Posts Tagged thanksgiving

Cranberry Cream Pie

Well, hello.

It’s been awhile, to say the least. But I’m still here. I’m cooking and parenting and working and Instagramming all the things. Life is very good and very busy.

Lately I’ve found myself writing blog posts in my head. I’ve wanted to update you all on the things going on in my life. I was interviewed by the PDX Food Stories podcast, and then I was interviewed about being a working mom on the amazing Motherbirth podcast. Oh, and then I was interviewed by Rolling Stone. (My life is really weird sometimes.)

I miss blogging. I really do. I’m just not sure how to do all the things. As much as I’d like to think I’m Superwoman, I’m not. I’m just a regular ole human and something had to give. So, the blog has been sorely neglected.

But, when Missy Maki sent out an email a few weeks ago asking if I would like to be part of the 6th Annual Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving radio show, how could I say no?! I’ve been on this show every year (with one exception, when the kiddo was a month old and I was in newborn zombie-land), and I certainly wasn’t going to miss this one. It’s extra special because Missy has decided to step away from her radio show – The Simple Kitchen – to focus on her business and her family. (I feel that so hard. Mad props to you for knowing your limits and your priorities, Missy!) This will be one of her last episodes EVER, and I am honored to be a part of it. So be sure to tune in to KPAM860 this Sunday, November 19th from 10AM-12PM, as I’ll be chatting all things Thanksgiving (including this awesome Cranberry Cream Pie) with a great group of bloggers.

When I was thinking about what to make for the show, I got the crazy idea to make a cranberry pie. A few years back, I made this Cranberry Custard Pie from Real Simple and it was very good. It was relatively simple to make and it was a hit with the in-laws. Win, win.

But, I must confess that I suck at making pie crust. I blame it on the fact that my sister is the baker in the family. I make the holiday dinners, she makes the pies. I just don’t have the pie making gene. But that’s ok, because GRAHAM CRACKER CRUSTS are perfectly acceptable and are way less stressful thank baking a pie crust and they taste super duper good. The graham cracker crust is my ultimate holiday hack.

So, I took the Cranberry Custard Pie and I mashed it up with an old recipe of mine for a Strawberry Cream Pie — and voila! This magical recipe for Cranberry Cream Pie was born. It’s really easy to put together. It’s beautiful. It’s delicious. You know you need this on your Thanksgiving table!

Cranberry Cream Pie

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
1 package graham crackers (or 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Cream Cheese Filling:

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
The zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cranberry topping:

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Pinch of vanilla bean salt (or regular salt will do)

Instructions

Make the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9″ pie pan.
In a food processor, pulse together the graham crackers and almonds, until they are fine crumbs. Pour the crumb mixture into a bowl, and stir in the melted butter, brown sugar, and nutmeg. Mix until the crumb mixture is moistened. Press the mixture evenly into the pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Make the Cream Cheese Filling:

Once the crust is cooled, prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Gently stir in the lemon zest.

Make the Cranberry Topping:

Combine the cranberries, sugar, rosemary springs, orange zest and juice, and salt in a medium pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the liquid thickens and some of the cranberries burst, 7 -8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill 30 minutes to 1 hour.

To Assemble Pie:

Gently spread the cream cheese filling over the graham cracker crust. Top with chilled cranberry mixture. Top with a small sprig of rosemary, if desired. Chill pie for 6-8 hours before serving.

http://rosemarried.co/2017/11/14/cranberry-cream-pie/

The Northwest’s Best Stuffing with Chanterelles, Hazelnuts, and Sage

Aside from the turkey, I’d argue that stuffing is the most important Thanksgiving dish. Stuffing is an absolute classic. Never mind the fact that we don’t actually stuff the turkey with stuffing anymore (it’s a health risk!), this classic still has it’s place on the Thanksgiving table.

I’ll admit, however, that I’m not crazy about the classic all-American Stouffer’s stuffing. I prefer a rustic, bread-pudding-esque stuffing. I like stuffing with flavor and texture and contrast. Stuffing should not be a lump of mushy bread, rather, a good stuffing is moist, rich, and perfectly crisp and brown along the edges.

