Old Faves, New Craves (Oriental Chicken Salad/Focaccia Bread)

You know how there are some foods that are simply family traditions? Maybe your great-great-great-grandma brought it over from "the old country" quite a few generations ago. Maybe it entered your family more recently. Take my mom's famous Oriental chicken salad. Not so very old, the recipe was given to my mom by her sister, but it has taken its hold on our family. It has attended two of our families' weddings, many potlucks and family get-togethers, and my older brother has even been know to say that it would be his food of choice were he to ever be stranded on a deserted island and had to eat one food for the rest of his life (assuming he had a choice). The uncovering of the salad bowl is usually accompanied by several "ooh"s and lip-licking is sure to follow. Why is it so desirable? Maybe it's because of the pretty blend of colors or the satisfyingly crisp crunch of the cabbage. Maybe it's the lightness of it on a hot summer evening. Or maybe it's the memories we have of the house filled with smells of toasting almonds on a Saturday night. Or the ones I have of sitting at the kitchen counter chopping piles after piles of cabbage while listening to Adventures in Odyssey on the radio or chatting with my dad or a young sibling beside me who is "learning how it's done." Sometimes it seems with family favorites the flavors and aromas are so intertwined with the memories that it is difficult to separate the two.

I had decided today to make my mom's sought-after-salad, since it is a hot summer day and something like a cool, crunchy salad seemed just the thing. My first thought for a side dish was to get out some of my freezer roll dough to make bread sticks, but I only had enough dough for three, which isn't quite enough for my hubby and I! So I thought, well, I'll just have to make my own! And while searching for a bread stick recipe, I stumbled upon a recipe for focaccia bread, which looked absolutely delicious, but not too difficult. So, in-between my usual Friday/Saturday duties of getting the bulletin and the PowerPoint done for church, I mixed, kneaded and let my focaccia bread rise. It is very aromatic, sprinkled through with rosemary!

Later on, as the last of the rising was happening on my stove top, I cooked up a large chicken breast, and began chopping away at a head of cabbage, memories flooding over me. Into the oven went the focaccia bread, along with the sesame seeds and slivered almonds to toast. Needless to say, I cut the recipe in half. This really feeds a crowd, so even halved, my husband and I have leftovers!

When everything was sliced, diced and toasted to perfection and the bread was giving a wonderful scent to my kitchen, it all went together into a pretty salad bowl. When mixing up the dressing, I had to make one substitution...mom always made the dressing with rice vinegar, and since I had none on hand I replaced it with cider vinegar. This resulted in it not tasting just like mom used to make, but pretty close! :)

I tossed the dressing with the salad just as the bread was cooling. Taking a bite of each, I decided that the old held up its reputation with honor and the new made a delightful addition!

Mom's Oriental Chicken Salad
(printable version)

serves about 12

2-3 cups cooked chicken (diced)

1/2 cup sesame seeds

3/4 cup slivered almonds

2 pkgs ramen noodles

1 lg head green cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch green onions, sliced

Dressing:

1 cup oil

6 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

flavor packet from ramen noodles (chicken flavor)

salt and pepper to taste

Toast sesame seeds, slivered almonds, and ramen (broken apart) on cookie sheet in 350 oven for 10-15 min. Let cool. Combine all ingredients (except dressing) and mix well. Pour dressing over all and toss to coat.

Betty Crocker's Focaccia Bread
(printable version)

makes 2 loaves

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour

1 tbsp dried rosemary

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 pkg yeast

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup very warm water

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix 1 cup flour, rosemary, sugar, salt and yeast. Add oil and water. Beat with mixer 3 min. Stir in remaining flour. Knead 5 to 8 minutes. Grease lg bowl, place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Cover loosely and let rise 30 min. Grease two round pizza pans. Deflate dough with fist and divide in half. Shape into 10 in rounds on pans. Cover loosely and let rise 30 min. Make depressions in dough with fingertips 2 in. apart. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in 400 oven 15-20 min.

