Sweet and Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds…and Anatomy of a Pumpkin

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Ari

Steps to breaking down a pumpkin

  1. Drive to the pumpkin store.
  2. Make a bee-line for the donuts.
  3. Gorge yourself on pumpkin and apple cider donuts and momentarily forget that you came here for pumpkins. 
  4. Remember the underlying reason for your visit when the pumpkins catch your eye.
  5. Wander over to the pumpkins at a slightly slower pace and try not to jostle the lead ball of donut sitting in the pit of your stomach. 
  6. Pick your perfect pumpkin. 
  7. Drive home and try to ignore the slight resting tremor as the sugar surge sets in.
  8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  9. Cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the innards and set them aside for later.
  10. Place the two halves, cut side down, on cookie sheets and bake for 1.5 – 2 hours (or until the pumpkin is soft). 
  11. While the pumpkin is cooking, separate the pumpkin seeds from the “connective tissue”. 
  12. Rinse the pumpkin seeds and spread out on a cookie sheet in a thin layer. 
  13. Set aside the pumpkin seeds to dry overnight…only 12-14 short hours until you get to dig into some tasty Sweet and Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds. 
  14. Sit back and relax (while watching Downton Abbey perhaps?) as your house fills with the mouth watering smell of baked pumpkin. 
  15. Once the pumpkins are done baking, use a large spoon to scoop out the pumpkin meat.
  16. Either store the pumpkin as is or pureé 2 cups at a time in a blender.
  17. Refrigerate for use within the next couple days or freeze for later use…Recipes for your homemade pumpkin pureé to follow.

Sweet and Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dried, raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbs sriracha (more if you want spicier seeds)
  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Mix together the sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce and olive oil.
  3. In a large bowl, toss together the pumpkin seeds with the sriracha mixture.
  4. Spread out the coated pumpkin seeds on a greased cookie sheet in a thin layer.
  5. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or till golden brown.

 

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Misfortune Cookies

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Anita!

Making these cookies is like finally going on a date with that guy/girl you’ve always admired — unobtainable, with a mystery comparable to a mobius strip.  But then when you finally get what you want, he or she turns out to be finicky and high-maintenance.  And you get burned several times.

I didn’t have the wherewithal to insert fortunes into the cookies, but if you make them you can insert little pieces of paper right before folding.  I’d recommend messages such as “I hope you are worth the effort this cookie took” or “You owe me one.”

Recipe

1) I really didn’t add or remove any ingredients, so I’ll just link you to the recipe on Food Mayhem.

2) I used maple syrup instead of almond extract; I used powdered sugar for the recommended super-fine sugar; and I used almond milk instead of heavy cream.

3) Look for a consistency of batter that looks like the picture in the spoon above.  And omg, egg whites and powdered sugar make the best eating batter ever.

4) I’ll tell you that getting the right thickness of the batter is key, as thin cookies burn and thick cookies don’t get crisp.  The best way to cook a bunch quickly is to have tandem cookie sheets lined with silicone baking mats…but if you’re just doing this for fun, taking your time is your prerogative.

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Spiced Scalloped Potatoes

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Anita!

Here’s a list of some things I’ve stress-eaten over the past few months:
  • quesadillas made of only tortillas and those pull-able cheese sticks
  • marshmallows, spread in a layer on a plate and microwaved until they’ve just started to caramelize
  • baking chocolate squares, right out of the box
  • jello, made with the best of intentions but then drunk with a straw when I was too impatient to let it harden
  • cereal with water when I ran out of milk
  • peanut butter right out of the jar (later in the day I’d find PB smeared on my elbow and in my hair)
So with that: here’s to the return of napkins, utensils, and food groups.

Ingredients (adapted from simple scalloped potatoes in Smitten Kitchen)

  • 3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thinly (I used my new mandolin)
  • 1 Tb canola oil
  • 2.5 Tb butter
  • 3/4 onion, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 tsp each of cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, garlic powder, and garam masala (see note below)
  • 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
  • 1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
I used a relatively small vessel for this recipe — it is probably only 7 inches in diameter.  Therefore, I only used about 1.5 potatoes, but I’d recommend using a bigger container if you’re making it for more people.  Also, you can up the spices if you’re using more potatoes.
Heat the oven to 350F.  In a skillet combine the canola oil and 1 Tb butter .  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown.  Add the peas and stir.  Add the spices and stir, turning off the heat after about 15 seconds.  Add salt and pepper.
Butter the inside of the vessel you’re using, then arrange the potatoes in a layer with edges overlapping.  Put a little of the onion mixture over the top and attempt to spread it.  Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper.  Repeat this process until you have 4-5 layers.  Sprinkle the cheese evenly on top, and finish with dollops of the remaining butter.
Finally, gently pour the milk on top until it gets about halfway up the stack of potatoes (you might not need an entire cup).  I actually filled mine higher, but the casserole ended up a little more liquid-y than I would have liked.  Do it to your preference, you’re the cook!
Bake on the middle rack for 30-45 minutes.  After the first 30 check for level of the liquid as well as browning of the top level of potatoes.  The goal is a slightly crispy top with a creamy base.  Hope you enjoy it!

 

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Happy New Year!

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Ari

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