Kids Dish

I love macaroni and cheese, especially the real kind. I like the stuff in a box too, especially Annie’s brand, but the real stuff, baked in the oven is superior. I’ve fiddled with a number of recipes over the years and found two that have stuck out. The first is Patti Labelle’s insanely decadent Over the Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese. This stuff is the real deal, the mac and cheese of legend. The recipe calls for a stick of butter, five kinds of cheese, eggs and some seasoning. There’s no milk, no flour, no breadcrumbs. It’s insanely good, but since I’ve become more aware of what I eat, it’s hard to justify buying processed cheese food like Velveeta when other recipes exist. If you don’t have similar qualms, run out for the ingredients right now and bake this mac and cheese. It’s worth every calorie.

If you do have similar issues about strange orange cheeselike substances, skip Patti Labelle’s heart attack in a greased casserole dish, and give this recipe from the New York Times a go. This is also the real deal, pasta and cheese mixed to perfection using a ratio of 2:1 cheese to pasta. I love the recipe because you don’t have to precook the pasta- it cooks perfectly in the oven. I’ve made it several times now and each time people have raved about it. Yesterday I made a double batch for Sam’s birthday party. I got distracted and left it in the oven for 20 minutes too long, alerted to my mistake only by the heavenly smell of cheese wafting through the house. It wasn’t as creamy as it is ordinarily, but the extra 20 minutes produced a nice brown crust all over. Overdone or not, it was still fantastic.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

On a whim I picked up a bunch of leeks from the produce stand last week and now I don’t know what to do with them. I planned on making a nice, hearty, wintery leek and potato soup but then I used all of my potatoes to make a last minute Shepherd’s Pie. Ordinarily I’d just use the leeks in recipes that call for onions, but I’ve still got half of a five pound bag of organic onions in the pantry that look like they’re getting ready to sprout so I’ve been erring on the side of using them first.

Last week my mom came to visit and we took Sam to the bookstore to play with the trains. My mom went to the cafe to get some coffees for us and returned with a few stratas as well. Ordinarily I’m not a fan of most egg dishes, especially when I’m pregnant, but the strata, made with spinach, artichoke hearts and roasted peppers was delicious. Sam liked it too.

Back to the leeks. I’ve also got half a dozen eggs from local, pastured chickens in the fridge. I’ve been using them for cooking and baking as needed, but I keep reading that high quality eggs should be showcased in dishes that are egg focused. Again, I don’t love eggs, but perhaps this recipe for a Leek and Swiss Chard Tart that uses frozen puff pastry could help change my mind. I’m a sucker for anything in puff pastry. If I finely chopped the handful of baby carrots I have remaining from the five pound bag I bought (please someone remind me that I need to stay far, far away from five pound bags of anything perishable) I could add some color and texture and save some more veggies from the compost bin.

Kidney beans are a great source of protein and fiber. Named for their kidney shape, they are great in chili. Here’s an easy crock pot recipe you can spice as much or as little as you like. This is also a great recipe for sneaking in vegetables. If you have leftover vegetables you can add them whole, finely chop them, or stick them in the food processor for a few pulses. You can do the same with raw veggies. I often add small pieces of carrots, broccoli and green beans. Sweet potatoes and squash are also good additions.

Crock Pot Chili

Serves 6 to 8.

The jícama (pronounced hee-ka-ma) is a South American vegetable, also called the Mexican potato. It’s not pretty, but the taste is surprisingly sweet. It’s similar in texture to a water chestnut, but sliced raw it tastes kind of like an apple or pear. You can do a lot with a jícama, but they’re best served raw with dip or in salads. Since it hails from Latin America it pairs well with other staples from the region, like black beans and corn. Sliced raw, it’s great for scooping guacamole.

Or you can use jícama in a dip and serve it with crudités. Here’s quick recipe for jícama salsa. Serve it with jícama slices, other sliced veggies and veggie batons, and tortilla chips. You can use a less intense pepper if your kids don’t like things too spicy, or use the spicy pepper but remove the seeds to lower the hot-factor.

