Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

     Last fall, Roy and I came home from being in northern Michigan via the Detroit area.  We spent a couple days seeing The Motown Museum, The Henry Ford Museum Complex, and (probably unwise) the neighborhood where his grandparents, parents, and he grew up.  Although it was sad to see what had become of some once beautiful neighborhoods, we did have a great lunch at The Polish Café in Hamtramck. One unexpected discovery however, was the cider mills found in the suburbs around Detroit.  We stopped at three different ones during our time in that area and our favorite one - imagine this - was Yates Cider Mill in Rochester Hills.  We were there early one morning and watched the cars stream in and out as people were picking up brown paper bags of pumpkin doughnuts to take to work.  Of course we had to try them and they were delicious - warm, spicy and covered with cinnamon sugar.  This year when a bit of fall crept in the air, I found myself thinking about those yummy pumpkin doughnuts.  I found a great recipe on the King Arthur Flour blog, and tweaked it a bit by adding cranberries and the cream cheese icing. 

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

 

Ingredients for a dozen doughnuts:

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of raisins, dried cranberries, or nuts.

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Glaze

4 oz. cream cheese

4 oz. powdered confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Cinnamon Sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons chopped nuts for sprinkling

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat everything except for the flour together until smooth.  Then mix in the flour.

Once you have a well blended mixture,  add the nuts, raisins or dried cranberries if you wish.

Use two standard nonstick doughnut (or muffin) pans.  I lightly greased mine as well.

 Fill each well about 3/4 full (about 1/4 of a cup for each doughnut.

 

Bake for 15- 18 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean.

  If adding the dried fruit, give them a couple extra minutes in the oven.

  Let the doughnuts rest in the pan for 5 minutes and them turn them out onto a cooling rack. 

 

Directions for Cream Cheese Glaze

 

In a blender or using a mixture, combine the cream cheese, confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth.  Now you are ready to "dress" the doughnuts.

If you choose to dust the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, combine the sugar and cinnamon together and either spread it on a plate and invert the warm doughnuts onto it to coat. Or, put the cinnamon sugar in a small paper or plastic zip lock bag, put a doughnut in, and gently shake.

 

If you are icing them, either dip the doughnuts into the glaze or use a knife to spread it more thickly if you want nuts to adhere to it. Dipping gives a transparent look, but spreading  allows more to stick.

 

These are yummy with a good cup of coffee or a mug of warm spiced cider.  Enjoy!

Tailgate Time

     According to Google Search, the definition of tailgating is:

 1. drive too closely behind another vehicle

 2. eat an informal meal served from the back of a parked vehicle

  

Although I have been guilty of the first definition, it sounds pretty stressful to me!  I would much rather spend my time doing definition number two.  The recipes posted here are really easy  - especially if you skip the dressing step and just use bottled Italian dressing.  The antipasto salad and muffuletta recipes are even better if made the night before. Using mason jars for the salad makes it portable. 

 

Chicago Dog Sliders

To make a dozen sliders, grab 12 dinner rolls.  I use frozen yeast rolls, but before I bake them according to package directions, I put 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds on a plate and press them into the top of each dinner roll.  That gives the slider "bun" the authentic Chicago Dog look.

To assemble the sliders you will also need:

3/4 cup chopped lettuce

3/4 cup finely chopped tomato

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup yellow mustard

2 kosher dill spears, each cut lengthwise and then into thirds

4 jumbo all beef hot dogs, each sliced into thirds

12 smallish pepperoncini



 

 

Procedure for assembling:  Warm up the hot dog pieces using microwave, boiling, or even grilling if you are tailgating on site.  Using 1 teaspoon of mustard for each roll, spread it on the inside of both halves.  Slice one of the hot dog pieces open and place on the bottom half. Add 1 tablespoon lettuce, 1 tablespoon tomato, 1 teaspoon onion, 1 pickle piece, and one pepperoncini.

