Happy Halloween! I hope you all had a SPOOK-tacular day.

A highlight of T and I's first Halloween together was ... drum roll please ... Pumpkin Carving! I will say, T was more motivated to carve pumpkins than I was. He didn't have the opportunity to carve many pumpkins as a kid, and I had the advantage of carving pumpkins for many Halloweens growing up. It helps that I had younger brothers who kept the pumpkin carving festivities going so they could have their try at carving. I have fond memories of my dad laying out newspapers on the basement floor of the house I spent most of my childhood in, and telling my brothers and I that the knives were too sharp for us, but he would help us carve our pumpkins. Ahh...those were the days...

This year, T and I both had the idea of carving Hawkeye themed pumpkins. I was thinking ahead when I chose my pumpkin from the patch, and chose a nice small one. T is of the opinion that BIGGER is better, and chose a pumpkin about twice the size of mine. Therefore, it took him about twice as long to scoop out all of the pulp and get it carved. T opted for a tigerhawk, and I went for a Hayden. All in all, the night was a success.

T = Tigerhawk

N = Hayden

After we were done carving our pumpkins, T was very determined not to waste ANY of the pumpkin seeds he spent so much time scooping out, so he decided to try roasting them for a snack. 

Best. Decision. Ever. 

If it was just me, no way would I waste my time have the patience to separate the seeds from the pulp. I'm so glad one of us had the foresight to take the time. The roasted pumpkin seeds turned out absolutely delicious. Crunchy and salty with a little kick of spice. They are a great snack, and would also be excellent as a salad topper.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS | Total Time: 15-20 min.

INGREDIENTS:

Pumpkin Seeds (from carved pumpkin)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate pumpkin seeds from pulp. (Rinse with water to remove all pulp.) Toss seeds with olive oil to coat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the pumpkin seeds on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toast the seeds in the oven until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.

Birthday Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? T and I kept very busy with a quick road trip to Chicago for the Iowa vs. Northwestern game, celebrating T's birthday, dinner with family and friends, and a scouting trip to find the perfect pumpkin carving tools so that we will be well prepared to carve our pumpkins for Halloween this week.

When I asked T about what type of cake he might like for his birthday weekend, his immediate response was 'chocolate'. Who am I to disagree with a man who wants chocolate!? I had a couple of ideas up my sleeve for chocolate cake recipes, particularly one that uses beets, but I stuck to the basics since I thought maybe a chocolate beet cake would be reaching too far out on a limb for a birthday cake. (One day I WILL make the chocolate beet cake, and I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out.) The recipe I decided on was a little out of my normal experience with chocolate cakes, and did use a secret ingredient...fresh brewed hazelnut coffee.

Mix up the batter.

Bake the cake.

Frost the cake.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa via Food Network 

Eat the cake!

BIRTHDAY CHOCOLATE CAKE | Yield: 8 servings | Prep: 30 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
2 C sugar
3/4 C cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 C buttermilk, shaken
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C freshly brewed hot coffee

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans.

Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add wet ingredients to the dry. Add in the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping bottom of the bowl with a spatula.

Pour batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 C confectioner's sugar
2 tsp hot water

DIRECTIONS:

Chop the chocolate and place in a heat-proof bowl. Melt chocolate either over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave following package instructions until just melted. Set aside until cooled to room temperature (about 15 min.).

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 min. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 min., scraping bowl as necessary. Turn the mixer to low, and gradually add confectioner's sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. On low speed, add 2 tsp hot water, and chocolate. Mix until blended, don't whip!

Place cooled cake on a cake pedestal or plate, frost immediately, and serve with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.

A tip on cake baking...learned from my kitchen: If you find that your cakes are turning out tall in the middle and short on the outsides (aka the domed effect), it is probably the pan you are using. The cake pans I used for this recipe are aluminum, and kept the heating even so that I didn't end up with domed cake. You can find them anywhere Wilton products are sold.

Birthday weekend cheering for the Hawks at Northwestern

Have you baked anything delicious lately?