1/2 small pineapple
a 1/2-pound piece jícama
3 ounces dried apricots (about 1/3 cup)
1 small red onion
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 fresh habanero or Scotch bonnet chile

Peel pineapple and cut enough into 1/4-inch dice to measure 1 3/4 cups. (You can use canned pineapple, just make certain to drain it or your salsa will be very soggy.) Peel jícama and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Coarsely chop apricots and chop enough onion to measure 3/4 cup. Finely chop cilantro and, wearing rubber gloves, finely chop chile with seeds. In a bowl toss together all ingredients and season with salt. Salsa may be made 6 hours ahead and chilled, covered.

I don’t eat a lot of white bread. Almost all of the bread I bake or buy is either whole wheat, multi-grain, pumpernickel or rye. One of the notable exceptions to this rule is Italian Bread. There’s something about an authentic loaf of Italian bread with it’s hard crust and soft, spongy middle that makes me want to eat the whole thing, slice by slice with a thick layer of butter.

There’s a fantastic Italian bakery up the street from me that specializes in desserts but bakes bread as well. It sells out pretty quickly so whenever I see it on the racks I can’t help but buy two. For only a dollar a loaf it’s well worth it. We can usually eat the first loaf the day I bring it home. The second loaf doesn’t always get eaten right away making it perfect for this recipe for Eggplant and Country Bread Lasagna from Lidia’s Italy.

Yes, I know I just wrote about lasagna, but this dish is different. Instead of noodles, Italian (or country bread) soaks up the sauce and causes crisp, sauteed eggplant to lose all traces of bitterness. Even people who claim not to like eggplant like this dish. It’s perfect.

Eggplant and Country Bread Lasagna
(recipe adapted from Lidia’s Italy- the recipe wasn’t on the site the first time I tried it so I improvised)

*you can skip this step if you’re pressed for time.

Hazelnuts are high in protein and good-for-you unsaturated fat. Many brands of packaged mixed nuts contain lightly salted hazelnuts (also called filberts) in addition to the typical cashew, almond, walnut, peanut mix. They’re great for snacking on plain or salted, and they’re also now making hazelnut butter which is just like peanut butter only, well, made with hazelnuts. Hazelnut coffee is the only flavored coffee l like (though please don’t give coffee to your kids!) and hazelnut liquors like Frangelico are delicious poured over ice cream or just over ice (again, please don’t give booze to your kids!) Combined with chocolate, hazelnuts are divine.

Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread, is the easiest way to get your chocolate- hazelnut fix and you can even serve it for breakfast. I love hazelnut crepes, but sticking to my quick and easy theme I’ll just link to a recipe for the crepes (which require more effort for breakfast than I generally like to commit to) and give you a recipe for a close second in deliciousness. Grilled Banana and Nutella sandwiches. If you have a panini press, sandwich press, or George Foreman Grill I recommend using that for the ease of clean up and minimal effort, but if you don’t have specialty equipment any frying pan will do.

Grilled Nutella and Banana Sandwiches
makes 2

1 ripe banana sliced and mashed
4 slices whole wheat bread
1/3 cup Nutella
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon confectioners (powdered) sugar (optional)

Place the bread slices on a flat surface and spread each slice with some Nutella. Spread the mashed banana over 2 of the slices and combine to make 2 sandwiches. Butter both sides of the sandwich.

Heat the grill or frying pan to medium-high. Place the sandwiches on the grill and cook until golden brown on both sides (cooking times vary, but it usually takes 3-5 minutes on my preheated panini press). If using a frying pan flip the sandwiches after the bottom is browned and cook the other side until brown and crisp. Remove from the grill and sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar. Eat immediately.

Btw, I didn’t forget about the lasagna recipe! I’ll post it tomorrow.