Comfort, Mexican Style (White Enchiladas)

I don't know about you, but I don't really like very many red sauces. I love spaghetti, but often I'm attracted to Alfredo or anything that has the word "creamy" in it at Olive Garden. And I would infinitely prefer browned butter with mizithra cheese to marinara at The Old Spaghetti Factory. I love tomatoes, I really do! But I just have a weakness for pasta with white sauce (unfortunately, I think they are usually more fattening...).

But it's not just Italian creamy foods that draw me! I love soups and chowders containing milk or cream as well. So it follows that when I make enchiladas, I go the creamy route. Now they may not be authentically Mexican, but they ARE yummy! I can't even remember where I got the recipe to start with, but I remember the white creaminess drew me. And I have tweaked it so much over the years, I'm not even sure what it looked like to begin with! But I think I have finally hit on a recipe that is not only easy, but delicious and infinitely modifiable!

Again I am standing in a kitchen that reminds me of Mother Hubbard's, so my challenge was to come up with one last dinner using what we've got left in the freezer/cupboards before we go shopping later tonight. About 10 o'clock last night it came to me in the form of my creamy, comforting enchiladas. Miracle of miracles, we have all the ingredients! So here's what I did!

This recipe starts with what many delicious recipes begin with: the lovely aroma of onions sauteing in a little bit of butter. Then add diced chicken (thigh or breast portions will do) and cook it until it is just done. While the chicken is cooking, add the spices! Really you can tweak this anyway you like to satisfy your particular taste buds, but mine require a bit each of taco seasoning, chili powder and cumin. A shake of pepper is also a good addition.

Meanwhile, mix together softened cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, mozzarella cheese (a Mexican blend also works very well!) and sour cream till fairly smooth. To get some of the cream cheese lumps out, it helps to stick the whole mixture in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Mix cooked chicken/onion mixture with sauce. Drop chicken mixture down the middle of soft tortillas (I use the soft taco size- I think about 8 in.)...about 4-5 TB or whatever looks good to you! :) Roll up (leaving ends open) and place side by side in a greased pan. If you use the soft taco size tortillas, an 11x7 pan works well. If you use larger tortillas, a 9x9 or 9x13 would probably work better. Top with remaining sauce mixture, making sure to cover completely with a thin layer. This ensures that the enchiladas don't dry out in the oven. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake! Yummy smells will begin to emanate from your oven in no time.

I like to serve this comfort dinner with rice and beans or a nice green salad. If you're like me, the first bite to your lips will make you smile. :)

Jenn's Creamy "White" Enchiladas
(printable version)

a KitchenJoy Original Recipe

1 can cream of chicken soup

3/4-1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups diced chicken

2 cups mozzarella cheese (or Mexican blend)- reserve 1/2 c. for top

approx. 4 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp taco seasoning

1/4 cup diced onions

5-8 soft flour tortillas

Bake in a 350 oven for approx 30 min.

Makes about 6 enchiladas, which feeds about 3, depending on how hungry you are! :)

Sometimes I double this and freeze one batch. They freeze really well before baking, and it makes a nice easy dinner to just defrost the night before and stick in the oven! Be sure to add at least an extra half hour of cooking time for cold or frozen enchiladas.

Enjoy!

Pita-Licious! (Homemade Pita Bread)

I always enjoy trying new things, but although my taste buds are often adventurous, I usually stay within certain perimeters in my cooking. I love making Mexican and Italian cuisine and of course am very fond of many dishes of American origin. But this month I decided to branch out just a bit, and added a Spicy Peanut Chicken and Chicken Chow Mein to my list of meals. Both required buying a few ingredients I don't normally stock my cupboard with! The Chow Mein is still on the menu for next week, but last night I tried the Spicy Peanut Chicken, which my cookbook recommended serving over couscous with a side of pita bread.

