“Spooky” Spaetzle

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Multi flavored spaetzle

I decided to make spaetzle in different colors inspired by Halloween. I made three flavors- purple sweet potato, beet and green pea. They came out very pretty and my friends loved them. Not sure how spooky they were, though. I also served them with squid ink pasta, but that was store bought, not homemade. It made for a fun presentation. I would certainly make any of them again.

For those who aren’t familiar, spaetzle are like little dumplings or a type of pasta, depending on who you ask. The dough is a thick batter that is added to boiling water using a spaetzle maker. People will also use large slotted spoons to help the batter enter the boiling water in small pieces. They puff a bit when cooked, but deflate slightly after. They have a slightly chewy texture, but still tender, if that makes sense. My grandmother would put the dough on a cutting board and use a knife to cut little pieces off ad slide them into the water. She did it so quickly. I use a spaetzle maker – picture is at the bottom of this post. I was recently given a great hint. A perforated pizza pan- they are used to make a crisper crust- can be used as well. The pan has holes all over it. You place it over the pan of boiling water, dump the spaetzle dough onto the pan and use a spatula to press it through the holes into the boiling water. Great idea.

They were served with an array of colorful sauces, too. Because the pasta was pretty pastel in the end, I could see serving these for a Spring dinner, too. So here are the recipes, along with the recipe for my regular spaetzle.

Beet Spaetzle

1½ c. shredded cooked beets

1 egg

½ t. salt

1½ c. flour

Puree the beets. Combine egg, beets, salt and flour in a bowl and stir until batter is smooth. Batter with be thick. If it seems too thick you can add a little water or milk. Start pot of water boiling while batter rests. If using a spaetlze maker, place maker over the pot of boiling water. Place batter in the maker and slide back and forth, replacing batter as it runs out. If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, drop batter by small spoonfuls into the boiling water. Cook until they float, 3-5 minutes. Drain well before serving. To serve you can serve with a sauce or toss with butter or brown in a skillet with butter.  These are also good topped with shredded cheese, but then, isn’t everything good that way?

Purple Sweet Potato Spaetzle

1 c. cooked mashed purple sweet potatoes

1 egg

½ t. salt

1½ c. flour

About ¼ c. milk or half and half

Combine potatoes with the egg, salt and flour. Stir until smooth. If batter is too thick add milk until batter is thick, but pourable. Start pot of water boiling while batter rests. If using a spaetlze maker, place maker over the pot of boiling water. Place batter in the maker and slide back and forth, replacing batter as it runs out. If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, drop batter by small spoonfuls into the boiling water. Cook until they float, 3-5 minutes. Drain well before serving. To serve you can serve with a sauce or toss with butter or brown in a skillet with butter.

Green Pea Spaetzle

1½ c. frozen peas, thawed

1 egg

½ t. salt

1½ c. flour

Puree peas until smooth. Combine with the remaining ingredients. Stir until smooth. You can add a little milk or water if the batter is too thick. Start pot of water boiling while batter rests. If using a spaetlze maker, place maker over the pot of boiling water. Place batter in the maker and slide back and forth, replacing batter as it runs out. If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, drop batter by small spoonfuls into the boiling water. Cook until they float, 3-5 minutes. Drain well before serving. To serve you can serve with a sauce or toss with butter or brown in a skillet with butter.

 Spaetzle

3 eggs

1/2 c. half and half or evaporated milk

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 c. flour

Combine all ingredients and let rest 30 minutes. Drop by small spoonfuls into boiling water. Cook until they float and puff up, about 5 minutes. Serve with soups, stews sauces. You can toss them with a little butter. I sometimes heat butter in a pan and brown them up a little. You can also add some fresh, chopped herbs to the batter.

How I served them at dinner
Spaetzle Maker
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“Bat” Wings

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Bat “Wings”

With Halloween fast approaching I thought I’d share this recipe for bat wings. OK, not really bat wings, but you already knew that. I just add black food coloring to barbecue sauce and use it to color chicken wings. You could also use black cocoa powder to make the sauce black.

