According to the National Restaurant Association, after polling over 200 chefs, these are the trends they’re noticing in their restaurants in 2013 and are  using this information to forecast about 2014.

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood

2. Locally grown produce

3. Environmental sustainability

4. Healthful kids’ meals

5. Gluten-free cuisine

6. Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens)

7. Children’s nutrition

8. Non-wheat noodles/pasta (e.g. quinoa,  rice, buckwheat)

9. Sustainable seafood

10. Farm/estate branded items

11. Nose-to-tail/root-to-stalk cooking (e.g. reduce food waste by using entire animal/plant)

12. Whole grain items in kids’ meals

13. Health/nutrition

14. New cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, tri-tip)

15. Ancient grains (e.g. kamut, spelt, amaranth)

16. Ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g. Asian-flavored syrups, Chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)

17. Grazing (e.g. small-plate sharing/snacking instead of traditional meals)

18.  Non-traditional fish (e.g. branzino, Arctic char, barramundi)

19. Fruit/vegetable children’s side items

20. Half-portions/smaller portions for a smaller price

If you’d like to see all the categories and hundreds of votes, you can click on this link to a pdf about it. They’ve also done a 2-minute youtube video about it, if you’re interested.

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It’s only in the month of December that I allow myself to indulge in Bishop’s Bread. Not that it’s all that “bad,” but someone did ask me the other day if I wasn’t bothered by ingesting all of that red dye from the maraschino cherries. I decided years ago that since I do only make this once a year, and I don’t eat THAT much of it, that I can allow myself a slice every day or two or three. My friend Cherrie, who also loves this bread, asked me if I would bring some of the slices to a girl’s event at her house last week . . . she put it out on a platter with other things. She and I both took a half of a slice with a hot cup of coffee. We were seated across the room from each other and happened to make eye contact as we both bit into it at the same time – we both grinned – like “thumbs up.” The chocolate chips, the walnuts, and then, those halved maraschino cherries too. There’s just enough batter (the cake part) to hold it together. So delicious!

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Sorry to everyone – when I cut and pasted an older post about Thanksgiving that went live earlier today, I used one that was really old – TOO old and there were some broken links. I’ve updated it – hopefully with all working links now. If any don’t work, please let me know. Thanks to those of my readers who did!

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This post is mostly a repeat from a few years ago. I’ve updated it with some new additions. But just in case you need some ideas for planning Thanksgiving, here are my suggestions.

If you want to see all the recipes on my website, check out the Recipe Index page. It’s huge – maybe too huge. But if you’d like ideas that I think make for a delicious but traditional Thanksgiving dinner, then look no further. Certainly, I return year after year to some favorite recipes, but most likely I introduce something new to the menu equation each year. As I write this I haven’t decided on my menu for Thanksgiving 2009 – yet. We’ll have 6 adults and 3 grandchildren for Thanksgiving dinner itself.

So here’s my roundup of recipes that are sure to please, have been taste-tested and some can even be made ahead:

Appetizers: It’s my opinion that too many appetizers will spoil your appetite for this feast-of-a-meal. Generally I’ll put out some raw vegetables and a dip, or nothing at all. Maybe some nuts. But that’s IT. Besides, if you’re anything like me, I’m buzzing around the kitchen with way too many things to do to take time for appetizers (either preparing, serving or eating). We definitely don’t serve a fancy drink, either. Wine or champagne and soft drinks will be around for anyone who wants them, but that’s it. Maybe some sparkling apple juice for the kids and non-drinkers. But, if you insist on something to serve ahead, here are recipes that would work. The first crostini happen to be a real favorite but they take a bit of fussy work to make them at the last minute – assign the job to one of your guests if possible. And the herb dip (which you’d never know is made with tofu) is relatively light, so serve with fresh veggies to dip or crackers. The onion brushetta – oh my, delish and not all that heavy. And the last crostini is very different, but not particularly light.
Crostini with Apples & Blue Cheese & Honey
Hot & Spicy Tofu Herb Dip – because it’s not heavy or filling
Mahogany Sweet Onion Bruschetta
Gorgonzola, Grape & Pine Nut Crostini