I had come across the Peanut Chicken recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook in the Slow Cooker section, so while it was adventurous in flavor, it was also safe and easy!
In the morning I lightly browned a few chicken thighs in olive oil while I combined the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker. The combination of flavors was so foreign! Honey with canned tomatoes and onions? Cumin and cinnamon? And peanut butter to top it off! I tailored the recipe just a bit by substituting one of the cans of "diced tomatoes with green chilies" with a can of regular diced tomatoes, since neither Travis or I are very fond of green chilies. So, it probably didn't turn out as spicy as intended, but that's fine by me. When everything was safely tucked away into the cooker, I went about the rest of my day until late afternoon.

Part of my decision to make my own pita bread was my friend Kate. My best girl friend from Oregon, she came up to visit me last weekend and on our last afternoon together, Travis and I took her to a little sandwich bistro in Spokane. I decided then and there to try gyros for the first time, which, to those of you who haven't tried one yet, it is like a Greek taco on a pita with hummus. I was very pleased! And it got me thinking...I knew that Spicy Peanut Chicken and Couscous were on the menu for the following night...I wondered how difficult it would be to make one's own pita bread. And, since the dinner was of the easy slow cooker variety, and the couscous was the 5 min boxed stuff, I had plenty of time to experiment!

My first step of course, was to go to my cookbooks. Nothing! Recipes including pita bread, yes, but no recipe for pita bread. So, trusty allrecipes.com came in handy. After checking out several, I decided to go with the Traditional Pita Bread (which you can find here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Traditional-Pita-Bread/Detail.aspx). It certainly looked easy enough, though slightly labor intensive. The dough was extremely simple, requiring only 4 common ingredients and almost no preparation. However, if your hands and fingers ever "knead" a workout, pita bread is your ticket! The dough is to be kneaded for about 8 minutes, then each individual pita dough ball is kneaded for a separate minute, which gives you a total of about 14 minutes of folding, pushing, and stretching the slightly sticky but elastic dough!
Then you can let the yeast take over, while you rest your weary little fingers. The dough rises for 45 min-1 hr, then into the very hot oven they go! I don't think I have ever baked anything at 500 degrees before, and my oversensitive smoke alarm was not too pleased with this development! I think I've come to the conclusion that it is more of heat sensor than a smoke alarm. Every time that oven door was opened, the cranky thing went off, till I was about to pull my hair out! You see, when my husband is home, he is tall enough I can just summon him to come and hit the "hush" button (which I like to call the "shut up" button). But when he is away, as he was yesterday afternoon, I keep having to drag out my step stool to shut the thing off. Sometimes, when it truly in an evil mood, it goes off by itself, just as I get my stool set up. Or just as my finger reaches for the button. I tell you, this adds a lot of drama to my cooking experience. Still, I always feel guilty for hating the contraption for its oversensitivity. I know if there was ever a real fire, he'd let us know in a jiffy! But it's almost like the little boy who cried "Wolf!"

Anyway, smoke alarm tension aside, the little pitas baked to perfection, puffing up just like they were supposed to.
And all the comments of the people online were right- there's nothing quite like a pita, hot and fresh out of the oven! And they paired perfectly with the chicken and couscous, whose flavors, though definitely new and somewhat foreign, were delicious!!

Who would have though peanut butter and tomatoes paired so well?

Pudding Things In Perspective (Bread Pudding)

Our neighbor down the street was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Since we moved here in September, we haven't had a lot of time to build a relationship with him and his wife, but they seem like kind folks, and the community is making an effort to rally and support them as they go through this difficult time. I have been trying to come up with a way to show them that we really care- not preaching at them, but, as the pastor and pastor's wife of their local church, genuinely showing concern for their physical and emotional needs. Food always seems rather comforting to me, so I asked around to see what he could eat. His neighbor informed me that he could hardly keep anything down anymore, but tapioca or bread puddings seemed to be okay.