I made a batch for a Halloween party a few years ago and someone actually asked if they were real bat wings.

A word of warning- when you use black food coloring it will transfer to you. No matter how careful you are when you eat the wings, you’ll end up with purple fingers.  Also, for the best effect, keep the wings intact- no trimming off of the tips.  You can separate the drums before serving, if you like. Makes eating a little easier. They look pretty cool when set out on the table. Creepy- but very tasty.

Bat Wings

2-3 lbs. whole chicken wings

salt and pepper

1 c. barbecue sauce- store bought or home made

black food coloring- handle carefully- it stains – or add black cocoa powder to barbecue sauce

Place chicken wings in a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile in medium bowl combine sauce with food coloring. Add just a little black food coloring at a time. Too much will alter the flavor of the food. Remove wings from the oven and dip them in the bowl of sauce. Turn to coat. Place wings on a clean baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake an addition 45 minutes. You can baste them with additional sauce during the baking, if you like.  Place on a serving platter and provide plenty of napkins.

A pile of "bat" wings

A pile of “bat” wings

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Cheesy Pumpkin Dip

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“Pumpkin” Cheese Dip

This is a pretty way to serve dips this time of year. The dip bakes inside the pumpkin- and the pumpkin bakes, too. It is served hot. Fun for Halloween, Thanksgiving, watching football games or just movie night with the family.

It really is simple and could be filled with any number of combinations of cheesy goodness. I have included the recipe I used in the picture. I also included my recipe for Spinach and Artichoke Dip, to give you another option.

You could also add a hot cheese sauce and serve like fondue, with long forks and pieces of bread.

You get a pie pumpkin, about 2-3 lbs. Cut off the top to make a lid and scoop out the seeds, like you would if you were making a Jack-o-Lantern. Wipe off the outside and then just fill it up with the dip mixture. Put the lid back on, bake for an hour, and you are good to go. The fun part is scraping some of the cooked pumpkin in with the cheese dip. More detailed directions follow.

So here is the recipe for making the cheesy filled pumpkin. I think it is simple enough to serve anytime, not just on a holiday. Enjoy!!

“Pumpkin” Cheese Dip

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off top of pumpkin. Cut in at an angle, so top will fit like a lid and not fall in.  Set top aside. Scoop out seeds and clean out any stringy bits*.  Set pumpkin on a baking sheet. Combine cheese filling of your choice and place inside the pumpkin.  Place the top of the pumpkin back on the pumpkin, and place in oven. Bake for 1 hour. Remove pumpkin and place on heat proof dish. I used a glass pie plate. Remove lid. Serve with crusty bread or crackers.

Smoky Cheese Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, cubed

4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled

½ c. sour cream

¼ c. mayo

¼ c. chopped parsley

½ t. each cumin and smoked paprika

Pinch of nutmeg

½ c. hulled pumpkin seeds

In medium bowl, stir together all ingredients, except the seeds. Place this mixture in the pumpkin when ready to bake. Don’t add the pumpkin seeds until right before serving. Stir them in a little, if you like.

Another nice choice…….

Spinach  and Artichoke Dip

1 (12-14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

8 oz. cream cheese, cubed

4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

½ c. diced onion

¼ c. Italian dressing

Dash of hot sauce

In medium bowl, combine dip ingredients, stirring to combine. Place in pumpkin when ready to bake.

* You can rinse off the seeds, lightly salt them and toast them, if you like. Then serve with the pumpkin dip. If you aren’t interested in eating them- please put them outside for the birds to eat.

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Candy Spiders

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Candy Spider

If you are looking for a quick spooky decoration/treat idea, you might want to make some candy spiders. These are about the size of a tarantula. Super simple, and kids can make them, too. You only need a few ingredients.

The body is made from marshmallows, the legs are chow mein noodles and the eyes are small candies. Sixlets work well. You can also use candy eyes. I kind of like the way the Sixlets look.