This particular stuffing recipe highlights some of Oregon’s finest ingredients: chanterelles and hazelnuts. We are nearing the end of chanterelle season in Oregon, so I wanted to create a stuffing that highlighted these wonderful mushrooms. The chanterelles add a buttery richness to the stuffing, and the hazelnuts lend a delicious and nutty crunch. This stuffing is simple, elegant, and seasonal. If I may say so, I think it would make a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table.

Lastly, tune in this Sunday, November 24th, to KPAM 860 for Missy Maki’s Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving Show! I’ll be on air – along with a group of fantastic food bloggers – and we’ll be talking about our Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving recipes (including this recipe). It’s going to be a blast, so be sure to listen in!

The Northwest’s Best Stuffing with Chanterelles, Hazelnuts, and Sage

Serving Size: 8-10

Ingredients

1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
3 shallots, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
3/4 pound chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
1⁄2 cup white wine
1 cup (or more) chicken stock
8 cups cubed brioche bread (can substitute high quality white or sourdough bread)
2 tablespoons sage leaves, minced
3⁄4 cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
2 large eggs
1.5 cups heavy cream
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Can be done ahead of time: To make stuffing, you’ll need dry/stale bread cubes. If you’re working with fresh bread, you’ll need to manually dry out the bread cubes. To do this, arrange the cubes on baking sheets in a single layer. Bake in a 300 degree oven, tossing occasionally, until the bread is crunchy and golden brown (about 15 minutes).
To make the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, onion, and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the mushrooms and 1 tsp of thyme. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the liquid has evaporated. Add in the white wine and continue to cook, until the liquid has mostly reduced. Add in 1/2 cup of stock and cook until there is very little liquid left in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside until use.
In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes, hazelnuts, sage, thyme, and sauteed mushrooms. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, and remaining chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the cream mixture over the bread mixture and toss to coat. Spread the stuffing into the prepared pan. If the mixture seems dry (it should be moist), pour a bit of chicken stock over the top of the stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes

Recipe adapted from NY Magazine

http://rosemarried.co/2013/11/20/northwests-best-stuffing-with-chanterelles/

Cranberry Sauce with Juniper and Orange

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m a total traditionalist. I don’t stray far from the classics, and I stick with what I know and love. My Thanksgiving table usually includes the following items: a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, Brussels sprouts and/or green beans, cranberry sauce, my Grandma’s rolls, and a green salad. I wasn’t lying when I said I’m a traditionalist. This is a very typical Thanksgiving spread.

Granted, that doesn’t mean that I do the things the same way every year. On the contrary, I’m always looking to improve and update the Thanksgiving classics. While I insist that there must be cranberry sauce on the table every Thanksgiving, I don’t want the same old cranberry sauce every single year. So, I try to switch things up a bit every year.

This year, I decided to can my own cranberry sauce. I adore cranberry sauce and am often frustrated by the fact that you can only find it in stores during the holidays. If given the option, I would probably eat a turkey cranberry sandwich for lunch every day of the year. I also love cranberry sauce when it’s baked with brie cheese and wrapped in puff pastry. I love cranberry hand pies. You get the idea…

So, I decided to make a big batch of cranberry sauce to last me through the winter. I tried out a few different cranberry sauces this year and I eventually settled on this recipe. It’s lovely. The Juniper berries give the sauce a really interesting hint of fresh, green pine. The orange juice adds balance and brightness. And, the honey and brown sugar combine to round out the sauce and give it just the right amount of sweetness. (Note: This cranberry sauce is quite tart, but you could easily up the sugar levels depending on your taste and preference.)

Whatever your holiday traditions may be, I’d encourage you to include this cranberry sauce on your Thanksgiving table this year. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Lastly, tune in this Sunday, November 24th, to KPAM 860 for Missy Maki’s Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving Show! I’ll be on air – along with a group of fantastic food bloggers – and we’ll be talking about our Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving recipes. It’s going to be a blast, so be sure to listen in!