So, this morning, since I had no tapioca on hand, I set about making a bread pudding (something I have only eaten maybe once or twice, and never made before!). My Better Homes and Gardens cookbook hailed it as the ultimate comfort food, so that bolstered my confidence. So many times, when I cook, it feels wonderful to know that the food is going to please, encourage, comfort or welcome the people who eat it! As a pastor's wife, I seem to be forever bringing food to functions such as potlucks & Bible studies, as well as inviting people to my home for dinner or hosting meetings. I love it! I love knowing that home-prepared food can create a wonderful atmosphere- and convey heartfelt hospitality and love. I feel like there can be such a ministry in thoughtfully prepared meals or gifts of baked goods.

Such were some of my thoughts as I sliced buttermilk white bread into cubes, dried them in the oven, and mixed them with raisins, eggs, milk, sugar and spices. The combinations seemed so yummy! Within minutes of sliding the pudding into the oven, the aroma was so heavenly- a perfect blend of spice and sweetness- that I knew I had to make one for us (besides, having never made one before, I needed a test one to make sure it tasted okay, right?)! So...I did! I pulled all the ingredients back out and retrieved the measuring devices. I thought about making a smaller one, but then decided to make the same amount again and divide it between a slightly smaller portion for us and an even smaller portion for one of our elderly widow neighbors. Soon Papa, Mama, and Baby Pudding were baking away, the pudding beginning to puff a bit in their graduated glass dishes. When the knife finally came out clean, I set them to cool on a few of my colorful, hand-knitted (not by me, although I'm learning!) hot pads, where they proceeded to "deflate," and settle into a lovely looking trio of comfortable, gooey goodness! And when we "tested" ours after lunch it was just that! I think it can be summed up quite nicely with, "Mmmmm!!" :)

Travis and I later walked to the end of our street to visit with our neighbors. The man and woman accepted us in graciously and were grateful for the still-slightly-warm offering, although I knew in a moment, it was meager comfort for someone in such a situation. But, as we visited and prayed with the couple, I hoped that maybe the Lord would use this small gift- something so simple as a comforting dessert- to touch the heart of a sick and dying man with the love of Jesus Christ.

Bread Pudding
(printable version)

"Better Homes and Gardens"

4 cups dried white or cinnamon swirl bread cubes (6-7 slices)*

1/3 cup raisins

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole; set aside. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes and raisins.

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Stir into bread mixture. Pour into the prepared casserole.

Bake, uncovered, for 50-55 min. or until puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

*BHG tip: For dry bread cubes, cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread on a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake in a 300 F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until dry, stirring twice. Cool.

Meal Lists and Grocery Trips

Before I got married this last summer, I spent 5 years of my life working in the shipping/packaging industry. Shipping is all about deadlines and accuracy, packaging, all about problem solving and creativity and the whole thing is loaded with multitasking. And I loved it.

So much of what I learned (and enjoyed) about the shipping industry is true about cooking as well. Cooking is replete with deadlines (watch that timer!) and demands accuracy (that's what those measuring utensils and different pan sizes are for!). It also employs problem solving techniques (ever need to figure out what a good substitute would be for cream of tartar?) and thankfully, usually leaves ample room for creativity (be it artistry with colors, flavors, textures or aromas!). And you know cooking is a multi-tasker's heaven (isn't it challenging trying to get all of your dishes done at the same time?)!

But before you can cook, you must pre-cook! And pre-cooking involves many of those elements I just mentioned! As I talked about in my last blog post (the one about the moose...), I live in a rural area, so my pre-cooking might be a bit more complicated than yours needs to be, but basically, this is what I do...

Step 1: Recipe Wrangling

This is a continuous process. I often leaf through my current cookbooks, or grab a couple from the library, just to get ideas. Sometimes I browse the web (my preference is http://allrecipes.com/) or pull out the wonderful box of recipes my sisters compiled for me when I got married. But the point is to immerse yourself in possibilities. There are so many things to try!! As I come across things that look interesting, I fold the corner of the page or mark down the number in my notebook. If they are tried and found successful, these later go into a file on my computer where repeat "winner dinners" are cataloged according to main ingredient.