I used melting chocolate, but you can use any kind of chocolate you like. To start, melt some chocolate. Dip the chow mein noodles in the chocolate and tap gently to remove excess. I leave one end un-dipped to make it easier to stick in the marshmallow later. Allow to harden up before going to the next step. I set them on a flexible cutting board, but wax paper is good, too. You have to peel them off later, a flexible surface is best. You’ll need 8 for each spider- so be sure to make enough. Allow for breakage.  Set a marshmallow flat side down and poke 4 holes in each side, 8 total. I used a bamboo skewer. Stick a noodle “leg” in each hole. Spoon chocolate over the marshmallow until coated. Whatever drips off can be re-melted and used again. While the chocolate is still soft, press 2 candy eyes into place. Hold them for a minute to be sure they are secure. Now, you can decorate cakes with them, use them on a dessert tray- or just eat them.

Chow mein noodle legs

Chow mein noodle legs

Insert legs into marshmallow

Insert legs into marshmallow

Spoon chocolate over the marshmallow to cover it.

Spoon chocolate over the marshmallow to cover it.

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Cheesy Halloween Spider

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This is the only spider that wouldn’t scare me.  Fun for any Halloween party and easy to make. I started with extra sharp cheddar, a little feta and cream cheese. I rolled the cheese ball in chopped nuts and black sesame seeds and chilled it. I made the “legs” out of strips of puff pastry. I used homemade puff pastry, but store bought is perfectly fine. I cut out 9 strips- allowing for breakage- and folded each strip into a v shape. They were baked until crisp and set aside. Everything can be made a day or two ahead. Then, just assemble when ready to serve. I had some extra pastry dough so I cut it out with a small pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, baked the m, and served with the cheese ball.

Fun for adults or kids.

“Spider” Cheese Ball

1 sheet puff pastry

12 oz. sharp cheddar

8 oz. cream cheese

3 oz. feta cheese

Fine chopped nuts and black sesame seeds

2 candy eyes, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out puff pastry and cut 9-10 (1/2 inch wide) strips. Bend strips into v-shapes. I made a couple extra to allow for breakage. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until light brown, about 8 -10 minutes. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine the cheeses and farm into a ball. On a plate or in a shallow dish place finely chopped nuts and seeds. I had just over ½ cup total. Roll ball around to coat evenly, lightly pressing seed mixture in to the cheese ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. When ready to serve, place cheese ball on a serving platter.  Starting at the back of the cheese ball gently press one end of a puff pastry strip to look like a spider leg. Repeat until the “spider” has 8 legs. Add eyes, if you are using them. Serve with crackers.

Note: You should have leftover pastry. I cut mine into small pumpkin shapes. I baked them and served with the cheese ball.

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Phyllo Chocolate Fans

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Phyllo Chocolate Fan Cookies

If you want a cookie that is really going to impress, you might want to make these Chocolate Fans. They are crisp, not too sweet, and tipped with chocolate and fine chopped nuts.

While they look difficult to make, they are actually quite easy. For starters, you don’t have to make dough. These are made with store bought phyllo dough. We made these in class earlier this week and they came out great.

Phyllo is found in the freezer section at the grocery store. Phyllo dough (also spelled filo)  can be a little fussy. Be sure to keep extra dough covered with a damp towel so it won’t dry out and get brittle. It is best to work quickly when making these. We made these dipped in finely chopped toasted almonds. Other nuts could be used. You could also use white chocolate, if you prefer. I have even added a few sprinkles to the nuts for a pop of color.

