Pumpkin Recipes

Ok, so most of you know how much I love pumpkin. Here are some recipes.

Pumpkin Chili Mexicana

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped *I use green bell pepper because it's cheaper*
  
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can Libby's canned pumpkin
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15 1/4 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies *I use a couple jalapenos from the garden*
• 1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, loose-pack
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stirring frequently, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic cooking for approximatley 7 minutes or until tender. Add turkey and cook until browned. Drain.
2. To turkey mixture add tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans, chiles, corn, chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Bring this to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover saucepan and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*Jen's notes* I follow step one of the directions and then I cook it all in the crockpot, 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. I know it sounds weird to have pumpkin in chili, but try it! The pumpkin makes it creamy and adds all that good vitamin A.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 2/3 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Directions

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl.
2. In a second bowl, add eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, and butter; beat well.
3. Gently fold in the flour mixture.
4. Cook according to your waffle iron directions.
5. I do these in my belgian waffle iron and it uses about 1 cup batter and takes 4-5 minutes to bake.
6. They come out a nice deep, golden brown.
7. These are great with a little bit of syrup, but would also be great with honey butter.

*Jen's notes* I haven't tried this recipe yet, but plan to this weekend.

Random thoughts

Here's my first post from my new laptop! Well, technically it's Purdue's laptop, but you know what I mean. Brooks was excited when he saw it on the table this morning, "new computer, Mommy?" and then proceeded to inform Hudson that it was a new computer.

Hudson's favorite game to play right now is rock-a-bye baby. He likes for me to cradle him while he sings "rock bye baby" several times and then he says "break" and wants to be "dropped". He thinks it is great fun.

There are some questions/answers on the wall at preschool. Brooks was asked, "what is silly" and his answer was "when Hudson acts like a monkey."

I took the boys to Barnes & Noble this morning to play with the trains. This is one of their favorite things to do anywhere. They happily played while I read some magazines and sipped a Pumpkin Spice Latte (that I only paid 50 cents for thanks to this coupon!).

And for those who are wondering...Samba is still around and staying out of trees. She has a bully, Naranja Bob that likes to take her food. I think they are secretly friends.

Trip to the Windy City

We took a fall break trip to Chicago this weekend. We had wanted to go over the summer, but never made it there. Here's the highlights...

The boys took their first trip to the Museum of Science and Industry, a favorite memory from both Ryan and my childhoods. Brooks loved the train exhibit (both real and model) and Hudson's favorite was the airplanes. They both enjoyed the robot exhibit and the hatching chicks. We purchased a family membership at our local children's museum which allows us to get in free at over 250 museums throughout the US, including everything but the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. What a deal!

We ate lots of good food. We had lunch in Hyde Park (Ryan and I had both never really been in that neighborhood before, but it's close to the museum so we thought it would be a good stop for lunch) at a Southern place called Dixie Kitchen. They brought out cornmeal pancakes instead of bread, and Ryan had pulled pork, I had an oyster po'boy and the kids had jambalaya. Yummy! For dinner we had promised Brooks Chicago pizza, so we walked over to Giordanos. Brooks agreed that it was better than Pizza Hut and Hudson didn't seem to mind that all he got was the sausage, spinach and crust. Of course we had to make the trek to the North side to eat at El Tinajon. Ryan was able to get his fix of pepian. And we weren't leaving Chicago this time without Garrett's popcorn, so Brooks and Ryan stood in line for that.

We stayed at the Palmer House (again) after a successful bid on Priceline. Our room was 3x as big as it was when Ryan and I stayed there in March. It was as big as our living/dining room! The boys slept remarkably well and even took naps.

The thing that the boys were most excited about seeing was the "bean" in Millennium Park. We walked over Saturday morning. They were so excited to see it! Unfortunately it was chilly and misting when we were there, so it wasn't as enjoyable as we hoped, but they loved seeing it in person. The other thing tied for the best thing was riding the El. They loved riding the choo choo trains and one of the engineers even said hi to Brooks.

We must have worn the boys out, because they slept all the way home. Even through my stop to get a 1/2 bushel of apples!

Brooks chowing down.

Hudson playing a game with me at the hotel.

If you look closely, you can see Ryan in the middle of the picture and Hudson and I on the right.

"This really is the best popcorn ever!"

Recipes of the Week

Here's some great cold weather recipes to warm you up. On another note, we picked up a hardly been used Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker at Goodwill a couple weeks ago. It was the color of the week, so it was a steal at $6.50! I finally made my first batch of ice cream tonight, I went for Coffee Ice Cream since its my favorite at the moment and hard to find in the store. It turned out wonderful! Next up will be Pumpkin Pecan since it's that time of the year!

