Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe

December 6, 2013 by 6 Comments

I’m so excited! I know people have been complaining about the “arctic” temperatures that Portland has had for the past few days- though being originally from Chicago, the temperatures felt right at home and a reason to wear the puffy coat I brought from Chicago winters when I moved here. The only thing I was hoping for was not a warm-up, but for snow! Holiday snow!

And it came today! Yay! (Imagine me running around with Kermit arms as the snow falls gently from the sky).

This kind of weather just makes you crave comfort food- hot, bubbling, warm you up from the inside food. For a while, I was receiving complimentary issues of Better Homes and Garden- I think it came from when I was renting from Budget they might have thrown in a few free issues for a quarter or 6 months. This pumpkin mac and cheese recipe is a $500 price award winning one from Susan Telleen of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Susan uses canned pumpkin, fresh sage and nuts to emphasize fall flavors, and the pumpkin flavor is subtle but adds creaminess so you can use less cheese.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe: After making the cheese sauce, stir it into the pasta until well mixed, then pour into a baking dish Pechluck's Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe- uses less cheese because the pumpkin adds creaminess

I chose to use panko with the bread crumbs for more crunch. Despite the number of ingredients listed, it is only a 4 step recipe and yields 8 servings of the pumpkin mac and cheese, so enough for several meals, a great dish to bring to a potluck, to make for a dinner as you gaze at the snow outside, or in my case, a side that I had for Thanksgiving weekend!

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese on my plate at Thanksgiving

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dried elbow macaroni (8 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded (1 cup)
  • 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
  • 1 tablespoon snipped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf sage, crushed
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs or panko for topping- I used 1/4 cup of bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of panko
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Sage leaves (optional)

Pechluck's Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe- uses less cheese because the pumpkin adds creaminess, and the toppings add great crunchy layer with the combination of panko and breadcrumbs, walnuts and parmesan

Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta in a large pot following package directions. Drain cooked pasta, then return to pot. If you do this beforehand, I usually put a teaspoon or so of olive oil and stir this in so the pasta does not stick together.
    2. Ideally, while the water in the pot is preparing to boil before you put in the pasta, you are working on the cheese sauce. For cheese sauce, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add whipping cream and milk all at once to make your white sauce from the roux. If you are looking for a gluten-free version of white sauce, instead of the flour use sweet rice flour/glutinous rice flour instead of your regular flour. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly, it should be browned slightly. Stir in cheese, pumpkin, and sage until cheese is melted.
      Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe: After making the white sauce, stir in cheese, pumpkin, and sage until cheese is melted Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe: After making the white sauce, stir in cheese, pumpkin, and sage until cheese is melted. Yummy cheese sauce- actually it uses less cheese because the pumpkin also makes it creamy!
    3. Stir cheese sauce into pasta to coat. You can add more salt and pepper to taste at this point, and when the cheese sauce is incorporated into the pasta, transfer macaroni and cheese to an ungreased 2-quart baking dish.
      Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe: After making the cheese sauce, stir it into the pasta until well mixed, then pour into a baking dish Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe: After making the cheese sauce, stir it into the pasta until well mixed, then pour into a baking dish
    4. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, walnuts, and oil; sprinkle over pasta as your mac and cheese topping! Now bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving or you will definitely burn your tongue! If desired, sprinkle with sage leaves.
      Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe: After making the cheese sauce, stir it into the pasta until well mixed, then pour into a baking dish and top with a mix of parmesan, walnut, panko and breadcrumbs Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe: After making the cheese sauce, stir it into the pasta until well mixed, then pour into a baking dish and top with a mix of parmesan, walnut, panko and breadcrumbs

Mmmm comforting mac and cheese hugs on the inside of my belly. Mac and cheese and ramen are my favorite foods when the weather outside is frightful (though I am actually finding it delightful now!), but I only make mac and cheese and get ramen at restaurants. What’s your favorite cold weather comfort food?
Pechluck's Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe- uses less cheese because the pumpkin adds creaminess, and the toppings add great crunchy layer with the combination of panko and breadcrumbs, walnuts and parmesan  Pechluck's Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Recipe- uses less cheese because the pumpkin adds creaminess, and the toppings add great crunchy layer with the combination of panko and breadcrumbs, walnuts and parmesan

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Vegetarian Side Dishes: Corn Niblets in Butter, Roasted Carrots with Dill, Green Beans in Parmesan

December 3, 2013 by 6 Comments

I made all three of these vegetarian side dishes this past Thanksgiving, for the sake of nostalgia.

