Happy Pumpkin Wednesday: Spice Up Your Holidays

Hello friends and Happy Wednesday!  I hope you have enjoyed the beginning of the week and are looking forward to a delightful pre-Thanksgiving weekend!

As promised, Pumpkin has been reading and studying over the last week to write a post to help you get ready for the upcoming holiday cooking season...

Yes, that's right, reading and studying...

And this week she starts by helping you get your holiday spices prepared.

Quick, to the spice cabinet!

There are several common spices used in holiday cooking and baking.  If you're looking to spend more money on Christmas and Chanukah gifts than for the ingredients to make your holiday meals and treats, consider heading to the bulk food store for your spices.  Check out stores like Whole Foods and Penzey's where you can buy only the quantities of the spices you need, rather than spending $4-$8 on a container of spices you only need two teaspoons of!

Buying at a bulk food store doesn't mean heading to Costco and buying a jar of spice the size of Pumpkin,

Everything at Costco is sooo big!

Rather, buying at a bulk food store means going to a place where you can measure and purchase whatever quantity of food/spice you will need.

Once your purchase your spices in bulk, you will need to make sure they are stored properly so they maintain their freshness.  Check out this blog, which suggests using old glass jars and filling them with your newly purchased spices.  Remember, spices maintain their potency best when you leave them in the cabinet and out of direct sunlight.

Here are a few spices that are commonly used in holiday cooking.

Allspice

This spices comes from Jamaica and is commonly used in Latin American cooking.  In America, allspice is most commonly used in desserts, but you will also find it in Ohio's own Skyline Chili. Allspice contains the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove all in one, with slightly peppery notes.  

Vanilla

Many recipes for your baked goods call for vanilla.  To bring out the flavor in your recipes, when you purchase your vanilla extract, try to find "pure" vanilla, rather than "imitation."  The pure extract will cost you more, but you will find the flavor really shows through in your food. 

Cinnamon

Your recipe may call for cinnamon in one of two  forms.  There are cinnamon sticks, and ground cinnamon.  If you ever need to use ground cinnamon and you only have the cinnamon stick, according to the Cook's Thesaurus, one cinnamon stick is equivalent to half a teaspoon of cinnamon.  If cinnamon is a key ingredient in your dish, you may want to head to your specialty spice store and purchase the pricer and tastier type of cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon.   

  

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is a popular spice used for both sweet foods as well as savory cooking.  It is a classic ingredient in a béchamel sauce (a béchamel sauce is a white sauce used in French cooking).  

Cloves

Like cinnamon, you can get whole or ground cloves.  Cloves, however, have much more flavor if they are whole.  You can get ground cloves by using a mortar and pestle to grind the cloves, or you can grind them in your spice grinder/coffee grinder.  The only downside to using your coffee grinder to grind spices is the possibility of left over residue.  Buying whole cloves also allows you to use the cloves to stick directly into the skin of meats and savory foods. 

Now that you are prepared to head to the kitchen, what will you be baking/cooking this holiday season?

Looking forward to a lovely Thursday!

Happy Pumpkin Wednesday!

Hello friends! Happy Wednesday, you are halfway through the week!  Pumpkin is finally feeling better and thanks everyone for your well-wishes.

Yes, thank you.  I am so happy and feeling much better.  

It's been a tough week of recovery for the Kitty, and she is just now getting back to her old self.  We are quickly coming upon the holiday season

Oh Goody, it's time for holiday headgear

... but don't hide.....

Excuse me, I am trying to hide.  Can you stop looking at me? Thanks. 

Pumpkin is planning a variety of posts to help you prepare and organize for entertaining, cooking and baking!

This spot is where I do my planning for my Wednesday Blog Posts.

Check back in next week for the beginning of the holiday extravaganza posts!  If you have any special requests on things you want to know, or tips you would like to share please leave a comment.

Looking forward to a wonderful Thursday.

Miscellaneous Monday!

Hi friends, I'm back after a bit of time away.  I hope you all transitioned nicely in November and are ready for some delightful Miscellaneous Monday tidbits...


First, let's just take a moment to reminisce about the extra hour of sleep that we had yesterday......

OK, back to reality.  I must admit, I really enjoyed that extra hour yesterday, but some people aren't so lucky.  Case in point, Arizona.  This desert state doesn't need an extra hour of sunlight, and therefore, Arizona never "springs forward," and never gets to "fall back."


I don't know if the extra hour actually helped me, or if it's just a mental trick, but I definitely felt more productive today.  I had the forethought to remember I had some vegetables in my fridge that weren't going to make it to the end of the week.  I went to my favorite website for coming up with quick recipes, epicurious.com and searched for the ingredient I happened to have a lot of, yellow squash.  This recipe got the thumbs up from Tim, and is deceptively simple but has an interesting flavor.  Give it a try next time you're looking for a new side dish.

Photo from IFood.tv

Yellow Squash with Basil (courtesy of epicurious.com)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 yellow squash cut lengthwise and then sliced into thin slices

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup water

salt

black pepper 

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet that has a lid.  Get the oil hot, but not smoking.  Add the cut up squash and saute for about 5 minutes.  You want the squash to get brown in the skillet.  After the squash is browned, add the garlic and stir for one minute, until the garlic is fragrant and wafting in the air.  Add the salt and pepper and pour in the water.  Cover the skillet tightly with the lid and simmer "briskly" until the water is evaporated, this process should take 6-8 minutes.  Be careful and don't let your squash burn!  Once the water is evaporated, and your squash is cooked, put the squash in a bowl and mix in your chopped basil.  Serve hot and enjoy. 

Courtesy of Bobbey Peachey

Don't forget tomorrow is election day!  Get started by finding your polling place here and then, if you're voting in Cuyahoga County, do a little research here about the judicial candidates up for election.  If you're anywhere else check out Project Vote Smart to find out facts and stats for your candidates.  

Happy Monday Friends!!!