 

Marinated Antipasto

 

To make 6 servings you will need:

Ingredients for salad:

1/3 lb. pepperoni slices

1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichokes hears, drained

                                                  1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved                                                    

8 pepperoncini peppers (or more if you like)\

½ cup black olives, pitted

Ingredients for dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

2 cloves garlic put through a press

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried coriander

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

Procedure for assembling:  Place all the pepperoni, olives, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini, and artichoke heart quarters in a large bowl.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour into the bowl. Gently toss to coat. Either spoon it into individual mason jars or arrange on a platter.  I love to put it on top of spinach leaves.  You can also add some cut up Mozzarella.

Muffuletta Sandwiches

Ingredients for six 2" servings: 

1 loaf of crusty Italian or French bread

 

1 cup of jarred pickled vegetables, drained and chopped

3/4 cup green olives, chopped

1 small can black olives, chopped

1/2 cup capers, drained

 

Dressing for vegetables, olives, and capers:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 lb. combination such as: Provolone, salami, ham, turkey, pastrami

Place the chopped vegetables, olives, and capers in a bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add the dressing to the ingredients in the bowl and gently toss. 

Spread each bread half with the vegetable mixture.  Layer the meat and cheese on the bottom slice, and then put the bread halves together.  Wrap in parchment paper of plastic wrap and refrigerate. This is delicious if made ahead.  To serve, cut into 2 inch slices. A toothpick helps secure.

Thai Green Curry and a Fabulous Salad Dressing

     This little Thai dish has been a family favorite for about a year now.  It was inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe but morphed into a yummy curry that could be completely vegetarian - or not.  Allison's very good friend, Ashik, is a total vegetarian and every time he came over for dinner I'd serve him the same chickpea korma over and over again.  I knew I could step it up with something different and I remembered a green curry Allison and I had enjoyed at a nearby restaurant that had beans, asparagus, and sweet red peppers.  I tried it out and we all loved it.  This salad dressing came about due to my upbringing; we always had a salad on the table at dinner time.  But how can you serve ranch dressing with Thai food?  On a lark I whipped up the salad dressing ingredients below in my mini food processor and a hit was born!  Jenn even loves the stuff over veggies!  Enjoy - it's yummy!

Thai Green Curry

 

Ingredients for four servings:

 

 

Optional: 2 chicken breasts

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound fresh green beans

1 large bunch of asparagus

1 large sweet red pepper

1 large bunch of cilantro

1 bunch of green onions

1 small jalapeno or serrano pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon dried lemongrass

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 cup light soy sauce (sub out 1 tablespoon for fish sauce if desired)

1 (15 oz.) can of coconut milk

2 Limes, sliced

Directions

 

 

 

Roughly chop the cilantro, green onions, pepper, chili pepper, garlic, ginger and put them in a food processor or blender.  Add the lemongrass, coriander, soy, and fish sauce (if using fish sauce).  Whirl it into a smooth sauce.  Set aside.

If using, rinse and cut the chicken breasts into pieces, Wash and cut the asparagus into pieces, and throw away the woody ends.  Wash and snap the ends off the beans.  Rinse off the red bell pepper, core and cut it into place.  Place all three veggies and chicken in a good sized skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Let them "stir fry" for a 2 or 3 minutes.

Pour in the cilantro mixture and the can of coconut milk.  Mix together and simmer until the vegetables are done.  Serve with rice and lime slices.

 

Fabulous Salad Dressing

 

For about 1 cup of dressing

 

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup light soy sauce

2 tablespoons diced purple onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

Whirl it in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve over salad or vegetables.

A Great Grilled Sandwich - Spinach Melt!

Spinach Melt Grilled Sandwich

     The inspiration for this sandwich came from an intense craving for the Spinach Melt Sandwich at Smee's Place in Indianapolis. Smee's spinach melt is not too rich which allows you to enjoy it without feeling guilty and they offer to add sliced turkey to the sandwich as well. I hope you enjoy my copy cat version!

