Fall Cooking
Is it cold and rainy where you are today? My guess is, unless you live in Florida, it's been a grey, dark week, punctured only with the russets and the oranges in the trees that I have been finally noticing. The weather prediction is that it will be in the upper thirties (with rain!) tonight. No wonder we're skipping the last DC United game.
The cool weather is good for at least one thing -- begging me back inside with some baking. Now my cooking has been relatively uninspired lately -- going back to easy things I am familiar with: tuna noodle casserole, black bean fajitas, lunchtime peanut butter & jam sandwiches.
But I'm still looking for inspiration (if not always finding the time to act upon the inspiration) -- reading cooking magazines, reading blogs of people who incrediblly are cooking with a newborn at home.
You may know my love of all things pumpkin. So when I saw this recipe for a savory pumpkin quiche, I knew I had to try it. It's very similar to the family quiche recipe I use on occasion, just substituting in some canned pumpkin for some of the ingredients. I used about 1/2 gruyere and 1/2 mozzarella for the cheese and I threw in some mushrooms because I had them on hand. It's very pretty and will make a great lunch.
The second thing I threw in the oven (hey, it was already warm!) was a pan full of wholesome date-nut bar mixture. It's a very humble, simple recipe, perfect for an afternoon snack with some tea (personally, I love Earl Grey on a cool weekend afternoon, yes, even with some milk -- but I leave it to you to decide what kind of tea should accompany this snack. Not too sweet.
Chewy Date Nut Bars
(from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)
Ingredients:
2 large eggs (beaten together)
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. chopped dates
1. Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease a 9x9 pan (I used a 7x7 since that's what I had.)
2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, & sugar.
3. Stir ingredients into the eggs and then stir in dates and nuts.
4. Spread batter into pan, using greased or wet fingers to distribute the dough.
5. Bake the bars for 18-22 minutes.
6. Let cool completely before cutting them into squares.
Dinner, Villeneuvette, France