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Sauce with Juniper and Orange

Serving Size: 6 pints

Ingredients

12 cups fresh organic cranberries
3 cups orange juice
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons dried juniper berries
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
The zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions

Wash and sterilize jars and lids and prepare a hot water bath for canning.
With a mortar and pestle, crush and grind the dried Juniper berries.
In a large pot, cook 10 cups of cranberries (reserve 2 cups for later), orange juice, wine, rosemary, and orange zest. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Add in most of the honey and brown sugar, and stir. Taste the sauce and add the rest of the honey and sugar, if needed. (I found that even with the honey and brown sugar, the sauce is still quite tart.) Add additional juniper, rosemary, or orange juice if necessary.
Simmer until sauce thickens and reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally. (15+ minutes)
Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, add the remaining 2 cups of cranberries. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir occasionally and cook for 5 minutes.
Fill hot, sterilized jars with the cranberry sauce, leaving 1/4″ of head space. Remove air bubbles, wipe down the rims of the jars, and place lids and rings on each jar. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Notes

Adapted from Local Kitchen Blog

http://rosemarried.co/2013/11/18/cranberry-sauce-juniper-orange/

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Whiskey, Brown Sugar, Cayenne and Rosemary

I absolutely hated sweet potatoes when I was a kid. Or, at least I thought I did. Really, I think I was misinformed about sweet potatoes. My only real experience with sweet potatoes was with the famed Thanksgiving side, “Sweet Potato Casserole”. You know the dish I’m talking about, right? The bright orange casserole, which was usually made with canned sweet potatoes and was topped with some sort of marshmallowy substance. The whole thing was devoid of texture and sickeningly sweet. (I apologize if I’m stepping on any toes here, I do know that there are many out there who love this classic Thanksgiving dish. I’m just not one of them!)

This is what I knew of sweet potatoes, and I did not like it one bit.

But then I grew up and figured out that sweet potatoes are awesome. They’re a surprisingly versatile little root vegetable, and can be used in various sweet or savory applications. In addition, they’re classified as a “superfood“. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I’d like to pretend it means that sweet potato fries aren’t bad for you. Fried superfood is still a superfood, right?

But, I digress.

The point is, sweet potatoes are fantastic. I could eat them a million different ways; in pies, biscuits, soups, stews, gratins, and more. But of all the ways to enjoy sweet potatoes, there is one recipe that is my clear favorite. I like to sauté them with butter, whiskey, rosemary, shallots, brown sugar, and cayenne. Just take a moment and let your eyes wander back over that sentence. Yep. There are a lot of good things in that sentence. And when you combine all of those good things with sweet potatoes, it’s downright magical.

The potatoes are buttery, salty, sweet, and a little bit spicy. The whiskey and the brown sugar work together to give the sweet potatoes beautiful brown, caramelized edges. (I’m making myself hungry as I type this. Seriously.)

And the best part about these potatoes? They’re really, really easy to make. And, you can do a lot of the prep work ahead of time. If you boil your sweet potatoes a day ahead of time, they only take 10 more minutes to cook. TEN MINUTES. I used to over-complicate the holidays and make ridiculous dishes that required me to slave over the stove all day. I’ve since learned my lesson, and I try to relax and actually enjoy the holidays. That’s one of the reasons I love this recipe, it allows me to do just that.

All of that to say, these sweet potatoes will be making an appearance on my Thanksgiving table this year. And who knows, maybe they’ll end up on your table as well. :)

(P.S. In the spirit of “Thankful November” I would like to mention that today, I’m thankful for the company of a good book and a snuggly cat. Oh, and I’m thankful to have a working heater. It is COLD out there!)

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes with Whiskey, Brown Sugar, Cayenne and Rosemary
Serves 4-6

4-5 medium (red flesh) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 small shallots, diced
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped finely
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons whiskey
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Salt & pepper, to taste

This step can be done ahead of time: Place sweet potato cubes in a medium size pot and cover with water. Add a dash of salt, and place over high heat. Allow the water to come to a boil, and then reduce heat and allow the potatoes to simmer until soft (20 minutes or so). Drain water, set potatoes aside. If you do make the potatoes ahead of time, store them in the fridge in a sealed container until you need them.

