Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

 

I've had a container of leftover pumpkin puree in my fridge for about a week, and it stares at me every time I open the door. I know it needs to be used, but I haven't stuck it in the freezer yet because I have a short list of pumpkiny things I'd like to make.  But life.  Life is busy.  Life makes me do chores and projects.  Life sometimes won't let me bake or browse Pinterest until my eyes glaze over or lie on the couch like a vegetable and watch back to back Lifetime movies.  And the pumpkin puree screams at me when I open the door.  It screams, "I will grow mold soon and my blood will be on your hands, lady, on your hands, you food waster!" 

So a couple of days ago, I had a light bulb moment that would once and for all silence that antagonistic pumpkin puree. 

I would stir some in my oatmeal!  Brilliant!

And I was really proud of the healthy little bowl of oatmeal that sat before me, but as I looked at it, I saw that it needed a little something else, so I did a very naughty thing.

I whipped up some heavy cream with some brown sugar and cinnamon and put it on my oatmeal.  And it was delicious.

The end.

Just a few notes:

-Yes, I could have cooked the oatmeal in some milk to make it creamier, but I was trying to save calories.  But then I topped it with whipped cream.  I know.  It doesn't make sense to me either.

 -I used 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, but a normal person could get by on 2 tablespoons.

-Really, the oatmeal is pretty healthy.  I am thinking about doing this with mashed sweet potatoes.  I think this is an excellent way to sneak in some nutrition in the form of those orangey colored veggies and fruit that we are all supposed to eat.

-I did not measure the whipped cream, but I promise it was just a small dollop.  And it melts over the hot oatmeal, in a really dreamy way.

-All sugar and spices are totally adjustable to taste.

-I sprinkled mine with toasted walnuts.

-This makes like two servings.

-It was some darn tasty oatmeal.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Printable Recipe

1 cup water

1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal

2 tablespoons butter

2-3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 cup pure canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons nutmeg

Whipped Cream:

1/4 cup heavy cream

Light brown sugar to taste

Ground cinnamon to taste

Toasted walnuts or pecans

Bring water to a boil over medium heat and stir in oats.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring often, then remove from heat.  Stir in butter and next four ingredients.

Beat the heavy cream on high speed until foamy.  Add light brown sugar (approx. 1-2 teaspoons) and a pinch of cinnamon to taste.  Keep beating until soft peaks form.

Place a dollop of whipped cream on the warm oatmeal, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts or pecans.

Roasted Banana-Ricotta Scones with Peanut Butter Glaze

I have been sitting here, trying to think of some opening bloggy chit-chat before I go straight into "this is what I made today."

And my mind is almost completely blank.  Almost.

I just have this nagging feeling that someone needs to hear a little more than "this is what I made today."

So I'd like to invite that someone into my virtual kitchen, pour them a cup of coffee and serve them a scone, and tell them that they matter.  They are special.  They are important.  And there is hope.

And if that is too serious for a food blog, then I'm sorry.  But I have nothing else, except to say that I made some scones today.  They were really good.

Here are my notes:

-Chopped peanuts would be great in these, either in the dough or sprinkled on top, or both.

-I love roasting bananas with a little butter and brown sugar.  It deepens their flavor.

-I used ricotta cheese, but I'm sure an 8 ounce package of cream cheese like I used in my pumpkin scones would work well too.

-These are not flaky scones.  They are more fluffy and sweet, like drop biscuits.

-It takes about 10 minutes for the peanut butter glaze to set up. 

Roasted Banana-Ricotta Scones with Peanut Butter Glaze

Printable Recipe

Scones:

3 bananas, sliced

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 large eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

Glaze:

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Chopped peanuts, if desired

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place bananas in medium baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bubbly and caramelized.  Let cool.

2.      Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/3 cup light brown sugar.  Cut in butter, using fingertips or pastry cutter, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  

3.      In a medium bowl, beat together 2 eggs, the ricotta cheese, and the roasted bananas with a handmixer until mixed.  Mixture will be lumpy.  Add banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir by hand until just combined

4.      Drop dough into 12 equal mounds on baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.  Brush tops with the beaten egg.   Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. 

5.      About 5 minutes before scones come out of the oven, make the glaze.  Place the peanut butter and 2 tablespoons butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.  

6.      When scones come out of oven, place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet.  Drizzle with the glaze.  Sprinkle the tops with chopped peanuts if desired.  12 scones.

Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and White Bean Soup with Cornbread Biscotti

Have you ever seen the episode of Little house on the Prairie where Laura runs away to the mountains after her baby brother dies, and there she meets Jonathon, the mystery man/angel/God person, and then Pa comes looking for her, but she doesn't want him to find her because God hasn't answered her prayer yet which was for her to go to heaven and trade places with her baby brother because she thinks Pa would rather have had a son, but then Jonathon grabs her by the shoulders and says "Child, God HAS answered your prayer and He says your pa needs you and that is why your pa came looking for you?"

