Halloween is only a few days away and I am excited!!!! Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays and now even more so since my daughter was born on Halloween. Our day will be booked solid with her birthday party in the morning and afternoon and trick or treating in the evening. Of course, party preparations started weeks ago as we finally cleaned and organized the garage, but last night was the start of the fun. It was pumpkin carving night. I only did 2 this year, while the wife carved one. Not as many as in some past years, but I still have time if I feel like carving a couple more. One of the benefits of carving pumpkins is the seeds. I really enjoy toasted pumpkin seeds. The problem is that I usually over do, snacking on them so by the end of Halloween I’ve seen enough pumpkin seeds until the following year.

I usually just make the regular, salted variety of pumpkin seeds but this year I wanted to spice it up a bit so I made three different flavors. Besides the regular pumpkin seeds I also made a Harissa inspired one, spiced with chile, coriander, caraway, garlic and cumin, and a Sweet, Smoky Asian one scented with Chinese 5 spice and chipotle pepper.

Over the years, one key I have learned to making good pumpkin seeds is a slow oven. I like to bake mine for almost an hour at about 275F. I think that it makes for a crisper seed that is less tough (an important consideration if using larger pumpkins with bigger seeds).

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups Pumpkin Seeds
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Preheat the oven to 275F. Clean all the pulp from around the pumpkin seeds, removing all the strings. Rinse and blot dry with a towel. In a bowl drizzle the oil over the pumpkins and toss to coat. Sprinkle on the salt while tossing the seeds, making sure the salt is evenly distributed. Spread seeds out, in a single layer, on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Stir the pumpkins seeds and bake another 20 minutes. Stir again and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Seeds should be crispy and just lightly browned. If not done place in oven for 10 more minutes.

Harissa Accented Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 tsp. Coriander seed
1/2 tsp. Caraway seed
1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (depending on how hot you like things)
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

Grind the coriander and caraway seeds in a mortar or electric grinder. Add all other seasonings. Toss pumpkin seeds with oil then with spice mixture. Place on a cookie tray and bake like the Toasted Pumpkin Seeds above. (continue reading…)

About 3 weeks ago I made my own sauerkraut for the first time. You can find the post about it here. For the last week, I have been checking and tasting it daily to see if it was ready. Today I decided it had fermented enough so I packed it up into smaller containers and refrigerated it. In hindsight, the next time I make sauerkraut I will let it go just a little further and get a touch more sour as I really like sour things, though my wife thought it had just the right amount of sourness. Either way I am very happy with the results. My homemade stuff is so much better than the store bought stuff, and it is so easy to make. I don’t know why it took me so long to attempt to make sauerkraut, but after this experiment I think it will become, at the very least, a yearly thing. Maybe next year I will make a larger batch and attempt to can some when it is done.

Of course, once the sauerkraut was ready I couldn’t wait to cook with it so I threw together one of my favorite dishes, Choucroute. Technically what I prepare is not truly choucroute as I use beer in my dish as opposed to white wine (usually Riesling) and I skip many of the traditional spices such as juniper berries, mace, nutmeg, etc. in favor of caraway seed, but choucroute sounds so much better than Sausages Braised with Sauerkraut. This dish can be made up pretty quickly, but I prefer to cook it slow and low for 1-2 hours as I find this long, slow cooking yields a depth of flavor that quick cooking just can’t achieve. (continue reading…)

I hate to admit it but I am not a huge fan of vegetables. Oh, sure, they’re all right, but I would much rather fill up on starch and proteins. I know, I’m such a Midwesterner! In my defense, I have been trying to consume more vegetables in the past few months, but I still have a long way to go. There are notable exceptions to this though. Fresh, in season tomatoes, fennel, and asparagus are just a few I like and I have always loved many of the vegetables from the Brassica genus. This includes things like cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbages. It also includes many of the root vegetables that I like such as rutabagas and turnips.

Root vegetables have a pleasing sharpness that I enjoy, but they also have a wonderful, underlying sweetness. This sweetness can be developed and brought to the fore by roasting the vegetables, which is the way I prefer to cook them. In this recipe I accent that sweetness even further by glazing them with cider and a little bourbon, enrich them with a little butter and add an herbal note with fresh thyme which is still looking good, in the herb garden, despite the numerous frosts we’ve had.

Cider-Bourbon Glazed Root Vegetables

2 Tbsp. Butter, melted
2 pounds Root vegetables, peeled and cut into thick, medium length sticks (I use a mix of carrots, parsnips, rutabagas and turnips)
4 each Shallots, peeled & quartered
4 sprigs Thyme
3/4 cup Cider
2 Tbsp. Bourbon
Parsley, minced
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the root vegetables with butter, to coat then place in a 9×13 baking dish. Pour cider over the vegetables and add the shallots and thyme. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, add the bourbon and roast for 25-35 minutes more, stirring every 7-8 minutes. The vegetables are done when they are tender, starting to brown and the liquid as mostly evaporated, glazing the vegetables. Season again with salt and pepper, if needed and sprinkle with the minced parsley. Serves 6 as a side dish.