Step 2: Making the List

I do this at the beginning of every month. I make a list of about 20 dinners for that month (the extra 10 days leave room for leftovers, dates, spontaneous decisions, invitations, alien invasions, etc.), drawing from my "winner dinner" file, or new recipes I want to try. I try to keep a well rounded list consisting of fairly equal parts of beef, chicken and "other" (which may include pork, turkey, moose, fish, breakfast foods, soup- you get the idea).

Step 3: The List's List

This step is the actual grocery list making step, and it involves 4 rounds.

Round 1: I go back through my recipes for the meals that are on the Dinner List and jot down the ingredients I will need to purchase in order to make them.

Round 2: I contemplate side dishes that are nice to have on hand and make trips to the various locations side dishes usually reside, and report any missing ones to my grocery list.

Round 3: I make a thorough inspection of cupboards, refrigerator and freezer to add needed breakfast foods, condiments, snacks, and any other misc. ingredients to my now quite lengthy grocery list.

Round 4: This is a rather passive round, as it consists of merely leaving my list on the counter in a visible location for 2-3 days. It seems simple enough, but it serves as a reminder for things that may need to surface in my memory before we set out for the store (and they usually do)!

Step 4: The Shopping Trip

Now this is serious business. Once a month, Travis and I make a shopping trip to Spokane, which is about 50 mi away. We are a team, with me making decisions between brands and prices, and he keeping track of the total (to keep us to our budget!) and pushing the cart (which gets rather heavy when you do a whole month's shopping in one fell swoop!). I prefer WinCo for our main grocery shopping, as it is one of the few places where I can leave spending less than I expected to when I bought more than I expected to! I always try to have a little of our budgeted grocery money leftover for other misc. items we pick up during the remainder of the month. I don't really love grocery shopping, but it does make me excited. Somehow, all that "ingredient gathering," as I like to call it, makes me excited to cook all over again! And, though it is tiring (and takes a good 2 hrs), with Travis beside me (and stopping to kiss me almost every aisle!), we have a lot of fun. There is something very satisfying about a full refrigerator and stocked cupboards!

Step 5: Weekly Lists

The last step in the pre-cooking regimen is to make up weekly dinner lists. I find that I love having my dinners for the week planned in advance. I don't always stick to them, but it is nice to know that there is something planned for dinner tonight. Usually I pull out my calendar and try to figure out what days we will have dinner at home or what nights we'll be out, as well as which nights we'll need to eat quick or afternoons I'll be gone and need to fix something easy when I get home. That done, I make up my weekly lists using the Dinner List from Step 2, and hang it on the fridge.

Now, maybe all that planning frightens you, because you're more the spontaneous type, but I really enjoy strategizing and figuring out what I need to do to make it work. It gets me excited for what's coming next and gets my creative juices start flowing. We just finished this whole process yesterday, so my cupboards are bare no longer and the lists are ready on the refrigerator. I can hardly waiting to get cooking!

Going Wild! (Moose Burgers)

Tonight, things got a little wild in my kitchen. No, I didn't break out the dance moves or string a disco ball from the ceiling...in fact, if you walked in, you probably wouldn't have seen anything amiss. Just a little housewife frying up some hamburgers and arranging the fixings for hubby...

But what if I told you it wasn't beef?

What if I told you the name of the game was moose?! Well, if you live where I do, you'd probably say, "So, what?" Or, if you are a hunter, living anywhere north of California, you probably wouldn't be too surprised! But, if you're an average Jill, average Jill's don't see a moose, let alone eat one, very often! Now, I've tasted moose before, but never cooked it for myself! So, having been given a couple of pounds of frozen moose meat, I figured I'd better give it a try. What do you do with moose? I decided the safest route for my first endeavor would be burgers.

