Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Ariel made this for the Bluegrass for Babies event. I wasn't able to try it out, but according to the ratings on the site - it is 5 stars out of almost 4,000 reviews! I am going to try it for sure!!!

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

From - http://www.allrecipes.com/
By: Laurie Bennett

Festive Feta Spread

Trisha makes this dip for Bunco and it is awesome and it is from Weight Watchers, so it is good for you!

Link to Recipe

Ingredients:

7 oz roasted red peppers, packed in water, drained
1 pound(s) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, two 8-oz blocks, softened, cut up
4 oz reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1 large garlic clove(s), peeled
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp dill, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup(s) dill, fresh, whole sprigs
10 1/2 oz baked low-fat tortilla chips

Instructions:

Slice off a 1 1/2-inch piece of roasted pepper to use for garnish; wrap and refrigerate. In a food processor, combine remaining roasted peppers, cream cheese, feta cheese, garlic and black pepper; process until smooth. Add chopped dill; pulse until evenly distributed.
Scrape mixture into a serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 5 days) to firm up slightly and for flavors to blend.
To serve, smooth surface of dip with a spatula. Arrange dill sprigs on top in a circular fashion to form a “wreath;” cut reserved piece of roasted pepper into tiny “berries" and place on wreath. Or create any other decorative pattern you desire. Yields about 3 tablespoons of spread and 8 chips per serving.

Notes:
This recipe can be cut in half to serve 8, but it keeps so well (up to 5 days refrigerated) that it makes sense to make the whole batch to have on hand for unexpected holiday guests. Serve with pita wedges, whole grain crisp breads or crackers and/or raw vegetables. (The dip alone is 2 POINTS values for 3 tablespoons.)

Krista's Shower Menu

I hosted Krista's shower this weekend and we had a great turnout and good food. A few people had asked for recipes of some of the things that either Krista and I made or that other people had brought! Below are the links to sites where we found the recipes. A couple of them were things where we didn't have a recipe, but they are super easy.


Beer Chese in a Bread Bowl - Mom made this!


Winter Spiced Sangria - I made six batches of this throughout the night, so it was definitely a crowd favorite.


Ham and Guyere Thumbprints - Krista and I made these and altered the recipe slightly. Instead of using a pastry bag, we spooned the dough into the mini-muffin pan. I think they turned out great! Best when served warm.


Hot Roast Beef Party Sandwhiches - Mom made these - always a favorite!


Sausage Balls - described as a sausage hushpuppy, whatever, love them.


Bacon Wrapped Dates - my personal favorite. Can eat these for a meal.


Mini Salami Puff Sandwiches - we used a tiny cookie cutter and these turned out super-cute - very easy.


Pecan Pie Muffins

Peanut Butter-Filled Brownie Cupcakes - Mom made these and they were delicious.

Three-Cheese Mini Macs - Holly gave me this recipe - she always makes it for the kids at parties and it is a big hit. The adults like it too!

No recipes here, just threw these together:

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Toast

Ingredients:

1 skinny french loaf

Tomatoes and Mozzarella salad from Kroger Olive Bar

Fresh Basil, chopped

Directions:

Cut bread into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut tomatoes and cheese to fit on toast. Sprinkle with Basil. Bake at 350 until toasted.

Bruschetta with Goat Cheese, Fig, and Prosciutto

Ingredients:

1 skinny french loaf
Fig spread (jam, jelly, preserves)

1 package Prosciutto

1 small package of Goat cheese
Fresh rosemary

Directions:
Cut bread into 1/4 inch pieces. Spread fig jam on toast. Top with goat cheese, prosciutto and top with a few sprigs of rosemary. Bake at 350 until toasted.

Brie in a Puff Pastry with Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Pretty self explanatory! Jessica made this and used frozen puff pastry, a small round of brie and Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam. She topped the Brie with the jam, wrapped it in the puff pastry and baked it at about 350 degrees until golden brown.

Chili-Beef Skewers

Stacie made these for the June meal exchange and this was the first meal I tried! It had awesome flavors and was very easy. I served it with more veggies - frozen Asian Green Beans - super easy meal from the freezer!

yield: makes 4 servings

ingredients:

8 wooden skewers
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp sriracha
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 lb lean beef sirloin, cut into 1/8-inch strips
1 each red, green and yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
Vegetable oil cooking spray Dipping sauce
1/2 cup lowfat mayonnaise
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce

directions:

Soak skewers for 30 minutes. Puree cilantro, garlic, soy sauce, orange zest, sriracha, fish sauce and sugar in a food processor. Transfer marinade to a resealable plastic bag; add beef. Seal bag, toss and set aside up to 30 minutes. Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. Thread 4 pieces of pepper and 2 beef strips on each skewer, alternating beef and peppers. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; heat grill to high; cook until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

SELF, MAY 2008 - Adapted by Marge Perry
From: Epicurious

Chicken Shish Kababs

Deb made these for the June meal exchange - they sound easy and delicious. Love the summer grilling theme!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of cooking oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 skinless chicken breasts
Various vegetables for grilling

Directions:

Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine all ingredients and marinate for 1 hour.

Thread chicken and vegetables on skewers and girll on each side for 4 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

Serve with rice.

Grilled Apricot Stuffed Pork Chops

Susan made these for the June 2010 meal exchange and I think they sound great! Can't wait to try them!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked brown or long grain rice
1/4 cup snipped dried apricots
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 TBSP apricot spread
1/4 tsp dried thyme, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
4 pork center loin chops, cut 1 inch thick
1/4 cup apricot spread

Directions:

1.) For stuffing, in medium bowl, stir together the rice, apricots, onion 1 TBSP apricot spread, thyme, and pepper. Trim fat from chops. Make a pocket in each chop by cutting horizontally from the fat side almost to the bone. Spoon 1/4 of the stuffing into each pocket. If necessary, secure the opening with toothpicks.

2.) Grill chops over medium heat until juices run clear, turning chops halfway through grilling time.

3.) Meanwhile, in sauce pan heat the 1/4 cup apricot spread until melted. Brush over chops the last 5 minutes of grilling time.

Chicken (or Turkey) Burgers with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Holly brought this for our June 2010 meal exchange and I am so excited to try them. She was making them the other night when we stopped by to play and they smelled yummy!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons very finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
2 teaspoons chile powder
Salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons chopped salted peanuts
4 round ciabatta rolls, split and toasted
Lettuce, for serving

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken with 1/4 cup of the chopped onion, 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of the chile powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and the garam masala. Using slightly moistened hands, form the ground-chicken mixture into four 4-inch patties.
In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of chopped onion and 1 teaspoon of chile powder and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter and hot water. Stir in the peanuts and season the sauce lightly with salt.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the chicken burgers with vegetable oil and grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until they are golden and crusty and just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Spread the peanut sauce on the rolls. Top with the burgers and lettuce, close and serve.

Recipe by Grace Parisi, Food & Wine Magazine