Pumpkin Pillows

Have I mentioned in the past my love of pumpkin? I think it has something to do with my love of Fall. It's wintertime but since you can still find canned pumpkin in the grocery store I decided to try out this Kraft recipe.

I'm usually intimidated by any recipe that requires me to deep-fry something. I just have this idea in my head that deep-frying on top of the stove is difficult. I'm also not going to jump at the opportunity to make something deep-fried, knowing that no matter how healthy the ingredients, it's not going to be healthy after I cook it. But don't get me wrong. If you know me then you know I love fried foods. Doesn't everyone? I mean, you love it (admit it) but you attempt to avoid it because you know it is not good for you.

This recipe calls to wonton wrappers. Not being a fan of Asian food, in general, I didn't really know what wonton wrappers were. Well, it turns out they are this neat little thing that is kind of like pasta...at least to me. You can wrap stuff with sweet or savory ingredients and boil them for a semi-homemade ravioli. You can fry them or bake them. They seem quite versatile.

So I followed the recipe exactly except when it came to the temperature of the oil. How are you supposed to measure the temperature of the oil before frying? I'll tell you how I did it and then you can give me recommendations as to how to check the temperature in the future. I took out one of my thermometers that I got from work. Well, that only measured up to 300F. I needed to measure up to 350F. I took out my candy thermometer and it was taking so long to measure the temperature that I gave up after it hit 325F. It seemed well on its way to 350F.

I placed my first 4 "pillows" in the oil and the burnt immediately. Yay! I reduced the heat and let the oil cool for a minute or so and placed my next batch inside. By the time I got my fourth pillow into the oil the first one was ready to be flipped. By the time I had flipped my last pillow the first one was ready to come out. It was a very fast process. The recipe said it would take 2-3 minutes to cook, but for me and my hot oil it took about 30 seconds, tops.

They turned out great! The caramel sauce that you dip it in turned out great too! Definitely makes a fun presentation, definitely makes a bit of a mess in the kitchen, definitely reheats really well in the oven (pop them in, heat oven to 350F for 10 minutes and then remove - no need to preheat). I crimped my edges with a pastry wheel and that worked out really well.

Here's a photo I took with my phone. I forgot to put powdered sugar on the first batch.

Ingredients

12 Caramels

1 tsp. water

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. flour

1/4 tsp. orange zest

20+ won ton wrappers

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 cups oil

1 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Directions

MICROWAVE caramels and water in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec.; stir until caramels are completely melted. Cool 2 min. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Refrigerate until ready to use.

WHISK cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, flour, zest and remaining cinnamon until well blended. Spoon about 2 tsp. onto center of each won ton wrapper. Moisten edges with egg white; fold diagonally in half. Pinch edges together tightly to seal.

HEAT oil in large saucepan on medium-high heat to 350ºF. Add won tons, in batches; cook 2 to 3 min. or until evenly browned. Drain. Cool slightly or to room temperature. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with caramel sauce.

Make Ahead

Cook won tons as directed. Freeze up to 2 months. When ready to reheat, place frozen won tons on baking sheet. (No need to thaw first.) Bake at 350°F for 15 min. or until heated through.

Pumpkin Stuffed Shells with Hazelnut Cream Sauce

Oh how I love pumpkin. And cream. And pasta.

I get daily emails from allrecipes.com and about once a week a recipe catches my eye. This recipe had many ingredients that I enjoy. I had this recipe on my dinner calendar last month but I pushed it to this month, thinking it might be more involved than I had the energy for, especially after caring for my infant all day.

I decided to start early on dinner preparations in case something "baby related" interrupted me. I toasted the hazelnuts and boiled the pasta shells in the morning. I sauteed the ingredients in the afternoon. By evening, after my husband was off of work, I had time to stuff the shells while I had my husband stirred the sauce with my preschooler while the baby napped. This meal definitely took more coordination on my part than usual.

The results were outstanding. Let me be clearer. The results were OUTSTANDING! If someone had served me this in a restaurant, I'd go back immediately for more. The filling was savory and sweet, but not too sweet. The hazelnut cream sauce did not overpower the pumpkin filling, but rather complimented it. The nuts softened in the sauce but provided a nice texture to the meal. When I read reviews for the recipe, which is supposed to be made with pasta sheets and made into ravioli instead of shells, many people thought the hazelnuts were a waste of money and time (since they need to be toasted and rubbed). I disagree. They made the dish that much better.

