Happy Halloween!

I'm still developing my concept of traditions for our family and I haven't been able to settle on just the right thing for Halloween dinner.   So I tried a new recipe tonight and it was really good!  I wasn't sure we were going to like it, because it sounded a bit strange, even for me.  But I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it.  I almost licked my plate clean!  The girls probably won't like it once they get a bit older if they have texture issues like I did, but for now they actually like it.  It really is good, I promise!

Once again, I have no idea where I found the recipe.  From now on when I find a new recipe I'll keep track of where it came from so I can give credit (but I have a HUGE pile of new recipes I have to try first :-)  And I guess I need to start taking pictures...oh well, one step at a time!

Pumpkin Tureen Fondue

1 pumpkin, 4 lb., washed and dried

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 cloves minced garlic

6 oz. baby Swiss Cheese shredded

4 slices white bread, toasted and crumbled

2 oz. mozzarella, shredded

1 pt. half and half

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

French bread fingers for dipping 
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With serrated knife, cut a two inch slice from the top of the pumpkin and reserve. Remove seeds and fibers.

Blend oil and garlic and rub into the interior of the pumpkin, then place in a large roasting pan. Alternate layers of toast crumbs and cheeses inside the pumpkin.

Combine half and half, salt, pepper and nutmeg and pour over layers.

Replace top and bake pumpkin 2 hours, gently stirring contents after 1 and 1/2 hours. Accompany with French bread, buttered and toasted, if desired, for dipping.

Creamy Basil Tomato Soup

I LOVE a good basil tomato soup.  My mom's good friend Kay Moser brought this one to her last year when mom was ill.  We all fell in love with it.  Thinking of both of them as I make it today.  It is delicious!!

Saute 1 medium diced onion in 1 cube butter until it's tender.
Add
2 cans diced tomatoes or 4 cups fresh tomatoes, diced with the juice
1 large can tomato juice
2 T dry chicken bullion
3-6 T sugar
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 T chopped broad leaf parsley
2 T chopped fresh basil
fresh ground pepper to taste
Simmer 3 hours

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

If Garlic Roasted Cauliflower is my best vegetable surprise ever, this one is second best.  My sister served this at a baby shower.  We plated the luncheon and the tomatoes added beautiful color and tasted out of this world.  I had never liked baked tomatoes before.  But these are spectacular.  You really need to give them a try!

Slow Roasted Tomatoes
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (28 oz) can Italian plum tomatoes in juice, drained
2 T unslated butter, cut into small pieces or olive oil

Preheat overn to 350 degrees with rack in the middle.
LIghter butter an 8 in shallow baking dish.
Stire together sugar, salt and pepper in a cup.
Put tomatoes in  baking dish and sprinkle all over with sugar mixture.
Dot tomatoes with butter, then bake until tomatoes are partially collapsed and deeply caramelized in placed, 1-2 hours.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Oven Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

I had to stop what I was doing and write this recipe down.  This is seriously the best surprise in a vegetable I have had since maybe my mock crabcakes made out of zucchini.  I made this a while back and even my vegetable haters loved it.  I wanted to eat it every day.  I just prep'd it for Sunday dinner tomorrow and I'm already salivating.  The only problem is that I find recipes and then it takes me quite awhile before I get around to trying them so I have no idea where I got it and I can't give anyone credit. Sorry.  But here it is:

In a large zip lock bag add:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 ENTIRE head of garlic, peeled and each piece smashed a little
1 sprig of rosemary, minced fine
1 tsp salt
some cracked black pepper
And an entire head of cauliflower chopped up serving size.

Shake it all up (marinate it over night and you are ready for Sunday dinner).
Put it in a casserole dish.
Roast in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes then bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

You will wish you baked 2 heads of cauliflower, I promise.

Summer is here! And I, of course, have a new plan for summer meals.  And I am going to attempt a blog about them....while I keep up with 7 kids for the summer.  Yes, seven!  Four step-sons, a two-year old princess who just broke my space bar, and 4 month old twins.  It's going to be a busy summer so meals have to be quick, easy and cheap.  Here's the plan.  The boys cook Monday-Thursday, one chef along with a soux chef incase I'm busy with babies, which I usually am.  If I can prepare portions of the recipe earlier in the day, I try to do that to help out.  I also signed up for Bountiful Baskets this summer so we'll have lots of fruits and vegetables to incorporate into our cooking.  This week's challenge was a whole lot of baby Bok Choy.  We had Bok Choy salad on Sunday and Bok Choy in a homemade ramen soup last night, neither of which were big winners.  Also a part of the plan, to keep it interesting, is a rotation of the meal type.  In June the chef's each try a pasta or rice, mexican, sandwich and a breakfast for dinner meal.  In addition we have Friday Fondue and Saturday BBQ.   In July we'll probably swap some of them out to try something else. This plan gets the boys to try to recipes and dinner doesn't get so borring.  This week's menus included:  chile verde, french toast, chicken ramen and chicken parmesan subs.  This week we have neighborhood parties on Friday and Saturday so no cooking.  Yea!