Crockpot Potato Soup

Ingredients
6 cups peeled, diced potatoes
5 cups water
2 cups diced onions
1 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup butter
4 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
12 oz can evaporated milk
8 oz co-jack cheese, shredded (optional)

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients except milk and cheese in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 7-8 hours until veggies are tender.
3. Stir in the milk and cheese until heated thoroughly.

50% Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Directions

1. Put the ingredients into the bread machine pan in the order listed (and as accurately as possible).
2. Select the whole wheat bread cycle (usually takes 3 1/2 hours).
3. Remove from the pan when it's done and let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

*Jen's notes* This bread is so easy to slice, it stays intact, unlike some bread machine breads. Brooks says this is his favorite bread!

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Ingredients

• 8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) package ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Break noodles and place half in bottom of a greased slow cooker.
2. Brown ground beef in saucepan and drain.
3. Stir in italian seasoning and spread half over noodles in slow cooker.
4. Layer half of sauce and water, half ricotta cheese, and then half of mozzarella cheese over beef.
5. Repeat layers.
6. Cover and cook on low 5 hours.

*Jen's notes* Since I made this in my small round crockpot I did 4 layers instead of 2. I also added in some thawed frozen spinach and fresh garlic. This tasted really great, the whole family loved it. I love throwing stuff in the crockpot before I head to work and having it ready to eat when I get home.

Weekend w/o the boys

The boys spent the weekend at Grandma and Pop Pop's house. They had a great time. They loved playing trains, with the dog and seeing Auntie Barb.





Ryan and I enjoyed our time alone. Friday night we went out for cocktails and then to a Purdue jazz concert. Saturday we headed down to Indy had lunch at Red Robin and hit some thrift stores, a bike store and Penzey's spices (I've been wanting to go there forever!). Our main reason for the trip to Indy and our weekend alone, was to attend the Childvision Gala. FTIA (the adoption agency we used for Brooks) started Childvision. The gala was held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in downtown Indy. This year all the proceeds from the gala went to Casa Guatemala. There were several silent auctions, a live auction, dinner, a live band and salsa dancing. Ryan and I took part in the salsa lessons, but weren't too good at it! We had a great time and were glad to support this wonderful organization.

Sunday morning we slept in...to 8:30! It was so nice! We then headed home for a little bit before we meet at Fair Oaks to fetch the boys. The boys were pretty tuckered out Sunday evening and slept like logs!

Recipes of the Week

We all loved this Spaghetti Casserole. I used Italian sausage and doubled the recipe to have one in the freezer. The Italian dressing reminds me of the house dressing of a local Italian restaurant.

Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients

• 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in thirds
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti according to pkg directions; drain.
2. In lg bowl, beat egg, milk and salt.
3. Add drained spaghetti; toss to coat.
4. Place into greased 13x9 baking pan.
5. In lg skillet, cook beef, onion and green pepper until meat is done; drain.
6. Add spaghetti sauce; mix well.
7. Spoon over the spaghetti.
8. Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 20 minutes.
9. Top with the cheese; bake another 13 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
10. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Italian Herb Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Mix all in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
2. Shake well.
3. Shake again before serving.

Pumpkin Painting

Brooks and Hudson got to experience their first Pumpkin Painting Party on Saturday. Ryan and I used to host such a party. I went all out for it. All the food I made had pumpkin in it and it was great fun, but I've taken a break from hosting this party since the boys came along. I was more than happy to let someone else take over the responsibility of hosting a PPP. Our Family Connections group from church got together for the party. We all had a good time with our friends. The boys liked painting their pumpkins, but I think they had more fun just running around with their friends.



The boys ate 3 hot dogs between them at the party. We don't eat hot dogs (I don't really care for them and they are filled with bad things for you) and the way they devoured them it was like it was steak or something!

There is a new hospital opening in town so we went to the open house this afternoon. I should have brought my camera, because there was a medical helicopter. Hudson was so excited to see the helicopter. Brooks said he liked the ambulances the best. It was interesting to see the hospital before it opens to patients. It was a really nice facility, but I hope we aren't making any trips there!

Recipes for the week

Alright, here's my recipes to share for the week. We had the Finger-licking Chicken and BLT Pasta Salad for dinner on Saturday. It was great, I did make a few changes. I halved the marinade and it was the perfect amount for the huge 4 bone-in chicken breasts that we grilled (approx. 4 lbs). For the pasta salad I omitted the lettuce and doubled the pasta amount.

