Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies 
(yummy and super moist-  I had to add a lot more powdered sugar to get the right consistency!)
Ingredients
1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup unsalted butter; softened
2 cups white sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin (solid; not pie mix)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions
Cream shortening, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
To Make Frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Spread over warm cookies.

Suggestions:
- I wanted big cookies, so I measured each cookie out to 1/4 cup, I shaped the cookies into circular blobs and smoothed the tops with dampened finger tips.
- Cool the cookies completely (if they are even the slightest bit warm, the will crumble when inverted into the icing) and dip into the prepared icing, this allowed a very even distribution of icing, resulting in a smooth finish.
- While the icing is wet, add some fall inspired sprinkles. 

Banana Yeast Bread

2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
¾ cup (180ml) lukewarm water
3 cups (420g) unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
1 ripe banana, slightly mashed

Place the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 pinch of the sugar and cover with the water. Mix well and set aside until foamy.
Add the flour, salt, remaining sugar, butter, dry milk and banana and mix them using the dough hook (or knead by hand) until you've made a smooth, soft dough – 5 minutes were enough for me. It should be barely tacky. Don't add a lot of extra flour - you'll end up with a dry loaf. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise 1 to 1 ½ hours until almost doubled in bulk.

Remove dough from bowl and place it onto a lightly floured surface; knead it lightly for 10 seconds, then cut it into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Butter a 25cm (10 in) round cake pan and place the balls inside it, forming a circle. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise again for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; bake bread for 35-40 minutes, until golden. If it seems to be getting too brown toward the end of cooking, you can tent with foil.

Remove from oven and transfer the pan to wire rack for at least an hour to cool completely. Unmold bread.

Kathleen's Creamy White Chili

We celebrated halloween this year with some warm ghostly chili!  I added a few Tbsp of flour to make it a little thicker to hold up in a soup bowl.  Delicious!

2 lbs. chicken breast; cooked and diced

1 larg onion, diced

3 can great northern beans, rinsed

2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

1 (7 oz) green chilies, diced

1 Tbsp garlic pwd.

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp oregano

1/4-1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups sour cream 1 cup whipped cream or milk

Add chicken, onion, beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes.  Stir in sour cream and milk.  Serve immediately!  Serves 6

Creamy Chicken Apple Chili

With the cool fall weather comes the desire for warm comfort foods!  This recipe hits the spot on a chilly day!

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Salt and pepper

2 apples, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 onion, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup milk

Two 15-ounce cans pinto or white beans, rinsed

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (about 8 ounces)

Toasted tortillas, for serving

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, chili powder and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
In the same pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the apples and onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 6 minutes; add to the chicken.
In the same pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute; whisk in the chicken broth and milk until thickened, 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken-apple mixture and beans, bring to a simmer, then stir in the cheese. 

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

 

We absolutely loved these cookies!  They were very moist and reminded us of a pumpkin roll!    1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt

1 2/3 cups flour

4 ounces cream cheese, chilled

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.  Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.  Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

Italian meatball egg-drop soup

1 pound ground turkey, preferably thighs 1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs 6 large eggs 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 6 cups chicken broth 1 head escarole, coarsely chopped 1 lemon, cut into wedges

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs and set aside. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the escarole.  In a small bowl, lightly beat the remaining 3 eggs with 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the simmering broth, pushing the meatballs and escarole aside. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve with more parmesan and the lemon wedges.