On October 1^st I gave up soda for a month.  Of course the big question is why.  The simple answer is that I was drinking way too much.  Between Kool Aid and soda I was probably drinking the equivalent of at least 2-3 20oz. bottles a day, on most days.  That is way too much sugar and high fructose corn syrup to be ingesting into my body. I also wanted to see if I could do it or if I was too addicted to soda and sugar to give it up.  Well, so far I’ve made it 21 days without consuming any of these overly sweet beverages.  To be totally up front and honest, I haven’t completely gone sugar free in the beverage department.  I do allow myself a glass or 2 of juice, on some days, and, it being autumn, I was not about to give up cider, but other than that, no sugared drinks.  That included my iced tea, which like many Southerners, I like pretty sweet.  It has taken some time to get used to the unsweetened iced tea, but it’s not bad.  I’ve always drank my coffee black so that was not a problem.

I’ve learned a few things about myself over the last 3 weeks.  1.  I have learned that I was totally addicted to sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  The first 5 days of my “experiment” were tough.  Much tougher than I had expected.  I craved soda all the time and no amount of water seemed to quench my thirst.  I have to admit that by the third day I was about ready to give up and hang my head in failure.  I couldn’t believe how hard it was, it was almost as bad as quitting smoking.  I don’t know if the addiction was physical or psychological but I truly was addicted.  2.  I mostly drank Coke and Mountain Dew and hadn’t realized just how much I relied on the caffeine, those drinks provided, to get me through my day.  Without my sugar and caffeine fix at lunch by mid afternoon I was dragging and ready for a nap.  It became apparent that the 5-6 hours of sleep, a night I was getting, no longer was enough.  It may have been when I was younger but without that caffeine buzz to get me through I needed a good 7-8 hours to get me through the day.

I had expected more of a weight loss with this regime of no soda.  I didn’t drop as much as I would have thought but I have lost weight over the last few weeks.  I guess a little loss is better than none at all.

So what happens on November 1st?  Will I go back to drinking soda, kool aid, and sweetened iced tea?  I imagine I will, but this time it will be in moderation, a word I am becoming more and more familiar with the older I get.  No longer will I feel the need to carry a 20 oz. bottle of soda with me everywhere I go.  Many of my friends have asked me, “Why not just switch over to diet soda?”  The simple answer is because I don’t care for it.  That may change with this month long absence of my favorite sodas, but I doubt it.  I just need to remind myself that the key is moderation.

“What’s next?” I ask myself.  I don’t know.  I have plenty of vices that need to be reigned in and brought under moderation, but I don’t know which one I want to work on next.  I turn 40 in just a few months.  I figure by the time I’m 80 I should have all my vices under control and will be ready to lead a “healthy” lifestyle.

I don’t eat breakfast a lot. I think I’ve said that before on this blog but it is worth repeating. Sometimes I grab a quick bowl of cereal or a piece of fruit on my way out the door, or if I have to stop for gas I might grab a donut and a coke (healthy I know!!!!), but that is pretty much it during the weekdays. On weekends we a much more likely to cook a breakfast even though that doesn’t happen regularly, but since we have the time and it is not something we do often we usually go all out and make up quite a spread. This past weekend it was I who decided to make breakfast, and since I had apples on the mind (a trip to The Littler Farmer was planned for later in the day), Apple Pancakes seemed the perfect choice. Round out the breakfast with a homemade Maple-Cider Syrup, Hungarian bacon and coffee and we were geared up for a day of cleaning out the basement and a trip out to The Little Farmer.

Maple-Cider Syrup
2 cups Cider (try to use fresh, unpasteurized, local cider though store bought cider will work fine, just stay away from Apple juice)
1 tsp. Cornstarch
1 Tbsp. Water
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1 each Lemon wedge (lemon cut into 1/6ths)

Bring cider to a boil and reduce by 1/2 to 1 cup. Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into cider. Return to a boil and cook 1 minute to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup. Add lemon juice from lemon wedge to syrup and hold syrup warm.

Apple Pancakes

1 cup Flour, all-purpose
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1 each Egg, beaten
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Applesauce (if unsweetened add 1Tbsp. Granulated Sugar)
1 each Apple, peeled, cored and diced into 1/4inch cubes (chose your favorite apple, though stay away from Red & Golden Delicious as they pretty much turn to water when heated)
2 Tbsp. Butter, melted

In a small bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. In a large bowl combine egg, milk, applesauce, sugar (if using), diced apple and butter. Stir to combine. Add flour mixture to liquids and stir to bring together. Don’t over stir or pancakes will get tough. Cook, on a greased griddle, over medium to medium high heat. Flip pancakes when the edges start to look somewhat dry and the bubble that form on top burst, leaving little holes. Pancakes are best served the minute they come off the griddle but if you need to hold them until all are done, place them on a cookie sheet, cover with paper towel and put them in an over set to 175F. Makes 8 pancakes.

