Honey & Walnut Pumpkin Bread

This loaf is the perfect blend of spices to welcome Fall into the kitchen. I used a can of organic pumpkin puree (with no sugar or spices added). If you have extra time, make you're own puree by roasting slices of a sugar pumpkin until soft and puree until smooth.

Canola oil cooking spray
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oat bran or wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice**
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cups fresh or canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

**Make your own pumpkin pie spice. For a total of 2 teaspoons mix the following: 1 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. ginger, 1/4 t. ginger, 1/4 t. allspice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch loaf pan with canola oil cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, oat bran, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda. In a second large bowl, combine sugar, oil, honey, milk, pumpkin, egg and vanilla then add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in walnuts.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack then remove from pan and set aside to let cool completely.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Browned Butter Sauce

Every cooking session begins with a good bottle of wine...

...and some great appetizers, like caper berries...

....and caprese salad with homegrown tomatoes.

Now here's the recipe I used. No need to be exact with the ingredients. The pasta is a simple egg pasta: 2 cups flour and 3 eggs, pulse in a food processor until it resembles coarse meal, then knead for 1-2 minutes until smooth and elastic. Remember to let the pasta rest for 30 mins - 1 hour.

Cut the pasta in 8 pieces before rolling out. I use the Kitchen Aid attachement (totally worth the money and much easier then the countertop-rolling-machine-thing)

Each ravioli piece has a heaping teaspoon of filling so there's no need to make a lot of filling.

I'm missing my ravioli cutter so I just used a round cookie cutter.

These pieces can be cut, sealed and then frozen to make for later.

Plum Galette

Ingredients
Serves 8
Recipe from www.marthastewart.com

* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
* Pate Brisee
* 1/2 cup finely ground toasted hazelnuts
* 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 pounds (about 5) plums, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
* 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup plum or red-currant jam

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in lower third. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pate brisee to 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges to form an 18-by-16-inch rectangle, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine flour, hazelnuts, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt; spread to cover middle of dough, leaving a 3-inch border all around.

2. Arrange plums in rows on top, slightly overlapping the slices and alternating direction of each row. Sprinkle plums with granulated sugar. Fold dough to enclose edges; brush dough with egg wash. Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator.

3. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees; bake until pastry is golden brown and plums are softened, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool to room temperature. Heat jam in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted. Let cool a few minutes; brush evenly over plum slices and serve.

Mom's Home Cooking

My mom's home cooked Japanese cuisine is easily considered my ultimate comfort food. Here is her famous Tonkatsu dinner. Tonkatsu is breaded and fried pork cutlets with a sweet vinegaresque sauce drizzled on top.

Delicious Miso Soup with taro root

The Taro Root before going into the soup.

Fried Tofu with Bokchoy

Tonkatsu on a bed of fresh cabbage

Pickled Persian Cucumbers

Candied Lotus Roots with julienne peppers

And the BEST thing about Tonkatsu is what the leftovers are made into...KATSUDAN! The remaining pork cutlets are cooked with carmelized onions and sweet eggs. Throw it on top a hot bowl of rice and you have dinner for the next night!

Afternoon Lunch at Tutta Bella

My good friend and amazing artist, Karl, is leaving Seattle for the San Francisco area (we're not holding it against him). To celebrate his bright future and to say goodbye (sniff, sniff) we had an amazing lunch at Tutta Bella. Goodbye Karl! I love you and I will miss you!

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachios

Chicken Sausage + Basil + Olives = **LOVE!!**

Queen of Tarts

This is the the Pear Tart recipe found here. This time I substituted toasted almonds for the pecans. And I found these small tart tins on Amazon. They are perfect for using up left over dough and filling, or if you have the patience you can make a million tiny tarts with them!

A Greek Feast of Moussaka

Traditional Moussaka takes a bit of time and assembly but is a perfect all-in-one meal.

Serves: 8

For the casserole:

• 2 large eggplants
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt & ground pepper
  

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems trimmed and leaves chopped
  

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground lamb or beef
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 - 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium baking potato, peeled & thinly sliced

For the cheese custard

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
• pinch of grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups grated kefalotiri cheese (or 1 cup feta plus 1/2 parmigiano-reggiano)
  
• 2 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
  

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim eggplants and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange on two foil-lined baking sheets, sprayed with non-stick spray. Brush slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 mins.
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat; add the chard and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until wilted, about 4 mins. Transfer to bowl to cool; squeeze out excess moisture and set aside.
3. Wipe the pot dry; add the butter and melt over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the lamb (or beef), breaking it up into pieces as it browns. Add the oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the meat is cooked through. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves; bring to a simmer, cover an cook for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, lightly oil a 9x11 inch casserole dish. Place the potato slices in the dish; pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
5. Make the cheese custard: Melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes to form a paste. Whisk in the milk and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to boil, stirring often to prevent milk from scorching. Remove from heat; stir in 1 cup cheese. Cool slightly, then whisk in the eggs and egg yolks.
6. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees. Layer half the eggplant on top of the potatoes. Cover with half of the meat sauce, then half of the chard. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, meat sauce and chard. Pour the custard sauce on top, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake moussaka, uncovered, until the custard is set and lightly browned, about 1 hour. Let rest 30 minutes before serving.