#9 and #10 - Pumpkin Waffles with Banana Topping

On Sunday Marin and Sean came down for the day.  I made lunch for us... it was going to be brunch, but ended up being ready pretty late so... lunchfest? A much more fun name than brunch anyway, says Marin.  It was delicious, if I do say so myself.  I doubt I'll be struggling to hit 52 new recipes at the end of the year, so I don't feel like I'm cheating in counting the two parts of this meal as two separate recipes.
First, pumpkin waffles, which I'd eaten before, but never made myself.  My friend Laura found the recipe online and made them for brunch back in November, and honestly, I've been thinking about them ever since.  Joe got me a waffle maker for Christmas, so I was ready to go.  I got the recipe for the banana topping from Cook This Not That.  It's meant to go on french toast, but I figured it would be good over waffles too.  In the future I think I'd make it with plain waffles and eat the pumpkin waffles with just butter and syrup.  The waffles and topping are both so delicious either one would be great without the other.  I'm in the 8th full week of the year and have already tried 10 new recipes - awesome!


Pumpkin Waffles
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm

Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil and set it to the desired temperature.  Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl.  Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch.  Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to blend.  Separate eggs, yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.  Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks.  Whisk to blend and set aside.  Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form, about 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes.  Set aside.  Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture.  As you pour, whisk to combine.  Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them together until just combined.  A little lumpiness is fine.  That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.  Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared.  Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.  Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter!  Makes 4 full size waffles.


Banana Topping

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons bourbon (or cognac... that's what I used because that's what Marin brought)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
2 ripe but still firm bananas, sliced into coins
1/4 cup 2% milk

Heat the butter in a medium nonstick pan over medium heat.  Add bourbon and brown sugar and stir to dissolve.  Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until bubbly.  Add walnuts and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Add bananas and heat through.  Stir in milk and keep warm until serving.  Makes enough for 3 people.

New ingredient: corn starch (I tried to buy bourbon, but they didn't have it at the grocery store, so Marin supplied the cognac instead)
New skill: whipping egg whites! fun stuff

#8 - Creamy Broccoli Soup

I brought a new cookbook home from work today, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast.  My friend Laura has had me over for dinner and made a few things from this book before, so I knew it would be good.  I had it in my bag and needed to stop at the store to pick up milk on my way home anyway, so I decided to pick a recipe and pick up the ingredients I needed and make something for dinner.  The cream of asparagus soup sounded great, but would have required a few too many extra purchases, so I went with the broccoli soup instead.  It was funny, walking around the store with the book open in my cart.  All I needed was the broccoli and some more vegetable stock, but I ended up buying a bunch of other groceries too.  (I spend way too much money at the grocery store.  I don't have problems with clothes shopping or shoe shopping... but the grocery store gets me every time.)  Anyway, it wasn't a hard soup to make at all and it came out pretty well.  I always expect soups to be thicker than they are.  I added a spoonful of flour to make it just a little creamier.  Not a super exciting soup and not as delicious as the tomato soup I made last year, but then nothing compares to that soup.  I ate it with some toast with tomato and melted cheese.  A nice, spur-of-the-moment dinner... recipe #8 - yum!

Creamy Broccoli Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 and 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli (florets separated, stems peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds)

In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the onion.  Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups water, stock, oats, and broccoli.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is tender, 5-10 minutes.  Puree using a hand-blender.

New ingredients: Nothing! That's why I picked this recipe.
New skills: peeling broccoli stems... it's a lot of work and doesn't seem so worthwhile

#7 - Spritz Cookies

I was going to make heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day, but I didn't have almond extract, so I postponed by a day and made them for February 15th instead.  The real reason I wanted to make these cookies was so that I could finally try out my cookie press that I bought more than a year ago.  It worked pretty well, but it's messy and kind of a lot of work.  I tried the heart shape, the Christmas tree, and a 5-petaled wreath/flower shape.  I used the recipe for classic spritz cookies that came with the cookie press.  They're not the best tasting cookies in the world, but they're ok and they were all eaten pretty quickly at work.  They're more decorative than delicious really, so when I make them again it might just be to mix in with other cookies as a gift during the holidays.  Next time, once I press out the dough, but before baking, I can try adding sprinkles.  Maybe I'll see if I can find a better recipe, because the shapes really are pretty fun, and it would be worth the extra effort if they tasted better.  #7 - done!

Classic Spritz Cookies
1 and 1/2 cups butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
* Thoroughly cream butter and sugar.  Add egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract.  Beat well.  Stir together flour and baking powder.  Gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough.  Don't chill!  Put dough into cookie press and press onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-9 minutes at 375 degrees.  Remove from sheet and cool on a rack.

New ingredient: almond extract
New skill: using my cookie press!

#6 - Crab Dip

I decided to make crab dip for a superbowl party I went to.  I figured instead of making my usual mexican dip I'd try a new recipe.  I guess it turned out alright... people ate it at the party and Joe seems to like it and is going to finish it, but I haven't actually tried more than a tiny bite.  Something about the smell just makes me feel sick and I don't want to eat it at all!  It's main flavor is actually dill, which I don't normally dislike, so I guess it's just the crab that's really turning me off.  Oh well, recipe #6 - check!

Crab Dip (from the "New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook" again)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 six-ounce can of cooked crabmeat, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice
ground red pepper to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
- Combine ingredients, cover, refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours before serving with crackers.

New skills: grating lemon peel
New ingredients: ground red pepper, dried dill