Fall is in full swing and I am thrilled! This is my favorite time of year. The crisp, cool air, the sharp scent of burning leaves and fireplaces, the beautiful autumn colors as the trees change, and of course, the food. As the weather starts to turn cooler I leave behind the thoughts of light, refreshing meals and start thinking about warmer, heartier, more comforting types of foods; soups, chili, stews, pastas with rich, hearty meat sauces, and slowly braised or roasted meats. Fall also means many of my favorite fruits and vegetables are being harvested. Apples immediately come to mind as they are my favorite fruit, but also mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, mushrooms, winter squashes and many root vegetables. Fall also means the opening of one of my favorite places, The Little Farmer. Technically, they open in summer, early August to be exact, selling early season apples and peaches they bring in from a friend of theirs, in Michigan. I admit, I take my first trip out there, soon after they open, to pick up one of their apple muffins, which are to die for, and for which I usually start craving by mid July. Arriving at The Little Farmer in the midst of the summer heat seems wrong, but I need my muffin fix so you’ll find me out there either opening weekend or the week after.

After that first, initial fix, I usually wait until the weather starts to change and they start to harvest the later varieties of apples.

Some of the varieties they grow and sell are Cortlands, Russets, Jonamac, Honeycrisp, Duchess, Paula Red, Ginger Gold, McIntosh, and Empire. They also grow and sell pumpkins, so there is usually a trip out there with the daughter to pick pumpkins for Halloween.

You can choose any of the many hundreds of pumpkins they have already harvested or you can head out to the fields and harvest your own.

But if you think that The Little Farmer is just a roadside stand and U-Pick farm you would be missing out. It has become a one stop shopping adventure. A place to get out, enjoy the weather and a little rural fun. There are hayrides to be taken, a corn maze to navigate, freshly dipped caramel apples to be eaten, goats to be fed, and a fantastic playground with a twenty foot tall mountain of hay bales to be climbed. There is also a craft barn filled with seasonal bricabrac. The main apple house itself is filled with more knickknacks.

But this is where you can buy many of the food stuffs either prepared right on the premise or manufactured for them. All the wonderful baked goods, including the aforementioned apple muffins are produced on site, as is the cider, while many of the pickles and preserves are manufactured for them, according to their specifications.

Once Labor Day arrives, the place gets busy on weekends and they often offer entertainment or events throughout the autumn, including a Dog Walk, when people can bring their dogs for the day. And what would any weekend event in Wisconsin be without brats. Each weekend The Little Farmer allows a group to come in and do a brat fry to raise money for their group or charity.

My wife laughs at me, but I bet from the time they open, in August to the time they close in mid November, I venture out there at least 6-7 times or more. But I love the place! It reminds me of days gone by when we, as a nation, were much closer to our agricultural roots. I also like to help out local farmers and businesses, and it doesn’t hurt that I really like the product they produce!

If you are interested in visiting The Little Farmer, they are located on Hwy. 151 about 10-15 minutes north of Fond du Lac, Wi, on the east shore of Lake Winnebago, in Malone, WI. You can find them on the web here. If you are in the area stop by and, at least, grab an apple muffin.

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays and now that my daughter was born on Oct. 31st the holiday has taken on even more meaning for me. Since Halloween is so close to my heart I thought I would devote this month’s links strictly to all things Halloween. I hope you enjoy.

The Sweetest Kitchen-Zombie Halloween Cupcakes
There are a lot of sites and web pages out there with Halloween themed cupcakes. Many of them have some cute ideas but most of them just use the standard, old white cake or chocolate cake for the cupcakes themselves. Not only do I like the look of these cupcakes, but the recipe sounds awesome.

History of the Jack O’ Lantern
A brief but interesting story on the history of the Jack O’ Lantern for those who enjoy history.

Spiderweb Eggs
I try really hard not to like Martha Stewart, but I keep find things on her website and in her magazines that I really like. These might not be difficult to make but there is something about them that just catches my attention.

Extreme Pumpkins
I love this site and the crazy things people do with pumpkins. Some of these are not for the faint of heart. Fair warning! Who are some of these whack jobs that come up with these?!