The Turkey, the Main Event: Having tried every single solitary type and brand of turkey out there over the years, I’m now totally devoted to Kosher turkeys. They’re brined, you know, already. So you don’t have to do it. Kosher brining is just a salt and water brine, no added herbs or anything, but it’s fine for me. It’s not too salty, either. Sometimes Kosher turkeys are hard to find, but they ARE carried at Trader Joe’s and at Whole Foods. I missed out at Trader Joe’s one year, so ended up buying two Kosher birds at Whole Foods. They were outrageously expensive (certainly more than at Trader Joe’s) but they were off-the-charts delicious. Even my husband, who isn’t crazy about turkey but eats it, said it was very, very good. So, get thy self to a market where you can get one of these birds. Know, however, that you may not be able to make the gravy from the drippings – generally the broth is too salty. You can try, though. You also don’t want to stuff a brined bird – too much of the salty brine leaches into the dressing.

The Gravy: Because I use a Kosher bird that is heavily salted, usually I have to make the gravy separately. My friend Stacey sent me a recipe last year for a Turkey Gravy Without the Turkey. It was a great find, as you can make the gravy the day before! How about them apples! Everything I can do ahead is a good thing in my book.
Turkey Gravy without the Turkey

The Stuffing (Dressing): Over the years I must have made dozens of different dressings. I’m not overly committed to any one flavor (like cornbread, or oyster, etc.) but prefer a very moist, flavorful dressing. That’s all I ask. Last year I made an Italian sausage dressing that was one of the best I’ve ever done, so will likely make that one again. I’ve also made a Rachel Ray recipe called Stuffin’ Muffins one year – and they were also very good.
Italian Sausage Dressing
Rachel Ray’s Stuffin’ Muffins (link to Food Network’s recipe)

The Potatoes: Well, mashed potatoes are a necessity for me. And I was thrilled one year to read a recipe for making them several hours ahead, piling them into my big crockpot where they held very well for the ensuing hours. You do have to doctor-up the recipe a little to make them particularly moist, but otherwise they’re so simple and I like the fact that all the work can be done ahead. If you don’t want mashed, but prefer another type, there are a couple of other scalloped-type suggestions listed below the mashed.
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Goat Cheese Potato Gratin
Monterey Scalloped Potatoes with Jack Cheese
Mashed Potatoes with Bacon, Cheddar & Chives (also has a make-ahead version with added cream cheese)

The Sweet Potatoes: You won’t find a single one of those icky sweet potato casseroles here. I can’t stand them. They’re simply too darned sweet. But I do have a couple of sweet potato dishes that would be quite nice. Generally I fix either mashed potatoes OR sweet potatoes, not both.
Sweet Potato Bake (a pdf of a sweet potato & white potato recipe I’ve never posted as a story – good recipe, though)
Yam Slices with Garlic & Rosemary
Yams, Carrots & Ginger

The Vegetables: Over the years I’ve served just about every kind of vegetable. Some to acclaim, and some not. I happen to love Brussels sprouts (steamed, halved and tossed with salt, pepper and butter), but since Thanksgiving is often a family and multi-generational affair, my DH and I have learned to eat our Brussels at another meal. I like peas, but they’re not very exciting, and besides since this is an overly-rich carbohydrate meal, I don’t serve them anymore. Same goes for corn. I used to serve a baked corn casserole nearly every year, but no longer. So what do I serve? The garlic green beans fit well, although some might not like the garlic with this meal. It’s fine with me. Here are some suggestions:
Broccoli Casserole
Garlic Green Beans – may be too garlicky for the subtle turkey
Baked Fennel
Green Beans, Shallots, Balsamic
Ina Garten’s Zucchini Gratin
Baked Onions
Cauliflower, Bacon & Mushrooms
Creamy Brussels Sprouts
Green Beans & Hazelnut Butter
French Green Beans with Pears & Parmesan

Bread: I don’t serve bread at Thanksgiving any longer. I mean, really, with dressing, potatoes and pumpkin pie, you hardly need any more carbs. But if you insist, here are a few recipes that will work:
Herbed Biscuit Ring – made with the canned biscuits – very easy
Scallion Goat Cheese Chive Muffins