Like I mentioned before, we live in a rural area, so I try to do all my shopping once a month in one fell swoop at the Winco in Spokane, which is an hour away. Today being the last day of the month, supplies are a little low, and the cook (that would be me) is more than ready to go grocery shopping tomorrow! So, since I'm running out of almost everything, today was the perfect day to pull out the...(fanfare please)...moose!

Really, there's not that much to tell that is entertaining. It looked much like raw ground beef, except that it was not red, but brown to begin with. The smell was different however, especially since I think the grinder probably threw in some additional spices. It was very strong and spicy, which I also attribute to the fact that it's wild game! The meat was very lean, and even with the addition of some ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, hardly held together enough to shape into patties. So, once I had them formed, I put them on wax paper and stuck them in the freezer for almost an hour so that they would be easier to handle.

While the meat was in the freezer, I chopped up some potatoes to make French fries (inspired by my sister-in-law's cooking blog, http://catzinthekitchen.blogspot.com/!).

Since we have no BBQ grill yet (Newlyweds! Still acquiring stuff! :) and the weather isn't quite nice enough for it anyway, I fried the burgers up on the stove top. I heard that onion draws out the wild, gamy taste, so I sliced up a bit to put on top while they cooked. I also tried to keep the fat drained out of the pan (although there wasn't much at all!) since one hunting website warned that most of the wild taste comes from the fat. While they were sizzling away, I toasted some buns under the broiler.

It smelled wonderful, and with cheese, lettuce, and a neighbor's homemade pickles piled on top, it tasted wonderful too! It wasn't too gamy- just enough to remind me it was moose I was eating!

But best of all...I felt like a true North-westerner! :)

Just When I Thought it Was Safe... (Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese)

Macaroni and cheese. What comes to mind when you read those words? If you're like me, you probably suddenly felt oddly calm and warm just picturing the familiar cheesy, steaming noodles. A sense of safety and comfort, maybe even some soft childhood memories surface. I love tradition. I grew up in a happy, big family with LOTS of traditions. Traditions for birthdays, Mother's Day, Valentines, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Sunday nights, bedtime, weddings, and of course, Christmas. I love our traditions, and, like all good traditions, they have to be done right. Macaroni and cheese is like a good tradition. Comfortable, warm, gooey, cheesy, and you can count on it to always be the same. At least that's what I thought.

A few months ago, I encountered a recipe that challenged my beliefs about good ol' Mac. Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese. Just the title tells you something is terribly wrong. Someone put pumpkin in my mac?! And looking further down the list of ingredients I was appalled to find no mention of that favorite and familiar cheese...cheddar! It just wasn't there, and in its place was the frighteningly foreign "Gouda." I did have some leftover pumpkin in the freezer though...I saved the recipe to my computer, hoping that someday I might be courageous enough to try it, though a nagging voice kept telling me I'd be betraying the standby.

A few weeks ago, however, when making out my meal list, before I could change my mind, I quickly wrote "Gouda" on my shopping list. And, at the store, I hesitated again. Gouda wasn't so expensive, but still my hand hovered over the cold case...I'd never bought a round cheese encased in red wax before. My husband encouraged me to go for it, and it was done.

Yesterday afternoon, on the way home from a friend's house, I stopped at our general store for some milk. My mac n' cheese recipe also called for Red Cayenne Pepper, which I did not have and intended to leave out, seeing as I don't like spicy things and there was only 1/8 of a tsp anyway. But, I decided to check the spice aisle just in case. Now, mind you, my husband and I live in a very rural area, and our little general store really just carries the basics. The closest real grocery store is about 17 miles away. I highly doubted Cayenne pepper would be in much demand here. Lo and behold, however, two dusty little canisters sat neglected on the shelf, not even priced. I inquired about this, and the shopkeeper couldn't find the price either, so he sold it to me at $1.99, which I have no doubt was quite a steal! It was meant to be! :)

