Pumpkin Bundt Cake

I'm only getting started with these pumpkin recipes!  My husband pointed out to me the other day that I haven't made a bundt cake in awhile, and that was all it took to send me searching for a great pumpkin bundt cake recipe.  My quest led me to the delightful blog Whipped, which I can't believe I never discovered sooner.

This cake is unbelievably tender and moist; it's a perfect fall dessert (or breakfast, or snack...)

(from Whipped)

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice (I didn't have any so I used 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-oz can; not pie filling)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

For glaze:
2 T butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1-3 T cream or milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour bundt pan. Combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into pan. Shake a few times to be sure to remove any bumps then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.

To make glaze, heat butter until melted. Stir in sifted powdered sugar. Mix in cream or milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Drizzle over cake while it is on a wire rack so excess falls through.

Easy Mac and Cheese

I grew up on baked macaroni and cheese and wasn't privy to the wonders of stove-top mac and cheese for the first several years of my childhood.  While I appreciate my mom's casserole wonder, this is a tough recipe to beat.  It's quick, it's insanely creamy and cheesy, and you dirty ONE pan.  In our house with no dishwasher, that's a big deal (ok you dirty a colander too...sorry).

I prefer it with a few dashes of Red Rooster hot sauce.

(adapted from Cooking Light, May 2007)

1 1/4 cups uncooked macaroni

1 cup 1% milk

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese - the recipe calls for reduced fat, but I only believe in full-fat cheese

1/2 tsp salt

a few grinds of a pepper mill

Cook pasta in a medium saucepan according to package directions.  

Transfer to a colander.

In the same saucepan, combine the milk and flour over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. 

Cook, stirring constantly until thickened (about 2 minutes).

Add cheese, salt, and pepper, and continue whisking until all the cheese is melted.

Turn off heat, stir in the pasta, and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Crispy Za'atar Flatbread

I've been putting za'atar on just about everything recently.  I really wanted to make some flatbread with it on top, but it got late and I didn't want to wait around for the dough to rise.  I remembered a recipe for Crisp Rosemary Flatbread I saw on Smitten Kitchen a few weeks ago and opted to give it a try.  I'm so glad I did!

I LOVE these crackers!  They are flavorful enough to be eaten alone, but I'm sure a dollop of hummus would be a welcome addition.

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet Magazine, July 2008)

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
3-5 tbsp za'atar

Preheat oven to 450 °F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.

Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin).

Lightly brush top with additional oil and sprinkle 1-2 tbsp zaatar over the oil, pressing in slightly. Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds (1 at a time) on fresh parchment (do not oil or salt until just before baking). Break into pieces.

Flatbread can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Garbanzo-Kale Stir Fry with Tofu and Lemon

Kale is one of those foods I know I should be eating a lot of, but just can't figure out how to cook with most of the time.  When I saw this recipe on my all-time favorite blog, I knew I had to try it.  This is an incredibly quick dinner to put together, and was divine with za'atar sprinkled on top.

If you click the link to see the original recipe, you will notice that Heidi browned her ingredients a lot more than I did.  My only excuse is that it was late and I was hungry - and it was still perfectly delicious without the browning!

(from 101cookbooks.com)

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
1 small onion or a couple shallots, sliced
1 cup cooked chickpeas (canned is fine, if you don't want to cook up a pot of dried chickpeas)
8 ounces extra-firm tofu
1 cup of chopped kale
2 small zucchini, chopped
zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil In a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in a big pinch of salt, the onion, and chickpeas. 

Saute until the chickpeas are deeply golden and crusty. 

Stir in the tofu and cook just until the tofu is heated through, just a minute or so. 

Stir in the kale and cook for one minute more. 

Remove everything from the skillet onto a large plate and set aside. 

In the same skillet heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, add the zucchini and saute until it starts to take on a bit of color, two or three minutes. 

Add the chickpea mixture back to the skillet, and remove from heat. 

Stir in the lemon juice and zest, taste, and season with a bit more salt if needed. 

Turn out onto a platter and serve family style.

Serves 2 - 4.

Conchas

The first time I visited a Mexican grocery store, some beautiful rolls with an attractive pink topping caught my eye.  I ADORE pan dulce, and can't resist picking up at least a couple any time I go to a Mexican grocery store.  It didn't occur to me until very recently that I should attempt to make my own.

The dough is incredibly easy to work with, and the flavor is superb.  The dough has a hint of cinnamon, and the pink topping (which is baked on) is sweet with a light vanilla undertone.  Not only will it make your kitchen smell glorious, if eaten when still warm there's a good chance one of these will melt all your problems all away. Yep, all of them.  They're just that good!

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 envelops active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/8 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 or 5 drops red food coloring

In a large bowl, stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the milk, 3/8 cup sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, salt, egg and half of the flour. Gradually mix in the remaining flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
Turn the dough out onto a floured counter to knead as soon as it pulls together enough.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Place in a large greased bowl, and turn the dough to coat.
Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Make the topping while the dough rises.
In a medium bowl, beat 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter until light and fluffy.
Stir in the flour until the mixture is the consistency of thick paste, then stir in the vanilla and food coloring.
When the dough is done rising, cut into 12 even-sized pieces.
Shape into balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart.
Divide the topping into 12 balls, and pat them flat. Place circles of topping on top of the dough balls patting down lightly.
Use a knife dipped in warm water (to prevent sticking) to cut grooves in the topping like a clam shell.
Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for about 16 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Mexican Chocolate Sherbert

I wasn't sure if it was sherbert or sherbet - google told me both were acceptable.  In any case, I have been thinking about making this dessert for awhile.  It only has TWO ingredients, so there is no excuse not to whip up a batch right now.  It's creamy, chocolatey, and I'm sure would be divine with some cinnamon cookies.

3 cups whole milk

3 tablets Mexican chocolate, chopped (I used Nestle Abuelita, which you can see in the photo - it is readily available at Mexican grocery stores)

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the milk and chocolate until all the chocolate is melted and the liquid is a uniform color.

Pour into a bowl and set in an ice bath, whisking occasionally until cool.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

There it is: the first pumpkin of Fall 2008 (and certain not to be the last!) I thought long and hard about what pumpkin-y treat I wanted to bake first, and after seeing the maple cream cheese frosting on Culinary Concoctions by Peabody I knew that I wanted to incorporate it somehow.
I immediately thought of pumpkin cupcakes, because lately I've been very fond of cupcakes, but a search for the perfect pumpkin cupcake recipe left me feeling defeated. I didn't want anything too dense, I didn't want raisins, nuts or chocolate chips. I wanted my cupcakes to be simple - just pumpkin and spice, to provide a nice base for the main event - the maple cream cheese frosting.
I ended up with this recipe, which I am pretty happy with. It's delicate but intriguing, and the cupcakes are a beautiful light orange.  I decided to use real maple syrup in the frosting (instead of maple extract), so there is just a hint of maple flavor, but I like the way the cupcakes and frosting go together.  This recipe makes a LOT of frosting, which I love, but if you frost the cupcakes thinly you could easily make do with half a recipe.

Cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup applesauce

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and sugars.

In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.

Gently stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool completely on a wire rack

Frosting

4 tbsp butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 cups powdered sugar

With the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese. 

Add maple syrup and beat on medium until combined.

Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, then mix on medium-high until smooth.

Frost each cupcake liberally.