The Salads: Since I grew up with Jell-o salads as a staple at the holiday table, I actually like them, as long as they’re not too sweet. Also, I like them because they’re easy and can be made ahead. You can also make them not-so-sweet if you add vegetables instead of fruit and/or whipped cream. I’ve never blogged about them because you, my loyal readers, might cancel your subscription! One of my favorites is a peach flavored gelatin with a waldorf set of ingredients (diced apples, celery and walnuts). Or, in recent years we also make a green salad. We have family members who still love a green salad anytime, anywhere. They’d almost rather eat green salad than the rest of the meal. So, with that one I would add some of my peppered pecans, or walnuts, pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries. Those additions make it more festive and holiday-ish.
Green Salad with Peppered Pecans and add some dried cranberries too
Cranberry (Jell-o) Waldorf Salad – I’ve never blogged about this one, but you can get the PDF recipe by clicking the recipe title
Apple, Dried Cherry & Walnut Green Salad – very rich, but would be perfect for a holiday dinner
Celery, Date, Walnut & Pecorino Salad – green type, but perfect for this meal

The Cranberry Thing: Some of our family members still like the canned stuff. (They have to bring it if they want it at my table.) No canned stuff for me. So I always, I mean always, make my favorite cranberry relish that has ginger, apples and oranges ground up in it. Make it a week or so in advance then you don’t have to worry about it except to put it out in a serving bowl.
Cranberry Relish – made in the food processor and oh-so easy

Dessert: Well, what can I tell you but we always have traditional pumpkin pie. As far as I’m concerned that’s all that’s needed, but generally somebody else brings the pies at our family get-togethers, and they bring both pumpkin and apple. With real whipped cream, thank you. And the pumpkin usually is Libby’s recipe, and Libby’s pumpkin. That’s it. End of story. But, if you don’t really want pumpkin, here’s a really special dessert that will put your carb count into overdrive.
Cinnamon Raisin Apple Bread Pudding

Leftovers: Well, other than reheating the different components of Thanksgiving dinner, I generally make soup.

THE STOCK: I remove most of the turkey meat from the carcass after the big feast. The bones go into a large, deep soup pot (you may have to break them up some), cover with water and add an onion, some celery, a bay leaf, maybe a garlic clove or two (no salt), put a lid on it and put it in the oven overnight at about 225F. In the morning you’ll have a wonderful turkey stock from which to make soups. Strain everything through a colander and cool and chill. The only down side for me is that on Friday morning the whole house smells like turkey, and sometimes that’s not so appealing at 7:00 in the morning. But, that doesn’t ever keep me from doing it because making that stock is just so easy.

Go from there . . . Here are my leftover favorites:
White Chicken Turkey Chili
Chicken Turkey Posole
Turkey (free form) Tortilla Soup
(Another) Chicken Turkey Chili
Southwestern Turkey Chili
White Turkey Chili (what I did with the leftovers last year – maybe my best turkey chili)
Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Salad (if you have plain sweet potatoes left over)

SANDWICH BREAD: And then, last but not least, I’m telling you about a bread – a bread that you should use for turkey sandwiches. I’ve been making this bread for years and years and years. It’s not difficult (easier if you have a stand mixer), although it IS a yeast bread, not a tea bread. It’s a pumpkin flavored bread, with some raisins and chopped walnuts in it, but it’s more a savory bread and goes just great with leftover turkey sandwiches, especially spread with just a little bit of cranberry relish, crisp lettuce and nice slices of turkey.
Pumpkin Raisin Yeast Bread for Sandwiches

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This was a question posed to Jason Hammel, a Chicago chef, in the July, 2013 issue of Food and Wine magazine. I had hoped to just link you to the article online, but alas, it doesn’t appear to BE online. So I’m going to type it out here. His answers got me to thinking . . .

I had a grandmother who could really bake. Her lard-soft pumpkin cookies would greet me at the door, always tasting exactly the same. But their consistency didn’t become a marvel until she died, and I was left to my own devices with a recipe on an index card. Not one of my batches tasted the way I remembered.

I soon realized that the recipe alone would never bring back a flavor I had lost. And it got me thinking about my life as a chef. Were recipes necessary?

