Two loaves-One for Me and One to Share

                                                 Spicy Pumpkin Bread

The combination of these spices gives this quick bread a subtle flavor profile, with a slight finish similar to the flavor of red hot candy. This recipe is a keeper, perfect for the holiday buffet table.
Ingredients:

6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter softened; more for the pans
11-1/4 oz. (2-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. finely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. table salt or 1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. each: ground cloves, mace, allspice, and nutmeg
1-3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin (12.75oz. from a 15-oz. can of pure pumpkin)
1/2 cup buttermilk or scant ½ cup milk with ½ tsp. white vinegar stirred in

1 Tbsp. raw sugar/divided

________________________________________

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. (325 for dark pans) Lightly butter and flour four mini loaf pans, one 12-cup Bundt pan, or two 4x8 inch metal loaf pans. Or use Pam for Baking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, mace, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, and black pepper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on low speed with the stand mixer’s paddle attachment or on medium-low speed with a hand mixer until the butter is smooth. Add the sugar gradually, then turn mixer to medium speed and continue mixing, stopping and scraping the bowl and beater as needed, until lighter in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute each. Add the pumpkin and mix until it’s evenly incorporated into the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until well blended.
Stop the mixer and add half the flour mixture. On low speed (for either mixer), mix until the flour is almost completely blended and then add half the buttermilk and mix until smooth. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until smooth. The batter will be thick.
If using mini loaf pans, divide the batter evenly among the four pans (the pans should be about two-thirds full). If using a Bundt or full-size loaf pans, spread the batter in the pan (again, filling the pan no more than two-thirds full.) Smooth the top of the batter. Sprinkle the top lightly with the raw sugar.
TBake on the center/middle rack, until the loaves are golden and a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes for mini loaf pans (60 minutes for a Bundt pan and 60 to 70 minutes for a full-size loaf pan). Let the loaves cool in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes. Then turn them out onto a rack, right side up, to cool completely.






Spicy Pumpkin Bread

The Best Morning Juice

Today, I decided to make fresh juice for breakfast, mostly because I needed to use up what I had in the refrigerator.
It turned the combination of fruit into one of the most refreshing breakfast juices I have ever had.
So here is the combination that I used, to make two juice glasses, which I poured over crushed ice. You can easily double or triple the amounts if you have a larger family.

                                                          Morning Juice,
1 Tangerine
2 Navel Oranges
4 Blood Oranges
1 tsp. of sugar
crushed ice
Slice the fruit in half, and then juice the fruit. Add the sugar and stir. Serve immediately over crushed ice.
Amazing flavor!

I'm baking.

Have you thought about breakfast munchies for your loved ones while they are waiting for the turkey to cook? They will love this pound cake, and you can bake it the day before.

Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

Baking spray

1 cup granulated white sugar – 7 oz.

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind, from 1 large lemon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups flour (4.5 oz. a.p. flour and 2 5/8 oz. cake flour, for a total of 1 2/3 cups)

2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. kosher salt

¾ cup low-fat buttermilk – 6.25 fl.oz.

Glaze

2/3 cup granulated sugar – 4.5 oz.

Juice of one large lemon, about ¼ cup

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter



Coat a 9x5 loaf pan with baking spray. Pre-heat oven to 300°.

Beat butter and sugar on medium speed of stand mixer until well blended, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Beat in lemon rind and vanilla.

Combine flour and next four ingredients in another bowl. Add 1/3 flour, beat, add ½ buttermilk, beat, and repeat, ending with flour. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 300° for 40 minutes, then turn oven to 325° and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack, and poke holes all the way through the cake using a skewer. Brush glaze over cake, until all glaze has been absorbed, and while cake is still warm.

Glaze

Combine lemon juice and sugar in a glass measuring cup, stir well and let rest while cake cooks. When you remove cake from oven, stir lemon sugar mixture again, and place in microwave for 1 minute. Remove; stir, until all sugar is dissolved. Stir in 1 Tbsp. room temp. butter, until incorporated. Let cool along with cake. Poke the cake, and brush over the warm cake, then cool completely. Brush lightly around all sides, too.

