Aunt "Raine's" Pumpkin Bread

This is the real old time MOIST pumpkin bread. NOT a cake like version and not fancy. Great to make a freeze ahead - great to make in smaller loaves too. Serve with cream cheese.

Oven 350
Makes 2 standard loaves or 6 -7 smaller loaves.

Combine and put aside
4 eggs - beaten
2/3C water
1C Canola or Corn Oil
1 Can Pumpkin


Sift
3 1/2C Flour
3C Sugar
2t baking soda
1 1/2t salt
1t cinnamon
1t nutmeg
Pinch of cloves

*1C walnuts (optional)
*1C raisins (optional)

Put dry ingredients with egg mixture and mix together.

Tuna Crostini's

This is so easy!

Tuna Crostini's


1 baguette or italian bread
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese


In a mixing bowl:
2 (6-ounce) cans white meat tuna packed in olive oil
1/4 cup capers, drained
1 large shallot, chopped (or a leak)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 C watercress (chop it if you have it)
2 T chopped fresh parsley leaves
15 to 20 grinds of black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice baguette (or italian bread) into slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake until toasted and LITE golden, then pull out and sprinkle parm over each piece and put back into oven.

Put back into oven and cook until cheese is melted.
This all takes less than 10 minutes.

Put all remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix up - most of the time I do this with my hands so I don't crush the tuna, I just toss it together.

Put tuna mixture on top of each toasted baguette slice and some people like chopped bermuda onion as a garnish.

Salsa, Salsa, Salsa - This one is FRESH!

Because it is always a crap shoot with my garden - fresh herbs or the tomatoes I scam from friends or from the farmers market, I vary with what my real ingredients will be, tho this is my base recipe:


Chop:

* Onions, scallions or leeks
* Garlic - crush, fresh only not the jar kind
* Ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped into chunks
* Chile peppers, fresh ones- Serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped, remove the seeds (wear gloves if you need them)
* Red Pepper Flakes (if you like extra spice)
* Cilantro - fresh if you have it, Parsley if you don't
* Lime juice
* Lemon Juice
* Salt
* Ground Pepper

Chop onion and garlic - set aside

Combine onions and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, lime & lemon juice salt and ground pepper.


*If you are interested in adding more sweet to this recipe - try adding mangos or peaches - but strain off the juice so it doesn't become to watery.

New Deadliest Catch Season - it is "what's for dinn-ah!"

Ingredients
2 large tomatoes cut in half - allow to get to room temp if you have in fridge. This is low carb friendly...

1- 1 1/2 C crabmeat fresh
1/2 cup almonds
1 C monterey jack cheese - shredded (I love pepper jack)
1/2 c leeks or shallots
1/2 c fresh parsley
1 clove garlic smashed
1/2t oregano (dried) 1T fresh
1/2t basil (dried) 5 large leaves - fresh chopped
1/4C capers (optional)

HOW:
Half and core tomatoes coat with olive oil

Roll the tomato cut side down in almonds
Put on cookie sheet

Combine:
The rest of the ingredients and mix well (gently) place on top of tomatoes and bake for 15 minutes until bubbling. Save a little grated jack (or if you like some parmesan) cheese for the top and if you want to get fancy, just put a little on the top 3 minutes before done and flick on the broiler. But watch closely, you don't want it to burn!!

Garnish with paprika or cayenne - tabasco (if you dare!)

SPICY JAPANESE CUCUMBER SALAD

This recipe was adapted from 2 recipes on Cooks.com and then I added my twist!

2 med. cucumbers
1 t soy sauce
1 Leek
1 T white vinegar or rice vinegar
1 t sugar
2 t sesame oil
2 T Tabasco * (for your taste)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 slices fresh ginger, finely chopped or slivered
1 T toasted sesame seeds

Peel skin off cucumbers and ends. Remove seeds (if you like) Slice cucumbers lengthwise in thin ribbon like slices.

Slice leek in a similar way- lengthwise and thin slices.

Marinate in mixture of remaining ingredients. Chill in the marinade an hour or longer (even overnight). Occasionally toss the cucumbers to make sure it covers them.

What can you do with a Hanger Steak?

I get hanger steaks from my farmers market. I love the guy I get meat from there and seriously he can sell me anything I will buy it. I know the meat will be good, just half the time, when I get home, I have NO idea what to do with it - I dont want to destroy it. But hanger steak is tricky I have learned and if you buy if from an organic meat guy, it isnt all that cheap , so the pressure is on to make it right!

