Pumpkin. Pumpkin Cheesecake

Wow. I've really been a slacker. Huh. That sort of sucks, doesn't it?

Really, I haven't been up to much - drinking water, eating eggs & toast, working and crocheting some scarves for Christmas presents. And trying to look for purple sparkly yarn so I can make myself a scarf. I've also been coveting 2 cans of pumpkin puree trying to figure out what I should make. Pumpkin bread? Pumpkin muffins? Maybe pumpkin pie? Oh, wait - I've got to save a can because I came across a Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe in my latest issue of Southern Living. Oh, yes, PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE. WITH PRALINE FROSTING.

I think I was meant to live in the South with all the fabulous food. Biscuits and gravy? Yes, please! Gumbo? Why, yes, please! Crawfish? Ummmm.... YES. Cajun food. YES. Grits? Oh, my Lord. I really think I'd fit in well in Louisiana. Le sigh. I think I can only convince Bimmer Man to possibly move to South Carolina for retirement. Is that southern enough? I think there might be a race track there.

Now I've never made a cheesecake before (GASP!!) in all the years that I've been cooking and baking. I don't even own a springform pan (GASP!!). So I'm going to have to buy one (I'm blushing). Let's just say thank goodness it was up on myrecipes.com to share with you - because I'm way too lazy to even try and type up the recipe from the magazine.

Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Praline Topping
• Garnishes: coarsely chopped Pecan Pie-Glazed Pecans, fresh sage leaves

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Press mixture on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
• 2. Beat cream cheese and next 2 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until blended and smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin and lemon juice, beating until blended. Pour batter into prepared crust. (Pan will be very full.)
• 3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until almost set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
• 4. Remove sides and bottom of pan, and transfer cheesecake to a serving plate. Prepare Praline Topping; immediately pour slowly over top of cheesecake, spreading to within 1/4 inch of edge. Garnish, if desired.
• Try This Twist! Sweet Potato-Pecan Cheesecake: Substitute 1 1/2 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes for canned pumpkin. Proceed with recipe as directed, baking 1 hour or until almost set.

Southern Living
NOVEMBER 2011

Pear Crisp

I've got 8 Bartlett pears that I need to use up and bake with - since I went to Costco this past weekend, I sort of forgot that buying in bulk (especially produce) can be sort of wasteful when there's only two people in the house. Unless you really like something and eat it all the time.

Generally I turn to Paula Deen for baking recipes and this Pear Crisp recipe looks super easy and delicious. I think pears are my second favorite fruit (first is definitely peaches!).

Pictures to come tonight!

How Much Do You Really Want To Know?

About pregnancy.

Seriously. I mean I never heard some of the weird things that happen to your body and really, I don't plan on posting about pregnancy that often (maybe like once or twice more before March, otherwise I plan on sticking to my usual stuff: food, decor and random crap).

I guess I'll tell you the weird stuff that happens so you'll be prepared. Any pregnant women or mothers, please feel free to add more in the comment section.

1. Food that you previously liked will not taste good. I projectile vomit from ice cream, soup and crackers. Strange, yes, part of pregnancy, yes.

2. Your feet swell. Or at least my left foot.

3. Zofran, Reglan and Phenergan will become lifesavers if you have awful morning sickness (and when the doctor starts discussing a PICC line and 24 hour IV Zofran drip, don't panic, just tell them that yes, you can keep down water. For more information on Hyperemesis, please visit helpher.org).

4. Even water tastes weird. (I HAVE to drink water out of a bottle, if not, well then, you've been warned)

5. Animals smell funny.

6. Get at least 4 different scents of body wash plus 1 unscented body wash so you have options.

7. Options for anything are awesome. (ie: strawberries or grapes; easy to vomit or tastes good; clean or you can live with dirty, etc...)

8. Suddenly you have a runny nose. And a postnasal drip. Which you've never had before.

9. Meh, I'm not far enough along to keep going.

Ok, ladies and future mothers: I've warned you of my symptoms. I promise that if you live close by I will come over and clean your fridge, take out your garbage and clean your bathroom. I will make your life easier. Maybe even walk your dog. And help you grocery shop. And not shove crackers or ginger in your face. In fact, I will stop at Subway if you want, get you a 6 pack of N/A beer and happily wish you congratulations and give you well wishes because it's very exciting and pretty awesome...

Bringing the Outside In: Card Holder

Thank goodness I've been feeling a bit more crafty lately. I'm feeling more like me SO... let's get some craft on. Ok, well sort of.

I had an excellent idea that I found on Pinterest and so I decided to take my tired self to Joann Fabrics and try to re-create this. However, I think I failed miserably.

Here's my inspiration:

Very pretty. Plain branches, decorated with cards in some sort of vase... Blah, blah, crafty, blah.

And here's what mine looks like:

Ignore the crappy iPhone photo. I literally stuck branches in a pitcher. And then I started laughing. And then I decided I was way too lazy to take the branches out so I just left them there.

So I think I've formulated a plan for this to not look like the tree from the front yard shit in the pitcher:

1. Get rid of the gumball machine (Hey, Neighbor Heather, you've got 3 kids, do you want it? Plus you live by me so I can just walk it across the yard... please say yes).

2. Find some sort of different catch-all table for the front hall. Maybe something more like this: And bonus points if I can find a real antique.

3. Spray paint the branches. What color? Umm... White? Silver? Turquoise? Red? I dunno... my creativity has gone out the window since I have the spawn of Bimmer Man in my ute.

4. Find some old Christmas cards and hang them up to make me look more popular. BWAHAHA.

Happy Monday.