I use ginger in recipes pretty regularly because I love its hot, tangy flavor. I use it primarily in Asian dishes like rice and stir fries and paired with carrots. But ginger, both in its sweeter ground form and fresh is a deliciously subtle addition to many baked goods.

With Christmas coming I know many people are in the middle of holiday baking. Here are two recipes for Ginger Cookies, one using fresh ginger and one using ground and crystallized. Because the dough in both recipes has to be refrigerated these are great to make ahead. You can freeze the dough and thaw in the refrigerator to use or refrigerate for up to three days before baking. Both recipes also store well so you can bake ahead and serve a few days later.

I know that the following recipe is for cookies, not health food, but if your little one likes ginger cookies and needs iron you can use blackstrap molasses. Just add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar.

Fresh Ginger Cookies

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and then roll them in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges start to brown, about 15 minutes. Centers will be slightly soft. Let stand on cookie sheets 1 minute and remove to racks to cool completely.

For the Ginger Spice cookies you can substitute butter for some or all of the shortening. I’d recommend half and half, especially now that they make and sell trans-fat free shortening, but using all butter works too. I love crystallized ginger and the little ginger bits add a lot of sweet, spicy taste to these cookies, but if you’re not a fan you can omit it and add a bit more of the ground ginger.

Ginger Spice Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

Here’s a third recipe from the Elementary Chef.

Feta cheese, a Greek cheese usually made from goat’s milk, is sharp and salty. The consistency varies, but most feta available in regular supermarkets has a dry, crumbly consistency. Some feta cheeses are now made of cow’s milk and others are creamy rather than crumbly, but feta can be addictive in all of its forms.

Feta is a great cheese crumbled on salads. Bob loves traditional Greek salads made with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives and feta. Here’s a recipe from the Boston Globe. I like feta on baby spinach with cranberries, grapes, nuts and a balsamic vinaigrette. The feta adds a punchy, salty counterpart to the tart, sweet fruits, the nuts (I like walnuts or pecans) add protein, and the baby spinach base has more nutrients and a stronger flavor than lettuce but the baby leaves are still tender.

But my favorite way to use feta is in another traditional Greek dish- Spanakopita. Spanakopita is a pie made with spinach and feta layered in crispy phyllo (sometimes spelled filo) dough. You can usually find prepared spanakopita in the freezer case at your local supermarket but it’s a fun, though labor-intensive dish to make yourself. You can make it as one large pie or if you’re throwing a party you can make individual spanakopita triangles that are light, crispy, slightly healthy finger foods. I say slightly healthy because the spinach, cheese and egg may add protein, calcium and nutrients, but the butter needed for the phyllo may just cancel it out. Here’s a recipe for the triangle sized version from the Food Network. When I make spanakopita I use the recipe from the Moosewood cookbook. (The original version seems to be out of print. I don’t know if the updated version has the recipe.)

Spanakopita

Bake uncovered, about 45 minutes–till golden.

Phyllo dough is notoriously tricky to work with until you get the hang of it. I like making one large pie because it requires less fiddling with the delicate layers of pastry. To keep the phyllo from crumbling, lay it out on the countertop and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel. You’ll have to remove the cover to get a new sheet which requires some finagling, but it will keep the feta from drying out and help it stay in one piece. It’s not a big deal if the sheets rip. Just lay the ripped portion over the other piece so it overlaps.

This is also a great recipe to get your kids involved in the cooking process. They can stir the spinach mixture and be in charge of brushing the phyllo with butter. Having the kids “paint” the butter on the pastry will make it easier for you to transfer each phyllo sheet into the pan.

(Easy as ABC Monday’s last F post was F is for fish)

Escarole is a variety of chicory with bitter, bright green leaves. Similar to kale and spinach, it’s packed with nutrients. It’s eaten raw in salads but I usually prepare it by steaming or braising. I love escarole and beans, but my absolute favorite way to eat escarole is in Italian Wedding Soup, where escarole is cut into thin strips and cooked in broth.

