Dark Gingerbread Cake with Orange Zest and Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup honey

• zest of 1 large orange or 2 small
• 3/4 cup warm water
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• Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pinch salt
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Set aside.  In a large bowl whisk together coconut oil, sugar, and eggs until thick and pale. Stir in molasses, honey and orange zest.

Add the dry ingredients in thirds to the wet ingredients. Stir together until well incorporated. Add the warm water and gently stir until the mixture is silky smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake cake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, make the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Stop the mixer and add the softened butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat over medium speed until smooth and incorporated. Add one cup of powdered sugar and blend until incorporated. Add vanilla extract (and the paste from inside the scraped bean, if using) and remaining cup of powdered sugar if you're using it. Beat until frosting is smooth and silky.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on wire rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting the cake.  This cake can be stored, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Carbonnade (Flemish beef and beer stew)

Ingredients:
2 lb. beef chuck, cut into 2″ x ¹⁄₂″-thick slices

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¹⁄₄ cup flour

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 slices bacon, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 cups Belgian-style ale, like Ommegang Abbey Ale

1 cup beef stock

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3 sprigs thyme

3 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs tarragon

1 bay leaf

Bread, for serving

Steamed vegetables

Season beef with salt and pepper in a bowl; add flour and toss to coat. Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef; cook, turning, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside. 

Add bacon; cook until its fat renders, about 8 minutes. Add remaining butter, garlic, and onions; cook until caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add half the beer; cook, scraping bottom of pot, until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. 

Return beef to pot with remaining beer, stock, sugar, vinegar, thyme, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, and salt and pepper; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until beef is tender, about 1 ½ hours. Serve with bread and steamed vegetables.

Autumn Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Filling:
6-8 pearl onions
1 cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 cups chicken broth
1 medium Granny Smith or Honneycrisp apple, peeled, sliced in thin, small chunks
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups cooked pulled or roasted chicken
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

To make filling: Drop pearl onions into boiling water for 30 seconds; drain and peel. Steam pearl onions and carrots until tender.

In large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and ginger until smooth. Reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in chicken broth.

Preheat oven to 450°F

Stir in pearl onions, carrots, apples, cranberries, lemon juice and chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir in salt and pepper. Spoon filling into deep, 10-inch ceramic or glass pie dish.

Cover filling with a premade pie crust. Trim and crimp edges. Use small knife to cut several slits in center of pie. (Alternatively, make decorative cuts in pie crust before setting it on top of pie.)

Set pie on baking sheet and place in oven on middle rack. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 400°F and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes, or until pie bubbles around edges and top is nicely browned. Serve piping hot.

For added flavor, serve with goat cheese crumbles.

Turkey Chili with Pumpkin and Black Beans

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped (5-6 pearl)
• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained, or 1 small can tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat parsley
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Cubed avocado, shredded cheddar, sour cream, or thinly sliced scallions, optional for serving

Saute onion and pepper over medium-low heat til softened and slightly browned.  Add garlic and cook all for another 2-3 minutes.  Push all veggies to side of pan, heat to medium, and brown the ground turkey in the pan, occasionally breaking apart the turkey and stirring the vegetables in.

When turkey is browned completely, stir in beans, pumpkin, tomatoes or paste, and chicken broth.  When well combined, add seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  

Serve over rice with desired toppings and a side of cornbread.  For extra heat, top with your favorite hot sauce or buffalo sauce.

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Fall Time Is The Best Time

Well hello!  It's been a nice four month break!

Since last posting, I have been busy.  Busy doing too many things other than cooking and baking!  So now that all that nonsense is basically over, we're now in a rental house that has a really big kitchen.  It's the biggest kitchen I've ever had in a house.  There are so many cabinets, literally every kitchen gadget/appliance/pan that I own fits somewhere.  This is a new feeling for me and I enjoy it.

I bought a new fall cookbook -- $3.99 from Ollie's -- "Quick and Easy Autumn".  I want to say these are the same authors that put together the crock pot cookbooks that are spiral bound.  I used them a lot growing up, because my mother loves a good crock pot recipe.  ANYWAY.  My four-year-old loves all the illustrations in this book and really really really wanted to make something.  Disclaimer -- almost nothing in this book is healthy, which is okay for today.  Page 40 of the "Snacks and Appetizers" section was a winner for limited ingredients and no actual cooking or baking -- Creamy Pumpkin Spread!

Creamy Pumpkin Spread
(I would rather call it Pumpkin Cookie Dip)

8oz cream cheese softened
7oz marshmallow fluff
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all these things together.  I put it all in the mixer because cream cheese can be lumpy and the fluff is sticky.  I even have a silicone spatula and STILL the fluff was getting the best of me.  But in the end it was all okay, and it was fluffy, creamy, orange, and speckled with cinnamon and nutmeg.  It may also be a little soupy, so chill it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before you eat it.

And what do you eat it with?

COOKIES.  Shortbread, ginger snaps, and graham crackers!  I thought this would be a good time to look at the fancy cookies in the grocery store, the stuff no one seems to buy.  I found some great ones.

Verdict -- the ginger thins are my favorite because they are delicate and crisp.  My husband loves crunch of the French shortbread.  But overall, we love both cookies with the pumpkin spread.  Feel free to spread or dip!  My husband suggested making them mini ice cream sandwich-style and freezing them.  He's a genius.

Also good dippers could be Biscoffs, waffle cookies, anything almond, something with caramel, and definitely graham sticks or crackers.  And now that I'm thinking about it, you could literally go nuts with this recipe and add nuts or chocolate chips.  My favorite chips for baking are the Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chips:

We don't have allergies, we just love them.  Excellent flavor, perfect teeny size.

Enjoy!

Granola Bars

I'm going to try the Pioneer Woman's granola bar recipe at some point.  I like the use of molasses and wheat germ in these.  My variations will be apricot cashew, raisin cinnamon pecan, and cherry almond (maybe with coconut).  I will likely add pumpkin seeds and split the wheat germ with flax seed meal.

Granola Bars via The Pioneer Woman

Muffins Two Ways

Today is muffin day:

Bakery-Style Blueberry Lemon

Brown Sugar Banana Clementine

And off I go to bake!