French Onion Soup is one of those dishes I have pretty much stopped ordering at restaurants unless I am familiar with the place and know they make it properly. It’s not that most places have bad French Onion Soup, it’s just not that good. That’s too bad because good French Onion Soup is not difficult to make, it just takes a little time and patience. French Onion soup gets its extraordinary depth of flavor in the long, slow cooking process of caramelizing the onions. Rush this step and that is the difference between a good onion soup and an okay one. Onion soup should also be made with homemade beef stock, but not many people keep beef stock around like they do chicken stock. If you don’t have beef broth around then at least buy canned beef broth. Whatever you do stay away from the bouillon cubes or packets as they tend to be overly salty and taste way too artificial.

The first recipe is a standard recipe for French Onion Soup. The second recipe is for a Creamy Onion Soup with Blue Cheese. It starts just like the French Onion Soup, but then thickened and finished with half and half and blue cheese. It is one of my favorite variations on Onion soup

French Onion Soup

2 Tbsp. Butter
4 pounds Yellow Onions
1 cup Red Wine**
2 1/2 qts. Beef Broth
1 each Bay Leaf
3 sprigs Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
1/2 thick croutons cut from a Baguette, toasted

Peel and julienne the onions. In a large pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and slowly caramelize the onions. Over medium heat this should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir regularly to keep the onions from burning. This is important in the later stages as the onions start to caramelize It is this long, slow caramelization process that really builds the deep flavor of this soup so don’t rush it. When the onions are dark brown raise heat to medium high and deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Reduce the wine until almost dry then add the beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. To serve ladle into soup crocks top with a crouton then the cheese. Place under a broiler until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned in spots. (continue reading…)

The last few days, here in Wisconsin, have been pretty cold and gloomy-typical Autumn weather. In fact, on Saturday it even snowed. Not much, but more than just an occasional flake floating through the air. It’s been good weather to bundle up with a cup of coffee or spiced cider, spiked with bourbon or rum, of course and read or watch a movie or two. It has also gotten me in the mood to whip up a big batch of granola. I always associate granola with fall and winter. I’m not sure why as granola makes a great breakfast year, but for some reason I have always associated it with colder weather.

One of the great things about granola is it is so easily customizable to what is on hand or what I have a taste for. Sometimes I load it up with tons of nuts, other times it takes a decidedly tropical twist with coconut and various dried tropical fruits. Sometimes it is heavily spiced or really sweet, other times I go for a more subtle flavor profile, it all depends on my mood.

The granola I offer today falls into that last category, lightly spiced and just slightly sweet, studded with pieces of sweet-tart dried apricots, sliced almonds, and as a nod to Fall, pumpkin seeds.

Apricot, Almond & Pumpkin Seed Granola

5 cups Oats
1 1/2 cups Sliced Almonds
1 cup Pumpkin Seeds (I used purchased pumpkin seeds without the shell)
1/2 cup Wheat Germ
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Honey
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp. Almond Extract
1/2 pound Dried Apricots, diced

Preheat the oven to 300. Combine oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds and wheat germ in a large bowl. In a small sauce pot combine oil, sugar and honey. Heat to dissolve sugar. When sugar is dissolved, remove pot from heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes then add the cinnamon and almond extract. Slowly pour over oat mixture, stirring to combine. Stir until well mixed then pour onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes, then every 5 minutes until done. Granola is done when it is all a light golden brown and crunchy. Allow to cool completely then fold in the dried apricots. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Serve in a bowl of milk, like cereal or topped with yogurt and a drizzle of honey.

I’m sure there was a time in my life when I didn’t like sauerkraut, but I can’t remember it. I do remember, in my distant past, not being overly fond of it, but I can’t remember ever disliking the stuff. That is not the case today nor has it been the case for many, many years. Topping my hot dogs and brats, served as a cold salad similar to cole slaw, or even as an ingredient in chocolate cake, it is one of my favorite ways to eat my vegetables. My favorite way to prepare sauerkraut though is to slow cook it with numerous pork products (sausages, bacon, salt pork, pork chops) onions, apples, caraway and beer. Pork and sauerkraut are a match made in heaven, as far as I’m concerned, the kraut’s sharp tang a perfect foil to pork’s fatty richness.

I realized, not long ago, that as much as I enjoy sauerkraut, I had never made it from scratch before. I knew that I would have to remedy that this year so this past week I headed out to our local farmer’s market to pick up some cabbage. At the stall of one of my favorite farmers there I found a giant head of cabbage, weighing in at 13 pounds. I had my doubts about a cabbage that big the farmer assured me that it was sweet and tender. Deciding to place my trust in him, I bought the cabbage for a whopping $2.50 and brought it home to turn it into sauerkraut.

Kraut making is a rather easy task. At it’s most basic you shred the cabbage, you salt the cabbage, you pack the cabbage into a container, cover it and let it ferment for a few weeks. That’s about all there is too it. Well…..almost. There are a few things to keep in mind, but trust me making sauerkraut is a pretty easy process. (continue reading…)