpkin, the richer the flavor. 1 small to medium pie pumpkin is enough for 3 or 4 servings.

Preheat the oven to 375˚

Slice off the top and bottom of the  pumpkin and slice in half. Scoop out the seeds and slimy stuff. Slice the pumpkin into small 3 inch long slices and make sure all of the stringy stuff is off, I use a paring knife and scrape it off. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam and arrange the pumpkin slices and spray them with Pam.  Sprinkle salt, pepper, cumin and cinnamon on the pumpkin sliced and place into the oven.

Note if you very moist pumpkin: Before you put the pumpkin in the oven, fill a 9 x 13" casserole dish or baking pan with water and put it in the oven on the bottom shelf.

Bake the pumpkin for 35 to 55 minutes.  The pumpkin should be easy to pull off of the peel and soft to cut. Serve hot with spray butter.

Kate's Roasted Zero Point Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin: #2 Zero W.W. points

Preheat the oven to 375˚

Slice off the top and bottom of the  pumpkin and slice in half. Scoop out the seeds and slimy stuff. Slice the pumpkin into small 3 inch long slices and make sure all of the stringy stuff is off, I use a paring knife and scrape it off. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam and arrange the pumpkin slices and spray them with Pam.  Sprinkle with cinnamon on the pumpkin sliced and place into the oven.

Bake the pumpkin for 35 to 55 minutes.  The pumpkin should be easy to pull off of the peel and soft to cut. 

Sprinkle pumpkin pie  spice on the pumpkin and serve hot with spray butter.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Clean off most of the pumpkin from the seeds, if there is some left don't worry, it will just add flavor.  Heat olive oil and salt in a pan. Add in the seeds and stir often. After 5 minutes, sprinkle in cumin and chilli powder or cinnamon and allspice and stir well. When the pumpkin seeds are slightly toasty in color, remove them from the heat and spread out on a foil covered cookie tray.  Bake in a oven or toaster oven for 5 or 6 minutes. You will here the seeds pop. 

While the seeds are toasting, prepare some papertowels to soak off some of the extra oil. Carefully pour the hot seeds over the papertowls and let sit for a few minutes to cool off.  Salt again and season to taste. Serve and enjoy!

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Fruit Muffins and Feast Photos

Another Feast of the Hunters Moon recipe:

Combine:

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp allspice

Add:

• 2 small jars any fruit baby food
• (plum or an of the apple blends work well)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil

Stir by hand until all ingredients are mixed well.

Grease or spray with Pam miniature muffin tins. Fill halfway with muffin batter. Bake for 15-17 minutes (or longer) until the edgers of the muffins pull away from the sides of the tin. Makes about 60 mini muffins.

Personalized Luck!

What luck!

French Water Bread from The Feast of the Hunters Moon

French Water Bread

This bread was served at the Feast of the Hunters Moon. It is so good, thick and hearty, ad very very good. Yum! The Feast bread is made with a mixture of equal amounts of whole-wheat flour and white flour. One batch will take approximately 8 to 10 cups of the flour mix.

In a large bowl, mix together:

5 cups warm water

2 PKG dry yeast or 2 scant TBSP yeast

4 Tbsp honey

Let mixture set until thick and bubbly.

Add:

2 TBSP salt

about 3 or 4 cups of flour, or enough to make a thick mixture

1 cup corn meal

Mix thoroughly and add more flour as needed to make a workable dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until dough becomes smooth and elastic adding more flour as needed. Divide dough by cutting in half, kneading each section again. Cut again and knead the four balls. Repeat until there are 8 small balls of dough. Form into 8 round loaves and place in greased clay saucers or on greased cookie sheet. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done in a 350˚ degree oven.

To season clay flowerpot saucers for baking, use the same method as seasoning iron skillets. Grease the insides of the saucer liberally with shortening and heat for 3 to 4 hours in a 250˚ oven. Rub with shortening several times during the heating period. Before using the saucers the first time, be sure to grease them well. At the Feast, the saucers are re-greased for every baking.

Speaking of Traditons...

