THAI PUMPKIN AND CHICKEN CURRY

Sometimes I am just in the mood for a good curry. I love the combination of flavors in this wonderful, flavorful, crave quenching dish.

THAI PUMPKIN AND CHICKEN CURRY

2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
500 grams of pumpkin or 1 acorn squash, peeled and diced
500 grams of boneless chicken, cubed
chopped basil leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan and stir in the curry paste. Saute for 1 minute to bring out the flavors.
Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, then add the pumpkin. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and remaining 1 cup of coconut milk. Cover and simmer until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve garnished with fresh basil.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Foodtown Magazine
www.foodmag.co.nz/‎

APPLE BUTTERSCOTCH OAT BARS

We were invited to a friends house for dinner, where the kids had so much fun playing outside, they had to remove their mud encrusted garments, and attire themselves in borrowed clothes, so they could venture inside to eat.
When I returned the freshly laundered clothes, I included these Apple Butterscotch Oat Bars, in the hopes we would be welcome back - perhaps on a day when there weren't so many puddles in the yard.

APPLE BUTTERSCOTCH OAT BARS

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 apple, cored, peeled and finely chopped
1 3/4 cups butterscotch baking chips

Heat oven to 350F.
Grease a 13 by 9 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating on low until just combined. Stir in oats, apple and butterscotch chips. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool completely in a pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, September 2005
www.arkansasonline.com/news/features/food/‎

PUMPKIN PATCH DIPPERS and AUTUMN LEAVES WITH PEANUT BUTTER DIP

Here are a couple of fun Fall ideas for the kids - although to be honest, I enjoyed them too!! I made the Pumpkin Patch Dippers and Autumn Leaves with Peanut Butter Dip for an after school refreshment, as a cheerful, lighthearted way to greet the kids when they came home with their friends.

PUMPKIN PATCH DIPPERS

Peel a large carrot and cut it into 1/4 inch thick coins. Slide a piece of parsley onto a toothpick, then skewer each coin. Thread a sliced green onion stem onto each toothpick. Serve the "pumpkins" in a plate of hummus.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Family Fun, October 2012
www.parents.com/familyfun-magazine/‎

AUTUMN LEAVES WITH PEANUT BUTTER DIP

LEAVES
Heat oven to 400F.
Use a cookie cutter to make leaf shapes, spritz them with cooking spray, and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake for 3 to 4 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Parents Magazine, October 2009
www.parents.com/recipes/‎

PEANUT BUTTER DIP
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1/2 of an 8 ounce container of whipped topping
1/4 cup apple butter
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

Mix all ingredients together.
Enjoy!

PUMPKIN AND MOLASSES MUFFINS and PUMPKIN PIE MUFFINS

A pair of perfectly pleasant pumpkin muffin recipes.

PUMPKIN AND MOLASSES MUFFINS

2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
45 grams butter
3 tablespoons molasses
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin
pumpkin seeds

Heat oven to 375F.
Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. Place butter, molasses, sugar and buttermilk in a pan and warm to melt butter. Whisk into pumpkin and pour into dry ingredients. Mix quickly until just combined, and spoon into greased or lined muffin tins. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and bake 18 to 20 minutes until just firm on top. Turn on to rack to cool.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from New Zealand House and Garden
www.nzhouseandgarden.co.nz/

PUMPKIN PIE MUFFINS

cooking spray
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk

Heat oven to 400F. Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, oil, and one of the eggs until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well.
Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk, just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each one about 2/3rds full.
Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from USA Weekend, November 2012
www.usaweekend.com/section/FOOD04/Recipe-Archive‎

MANGO CHICKEN CURRY and CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

These are two wonderful weeknight dishes - minimal preparation, cooking time and clean up required!

The colors, flavors and aromas in both of these recipes evoke the cooler weather of fall, and the warmth of sitting around the dinner table with family.

MANGO CHICKEN CURRY

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 red pepper, julienned
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped peeled mango
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste

In a large skillet, saute onion and red pepper in oil, 2 to 4 minutes, or until tender. Add chicken, curry, ginger, garlic, salt and cayenne. Cook and stir 5 minutes.
Stir in mango, coconut milk, and tomato paste, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
Serve with hot cooked rice if desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Readers Digest, May 2009
www.rd.com/food/

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced across the grain 1/4 inch thick

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips

1 tablespoon paprika

1/3 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, 1 tablespoon sherry, the garlic, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in 2 teaspoons oil.

In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth and the remaining 1 tablespoon sherry. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch until dissolved.

Heat a skillet over high heat, swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken mixture, and cook until the chicken begins to brown, about 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Lower the heat to medium and swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion and bell pepper, season with salt and cook until softened about 1 minute. Add the paprika, return the chicken and any juices to the pan, increase the heat to high and stir until just combined. Swirl in the broth mixture and mix until the chicken is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and parsley.

Enjoy!

BOURBON PEACH COCKTAIL and APPLE SAFFRON GIMLET

It has been fun to mix up different cocktails at happy hour for my Uncle, who is visiting from New Zealand. Here are a couple of the recent libations we have enjoyed. With the warmth of the bourbon and the addition of the apple cider, they are both great for fall!! Perfect for a quiet night at home, or to share with friends!!

BOURBON PEACH COCKTAIL

4 tablespoons bourbon
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon peach schnapps
2 tablespoons club soda
3 to 4 dashes of bitters

Combine first 4 ingredients in a cocktail shaker, fill with ice. Cover with lid and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled (about 30 seconds). Strain bourbon mixture into a glass filled with ice, top with club soda and bitters.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, July 2012
www.southernliving.com › Food › Recipes

APPLE SAFFRON GIMLET

2 limes, cut into eighths

2 tablespoons sugar

4 threads saffron

1 cup vodka

apple cider

In a pitcher, muddle the limes, sugar and saffron. Stir in the vodka. Cover and let sit for 2 hours.

Fill 2 glasses with ice and strain in the mixture, top with apple cider.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray, April 2011

www.rachaelraymag.com › Recipes