Italian Wedding Soup is appealing for a variety of reasons. It has little meatballs, pastini, and a chicken broth base. It’s a perfect soup for little mouths and the escarole adds vitamins and nutrients. Even if the escarole is overcooked or your picky eater picks it out, you’re cooking it in the broth so any lost nutrients will just be absorbed by the soup and pasta. It’s a win, win situation.

Italian Wedding Soup

Soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, pasta and escarole and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, pasta is al dente, and the escarole is tender. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

A few notes. If you have time, precook the pasta. That way you can add the cooked, drained, pasta to the soup and it won’t suck up all the broth. If you’re so inclined, brown the meatballs before adding them to the soup. It’s not necessary, but it adds a nice flavor. If you’re trying to sneak veggies past your picky eater kids you can grind them in the food processor and add them to the meatballs. If you brown the meatballs before adding them they probably won’t notice.

Okay, I know I’m cheating, but I never got a chance to recap Thanksgiving dinner over the weekend. Dinner went really well. On Wednesday I prepared the brine for the turkey (kosher salt and brown sugar dissolved in water with whole coriander seeds, whole black peppercorns, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs and a few sage leaves) and placed the turkey in a huge ziploc bag in a cooler lined with trash bags in case of leaks. My refrigerator is a stupid side by side model (HATE side by side) so I don’t actually have room to accommodate a brining turkey before a holiday so a cooler has to suffice. Once the turkey was properly submerged it needed to be rotated every few hours so it brined evenly. I left it breast side down overnight.

After the turkey was safely in the cooler I started the rest of my tasks. I started the dough for the rolls and set it out for the first rise. Next I started the pie dough, a recipe that called for vodka. I’ve never made pie dough before. Honestly, I’ve never made it because I don’t love pie. I’ll eat it if it’s the only thing around, but I’ll take cake over pie any day. The only reason I made a pie was because I still had a dozen apples left from my CSA share and no one volunteered to bring a pie. For some reason even though I don’t love pie, it doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving without one.

Once the pie dough was refrigerated I peeled and cut the sweet potatoes. I ignored the part of the recipe where it tells you to steam the sweet potatoes first since I knew I’d be reheating them in the oven the next day and didn’t want them to be too soggy. I made the glaze for the sweet potatoes but it took much longer to thicken than the recipe said it would. I don’t know if I didn’t have the heat up high enough or if it was because I increased the recipe. When it seemed thick enough I poured it over the sweet potatoes (a mixture of yams and sweet potatoes, I discovered once I peeled them) and put them in the oven to bake. While the sweet potatoes cooked I blanched the green beans, plunged them into ice cold water, drained them and put them in a large ziploc bag with paper towels.

I cut the herbs from my garden- chives, rosemary and thyme- and made herb butter for the turkey by combining chopped herbs with softened butter. I put the mixture in a small ziploc bag and smooshed it down to the bottom so it would form a log.

The sweet potatoes were done, but they never really seemed glazed. The glaze seemed too runny and saucy. I didn’t know what to do, so I poured out the glaze and set it aside, figuring I’d try to thicken it up the next day before reheating.

The bread, which took forever to rise, finally rose enough, so I punched it down, formed it into dinner rolls and set it to the side to rise again. After about an hour it had risen enough so I baked it and sampled one to make sure I liked the recipe enough to actually serve the rolls. I did and decided that I was pretty much done with cooking for the day.

This is getting way too long, so I’ll finish my recap tomorrow.

I’m still planning some Thanksgiving recipes. At an outing to Costco to stock up on paper goods (I only buy food there if we’re having a huge party) I ended up buying a 10 lb bag of organic baby carrots. It was a silly purchase, considering I needed 2 carrots for a specific recipe and didn’t feel like stopping at another store to buy a smaller amount, but since I’m having 10 people for dinner on Thursday, so I’m sure I’ll be able to cook through most of the 10 lbs of carrots then.

