Friday, October 16, 2009

Pumpkin Recipes

Fall seems to be in full-swing here in Savannah, considering it is supposed to dip down into the 40s this weekend! I even made a big pot of chili last night to kick-off the cool weather.

In the mean time, I am craving all things PUMPKIN! Yes, I have already drank my weight in half-caff, low-fat Pumpkin Spice Latte's from Starbucks, just in case you are wondering. And I plan on trying out a new recipe for Pumpkin Gnocchi this weekend...I'll let you know how it goes!

Here are two recipes which I've tried and loved. Johnny and I made the Pumpkin Creme Brulee's for Thanksgiving dessert a few years back. It is extremely rich, so you could probably get away with smaller servings. And I just recently made the Pumpkin Cobbler. I love it best warm with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and/or whipped cream. YUM!!

Pumpkin Crème Brulee
Serves: 7

Ingredients:
2 c. heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
5 Tbsp. (2.5 oz) sugar, divided
10 egg yolks, beaten
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. powdered ginger
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 c. sugar for tops, or as needed

Combine the heavy cream, vanilla and half of the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks and remaining sugar. Add 1/3 of the hot liquid to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Add the egg yolk mixture to the remaining hot cream, stirring constantly. Sire in the cinnamon, allspice and ginger. Fold in the pumpkin puree.

Fill buttered ramekins 7/8 full, place in a water bath. (Place ramekins in a deep roasting pan and fill pan with enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.) Bake at 325° until just barely set, cook 30 minutes, chill overnight.

Cover the surface of each custard with 1/8-inch of sugar, set ramekins in a pan surrounded with ice (so the custard does not become reheated when caramelizing the top). Caramelize sugar under the broiler or with a torch.


Pumpkin Cobbler - from THIS site

Ingredients:
6 eggs, beaten
3 cups cooked pumpkin
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. cloves
1 spice cake mix (or yellow cake mix if you prefer)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Mix eggs, pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices. Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the top. Pour melted butter all over the cake mix. Sprinkle nuts on top. DO NOT MIX. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 40 minutes.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Getting Ready...


It's almost time to welcome the man back home. I think it is actually starting to sink in finally. It is such a mixture of emotions....excitement, anxiousness, a little nervous, lots of happy tears, and relief. Would it be terrible for me to say that it's hard for me to remember what life was like when he was home? I had to email him this morning to find out what kind of soap he uses these days so I could stock the bathroom with his products again. What a weird feeling to not know what kind of soap your husband uses.



He is officially out of Iraq and currently waiting in Kuwait for his flight home. He sent me an email yesterday once they arrived to Kuwait after packing up and saying good-bye to the only "home" he's known for the past year. He said, "I am glad to be out of that place. It was weird leaving; It was like moving out of an apartment...you take one last look around and hope that wherever you go next is better, and hope to never go back there again."

Below is a video my mom sent me this morning with the disclaimer to not watch it at work because it was a tear-jerker, the happy kind. Well, everything is a tear-jerker these days; I am so my mother's daughter! And of course I didn't listen to her because I watched it as soon as I got into the office!


My favorite part on the video is when he points to the soldier and says "You ARE the man!"

What an exciting time...he's coming home...and he is actually gonna stay put for awhile!!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Recap

It was 53° this morning in Savannah when I woke up! I couldn’t believe it! I realize there are many places across the country that have already had their first snow, however, 53° is chilly for Savannah in September. Are there any other locals out there who think Fall weather is hitting us much earlier this year??!

Last weekend I spent Saturday at the beach with a few of my girlfriends. We had such an awesome time. We all brought something to contribute to our picnic and just spent the day talking, eating, snoozing, reading, and relaxing ocean-side. It really was therapy for my soul!

On Sunday, I spent the morning volunteering with the Food Ministry at my church. I spent 4 hours chopping and mixing to help prepare for a Missions Lunch that afternoon and I loved every second of it. I think they thought I was kidding when I said I could stand and chop vegetables literally all day long and actually enjoy it! It is a dream of mine to one day go to culinary school….wonder if that will ever happen J

The work week was only mildly painful. Luckily I was able to stay rather busy so it went by quickly. The evenings this week were spent catching up on my DVR since all my favorite shows are finally back on.

Johnny’s return date was delayed about a week which is a bummer, but honestly…what’s another week when we’ve already done a year of this mess! I am ready for it to be here though, fo sho!

I have a fun weekend coming up with lots of plans with sweet friends that I don’t get to spend nearly enough time with. Next week, I’ll be making lots of to-do lists and getting things ready for Johnny’s return….can’t wait!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!