Pumpkin Pie

My favorite pie. For a flaky crust, minimize handling of the dough and be sure not to let the butter melt. Big chunks throughout is ok, as that is what makes separation of layers.

• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t cloves
• 1/2 t ginger
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 15 oz pumpkin (1.87 c)
• 12 fl oz evaporated milk (1.5 c) (or full Canadian can) [update: lactose free...by evaporating it on the stove for an hour+]

Pie Crust

• 1 1/4 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 c butter, frozen
• 1/8-1/4 c ice water

1. For the crust: Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Grate in the frozen butter and mix. Add just enough ice water until dough mostly holds together. Roll into ball in plastic wrap. Flatten into a disc and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt and spices.
3. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs (you don't want air bubbles). Add the pumpkin and sugar mixture.
4. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk.
5. Roll the dough out (on the plastic wrap) into a circle big enough to fill your pie plate. Roll from the center in quarter turns. Place in pie plate ensuring no air is trapped underneath. Lightly crimp the edges.
6. Pour in the filling. Finish the edges for style (fork pressed, curvy indentations, or rustic look). 
7. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and bake for 40-50 minutes more. Edges should be done but center should look a little wet. If you overcook it, it will crack.

Alternate Quick Crust

11/29/23 Tried an alternate crust but did not have pecans. I liked it but DBD prefers regular crust.

• 1 c quick oats
• 1/4 c flour
• 3 T brown sugar
• 1/4 c pecans, very finely chopped [optional: substitute more oats]
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 1 T water

1. Grease 9" pie plate. Heat oven to 425F.
2. Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon in bowl.
3. Combine oil and water. Work into crust until well blended.
4. Pat into prepared pie plate.
5. Bake for 8-10 min until browned around the edges.
6. Fill with pie filling and bake as normal (425F for 10 min, 350F for 40 min)

European Biscuit Crust

It's hard to find graham crackers in Europe so this one uses the easy to find Biscoff biscuits. They are already sweet enough, so no need to add more sugar.

• 1 package Biscoff speculoos biscuits (250 g)
• 71 g butter, melted (5 T)

1. Grind biscuits in food processor until no big chunks exist.
2. Pour melted butter in and process just until dispersed evenly.
3. Shape into pie plate(s). Use back of measuring cup to press against edges.
4. Bake for 7-10 min at 177C.
5. Let cool slightly before filling.

Variation: Pumpkin Bars

10/29/15 Use the same filling but make an oat crust in a 9x13 pan. Bakes faster as well.
2022 3rd time making this but first time tasting it. The crust is WAAAAYYY too sweet! Rating: *

• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 c flour
• 1/2 c rolled oats

1. Combine butter with brown sugar.
2. Stir in flour.
3. Fold in oats.
4. Press into bottom of 9x13 pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (check after 10 min), until set.
6. Remove from oven and fill with the pie filling from above.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until set.

Pumpkin Puree

1. Cut clean pumpkin in half, avoiding stem (pull apart to do final split).
2. Scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh.
3. Place face down on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 200C/400F until flesh is soft and coming away from skin, about 45-60 min.
4. Cool enough and then scoop out flesh (or peel off skin) and puree until smooth (3-5 min).
5. Freeze leftovers in ~1.87 cup scoops for using for pie/bread.

Evaporated Milk

2 bottles of lactose free koffie melk is the same as 1 can of evaporated milk (1.5 c), but costs 2.59 each at AH XL. One liter of lactose free milk is 1.85 at Jumbo, but simmering it down costs time.

• 3.5 c lactose free milk
• wide heavy bottomed pan

1. Bring milk to low boil and immediately lower heat to steam/simmer. 20-40 min until 40% volume. Stir constantly.
2. Heat 5 or 6 on induction - higher than you think otherwise it can take hours.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

First time I had brussel sprouts was at G's house - fresh from her garden. Delicious! I had no idea why there were the dreaded vegetable of commercials. They're everywhere at the markets now so I finally bought some. Not as good as garden grown, but still tasty.