In my kitchens, cooks always carry a notebook with them. Inside are lists of ingredients, reading like poetry:

leeks, melted
Riesling
goat butter
chopped dill

These become sauces and vinaigrettes. They are guides and inspirations, meant to be explored. Following a chef’s vision is what teaches young cooks to taste and learn and interact with ingredients. An over-wintered leek will not behave the same as a hot summer leek; it won’t need the same amount of wine, butter or dill. Instead of writing down measurements, we should teach how to explore the craft of cooking with our senses. When I imagine my cookbook, I see words and images, not cups and ounces.

I would write my grandmother’s cookie recipe this way:
Creamed sugar and lard
1 small can pumpkin
3 eggs
Some nutmeg
A simple frosting
Lined in parchment in red Tupperware container almost out of reach
Sun coming in from a mountain road
The cookies baked gently, remaining soft, so that they stick to your fingers and you have to lick them off, one by one.

Isn’t that just beautiful? I’ve recently finished reading a book about a chef. Kathleen Flinn’s The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears in Paris at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School. Flinn realized a dream – to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. It’s a detailed story about her cooking school journey, the people she met, the chefs who sometimes ridiculed her, some who encouraged her, about the discipline required and grueling hours at the school, day after day, week after week. Trying to learn, when she didn’t speak French. She never talked about her notebook, other than she said she took copious notes during all of her classes and would transcribe them at the end of the day. There’s a recipe at the end of every chapter, usually related some to the chapter subject. She wanted to be a journalist, but in the food biz. She’s received many accolades for her book. It’s written well, and as I read it I felt she did begin using her senses rather than an exact formula, although there were some formulas that were mandatory. She graduated and did very well. And the parting word at graduation from one of her chef teachers was “Miz Fleen, taste, taste, taste.” There’s a love story woven into the book as well. Worth reading.

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Most of the blogs I follow are related to food. But I have a few that are not. One is called The Big Picture. Someone told me about it years ago, and I’ve been following it ever since. Let me tell you about it . . . The Boston Globe newspaper has reporters and photographers all over the world. They all send in their stories. And more stories. And the photos to go with. Some stories and photos make it to the newspaper’s pages and some do not. This blog is about the ones that don’t make it. It’s a pictorial blog – some are horrific like an earthquake or a tsunami, or a riot. But sometimes it’s about celebrating life and beauty.

This one is about Fall. Fall in all of its disguises and permutations from leaves to flowers to ponds to animals.

One little caveat – after you’ve looked at this or any of their  posts (where they generally post about 30-40 photos about a single subject) for a bit, you’ll encounter a little survey. It’s no big deal – usually they ask a simple question – you DO have to answer the question (and if you don’t like the question, there’s a little line below it that says ask me another question, perhaps something easier for you to answer) before you can move on and look at the remaining photos.

This post is so worth scrolling through. If you’re interested, you can subscribe to it and it’ll come into your RSS mailbox or reader every time they post.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2013/10/autumn_around_the_world_2013.html

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My husband Dave and I have been married for over 30 years. The happiest years of my life, as I’ve probably mentioned before. It’s a 2nd marriage for us both. We each had a teenager living with us when we met, and it’s a long story, but we managed to weather blending a family and even had all 3 of the children living with us for some years. When we met, I was 38 and Dave was 40.

After we met, a 3+ hour blind date for lunch, I invited him to a brunch I was throwing the following Sunday for a group of my friends. After the brunch we went to the beach near us to walk, and ended up at his house because he offered to fix dinner. (My daughter was home with a girlfriend of mine who was staying with me at the time; Dave’s son had been away for the weekend and returned just in time for dinner.)

After we arrived at his house, I asked Dave if he liked to cook, and he said “sure.” Thrilled that I’d met someone who enjoyed cooking like I do, I sat back with a glass of wine in my hand as he cooked a fairly simple dinner of steak on the grill, baked potatoes and all the trimmings, plus a green salad with bottled dressing (Catalina dressing, if you remember that one). I didn’t offer to help (he remembers this). For such a simple meal I thought two cooks in the kitchen might be a bit much.

In the subsequent weekends when we got together, usually at his house, he prepared 3 more dinners (I remember this) – grilled country ribs with bottled barbecue sauce, salad and garlic bread. The third meal he made a big stovetop dish of chicken (in his new set of orange Le Creuset). It had onions, peppers and zucchini cooked with it. And he also could grill chicken with the same said bottled barbecue sauce. In that time I think I’d fallen in love with him. As he tells it, it’s a good thing because those four meals exhausted his repertoire of cooking. Period.