Moist, delicious and addictive cookies for the Holiday Table.

Who doesn't love these Honey Crisp apples? These are the MOST addictive apple I have ever eaten, and I'm not alone in thinking this. Everyone should try these. I decided to use one for this recipe, and once again, we couldn't stop eating these cookies, either. Apple crack? Yeah, that's gotta be it.
And unlike me, they don't get old or dried out, but they do seem to get even better, if that's possible, so these will last through a holiday weekend, if you make enough. teehee

Apple Cookies:


 1/2 cup shortening

 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

 1 egg

 1/4 cup milk

 2 cups all-purpose flour

 1 teaspoon baking soda

 ½ tsp. kosher salt

 Scant 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 Scant 1/8 teaspoon ground mace

 1 cup chopped pecans

 1 cup finely diced or shredded, peeled Honey Crisp apple ( 1 apple)

 1 cup raisins

Vanilla Glaze:

 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

 1 tablespoon butter, melted

 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

 2 to 4 teaspoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed but not diluted, and then warmed in the microwave (10 seconds)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add egg and milk and beat until combined.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and mace. Gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in walnuts, apple and raisins.

4. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes or until cookies are dark golden brown. Cool on wire racks. (375° pure convection mode for 14 to 16 minutes, for three cookie sheets)

5. To make vanilla glaze, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and warmed apple juice. Drizzle over warm cookies. If not of drizzling consistency, add 1 tsp. warm water, and stir again. Scoop glaze into a zip-loc bag, push the air out, seal, then make a small cut in one bottom corner, and squeeze glaze onto the tops of the cookies. Do this gently, so the bag doesn’t burst.

The MOST Addictive Bundt Cake Ever

Quadruple Apple Craisin Bundt Cake, is a mouthful to say, and is, dare I say, better than chocolate. I wouldn't have said that was possible, until I ate my way through this cake. Dense, and moist, like carrot cake, it will stay fresh on your counter for several days, a plus for empty nesters, and the flavors continue to develop and marry. But, I doubt it will last that long on the counter, because your taste buds will start crying out to you "More..more...more" until it's gone, and you will want to bake another one, even though the recipe is time consuming. I just hope these new Honey Crisp apples are going to be available year round, or I'm going to have withdrawals!
Are you sure you want a new addiction? Then read on....my little pretties

Quadruple Apple Craisin Bundt Cake


2 cups King Arthur unbleached white all purpose flour = 9 oz.

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg – a few (6 to 8) grates of fresh nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground mace

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. powdered vanilla

Combine all of the above in a bowl, and use a whisk to combine the ingredients. Set aside.

Note: If you only have liquid vanilla, add it to the wet ingredients, not the dry.



1¼ cups white sugar or 9 oz.

¼ cup brown sugar or 2 oz.

10 Tbsp. (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup homemade apple butter (recipe to follow)

2 medium Honey Crisp apples- cored, peeled, and grated

Note: I used Honey Crisp apples, but a baking apple, like a Jonathon or Granny Smith, would probably give a more pronounced apple flavor. But I truly hope you can find Honey Crisp apples.

½ cup Craisins dried cranberries

*apple juice – For baking purposes, I like to use Langers brand, as it comes in a clear plastic container, with a screw on lid. You can take out what you need, and put the rest back in the freezer. If you want juice, ¼ cup of concentrate and ¾ cup water will give you an 8 oz. glass of apple juice, and you don’t have to drink 2 quarts of juice.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare non-stick Bundt pan by spraying with baking spray, or butter it. If using a regular Bundt pan, butter and flour the pan, and increase baking temperature to 350 degrees.

Combine butter and both sugars in the large bowl of a stand mixer, with mixing blade attached, cream at medium high speed until it is light and fluffy. Note: If using liquid vanilla, add to butter/sugar mixture. Scrape down bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until each is well incorporated. Scrape down bowl after each addition.