Resurrecting an Old Favorite: Chili

Last night I craved something. BEANS. Black beans. Delish. And yesterday was an awful day - dark, dreary, definitely Fall-like and it called for something warm and toasty.

CHILI.

So I resurrected an old favorite and a staple dish in the fall and winter in the McTatty household - Chili.

This Chili recipe I posted in 2009 and decided to never post a chili recipe again. I don't know why - maybe because if you post it once then people star it in Google Reader and they always have it handy? But then new followers and readers barely even know it's there, right?

So I'm bringing it back.

I have made a few changes (a little here, a little there throughout the years...)

CHILI

1lb ground turkey (or ground beef)
2 cans black beans
1 can red beans (make it 2 if you're cooking for a crowd)
1 tbsp chili powder (make it 2 tbsp)
1 1/2 tbsp cumin (Change it to 1 tbsp)
1 tsp coriander
Just a little cayenne pepper (seriously, just a smidge)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (ok, 5 - 6 good shakes of the bottle)
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (2 cans if you like more tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce
Salt & pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press or finely chopped
Plus you can add a half a bottle of good beer (this is optional, since getting knocked up I haven't stocked beer, but trust me, if you get a good dark beer, it makes this chili Heavenly)

Add the onions to a large pan over medium with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, wait about two minutes, and then add the meat to brown.

Add all other ingredients and simmer for about 25 - 30 minutes.

Serve with really good tortilla chips, green onions, cheese and any other delicious topping that you like.

I'm Pregnant

There. I typed it. I just thought I'd get it out there. As you have noticed, I haven't posted any food recipes and now that I'm FINALLY starting to feel better (ok, I'm starting to have good days...) I'm ready to get back into the kitchen.

In fact, I've found several recipes that I really want to make this week, but my poor stomach, I don't know how much I can handle quite yet. So I'll be taking it easy for another week or two (re: eating Taco Bell soft shell tacos, McDonald's chicken nuggets, basically eating like a 2 year old). In the mean time, these recipes that I've pinned from Pinterest should give you an idea of what I've been craving...

My pin is right here.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Gah. I'm so excited for fall cooking. I can't wait to start making more beef stew, chicken pot pies and using the crockpot more. Delish!

So, Ahhh... It's Been Awhile???

Let's just say that, um, life, got in the way? Summer has been a bit busy.

But I've been pinning away on Pinterest, so let me show you what I've been looking at:

I want to put something like this in the kitchen at some point - it's pretty cool! Maybe mounted on a wall though instead of inside of a cabinet door.

Goal: Make this to put all the Christmas cards on in the living room. I may have to find a new cheap-o dresser the next time I go antiquing.

I need to find this. Like immediately. And I need two of them - one for upstairs and one for downstairs.

And at some point I need to stop in at Bauer Brothers Salvage to see if I can find some awesome old windows so I can put up old black and white family photos - I think I'm going to take down the cheap card holder in the dining room and replace it with something like this.

And by the way - Bimmer Man ripped out the closet in the basement this past weekend. YES. Bimmer Man: 1, Old House Basement: 0.

In The Garden: Tomatoes, Jalepenos & Basil

 I have a crapload of basil this year. I've got a pot for my sister, but I've had to snip off the flowers from it, so I think I'm going to have to start harvesting that basil. In any case, the jalepenos are doing excellent.

 I can count about 15 pieces of fruit right now on the four plants and more keep coming every day. These are definitely something I will do next year.

 Unfortunately the cherry tomatoes aren't doing so hot. I've gotten only 3 tomatoes from the plants in the backyard. The one in the front is doing much better. YES. The one pepper plant out in the front has no fruit on it yet - I'm a bit concerned, oh well. I guess the peppers were more of experiments anyway!

And the basil like last year is growing like mad. This weekend I'll be making at least one batch of pesto (and adding in some store bought spinach) and probably some sort of caprese salad.

CSA Recipe - Pasta Sauce & Sauteed Veggies

 Flat onion. Yep, tastes like a regular onion.

 Green beans.

 Trim the stem end from the beans - you can trim both ends if you want to. I grew up with like a half acre for a garden though, so I'm pretty lazy when it comes to veggies. (Ok, so I used to go outside for a snack when I was little - fresh tomatoes, peas, peppers, delish!)

 Zucchini - slice zucchini and summer squash diagonally, not only will they NOT fall through grill grates, but you'll get a better sear and grill marks and you'll be able to season more of the vegetable.

 Delish!

Just use the pasta sauce recipe from a few weeks ago with the flat onion, fresh basil and a package of premade pasta. Whatever kind you like.

Saute all the veggies in a large pan, with a few tablespoons of either veggie oil or olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. You can season with spices if you want - anything is really good. I still like my veggies with a good crunch to them, so the beans maybe 4 - 6 minutes total, the zucchini saute until you see it seared on both sides and then pull off the heat immediately. I dislike smushed zucchini!

Update: THE GRASS

Holy buckets. We've got grass!! And it can actually be mowed! YES!!! Dogs, snow, salt, sand be damned - I will have grass in my backyard!!

It doesn't look too bad, right? There's still a few rough spots out there, but once a week I sprinkle handfuls of grass seed in the bald spots and water. I water like crazy - I hand water every day and make sure that the grass is well soaked.

I've noticed that in the neighborhood everyone has crabgrass - and the only way to get rid of it is to pull it up by hand or dump baking soda on it. (Baking soda totally turns it black and kills it, but then it looks bad and you still have to pull it up anyway). To prevent crabgrass, you need to have a healthy lawn in the first place, so I'm trying my best - deeply watering the grass to make sure it has strong roots. GAH. Lawns. I have no idea why I'm so obsessed with it in the first place. I suppose I should just let it grow into a prairie.

Happy Friday!