Mini Pumpkin Muffins

I realize that posting a pumpkin recipe in December isn't going with the flow of Christmas cookies or other Holiday goodies, but I made these the other day and they are so yummy and soft and moist I still want to share them with you. This recipe comes from Deanna House, a cook book author from my home state of Michigan. The ladies in my Mom's family all love Deanna House and make her recipes frequently, so I decided to dive into her cookbook and start trying some out myself. 

Mini Pumpkin Muffins 
From Even More House Specialties by Deanna House
Printable Version
Ingredients
1/4 cup shortening or butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup mashed pumpkin
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup raisins if desired (I omitted these)


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. At medium speed, cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, Allspice, and cloves; set aside. In a small bowl combine pumpkin and milk. 

Add dry ingredients alternately with pumpkin mixture to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir well after each addition. Add raisins if desired. Fill paper lined mini muffin cups 3/4 full of batter. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Strawberry Blueberry Clafoutis

It was blueberry season in Michigan while hubby and I were visiting our family this July.
So we decided to head to a blueberry farm one beautiful morning and to pick some fresh, plump blueberries ripened by the summer sun.
 
We were one of the only people picking at the farm, so we each grabbed a bucket and raced to find the biggest blueberries. It only took us 45 minutes to fill our buckets with these little lovelies. 

We used the berries in pancakes, muffins, straight from the bowl, and in this Strawberry Blueberry Clafoutis. What is a clafoutis?? I had no idea either until I saw this post from Honest Fare. Gabrielle taught me that Clafouti (pronounced CLA-FOO-TEE) is a French rustic style dessert that traditionally is made with whole cherries. It can also be made with fresh berries and is a beautiful, simple recipe that ends up tasting like a mix between cake, custard and bread pudding. This is one of those great desserts that you can use any fruit or berry that you have on hand.

I made my Clafoutis for a send off party with my good friends. I didn't get a good picture of it after it came out of the oven, but it was pretty flat because I used a 9X13 pan. Next time I would use a deeper, pretty bowl for thicker Clafoutis and better presentation!

Strawberry Blueberry Clafoutis
From Honest Fare
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup strawberries, sliced into small pieces
1 cup blueberries
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender blend the milk, 1/3 cup of the sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, lemon zest, cinnamon, and flour.

Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a lightly and evenly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until the batter firms up a bit (a film will set in the pan) about 8 minutes. 

Remove from oven and place the berries over the batter. Sprinkle on remaining sugar and pour on the rest of the batter evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Great served warm or room temperature with whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

Panna Cotta with Summer Berries

My husband and I just spent two glorious weeks in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Hubby's family built a beautiful cabin on Lake Michigan in the U.P. (Michiganders know that U.P. is an abbreviation for Upper Peninsula) and just to make you all jealous here is a picture from the porch of the cabin, looking at Lake Michigan:

While at the cabin, I had the chance to cook a little bit with my lovely mother-in-law and her very dear friend Gail. I love cooking with other women in my family and learning from them. Gail showed me how to make a Panna Cotta with summer berries. Although the batch looks small, we made enough to feed about 10 people. The Panna Cotta was extremely creamy with wonderful vanilla flavoring. The blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries were a perfect addition and a great way to incorporate fresh Michigan berries. 

Panna Cotta with Summer Berries
From Epicurious
Printable Version
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half and half (we ran out and used lowfat milk, which was a fine substitute)
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups of fresh summer berries (we used strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)
1/2 cup sweet dessert wine

Directions
In a very small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved and remove pan from heat.
In large saucepan bring cream, half and half, and sugar just to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring.

Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla. Divide cream mixture among eight 1/2 cup ramekins and cool to room temperature (we placed the mixture in a large bowl instead). Chill ramekins, covered, for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Meanwhile chop berries into bite size pieces. Place berries into a small bowl and pour the dessert wine over top.

Mix to cover berries in the wine and allow to marinate until serving time. If serving in ramekins, dip one at a time into a bowl of hot water for 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around the edge of each ramekin and invert onto a small plate. Garnish with fresh berries. If serving in cup like ours, scoop the mixture into serving cups and garnish with berries.

Morel Mushroom Gnocchi

Morel mushrooms are a highly prized fungi in the midwest, especially in Michigan where hubby and I are from. They are hard to find, very expensive, and out of this world delicious. When I saw dried Morels in my local grocery store, I just about yelled, "Eureka!!" It was truly like finding treasure! 