I adapted the recipe based on online comments and what spices I already had on-hand.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 large carrots, cooked and pureed
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (for inside of filling)
  
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice
  
• 1 pinch ground cardamom
• 3 tbs unsalted butter
• 5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 box pasta shells
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cloves garlic, minced (for sauce)
  
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch white pepper
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta shells according to instructions.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Toast the hazelnuts in a shallow pan on the middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes, or until brown and fragrant. When they are cool enough to handle, wrap the nuts tightly in a lint-free towel, and vigorously rub nuts against the towel. Continue rubbing until the nuts are almost blond.
3. Saute the onions, garlic, and spices in butter or margarine until the onions are soft. Stir together with the pureed vegetables. Add cheese, maple syrup, egg, salt, and black pepper. Adjust seasoning. Set the filling aside.
4. Cook the cream, garlic, cayenne, and white pepper over high heat; stir often, and adjust heat to keep the cream from boiling over. When the cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add a pinch salt. Adjust seasoning. Remove sauce from heat until you're ready to use it.
5. Stuff the shells with the filling. Cover with sauce and sprinkle the top with half of the hazelnuts. Use all of the hazelnuts if you prefer them softer. I recommend doing this.
   
6. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining toasted hazelnuts, if you didn't use them all already. Serve with a nice salad and garlic bread.

Autumn Pear and Pumpkin Soup

I've stayed on track with my January Meal Calendar and the plan for dinner tonight was Autumn Pear and Pumpkin soup. I love pumpkin-flavored things so this recipe was right up my alley. I've adapted the recipe from BHG.com (Better Homes & Gardens).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cubes instant vegetable bouillon granules
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2-1/2 cups half-and-half or light cream
• 1-3/4 cups pear nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• Pear slices (optional)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan combine onion, water, and bouillon cubes. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until onion is very tender; cool slightly. Do not drain.

2. Transfer mixture to a blender container or food processor bowl. Add pumpkin. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Return pumpkin mixture to saucepan. Stir in half-and-half or light cream, pear nectar, ginger, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. Cook and stir until heated through.

3. Ladle into soup bowls. If desired, garnish each serving with pear slices. Makes 6 servings.

My husband and I both enjoyed this soup. The flavors were subtle but distinct. We were both able to pick out the pear and pumpkin tones. Because the soup tasted so light, we both thought it would make a nice appetizer. I added some cheese tortellini to the soup to "bulk" it up. It added just enough hardiness to make it an entree.

The preschooler test...failed. My son, who I would describe as a picky eater, has only ever spit out food three times. This soup was the fourth. It didn't go over well at all, even after attempting to bribe him with ice cream for dessert if he finished. Nothing worked. I think the flavor is for more sophisticated palate. At least he tried it. Should've gotten a photo with the "thumbs down".

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/autumn-pear-and-pumpkin-soup/

Pumpkin Ravioli with Homemade Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Okay. So it's not visually stunning, but it is amazingly tasty.

I love pumpkin. I think it's a seasonal Fall food but sometimes I want it at other times throughout the year. I was shopping in Whole Foods and found this pumpkin ravioli in the frozen food aisle. I can't imagine putting Marinara Sauce on a pumpkin flavoured food and Brown Butter Sage Sauce doesn't do anything for me, hence the Garlic Alfredo Sauce.

In this house we go through our fair share of jarred Alfredo Sauce. It's nothing special, but it's easy. I've been longing for a homemade sauce and learned that I could make a batch and freeze it for up 4-6 months. Preparing it fresh, portioning it out and freezing it seems like the ideal plan to me! Now...how hard would it be to make my own? Mine came out thick since I used heavy whipping cream. That's why I dolloped the sauce on top of the raviolis. I improvised and grated a little nutmeg on top for a garnish. I am so fancy!

I went to the recipes that are saved on my computer and found this recipe. I usually copy the link to the site where I found the recipe, but this time I didn't...so I can't give anyone credit. Oops!


BTW - If you're looking for healthy...look elsewhere!

Ingredients:
6 tbs butter
3 tbs cream cheese
1 pint heavy cream
4-6 cloves of fresh garlic
S & P to taste
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:
1. In a medium or large saucepan melt butter over medium heat
2. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth and melted
3. Whisk in the heavy cream
4. Add garlic, salt and pepper
5. Bring to a simmer and whisk frequently until sauce thickens. About 15-25 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in cheese
7. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Cheesecake with Pinenuts and Pumpkin-Apple Butter

Back in 2006 I prepared a Cheesecake with Pine Nuts and Pumpkin-Apple Butter courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine.

Not mindful of taking a proper photograph of food. It's going to be a while before that happens.