pumpkin latte, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream...

...pumpkin spice, pumpkin pie.. and on and on and on.. it is that time of the year again. the time we all get so excited for, when Starbucks breaks out their holiday cups and pumpkin latte's. although thanks to my best friend my holiday beverage is the hazelnut hot cocoa! not to stray to far from the "fruit of the season" this blog if you have not guessed already is going to be about a few little things i like to do with pumpkins!

toasted pumpkin seeds i have just toasted pumpkin seeds for the first time ever this year.  i attended a pumpkin carving party at  a friends house and decided that it was just wrong to throw away that many seeds, so i was gonna toast them! i really enjoyed my flavor combo, so ill share it with you.
wash the seeds and pat them dry. spray with a little cooking spray and sprinkle them with salt, cayenne pepper and brown sugar.  the spicy sweet combo gets really cool when its baked.  the cayenne gets almost smokey and the brown sugar begins to caramelize on the seeds almost masking the spice.  bake at 350 for 20 minutes, and enjoy!

pumpkin pie cheesecake! ladies, take note.. when i was just a young woman in high school, coming into my own, i was told something so profound that i would literally live and die by this statement "the way to a mans heart is through his stomach" and on a cold october day in my freshman year of high school i put this cliche to the test and made my crush a sweet and creamy pumpkin pie cheesecake, and what was the result you may ask?! i got myself a date to the winter formal #winning.  so ladies... and gents.. here is my recipe for pumpkin pie cheesecake:
2 bricks of 8oz of room temperature cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla
 4 oz of sour cream
1/2 a can of pumpkin puree
pinch or two of cinnamon
1 stick of butter and any type of graham cracker for the crust -- i prefer cinnamon with the pumpkin pie

start by creaming your cream cheese and sugar together.  once this has come together, add the eggs in one at a time.  when the eggs are incorporated add the sour cream, the pumpkin and blend.  here is where i like to give a little taste.  if you want it sweeter by all means add a little extra sugar, but once the vanilla and pinch of cinnamon goes in i really think that you will be all set! stop the mixer a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. and ALWAYS taste it before you bake it, to add in anything else you need

set the filling aside because its time to talk CRUST!  melt one stick of butter #pauladeenlove and combine it with a package and a half of crushed graham cracker crumbs (easiest way is to food process it, but i always end up smashing them with and empty wine bottle in a ziploc bag) the butter cookie crumb combo will turn almost pasty.  press it into the bottom of your spring form pan so it forms a tight layer of crust.  now like i mentioned above, i really enjoy cinnamon graham cracker, i think it keeps with the holiday theme, or try smashed ginger snaps YUMMY.

pour your filling over the crust and bake your cheesecake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 60 minutes.  you want the consistency to be firm with a slight jiggle.  allow your cheesecake to set for a few hours, preferable overnight.
i tend to make my cheesecake in individual cups so that i can just grab one and go or so i can easily share them.  in this case, just line a cupcake liner with the crumb mix and pour filling over it.  bake the cupcakes at 350 again, but for 20-30 minutes, until you achieve firmness with a slight jiggle..

until next time, eat, laugh, love & enjoy!

a boeuf bourguignon julia would be proud of

limited money and limited time are a re-occurring theme in my day to day cooking, however i wanted to make something warm and comforting now that the weather is getting a bit chilly outside but i needed to make sure it fit in with my budget.
i keep my joy of cooking cookbook sitting on my kitchen counter to keep me inspired and as the first thing i make from the book i just knew it had to be boeuf bourguignon, so i peruse the recipe and become quickly aware that the food costs are WAY more than i am willing to spend (the unfortunate thing about bi-weekly paychecks) so i decide to put my spin on this classic french dish. so i hope you enjoy my version of this meal, look below for my recipe and as always eat, laugh, love & enjoy

boeuf bourguignon
beef cut into bite sized cubes (i used strip steak, not the best quality but it cooks so long it gets really tender)
3 large carrots chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 large onion diced
1 large potato diced
1-2 glasses pinot noir (any red wine will be good)
garlic, salt and pepper to taste

brown the meat in hot olive oil and garlic, i like to get a carmelization on both sides, this will not only add extra flavor when the pan gets de-glazed but it will also allow the stew to not have to cook for so long.  do not over crowd your pan because if the oil gets to cool then the meat wont sear properly.  after all the meat has a nice browning on it, i removed it from the pan and set aside.  its not time to add my chopped veggies.  first comes the onion, allowing them to cook a little bit, getting translucent.  before adding the rest of the veggies, it is time to de-glaze the pan. THIS IS SUPER EASY, it consists of pouring the wine in the pan and then scraping the bits of deliciousness off the bottom to incorporate that flavor in with the dish.  now add in all of the veggies, add the beef back in, add about one cup of water just to make sure that there is enough liquid and bring to a boil. as soon as the wine begins to boil drop the temperature low and cover and let this cook for about 2-3 hours or until all of your veggies get soft.

