Monthly Archives: November 2009

by kkregel | November 9, 2009 · 9:17 am

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple-Bourbon Frosting

It’s reader’s choice week again on HAP and this time you picked a Thanksgiving classic: pumpkin! Since pumpkin pie recipes are on the back of nearly every can of pumpkin, we’ll be serving up some variations on the popular ingredient.

For my Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple-Bourbon Frosting, I started with Martha Stewart‘s pumpkin cupcakes, amped up the spices a little and then whipped some fall flavors into my favorite cream cheese frosting. Although I don’t actually like drinking bourbon, the hint of flavor it adds gives the frosting great depth and pairs nicely with the spicy cake.

pumpkin cupcake recipe with cream cheese frosting

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1+ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/3 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 C brown sugar
1 C sugar
2 sticks butter, melted
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, beating one at a time. Working in thirds, add dry ingredients to sugar mixture and beat well. Beat in pumpkin.

Spoon batter into lined cupcake tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 min for standard size cupcakes or 28-30 min for Texas sized cupcakes. Cool completely before frosting.

MAPLE-BOURBON FROSTING:
1 stick butter, softened
1 8oz pkg reduced fat cream cheese
3-4 C powdered sugar
2 Tbsp good bourbon, such as Maker’s Mark
1/4 C real maple syrup OR 1/2 tsp maple extract
*optional melted chocolate for fleur de lis

Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Beat in one cup of powdered sugar. Add bourbon and maple syrup and beat well. Beat in remaining powdered sugar. If frosting is not thick enough to your liking, beat in 1/4 C flour or additional sugar to thicken.

NOTE: I used maple syrup but didn’t get quite as much maple flavor as I wanted. If you can find maple extract I would try using that instead to get a stronger maple flavor.

CHOCOLATE
FLEUR de LIS:
Microwave 2/3 C chocolate chips in a small Ziploc bag for 1 minute. Spread parchment or wax paper on a cookie sheet. Clip off a tiny bit of the bottom corner of the bag and pipe chocolate into shapes on the parchment. Freeze for 2-3 hours.

katie

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Tagged as cream cheese frosting, maple bourbon frosting, pumpkin cupcake

by Stef | November 6, 2009 · 8:59 am

Amish Friendship Bread

Nothing says friendship like cinnamon sweet bread. While I cannot find anything in my Internet research truly validating the fact that this recipe was indeed started by the Amish, it is fun and delicious nonetheless.

Amish bread1

The bread recipe is a type of sourdough bread, made in a ten-day cycle, originally started through the old fashioned chain letter. To make this recipe, one must get a starter bag, which I was lucky enough to come across from my friend, Corinne. However, I was able to dig up the recipe to create a starter bag. I haven’t tried this myself, so don’t send blame this direction if it doesn’t work.

Starter Bag:

1 package of active dry yeast
¼ C. of warm water
1 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. white sugar
1 C. milk

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. In large plastic, glass or ceramic bowl (NOT METAL!), combine flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Slowly stir in milk and yeast mixture. Transfer to one-gallon plastic bag.

Once you make your starter, or even better, receive one from a friend, its time to start the 10-day process. Please note that once you receive a starter in its first day, you can freeze the bag and use it when you want.

amish bread 2

Amish Friendship Bread Recipe:

Day 1 – receive the starter and do nothing
Day 2 – Mush the bag.
Day 3 – Mush the bag.
Day 4 – Mush the bag.
Day 5 – Mush the bag.
Day 6 – Add to the bag 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk. Mush the bag.
Day 7 – Mush the bag.
Day 8 – Mush the bag.
Day 9 – Mush the bag.
Day 10 – Follow these instructions:

Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups milk and stir. Measure one cup batter into four 1-gallon Ziploc bags and give to friends along with a copy of the recipe. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Add to the remaining batter:

3 eggs
1 C. oil (or 1/2 C. oil, 1/2 C. applesause)
1 C. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 C. flour
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp. salt

Grease 2 large loaf pans. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2-cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with 1/2 of this mixture. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top. Bake 1 hour. Cool the bread until it loosens evenly from the pan (about 10 minutes). Serve warm or cold.

amish bread 3

This recipe makes cinnamon sweet bread, however, a mess of other recipes exist using the same starter bag. With my next starter, I plan to make banana nut bread substituting the vanilla pudding for banana cream and adding 2 mushed bananas and walnuts. I also plan to add chocolate chips in the future. For more variations on this recipe, click here and scroll to the bottom.