• 2 handfuls of brussel sprouts (or however many you want to eat)
• butter
• sea salt
• pepper
• garlic cloves (to taste, I did 2)

1. Chop off stem of brussel sprouts. Optional: Cut in half.
2. Place in baking dish (cut half down unless you like them dry).
3. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
4. Cut garlic in half. Place in dish.
5. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until desired tenderness. It's ok if the outer layer goes black - the inside will still be tender.

Pasta Bake

made this for dinner tonight. It's just like lasagna but with a different pasta shape. Used brown rice macaroni to make it gluten free. Make sure all pasta is covered with sauce or cheese...since the pasta dries up and hardens very easily.

• bag of pasta, like elbows
• ricotta
• 1-2 eggs
• parmesan
• italian seasoning
• mushrooms, sliced
• zucchini, sliced
• mozzarella, grated
• pasta sauce

1. Boil the pasta until nearly done. Drain.
2. In a bowl, mix the eggs, ricotta, parmesan and spices.
3. In 9x13 dish spread sauce. Top with half the pasta. 
4. Add the ricotta mixture, vegetables, some mozzarella and more sauce.
5. Top with remaining pasta and repeat previous step. End with mozzarella topping.
6. Bake at 350 until cheese is lightly browned (about 45 min - 1 hour).

Variations

see lasagna recipe for other things to do. spinach in the ricotta. beef in the sauce. etc.

Hotteok

Hotteok are a delicious Korean snack - akin to a grilled pancake with a cinnamon-sugar filling. I first experienced it in Korea this past April with C. She showed me her favorite stands and I filled up on as many as I could. On a cold foggy day at the bottom of a mountain, they are the perfect snack to get you motivated. When you bite into them, the cinnamon-sugar juice is waiting to burst out into your mouth. The grilled dough wrapper is a thin vehicle to get the delicious filling inside. The dough is prepared ahead of time but the rest is done in front of you - the rolling, filling and cooking. They are a 5 star snack. This is my first attempt at making them at home. I don't have the equipment that the street-side cooks did, so I made do with what I had. They taste pretty good (4 stars) but in comparison to the authentic Korean ones, this can only garner 3 stars. Now that I'm in a cold climate again, I hope to experiment with a few other recipes before settling on the perfect one.

Hotteok Try #1 ***

I rolled the first two by hand but they were too thick. So I used a rolling pin on the remaining six. These came out pleasantly thinner, but still not as thin as the authentic ones. It was hard to get any thinner without the dough breaking and revealing the filling. So I went to just before the breaking point. Recipe from this entry. It calls for milk but I only had lactarded milk on hand. Not sure what difference this makes but my dough did not come out sticky as the blog mentions.

• 1/4 c lukewarm water
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t yeast
• 1 c flour
• 3/4 c glutinous rice flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 c milk
• oil for frying

Filling

I had trouble fitting in this much filling. Could get away with half - but I also felt there wasn't enough filling inside - so next time make sure to really stuff them.

• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 2 T peanuts, finely chopped

1. Combine the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes until bubbly.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, sugar and salt. Add the yeast mixture and milk. Stir until comes together.
3. Knead with hands for 2-3 minutes.The dough should be sticky (add more milk if too dry).
4. Leave in a covered bowl in the oven with a pot of boiling water. Let rise for 2 hours or until doubled.
5. Combine the filling ingredients in a small dish.
6. Punch down dough and need a few times. Break off 1/8 of the dough. 
7. Roll into a flat circular shape. Fill with 1 T of filling. Pinch in sides. Squash down with hand. Roll to as thin as possible without breaking open the filling. Note to Self: Next time try the roll into ball and pinch hole in middle method.
8. Lay in oiled frying pan. I used a cast-iron pan at heat 5 (for other pan try medium high). Cook each side until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Continue to flatten as it cooks. Note to self: next time flatten with bowl and leave on as it cooks.
9. Serve hot.

Hotteok Try #2 *****

1/29/24 This turned out delicious! Used significantly more peanuts in the filling and this was very nice. Still only used half the filling as the original recipe called for because it's very hard to stuff them without making a mess. I could fit more if I flattened the dough to a large disc. But less filling was still tasty.