Growing up, the corn I had were either on the cob (which we boiled/steamed) or Green Giant Corn Niblets frozen boxes. Essentially, it’s just corn niblets in butter, but the butter sauce is slightly thickened. When I grew up, I learned about grilling corn, and I gave up the processed Green Giant that uses the additive of xanthan gum because it just seemed unnecessary with the cornstarch- and what is enzyme modified butter and why do I need annatto extract color?

Corn Niblets in butter recipe

Sometimes though, I still want to remember the days when my family attempted an American style Thanksgiving, albeit that by high school it was Boston Market that was providing us our meal, after a lineage of various grocery stores’ precooked items (my favorite that I remember was Auchon, though I have never quite forgotten the soft rolls from Cub Foods). My family was not really a turkey family- we were all about honey ham. I vaguely remember one time my mom bought sliced ham, and we were roasting each slice in the oven on a baking sheet, and we brushed each side with some sort of honey mixture. We only did that once (apparently we discovered we could just buy partial pre-sliced hams- thanks HoneyBaked Hams), but I loved the motion of brushing each piece lovingly.

Instead of the Green Giant original, I now use this Food.com Green Giant Corn Niblts in Butter copycat recipe every time, and can pick local sweet corn and I can make more since I can eat a whole box of the frozen stuff by myself thanks.

Meanwhile, my main experience with carrots were in TV dinners in my childhood, thanks to Banquet. My family had almost all Asian food, with the once in a while exception of spaghetti, everything else was usually prepared (varying from Gordon’s fish sticks to Micromagic cheeseburgers) so it was thanks to Banquet that I learned about meat loaf, chicken parmigiana, Salisbury steak, and pot pies.

Roasted Carrots with Dill recipe

This recipe for roasted carrots brings back memories of those little super tender carrots in their little compartments with the little ridges, and the little inch long green beans cut in perfect tubes almost like pasta, but without the chance for mushiness for either (depending on how much you vented the TV tray!). I know it may not sound like an endorsement to say it brings back those nostalgia food of the 80s via TV Tray, but it is!! The recipe for the Sauteed Carrots are based from one from the Barefoot Contessa and the green beans from Sandra Lee’s Haricot Verts with Shaved Parmesan. Can you tell I was watching Food Network for a while?

All of these recipes yields enough for about 6 servings as a side dish.

Corn Niblets in Butter

Corn Niblets in Butter recipeCorn Niblets in Butter recipe
Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces of corn niblets (this equals about 1 bag of frozen corn, I like sweet corn but you can use any type you wish)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup butter, cut up
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon rosemary (optional)

Directions:

  1. Add corn to large sauce pan along with all ingredients except water and cornstarch.
  2. Stir corn mixture over medium heat until butter is melted.
  3. Combine water and cornstarch and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Slowly add water to corn in sauce pan, stirring constantly.
  4. Reduce heat to simmer and stir occasionally, until corn is tender and sauce thickens. If you’d like, you can optionally add in a little ot of rosemary or other seasoning you’d like to additionally flavor the butter sauce.

Roasted Carrots with Dill

Roasted Carrots with Dill recipe
Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds (6 cups) of carrots
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper+ more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill + more to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. If you bought the whole carrots, peel the carrots and cut them diagonally in 1/4-inch slices. Or if you’re into a Thanksgiving where you are drinking wine and eating cheese instead of cutting carrots, buy baby carrots or my favorite, already crinkle cut carrots.
  3. Toss the carrots in a bowl with the olive oil, black pepper, and salt. On two foil covered baking sheets, place the carrots flat, try not to have them overlap too much so they can be touching the baking sheet, lying flat on 1 layer. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, turning them halfway through- you should be able to fit more flat because the carrots will shrink as they cook and brown. I admit I roasted mine for much longer because I was making mac and cheese and forgot what time I put them in, I just kept checking on them until they were as browned as I liked.
  4. Off the heat, toss with the dill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve to taste.

Green Beans with Shaved Parmesan

Green Beans with Shaved Parmesan Green Beans with Shaved Parmesan
Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound ready-to-cook haricots verts/green beans
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Place the haricots verts in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and drain, if necessary.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and lemon juice. Pour over the haricots verts and toss to coat. Serve immediately with shaved parmesan and freshly ground pepper. I totally admit I used much more than 1/4 cup of parmesan.

Do you have simple side dishes like this that you make, thinking back to microwavable food memories?

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Mashed Brussels Sprouts

November 25, 2013 by 7 Comments

So, this is the last recipe post of my Thanksgiving series in which all the recipes are vegetarian. They were being offered for your consideration as a side dish, or if you have a vegetarian at your table like I do as a way to provide something more hearty than the usual sides of rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

Check out my Recipes Index page for other dishes that I have covered in the past. Obviously these recipes don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to appear on the dining table!

