They Can’t All Be Gems: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread AGAIN

Last Thursday I started out the day waking up late, but I got ready at record speed, and even had extra time to spend styling my hair. I flew threw every all green lights on the way to work. It was sunny and I had no traffic. I turned my iPod onto the shuffle setting and the perfect song came on. Just as I was pulling into my parking structure, a car that was parked in the best spot was pulling out. Jack pot! I even ended up making it to work early!

At some point during the day my luck turned.

Earlier in the week I had been notified of a breakfast party my office would be joining another department for. It was encouraged for people to bring a food item to share, and as the other office is a team of practically professional bakers, I had to bring something.

I thought all week about what I should make, and tried to figure out how I’d find the time to make something (I’ve been working long and stressful days with 3 meals a day eaten behind my desk and in front of my computer). I made a successful effort to leave work by 6:00 pm to allow myself enough time to stop by the store and make my dish. It took trips to two different grocery stores to acquire all of the ingredients necessary for the frittatas I was planning to make. When I arrived home I made a fabulous recipe for mini egg frittatas with sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed shallots and garlic, smoked mozzarella, Asiago cheese, and fresh basil.

Having left work “early”, I retreated to my laptop in another room while they were in the oven. I should mention that I’ve had a sinus-thing for two weeks and my normally keen sense of smell has abandoned me. While I was typing away at emails, I failed to smell my mini frittatas burning in the kitchen. I can’t believe that I let that happened! I pulled them out of the oven, and while my husband and I may have bit the bullet and eaten them ourselves, being the perfectionist that I am, I could not serve them to my colleagues! They sadly went directly into the trash.

I checked the clock – it was past 10:00 pm! I did not have enough of the ingredients to remake the frittatas. We do not live near any grocery stores and I had already had a glass of wine, so getting to the store was out of question. To top it off, my husband was out of town on business, and if he had been home, he would have lovingly gone to any grocery store to fetch whatever ingredients I needed. I did not want to show up to this breakfast gathering empty handed!

I began flipping through my cookbook while surveying what I had in my refrigerator and pantry. I had a couple eggs, a can of pumpkin puree that hadn’t yet expired, and barely enough sugar. I could make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread! I pulled out my stand mixer and got going, but unfortunately it had to bake for over an hour. When I pulled it out of the oven I didn’t let it rest long enough (as I was longing to get to bed for an early start for the next day!). As I attempted to put it on a cooling rack, the loaf split in two! I salvaged it with some fancy slicing and headed to bed with only a few hours left before my alarm would hopefully wake me up.

I somehow rose early enough on Friday morning to make it to the gathering with my Pumpkin Bread. When I went to retrieve my plate at the end of the day, all but one slice were gone!

Recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This went in . . .

. . . and this came out.

Tradition: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This recipe goes back as far as I can remember. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread was always a favorite in my family around the holidays. About 15 years ago or so it turned into a fixture in my diet year-round. My mother would make it and pack it in my lunch, or I’d even snack on it for breakfast. Some things never change. Over time we have improvised with this recipe and turned it into Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, which makes it a little easier to eat on the go.

When my husband and I lived in New York, our friends became our family. A few of our friends especially played the part, as we gathered at least monthly for a 'family dinner' and board games. Those nights are some of my most treasured memories in the city. I would cook up a storm in our apartment's tiny kitchen, our friends would show up with wine, and we laughed into the wee hours of the night over Trivial Pursuit or Taboo.

After our move, I experienced withdrawal from not being able to cook for these friends. I have yet to figure out how to snail-mail them homemade sauces and soups, but I do send them one treat each year. I don’t know if they’ve come to expect it, but each Wednesday or Thursday after Thanksgiving they receive a loaf of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread in the mail, tucked inside a shoebox and wrapped in Christmas paper. This year is no different. Enjoy, ladies!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
(I usually do a double batch of this and use two loaf pans)
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (for a double batch, use a whole can of pumpkin)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits (when I do a double batch, I put in one whole bag on nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 cup walnuts, firmly chopped (optional)

Directions
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in separate bowl. Add this dry mixture alternating with pumpkin to egg mixture - beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate bits and 3/4 cup walnuts (optional).

Grease bottom of loaf pan (or two if doubling), and pour in mixture. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until done. (Depending on oven - baking time can be 40 - 60 min. Check browning of top of loaf, and stick knife or tooth pick in to see if done. Loaf should be nicely toasted and crisp on top.) Slice into 1-inch slices once cooled. Serve or freeze.