The question is what to cook? Some people don’t like the texture of cooked carrots and some people don’t like the sweet. I usually make an awesome roasted carrot soup when I find myself overloaded with carrots, but since I’m making the Butternut Squash soup (which only calls for about a cup of carrots) I’m out of luck with that. What I need is a recipe that doesn’t compromise the integrity of the carrot crunch and isn’t overly sweet at the same time. Curried carrots are out, because the apricot glaze is a little much. Balsamic glazed carrots will probably be better. The acidity of the vinegar balances the sugar nicely and they’re not cooked for so long that they get soggy. The last time I made them Sam couldn’t get enough. Let’s hope he still likes them.

Carrots Glazed with Balsamic Vinegar
recipe and photo from epicurious.com

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 1/2 pounds peeled baby carrots or regular carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces, halved lengthwise
6 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots and sauté 5 minutes. Cover and cook until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Stir in sugar and vinegar. Cook uncovered until carrots are tender and glazed, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chives and toss to blend. Transfer to bowl and serve.

This recipe can be made in advance and reheated just before serving if necessary. But it’s also quick enough that you can cook the carrots while the turkey rests which is my plan.

I’ve been trying to clean out my freezer to make room for Thanksgiving and I found a little more than a pound of stew meat from my buying club and a little less than a quarter of a pound of lamb tenderloin butt. I don’t know what to do with lamb tenderloin butt, especially since it’s such a small amount. And it doesn’t help that the fact that it’s called “butt” just makes me giggle like a nine year old boy. I decided I may as well combine the two and make a big pot of beef stew.

Beef stew is pretty easy to prepare, it just takes a long time to cook. If you like to use a slow cooker, you can do the prep either the night before or the morning of, and let it cook all day. I just cook mine on the stove, but I keep telling myself that I’ll use the slow cooker one of these days.

Beef Stew

Ingredients
* 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 pounds stew meat (you can buy stew meat or buy chuck and cut it into cubes)
* 1 large onion, chopped (I used leeks because I had them)
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced (I don’t peel mine)
* 6 carrots, sliced ( I used two handfuls of baby carrots)
* 2 bay leaves
* 3 stalks celery, sliced (I omitted this because I didn’t have any)
* 3 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth (I used 3 cups homemade turkey stock and a can of beer)
Optional
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon cold water

1. In a large pot or dutch oven heat oil over medium high heat. In a resealable plastic bag mix together the flour, salt and pepper. Add a small handful of meat at a time and shake until well coated; brown in hot oil, about 1 minute per side. Remove the browned meat and continue until all the meat is browned.
2. Lower heat to medium and add onions. Brown onions on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Add garlic to pot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the onions and garlic from pot and set aside. Drain excess fat from pot.
3. To pot add potatoes, carrots, celery, reserved onions, browned meat, bay leaf and broth. Stir all together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. For a thicker broth: 1/2 hour before stew is done, combine 3 tablespoons flour and water in a small bowl and mix well, then slowly stir mixture into stew.

For the slow cooker

Personally I think it’s worth browning the beef, but if you’re pressed for time you can omit that step. Put the beef in the slow cooker, pour in the flour mixture, and stir to combine. Stir in the remaining ingredients and follow the cooking time above.

If you don’t like beef, get yourself into a Thanksgiving frame of mind by trying this crockpot turkey roast recipe.

Acorn squash is a vegetable I didn’t discover until college. My boyfriend’s parents lived in town and we’d often go there for dinner. His parents used to call me Twiggy and try to fatten me up with all of their favorite foods. Almost all of their vegetables came from their large garden. Most everything was cooked in insane amounts of butter until mushy and practically unrecognizable, but the acorn squash was something extra butter just improves and it helps that it’s pretty hard to overcook it.

