Pumpkin Bread Good for Mountain Altitudes

I made this on a whim after reading through a few recipes and I was so glad I did! I hope someone at sea level can make it too, see how it fares.

Didn't even get a chance to take a picture before someone cut into it (ahem, Mik)!

First, the pumpkin!

Ingredients
2 cans pumpkin puree
2 tsp salt
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Combine the above ingredients in a saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Pumpkin mixture should brown a bit, but not burn, and be a little smoother and thicker (not much) than when it comes out of the can. Take off the heat and set aside.

Now the bread!

Ingredients
3/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350F. Spray two 9x5 loaf pans with In a large bowl, beat oil, sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and 1.5 cups (you'll have a little left over) of your pumpkin mixture and mix well. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly mix into the pumpkin mixture, beating on low speed until blended.

Pour 1/2 of the batter into each loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes and then insert a toothpick into the center to see if it comes out clean. Mine needed between 50-55 minutes, but one loaf cooked faster than the other. Remove from pans when done and let cool on a rack.

Sauteed Mushrooms - Quick, Tasty Side Dish!

Ingredients

1.5 tbsp of butter
1/2 tbsp of olive oil
One 8oz package of pre-sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp red wine (or red cooking wine)
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat until butter is melted and has a few tiny bubbles. Add in mushrooms, garlic, red wine, soy sauce and s&p and cook for five minutes until slightly browned. Turn down heat to low and cook until mushrooms are tender, between 5-7 more minutes.

Salmon en Papillote

I made this after seeing the original on The Best Remedy blog. Her pictures are gorgeous, so if you need some inspiration to throw this together, check 'em out! It seriously only takes about 20 mins to prepare and 20 mins to cook, so it's a great quick meal.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 1 lb salmon fillet (try and get 2 fillets about the same size and thickness, or one even piece you can cut in half)
• 1 small red potato
• 1 ear of corn
• Sugar snap peas in pods
• 1 carrot
• Fresh thyme
• 1 lemon
• Olive oil
• Sesame oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parchment paper

Preheat your oven to 400° F. Peel your potato and cut into very, very thin slices. Cut all of the corn off of the cob. Wash 4-5 sugar snap peas for each fillet of salmon. Peel your carrot and slice into very thin slices. Pick out 2-3 sprigs of thyme for each salmon fillet. Take lemon and slice two thin slices from the middle. 

Get out your parchment paper and cut 2 large rectangles, about 15" long. Place one salmon fillet in the middle of each piece of parchment paper. Arrange half of your potato slices, corn, snap peas, carrots, and thyme on each fillet. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste over the whole thing. Drizzle olive oil (about 1/2 - 1tsp) over your fish and vegetables. Then drizzle a very small amount of sesame oil on top. Do the same to the next fillet.

Place long sides of parchment paper together and fold down until it's right on top of the fish. Fold the other ends over and over and tuck under the fish. Place both finished packets onto a baking sheet. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes. When finished, unwrap carefully (steam), and bon appetit!

 

 

Martha Stewart Easy Baked Chicken Thighs

Uh-oh everyone. Now that I'm (Nicky) doing most of the cooking around here, this blog is turning into "Things Nicky Can Cook in 60-Minutes Or Less That Everyone Will Like".blogspot.com.

I'm ok with that.

Easy Roasted Chicken Thighs Recipe

Adapted from Martha Stewart:http://www.marthastewart.com/340992/roasted-chicken-thighs

Ingredients

• 1 package of chicken thighs, skinless 
•          (Original recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, but
•           mine turned out fine!)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

1. In a bowl, toss chicken thighs with olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and marinate 1 hour (or up to a day).
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast chicken, in a glass casserole dish, 25 minutes; flip 10 minutes in. Check to make sure you've reached 165 F degrees.
3. Stir together grainy mustard and honey and season with salt and pepper. Brush glaze onto chicken and broil 5 minutes.

Awesome Applesauce

Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

• Four McIntosh Apples (eating apples): peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 an orange, zested first and then juiced
• a pat of butter
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 nutmeg, fresh ground
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• About 6-7 oz of apple juice or water (3/4 cup)

1. Get your apples ready and set aside
2. Zest the orange half over a small saucepan, then squeeze in the juice
3. Add the butter, sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
4. Put the pan over low heat and let the butter melt. When butter begins to bubble, add in apples
5. Put a lid on the pan and cook 20 to 25 minutes over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft. (Check levels of liquid and add your apple juice or water if you feel like it looks dry.)

This is good warm or cold and we had it with some steamed asparagus and some dry-rubbed pork chops, using this rub: Simple Rosemary Pork Chops. To quote Evie's favorite, Peppa Pig, "Deeee-licious!"

1. 
   Read more here: http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/andallthetrimmings/applesauce/#storylink=cpy

Probably Not a Return to Blogging on the Regular...

But I had to share this recipe I perfected while Mik was out of town this summer! It's really easy; and a good one to have in the fridge for a protein-packed snack or lunch.

Chicken Mini-Meatloaves

Adapted from Weelicious Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Bites

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 red onion, diced very finely

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup tomato and basil spahetti sauce

• A few pinches of dried basil, or your choice of Italian seasonings

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Pepper to taste

• Preheat your oven to 375. 
• Grease each cup of a mini-muffin tin. (I used canola spray, but use whatever you have on hand/prefer.) 
• Chop your onion as finely as you can and then in a large bowl, combine all other ingredients thoroughly. 
• Put enough of your meatloaf mixture in each muffin cup to fill it slightly above the top. 
• Bake for 15-20 mins or until cooked through. 

Cool and enjoy! These will keep well in the fridge for about a week.

1. 
   

BBQ Sauce

I like a hybrid between a North Carolina Vinegar Sauce and a Texas sweet sauce. So I came up with this tangy sweet bbq sauce.

1 Onion Chopped
1 tsp powdered ginger or an inch of grated fresh ginger
1 orange
1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
6oz Tomato Paste
1/4 C Molases
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Tamarind Paste (optional, find it in the Asian section of the grocery store)
4 cloves garlic minced


Put a splash of olive oil in a medium-hot pan. And add your chopped onion. Let that caramelize, the longer the better. The longer it cooks the sweeter it'll be. Let it go from 10 minutes to half an hour.

After you get the onions where you want them add the zest from half an orange, the ginger, garlic and cook for 1minute.

Add a pinch of salt, tamarind paste and tomato paste cook for another 2 minutes.

Finally add your Vinegar, about a Tablespoon of orange juice, Brown Sugar, and molasses.

Stir and put on low, medium-low heat. Taste and check for seasoning. If it's too vinegary add sugar and molases. If it's too tangy add sugar and molases. If it's too sweet add Apple Cider Vinegar.

You can then puree it in a blender or serve it as is, up to you.