serve over rice, or pasta, or just by itself in a bowl. its not the traditional way but its the affordable way and it seriously tastes amazing! the meat is so tender it falls apart, and the potato soaks up all of the wine and the carrots get really sweet the longer than cook. its the perfect comfort food dish and itll last for days!

living on a prayer, and a budget!

so here is the situation, i like to cook, i like to eat, and i like to eat GOOD food...but my finances dont always fund my habit, so i am constantly thinking of ways to eat "expensive" tasting food on a less than expensive budget.  i have got 2 great recipes that i swear, you would think wouldve cost me a fortune to make.

Smoked Salmon, Chive, and Cream Cheese Quiche

• Nova Smoked Salmon, 6 oz, $6.99
• Eggs, 6 large $2.14 for 12
• Cream Cheese Onion and Chive flavor, $1.94
• Chives, $1.99 a bunch
• Salt and Pepper to taste

wisk together 6 large eggs, this is enough to fill a 9 inch pie tin, if you would like to nix the pie crust and make it a fritatta be my guest! add in the 6 oz of chopped (bite size pieces) of smoked salmon.  Add in finely chopped chives and give the mixture a few good stirs.  add salt and pepper to taste, about 1 tsp of each.  pour mixture into your your oven safe pie tin or pyrex dish and dollop the cream cheese all over the top (this is my favorite part its like a gooey creamy yumminess in each bite) and pop that baby into the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes or until the eggs have cooked fully.

Asian Slaw
my name is megan, and i am a salad dressing addict! now i cannot be the only person that has a weakness for 2 for 1 bin of salad dressings at the grocery store. ive seriously got so many dressings and clearly i dont go through them that quickly so what to do... what to do? this is how i came up with my asian slaw.  i look in the fridge and see this sesame asian dressing staring at me from the refrigerator door.  so i drive over to the closest publix, grab a bag of finely shredded cabbage a few peppers (red, yellow, and orange are my faves because they are so sweet). so here is what i do to make the asian slaw.

mix together in a bowl:  oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, add in a few squirts of your asian dressing (not very precise measurements) mix until this is all combined.  add in chopped peppers and shredded cabbage, toss the veggies until coated with the dressing.  the dressing should be runny enough to coat the cabbage.  cover and let it sit in the fridge.  HERE IS WHERE THE RECIPE GETS VERY PRECISE: if the slaw looks to wet, add more cabbage, if the slaw looks to dry, add more dressing. the longer a slaw sits the better i think it tastes, give your ingredients time to marinate and romance with eachother.  i let my slaw sit over night, the next day i crumbled raw ramen noodles over the top for a little crunch in this sweet and salty and nutty slaw. YUM. eat this along side a sandwich, or add some stir fry chicken or beef and make a lettuce wrap.

now remember if your in between paychecks but you want to treat yourself to something yummy, its possible to make good food at a affordable cost! until next time, eat laugh love & enjoy!

to cook or not to cook that is the question

TO COOK!

i have finally manned up and made the decision to go back to school to take culinary classes.  this is something that i have wanted to do for a long time and i have been putting it off because i already have so many school loans but HEY im not going to open my own cafe or catering business by sitting on my ass.

all of my friends are starting to get all these amazing promotion opportunities, and at first i cannot lie i was jealous.  i mean i put in 3 long years into my hotel career, but then it hit me.. do i want to be a front office manager, NO. do i want to be a housekeeping manager, NO. do i want to work in a sales office, NO. so what do i need to do, what makes me happy.. cooking. 

i have been researching a few different culinary institutes, but i think that the culinary institute of charleston is my winner! my hope is that i can get into a restaruarnt and learn as much as i can and then by 30 begin the process of owning my own small catering company.  the way i see it is, some people go to med school, some law school, ill go to culinary school and then once ive got all the tools in front of me and the skillset to cook professionally the only person i cant be mad at for not getting promoted is me.

wish me luck everyone, and ill keep ya posted! hopefully enrolled in culinary school by jan 2012
eat laugh love & enjoy