Generally I serve acorn squash as is, in the shell. I cut it in half through the stem end with a strong knife, scoop the seeds and bake for about an hour in a 400 degree oven. Usually during the last few minutes of cooking I’ll add a pat of butter and either a sweet or savory seasoning to each half. For savory I like butter and rosemary. For sweet I like either brown sugar or maple syrup. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Acorn squash is delicious and kid friendly.

Searching for more acorn squash recipes I came across a recipe that calls for tossing the roasted squash with a Chile Vinaigrette. The tangy citrus juices and heat from the chile peppers offset the sweetness of the acorn squash beautifully.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette
Gourmet, October 2006

2 (1 1/2 - to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil (or less to taste)
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile, including seeds (you can substitute sriracha)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, chile (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.

I realized last week as I posted the Vegetarian Blog Carnival that I’d completely forgotten about Mondays. Z is a few weeks behind, but since there’s not much going on in terms of Z ingredients you’ll forgive me I’m sure. I’ve posted about zucchini more times than I can count this summer so I’ll skip it this week and turn to zest, the brightly colored, outermost peel of citrus fruit. Any recipe that calls for citrus juice, whether it be lime, lemon, or orange, can often be improved with the addition of just a tiny bit of zest. Getting away from the kids part of Kids Dish for a moment, my lime simple syrup*, used in margaritas and classic, shaken lime daiquiris, gets most of it’s superb flavor from the zest of one lime.

To get zest from citrus without taking any of the pith with it you can use a citrus zester, vegetable peeler, or fine grater. I love my Microplane grater, but before I bought it I just used the smallest side of my box grater.

Here’s a great seasonal recipe the kids will love. The recipe is adapted from Allrecipes.com. I added more spice, substituted applesauce for oil and subbed in one cup of whole wheat flour.

Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Orange Drizzle

* 1 (15 ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin or about 2 cups fresh (or frozen) pumpkin puree
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 cup dark brown sugar
* 1/2 cup applesauce
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Orange Drizzle:
* 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
* 4 teaspoons orange juice

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 36 mini-muffin cups with vegetable cooking spray.
2. Bring pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to a simmer in a medium saucepan until puree thickens enough to start sticking to pan bottom, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn hot puree into a bowl. Whisk in brown sugar and applesauce, then slowly beat in eggs.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk into pumpkin mixture until just combined.
4. Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Let stand a few minutes, then transfer mini-muffins to a wire rack to cool.

For drizzle

1. Sift the confectioners sugar onto a plate and discard any lumps that remain.
2. In a medium sized bowl whisk together sugar, orange juice and zest.
3. Drizzle over warm (not hot!) muffins.

*Since you’re all dying for the recipe, the simple syrup calls for 2 cups sugar dissolved in one cup boiling water. Add the juice of 12 limes and the zest of one lime. It’s delicious in a variety of adults only drinks.

zest, Easy as A-B-C Monday, citrus fruits, recipes, pumpkin muffins with orange drizzle, mini muffins, fall recipe

According to Cook’s Thesaurus, Americans refer to a sweet, moist variety of sweet potato as yams. Yams have orange flesh and are sweeter than their white-fleshed cousins. Yams are quite versatile, and though you may be used them candied and (yuck!) served with marshmallows for Thanksgiving dinner, I prefer them savory or spicy. If I bake them I like them with butter or salt. When I make oven fries with them I like to add chili powder and cumin. When roasted I like them with olive oil, garlic and ginger.

Then my friend Nicole suggested making sweet potato burritos with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, Monterey Jack cheese, spinach, sour cream and brown rice. The first night I had the ingredients on hand to try it I had a number of people coming over for dinner. I’d watched an episode of Good Deal with David Lieberman that called for making enchiladas casserole style, layering charred tortillas with sauce and filling and baking it so I figured I’d give that a shot. The result was fantastic. It’s so good it’s become one of my classic, can’t think of anything else to make so I’ll make something that pleases everybody dinners.

Veggie Enchilada Bake