White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized strips *
1 cup dried Great Northern beans, sorted and rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup
5 cups water

Just Before Serving:
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chiles

Toppings:
grated Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream
chopped avocado
additional hot pepper sauce

*Do not substitute chicken breast. The long cooking time will dry it out.

1. In a 3.5- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients up to the water. Mix well.
2. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours.
3. Just before serving, stir in cumin, hot pepper sauce, and chiles.
4. Serve with desired toppings.

Tip: You can assemble this the night before, minus the water. In the morning, put in the slow cooker, add 5 cups warm water, and stir well. Note that it's usually not safe to refrigerate before slow cooking because it slows the cooking time too much, but in this case the warm water brings the temperature up.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

This mild chili has a unique flavor. It's fun letting people guess the secret ingredients. Some people can pick out the beer, but no one I've served this to has suspected the pumpkin!


2 pounds ground turkey (or 1 pound turkey, 1 pound ground beef)
1 15.25-ounce can sweet whole kernel corn
1 4-ounce can green chiles
1 14.5-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes
1 29-ounce can tomato sauce
1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin (or about 2 cups fresh)
1 15-ounce can hominy
1 cup chopped onion
1 12-ounce can beer
1 12-ounce can water
3 Tablespooons minced garlic (about 5 medium cloves, pressed)
2 Tablespoons cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1-1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Brown the meat with the onions and garlic.
2. Mix all ingredients in a slow cooker.
3. Cook 4-6 hours on low. Serve with cheddar cheese.

Cookbook Review/Recommendation!

I've got loads of cookbooks -- I read them like other people read novels -- and they've all got their own personalities. Many of them stay on my shelf because of one or two favorite recipes. I'll admit that some haven't been off the shelf in a while! Occasionally I find one that I keep right on the counter for whenever there's an opportunity to use it. My newest one is that "I-can't-wait-to-try-another-recipe" kind, and I recommend it if you enjoy baking cookies.

Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich is filled with delicious recipes, all with precise, easy to follow instructions. Plus, there is valuable information at the front and back of the book regarding technique, ingredients, and helpful tips. Alice is the "real deal" when it comes to baking -- she has credientials and experience to back that up. I attended her class at Central Market in December, and was fascinated by all I learned. I've been baking for over 40 years myself, and still picked up some great tips--like why some cookies bake better on foil while others are best on parchment paper. Who knew there was science in that?

She makes some of her cookies with melted (rather than softened) butter; much easier! Her coconut meringues are incredibly beautiful and tasty too. Peanut butter meringues? Yum. There are a bunch of gluten-free recipes and other special types. It's all arranged by texture, which is an interesting way to organize recipes.

This book is a great gift for the cookie-baker in your family or for yourself. You can't have mine -- it's autographed to me! :)

Wonderful Zucchini-Carrot Bread

I've been trying a lot of new recipes this year, but this is an old favorite I keep going back to. It started out as a Paula Deen recipe but I've added a couple of my own touches to it. Give it a try -- if you didn't put them in yourself, you would never know there were vegetables in this! Definitely not a diet recipe, but so good. I'd call it kid-friendly, except my own kids won't touch it...they heard me call it zucchini bread and that was the end of that. Maybe someday...

The original recipe makes two large loaves. I often just want to make one, so I've included the half-recipe amounts in parentheses for convenience. [The best thing to do, really, is make two loaves and give one away...the recipient will be delighted!]

If I have it, I'll substitute whole wheat pastry flour for half of the flour used. It's best with all the "optional" items but if you don't have them, or don't like them, it's fine to leave them out.

3 1/4 C all-purpose flour (1 5/8 C)
1 1/2 t salt (3/4 t)
1 t ground nutmeg (1/2 t)
2 t baking soda (1 t)
1 t ground cinnamon (1/2 t)
3 C granulated sugar (1 1/2 C)
1/2 C wheat germ (1/4 C) -- optional
1 C vegetable oil (1/2 C)
4 eggs, beaten (2)
1/3 C water (scant 1/4 C)
2 C grated zucchini (1 C)
1 1/2 C grated carrots (3/4 C) -- optional
1 t lemon juice (1/2 t)
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (1/2 C) -- optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar and wheat germ.

In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini, carrots and lemon juice.

Mix wet ingredients into dry--by hand is fine--then add nuts and stir in.

Bake in two (one for half recipe) standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray and the bottoms lined with parchment. Bake one hour or until a tester comes out clean. Can also be baked in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Nut Bread Machine Bread

This is not a dessert bread. It's very moist and faintly sweet and spicy. You may like it even if you don't like pumpkin.

