Cooking with KP: October 2010

Kay's Pumpkin Bars

It is finally fall and here is a recipe that I would make for my parents. My mother, who was not a big sweets eater, loved them. I hope you enjoy them as well.

Ingredients
Bars:
4 eggs
1 2/3 c. granulated sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 c. golden raisins

Icing:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon,nutmeg,ginger salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Fold in nuts and raisins. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top of icing.

Hearty Potato Soup

My mother made the most amazing potato soup. I wish I could match hers, but here is the recipe that I enjoy making.

1 ham bone and 1 cup diced ham
4 c. diced peeled potatoes
1/2 c. chopped celery include some celery leaves
1/2 c chopped onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 T. Worchester sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoky paprika is best)
1 bay leaf
1 T finely diced parsley or parsley flakes
1 qt. water or chicken broth for additional flavor (I always use chicken broth)
3 c. milk (I use whole milk--My mother used 2 c. whole milk and one c. evaporated milk)
3 T. butter
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Place the potatoes, celery, garlic powder, onion, ham with bone, parsley, bay leaf, and water in a large saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft, but not mushy, about 40 minutes. Drain or allow water to reduce until almost gone. Add milk, butter, salt, and white pepper to taste. Simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Top with grated cheese or finely diced fried bacon and sour cream if you want a loaded baked potato soup.

Spinach, Artichoke, Mushroom Casserole

Here is a recipe I found online and changed a bit:
3 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (I used jarred)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (6 ounce) can mushrooms, drained and chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
25 ritz crackers, crumbed
1/2 stick of butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 2-qt casserole dish.
Drain thawed spinach- I wring it out in a cotton dish towel.
Mix all ingredients except crackers and butter in a large mixing bowl.
Transfer mixture to baking dish.
Bake covered for 15 minutes.
In small bowl, mix cracker crumbs and butter.
Remove casserole from oven, cover with crumb mixture and bake an additional 10 minutes, until bubbly.

Mother's Banana Nut Bread

My mother had a prized pecan tree in our front yard. She and my brother David would gather the pecans each fall and together they would crack and shell them for this banana nut bread. Mother always made it in a bundt pan rather than loaf pans. It is awesome.
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (If you use self-rising flour, eliminate salt and baking soda.)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans
4 -5 bananas (use nearly black bananas; it is very important to use very ripe bananas)
Heat oven to 350°. Grease or spray bundt pan or 2 loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mash bananas with a masher or by well washed hands.
Dissolve soda in buttermilk-- use a larger container as it will foam up quite a bit.
Mix all ingredients by hand and add in 1 cup chopped nuts.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out ALMOST clean.
A totally clean will mean a dryer loaf.
Let cool 15 minutes after removing from oven and remove from pans.

Carrot Cake

I have tried many carrot cake recipes, but this one is my favorite.

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I prefer walnuts)

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or two 8 inch round pans.
2.In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in carrots. Fold in nuts and raisins. Pour into prepared pan.
3.Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4.To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

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Cheaper Cuts of Beef Don't Have To Be Tough

Most people avoid the cheaper cuts of beef because they tend to be tough. With 8 children and three adults in our home, my mother had to find ways to tenderize the cheaper cuts of beef. One way to cook "down", as my mother used to say, a tough cut of beef steak is to season both sides of the steak with garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Lightly brown the steak in a large skillet and on top add a diced green bell pepper, medium onion, a bay leaf, parsley flakes, a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cover with lid. Let the steak simmer for 30-50 minutes. Remove lid and thicken juices by cooking 5-10 more minutes. You can also do the same with a cheap beef roast in a crock pot. Add all the ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The flavor is simple, amazing and great with mashed potatoes.

Fall Vegetables for a Healthy You

As the fall approaches, we will all start to stay indoors more hours. This will lessen our vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, and K, which are enhanced by sunlight. Below are a few vegetables you might want to increase in your diet as the fall and later winter days approach. Besides, they are very tasty. In fact, in the next few weeks, I will be posting recipes that incorporate many of these delicious veggies.

Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries.

Bell peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K. These sweet peppers are flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. You can choose from a rainbow of colors, including: green peppers,yellow peppers, orange peppers,and red peppers.

Summer and winter squash are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and fiber and can be served alone or added to many dishes.

Just a few tips for you...

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!

Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love them.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugarcone to prevent ice cream drips!

Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!

If your celery begins to wilt in the fridge, fill a large cup half full of water and place celery in the cup. Put back in the fridge for two hours--it will be crisp. (Learned this from my mother).

Cooking Myth Busted

A Potato Can Save a Salty Soup or Stew. True or False? False. "This is an attractive idea, but it doesn't work because potatoes are not particularly absorbent," says Wolke, who conducted his own soup-and-potato experiment for his Cooking Myth Busters book. "There is no reason they would attract salt." If you remove the raw potato from the soup, the potato will taste salty, but so would a sponge — it has simply soaked up some of the salty liquid. Still, there is hope for salty stews: Adding a bit of vinegar or sugar can "cancel out" the saltiness by giving your taste buds competing flavors.

Super Moist Turkey

If you are looking for a way to get a moist turkey, you might try one of these family hints:

1--bake the turkey upside down--breast down for the first half of the cooking time. It will help the darker meat cook more thoroughly and the fatty juices of the darker meat will drip down to the breast and add moistness. Use a deep roasting pan for this.

2--bake the turkey with the breast up, but rub it with butter, garlic powder and pepper only. Do not salt the skin. Instead, mix salt in a cup of warm water and pour that cup of salted warm-not hot-water inside the cavity of the turkey. The salt water will steam up into the turkey, making it very moist.

3. bake the turkey with the breast up and slice two lemons and one orange in halves. Place the halves inside the seasoned turkey and the juices will steam into the meat, adding moisture and flavor.

Hint of the Week

Here is something I learned from my wonderful Mother, the greatest cook I have ever known. When you have just a small serving of cooked vegetables leftover from dinner, don't throw them away. Keep a large plastic container in the freezer and put the vegetables in the container. Mix them--carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, etc. When the container is full make a pot of soup or stew. Also, if a recipe calls for 1/2 a chopped onion, chop the whole onion and add the half to the freezer container. My mother made the best vegetable soups from this idea.

Hint for the Week

With Fourth of July quickly approaching, you might be thinking of making Deviled Eggs. If you want perfectly boiled eggs, place eggs in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Do not layer eggs on top of one another. Bring water to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and let eggs simmer 8 minutes, return to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and empty hot water and fill pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. To peel easily, slightly crush shell in your fist and roll on counter with a firm grip. Of course, you don't want to push through the egg, but by making the shell crack in many small pieces, it is easier to peel. My father saw this on a cooking show years ago and taught me this. It truly works.