As I learned within a short time . . .when Dave’s son came to live with him (when he was 11, about 9 months or so before I met Dave) he really didn’t cook. He had a job that required a lot of after-work schmoozing with customers, and happy hour food was Dave’s dinner of choice. He was in electronics sales and had an expense account. Most weekdays he took customers or distributors out for a very hearty lunch. Dinner didn’t need to be big, so the happy hour food was fine for him. But with a hungry 11-year old boy at home, he had to figure out something. He learned to do hot dogs (maybe hamburgers), and those 3-4 dinners I mentioned above. They lived on that, in constant rotation, having left overs on the nights in between, and going out at least once a week. Out of desperation, his son learned to cook some himself. In fact, he really got into it, and one weekend I was visiting HE made eggs Benedict, which were really good. I was impressed.

So, the rest is history. I took over the cooking. Really, as I learned quickly enough, Dave doesn’t even know how to cook. He enjoys good food – the eating of it – but even after all these years, he still doesn’t know the how of cooking. He does help now and then, especially if we’re entertaining – if I show him how to do something, he’ll chop onions, or watch a pot or stir something. He’s a whiz at washing dishes. He puts everything away (not always where it’s supposed to be, but at least he finds a home for every item I use). I’m very grateful that he doesn’t mind – in fact he loves washing dishes.

Last week I was reading Charmian Christie’s blog about her and her husband’s 11th wedding anniversary, and she told a cute story about discussing with him what his favorite foods were when they’d met – steak, turkey, scalloped potatoes and apple pie. Then she asked him what his favorite foods are now, and he rattled off a list – all things she makes and things he’s crazy about.

Therefore, after reading about that, I turned to Dave and said: “Honey, what were your favorite things you liked to make and eat when we met?” He looked at me. And stared. And said “uhm, steak, I guess.” I said “that’s it? Steak?” I waited, and there were no additions. So, I went on. “Okay, so after 30 years of marriage, what are your favorite things I cook?” He looked at me again, blankly. [I was expecting him to rattle off half a dozen things that I make that I know he loves.] At that point, we actually had a short discussion about his perception of our meals – he thinks that because I write a food blog I never cook anything twice.

Surely, I needed to correct him about THAT. So I went to my Carolyn’s Favs list on my blog and asked him about most of the recipes. Some he doesn’t recognize by the title. But, yes, as soon as I listed some or explained something about this one or that one, he said “oh yes, I love that.” “Yes, that too.” “Sure, that’s a really good one!” He finally agreed that yes, there are lots of favorites, but when put to the test, he absolutely couldn’t name them. He loves to barbecue, and he thinks he’s pretty good at it (I agree). As I read the items, I made some scribbled notes. I thought it might be worthy of a blog post – to tell you which things I prepare are HIS favorites. Only the first one (steak) is in order of importance:

Ribeye Steaks with Amazing Glaze – indeed, steak is still his #1 favorite dinner. And it’s really the meat he’s after, not necessarily the sauce, but yes, he remembered the sauce.

Baked Onions with Thyme – very easy baked onions with red wine and dried thyme. They’re a family favorite over the holidays, particularly.

BLT Salad – Love this salad, especially in the summer when tomatoes are at their peak. Dave loves all the bacon in it. I think.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Apples – For several years I made this soup every Fall. It’s on the sweet side, and is not a quick one to make since the squash, onions, apples, etc. all must spend time in the oven to reach some caramelization.

Cabbage Patch Stew – one of my favorite soup-stew type things too – this one goes back to the 1960’s; has a scoop of mashed potatoes on top. Very simple to make. With ground beef and kidney beans.

Calabacitas con Crema – There is something unique about corn, zucchini and poblano chiles all mixed up with a jot of cream in it. Dave’s favorite “veg” is corn.

Corn, Green Chile and Cheese Dip – Dave could easily make this his entire meal. He professes to not like Mexican food very much, but he loves this stuff. It’s hot and you dip tortilla chips or Frito scoops in it.

Cranberry Relish – Dave didn’t think he’d like this when I first made it for him (our first Thanksgiving together), but oh yes he does! Since he’s diabetic, he can’t have much of it (I use part Splenda) but he enjoys every morsel with turkey or on turkey sandwiches.