On the back of the package was directions for the Morel sauce that I made and served with gnocchi. Of course I neglected to save the package, so will try to remember the recipe to the best of my ability. But really, how can you go wrong with wine, butter, onion, garlic and heavenly Morels??

Morel Mushroom Gnocchi
Serves 2 
Printable Version


Ingredients
4 ounces Morel Mushrooms
1 package of your favorite gnocchi
1/2 cup heavy cream (I always use fat free half & half and never notice a difference)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Tabor Hill, our favorite Michigan wine)
5 tablespoons butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnishing


Directions
Boil water and cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile melt butter in a saute pan and add in onions and garlic. Saute until soft, but not brown. Add in wine, cream and Morels. 

Stir frequently sauce thickens and mushrooms are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over hot gnocchi. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese. 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes

I'm not sure if it's because I'm a teacher and around kids alllllll the time but I still really like peanut butter and jelly. I don't eat PB&J sandwiches anymore but I love it on english muffins or waffles. I came across this recipe on one of the cutest and most entertaining food blogs out there, How Sweet It Is. I made these pancakes for my hubby and I and we both loved them.  I made the jelly sauce with homemade jam from wild Michigan blackberries. It was awesome. Unfortunately my hubby doesn't like fruit (yes, he is crazy) so he omitted the jelly sauce from his pancakes. He really liked them with just the peanut butter and syrup. Since the pancakes are made from whole wheat they are very thick and very filling. This recipe is a definite winner in my PB&J book!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Pancakes
From Jessica at How Sweet It Is
Printable Version


Ingredients
For the pancakes:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons peanut butter, melted plus additional for drizzling

For the jelly topping:
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup jam of choice
1-2 tablespoons water
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup


Directions
For the pancakes:
Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in peanut butter. Cook on preheated pan until bubbles form and edges start to dry.

Flip and cook until lightly browned. Top with additional peanut butter and jelly topping.

For the jelly topping:
In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, strawberries and water over low heat. Mash the berries and add jam, stirring until mixture becomes mostly liquid and warm. Stir in syrup. Drizzle over pancakes.

Michigan Pasties

My lovely and talented Aunt Chris shared this recipe for Pasties with me. I was excited to make these because they remind me of my home state, Michigan. Every time my friend Beth and I would drive up to visit our friend Neile in Northern Michigan, we stopped on the way home for a Pastie.

 If you are not from Michigan or Wisconsin, you may have no idea what a pastie is, so I did a little research to find out more about the famed Pastie to share with you. I came across this description on Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company's Website. "Made originally as a meal for the miners of Cornwall, England, Pasties date back about 800 years. Wives would bake meat and vegetables in a crust and wrap it in many layers of linens or newspapers for their husband's lunch. It provided a warm and filling meal in the cold, damp mines. Pasties arrived in Michigan over 150 years ago with immigrants who came to work in the iron and copper mines in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Pastie provided a hot and nutritious meal that had good holding capacity and could be eaten anywhere. This full-bodied flavor soon became a favorite with locals and visitors alike. A trip to Northern Michigan is not complete without a Pastie."

The best way I can describe it is a pot pie that you shape yourself. I decided to modify the recipe to make it vegetarian. I still served them with gravy because a Pastie is no good without gravy! 

My Pasties do not look at pretty as I would like, but they tasted incredibly authentic. I am very proud of myself for making these because they require you to make your own dough, something I've never done before. Another bonus is that I get to cross another item off my "30 Things to Make Before I Turn 30." Yippee! 

Marquette Pasties

Special thanks to My Auntie Chris

The Dough

Ingredients:

3 cups of flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 cup Crisco

3/4 cup cold water

Directions:

Sift the flour and salt. Cut in crisco. Add water and blend with a fork until it holds together. Shape into a ball. Chill until the rest of the ingredients are prepared.

The Filling

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound ground chuck (I omitted this)

4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 onions diced small

1 rutabaga, peeled and diced 

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Mix all filling items together throughly. Diving into 6 roughly equal servings, about 1 cup each. Add a teaspoon of butter on top of each before adding it to the dough. Take the dough out and divide it into 6 pieces, slightly oblong. Roll each on a floured board and add the filling. Seal the edges with water, folding or crimping the edges. Take a sharp knife and slit the top. Flute the edges and bake on a lightly greased pan for 12 - 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Note: The great thing about these is you can add your own touches. I added in garlic, oregano, and mushrooms since mine were vegetarian. Some people use round steak cut into quarter inch cubes instead of ground chuck, and chicken is also another option. In cubing the meat and potatoes, be sure to use small, uniform pieces.