Recipe of the Week; CREAMY PUMPKIN DIP

Happy Halloween!!

I have been making this simple, yummy, pumpkin dip recipe for YEARS. It's quick, simple, and decidedly festive when served in a small, hollowed-out pumpkin lined with plastic wrap.


INGREDIENTS
4 cups confectioners sugar
2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can (30 oz) pumpkin pie filling
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 ground cloves

Combine sugar and cream cheese in mixing bowl. Mix on low until well blended. Add remaining ingredients.

Place in bowl or pumpkin, set in fridge for at least two hours before serving.

Use a a dip with gingersnaps cookies, sliced apples, pretzels, marshmallows, Teddy Grahams and/or graham crackers. I especially like to use the little mini gingerbread men cookies that you can find around this time of year.

Oh The Ideas I Find Online

Today I was researching different "Halloweeny" type foods, you know- for kid's parties and whatnot.

I'm not sure what this has to do with Halloween, but what a clever idea.

The internet never lets me down.

The Great Polenta Debacle

Debacle, as defined in dictionary.reference.com:
(2.) a complete collapse or failure

I have never made polenta. I wanted to try it.

Do not use Gorilla glue to secure a broken handle on a pot.

At some point after you're done stirring the polenta, you must remove it from the heat. That's when the aforementioned Gorilla-glued handle didn't hold.

And. Polenta. Went. Everywhere.

A Note From Yours Truly

Due to serious time constraints, in addition to the complete lack of interest in keeping up with my blogs on a weekly basis, it is with regret I must inform my readers (all 2 of you...) that I am taking a brief hiatus from blogging.

Perhaps soon I will be inspired to continue further, but until that time I am on complete shut-off mode.

Thanks for checking in.

Back to School

Confessions

I hear tell confession is good for the soul. Let's see.

I'm going to confess ten things that, if mentioned beyond the confines of this blog, would either result in some adverse consequence, cause one to scrunch their nose in disgust, or just in general embarrass the hell out of me. Here goes:

1. I wear flip-flops to work, even though my employee handbook states that "open-toed sandals and flip-flops/thongs are not appropriate office attire."

2. I had the biggest crush on my high school chemistry teacher. I would sit in his class and daydream about making out with him amid the beakers and sulfates.

3. I do not like when my husband makes ribs. They are just tough and gross.

4. I used to pick my nose, a lot.

5. When I was twenty-two, I found a purse. I kept an unopened tube of Merle Norman lipstick and the $7 that was in it, then threw the purse in a large commercial dumpster.

6. I think Jon Stewart is so sexy.

7. I used to work at the local burger joint when I was in high school, and one time I dropped an entire bag of buns onto the dirty, greasy floor. I just dusted them off and put them back up on rack.

8. I can't stand some of my ghetto in-laws.

9. I'm intimidated by people from India. I think they smell bad and have horrible accents when they speak English.

10. I love the movie Twister. I could watch it over and over.

Recipe of the Week; BAKED POTATO SALAD

We've all made potato salad- that boring, strange-textured lumpy stuff that seems to appear at every picnic or pool-side gathering in the summer.

Standard potato salad is pretty boring to me. Everyone I know seems to have their own special way of making it, but rarely have I come across your basic mayonnaise-based potato salad that's worth a second helping. Until recently, that is.

It started with my son's post-football practice picnic. Traditionally, the parent-run football organization hosts a picnic for all of the families after the first full week of practice. All families are assigned a certain type of food to bring. TJ's team was assigned "cold salads". Which means anything from anti-pasta's to potato to those funky jello-mold things with suspended canned fruits that I refuse to eat.

My philosophy is to never serve anyone a new recipe or concoct one on my own without trying it out at home first. This is especially important if you're making a dish for people you don't know that well. Well, I threw caution to the wind and whipped up something new, and it turned out to be pretty darned good.

And after scouring the rows and rows of potato salads at the end of the picnic, I'm pleased to say my big Pyrex bowl was the only one completely empty. That must mean something...



3 pounds red potatoes, skin on and scrubbed
olive oil
5 to 6 slices bacon, preferably peppered
1/2 cup diced red onion
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
1/2 to 3/4 package dry Ranch dressing mix
1/4 teaspoon Cajun or Old Bay seasoning
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 stalks celery with tops, sliced thin
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
fresh parsley or extra celery tops, minced for garnish

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Rub the cleaned potatoes lightly with olive oil. Bake until cooked, but firm, approximate 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. Potatoes are ready when they are easily pierced with a fork, or have a little give when squeezed on the sides. Set aside and allow to cool.

Slice the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Fry until crispy, drain on paper towels and set aside.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk mayonnaise and vinegar. Add the dry Ranch dressing, seasoning blend, a little salt and pepper. I recommend adding the Ranch, seasoning and salt a little at a time and taste until desired flavor is reached. The dressing can be salty if too much of the seasonings are added.

Cut the potatoes into cubes. I like to go a little large on my cubes, to avoid the potatoes totally mushing up during the mixing process. Add the onion, celery, bacon and eggs. Carefully fold in the dressing, mix well to ensure even coating.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving. Sprinkle minced parsley/celery tops then a little fresh Cajun or Old Bay seasoning (for color) right before serving.

A Weekend in the Country

Meanwhile, out on the farm...


Grandma's garden is producing mounds of vegetables and herbs already. It always amazes me this time of year, when a visit to her house nets me a basketful of goodies.

Tomatoes and
cabbages and
Beans- OH MY!

So was the case this past weekend, when TJ and I (and Reese) relaxed in the country. Grandma even treated us to a delicious dinner of venison stew (Dennis stew, TJ called it. Which is quite funny because Moms husband's name is Dennis). She assured us there was no pieces of Dennis stirred into that pot.

We watched the Amish gathering hay, secretly snapping a picture or two when we thought they couldn't see.