Cream of Cucumber Soup – COLD – He surprised me with this one – I haven’t made it in a couple of years, but as soon as I mentioned it he said yes, he really liked it a lot.

Crisp Apple Pudding – I make this 2-3 times a year, for sure. My mother’s recipe. I use part Splenda for Dave’s sake. It’s not so sweet you couldn’t even have it for breakfast. It has a crispy dough top, no oatmeal or crumbly stuff. Lots of cinnamon.

Crumbled Asparagus – he actually DID remember this one as soon as we discussed veggies. Dipped in mayo and Parmigiano cheese, roasted at high temp. Very easy and absolutely addictive.

French Hamburgers – this is a Julia Child recipe. It’s not put in a bun, but pan fried and served with a red wine and butter sauce. This recipe is THE most re-pinned recipe from my Board on Pinterest.

Garlic Green Beans – this recipe came from a friend of Dave’s (Meredith, a beau from college days). It’s her recipe, and it’s an absolute winner. My friend Cherrie makes this all the time, too.

Greek Lamb with Pasta – this is a recent recipe in my repertoire. What makes it is the Feta cheese sprinkled on top. It’s a sensational dish and feeds a bunch of people (8, with just 1 lb. ground lamb). Dave loves lamb any time, any day.

Ham and Egg Cups – A great brunch dish – thin slices of deli ham, an egg, some fresh tomatoes and a dollop of pesto. Baked in the oven. Very easy.

Kurobuta Ham – you might think a ham is just a ham, but even Dave knows now that Kurobuta (Berkshire pork) ham is something else again. He loves the mustard sauce that goes with it too.

Lemon Velvet Ice Cream – I’ve tinkered with the original recipe a bit, but it does remain one of our very favorites – primarily because we have 2 lemon trees on our property and the Meyer lemon juice is just so good in this.

Monterey Scalloped Potatoes – I only make this once or twice a year because it’s so rich and decadent. Made with Monterey Jack cheese. Not difficult.

Joan’s Pasta Salad – Our friend Joan makes a wicked basil-scented pasta salad. Not difficult. Has Feta cheese in it. Relatively healthy as well.

Pork Loin Roast with Apricot Glaze – what makes this is the apricot sauce on the side. It’s intensely apricot-y. Dave loves pork roast, but this one especially because of the apricots.

Grilled Salmon on Watercress Salad – Dave just loves this dish and often asks me – if he spies salmon on the counter – if I’m going to make it with the watercress. He particularly likes roasted red, yellow and orange bell peppers alongside. Makes a great presentation.

Shepherd’s Pie with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes – truthfully, I haven’t made this in a couple of years – and every time I do fix it, Dave raves. Make 2, and stick one in the freezer. It’s standard shepherd’s pie, but uses sweet potatoes flavored with chipotle to give it a kick.

Savory Tomato Pie – or, another version I did more recently – Tomato Corn Pie – make one or the other when tomatoes are in the peak of flavor. Contains mayo (I think that’s what Dave likes about it, although you can’t tell the mayo is there, exactly).

Watermelon Salad with Feta & Mint – I just made this last night and we both dug into the bowl for more, even after we’d finished dinner. There’s something about the salty Feta and the sweet watermelon in combo. Last night I used basil, but it’s best with mint.

Zucchini Gratin – An Ina Garten recipe. Not difficult to make, but does require a whole lot of slicing. It’s the topping that makes it, and that’s what Dave loves about it, I think.

What I haven’t pictured or listed here are the standard salad dressings I make all the time. The ones with asterisks are my regulars that I make in erratic rotation. He loves all of them, including the ones that contain blue cheese, although if you ask him he’ll tell you he’s not a fan of blue cheese dressing, or blue cheese in general.

I enjoyed writing this list, and read the entire story to Dave (to make sure I hadn’t veered from the truth anywhere – I didn’t). I asked Dave about that chicken dish he used to make in his new Le Creuset pan. I decided to go hunting – would you believe I found the original plastic spice mix bottle that Dave used to use in that dish? It means it’s at least 30 years old. I was shocked when I opened it to find that it still has a nice scent. We’re going to make it tomorrow, so you’ll hear all about it. Maybe I’ll get Dave to make it – that would be especially fun for me! I’ll take pictures. I have a brand new pan that will be perfect for it. If it’s all that good, I’ll order more of the seasoning mix, which is still available.