Huh?  Have you seen that one?

Because I just finished watching that episode a few minutes ago and it sent me straight into a gasping-for-breath ugly cry.  I am SO glad my husband left just before my meltdown.  It was not attractive in the least.

And just as a warning to women everywhere, that episode called "The Lord is my Shepherd" is probably not the best one to watch if your body is in any kind of heightened state of hormonal activity.

Did Micheal Landon know how to bring on a sob or what?  He is the *best* crier ever in the history of television.

Alright.  Enough with this emotional roller coaster I've been on the last fifteen minutes.  Let me clear my mind and talk about soup.  Because this one is really good.

 
In the October issue of Southern Living, they ran a soup recipe along with a recipe for Cornbread Biscotti.  Their soup recipe is very similar to mine (Or is it that mine is very similar to theirs?) but my soup is a little different with some marinara and orzo stirred in.  And I think I've said it before but I'll say it again, most soup gets better the longer it sets.  This soup is better the next day, so it's the perfect make ahead meal.


What really caught my eye, though, was that cornbread biscotti recipe. What a brilliant idea!  I just had to try it and I'm so glad I did.  The crunchy biscotti soaks up the soup and it's just wonderful.  LOVED!  Such a nice change from regular cornbread.

Here are my notes about the cornbread biscotti:

-After many years of having bad luck with every food processor I've ever owned, I am without one again. Until the money comes through for a Cuisinart, I'll just remain food processor-less, because I will not fork over any more money on anything else cheap.  The original recipe is written using one, so I rewrote the directions to mix by hand.

-I also halved the original recipe with some slight tweaks, because I wasn't sure I would get good results without using a food processor, but I did.  So mine is a small batch and it gave me about 8-10 biscotti.

-I can't tell you how much I loved the fresh rosemary in them.  It really made them pop.  I grow my own, but I'm sure dried would be good too.

-I did use parchment paper like the original recipe called for.  I think that's important because it keeps the dough from spreading too much and allows an easy transfer to a cutting board.

-The batter was thick, but wet.  I was afraid it was too wet, but it wasn't. 

My soup notes:

-I prefer cannellini, but I used Great Northern because I can't get the cannellini beans here.

-One more time--the soup gets better tasting the longer it sets.  Have you got that yet?

-I cook the sausages whole, then slice. An alternative would be to squeeze the sausage out of the casings and crumble as you cook.

-Add the spinach to the hot soup as the very last step.  It will immediately wilt and you no longer need to cook it.  Kale would be great too.

-I always cook my pasta separately because it tends to swell too much in the soup.  I store them separately in the fridge too, and add my pasta to each bowl of soup individually.

-Yes, you could use canned chicken broth or stock, I just always have bouillon cubes.  I read an article about ten years ago that said canned chicken broth is 5 times costlier than making broth with bouillon cubes, and that has always stuck with me.

-I love this soup because it's quick, easy and pretty darn healthy.  Did I mention yummy too?  Because it totally is.

Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and White Bean Soup

Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 (16-ounce) package turkey Italian sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

6 cups water

6 chicken bouillon cubes

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed 
Salt and pepper to taste

1 (10-ounce) bag baby spinach leaves

1 cup orzo pasta

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add the sausage and cook until brown on all sides and cooked all the way through.  Remove to cutting board and slice into 1/4 inch slices.  Add the onion to Dutch oven and cook until soft, stirring often and scraping brown bits off bottom.  Add garlic and cook for two more minutes.  Add water, bouillon cubes, marinara sauce, sausage, and cannellini beans.  Bring to a simmer and let cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in spinach and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package direction.  Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to keep from sticking.

To serve, spoon orzo into each bowl, then ladle soup over pasta.  

Cornbread Biscotti  (Small Batch)

(Adapted from Southern Living)

Printable Recipe

1 (6-ounce) package yellow cornbread mix

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoons coarse ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

2 large eggs, divided

2 tablespoons buttermilk

2-3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cornbread mix, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, pepper and rosemary in a medium bowl.   Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Whisk together 1 egg and buttermilk. Stir into cornbread mixture until batter mixed.  (Batter will be thick, but wet.)

Spread dough into approximately a 6 x 4-inch rectangle on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet using lightly greased hands. Lightly beat remaining egg; brush over dough. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at for 20 minutes or until pale golden brown and firm. Let cool on baking sheet on a wire rack 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Gently slide loaf onto a cutting board, and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices using a serrated knife. Place slices, cut sides down, back onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp. Let cool on baking sheet on wire rack 15 minutes. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days, or freeze up to 2 weeks.