Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can never go wrong when you combine pumpkin and chocolate. It is a really delicious combination, particularly when the chill of Fall sets in. This recipe was shared with me from a close friend of my husband's family. Phylis is a baking machine, constantly turning out amazing bread, cookies, and pies that are out of this world. Here is a cookie recipe that will not disappoint.

Phyl's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup shortening
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 package good chocolate chips

Directions
Cream first four ingredients. Add in eggs one at a time until combined. Stir in pumpkin. Sift together dry ingredients and add slowly to wet mixture. Once the dough has come together, stir in package of chocolate chips. Chill before baking. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes.
**These also freeze well.

Barefoot Bloggers Creme Brulee

This weeks Barefoot Blogger post comes to us courtesy of Suzie from Munch and Nibble. I have tasted many a creme brulee in my day, but this was the first time I tackled it myself. I must say the recipe was incredibly easy to follow and yielded great results. In fact, I have never had crust as tasty as it was homemade. We are in the middle of a move, so the kitchen torch is God knows where so the broiler was a great stand in. I left the oven door open and watched carefully to develop that delicious crackle that is my favorite component of creme brulee. Thanks for another winner, Ina!

Creme Brulee

nocoupons

• 1 extra-large egg
• 4 extra-large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

Barefoot Bloggers Blue Cheese Souffle

This weeks selection comes to us from Summer of Sexy Apartment. I have never taken myself to task to make a souffle, but I must say that I am so happy to have that culinary milestone under my belt!
I think this dish would be the star for your next luncheon with the ladies, or a light supper paired with a salad of mixed greens and some fresh fruit. It went together quickly and despite my stressing about how it would actually turn out, I was pleasantly surprised.
The blue cheese flavor wasn't overwhelming, but simply provided some tanginess to compliment the eggs. I will definitely be making this one again!

Barefoot Bloggers Corn Chowder

This week we have Jill of My Next Life to thank for choosing such a delicious Fall soup. I am not a chowder connoisseur, mostly because I can't stand the thought of clams coming anywhere near me, but this selection was a really winner sans seafood.

There was a fair amount of prep work involved, but when you have a willing husband, you can make quick work of that dilemma!

We absolutely loved this dish. There was a complexity of flavors with the addition of the turmeric, and it really added to the overall taste of the chowder. The only additions we made were the green onions and blue corn chips for garnish. I think this would be fantastic with some homemade croutons, but alas, there was no time to include them.

Cheddar Corn Chowder

Ina Garten

8 ounces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 cups chicken stock
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

I'll Have My Cake

What a busy week! I started a new job and by the design on Ina's cake, you may guess that it is teaching 5th Grade. In the midst of all the craziness, my lovely mother offered to make the cake since this is only the third day of school. What on earth would we do without our mothers, even when we are old enough to fend for ourselves?! The only issue she had in the process was that the pan she had on hand was smaller than the one Ina called for in the recipe. You can find the recipe at the Food Network website, or on page 216 in Family Style. I apologize for not going into further detail or providing more links, but this dial-up business is for the birds!

Barefoot Bloggers Pizza

Please check out this link to see the pizzas we made awhile back. Tara was kind enough to allow us to re-post since we had already made the recipe. Please know that these pizzas are fan-tastic and we have indeed made them several times since. They will NOT dissapoint!

Barefoot Bloggers Mango Banana Daiquiris

Since I am away from my computer this post will be shorter than normal. You see, I am dealing with the curse of dial-up for the time being.
This week's selection was perfect for a warm summer evening, but I have to say that I went very easy on the rum. The dust-covered bottle only had 1/2 of the amount called for in the original recipe, so I went with it. If I had been paying closer attention, I also would have made less of the simple syrup as it only called for 1/2 cup.
In the end, I would make this again for the smooth texture and slight kick of rum. This would be a fun recipe to share with friends at your next girls night.

Mango Banana Daiquiris
makes 4 drinks
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

2 c. chopped ripe mango (1-2 mangoes, peeled and seeded)
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
1/4 sugar syrup (*see note)
1 1/4 c. dark rum
mango slices for serving

Place the mango, banana, lime juice, sugar syrup, and rum in a blender and process till smooth. Add 2 cups of ice and process until smooth and thick. Serve ice cold in highball glasses with mango slices.
*Note: to make the sugar syrup heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water until the sugar dissolves. Chill.