Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Our friend Mary Katherine brought these into work today. Oh my goodness! These are to die for! Here is the recipe that she got from Bon Appetit. Thanks for sharing MKat!





Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients
FILLING
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
2 teaspoons maple extract
CAKE
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Preparation
FILLING
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
CAKE
Sift first 7 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour.
Arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto baking sheet to form cakes (about 3 level tablespoons each; about 12 per baking sheet), spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using metal spatula, remove cakes from parchment.
Line cooled baking sheets with clean parchment; spray with nonstick spray, and repeat baking with remaining batter.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with remaining cakes and filling. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.

Chicken Mushroom Spinach Stuffed Crepes

For dinner that evening, we made chicken mushroom spinach stuffed crepes with the remainder of the crepes we made in the morning. See the post below for a basic crepe recipe.

Saute:

2 chicken breasts in a medium pan over medium high heat. Once cooked, chop and set aside.

In a separate large pan saute over medium high heat:

1 C thinly sliced onion for 3 minutes, then add

1 package of mushrooms sliced, saute for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft

Add:

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry

Chopped cooked chicken breasts

1/2 C sliced green onions

Keep that warm while making a bechamel sauce in a separate pot.

Melt 1 TBSP butter over medium low heat in a small saucepan. Add 2 TBSP flour to pan, creating a roux. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add 1 C 2% milk to pan stirring constantly with a whisk. After about 5 minutes, the sauce will thicken up. Season with salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg.

Pour sauce over chicken and spinach mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly. Preheat broiler.

Spoon 1/2 C mixture in the center of each crepe then fold ends and sides over (like a burrito). Place seam side down in a 13x9 glass baking pan spread with cooking spray. Top crepes with Gruyere cheese or reduced fat Swiss cheese and broil lightly until cheese is melted and brown.

Yields 10 crepes with 2 crepes per serving.

Crepes

I love crepes and I have finally (somewhat) mastered making them. It really isn't that hard but I definitely recommend a crepe pan, a non-stick shallow pan about 8 inches wide. Here is the basic recipe that works with sweet or savory fillings:

1 C all purpose flour

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 C low-fat milk-1%

1/2 C water

2 tsp butter, melted

2 large eggs

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugar, salt). Put remaining wet ingredients in a blender and process on low until just mixed. Then add dry ingredients and process until smooth. Cover batter and chill for 1 hour.

Once it has set for an hour you are ready to make crepes. Heat your non-stick pan over medium heat and pour 1/4 C batter into pan, quickly tilting the pan so that the batter thinly, evenly coats the bottom of the pan. That is the part that takes a little bit of practice. I usually eat the first few before I make pretty ones.

Cook for a minute. It is ready to flip when it can be shaken loose from the pan. Flip and cook for 30 seconds on the other side. Stack finished crepes between a single layer of wax or parchment paper until you have finished the batch. This recipe should yield 12 crepes.

Once done, you can do a variety of recipes. I like eating them for breakfast or dessert with a little honey or pumpkin butter or jam. They are an excellent dessert with a little Nutella. When we made a batch this weekend, we ate a few for breakfast then saved the rest for dinner.

Chef Vicky at the Lazy Goat

This is pretty cool. A GREENVILLE chef is named as one of four Breakout Chefs to Watch. Chef Vicky Moore, the Chef de Cusine at the Lazy Goat, is featured in the current Esquire magazine as a Breakout Chef to Watch.

The Lazy Goat is awesome and Jeff and I enjoyed a cooking class with Chef Vicky a couple of months ago. But the really cool thing is the other 3 chefs are from NY, New Orleans and Philly so Greenville is right up there with big culinary meccas. If you haven't had a chance to try the Lazy Goat, you definitely should go. I love the paella, the Morrocan lamb and the Spanish omlet pizza.

www.thelazygoat.typepad.com

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I found this recipe on Cooking Light's website and made it this weekend. Awesome! I highly recommend!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread


2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding
4 large egg whites
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 32 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 152 (30% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.1g); IRON 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.5g; SODIUM 137mg; PROTEIN 2g; FIBER 1.1g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2004

Disney Wine Dine Run

Disney just announced a new half marathon next year called the Disney Wine and Dine Run. You run 13.1 miles then you enjoy the Epcot Food and Wine festival! It is Oct 1-2, 2010. One of the really cool things about this half marathon is it will be at night!

I REALLY want to do this. Who wants to join me? Registration begins 11/16 and Disney races typically fill up fast. Check out www.disneywinedinerun.com

-- Joy

Sometimes you feel like a sandwich

Sometimes you feel like a sandwich and this week I did. On Wednesday night, I just didn't feel like cooking. I was on my own for dinner and decided to make a sandwich with some of the fixings we picked up from the grocery store on Sunday. Here's the ingredient list.

- Parmesan, Pesto Ham
- Ever-roast Roasted Chicken
- Horseradish Cheddar Cheese
- Sweet Hot Mustard
- Mayo
- All on Whole Wheat Sourdough

It was a good sandwich. My only complaint was in the bread. The sourdough was good, but the slices were so thick and the bread was so dense that it masked the taste of everything else. It dominated the sandwich too much. Next time, I'll try plain whole wheat or regular sourdough.

Funny story on the Ever-roast Roasted Chicken. It's a Boar's Head product and was on special. When I asked the girl at the deli counter if it was good, she said "ooooohhhh it's the BOMB! Tastes just like chicken noodle soup!". As though that's what you're looking for in deli meat. So she game me a piece to try. And you know what? It did tasted oddly like chicken noodle soup. But was also pretty good. And despite the odd similarity to chicken noodle soup, I bought some. I recommend everyone try it, at the very least to see how much it taste like chicken noodle soup.