In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add in sweet potatoes, and gently stir to coat with butter. Allow to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Sprinkle cayenne, brown sugar, rosemary, salt and pepper over the potatoes while they cook. Be careful not to over-stir, so that they potatoes retain their shape (and don’t get mushy. You want them to remain in cubed form!). Turn the heat up to high, and deglaze the pan with half of the whiskey. Allow the sweet potatoes to caramelize. Once slightly browned on one side, turn the potatoes over (or give a quick stir) and sprinkle with more brown sugar. Add in the rest of the whiskey, and cook until potatoes have caramelized and have light to medium browning. If the potatoes begin to stick at any point, add in more butter.

Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed. I like them to pack a punch, so I use more cayenne than indicated. Sprinkle a bit more fresh rosemary over the top of the potatoes and serve immediately. If you really want the potatoes to pack a bit of a punch, drizzle just a touch more whiskey over the top of the potatoes before serving.

Butternut Squash Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Hi everyone! I’m re-posting this recipe for two reasons:

1. This is one of two recipes I am choosing to feature on the “Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving” blogger extravaganza on KPAM’s “Simple Kitchen with Missy Maki” on Sunday morning. Since I am talking about this wonderful recipe on the radio (!), I thought it would be nice to have a fresh post.

2. This recipe is so good that it needed to be posted again. If you’d like to make something a little different than the classic pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year, I highly suggest this recipe. It’s lovely.

So, then, here is the original text and recipe. Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!

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Happy Swap-iversary!

I can’t believe it has been a whole year since our first recipe swap.

One year ago, Christianna from Burwell General Store asked me if I’d be interested in “swapping recipes”. She’d picked up an old cookbook – “All Day Singin and Dinner on the Ground” – at a swap meet and wanted to know if I’d be interested in re-creating some of the old recipes. I’m a sucker for all things vintage and kitschy, so naturally I loved the idea.

For the very first swap, it was just the two of us. Christianna suggested that we start with a recipe for Autumn Persimmon Pudding. Christianna made a Persimmon Creme Brulee with Blackberries, while I went with a Persimmon Panna Cotta with Spiced Hazelnuts.

Fast forward one year: the recipe swap group has grown to include 30+ foodies, writers, cooks and bloggers from all over the world. Every month we re-invent a new recipe from the cook book, and my fellow swappers never cease to amaze me with their creativity. There are some really amazing people in this group, ranging from the tried and true members (Boulder Locavore, Chef Dennis, Sabrina at the Tomato Tart) to some new(er) members (Barb from Creative Culinary, The Dusty Baker, Pola from Italian Midwest, and SO many more!)…

So then, to celebrate a whole year of swapping recipes Christianna thought it would be fitting if we all made cake. She selected a simple (and lovely) recipe from the vintage cookbook called Maple Syrup Cake.

The moment I saw the recipe for Maple Syrup Cake, I knew what I was going to make. I’m not kidding. I saw the recipe and I thought, “I want to make a butternut squash cake with maple frosting.” I’ve never made – let alone eaten – a butternut squash cake. I’m not entirely sure what possessed me to do such a thing, but let’s blame it on the changing of the seasons. It got cold outside and now I want to eat squash all the time, even in cake. It happens.

As I’ve said previously, I’m not much of a baker. I don’t even own proper cake pans. But my sister Danielle — the baker in the family — happens to own cake pans and so I invited myself over for a day of sisterly cake-baking. It was a great excuse to excuse to spend an afternoon with my sister and my crazy little niece, Ramona. We listened to the Michael Buble Christmas Album (her choice, not mine!) and baked a squash cake. It felt like everything November should be: spending time with family, baking, and listening to cheesy holiday music.

Thanks to my sister and her mad cake skills, the cake turned out remarkably well. It was moist, without being overly dense. It was spicy, sweet, and honestly tasted like carrot cake (without the carrots or the nuts). The frosting was sweet, but not cloying. I may have eaten a piece (or two) for breakfast one day.

