Sweetie Pie

Pie Pumpkin Soup

This easy pumpkin soup recipe from Alton Brown is fun to make with kids this time of year.  Pie pumpkins are smaller than the large type we buy to carve into Jack O Lanterns.  These little cuties are sweeter, more flavorful and have bright orange flesh.  There are a few varieties of pie pumpkins including one called 'Sugar Pie', but I couldn't find any specific varieties around here and had to settle for a generic 'Pie Pumpkin.' 
You wouldn't want to try this recipe with one of those large pumpkins because they're bred to be big and tough so they can hold up to carving and resist rotting while sitting on your front porch.  Taste is not a priority with the big guys.
Look for pie pumpkins that are bright orange and firm with the stem attached.  Take them home and wash them thoroughly.  Then cut the top off and scoop out the seeds.  Place all the gook and slime and seeds in a bowl and put your kids to work separating out the seeds for toasting later.  Our little guy loves being involved in making snacks, and this job kept him busy for a good long while.

Pie Pumpkin Soup

recipe from Alton Brown

1 pie pumpkin

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup cream  (I think you could use coconut milk here if you can't do dairy.)

1 apple, peeled and diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon butter

salt, pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Take the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.  Place the pumpkin in a foil lined casserole dish to protect your oven from spills.  Put all remaining ingredients inside the hollow pumpkin, place the lid back on and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Take the lid off and scrape the inside of the pumpkin so that the flesh mixes with the other ingredients.  Use an immersion blender to smooth it all out into a delicious fall soup.  Mr. Brown recommends a goat cheese and fresh thyme garnish which sounds delicious, but I forgot to buy goat cheese and it was still really yummy.

This was a fun and simple recipe to make.  The soup is a great starter to any fall meal, warming and tasty.  The toasted pumpkin seeds were also a big hit in our house. 

 

Biscotti

We returned home from a gorgeous tropical vacation to be greeted by dreary gray skies and soggy spitting rain.  Just about the only way to have a good day in this weather is to start off with a steaming mug of coffee with the extra goodness of a nice crunchy biscotti for dunking.  I'm definitely a dunker.  I'll dunk anything from a donut to bagels to toast in my coffee, but nothing beats a nice crunchy cookie that holds up to repeated dunks.

The word biscotti comes from the Italian bis for twice, cotto for baked or cooked.  The method of baking them in a log, slicing and baking them a second time allows the biscuits to dry out and have a long shelf life.  Traditional recipes always have almonds, and do not contain any added butter or fat, only eggs. Although biscotti appear to have originated in Italy, there are similar forms of dry cookies or biscuits in cultures around the world.  

This recipe is from Cooking Light magazine, so it's very low in fat and has the benefit of whole wheat flour and flax seed.  It's practically a health food.  You should absolutely eat lots of these cookies!

Well, I did alter the recipe a little bit by melting some extra chocolate chips to decorate with.  I just love the slightly melted chocolate coating, so silky and rich on the crunchy cookie after a dunk in hot coffee.

Biscotti

from Cooking Light

2 cups whole wheat flour ( I used 1c whole wheat and 1c all purpose - let's not get carried away with the healthy stuff - these are cookies after all.)

2 tablespoons flaxseed

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 egg whites

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

3/4 cup unsalted almonds

extra chocolate chips for melting and decorating if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, flaxseed, soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.  Beat the egg whites, egg, sugars and vanilla in a separate bowl on high speed for two minutes.  Add the flour mixture to this and stir until combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds. 

Divide  the dough into 3 equal portions and roll into logs.  Pat them down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes.  Let them cool just long enough to handle and cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices with a serrated knife.

Turn the oven down to 325.  Place the  sliced biscotti back on the sheet and bake for 7 minutes.  Turn the cookies over and bake for another 7 minutes.  To add the chocolate decoration, place a few chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.  Melt the chocolate on high for about 5 seconds at a time, stirring and keeping an eye on it until smooth.  Spread or drizzle the melted chocolate on the biscotti and allow it to harden.

The extra coating of chocolate made these biscotti a real treat.  I had two with my morning coffee, one for a mid morning snack, two more for second breakfast, one after lunch, another for an afternoon snack... you get the picture:  they're tasty.