March 2026 Got almost all the filling in 9, and even added a bit more peanut. Used 1/2 c American flour, the rest Dutch flour. 

• 
  2.25 t active yeast
  
• 2 c flour
• 1/2 c glutinous rice flour
• 1 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T oil
• 1 c milk, warm
• Filling
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 5 T chopped peanuts

1. Sift the flours, sugar and salt. Add the yeast, oil, and warm milk. Knead until dough is formed. It will be quite sticky
2. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Prepare the filling by mixing together in a bowl.
4. Punch down the dough and let sit for 20-30 min until doubled in size again.
5. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Lightly oil your hands. Tear a piece to make about a 2.5" ball. Flatten into a disk and place 1.5 T filling in the middle. Pinch dough to seal.
6. 
   Put the sealed side down in the pan and flatten with greased measuring cup (or other flat round surface). Cook until browned and then flip. Flatten again. Cook until golden brown. Flip to finish cooking the squished dough. Makes 8-9 hotteok.
   
7. Enjoy warm. Toast leftovers to reheat.

Other Recipes to Try

Korean recipe - uses egg in the dough

another Korean recipe - different ratio of flours (less glutinous rice flour)

Variations

- instead of peanuts, use walnuts or black sesame or almonds

- if you've run out of glutinous rice flour, use regular flour

Applesauce

Just made a batch. 10 apples filled a 28 oz jar plus a small bowl for 2 as dessert.
11/24/12 8 apples made 1 mason jar worth. gala, fuji, cortland

• Apples, variety
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

1. This time, I used 10 apples (minus a slice or two) - 5 Gala, 5 McIntosh. Peel, slice, core, and roughly chop. This is the most time/effort consuming part.
2. Heat with cover until simmering. Reduce to low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until mushy (about 20 minutes). 
3. Mash with a potato masher or fork, for chunky texture. Blend/mix for a fine/smooth texture.
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Notes

Recommended apple types: Gala, McIntosh, Cortland, Fuji, Winesap, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Delicious, Jonathan, Mutsu/Crispin, Braeburn

NOT recommended: Granny Smith, Rome, Jersey Mac

Variations

Add other spices to taste: cardamom, allspice, cloves, ginger, ...

Put in a slow cooker and it will "mash" itself.

Vietnamese Style Salad

A couple weeks ago we made fresh rolls. This is one of my favorite dishes - a delectable combination of fresh and tasty ingredients. The wrapping process can be quite enjoyable as well - trying to make the perfect wrap - tight around all the juicy bits. But when you're hungry and want to wolf down 5 rolls one after the other, it becomes frustrating - you rush the process, break the skin, make it too loose and it falls apart as you dip it. It just so happened a blog I follow offered a spin on it. Toss everything in a bowl and use rice noodles instead of the rice wrapper and call it a salad. Same ingredients, same taste, with a big payoff. Tried it out last night and it was delicious. Here is my spin on his recipe.

3/12/15 made this without brining chicken pieces, boiling them in salted water for 10 min. Added sliced cucumber and left out garlic, sprouts and chili flakes. Kids gobbled it up. 


Salad Base

• 3 chicken thighs
• salt, sugar, water (brine)
• romaine lettuce
• fresh mint
• fresh basil
• fresh bean sprouts
• rice noodles
• roasted peanuts

Marinade/Sauce

(for 2.5 heads of romaine lettuce it was still more than enough, adjust as necessary)

• 1/4 c + 1 T water, hot
• 1/3 t salt
• 3/16 c sugar
• 3/16 c rice vinegar
• 1/4 c fish sauce
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• juice of half a lime (about 1-2 T)
• 1/2 carrot, shredded