So, then, here’s to a year of swapping recipes with an amazing group of foodies from around the world! I’m grateful to be part of such a great group of people, and look forward to the next year of swapping. Please do stop by Burwell General Store’s Recipe Swap page to learn more about recipe swap (and to see what everyone else created for this month’s swap!).

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LAYER CAKE WITH MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Adapted from Sand Creek Farm

Cake ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark brown (or muscovado) sugar
2 eggs
1 cup cooked, pureed butternut squash (you can roast, boil, or steam the squash)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups cake flour*
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup whole milk

*If you don’t have cake flour, see Joy the Baker’s instructions on how to make your own, using all purpose flour and corn starch!

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese**, room temperature
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup maple syrup

**The original recipe calls for 3 packages of cream cheese, but I had a LOT of frosting left over. I think you could get by with 2 packages. Depends on how much frosting you like on your cake!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9″ round cake pans and set aside. (You may want to line with parchment as I found the cakes stuck a bit to the pans.)

Using a stand mixer (or mixing bowl & spoon), cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each is added. Mix in squash, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add in half of the flour mixture to the squash mixture, and stir. Add half of the milk. Add the rest of the flour mixture and stir, and then add the rest of the milk. Mix until combined.

Pour batter into the prepared 9″ round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (or until a cake tester comes out clean). Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from pans. After the cakes have been removed from the pan, allow to cool on a wire rack.

While the cakes cool, make the frosting. In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter. Mix in vanilla extract, maple syrup, cinnamon and powdered sugar until combined.

Once the cake layers are cool, place one layer on a cake stand (or serving plate) and spread a layer of frosting over the top. Place the second layer directly on top. Spread a thin ‘crumb coat’ of frosting over the entire outer surface of the two layers. Once the crumb coat has been applied, frost more generously with whatever frosting design you desire. (Note: I added a ring of hazelnuts to the top of the cake as I thought it looked pretty and figured it would be delicious. It was.)

Thanksgiving roundup & Meri’s pumpkin pie.

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I’ve been scouring the internet, the newspaper, various cookbooks, etc, for new and inspiring dishes for this year’s Thanksgiving menu. For the past number of years, I’ve been the menu planner for my family’s Thanksgiving meal. Usually, my whole family invades my parents place for the entirety of the Thanksgiving day and I cook like a madwoman (with the help of my mom and sisters), as I try my best to bring new and fun recipes to the table each year. This is how it has always been.

But, things are changing. As many of us know, marriage changes many parts of you life – and holiday traditions are no exception. Not only do I have my family and their traditions to take into account – but I have my husband and his family to think of. Thankfully, both of our families are very understanding and we’ve been able to figure out holiday solutions thus far. The last couple of years, Nich’s mom and stepfather have been kind enough to make the driver over from central Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with my family. This year, however, we decided to make the drive to Prineville and spend Thanksgiving just with Nich’s mom and stepdad. I am excited to take part in their holiday traditions, and to help as much as I can with the Thanksgiving perparations.

That being said, I still have no idea what I am making for this year’s meal! I need to call Meri (my mother-in-law) and see what she has planned – and, of course, see what fun things I can make to go alongside her menu. Nich and I did spring for a turkey, as New Seasons Market was offering Certified Organic Heritage birds from Diestel Farms for $3/lb. (Which, if you’ve read anything about the modern turkey industry you would run far, far away from the typical bird that is served on Thanksgiving day. It is gross, to say the least. I also think that $3/lb is a steal for this kind of bird.)

All that to say, I know we’ll be having (delicious) turkey with my in-laws in central Oregon! I look forward to new traditions, and to bringing a few of my own along with me. If you’re in the throes of planning your Thanksgiving meal (as I am), here are a few helpful links that may inspire your menu!

A few of my own holiday recipes:
(Since I started this blog after Christmas of last year, I don’t have many holiday recipes of my own, but I will link to the couple recipes I have!)
*Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Almonds
*Lemon Mascarpone Tart
*Sweet Potato Biscuits

Recipes I’ve used in past years (and loved!).
*“Real” Green Bean Casserole (No cream of mushroom soup here! This recipe is a bit of work, but totally worth it)
*Apricot Glazed Turkey with Herbed Butter rub (*I use this recipe most years for our turkey!)
*Sauteed Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon, Shallots and Cayenne – funny enough, I’ve made this recipe the last two years and I cannot find the recipe anywhere online! I think I can remember how to make it but it any of you happens to know/have this recipe, please feel free to share!