Chocolate Fan Cookies

1 lb. phyllo dough, thawed
1 c. butter, melted
12-oz. chocolate chips
2 T. shortening- you can use coconut oil instead
1 c. finely chopped nuts or coconut, pistachios are extra nice

Remove phyllo from box, still rolled up and cut crosswise into 5-6 equal pieces.* Keep unused dough covered in a damp towel to prevent drying out. Take one piece of dough and open it up, cutting it in half crosswise. The dough pieces should end up about 3×7 inches or so. Take 1 sheet and brush very lightly with butter. Place another sheet on top and brush again with butter. Place third piece of dough on top but don’t butter again. Starting at short end begin to fold the dough in ¾ inch folds, accordion style. Pinch together at one end and fan out the dough at the other. It should look like a little fan. Place on ungreased baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool. Melt chocolate and shortening together in microwave or on top of double boiler. Stir to smooth. Dip tip of wide end of fans in melted chocolate and then in the nuts or coconut. Place on a rack to cool and harden. Makes about 65 fans. Can be frozen. You can also use white chocolate. Besides nuts or coconut, you can dip the fans in sprinkles or edible glitter.

*I buy frozen phyllo dough but there are two different sizes. Both are one pound boxes. One has one long roll of dough sheets. The other box has two shorter rolls of phyllo pastry sheets. When using this size, you will cut each roll crosswise into three pieces. Directions in the original recipe above are for the longer roll of dough.

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Crinkle Phyllo Pastry Dessert

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Crinkled Phyllo Dessert, ready to serve

I had a hard time giving this recipe a name. The base is phyllo with a mix of butter and custard, baked until golden brown. It is not hard to make, but it really is special. I topped mine with crushed toasted pistachios. It is not overly sweet and tastes so good. We made this in class last night and it was a big hit.

If you are wary to work with phyllo dough, this is a great recipe to start with. The phyllo is just taken, two sheets at a time and kind of folded accordion style, then placed in the baking dish. Tears and rips in the dough don’t matter. Just get the sheets of dough in the pan. At that point, the hardest part is over. The rest is just toasting and adding the rest of the ingredients in stages and baking until golden brown.

I topped mine with chopped pistachios, but you could top with berries, other nuts or a combination.

Here is the recipe. Enjoy!!

Crinkled Phyllo Pastry Dessert

8 oz. phyllo dough

1 stick butter melted

2 large eggs

1 cup milk or half and half

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

Optional Toppings: pistachios, berries

Defrost the phyllo according to package instructions. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Take 2 pieces of phyllo at a time, layering them over each other. Hold the sheets together at the top, letting them hang down from your fingers. Begin to crinkle the sheets by folding them over each other accordion-style until the bottom reaches the top.

Lay the folded dough in an ungreased baking pan starting at the short side. Repeat step 3, folding all of the layers of dough and placing them in the pan until it is full. Bake for 10 minutes. While baking, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the oven, and evenly drizzle the butter on top of the dough. Bake again for 10 minutes. In the meantime, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and sugar together in a small bowl until it is smooth. Remove the pan from the oven, and evenly pour the egg mixture over the dough. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the phyllo dough is golden brown and flaky to the touch. Top with pistachios and berries, if desired, and enjoy!

Ready to bake the custard
Ready to serve
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Pumpkin Cupcakes

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Pumpkin Cupcakes

I do love  these cupcakes. They are easy to make, moist, not too sweet and a perfect seasonal dessert. The recipe makes 30-36 cupcakes. I got 36 out of this batch, I don’t mind a smaller cake. For a larger cupcake, go for just 30.

I get asked about winter squash versus pumpkin and how to use them. Truth is, almost any winter squash can be used in recipes calling for pumpkin. Most of the time I am using butternut squash or Hubbard squash. Spaghetti squash is really the only winter squash that doesn’t work for pumpkin recipes. Its fibrous texture just isn’t best for this application.

I kept the colors of the frosting subtle. I used a standard buttercream- recipe follows. I divided up the frosting and tinted them and left about half of the frosting un-tinted.

When it was time to frost the cupcakes I used plastic wrap to make the job of filling the piping bags easier. I had already placed a large star tip in a piping bag. Then I laid a piece of plastic wrap on my work surface. I added some of each of the colors and some of the white frosting. I rolled up the plastic wrap over the frosting, forming it into a tube. I snipped off one end with scissors and dropped the frosting into the prepared piping bag. Its easier to fill the piping bag this way. Easy to pop out an empty tube of plastic wrap when it is empty and to drop a new one in.

