IOTW - Pumpkin

In honor of Halloween, I thought I would focus on pumpkin. There are many great ways to use pumpkin in the kitchen. It is wonderful in desserts such as cakes and cookies and can be used in a variety of other dishes like pasta, soups and scones. Pumpkin is high in lots of vitamins and minerals including: vitamin A, vitamin K and iron.

Every year since I was little, my family has made pumpkin cookies to celebrate Halloween. I have posted about these cookies a few times, but I don't think that I have ever posted the recipe. So here is my recipe for great pumpkin cookies:

Ingredients: (Warning: this recipe is doubled and will make around 3 dozen cookies)
6 cups flour
2 cups oats2 tsp baking soda2 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (or use 1 tsp allspice, 1tsp cinnamon, 1tsp nutmeg)
2 cups butter2 cups brown sugar2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups raisins
2 cups solid packed pumpkin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a very large bowl cream the butter then add the sugar and eggs. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the pumpkin. (Waring: Do not use an electric hand mixer to mix the dough is very thick). Fold in the raisins.

Drop onto a greased baking sheet in the shape of pumpkins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies and decorate.

I normally frost about half the cookies and leave the other half un-frosted. To help set the frosted cookies, I place them on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 10 or 15 minutes. These cookies also keep really well in a freezer.

IOTW: 8-Ball Squash

I saw these cute 8-Ball Squash at Whole Foods last weekend and couldn't resist. They were locally grown and really inexpensive. The 8-Ball Squash taste like zucchini , but are maybe a little sweeter. I sliced and sauteed them with oregano, thyme and parsley as a side for dinner this week. They would also be great stuffed with rice and other veggies.

Something New - Ingredient Of The Week (IOTW)

One of my recent goals is to make more time in my life to cook and explore new recipes. To help encourage my creativity in the kitchen, I am going to be featuring a new ingredient of the week (IOTW). Hopefully, this will help encourage others to try something new to spice up their kitchen routine.

The IOTW for this week is ..... Fromage Blanc!
I'm sure that you are probably wondering what is fromage blanc. Well, I was wondering the exact same thing when I found it in one of the recipes in my Williams Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking book.

After a bit of research, I learned that fromage blanc is a soft, creamy cheese that has fewer calories and less cholesterol than cream cheese. Thus, the "healthy" part. I was able to find fromage blanc at Whole Foods in the cooler section next to the creme fraiche.

Fromage blanc is a really tasty substitute for sour cream and would be a yummy spread on crackers or on top of a baked potato. The recipe in the Williams Sonoma cookbook creates creates a delicious topping for red potatoes mixing fresh chives, basil and parsley with fromage blanc.