Peppermint Oreo Bars

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup almonds, chopped
2 cups pretzels, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup mint white chocolate chips (optional)
2 candy canes, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 325*
2. Put the stick of butter into a 9 x 13 pan and put it in the oven to melt.
2. Crush oreos in food processor or in ziplock with a rolling pin.
3. Pour oreo crumbs on top of melted butter in pan; stir and press into the pan using a spatula or your hands.
4. Put the 9 x 13 pan in the fridge for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, chop the almonds and pretzels and candy canes. I used the food processor.
6. Remove 9 x 13 pan from fridge. Layer the almonds, pretzels, and chocolate chips (and mint white chocolate chips if using) on top of the oreo crust. Press the layers down with a spatula or your hands.
7. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the layers. I only use about 3/4 of a can.
8. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.
9. Bake at 325* for 23-25 minutes.

oh my ganache!

In an effort to never, never lose my baby weight (10 more pounds to go!) I made this ganache recipe:

1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate chips in microwave at 50% power, 30 seconds at a time, until melted but not super hot. Add whipping cream a little at a time until it reaches the consistency of a dip.  Then dip whatever you can get your hands on in it.  Apples, strawberries, pineapple, pretzels...even french bread, which tastes not unlike a chocolate croissant.  I think I know what I'll be having for breakfast for the next 6 months.

self-glazing almond poppyseed muffins

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
4 oz vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons poppy seed

1 T butter, melted
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375°F. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups (or spray cups with cooking spray or grease with shortening).
In large bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, the oil, egg and almond extract. Beat in yogurt and milk with spoon until blended. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and poppy seed until well blended. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 14 to 17 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Brush with melted butter and sift powdered sugar on top.
Remove from pan to wire rack. Serve warm or cool.
Makes 12 muffins

my mom's pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup pumpkin
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 cups chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Cream sugar and shortening until fluffy.  Add vanilla, eggs and pumpkin. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Pour into greased and lightly floured 9x5x3" loaf pan.  Bake at 350* for about 75 minutes.  Makes one large loaf.

NOTE:  I'd check the bread after baking for about 1 hour--my mom's notes are sort of unclear on the baking time.

my mom's granola

Carolyn's Granola

4 cups oatmeal (quick oats)
2 cups coconut
1 cup wheat germ or flax seeds or ground flax seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup nuts (almonds)
1 cup honey
1/2 cup butter or oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tsp vanilla

optional:   1 cup craisins
        1 cup chopped pecans

Heat honey and butter together in saucepan.  Mix dry ingredients together, then add vanilla to heated liquid mixture.  Pour liquid over dry mix and stir.  Bake on cookies sheet for 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

I imagine you could decrease the amount of oil/butter by half or so.

I have fond memories of waking up to the smell of this granola.

spiced potatoes and peas (side dish)

One of my favorite favorite Indian dishes is something called Aloo Gobi, a sort of dry curry dish with potatoes and cauliflower. Here's an example recipe for it.  I was really really wanting some Aloo Gobi, or at least wanting to chant the words aloo gobi over and over, so I came up with this very simple dish.

spiced potatoes and peas

4 potatoes, baked, boiled, or microwaved and cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
3 tablespoons butter
1-2 teaspoons curry powder or seasoning mix of your choice (Mrs. Dash, etc.)

Melt butter in a skillet.  Add curry or seasoning mix and stir for about 10 seconds.  Add peas and cook for about 1 minute.  Add potatoes and toss until coated.  Serves 4.

I hope it's ok to pull an entire recipe off a website and repost it here... I'm afraid the link will soon disappear and I'd hate to not share this with you.  It's from Dorie Greenspan and I heard her describe how to make it on NPR.  It *sounded* amazing.

I remember eating "Dinner in a Pumpkin" as a child (and I've made it a few times since).  Rice, ground beef, mushrooms, soy sauce, celery, cream of mushroom.  I really like it.  This recipe is more of a true stuffing sort of situation with bread.  I can't wait to try it.  Glad my kids are ok with exotic cheeses (they especially love Havarti).

pumpkin stuffed with everything good

Makes 2 very generous servings
1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyere, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2–4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped
About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
About 1/3 cup heavy cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment, or find a Dutch oven with a diameter that's just a tiny bit larger than your pumpkin. If you bake the pumpkin in a casserole, it will keep its shape, but it might stick to the casserole, so you'll have to serve it from the pot — which is an appealingly homey way to serve it. If you bake it on a baking sheet, you can present it freestanding, but maneuvering a heavy stuffed pumpkin with a softened shell isn't so easy. However, since I love the way the unencumbered pumpkin looks in the center of the table, I've always taken my chances with the baked-on-a-sheet method, and so far, I've been lucky.
Using a very sturdy knife — and caution — cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (think Halloween jack-o'-lantern). It's easiest to work your knife around the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. You want to cut off enough of the top to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, and put it on the baking sheet or in the pot. Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper — you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure — and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled — you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin. Again, you might have too much or too little — you don't want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want them nicely moistened. (But it's hard to go wrong here.)
Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours — check after 90 minutes — or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, I like to remove the cap during the last 20 minutes or so, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.
When the pumpkin is ready, carefully, very carefully — it's heavy, hot, and wobbly — bring it to the table or transfer it to a platter that you'll bring to the table.
Serving
You have choices: you can cut wedges of the pumpkin and filling; you can spoon out portions of the filling, making sure to get a generous amount of pumpkin into the spoonful; or you can dig into the pumpkin with a big spoon, pull the pumpkin meat into the filling, and then mix everything up. I'm a fan of the pull-and-mix option. Served in hearty portions followed by a salad, the pumpkin is a perfect cold-weather main course; served in generous spoonfuls or wedges, it's just right alongside the Thanksgiving turkey.
Storing
It's really best to eat this as soon as it's ready. However, if you've got leftovers, you can scoop them out of the pumpkin, mix them up, cover, and chill them; reheat them the next day.
Greenspan's Stuffing Ideas
There are many ways to vary this arts-and-crafts project. Instead of bread, I've filled the pumpkin with cooked rice — when it's baked, it's almost risotto-like. And, with either bread or rice, on different occasions I've added cooked spinach, kale, chard, or peas (the peas came straight from the freezer). I've made it without bacon, and I've also made and loved, loved, loved it with cooked sausage meat; cubes of ham are another good idea. Nuts are a great addition, as are chunks of apple or pear or pieces of chestnut.