Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Winter is coming ... actually it's basically here. We got 2 days of snow and slush already in Baltimore, which means fall (aka pumpkin season) is over. Luckily, I stocked up on canned pumpkin early in the season, so I have plenty to last me throughout the year! And what better day to try a new baking recipe than a snow day?

I originally planned to make a French toast bake, but realized I didn't have enough eggs. I watch Chopped on Food Network all the time and they're always making French toast or bread pudding for dessert, so I figured I could tweak the recipe to make bread pudding instead! I think the bread loaf I used was a little on the small side, so it ended up having to stay in the oven longer to make it less mushy. Once it was done though, it was delicious! You can eat it plain or topped with maple syrup or some sort of glaze (I enjoyed it plain).

Ingredients:
1 loaf of whole wheat bread, diced into 1" cubes
1 can of pumpkin puree (15 oz)
4 eggs
2 cups milk ( I used Silk's pumpkin spice soy milk, whaaaat)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp pumpkin spice blend, divided

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking or casserole dish and fill with diced bread.

2. Combine last 5 ingredients and 1 tsp of pumpkin spice in a mixing bowl. Whisk together until smooth.

3. Pour pumpkin mixture over bread and gently mix with a spatula to evenly distribute. Top with the remaining teaspoon of pumpkin spice.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Bacon Topped Meatloaf Muffins

I've recently found that besides shopping, one of the only other things that makes me feel better is cooking. I love the feeling of sharing something delicious with other people, especially when it gets everyone sharing and talking about their memories. My boyfriend has been asking for meatloaf for a while now, but the only meatloaf I have memories of is from a microwave TV dinner. Not very appetizing or healthy!

I adapted this recipe from Skinnytaste, where I make most of my meals from. This recipe is kind of a hybrid of several meatloaf recipes, and the result was a hit. My boyfriend even asked me to make it again for a tailgate, where 3 dozen of these muffins were gone in about 15 minutes. I used lean ground turkey, plus zucchini and oatmeal as healthy fillers. And the muffin tin provides portion control!  The bacon kept the meatloaf moist, but provided a little indulgence. Add some sambal or other hot sauce to the glaze for an extra kick.

Ingredients:
1.3 lbs of 99% ground turkey
2/3 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed and drained
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 onion, diced or grated
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as sriracha or sambal oelek (optional)
4 slices of center cut bacon
Olive oil for cooking, salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Saute the onions and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent and garlic is golden brown (put onions in first for 3-5 minutes, then add garlic so it doesn't burn)

3. Remove garlic and onions from heat. Mix them in a bowl with  the first 4 ingredients and the 1/4 cup of ketchup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Mix the remaining 2 tbsp of ketchup, worcestershire, and hot sauce (if using) and set aside.

5. Fill greased muffin tin with ground turkey mixture. You can fill the muffin cups to the top, but don't pack it in.

6. Cut bacon into 2-3" strips (big enough to cover the muffins) and top each meatloaf muffin with 1-2 pieces.

7. Brush ketchup/worcestershire/hot sauce gaze over bacon. Bake for 25 minutes or until bacon is brown and glaze looks caramelized.

Makes 10 medium-sized muffins. Adapted from Skinnytaste.com

Spaghetti Carbonara with Asparagus ribbons

I bought some asparagus at the farmer's market last weekend since I love asparagus and was so glad to see them back in season. However, they only had giant asparagus stalks that were way too thick to eat whole or even cut up. I remembered trying to make an asparagus with pasta recipe last year that didn't turn out quite right, and decided to try it again but with shaved asparagus ribbons instead of chopped asparagus. The result was great, although I think I would use a wider, flatter noodle than spaghetti next time. The asparagus allowed me to cut back on noodles but still gave a nice crunch. I tried using a vegetable peeler to make the ribbons, but I think a mandoline is necessary for this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 lb asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
7 oz dry spaghetti (about half a box)
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
Shaved or shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Prepare spaghetti according to package directions for al dente, reserving 1 cup pasta water and draining the rest.
2.  Shave asparagus with mandoline into extra thin slices, being careful not to cut yourself on the super sharp blade!
3.  Heat oil in a pan on medium and add minced garlic, stirring until lightly golden.
4. Add asparagus ribbons to pan and sautee for about 7 minutes or until asparagus is pliable but not limp (depends how thin you cut them). Make sure to stir often and coat the asparagus in oil so it cooks evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Add drained pasta to pan and mix thoroughly with asparagus for about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add egg yolks, then mix again until evenly distributed.
6. Season with salt and pepper, and served topped with parmesan cheese and lemon zest.

Note: carbonara is in quotes because it is supposed to have bacon in it, which I was out of but would probably make this dish delicious!

Bun bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup)

My favorite Vietnamese food is probably bun bo Hue, a spicy beef noodle soup that I find much more comforting than pho. However, it's also less popular and therefore harder to find a good bowl outside of Little Saigon (or my mother's kitchen). I never even dreamed of making it until my mom found a bun bo paste at a Vietnamese grocery store , so we tried using it and adding some extra spices. The result was very good, what my mom described as "80% the real thing." Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 tray beef shank (2 lean slices)
1 pork hock
4 cups of water
4 tablespoons of bun bo paste
1 lemongrass stalk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 white onion
1 package of rice vermicelli, prepared according to package instructions
sliced green onion, cilantro, mint, lime wedges, thai chile for garnish

Directions:
1. Salt the beef shank and pork hock, then simmer in 4 cups of water for about 1 hour.

2. Remove meat and slice around bone. You can discard the bone or save it for when you add everything back into the pot.

3. Skim the fat off the top of the broth. If you have the time, you can put the pot in the refrigerator overnight so the fat rises to the top and solidifies, then just remove it with a spoon. Re-heat the broth by simmering if you do this.

4. Bruise the lemongrass stalk or slice in half lengthwise and add to broth.

5. Mix the paste/soup base with the cooked meat and add back to the pot along with fish sauce.

6. Simmer for about 1 hour. Serve with rice vermicelli topped with garnishes to taste.

I'd like to try this in a slow cooker but I haven't figured out the conversions yet. My mom's guess was to use 4 cups of boiling water and pour it over the meat in the slow cooker, then cook on low for about 2 hours.
Also, nutritional info to follow if I can find it.

Canh (Pork and vegetable soup)

My mom made some of this when she visited several months ago and put the leftovers in my freezer. I was feeling a little under the weather one day and didn't think I could finish the whole cup myself, so I shared some with my roommate. She loved it, so I asked my mom to make a fresh batch for us when she visited again. My roommate happily declared "I could eat this every day!". It's so easy and is a great way to eat vegetables.

Ingredients:
2 lbs pork shortribs (ask the butcher to cut them small if possible)
4 cups water
4 carrots and 3 cheyotes (you can substitute with a bag of mixed cut vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, and carrot)
1/2 of an onion
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 green onions
salt, pepper
Cooked rice for serving

1. Salt and pepper the meat. Mince the onion and mix this in with the meat.

2. Boil water and add meat and onion mixture. Turn heat down to medium and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is cooked through.
3. Chop carrots and cheyotes into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch. Add to pot and cover. Let cook for 1 more hour.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce if desired, and top with chopped green onion and fresh cracked black pepper.

5. Serve hot with rice!

Edit: I just made this with pork neck instead of short ribs and zucchini instead of cheyote, and it turned out great! Pork neck gives the broth great flavor but is harder to eat. Even my meat-lover boyfriend said he didn't need meat pieces because the soup had so much flavor already.