Bewitchin' in the Kitchen

Turkey Cookies

Let me admit, I am not this creative.

While perusing Pinterest this past weekend, I ran across this photo and had to share.

Who thinks of this stuff?? Clearly someone with young children to entertain. These adorable Turkey Cookies are simply Oreos, candy corn, small peanut butter cups, chocolate balls, and icing.

 

Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• English muffins, split and toasted

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until thickened.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Serve on Zuchini-Sweet Potato Bread. Enjoy!

Yield: 1-1/4 cups.
 

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Pumpkin photo is mine, taken in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago. However, the pumpkin butter photo belongs to Closet Cooking.

 

Susan's Deviled Eggs

The quintessential southern funeral food: Deviled Eggs. Why? They're delicious, nutritious, easy to make, inexpensive, a crowd pleaser, and they are a finger food as well as complimentary of other funeral foods.

 Susan's Deviled Eggs

•10 boiled eggs, peeled and halved

•1/4 cup sweet pickle relish, or so to taste

•1 Tablespoon dry mustard (French's prepared mustard will work in a bind)

•1/2 cup Hellmann's Real Mayonaisse

•Dash or 2 of Tabasco

•Salt and Pepper to taste

•Paprika or fried crisp bacon crumbs or both, for garnish

Why 10 eggs? Well, my egg plate (a plate with egg-shaped dimples specifically created for the presentation of Deviled Eggs) has 18 spaces. However, you'll inevitably need more yoke than white, which is good, because inevitably while peeling the eggs one will not peel pretty and have to be sacrificed for its yoke only.

Place 10 eggs in cool water and set on the stove. Turn up the heat until the eggs reach a rapid boil. Add a lid and remove from heat. Let eggs stand in hot water for 10-12 minutes. They will be perfectly boiled, but not rubbery.

Drain off hot water and rinse with cool water until they can be handled. Tap blunt end of egg on the edge of the sink, cracking the entire shell. There will be a space under the blunt end of the shell that will make removal of the shell easier and in one piece. Do not refrigerate an unpeeled egg. You will never be able to remove the shell without peeling to pieces the smooth surface of the egg underneath. Believe me, there is a science to this.

Cut eggs in half lengthwise, dumping cooked yokes into a zip-lock baggie. Place boiled egg whites on your egg plate. Add remaining ingredients to baggie, except for the chosen garnish. Seal the baggie, making sure to squeeze out any air. Now work the yokes and ingredients mashing them into a paste, snip off one small corner of the baggie, and pipe the paste into the cup of each boiled egg white.

Sprinkle with paprika or bacon crumbs or both.

If your egg plate is made with a relish dish in the center, fill this section with drained green olives stuffed with either blue cheese, almonds or a combination of the two, but never pimento. It's too passe.

Keep in mind presentation is everything. Although it is considerate to take food to the home of a grieving family in a container that need not be returned, for the reception the food must be presented in your finest dish. (Don't forget to bring a silver serving piece, if needed.) Don't worry about how you will get your egg plate returned, you'll simply take it with you when you leave. Every deviled egg will have been eaten and the plate empty. Guaranteed.

It's Chess Pie

Chess Pie by Berniece Rochelle, aka Great Aunt Pete (no explanation given)

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp corn meal

2 eggs

1/4 cup sweet milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 stick butter, melted

Mix all the ingredients and pour into an uncooked pie crust and bake at 360 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Chess pie by Dorothy Ann Sanders

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

3 eggs

1 tbsp corn meal

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix and bake in unbaked pie shell at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or til done.

One pie is lighter and spongier, where the other is denser and richer. I couldn't make up my mind and had to make both. After all, you can never have too much Chess Pie.

Cranberry Relish

Start with a couple of bags of cranberries and couple of oranges.

Clean the fruit, removing any over-ripe berries.

Cut ends off oranges and slice into sections, removing seeds.

Now here's the tricky part. You have to have this old-fashioned, hand-cranked, food grinder to do the job right. Newer is not always better. This food grinder belonged to my grandmother and I love it! It works great! But before you start foraging antique stores for one for yourself, let me tell you they are still in production and you can purchase them in several locations. I believe I saw them for sale at the Curious Gourmet on Main Street in Franklin last I looked.

But it's messy. Attaching it to a counter isn't always easy. And please put a bowl on the floor underneath, you'll catch a great orange-cranberry syrup that goes lovely in Ginger Ale.

Add a couple of Tablespoons of orange flavoring, Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.

Add a quarter cup of sugar or so and mix well. I like to make this a day ahead of time and let the flavors marry before serving.

Pumpkin Risotto

15-Minute Pumpkin Risotto

1 onion (about 8 oz.), chopped

2 teaspoons butter

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 cups precooked white rice

About 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and fresh-ground pepper

In a 4- to 5-quart pan, combine onion, butter, and nutmeg. Stir often over high heat until onion is transluscent and tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

 Mix the cornstarch smoothly with a little of the chicken broth. Add to pan along with remaining broth, 1/2 cup wine (optional), pumpkin, and rice. Stir mixture over high heat until boiling, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in 3/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle portions with additional cheese and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds.