saturday scones: pumpkin round 2

this marks the first time i've tried the same thing twice in a row. i've been in such a fall mood with the seasonable cool weather {though monday rolled in much warmer} and nothing quite says fall like pie spices. that's why i had to give pumpkin one more go.

fear not, they're still different.

sunday, october 30th: Pumpkin Pecan Scones

yield: 8 scones

generous 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 Tablespoons molasses

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

5 Tablespoons brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 generous Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup white chocolate chips.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, molasses and vanilla. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, fresh and ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg and a small handful white chocolate chips. Pulse to well combine. The mixture should be very fragrant. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Transfer mixture to the mixing bowl. Add the pecans and remaining white chocolate chips. Toss to evenly distribute. 

Slowly stream the pumpkin mixture into the dough base, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

note: i love love love cinnamon...this time it seemed a bit much. maybe go with 2 teaspoons instead.

as always, enjoy!

eating well: one yummy {new} weekend

some say the week starts on sunday. some say monday. i'm running behind so let's say my week starts saturday.

last saturday was a great start to a surprisingly hectic week.

our morning began with a second pass at pumpkin scones. i amped up the spices and added some white chocolate chips (a favorite mix-in of hubby-to-be).

with happy bellies and a little coffee perk we set off for a morning of new activities. first, it was off to the wintertime farmers' market in the hope artiste village. hubby-to-be and i have previously ventured to our outdoor farmers' market but always left empty handed due to being overwhelmed by the masses and underwhelmed by the variety. moving the outdoor mob scene inside sounded like a nightmare. i had to find our for myself.

{i should have taken a picture}

the confined spaced seemed to force a bit of organization. instead of tents being spread around the perimeter of a park the vendors lined the sides of a wide hallway. the hordes that, outside, congregated in front of the stands (milling, chatting, loitering) were forced to look, buy or move on based on lack of space. some vendors encouraged tasting {my favorite part}. i fell in love with all the produce, which was still limited in variety but somehow in this setting seemed more accessible. with our refrigerator already overpopulated with perishable food items, we took this mission as reconnaissance.

that said, i grabbed a loaf of pumpkin seed bread and some fresh chèvre. 

hubby-to-be grabbed lunch: a jamaican beef patty {again, i wish i had my camera}.

the next weekend we're free we're going back. i can't wait.

new experience number one was followed by new experience number two: the tailor. this one came in the form of a small, brusque russian-esque woman named marysia. hubby-to-be needed his pants taken up so he doesn't look like he's standing in a bucket. quick and painless, though we're still waiting to see the result.

finally, we dropped off some dry cleaning only to be told the water spots on my silk dress may be hopeless. again, wait and see.

in keeping with the morning's veggie theme {and my abhorrence of waste} i threw together a hearty "leftovers chowder." it was supposed to be a soup, but, since it consisted of roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes and cannellini beans, it ended up far more chowder-like (still delicious).

this had to be the world's easiest soup/chowder. i crisped up two chopped pieces of bacon, added the leftovers and seasoned it with tons of yummy spices to taste (salt, pepper, chili powder, garam masala...). since the veggies were already soft from roasting they just melted into a soup as i let it cook. thinned with cream (and water) this could hardly be called healthy but certainly be called delicious (and comforting).

sunday morning greeted us with our customary croissants and was brightened by a stroll to federal hill for fresh-made italian, our first excursion to costantino's venda ravioli. i could have spent a year perusing the offerings...my companion...not so much. a bit too many people in the  smallish store for his taste. he promised we'll return.

after actually tasting the food we agreed that we must.

we went with pumpkin ravioli, lobster tortellini and a super-rich vodka sauce. though not a meal for anyone watching their waistline, every bite was heaven. and there's so much more to try. ravioli of all kinds, assorted fresh pastas, meats, cheeses...as i said, we must return.

t minus one year

last night hubby to be and i celebrated our -1 year anniversary.

to mark the day that we will celebrate together every year for the rest of our lives we shared rosé champagne and ravioli and tortellini.

ah, love.

too little too late

all my life i've been afraid of the fig.

the truth: i don't think i'd ever seen one in real life.