You could add sprinkles or other seasonal decorations, too.

So here is the recipe for the cupcakes and the frosting. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

4 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 c. oil

2 c. sugar- I use less

2 c. cooked pumpkin or 1 (15 oz.) can

1 3/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cornstarch

3 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

Blend together in large bowl eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil and set aside. In another bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into paper-lined muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until cupcakes spring bake when touched lightly. Cool 30 minutes before frosting.  Makes 30-36. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting or Butter Cream. I used butter cream frosting recipe.

Classic Butter Cream

1½ c. butter

5-6 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2T. vanilla extract

In a bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining sugar. Beat in a little milk, if needed, to make of spreading consistency. Tint with food color, if desired.

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Canning Applesauce

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Canned applesauce

I love homemade applesauce so much better than anything I can buy at the store. It really is easy to make.

There is some disagreement about whether or not you have to peel your apples before making applesauce. It is a personal choice. You can cut up your apples without peeling them, if you are running them through a food mill. The food mill will remove the skins. If you use red-skinned apples, the skins will give your sauce a rosy tint.

I actually peeled my apples, mostly because I knew I was not using a food mill, but was using an immersion blender to make my sauce smooth. Either method is fine.

Sweetening is also a personal choice. You can leave your applesauce unsweetened, if you like. I normally use sweet apples for my sauce, so I don’t need a lot, or any, sugar. Plus, I’ll let you in on a little secret. You need some water to help cook down the apples and keep them from sticking to the pot. Instead of water, I use apple juice or cider. It adds natural sweetness to the applesauce and a more intense apple flavor.

You can also add a couple of cinnamon sticks to the batch- don’t forget to remove them before processing.

Home Canned Applesauce

12 lbs. apples, I used Melrose and Gala, but use the apples you like

Water*

2-3 cinnamon sticks, optional

4 T.  lemon juice

sugar to taste

Peel and core apples. Put in water with some ascorbic acid, citric acid or lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Place apples in a pot with enough water* to prevent sticking. Add the cinnamon sticks, if using, and lemon juice. Cook over medium high heat until soft. Time will vary depending on the type of apples you are using, and how large the apples are.  Turn off the heat and remove cinnamon sticks. I wanted smooth applesauce, so I used an immersion blender. Return apple mixture to a boil. Sweeten with sugar, if you like, or leave unsweetened. Have water bath full of boiling water and have hot, clean canning jars and lids and rings ready. Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe rims and apply lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes for pints or quarts. Turn off heat and let jars stand in water bath 5 minutes before removing. Set in a draft free area to cool down. Yield: 4 quarts or 8 pints.

*rather than add water, to prevent the apples from sticking, you can use cider or apple juice instead. I prefer that as it gives a more intense apple flavor to the sauce.

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Molasses Applesauce Cake

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Molasses Applesauce Cake

I can remember the first time I made a molasses cake. I was about 17. The recipe was in one of my Mom’s “women’s magazines”. I loved the earthy flavor that the molasses gave the cake.

I also remembered that the cake had applesauce in it. I canned a lot of applesauce last fall and have been looking for recipes using applesauce.

I found the original recipe last night and decided to make the cake. I did change a few ingredients around. The recipe I originally used had shortening in it. I swapped it out for butter. I also added more spices.

It is every bit as wonderful as before. Moist, not too sweet, with just a kiss of spices. So, if you have a jar of molasses and some applesauce, give this cake a try.

Molasses Applesauce Cake

2¼ c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt

½ t. nutmeg

Pinch of cloves

4 oz. butter, softened, 1 stick

1 c. applesauce

1 c. molasses

1 egg

¾ c. raisins, plumped in warm water, then drained well, optional

Glaze:

1½ c. powdered sugar

2 T. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. In mixing bowl combine dry ingredients and stir to blend. Cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Add remaining ingredients to flour mixture and stir until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread out evenly. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool cake then top with glaze. To make glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl, stirring until smooth. Pour over the cake.  Serves 8.

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