Happy Halloween!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Halloween! May your day be filled with fun tricks and sweet treats!

Halloween Treat: Frosted Pumpkin Cake

In honor of my husband’s favorite holiday, and for everyone who is looking for a festive Halloween treat, I decided to bake something with pumpkin. My latest issue of Cooking Light included a recipe for pumpkin cake with a cream cheese frosting. My favorite pumpkin treat will be posted later in November, but I do love the combination of a cream cheese frosting with pumpkin.

I had my Kitchen Aid stand mixer out ready to go when I realized that I had less brown sugar than I thought I did. I only had one-half of a cup of brown sugar, and was in need of the other half to make this recipe. Instead of making friends with a neighbor, I drove the 20+ miles (one-way) to my sister’s house to get ½ cup of brown sugar. (Okay, I also really wanted to borrow a dress from her, and my excursion lent it’s way to a little playtime with my equally adorable nephew and niece.)

A while later, I was back in my kitchen with my ½ cup of brown sugar in a plastic baggy and I was ready to bake cake! My cake batter seemed really thick. It was difficult to spread out in the pan, so you can either take your time and really work at smoothing it out, or just let it bake unevenly (which I’ll shamelessly admit that I did). While it was baking I wondered if I’d need to do it over with less flour, but it turned out very dense and moist.

I decorated the cake with some Halloween candies. While I did this recipe in celebration of Halloween, it would also work for Thanksgiving. You could garnish with some chopped pecans (or even toss some pecans in the batter for a little crunch).


Frosted Pumpkin Cake
(From Cooking Light; November, 2009)
Ingredients
Cake:
* 10.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 ¼ cups)
* 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* ½ cup butter, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
Cooking spray

Frosting:
* 2 tablespoons butter, softened
* ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
*2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare cake, weight or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine brown sugar, ¼ cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture; beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in a pan on a wire rack.

To prepare the frosting, combine 2 tablespoons butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.

Fall Fare: Kate’s Pumpkin Chipotle Salmon & Spaghetti Squash

In the middle of the summer I was at a local food specialty store that carries the American Spoon products. I am a fan of a lot of their products (one in particular, which I’ll write about soon), and picked up a new jar that caught my eye. The Pumpkin Chipotle Roasting Sauce that I purchased has been burning a hole in my pantry since then. I kept prolonging opening it up as I waited for autumn to come. On Sunday, however, I was running errands and saw Christmas decorations and supplies at several stores. The vision of Christmas cards and wrapping paper triggered me into running home to open up my special fall sauce at an attempt to savor autumn as much as possible before is it actually time to purchase Christmas cards and wrapping paper.

I decided to try out my sauce with salmon and spaghetti squash. My husband and I both love spaghetti squash. If you haven’t tried it before, I encourage you to do so. It’s a versatile vegetable that is not typically utilized widely. It’s not common to see it on a restaurant menu, however last summer we were dining at Burke’s Chophouse in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and much to our surprise, spaghetti squash (not green beans, broccoli, or something else more typical) was the vegetable of the day! Spaghetti squash tastes delicious simply roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper, and nothing more. Seriously, that’s it. It also works well as a pasta substitute – top it with your favorite marinara sauce, toss it with some sautéed vegetables, or throw in some chopped fresh herbs. The squash, salmon, and Pumpkin Chipotle were the perfect trifecta. The Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale was a nice compliment!

Kate’s Pumpkin Chipotle Salmon & Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
* 1 whole spaghetti squash
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* American Spoon Pumpkin Chipotle Roasting Sauce (you will use about ½ jar)
* 4 skinless salmon fillets
* Kosher salt, to taste
* Freshly ground pepper, to taste
* 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Split the squash in half and scrape out seeds. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Season the spaghetti squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place flesh side down and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and turn squash so flesh side is facing up. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When squash are cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape against flesh to pull out the strands of the squash.

Meanwhile, place salmon fillets on a foil-lined broiling pan. Season with salt, pepper, and brush with Pumpkin Chipotle sauce (about 1 tablespoon per fillet). Bake in 450° F oven for approximately 6 minutes. Turn broiler on high, and move pan to top rack in oven. Broil for 2-4 minutes, until sauce on salmon has caramelized on top.

Toss squash in a large bowl with about ¼ cup Pumpkin Chipotle sauce, season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Place squash on plates, top with salmon fillet, and garnish with Italian parsley. (And serve with a chilled pumpkin beer!)