  

Ingredients for Four Servings

For the Creamed Spinach Filling:

2 (10 oz.) packages frozen spinach

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon diced shallots

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg

salt

pepper

 

For the Spinach Melt Grilled Sandwiches:

Creamed spinach from above

8 slices of bread, buttered on one side

1/2 shredded mozzarella cheese

Slices of chicken or turkey breast

Directions:

Defrost the spinach in the microwave.  Use a colander and towels to squeeze as much water as possible out. 

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan and sauté the shallots until tender but not brown.  Add the garlic and sauté one more minute.



Then, add the butter and when it is melted, stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two until it is smooth and bubbly.  Whisk in the milk and allow the mixture to thicken. Add the spinach, nutmeg, parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper to taste.  You could stop here and have a great side dish.

Or, you could spread a layer of creamed spinach on four slices of bread (buttered side down), sprinkle each one with 2 tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella cheese and sliced meat and top with another slice of bread, buttered side up. Place the sandwiches in a skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium heat to achieve a nice golden crust.  Yum! Enjoy!

Special, Yet Simple Summer Salads

     Jenn lives in what most people would call an "upscale" suburb community while Caroline lives in a big city, but both have discovered farmer's markets this summer. There is only one in Jenn's  little town, but it's a good one.  It has fun breakfast options like walking waffles and breakfast crepes that people munch on while they walk around and look at the local produce.  Caroline has her choice of many different locations and she and her friends get there more on the lunch end of the market times. Both girls have been experimenting with all the veggies they bring home; Caroline even made pickles with some little cucumbers she bought!  I have also been having been having a lot of fun experimenting with all the wonderful produce summer has to offer. The "caprese" salad posted here developed when I discovered how good balsamic vinegar is on watermelon!  The gazpacho salad is cool and refreshing - it's yummy like the soup it's named after and makes an impressive salad for company.  The last salad in this post is our neighbor and friend John's invention.  It tastes great either still warm or room temperature.

Watermelon "Caprese" Salad 

Ingredients for each serving:

Seedless watermelon

Handful of arugula leaves

Fresh mozzarella cheese slice

Several fresh basil leaves, chopped

A few green grapes, sliced in half

A drizzle of olive oil

A drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Directions:

For each serving desired, cut out a watermelon round by using the open end of a glass like a "cookie cutter".  Place a handful of arugula on each individual serving plate. Place the watermelon round on top of the arugula. Place a cheese slice on top of the watermelon. Sprinkle the basil over the cheese and place some of the grape halves on top of the basil. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar before serving.

Gazpacho Salad

 

Ingredients for Four Servings:

For Salad:

1 (5 oz,) carton of cherry tomatoes

1/2 large cucumber

1/2 large green bell pepper

2 tablespoons chopped white or yellow onion

For Dressing:

1 large tomato

1 tablespoon chopped white or yellow onion

1 clove garlic, put through press

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Cut each cherry tomato in half and place in a bowl along with the onion, diced  green pepper and seeded and diced cucumber.  Place the tomato, 1 tablespoon diced onion, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor.  Liquefy until well blended. Pour 1/2 cup of the dressing over the vegetables in the bowl.  Reserve the rest of the dressing to drizzle on top of each serving. 

John's Salad

Ingredients for Four Servings:

1 large white or yellow onion

1 large red bell pepper

1 large avocado

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Peel and slice the onion. Slice the pepper into strips.  Place the onion and pepper in a skillet along with the olive oil.  Over medium heat, sauté the vegetables are tender and soft, but not mushy.  Meanwhile, peel and chop the avocado.  Roughly chop the cilantro leaves.  When the onion and pepper are ready, toss in the avocado, cilantro, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

 

Grilled Flank Steak with Ginger Lime Coleslaw

     Our little lake cabin has been in our family for over 50 years.  Now my sister, brother, and I share, maintain, and try to visit it as much as we can.  It's on a breathtakingly beautiful lake in upper Michigan and there is truly nothing better than being "at the lake".  Over the years we have seen the nearby cottages change hands a few times, but for the most part we have had the same neighbors for quite a while.  The "Dad" of us all is Terry who organizes at least one gathering  each year where everyone pitches in and brings something yummy to share.  Tables are set up right next to the lake, and it's a great opportunity for everyone to catch up.  