"but didn't you eat fig newton's when you were a kid?"

never.

fig newtons were the worse after school snack offering they could have. that and juicy juice. i wouldn't touch either then and haven't had either since.

the smell of those little newtons was so repulsive and the congealed jam, ugh.

don't ruin my peanut butter sandwich with jelly. don't give me a loathsome newton for snack. i'll go hungry thank you.

well, i've become a bold little foodie in my old age and, after seeing how beautiful this fruit looked on so many food blogs, i sought them out. i absolutely love fruit. so how bad could the real thing possibly be?

to start, i didn't even know how to eat the thing. i looked it up.

the first bite was divine. a flavor that blended strawberries and peaches. a smooth texture.

how have i lived my life without you?

and how can i ever go on without you?

it seems i caught on to this delight at the end of it's life in the little rhody grocers. do i have to wait another year for just one more bite? i crave the flavor of a plump fig just about every time i have any craving at all.

i miss you so and i will never overlook you again.

particularities and murphy's law

hubby-to-be: "i wish we had more fish"

when i met hubby-to-be he was not an eater.

of course he ate, but he was limited.

somewhere along the way i decided that if you don't like a particular food it's simply because you haven't had it prepared the right way. {don't ask me when my mind opened to food. i was raised eating a lot of the same things over and over - never too adventurous. even now i couldn't convince momma to eat something as benign as lamb.} my food dislike is olives. i try them over and over and over. green, black, kalamata. in oil, in brine, buried deep in other food. so far no good. but i press on.

for at least the first year hubby-to-be was hardly open to my "just try it" approach. more often than not the scene at our table would include him backing away from my fork in protest. "just put it on my plate, i'll try it later." there was a 50/50 chance the bite would be consumed.

once he realized that it was better just to take the bite then listen to my pestering (and later, irritation that he wouldn't even try it) he started realizing how much food is out there.

the most frustrating hurtle: fish.

one of the greatest early causes of his resistance, he could eventually admit it was good "but i couldn't eat a whole meal of it."

four years in, on a trip to jamaica, he finished my plate of red snapper. highly uncharacteristic. a few nights later he ordered his own. he was a convert.

he continues to surprise me.

while it's been two years since he converted to the piscatory penchant, i still never felt he quite shared my enthusiasm for fish as the protein of choice.

we've made fish at home in the past and he's enjoyed it. recently, he ordered shrimp as part of his meal at a japanese steakhouse. i nearly fell off my chair. {i've even been particularly sensitive to fishy-taste recently where he hasn't minded at all}

then last weekend i told him red snapper was on sale at the grocery and asked if he wanted to pick some up. his answer was an emphatic, if not over-zealous, yes.

halloween-eve hubby-to-be was scheduled to work late (7:30p). i had the perfect plan to surprise him. after my unusually late afternoon trip to the gym i would make my post, shower, slip into my pirate costume a la early dating, clean up the kitchen from the weekend, and prep dinner so i could throw it all on to be done in minutes when he got home.

as i finished my post my phone rang. hubby-to-be. "i'm on my way home." ack. i searched my closest for the halloween costume and determined it was buried in the storage closet. oh well, at least i can be clean and maybe i'll think of an alternative. barely out of the shower and he was walking in the front door. kitchen untidy. food unprepped. surprise foiled.

murphy's law or poor planning. you choose.

together we whipped up a dinner of potato and herb crusted snapper with mashed potatoes and green beans with mustard sauce. a yummy french pinot gris.

as he rounded the corner to the end of his fish he shocked me again.