On low speed, add apple butter, then grated apples.

Add dry ingredients slowly, until flour mixture is barely incorporated, then add the Craisins, and mix to combine.

*If the batter is too thick (the moisture in apples can vary) add up to 3 Tbsp. apple juice, and mix again, just until incorporated. This should still be a very thick batter.

This is a thick batter, so spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, and slam several times on the counter to settle it into the pan, and bake on the lower-middle rack in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with no crumbs attached. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto serving platter, and let cool completely, uncovered, before glazing.

Glaze, or dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cover.

Glaze

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 Tbsp. frozen apple juice concentrate, undiluted, thawed and heated in microwave until quite warm

Mix butter and sugar together until butter is incorporated into the sugar. Slowly add hot apple juice concentrate, stirring until it becomes fully incorporated and is a pourable consistency. Use immediately, as this glaze will set up quickly.

Apple Butter

1 large Red Delicious apple – cored, peeled, and grated

½ cup white sugar

½ cup apple juice

½ tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of kosher salt

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients, and cook, covered, over medium heat, for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, and continue cooking and stirring until it turns dark and thick, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool. Use the entire amount for the Bundt cake recipe.

And don't call 911 if you overdose on this cake.....

Crab Cake Dinner Salad

These were truly delicious. Chock full of crab, lightly breaded with fresh bread crumbs, and fried.
Served over a bed of fresh greens, lightly dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. A slice of the most delicious, lightly salted sweet and ripe heirloom tomato, so large it dwarfs the crab cakes, and then red bell pepper remoulade and a drizzle of a balsamic vinegar reduction. Yes, this was fit for the food gods, even if my picture of it is not.
I have to try and plant some of these tomatoes next year.

Imagine the Mexican Riviera

That's what you will be doing when you sit down to eat this meal, imagining yourself totally relaxing seaside, in some cozy little Mexican restaurant, dining under a thatch covered patio overlooking the water.
I served this salad with some lime wedges, to squeeze over the top of the grilled shrimp, and it is divine. The achiote paste is worth searching for. You will keep this item in your pantry forever more. If you don't like really hot food, use only half the jalapeño, it will still be plenty warm. Buen Provecho....and sorry, I didn't take a picture.

Shrimp Salad with Corn and Orange Salsa
Serves four, generously


1 pound large shrimp (peeled and deveined)

6 navel oranges, or blood orange would be awesome with this

3 Tablespoons achiote paste

2 ears fresh white corn (cut off cob)

1/2 red onion (sliced thinly)

1 jalapeño pepper (sliced really thin)

1/4 red bell pepper, sliced thin, or diced, to your taste

3 Tablespoons good olive oil

8 oz. salad mix

1 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro


Juice 4 of the oranges and section the other two. Set aside the sections. Dissolve achiote paste in the orange juice. Let it rest for 15 minutes, to extract the flavors. Now, press through a fine mesh sieve to remove any undisolved pieces and spices, and mix in with the corn, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, oil, salt, orange sections and cilantro. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
Wash and dry the salad greens, and place in a large salad bowl, and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Grill the marinated shrimp over medium high heat, for about 3 minutes per side. Leave lid open while grilling, or shorten the grilling time if you close the grill lid.
Toss the salad with the corn salsa, plate the salad, placing lime wedges around the plate. Place 5 shrimp per plate, and serve.


 Shrimp Marinade


1 Tbsp. achiote paste

3 Tbsp. corn oil

1 tsp. ancho chili powder

¼ tsp. cumin

2 to 3 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

½ tsp. kosher salt


Blend all ingredients in a medium size bowl, and then stir in the shrimp. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Preheat grill to medium high. Grill the shrimp for 3 minutes per side, remove, and place on the above salad.

Served with some hot tortillas, or not, this makes a great patio dinner.

I hope this becomes one of your new favorites.
Enjoy your holiday weekend my friends!