Julie's Pumpkin Bars

So, I don't know Julie, but damn! she make a mean pumpkin bar!

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 16 oz can (1 ¾ cup fresh) pumpkin
2 cups flour
2T baking powder
2T cinnamon
1T salt
1T baking soda

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2) Mix the eggs, sugar and oil and pumpkin
3) Mix and add: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking powder
4) Bake in jelly roll pan for 25 minutes
5) Mix frosting ingredients, smooth over baked pumpkin bars

Update from Madison (My Day)

Hey :) Just felt like giving you all an update on life here in Madison.

It's been a good week so far. Mark and I finally hooked up the new PlayStation I got him for his birthday this year. We have been sending our evenings playing Soul Calibur 4. It's such a great game we we are almost tighed in our wins. I have 17 wins and he has 16 wins. It's nice to be good at a video game:) And I'm excited to get a few more games, also to watch a blue ray movie (the PlayStation plays blue ray disks)

Most days are good. I wake up and do some homework for my class (it's kinda hard) and listen to NPR. I play on my computer and then off to work. Work is OK. It's a little stressful at the after school care program. Some days are good and then some days the kids just go nuts and have a very hard time listening. Ack! It sucks to go to work and get walked all over. Some times I have to remind myself that I can always go out and get another job where people actually respect me and listen to me and I don't have to fight for it. ah, that would be nice :) But, my favorite part of the day is still the evening when Mark and I can be home and relax. We enjoy making dinner together and chatting. Sometimes we will go to a lecture or an event on camps or hang out with a friend or two. But other then that evenings are slow and it's my fav part of the day.

I have been fighting a constant cold that wont go away. I am totally going to get the flu shot this year! I just know I will get it from the kids at the preschool or the elementary school. I'm taking lots of vitamin C, D-3, B complex and such. My therapist recommended I take 5-HTP to boost my serotonin (which makes you happy :) and boosts your immune system), but I'm kinda freaked out to take it because it has been taken off the market a few times for making people very ill. Anyways, I know I should it just kinda scares me.

Mark and I still haven't finished our first puzzle. The last little bit is really hard, its all black pieces so it's challenging to see where they connect. But we will finish it soon and start our new one, which has a very northwestie motif.

To keep with the topic of hobbies, I just started reading a good book called Marley and Me. It's about a family who gets a spunky yellow lab puppy and their life together. I think Hollywood has made the book into a movie and it's coming out in the winter. It has Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. I'm not too far along in the book yet, but I like it so far and it's just nice to read something that doesn't make me think about my life or all the crap going on in the world.

Tomorrow I have a weekly planning meeting where I meet with my two co-teachers and we plan the next two weeks after school curricula for our room. I enjoy the meetings, its always nice to have some adult time away from the kids. We can talk regularly and relax. Also, we are going to be working on the Halloween curricula and that will be super fun :) I have some great ideas about cool projects we can do.

Ok peeps, I'm off to bed, it's 12:38 here is Madison. I need to be better at going to bed early:) Thanks for all the great recipes! Keep sending them to me and I will post them! I'm also gonna post more of my own in the next few weeks :)

Love,

Sarah

Shannon's Chicken Noodle Soup

Here is a great chicken noddle soup recipe from Shannon Gates (a awesome girlfriend of mine from college) Also Congrats to Shan and her husband George! They are proud parents of a little baby girl! Their little girl Charlotte Frances was born 3 and 1/2 weeks ago!

"When the weather changes, there is nothing I crave more than chicken noodle soup from scratch. Make a chicken stock: I like to do mine in the crock pot over night. One whole chicken carcass and rough chopped onions carrots and celery. Water to cover. Add the fresh spices you like best, I always use thyme and a few bay leaves, lots of salt too. Now heres the fun part. Noodles are EASY but take a little time! no pre purchased noodles please.

3/4 C all purpose flour in bowl, make a "well" and add 1 egg that has been barely combined with 1T water 1/2t salt and 1t oil. mix with hands till dough can be balled and comes clean from your hands. Knead for 10 min, no cheating! let it rest, covered, for an hour.
While dough rests, make your soup. Strain broth and add fresh veggies and chicken pieces from strained carcass.roll out dough, stretch it till nearly paper thin and translucent! sprinkle flour on dough as needed let "dry' for 30 min then roll dough up like a scroll and cut noodle strips, as if cutting a sushi roll. Cook noodles in rapidly boiling salted water for ten min and then add to soup. YUM! Hope you enjoy trying this recipe!"

Recipes from Elizabeth Archer

These two great pumpkin themed recipes are from Mark and I's friend Elizabeth Archer. She is a great cook and a very knowledgeable "foodie". She's got street cred. I can't wait to try them out! Thanks Elizabeth! (check out her blog about traveling/living in Chile and Argentina, it's listed on the right hand side of the page.)

