Pumpkin Pie, Canned Pumpkin, and Pumpkin Mash

pumpkin

Cyndi and I did a first over the weekend….we made pumpkin pie but didn’t use canned pumpkin.  I’ll post some pictures of the process the next time we do it, but here is what we did:

peeled the pumpkin
cut up the pumpkin (like you are making mashed potatoes)
steamed it for about 20 min
mashed it with a potato masher
pureed it
let the water drain out overnight (with some help from a small weight)

At this point, we had about 1.5 cups of pumpkin puree.  We then followed the recipe below (it is from this website) to make the pie.

1 cup sugar (metric: 200 grams)
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon (metric: 3.8 grams)
1 teaspoon ground cloves (metric: 2 grams)
1 teaspoon ground allspice (metric: 2 grams)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (metric: 1.25 grams)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (metric: 20 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin puree (metric: 0.7 litre)
1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk

Bake at 425 F (210 C ) for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 F ( 175 C ) and bake another 45 to 60 minutes, until a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

BTW, the pumpkin pie was the best ever.  I think we are going to continue doing this in the future.  It wasn’t difficult to cook the pumpkin.  From past experience, we know we can freeze the puree and use it later.  As I said, I’ll update the blog with pictures of cutting up the pumpkin and the cooking process.

Image from meercatbaby via flickr

Stuffing in the Turkey

stuffing the turkey

Has to be the best thing in the world.  Of course, in my book, there isn’t any other way to have stuffing.  If it isn’t in the turkey, it is just overcooked, dried out, and burnt  😉

Image from sushiesque via flickr

Breakfast This Morning

20100513_HomemadePoptart

See that picture?!  That was my breakfast this morning.  And they tasted as good as they look there.  (BTW, that isn’t a picture of one Cyndi made….it was taken by our friend who posted the reciepe on her blog).  We have pictures, but we need to get them off the camera.

For the recipie, see Moje Ceska Kuchune: Strawberry Poptarts

Oh, yes, I realize the Pop Tart is probabaly a trademark for these things.  But, it has also become a generic word for breakfast pastry thing that is filled with frosting (no, I don’t like the unfrosted ones…homemade or other).  But, if you have a better word to describe these homemade ones, leave me a comment.

Chocolate Crinkles

ok…these are the best Christmas cookies in the entire world.  My mom made them when we were kids…I love them.  Cyndi has taken to making them around Christmas.  here’s the recipie:

1 cup cocoa
1/2 c oil
2 c sugar
2 tsp vanila
4 eggs
2 c flour (perhaps 1-2 Tbsp more if the eggs are large)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

Mix cocoa and oil
Mix in sugar
Mix in vanila
Now, mix in the eggs one at a time
Mix in 1 c of flour and the salt
Mix in remaining flour and the baking powder.  The dough will be thin.
Put in the refridgerator overnight
Roll into teaspoon sized balls.
Coat with powdered sugar
Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 F

Note:  remove them from the oven even if they look underdone.  The trick is to pull them out before they set.  They should be chewie like a brownie….not crunchie.

Image by iampoohie via flickr

Mmmm. Big Loafer….

DSC04593

Had someone comment on one of my flickr pictures the other day.  It got me wanting some Big Loafer iced tea, fries, and sandwich.  If you are in Huntington, swing by the mall and eat one for me  🙂

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Ever since we moved to Serbia (and didn’t have Crisco or normal butter/margarine) we’ve been looking for a good cholocate chip cookie recipie.  I think Cyndi found the best one ever tonight.  The coolies came out nice and chewey yet sort of flat (just like I like them).  Here’s the recipie (from allrecipies):

 INGREDIENTS

    * 2 cups all-purpose flour
    * 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
    * 1 cup packed brown sugar
    * 1/2 cup white sugar
    * 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    * 1 egg
    * 1 egg yolk
    * 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

   1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
   2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
   3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
   4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Image from roboppy via Flickr

American Pancakes

I’ve had a few friends ask me for our pancake recipie.  (They came over, I made them, and they loved it).

Here it is (from the Betty Crocker Cookbook):

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder (прашак за пецив на серпском)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil

Mix everything together
Scoop/Ladle into skillet
Brown on one side
Flip
Brown on the other
Serve with syurp (pronounced surp)
Prijatno (Enjoy!)

Here’s a video showing how to cook them:

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If you need help converting the US measurements to metric, take a look at this chart I made (or wikipiedia)

Crescent Creams

2 packages canned crescent rolls
2 packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2tsp cinnamon

Unroll crescent rolls
roll or press into 9×13 pan or cookie sheet
mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla
beat well and spread on dough
top with other can of crescent rolls
brush with melted butter
sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon mixed together
bake at 350 deg for 30 min
DO NOT OVERBAKE!

Lemonaid

From http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2007/11/27/23249/601

You will need the following supplies:

 

  • 2 L water
  • 2 L drink container
  • 1 L bowl
  • 1/4 L cooking pot
  • 5 medium-sized fresh young lemons
  • 1/4 L cane sugar
  • ice cubes
  • lemon juice extraction device
  • knife with serrated blade
  • aluminum or plastic membrane wrap
  • strainer

Step 1 – Remove Zest from Lemons

Wash lemons with a light hand soap and lightly scrub to remove any pesticide residue. Using knife, carefully remove only yellow translucent skin, also known as zest, from the lemon skins. This means you will be making very thin slices. Do not include the white pithy material immediately beneath the yellow skin, as it will interfere with the lemon oil extraction. Remove all zest from each lemon. Collect and place shavings in 1 L bowl.

Step 2 – Extract Lemon Oil from Zest Shavings

Pour 1/4 L cane sugar into 1 L bowl with zest shavings. Mix things around. Cover bowl with membrane wrap. Wait 1 hour as sugar begins to absorb lemon oil from zest shavings. Eventually mixture will become yellow syrupy mush. Cool, huh? Tastes just like lemon candy, too!

Step 3 – Extract Lemon Juice

Remove juice from lemons with extraction device. Pour juice into 2 L drink container.

Step 4 – Boil Water

Heat 1/2 L of the water in cooking pot until boiling. Pour boiling water into 1 L bowl on top of zest syrup. Stir things around. Wait fifteen minutes.

Step 4 – Dilute and Cool

Using strainer/sieve to filter out zest shavings, Pour the hot 1/2 L lemon syrup and water mixture from 1 L bowl into 2 L drink container. Refrigerate until chilled, or serve with ice cubes

 

Shulpska

When Cyndi and I were in Serbia I wanted to eat “real” Serbia food. I had in my mind that they would have “strange” food (just like Haggis in Scotland). Well, it turned out that much of what they ate was fairly normal to me. But our friends told me that one thing that was excelent was Shulpska (I don’t have a clue how to spell it, but that is how it sounded). I ordered it everywere we ate. Our friends even made it at their house for me.

Well, I made some the other day and thought I should blog about how I made it just in case anyone else wanted to give it a try.

Peel 2 cucumbers
Slice longways into 4 wedges
Cut into slices about 1/4 inch
Cube up 2 tomatoes (make about 1/4 inch cubes)
Cube up about 1/2 an onion (again, 1/4 inch cubes)

Put all of that in a bowl and mix it up.

Take Fetta Cheese and sprinkle this on top of the veggies (2 standard size packages you get in Wal Mart will work. It will turn out better if you can buy imported fetta as it tastes different).

Eat and enjoy!