"i wish we had more fish."

maybe next week we will.

sunday scones: pumpkin pecan

sunday, october 30th: Pumpkin Pecan Scones

yield: 8 scones

generous 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

splash buttermilk (≈ 1 Tablespoon)

8 ginger snaps

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups flour

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the pumpkin puree and egg. Whisk in a splash of buttermilk to this slightly. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the ginger snap until a combination of small crumbs and  cookie pieces forms. Transfer the larger cookie pieces to a separate mixing bowl and the crumbs to a measuring cup. (i had a bit less than a half cup crumbs so i used a 1/2 cup measure). Fill the balance of the measuring cup with flour and add back to the bowl of food processor. Add enough flour to total a combined 2 cups with the ginger snap crumbs. Add the sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, fresh and ground ginger, allspice and nutmeg. Pulse to well combine. The mixture should be very fragrant. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Transfer mixture to the mixing bowl with the ginger snap pieces. Add the pecans. Toss to evenly distribute. 

Slowly stream the pumpkin mixture into the dough base, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (i added a dash of allspice). Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

note: turn up the volume on all spices. as usual, this is the first go at this recipe so it's a work in progress. next time i'll likely use at least 1 tablespoon each fresh ginger and ground cinnamon, and some amount more of the rest. i will also sweeten by at least 1 tablespoon brown sugar and add 1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla to the pumpkin puree.

these scones were so soft and tender. delicious, though perhaps next time improved.

enjoy!

sugar rush

oh halloween.

favorite holiday? maybe. but i say a lot of things are my favorite so that word doesn't hold very much weight.

most memorable holiday? most definitely.

in elementary school it was all about the costumes {made by mom, of course}: snow white, rocker barbie {not her real name and it's killing me because she was my favorite}, wilma flintstone, catwoman.

middle school came with more specific memories attached to the costumes: a mod lady, britney spears {"what's a britney spear?"} & a she-devil {and the fire ants that got stuck in my fishnets}.

dressing up continued into high school and made the usual sexy turn in college {where i was a pirate, dorothy, and a gangster}.

one halloween tradition that escaped was the unadulterated consumption of candy. {i was rationing from an early age. my stash was going to last longer than anyone else's.}

don't get me wrong, i did the candy swap and indulged a little, just never full overload.

this year i told myself all bets are off.

i laid down some ground rules {who am i without rules, really?}. i can eat as much as i want. {i don't have to be healthy today, it's halloween. plus, if i really want to, i can work in the healthy around the candy.} i have to stick to what you get trick-or-treating. no fancy trader joe's peanut butter cups. no chocolate covered espresso beans. snickers, heath bars, almond joys, reese's peanut butter cups. one of my favorites was always the caramel apple lollipop, and, fortunately, i have had one on hand.

{the one exception to the trick-or-treat candy rule: gummy candy corn from williams-sonoma. i don't like the original and it's so connected to halloween, it must be included}

the candy plan was going fine...until my body realized something wasn't quite normal. my tummy didn't feel so hot. i really hadn't had much candy. just more than i ever eat. still, not much.

i guess that's how kids feel if they're the type to plow through their candy bags in one go. i guess i'll take that into consideration for next year.

and now i'm just left with a huge stash...well, truth be told i had an unconsumed candy stockpile. so really i'm not far from where i started.

{please note: i am in no way saying that i'm done with candy for the day}

in addition to costumes and candy, i love the pumpkin tradition.

nothing quite says halloween like carving a pumpkin and roasting the seeds.

hubby-to-be and i planned on picking one up from the grocer last weekend {not from a patch, though that would be my childlike preference}. unfortunately, we were out in the pre-noreaster raininess and the only pumpkins out were cold and wet and so was i so my desire wavered.

instead i made seasonal baked goods to represent the missing pumpkin.

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (from the knead for speed).

and pumpkin pecan scones.

the cookies were one of the weirdest recipes i've worked from. and good grief were they labor intensive. reducing pumpkin puree was quite a feat. and i don't know if i can quite say that i was doing it right.

my cookies also didn't turn out nearly as beautifully as the did on knead for speed.

what i can say is: they were delicious.

pumpkin-y. chocolate chipp-y. pie spice-y. delicious.

though not a carved pumpkin, they're perfect warm up for halloween.