Recipes I am itching try this year:
*Celery Root Mash
*Crack Pie (The famous – and addicting – pie from Momofuku)
*Mark Bittman’s Braised Turkey
*Roasted Brussells Sprouts with Cranberry Pistachio Pesto
*Sweet Potato Pie
*Bourbon Cranberry Compote

And lastly, here is my mother-in-law’s recipe for REAL pumpkin pie. You know, the kind that is made from an actual pumpkin (and not from a can!). Its a bit of work, but is completely worth it. This is the best pumpkin pie ever.

MERI’S PUMPKIN PIE

To prepare the pumpkin:
First, you will need to purchase a small “pie pumpkin”. Most grocery stores will have pie pumpkins, but beware – they are not the same pumpkins you buy to carve! They are smaller and sweeter.

Clean out the pumpkin well. (Save the seeds to toast & eat!)
Cut the pumpkin into 2″ chunks and place in a large pot with just an inch of water. Bring to boil and then reduce to low with lid on. Steam chunks until they can be very easily be poked though with a fork from the skin side.
Take out of pot and blend or process in a food processor until smooth (you may need to add a small amount of the boiling liquid to make sure it blends smoothly. BE CAREFUL, as hot pumpkin puree burns!
Let the puree cool in large open bowl, cover when completely cool and refrigerate until needed. You can make this well ahead of time and save for later use.

For the pie:
1 pie shell
2 cups pumpkin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger & nutmeg
a sprinkle of cloves & salt

Combine all ingredients, blend well and pour into shell.

Bake 15 min @ 425 degrees, then bake 30 to 40 min @ 350 degrees. Cook until knife poked into center comes out clean. Let cool completely before refrigerating.

sweet potato biscuits.

In honor of Valentines day and all things “sweet” I feel it would be appropriate to share my recipe for Sweet Potato biscuits. This is one of my new favorite recipes – its easy, quick, delicious, and a nice twist on classic biscuits. Have I mentioned that biscuits are one of my favorite foods of all time? My grandpa used to make the best buttermilk biscuits growing up, and ever since then I’ve been hooked. There is nothing to dislike about buttery, flakey, carby biscuit goodness (I think I just made up a word and I like it: Carby). So if you take normal biscuits and add in the texture, color, and sweetness of sweet potatoes…I’m sold.

I wish I could tell you that I was whipping up some fabulous dinner for Nich in honor of valentines day, but alas we are going to pay someone to do that for us. I love cooking, but sometimes its nice to celebrate without having to clean up afterwards. :) We are staying at the Ace Hotel in downtown Portland tonight, and will be dining at Clyde Commons. I am so excited.

Anyway, if you are so prompted, you could make some sweet potato biscuits for your sweetheart. Or you could be like Liz Lemon and celebrate Anna Howard Shaw Day and make a batch and eat them all by yourself. Happy Valentimes, everyone. Lets eat some biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces (plus a little more for brushing on top of the biscuits)
3/4 cup Sweet-Potato Puree, chilled (To make the puree: Boil the sweet potatoes in water until tender. Blend, food process or mash until they are a puree. Season with nutmeg, brown sugar, and cinnamon.)
1/3 cup buttermilk

Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers – cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. In a small bowl, whisk together sweet potato purée and buttermilk; stir quickly into flour mixture until combined (do not overmix).

Shape the biscuits: Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead very gently until dough comes together but is still slightly lumpy. (If dough is too sticky, work in up to 1/4 cup additional flour.) Shape into a disk, and pat to an even 1-inch thickness. With a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter (or a juice glass! This is what I use), cut out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather together scraps, and repeat to cut out more biscuits (do not reuse scraps more than twice).

Bake the biscuits: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. with rack on lower shelf. Butter an 8-inch cake pan. Arrange biscuits snugly in pan (to help them stay upright). Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden, 20 to 24 minutes.