Finger Licking Chicken Marinade

Ingredients

• 1 cup oil
• 1/2 cup vinegar *I used Tarragon vinegar*
• 2 tablespoons Miracle Whip or Miracle Whip light
• 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon salt (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt

Directions

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Use to marinate chicken pieces at least 30 minutes and then to baste the meat as it cooks in the oven or over hot coals.

BLT Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (7 ounce) package rotini pasta or other pastas, cooked and drained
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1/4 cup lemon juice concentrate
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
• 2 teaspoons chicken flavor instant bouillon
• 4 cups lettuce, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Combine mayo, lemonjuice, sugar and bouillion for the dressing.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients -- I recommend waiting until you are ready to serve before mixing in the lettuce.

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups water or canned chicken broth
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 4 medium celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 teaspoons salt (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (3 1/2 lb) roasting chickens
• 3 cups egg noodles, uncooked

Directions

1. In 4-1/2 to 6-quart slow-cooker bowl, combine water, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, 4 t salt, 1/2 t pepper.
2. Place whole chicken on top of vegetables.
3. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook as manufacturer directs on low setting 8 to 10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
4. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Discard bay leaves. Add noodles to slow-cooker; cover with lid and cook (on low or high) 20 minutes.
5. While noodles cook, remove and discard skin, fat and bones from chicken; shred meat.
6. Skim fat from soup and discard. Return chicken to soup to serve.

Trip to the Apple Orchard

We visited a local apple orchard with Asa this Saturday. It was our first visit to this orchard and I think we'll be making a trip back. They had a lot of stuff for the boys to do: a playground, bikes to ride, goats to pet, and a couple trails to walk. The apples were pre-picked and we bought a big bag of Early Blaze. We also went ahead and bought 2 pumpkins for the boys as we'll need them for a pumpkin painting party next weekend. The boys didn't want to leave, they wanted to keep riding the bikes. Brooks said the thing he liked best about the orchard was riding the bikes!? Like he doesn't get to ride his bike at home ever....

We went for lunch at Taco Rico, or Rico as Hudson says. Asa said that she likes Mexican food, so we thought we'd share with her our favorite place in town. She loved the potato flautas (my favorite!). We can always count on the boys to finish their carnitas tacos there.

Poor Samba

Thursday night, Ryan was watching tv and heard a thud on the side of the house. The next thing he heard was a dog barking. And barking. And barking. The dog was still consistently barking when I got home from teaching at the Y. We opened the back door to check on Samba and we hear a faint meow. Very faint. It sounded like it was coming from our neighbor's tree. It was. Samba managed to get herself up 20 feet into a tree. The dog must have scared her up there. We got up on Friday and she was still up the tree. We got home from work and she was still up the tree. We tried to coax her down but she wouldn't budge. We borrowed a 20 foot ladder from our neighbor and laid it on the side of the tree to see if she would climb down it. We got home from our date and she was still up the tree. We got up Saturday morning and she was still up the tree. And then, while we were eating breakfast we noticed that she was back on the deck and very hungry! We were happy that she managed to get herself down and she happily scarfed down some food.

*Update* I wrote this post Saturday afternoon, and today (Sunday) she has found her way into another tree. She's not too smart.

Notice the plate of food at the bottom of the ladder...

How did I get myself into this pickle?

I hate mountain biking

Let it be known, that I hate to mountain bike! I had the wonderful idea that Ryan and I should go mountain biking on our date Friday. The last and only other time I had been mountain biking was 11 years ago when I was very much out of shape. I thought maybe I should give it another try. After all, I'm pretty fit now and take a 45 minutes Spinning class 3x a week (which I love). Ryan was really excited that I had come up with this idea. So we dropped the kids off at church and headed over to Purdue to ride in McCormick Woods. It all started out good. When we were riding the first part, I kept thinking to myself, "well this isn't so bad!" Well, then the trees started getting closer and closer to the trail and there were big logs and hills. And that's when I realized that my feelings hadn't changed and I hate to mountain bike. I don't like the downhills (where you go really fast) and I don't like those trees so close to me (where it looks like my handlebars are going to run into them) and I don't like those really big logs that you are have to ride over. So I didn't wreck, but I did walk part of it and I was really glad that we were the only riders in there.

After the "ride" we went out for Vietnamese food, I had a glass of wine, and then some really good ice cream at Silver Dipper and all was well.