Similar to the Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, and Hazelnuts recipe in my last post (as well as the Harvest Quinoa with Apples and Walnuts recipe) for this series, this recipe for Mashed Brussels Sprouts is a super easy Thanksgiving side, and for this dish you can prepare everything the day before and just heat this up in the oven as the turkey is resting.

Mashed Brussels Sprouts

When I was growing up, I heard about how terrible Brussels sprouts are. But, I never ate any- they never appeared on any table for any meal. I only heard about them in books and on TV and movies as I saw people making faces.

It was not until much later, when I was an adult, in fact not until after college, that I first knowingly tried and found out I actually enjoyed Brussels sprouts. It makes me wonder how much prejudice we learn that instills a dislike of something even before trying it rather than experiencing it first.

What are your feelings about Brussels Sprouts- and were there foods you thought you didn’t like when you were younger that once you had them, you realized how much you had been missing out?

Mashed Brussels Sprouts

This recipe is a way to get Brussels Sprouts on the table in a sneaky way in case you or any member of your dining party are exposed to stories about how much Brussels sprouts are terrible, but haven’t had them yet.

The recognizable shape of brussels sprouts is hidden away because of the mash, and some cream and parmesan help soften and stick everything together. Given the amount of Brussels sprouts the cream and cheese amounts are enhancing rather then smothering and covering the vegetables, and are more nutritious than mashed potatoes (which would have cream and butter- here the parmesan contributes richness instead of butter). It does double duty as being comforting like a starch but being so much veggie!

I know the amounts are a little weird- that’s because this is converted from a metric system recipe, and because of that there is a bit of eyeballing involved. I made half the recipe, which is enough for 4 people, so a full recipe should probably serve 8.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 kilograms of Brussels sprout, or about 3 1/3 pounds.
  • 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream
  •  5.3 ounces of parmesan cheese, grated or shredded – I used shredded
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Clean up the sprouts by removing any outside leaves that look a bit old and then parboil them in unsalted water for about 4-6 minutes. Parboiling is when you partially cook something- in this case the Brussels sprouts- by putting them in the boiling water for a certain amount of time, and then immediately removing it while the color is still bright and it is slightly softened and cooling it off in cold water to stop the cooking process so it doesn’t get mushy.
    Mashed Brussels Sprouts Mashed Brussels Sprouts
  3. Drain the brussels sprouts and put in a food processor, along with the cream and some salt and pepper to taste- I think I used maybe 1.5 teaspoons of each. Process the brussels sprouts until they’re just roughly chopped but not a purée.
    Mashed Brussels Sprouts Mashed Brussels Sprouts
  4. Put the brussels sprouts/cream mixture in a 5 quart ovenproof dish. Stir in most of the parmesan- you want to sprinkle a bit on the top at the end, so reserve a few pinch-fuls. You can feel free to add more to taste, and salt and pepper accordingly as well. If you use grated instead of shredded it will incorporate more smoothly into the mash, but I already had shredded and went with that here anyway.
    Mashed Brussels Sprouts Mashed Brussels Sprouts
  5. Bake until the top gets a fine, crunchy crust, about 20 minutes or so

The result is a little more chewy- sort of like if you had made mashed potatoes with all the skin- but still creamy.
Mashed Brussels Sprouts

Summary of the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Sides Series 2013:

Thanks for reading!

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Mini Cream Cheese Puffs

November 24, 2013 by 1 Comment

Whenever I have about 1/2 a cup of cream cheese/neufchatel left, I don’t quite know what to do with it. I might buy a bagel or two, or I might use it in a sauce in a skillet that I will mix up. Recently though, I saw an adorable other option, that of Soft Baked Mini Cream Cheese puffs by Averie Cooks. They are extremely easy, and don’t require eggs, just butter, cream cheese, flour, baking powder, salt and milk! Mine don’t look as pretty as hers, but they were tasty and so easy for a lazy Sunday!

Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes

They are very light and fluffy. My little muffin pan makes 12, and with this recipe I got 30 little cream cheese puffs! They don’t taste cheesy, just like little buttery soft puffs. I only have one mini muffin pan, so I had to reuse them so it took a little longer, but if you had 2 pans you would be out and eating these in just 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese (reduced fat or light cream cheese or Neufchatel)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • about 3/4 cup milk

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease your mini muffin pan.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese, flour, baking powder, and salt. She also notes that this puff recipe makes a great base, so you could throw in additional flavorings varying from cinnamon and nutmeg to pumpkin pie spice, or you can go savory with garlic, chili, caramelized onions, etc. Or leave it plain and just pop them into your mouth warm from the oven, or eat with jam! Anyway, beat the contents of your mixing bowl with an electric mixer to combine, about 2 minutes on medium high speed. Mixture will be very crumbly, with pebbles and sandy bits.
    Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes
  3. Slowly drizzle in up to 3/4 cup milk; just enough so that batter will combine and come together. The batter should be very thick and paste-like. If the batter is for any reason too thick to stir, add a little bit more milk, as necessary to thin it.
  4. Using a greased tablespoon or small cookie scoop (helps batter slide off), form rounded 1 tablespoon mounds in your mini muffin pan. Each mini muffin well should not be full, and don’t worry about filling them exactly uniformly. As these puffs bake, batter that was placed in the pan in a very rounded fashion like a perfect scoop of ice cream will bake up more domed and puffed. They rise very well; be careful not to overfill.
    Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes
  5. Bake for about 11 to 12 minutes, or until puffs are springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful of the time as they easily over-bake (which happened to my second pan) because the bases will turn darker but you won’t see this until you release them from the pans.
    Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes
  6. Allow puffs to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, or until they’ve firmed up and are cool enough to handle.

Puffs are best fresh of course, but Averie noted they should keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Serve plain for simple buttery goodness, or with jam/jelly, honey, chutney, dips, soup, chili, etc.!

Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes Recipe for Mini Cream Cheese Puffs, just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes

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Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

November 19, 2013 by 11 Comments

This recipe for Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts is a but the pear portion ahead of time (the pears will brown so can’t be done in advance). I have been specifically avoiding vegetarian side dishes that bury the vegetable side in cream and cheese- I think I already used my Thanksgiving side allotment of that all on the Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce recipe I covered previously.

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

So gratins and casseroles were out. I love roasting cauliflower (well, really roasting any vegetable), and I’ve also made cauliflower into a mash – you can make faux mashed potatoes that way. But I was still looking for something different… and then I found this. This recipe is another preparation of cauliflower which is done on the stovetop  in just 10-15 minutes, and really seems to embody autumn! Bosc pears work well, but you could really use any pear you’d like.

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

The original Fine Cooking recipe calls for 8 fresh sage leaves, but since I already used sage in the  Butternut Squash Lasagna and in the Harvest Quinoa with Apples and Walnuts recipe, I decided to season this with  a different herb and used a mix of rosemary and tarragon. Rather than parsley, I had these spicy radish sprouts from Nightlight Farm instead, which I like better than parsley. Yum, microgreens beats parsley any day.

This dish serves 8-10 as a side along with your main protein- be it turkey or whatever you are having for dinner!

Ingredients:
Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets about 3/4 inch wide – about 4 cups worth of florets
  • 1/2 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts – you can use other nuts also, such as almonds or walnuts
  • 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, or I used about 4 springs of tarragon and a teaspoon of rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon salt + to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + to taste
  • 2 large ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced (I know I show 3 pears- but I only used 2, the third was for a few slices for garnish)
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or I used about a cup of spicy radish sprouts

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

Directions:

    1. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter until light brown and bubbly. Add the cauliflower, hazelnuts, and sage. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with 1 teaspoon each of the salt and freshly ground pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is browned and crisp-tender, 6 to 7 minutes more.
      Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts
    2. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pear slices and parsley. Gently toss to combine and warm the pears. Season to taste with more salt. Serve hot or at room temperature.
      Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts
This is the fourth of a series of posts of recipes covering dishes to consider for Thanksgiving. All the recipes in this series will be vegetarian, so you might consider it for a side dish or if you have a vegetarian at your table like I do, be a way to provide something more hearty than the usual sides of rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Check out my Recipes Index page for other dishes that I have covered in the past.

Summary of the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Sides Series 2013:

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

As a side note check out that star plate that I first bought after college,  mostly because it was on sale and seemed pretty fancy. It also is not dishwasher safe but it would still be several years before I rented my first apartment with a dishwasher. Also not microwave safe but since everything I nuked came in a package from the freezer or in a restaurant leftovers container that wasn’t an issue.  Amazingly I still have the whole set including teacups and saucers,  which is more than I can say about my everyday dining set of stoneware that actually came from Facebook.  When we got married we looked at half a dozen places but could not agree on china so we continue to use a mish mash of dishware.

Do you have fine china or a full set of dishes or are you eclectic like me?

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