Choose the loaf that best fits your bread machine size. (Look at the recipes in your machine's instruction manual and see which of the two recipes below has about the same amount of flour.)

Medium Loaf
5 ounces (1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons) evaporated milk
1/3 cup pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
2 cups bread flour
2-1/2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (check your manual to see when to add)
1-1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 Tablespoons room-temperature butter, cut in 4 pieces
1-1/2 teaspoons yeast


Large Loaf

8 ounces (1 cup) evaporated milk
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (check your manual to see when to add)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons room-temperature butter, cut in 4 pieces
2 teaspoons yeast

1. Bring all ingredients to room temperature. 
2. Add all ingredients except nuts, in the order listed in your bread machine's manual. If you can't find the manual, add them in the order listed here.The pumpkin should go in at the same time you normally add oil or butter.
3. Add the chopped nuts at the point recommended for your machine, probably after the second kneading cycle. 
4. Bake on the basic bread cycle, on light or medium color setting. 
5. Remove bread from machine and allow to cool for 15 minutes or so before slicing. 

Tips: 

• Never use cold or hot ingredients, or the bread won't rise well. 
• Measure ingredients very precisely. Scoop the flour into a separate measuring cup and sprinkle it into the one you're measuring with. Mound it up high and then level it off with a knife. 
• Do not substitute whole wheat pastry flour for whole wheat flour (in this or any yeast bread recipe). It does not rise well at all. 
• To keep the bread fresh longer, do not preslice it. Just cut off the pieces as you eat them.
• Cool the bread COMPLETELY before storing it. Drape a clean towel over it as it cools, and wrap it in the towel before you put it inside a large Ziploc bag. 
• If the bread is around long enough to go stale, slice the rest of it and freeze it in sandwich bags. It makes great toast.

Pumpkin Milkshake

Warning: This is incredibly tasty and quite possibly addictive. It's like drinking pumpkin pie a la mode.

1/3 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)*
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups ice cream
2 graham cracker squares (cinnamon is nice)

1. Blend all ingredients except the graham crackers. 
2. Pour into two cups. Crumble the graham cracker squares and sprinkle on top of the milkshakes.

 *A shortcut method is to take a small piece of pumpkin pie (minus the crust) and blend with the milk and ice cream. It's super easy and just as delicious!

How To Roast A Pumpkin Whole

If you're like me, cutting into a rolling pumpkin with a giant knife might make you nervous. Did you know you can roast a pumpkin whole? Afterward, the knife goes through it like it's cutting through butter. Here's how you do it...

Start with a small pumpkin. It might be called a sugar pumpkin or a pie pumpkin. Do NOT use the large pumpkins that you use for jack-o-lanterns; that kind is not as tender or sweet.

1. Lower the top rack to the middle of the oven and preheat to 275 degrees. 
2. Rinse the pumpkin thoroughly in warm water and then dry it with a towel.
3. With a knife, poke several slits around the pumpkin so that the steam can escape. The cuts should be about an inch deep, far enough to pierce the pumpkin flesh. 
4. Rub the bottom of the pumpkin with a bit of olive oil or vegetable oil and set it in a foil-lined cookie sheet.
5. Put the pan in the oven for about 75 to 90 minutes. It may take more or less time based on the size of the pumpkin. Start checking it around 60 minutes. When it's ready, a knife will go through with no resistance. 
6. Let the pumpkin cool for about 10 minutes and then cut it in half. 
7. Carefully scoop out the seeds and set aside for roasting (if desired). Twist the stringy pulp around a fork and remove as much as possible, but try not to cut into the good flesh underneath.
8. Using a large serving spoon, scoop all the flesh out of the skin. Don't worry if some of it feels a little firm or dry or stringy.
9. Using a food processor (chopping blade) or a stick blender, puree the pumpkin until very smooth. 
10. Double over a piece of cheesecloth and put it inside a sieve. Set the sieve over a large bowl. Scoop the puree into the cheesecloth lined sieve and let it sit for 1-2 hours, until no more liquid is dripping out. *
11. Store the drained puree in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week. You can freeze it also. 

*Don't skip the draining if you plan to bake with the puree, especially if you're making a pie. A watery puree makes the crust get soggy. Note: You can save the pumpkin water and use it to cook oatmeal, rice, etc. It doesn't add much flavor, but it's very nutritious.

Here are some things to do with the puree. I'll try to post the recipes in the next few days:
pumpkin pie (of course!)
pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
pumpkin milkshake (our favorite!)
pumpkin walnut bread
pumpkin oatmeal
pumpkin pancakes
pumpkin brownies (kind of low fat/low cal)
pumpkin turkey chili