1. Fill a large container with water and add 1T salt and 1T sugar or whatever brine ratio you like. Let sit for one hour in the fridge.
2. Make the marinade: Add the salt and sugar to the hot water and let dissolve. Add the rest of the ingredients. You can set some aside to use as dressing for the noodles and salad. 
3. Bake the chicken at 350F until done. (I checked after 20 min, flipped them and took them out 10 min later). 
4. Cool slightly, cut/shred and dump into marinade. Let sit for 1-2 hours in fridge.
5. Make the salad: Chop the lettuce and sprouts into bite size pieces. Add some chopped mint and basil. 
6. Boil water. Add the rice noodles. Follow package directions (based on width of noodles - about 5-7 minutes) for length of time. Drain and run under cold water until cooled. Cut with scissors to bite size lengths. Coat with marinade. Toss in with salad. 
7. Add the drained chicken. Top with peanuts. 
8. Serve with extra marinade on the side. (You don't need much as the noodles and chicken have plenty - and you get plenty of flavor from the herbs.)

Variations

coriander, shrimp, cucumber, beef, tofu

If using frozen shrimp, boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Pumpkin Breads

October means pumpkin season! I first discovered pumpkin bread at a grocery store near my college. It was delicious and I looked into making it myself. Always tasty, I eventually looked into reducing the fat and sugar content. No surprise that it still turns out moist and delicious. Now with M, I've looked into a gluten-free version. It turned out a bit ugly (dry on top, not risen as high) but just as moist and delicious on the inside. How can you go wrong with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves? 

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
I forgot to take a picture of this. As noted, it wasn't the prettiest, but it tasted good!

• 1 c rice flour
• 1/4 c millet flour
• 1/4 c starch (potato, tapioca, or corn)
• 1 t soda
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 t xanthan gum
• 1/4 c butter (1/2 stick), melted
• 2/3 c sugar (brown and white mix)
• 1/4 c applesauce
• 1 1/4 c pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c orange juice
• 1/2 c raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 bread pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours to xanthan gum).
3. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, applesauce, pumpkin, eggs and orange juice.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. 
5. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Allow to cool further before slicing. 

Reduced-Fat Pumpkin Bread
"Reduced fat" always sounds like something awful - like they replaced the fat with margarine or just got rid of taste altogether. Don't let my title for this bread fool you. It's just as moist and delicious as typical recipes, just with reduced butter and sugar. 
12/25/12 made this as muffins, but didn't have enough raisins so filled out with craisins. prefer raisins. also used canola oil instead of butter. next time try chocolate chips.

• 1.5 c flour
• 1 1/4 t soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t ginger
• 1 1/4 c pumpkin puree
• 2/3 c brown sugar, lightly scooped
• 1/2 c yogurt (or 1/2 c milk + 1/2 t lemon juice)
• 1 egg
• 2 T butter, melted
• 1/2 cup raisins

1. Mix dry ingredients (up to ginger) in a large bowl. 
2. Mix remaining (wet) ingredients in a medium bowl. 
3. Mix wet into dry, stirring just until flour is moistened. 
4. Pour into 8x4 or 9x5 greased bread pan. Bake at 350 F/175 C for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until done.

Traditional Pumpkin Bread

Much higher in oil and sugar. Compare to above recipe - gives idea of how much ingredients can be bumped up.

• 3.5 c flour
• 2 t soda
• 1.5 c light brown sugar
• 1.5 c sugar
• 1.5 t salt
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t cloves (optional)
• 1 c oil
• 2/3 c water
• 4 eggs
• 2 c pumpkin (one can)
• 1 c raisins
• 1 c nuts

1. Mix everything thoroughly.
2. Bake at 375F for about an hour, using two 9x5 bread pans..

Variations

• Try different gf flours: instead of millet flour use sorghum flour, brown rice flour, oat flour or whatever you have on hand.
• Instead of all white flour, substitute half a cup of whole-wheat flour
• If you don't have applesauce, use all butter. If you don't want as much butter, substitute applesauce. If you don't have butter, use oil.
• Add walnuts or other chopped nuts.
• As with any quick bread, bake in muffin form - this reduces the baking time significantly.
• Vary the spices - try more cloves instead of nutmeg or the ginger. Go with the taste you like!