I decided to make the dish in the afternoon, ahead of time, so I could have plenty of time and room for my experiment. I love trying new things, so my mood was almost giddy! It makes me so happy just to be in the kitchen, creating!
The first step was to whirl chunks of bread in the blender. Sounded funny to me, but what I got were beautiful fine crumbs, so perfect that I had to laugh- I never would have thought to use the blender for that! These I mixed with Parmesan cheese. I was a little wary of the bread crumb idea, having had only one experience with crumb-topped macaroni. The dish I had ordered that way had seemed dry and crunchy- not at all my idea of perfect mac n' cheese! But, setting aside the crumbs for later, I also decided to set aside my misgivings. Then I began to multi-task. Those of you who cook know that you can hardly escape multi-tasking. Cooking perfects your ability to do so! This simmering here that broiling there, chopping up something for the next step, washing a vegetable, and watching the clock all the while! So, while the pumpkin puree and chicken broth simmered on the back of the stove, I chopped onions and got them bubbling in some butter...grating the Gouda in between stirs.


Now, Gouda is a little more difficult to grate that cheddar, as it is a softer cheese. I couldn't resist nibbling a bit- my first taste of Gouda! I have been trying since yesterday to describe the flavor. It is entirely different than cheddar- mild, yet strikingly rich, with maybe just a slight tang. It is a lovely mellow orange color. The aroma of the onions, butter, flour and milk simmering away was heavenly!

While the pasta boiled on the back burner, I mixed in the cheeses, spices (a seemingly odd combination of nutmeg and the cayenne pepper...) and the pumpkin mixture to create a delightful orange sauce. After draining the macaroni, I poured it into a 11x7 glass dish, pouring the sauce over all. After mixing enough to coat, more grated Gouda went on top, then, in true Italian style, I finished it off by sprinkling the pasta with bread crumbs. It looked beautiful.
I popped it into the fridge for later. And promptly forgot to take my frozen roll dough out of the freezer to rise. So, in lieu of lovely fresh-baked rolls we had toast with our adventurous dinner. Oh, well. Guess sometimes you just can't do it all! :)

The macaroni smelled wonderful as it was cooking, and because I refrigerated it, it took about twice the prescribed 20 minutes. But when I set it on the table, it looked wonderful!

The crumbs had turned a perfect golden brown and I was starving! It was delicious! My first bite was fabulous, but subsequent bites were even better as I sorted out the flavors and savored them. Travis doesn't share my same passion for macaroni and cheese in general, so I don't think it had quite the same bewitching effect on him, though he did pronounce it very good. I usually take the second helping as a good sign... ;)
The pumpkin flavor was not strong, in fact my first few bites, I didn't taste it at all. But then every now and then I could catch it. The flavor in general was very mild, not having quite the sharpness that we're used to when we stand by the old familiar cheddar, but possessing something of a mellowed spiciness. The pasta was deliciously moist and I surprised myself by absolutely loving the fine crumb topping!

I have a new respect for macaroni and cheese...one that is not wrapped in tradition, but in new and unique flavors! I've always had a weakness for homemade mac, and this one was-or I should say, is (yay for leftovers!)- a pleasure. Thank you, macaroni, for lending yourself to adventure!

Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese
(printable version)

Serves 4 to 6

1 slice sturdy white bread,crusts removed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin purée
1 cup chicken broth
12 ounces pasta shells
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 cups shredded Gouda cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Tear the bread into chunks and whirl in a blender until fine crumbs form. Mix with half of the Parmesan cheese and set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, over medium heat stir the pumpkin purée and broth together. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and keep warm.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until
al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and pour into a 2-quart baking dish.

4. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring the mixture to a simmer; cook, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

5. Stir in half of the Gouda, the remaining Parmesan, and the salt, nutmeg, and
cayenne, and whisk vigorously until melted and smooth. Slowly pour in the
pumpkin mixture, whisking until well blended.

6. Pour the pumpkin-cheese sauce over the pasta and stir gently to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining Gouda and then the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until the crumbs are golden, about 20 minutes.