Cranberry Dream Scones

The other morning, I was tired of the regular old cereal routine, and wanted to try something new. I've always been a lover of fresh scones to go with my morning up of joe, but had never attempted them at home. I think I had the idea in my head that they are difficult to make, or I would need a special cast iron scone pan to help them set up properly and hold their shape. Not the case. Thankfully, I threw caution to the wind and decided to give it a go without any special tools, and little experience in pastry making. Scones, to my delight, are incredibly easy to make, and take hardly any time at all to throw together for a quick morning treat. As a bonus, these Cranberry Dream Scones are delicious without the added stickiness of frosting, glaze, or anything that would make them impossibly messy to eat.

Begin by mixing together the dough. After the dough is mixed, knead for 30 seconds, and shape into a 10x5 inch rectangle. Cut 8 evenly sized squares using a pastry cutter or knife, and place on an ungreased, or parchment lined baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and bake on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are light brown.

Remove from the oven, and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. 

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

Behold the perfect amount of crunchiness on the outside, and the delicious soft and fluffy inside.

CRANBERRY DREAM SCONES | Yield: 8 Servings | Prep: 10 min. | Total Time: 25 min.

INGREDIENTS:

2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 C dried cranberries
1 C heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Adjust rack to middle position.

Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl, or food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together, or pulse six times.

If making by hand, use a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in dried cranberries. If using a food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add cranberries and pulse once more. Transfer dough to a large bowl.

Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough sticky ball, 5-10 seconds. Shape the dough into a 10x5 inch rectangle 3/4 inch thick, and using a pastry scraper or knife, cut into 8 squares. NOTE: You can make scones any shape you would like, just make sure they are 3/4 inch thick.

Place squares on ungreased baking sheet (or parchment lined), and bake 12-15 min or until scone tops are light brown. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

T and I both LOVED these scones, and I'll be keeping them in my box of go-to-recipes for quick holiday treats when company is in town.

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

This week in our CSA box we FINALLY received sweet potatoes. I've been slightly addicted to obsessed with sweet potatoes ever since they started popping up as a regular side option in mainstream restaurants. The orange crispy crunchiness of sweet potato fries got me to thinking that I should try to cook with them in my own kitchen and see what kind of deliciousness I could concoct.

After looking through MANY interesting ideas for how to cook with sweet potatoes, I landed on a delectable recipe for Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes.

First, wash and peel 2-3 sweet potatoes.

Next, slice them to about 1 1/2 inch thick. Coat with olive oil and roast in the oven at 375 degrees for approximately 40 min., or until soft enough to smash. Flip potatoes halfway through the roasting time for even cooking.

Mix up the spice rub while the sweet potatoes are roasting.

Remove sweet potatoes from the oven, drizzle with olive oil, and rub in spices. Do this on both sides. Roast for 15 min. then flip and roast another 10 min.

Wa-Laa! Crunchy and spicy on the outside, sweet and soft on the inside. Absolutely amazing.

Recipe adapted from dlyn

CRASH HOT SWEET POTATOES | Yield: 2 Servings | Prep: 10 min.  | Total Time: 45 min. to 1 hr.

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced an inch and half thick
Olive Oil

Spice Rub:
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and slice sweet potatoes 1.5 inches thick. Toss with olive oil to coat. Place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and roast, flipping once, for 35-40 minutes or until soft enough to flatten.

Meanwhile, mix together spice rub.

Remove sweet potatoes from oven once soft enough to flatten, and using a glass bowl or heavy glass, flatten sweet potatoes into disks. Drizzle with olive oil and rub with spice rub on each side. Return to oven and bake 15 min. then flipping and bake another 10 min. until they have a crust from the caramelization of the sugar and spices.

NOTE: To speed up the process, boil 2 quarts of water with 1/2 tsp salt and add sliced potatoes for 10-12 min. Remove from water, cool for 10 minutes, then smash potatoes. Continue with main recipe instructions for spice rub and roasting times.

T thought these little bites were so delicious that they tasted like something you would find on the menu at a fancy restaurant! I would have to agree. The spices used during roasting enhanced the natural flavors of the sweet potatoes, and the finished product was just simply amazing. Enjoy!