Finding Home Again through Traditions

There is an old recipe I came across earlier this year. It was hiding in plain sight, on the inside of the cover, in a really old/loved cookbook. This recipe book, that I boroughed from my mom, was published by a group of women in our Temples Sisterhood. In this book are most of my favorite traditional recipes that we use for everything from Hanukkah to Passover. I have the same cookbook in my collection, it had been my bubbe's copy. I don't know why I borrowed this same book from my mom, but I am so glad I did. In the inside of the ripped, torn, stained cover that is held together with a rubber band, I found riches for my soul. In lovely old fashioned hand writing was my Bubbe's chicken with allspice recipe. It was stained with age and wrinkled and torn, but too me it was like finding home again.

I grew up in two homes. One with my mom and dad and my brother Josh, full of gourmet food and toys, games and books. The other home was in my grandparent’s house across town. This home was full of traditions, books, movies, video games like Where in the World is Carmen Santiago and The Oregon Trail. Bubbe and Grandpa’s home wasn't filled with toys, just a few favorite oldies (like my old jumpy horse and fake sink with plastic pretend dishes to wash) but there were so many things to do at this house other than play.

 

Bubbe was always teaching me to sew, and cook and bake. I learned that 1 bottle of grape jelly and 1 bottle of ketchup could make awesome Swedish meatball sauce! They had a huge bolder in the back yard to climb on and watch grampa water the basil growing in huge barrels. There was always something new and awesome to do or learn.

They say that home is where you are loved and where you feel safe and where your heart is. Well, my heart has always been in my Bubbe and Grampa's home in Sanibel and in West Lafayette. I find myself visiting those wonderful old days in my dreams all the time. Finding this recipe is also like finding my way back home again. The funny thing is... I never liked this chicken as a child.

1 large onion, sliced
3 carrots, quartered
2 potatoes, quartered
3 to 4 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon paprika
2 garlic cloves or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon whole allspice
Oil

In a large pan sauté 1 large onion in some oil until onions are soft and beginning to brown. Remove onions from the pan temporarily. Make a paste of oil, garlic (cut up 2 cloves or use 1/2 teaspoon powdered), paprika and salt. Dip pieces of chicken in this mixture. You can if desired marinate the chicken in the paprika and garlic. Add about 1 teaspoon of whole allspice (this is very important). Sauté the chicken until a nice color (no longer pale) about 1/2 hour. Quarter potatoes and cut up carrots, add the onions back into the pan. Cover. Cook covered about 1/2 hour or until the chicken's internal temperature hits 165˚. (This recipe can be changed for the amount of chicken or if you make thighs or drumsticks. Please check the temperature at the half way point and at 15 minutes of the remaining 1/2 hour. Enjoy!

Traditional Jewish Foods

Now that the fast has past, let me introduce you to one of my all time favorite foods, Jewish noodle kugel!

I recommend filling belly with this delicious, rich, sweet and down right decadent kugel. This is one of my favorite noodle kugels. The recipe was given to me by a good friend, C.R. It is sweet and warm and so delicious.

Making traditional food like this brings me back to when I was young. This food is home-y traditional and it reminds me of so many other holidays before. I know you all get that I love to cook, but my heritage and my food are very intertwined in who I am as well as how I define myself.

I am a Jewish girl... these traditional foods and these Jewish traditions are part of my soul. Part of the crazy, yummy, delicious, decadent part of my DNA. This is a perfect make ahead dish.

Batter:

1 8 oz Cream Cheese, room temp

1 cup Sour Cream

4 Eggs, beaten

1 jar Apricot Jam, warmed

1 16 oz) pkg semi-broad Noodles

Topping:

1 cup crushed Cornflakes

⅓ stick Butter

Salt

Brown Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350° Boil and drain noodles and set aside. Divide the butter in half, melt one half and set the other piece aside for later. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese, ½ cup of melted butter, sour cream, and eggs. Spray the bottom and sides of pan with cooking spray. Place ½ of the noodles on the bottom and cover with ½ of the batter. Use ½ of the warmed apricot jam and spread the jam over the noodles and batter. Repeat with noodle, batter and jam. Crush the cornflakes and sprinkle them over the top, sprinkle some brown sugar over the cornflakes. Slice up the remaining butter and sprinkle on top of the kugel. Bake for 1 to 1½ hours- watch closely the last ½ hour. Serve hot!

Yields: 1 9x13" pan or 2 loaf pans. This can be reheated in the oven, covered with foil.

These are my grandmother's silver kugel servers.

This baked kugel is a messy dish and unlike lasagna, it will almost never stay in one piece.