This cut of meat is NOT for anyone that wants well done or anything more done than medium rare OR you will chew your face off and any flavor just goes away.

The Hanger Steak is a thick strip of meat from the underside. It hangs between the rib and the loin. It is a bit stringy.

Ingredients:
1 3-4# hanger steak

Tenderize with fork or a meat tenderizer on both sides.

Mix together:
2 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
salt and pepper to taste

Combine 2 cups of balsamic vinegar with Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and 1 tablespoon salt. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.

Put hanger steaks in a ziplock bag. Pour marinade over steaks, seal bag and turn to coat. Marinade hanger steaks for at least 3 to 4 hours up to 6 will work.

Take the 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Set side and allow to cool. Vinegar will continue to thicken as it cools.

Get out the cast iron and make it good and hot. Sear both sides for about a minute.

Brush with the thickened balsamic and put underneath the broiler for NO MORE than 3 minutes per side. Brush each side with the thickened balsamic after you turn them - and when you are done.

I made this in the winter and usually this is a grill thing, but not tonight, so the broiler works just as well this time of year.

Crustless Mini- Quiches

My friend Lainie gave me this recipe from one of those places that nobody bothers to read. I ofcourse have to change it up in order to make it my own - but these are so convenient you cannot help but make them. I am going to put them in the freezer, then take them out as I am ready to use them - great quick breakfast - :30 seconds in the microwave.

Oven 350 - bake 22 minutes

2C of shredded cheese ( I used Gruyere because I had it, I may use pepper jack next time)
1/2C half and half (I use fat free)
1/2C Mayo (I use canola mayo)
2 Eggs (Large or Jumbo work best!)
2T Flour
1/2t salt (I use 1 teaspoon kosher)
Black Pepper (to taste)

Goodies inside:
I use veggies and if I have ham or bacon I put a little in too. Onions, broccoli, spinach, crabmeat would work. Whatever you like. I also put a little Franks Red Hot in it to make it interesting.

Take Muffin pans and grease them up well (I use Olive oil) this makes 12.

Mix up all the cheese, 1/2 & 1/2, mayo, eggs, flour, salt and pepper - (Red Hot if you like it)

Take your chopped up goodies and sprinkle on the bottom of the muffin cups, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Fill 3/4 of the way up.

Pop in the oven.

Old Favorite - "No Bowl Cake"

This is a tuned up version of the favorite easy cake mom used to make.
Oven 350 for 30 minutes.

Cake:

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 Cup sugar
3 TB cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt or 1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Wet:
5 TB melted butter
1 Cup cold water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 TB white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all of the dry ingredients in an un-greased 8x8-inch square cake pan.

Put into one corner melted butter, into the second corner water and vanilla, and in the third corner you put the vinegar.

Stir everything and blend it well. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until the cake shrinks a little from the sides. Let the cake cool, and then frost.

Berry Rhubarb crumble pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees- then 350 for the rest.

BUY a pastry shell, this is messy enough without worrying about a pie crust.

Ingredients
* 2 egg
* 2 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon zest
* 2 cup diced rhubarb, if using frozen, chop while frozen,
then thaw and drain well
* 2 cup blueberries or blackberries or raspberries
if frozen, thaw and drain well
* 3 tablespoons flour or corn starch

Top "Crust" - here is the crumble part
* 3/4 cup flour
* 1/2 cup brown sugar (depending on the tartness you like, dark brown is sweeter)
* 1/3 cup softened unsalted butter

Directions
In a large bowl, mix egg, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, gently add rhubarb, the other berry (blueberries or blackberries or raspberries) you have sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour (or corn starch) on top and carefully coat them. (This is especially important if you have thawed your rhubarb or fruit-they are really goopey)

Pour mixture into a prepared, unbaked pie shell (8-inch). Set aside.

In a small bowl, cut 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar, and softened butter together until pea-size clumps are formed. Sprinkle above mixture on top of pie filling.

Bake pie for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees F and bake another 30-40 minutes until bubbly.

Christmas Slush

Slush

1 (12 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade (or limeade)
1 1/2 c. sugar (optional)
1/4 c cherry juice (from marachino cherries)
1 c Water
2 c Whiskey
2 c Rum (white rum keeps the red color)
1/4c Sweet Vermouth (if you have some)

Mix all together well in large bowl. Freeze in quart containers. When needed scoop out slush into glass, then fill up glass with ginger ale, or mountain dew.