-- Jeff

Jambalaya

We love making paella but sometimes it is a little time consuming for a week night. I decided to try jambalaya because it has similar ingredients, rice, shrimp, sausage, but I thought it would be quicker to make. Don't let the list of ingredients scare you. If you don't have all the spices, leave it out or put something else in. If you don't like spicy foods, omit the cayenne and the hot sauce.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add:

8 oz sliced andouille sausage

Cook for a few minutes until oil is released from sausage. Remove sausage from pot and add in 1 TBSP olive oil then saute:

1 chopped medium onion

1 chopped red bell pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

Cook for 5 minutes or until onions and peppers are tender.

Put sausage back in pot and add:

1 C rice (regular long grain)

1 tsp paprika (I like smoked paprika but whatever you have is fine)

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

Stir spices in and cook for 1 minute.

Then add:

2 C fat-free chicken broth

1 C water

1 can tomato puree (or diced tomatoes. I use puree so there are not any tomato pieces because Jeff hates tomatoes.)

1 TBSP tomato paste

A couple dashes of hot sauce to your taste. We like it spicy so I use about a teaspoon.

Stir and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add:

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp and cook for another 7 minutes or until shrimp are pink and done.

Remove bay leaves and enjoy. Serves 4.

--Joy

What I'm listening to...

Here nor there by Andy Stochansky -- There's a crisp to the air. It's getting dark earlier. Fall is officially upon us. As I was walking the dogs tonight, shuffling the iPod, it landed on a track from Andy Stochansky called Everest that just seemed to fit with the evening. Tonight finally felt like Fall.

That track made me come back to the house and look back over Andy's collection and, thanks to Grooveshark, I discovered another Fall-esque Stochansky number I'd never heard before, Here nor there.

Check it out.

For more, check http://www.myspace.com/andystochanskymusic.

-- Jeff

What I'm listening to....

Jackie Greene. I discovered Jackie Greene a little over a year ago when he was tour with the Phil Lesh and Friends band. Phil & Friends opened for the Black Crowes on Oct 5th, 2008 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta, GA. Phil's line-up always changes and when I was preparing for the show and checking out which musicians he was touring with this time, I recognized everyone except a guy named Jackie Greene.

When I looked him up I saw an article in the New York Times that dubbed him “The Prince of Americana” and described his music as "steeped in country, blues, jazz, rock and folk traditions, defying easy categorization". Needless to say, I was very interested to see this guy play.

When Phil and Friends took the stage on Sunday evening, I was surprised to see the unassuming Jackie Greene as lead vocals and guitar for Friends, a position held most notably by Warren Haynes and Chris Robinson on previous iterations of the Friends. The band was great, as usual, but I was taken with how Jackie commanded the stage and couldn't wait to check out his solo work.

Since that show just over a year ago, Jackie Greene has been my favorite new musician and I just can't get enough.

Check him out www.jackiegreene.com and www.myspace.com/jackiegreene. If you're interested in picking up an album, I'd recommend his 2002 release Gone Wanderin'.



-- Jeff

Soup, there it is!

This is one of my favorite easy Fall soups. It is really easy, really good and still healthy.

Fall Harvest Soup

Saute:

3 Tbsp butter

6 Cups cubed peeled butternut squash (1 squash, about 2 lbs)

4 Cups cubed peeled russet potatoes (3 potatoes, about 1 1/2 lbs)

Saute for 3 min. Add:

2 Cups sliced leeks (one medium leek*)

*clean well. Leeks have a lot of grit in the base. Best way to clean them is slice them then put in them in a salad spinner. Soak, then rinse, then spin. Let me know if you have questions or don't know what a leek is. I promise it is not hard.

Saute for another minute. Add:

1 Tbsp flour. Sprinkle on mixture and stir.

Stir in:

4 Cups chicken broth

Simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender.

Once everything is soft, transfer to blender. Blend until smooth. Make sure you let steam out out of the top center piece but cover it with a towel so the mixture doesn't fly out everywhere.

Transfer back to pot but take it off the heat and add:

1 Cup milk (I typically use half and half or whole milk but last time I used skim and it turned out just fine)

1/8 teaspoon of cayenne (optional but it adds a nice little bit of heat)

Stir and serve. And it is delicious.

-- Joy

I Love Fall

Jeff and I both love Fall but for different reasons. He likes the cool weather and football and I like the food. I love soups, apples, candy corn and anything pumpkin flavored. I wait all year for the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. I am very excited to try Blue Moon's Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale. I can't wait to test some recipes for pumpkin bread, pumpkin poundcake, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin soup.

Another Fall find is Honeycrisp apples. I don't know how I did not know about this wonderful fruit until just recently. They are the perfect combination of crispy, sweet and a little tart. I usually like the green Granny Smith apples but these are even better. They are slightly more expensive than most apples but so worth it! We found this huge bag at Trader Joe's for only $3.49. I plan on eating an apple a day! -- Joy

Our First Post

For anyone out there reading this, this is our first blog entry. There was a lot of discussion around the name of this blog. Some good ideas that we might share in various post titles; some really bad ideas that are too embarrassing to share at all. But in the end we settled on Good Food Rocks! because it summed up what we really wanted to say with this blog.

The name was inspired by a shared affinity for Walt Disney World. When I was a kid, there was a show at EPCOT in WDW called Food Rocks at the Land Pavilion. It was an animatronic concert where various foods and kitchen utensils performed hit songs of the time. A mix of food and music, just like this blog. (Who knows, we might even throw a little Disney in for you from time to time.)

We hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as we will enjoy cooking it up. And remember good music feeds the soul and good food rocks!

-- Jeff