Caroline, enjoying a game of Ladders at the lake gathering

     I always love hearing what Terri's and Melanie's kids are doing since they are about the same age as my girls.  This year we were lucky enough to be there when everyone got together.  Ann, Terry's wife, grilled chicken and made great baked calico beans.  Julie and Lyle supplied brats and other delicious sides. Everyone brought terrific dishes but the hit of the night was Sue's Chipotle Cilantro Slaw from Southern Living Magazine.  It was the inspiration for the Ginger Lime Coleslaw in this post.  The spicy heat in the coleslaw goes really well with the flank steak that has been marinated in a healthy mixture (no oil) of pineapple juice, soy sauce, and spices.  Enjoy!

For the Flank Steak

     Ingredients for the Flank Steak Marinade

1/2 cup pineapple juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 cloves minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

1 teaspoon dried ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

Directions:

Combine the ingredients and marinate the flank steak for 10 minutes room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.  Grill over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes per side according to desired doneness.

For Coleslaw:

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded green cabbage

2 cups shredded purple cabbage

1 cup matchstick or shredded carrot

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon Sriracha Hot Sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Combine the cabbages, carrots, onions, cilantro, and ginger in a bowl.  Whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, lime juice, ginger, hot sauce, and salt. Pour the dressing over the slaw mixture and toss to coat.

 

Grilled Peach Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese

     This past Fourth of July, Roy and I were lucky enough to be able to spend it at the lake. We were happy that Caroline and her boyfriend Adam were there with us and glad that Jennifer had worked out a way to join us. However, it started out to be an unusual type of day. When we woke up, the sky was overcast and gray with the threat of rain. Adding to that minor disappointment (the lake is still beautiful, whatever the weather is), was a phone call from Jenn saying she had gotten a flat tire on her way up to join us. The morning was spent watching the sky and talking with Jenn about the how her rental car didn't have a spare and the steps she and her travel companion were going to take to get back on the road. Thankfully, the sun came out about noon, but Jenn didn't resume her trip until three o'clock. Our point of rendezvous was Traverse City and Jenn's ETA was about 7 p.m. We were planning to see the fireworks there that night, so we packed some sandwiches and hopped in the car. We also wanted to see the parade that started at 6:30. And - the National Cherry Festival was also going on. When we drove into town, there were people everywhere!  We found a space to park and made our way through the crowd to a spot to watch the parade. It happened to be right by one of those olive oil/flavored vinegar places that tourist towns seem to have. Of course I went crazy and bought lots of wonderful stuff such as peach balsamic vinegar and basil olive oil.  Just as I was checking out, Jenn texted me that she was trying to locate us, and I went to find her with all my purchases in my arms.  The grilled peach salad in this post is a result of playing around with my impulse buys, but any vinegar or olive oil could be substituted.

Grilled Peach Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese

 

Ingredients:

4 ripe peaches

1 tablespoon olive oil (I used basil infused)

1 large package of salad greens

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

4 ounces goat cheese

1 teaspoon finely chopped basil

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped thyme

1 fresh baguette, sliced and toasted

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup any white vinegar (I used peach infused white balsamic vinegar)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Optional: 3 to 4 chicken breasts grilled and sliced

 

Directions:

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Brush each side with the one tablespoon of the olive oil and grill over medium heat  for about 10 minutes per side to achieve nice grill marks.

While the peaches are grilling, combine the lettuce, 1/4 cup basil, and green onions. Place the greens mixture on a serving platter or on individual plates.  When the peaches are done, cool slightly, slice and add to greens. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place them on top.  If using, add the grilled and sliced chicken.

Combine the goat cheese with the 1 teaspoon basil and 1/2 teaspoon thyme.

The herbed goat cheese is great served to the side with the toasted baguette slices or even sprinkled on top of the salad.  It is especially yummy spread on a toasted baguette slice and topped with a grilled peach slice.  Drizzle a little balsamic over that, and it's heaven!

For the dressing combine the 1/2 cup olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.