Curried Chicken Pumpkin Soup

1 lb chicken,
cubed1 3-5 lb sugar pumpkin
Chicken or vegetable broth
1 medium sized onion, diced
several cloves garlic
curry powder (Indian variety)
masala and/or turmeric
cumin
Cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine the cubed chicken with several tablespoons olive oil, a generous amount of curry powder, two teaspoons cumin and Cinnamon, a teaspoon each of garam masala and turmeric (optional, adds depth), and salt and pepper to taste. If you're into spicy foods, you can also add cayenne, your favorite hot sauce, or red pepper flakes (I always use the latter). Set aside to marinate.
Cut the pumpkin into wedges. Scoop out the seeds (reserve if you're into roasting them - incidentally, these same spices make for great roasted seeds). Arrange the slices flesh-up on a cookie sheet or in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with curry, cumin, cinnamon, and salt, then drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 375 for 25 minutes or until, you know, baked (i.e. a fork should go in easily). (Alternately, you can boil the pumpkin, spices and all.)
Let the pumpkin cool until you can touch it. If you're lucky, the skin will peel right off. If not, well, you'll just have to deal with it until you get it all. In a food processor, blender, or with a hand mixer, purée the pumpkin (you can add a little broth to make it easier).
When you add the garlic is up to you. It depends on how garlicky you like it. I often puré the raw garlic with the pumpkin. You can also chop and sautée it with the chicken, or add it at the very end for an extra kick. You can even do all three!
In a non-stick soup pot, sauté the onions on medium heat (in olive oil or butter) for a few minutes before adding the chicken. Once the chicken is halfway cooked, add the pumpkin mixture and one cup broth. Bring to a simmer, then add more broth until you're satisfied with the thickness. Let simmer for 20-30 more minutes so the flavors marry and the chicken cooks. Add fresh ground pepper at the very end. (Low-fat option: add a half cup of cream at the end, too.) Serve with crusty bread. Reheats nicely!

Perfect Pumpkin Dessert

This is super easy and incredibly delicious. Always a big hit at dinner parties.
1 3-4 lb sugar pumpkin
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups water
salt
vanilla ice cream

Directions:
Cut the pumpkin into 5-6 wedges and remove the seeds. In a large pot, arrange the wedges around each other like half-moons (so the flesh is touching the bottom of the pot). Add brown sugar, then water. Cover the pot and let simmer for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is cooked through. Remove pumpkin and reserve the syrup. If you're lucky, the skin will peel right off. Sprinkle pumpkin with sea salt* and serve warm over vanilla ice cream. Offer syrup on the side for drizzling pleasure. (Note: this pumpkin-flavored syrup will keep in the fridge and is GREAT on breakfast foods!)*The salt is not optional in this recipe. Trust me, it's much better this way.

My Favorite Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake (I have made this three times and its AMAZING!)

Ingredients
Serves 12

FOR THE CRUST
1 1/4 cups graham-cracker crumbs (from 10 whole crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
4 packages (8 ounces each) bar cream cheese , very soft
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons pumpkin-pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, room temperature

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Assemble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.
Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened; press firmly into bottom of pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
Make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour (do not overmix). Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix just until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.
Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Transfer to oven; reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. (you can put the cake in a water bath to ensure its cooks evenly) Bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening).
Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Unmold before serving.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Here is a great chili resepie I found:

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Ingredients
2 pounds ground chicken, coarsely ground preferred (or turkey)
3 tablespoons chili powder, plus 2 teaspoons
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 (28-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 medium sweet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled and shredded
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup instant tapioca (recommended: Minute tapioca)
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with seeds, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Pinch ground cloves (optional)
1/2 to 3/4 cup lager-style beer, optional
Toppings: Sour cream, shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese, chopped scallions, and chopped pickled jalapenos
Directions
Put the chicken in the slow cooker. Add 3 tablespoons of the chili powder and all the rest of the ingredients, except the beer. Stir everything together, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of chili powder, the beer, if using, and season with more salt and pepper, to taste, if desired. Divide the chili among warm bowls. Serve with the topping of your choice.
Know-How: Stirring in chili powder right before serving brightens the flavor of the chili.
Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

Enjoy!

Ode to Fall

I love fall! It's my favorite time of year, hands down! And this year I get to do all kinds of cool fall/ Halloween themed projects with all the kiddos! Like make apple sauce and carving pumpkins. Also, there is no school here on the 30th and the 31st so I think we are going to take the kids on a field trip to a pumpkin patch, which should be fun :)

Another thing I like about fall is it's the perfect time to try out all those cold weather recipes I have stored up. I plan to make some yummy dishes in my crock pot and to try a few casserole recipes in the oven too. I'm getting more into cooking and find myself excited about trying new dishes. So here is what I propose: If you have a good fall recipe you would like to share, you can post it in a comment or e-mail it to me and I will post it on my blog (telling everyone it is from you of course) I thought it would be a nice way for us to share some good fall cookin with each other. So, post or email away, and I look forward to your fall recipes. Also, I will post some of my own ones too :)

Take care!

Sarah