All the HAP girls have starter bags, so contact us on our contact page if you are in the Milwaukee area and want to try this for yourself!

stef

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Tagged as amish bread variation, amish friendship bread, amish friendship bread recipe, sweet bread

by Anne | November 4, 2009 · 9:03 am

The Dirty Dozen {Buying Organic}

According to the USDA, organic food is food that is“produced without using most conventional pesticides; synthetic fertilizers; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.” Essentially, organic foods are minimally processed foods that don’t contain much else other than the food itself. Sounds like something I want to feed my family.

Ideally, I would love to purchase mostly organic food, especially produce. However when you look at the price difference between organic and non organic, it is clear that the average households simply cannot afford to buy 100% organic.

organic-choice-lg

Thankfully I have come across this list produced by Environmental Working Group called the Dirty Dozen. It is a list of the top 12 foods that have the most pesticide contamination. Essentially, if you are going to buy some food organic, be sure to pick the produce on this list because it tends to have the highest pesticide content.

The fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list are:

Peaches                    Cherries
Apples                       Kale
Bell peppers      Lettuce
Celery                        Grapes
Nectarines         Carrots
Strawberries           Pears

The EWG also produces a list called the Clean 15, highlighting fruits and vegetables that have the least amount of pesticide exposure. So, if you are going to purchase the foods below, no need to spend the extra and get organic. The foods that made the Clean 15 are:

Onion                    Asparagus          Papaya
Avocado              Sweet Peas         Watermelon
Sweet corn    Kiwi                      Broccoli
Pineapple            Cabbage              Tomato
Mango                Eggplant              Sweet Potato

istock_photo_of_apples Although it will be hard to eliminate pesticides and other unwanted chemicals from our diets entirely, studies have shown that following the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 produce lists can lower your pesticide exposure by 80%! That is a small change that can make a big difference…and won’t break the bank.

Read more about Organic food and how to reduce your risk at the Environmental Working Groups Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.

anne

6 Comments

Filed under Cook, Family, Garden

Tagged as Buying Organic, The best organic produce, The Dirty Dozen

by kkregel | November 2, 2009 · 10:05 am

Haute Destination: New Orleans

They don’t call New Orleans the Big Easy for nothing. On my first trip to one of America’s best culinary destinations, I quickly found that it couldn’t be easier to eat your way through this city. For anyone that’s a fan of bold, spicy foods, interesting cocktails and top-caliber restaurants, New Orleans is a trip to put on your list. Here’s a quick look:
New Orleans Cafe du Monde beignets

New Orleans French Quarter is where all the magic (and maybe a little voodoo) happens. The only way to start your day there is with Cafe du Monde‘s fluffy, sugar coated beignets and a tall cafe au lait.

New Orleans Acme Oyster House and Seafood Gumbo

Seafood is everywhere, but no place does oysters like Acme Oyster House. Their savory seafood gumbo and hush puppies were equally tasty.

Mother's Restaurant New Orleans and Po'Boy Sandwich

Our friend Val, a New Orleans native, insisted that we hit up Mother’s Restaurant in the business district. While the ambiance is nothing fancy, one bite of Mother’s overflowing shrimp po’boy with a healthy dose of Louisiana hot sauce and you understand why this place is a legend. In the corner, Bill sips a mint julep at Oak Alley Plantation.

We also sampled delicious BBQ shrimp and buttery grits at Marigny Brasserie, duck spring rolls and pecan pie at Mr B’s Bistro and of course the classic hurricane at Pat O’Briens.

After coming home (and hitting the gym!) I pulled out my jambalaya recipe to get one last taste of New Orleans. This jambalaya is an easy and nearly one-pot dish for anyone craving some Creole flavors at home.

New Orleans Style Jambalaya
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp butter
1 C white rice
2 1/2 C low sodium chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks (cajun seasoned work great)
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
3 andouille or smoked sausages, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
thyme
1/2 tsp cajun spice, pepper
salt, cayenne pepper to taste

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, saute onions, green pepper, celery and butter until vegetables are softened. In a separate saute pan, begin cooking chicken and sausage. As vegetables soften, add tomatoes, rice, broth and garlic. Season with spices, adding cayenne to taste. Simmer on medium low while meat cooks.

When meats are almost cooked, add shrimp and cook through. Incorporate meats into the stockpot and stir well. Taste and add extra seasoning needed. Simmer until rice is cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

jambalaya

PS: In the Milwaukee area? We’re hosting a HAP Launch Party at The Home Market and you’re invited! Check out the link for details and if you’re coming or have questions, feel free to post a comment on our Contact page! Hope to see you there!

katie