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I’m a sucker for anything pumpkin. Have always loved it in its many guises. Since some of you haven’t been reading my blog for all that long, I thought I’d do a review of most of the pumpkin recipes you’ll find here on my blog – not in any order of preference. I left out a couple that weren’t particularly memorable – these are all memorable to me.

Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins – oh gosh, are these good. I think I found this recipe in a magazine lo these many years ago.

Ginger Pumpkin Bars – kind of like pumpkin pie – all the traditional flavorings, but it’s made in bar form with crumbled cookies as the base. Very sweet. 

Harvest Pumpkin Scones – if you like pumpkin, you’ll love pumpkin in scones. These are made in round form (big) and you cut them into wedges.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Orange Ginger Sauce – the bread pudding is delicious all on its own, but the sauce. Oh gosh. The sauce is so delish and if you make enough the sauce can be a pudding dessert a few nights later.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Ball – easy to make, and so perfect for this Fall season of the year. Also good to use up some left over canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin Spice Gingerbread Trifle – oh gosh, so good. So beautiful. I served this some years ago for a Thanksgiving dinner. Best served IN a trifle bowl, but still delicious even if you don’t have one.

Pumpkin and Golden Raisin Scones – can you tell I like scones? Yet I never make them just for us – only when we have guests. You can freeze them (if they last that long) but eat up within a week or so.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding – all the deliciousness you would expect from a bread pudding, but made with pumpkin and all the great spicy flavors.

Pumpkin Praline Custard – LOVE this stuff – it’s very low calorie, but if you’re a pumpkin fan and don’t want the calories from pie or trifle, try this. Easy – easy to make too.

Pumpkin Streusel Coffeecake – you might not think pumpkin goes well with coffeecake, but oh yes, it does. Perfect for the holidays.

Pumpkin Raisin Bread  – this is a yeast bread – not sweet particularly. Makes the most wonderful turkey sandwiches with a little cranberry relish with it. My mouth is watering. I’ve been making this bread for about 30 years.

Thai Pumpkin and Shrimp Soup – I had this at a restaurant and promptly went home and created it myself from several recipes I found online. Fabulous soup.

Traditional Pumpkin Pie with Caramelized Pumpkin – mostly I buy Costco’s pumpkin pie (because they’re so darned good) but in years past I made my own. This was a really good one.

And what will I be making this year? The Thai soup for sure. The yeast pumpkin bread. The easy Pumpkin Praline custard (cuz it’s so easy and low calorie) and the Pumpkin Bread Pudding with the Orange Ginger Sauce.

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(photo from wisegeek.org)

I was reading a blog post over at Food52. The staff there post several times a day, so if I don’t keep on top of it, next thing I know I’ve got 350 posts to scroll through. Yikes.

This particular one was very interesting to me – it listed all the different kinds of cooking oils and why a cook would use one vs. another. About the flash point; about the taste profiles and why you’d use one in a salad dressing and another for frying. I knew some of it already, but to tell you the truth, I forget. Probably I need some kind of chart to refer to, but I just don’t have the energy to create a spreadsheet to do that; at least not right now anyway.

Nevertheless, the post is a good one – you’ll need to read all the way through it to figure out which ones to use and for what reasons. Anyone want to make a spreadsheet for me? I’ll post it here if you do.

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Hatch chiles – so flavorful. In mild, medium and HOT. This was the display at our local Ralph’s grocery where Frieda’s staged a chile roasting event.

So, they had these monstrous round bins with a hotter-than-hot broiling element and it rotated – took just a few minutes for those chiles to roast perfectly.

Once roasted they opened the scoop and out those piping hot chiles flew. People had signed up for 10 and 25-pound roasted batches in the mild, medium or HOT category. I just didn’t think I could use 10 pounds of these, AND I’d have had to peel them too. That’s not included in the price.

If you’re someone who doesn’t know much about chiles, now you do – about this one anyway – and do seek out the Hatch. They have a unique flavor – no, it’s not all that different than other chiles, yet they’re really quite good.

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