Maple Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds

Have you carved your pumpkin yet? Maybe you're a last minute pumpkin carver. That's ok too. That means you can make these tasty seeds NOW! 

Maybe you already carved your pumpkin a week ago. Maybe it's already rotting out on your doorstep. Maybe it's going to sit there now until the last of the snow melts in the spring and you have to scoop it up with a shovel. I mean, I've totally never done that or anything... It's ok if you have. I won't judge.

Good news is, if you've already carved your pumpkin and don't have any seeds, you can still make these! You can roast up the seeds from any winter squash you cut up this fall. I bet you didn't know that! If you did, then high five!

These seeds are sweet, spicy, slightly smokey and totally addictive. I made these when it was already dark out and had to save my photos for the morning, so I limited myself to a handful. It was torture. Don't do that to yourself, just eat them hot out of the oven!

Maple Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin or any winter squash seeds, cleaned of stringy squash guts

1 Tbsp bacon fat, melted (or olive oil)

1 Tbsp sriracha

1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp smoked salt, or kosher salt

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or nonstick foil. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a good little handful of salt. Add the cleaned pumpkin seeds to the pot and boil for about 8 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. It's ok if they're a little sticky, they don't need to be bone dry.

3. Add the boiled seeds to a small bowl and add the fat, sriracha, and maple syrup. Stir until well combined. Sprinkle on the salt and toss well. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently, or until they are golden brown. Sprinkle with a little extra salt if desired and dig in!

Raspberry-Apple Moonshine "Fish Egg" Shooters

If you know me then you know October is my favorite month of the year. Of course the leaves are changing, the air is cool and crisp, there's apple picking and apple baking, but most importantly, there's Halloween!!

Now, I tend to take the more creepy & gory route on Halloween as opposed to cute. You're more likely to find me giggling with pure glee at the sight of zombies chowing down on someone's face than covering my eyes and hiding under a blanket. I can't say my mom didn't try... but I can't help it that Xenomorphs and the Crypt Keeper are more fun than nail polish and rom-coms!

Anyway, what this all means is that I spend a lot of time thinking about and planning for Halloween. Besides decorations, a lot of the fun for me comes with thinking up creepy concoctions for my party menu. Most of the time you don't even need to make the food look extra scary, all you have to do is create a spooky ambiance at your table and give it an icky name - a hunk of gorgonzola with some prosciutto can become Moldy Cheese with Cured Epidermis, chili cheese dip can become Vomit, dates stuffed with cheese wrapped in bacon can be Roasted Roaches. You get the idea!

There's nothing scary about this Raspberry-Apple Moonshine cocktail, until you slap a "Mutated Fish Egg" label on it! It's delightfully light and fruity, and honestly would make a lovely drink any time of the year. Something about moonshine seems extra festive for Halloween - I'm not sure if it's because it has Moon in the name, or if it's because rednecks are scary. Either way, it makes a great mixer! I used Onyx Moonshine which is local to me, but with moonshine's popularity on the rise you shouldn't have a problem finding some in your neck of the woods!

Raspberry-Apple Moonshine "Fish Egg" Shooters

2 parts Red Jacket Orchards Raspberry-Apple juice, or similar juice blend

1 part moonshine

1/2 part Elderflower liqueur

splash of fresh lime juice

fresh pomegranate arils

1. In a pitcher, combine apple juice blend, moonshine, elderflower liqueur, and lime juice, to taste. Chill. Add 1/2-2 tablespoons of pomegranate arils (depending on the size of your serving glass) to the bottom of your shot glasses, cocktail glasses, or test tubes. Pour the cocktail over the pomegranate seeds and serve. 

Autumn Sangria with Hard Cider

This past weekend I did all the apple picking and cider mill hopping that I wanted to at Holmberg Orchards and B.F. Clyde's here in CT. Now my kitchen is stocked with fresh pressed cider, apples for pie, and some of my favorite hard cider which I've used to conjure up an enticing autumn brew!

Everyone loves sangria - it's sweet, smooth, contains yummy bits of fruit to nom on and goes down WAY too easily. It's something I personally associate with warm weather and time spent outside in the sun, while apple cider is something I crave as soon as the crisp fall air comes around and daylight dwindles. But why not combine the two by replacing the grape wine with hard cider?

Choose a cider that is sweet, not dry, for this recipe. If you live in an area with lots of apple orchards, chances are you might have a local cider mill that crafts hard cider, so look around for local tastings. Otherwise a couple bottles of a sweeter variety of the popular brands like Woodchuck or Crispin would work. I used a bottle of Macintosh from Holmberg Orchards for the CT area folks! 

Autumn Sangria with Hard Cider

(makes about 6 servings)

1 sweet apple, cored and sliced

1 tart apple, cored and cut into cubes

3/4 cup fall raspberries

6 seckel pears, whole

1 750mL bottle hard cider

1/2 cup bourbon

2 Tbsp Calvados or other apple brandy

1 cup ginger beer

1. To a large pitcher add all the prepared fruit. Pour in the bourbon, calvados and ginger beer and stir. Slowly add the bottle of hard cider. Set in the fridge for 2 hours and serve. (If you'd prefer to preserve more carbonation, serve immediately or hold off on adding the hard cider until serving. It is delicious even when completely flat though!)

Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa

 

Somewhere up in my attic there's a perfectly good coffee maker collecting dust. I admit to never having made a cup of coffee in my life, and while I'm sure I could figure it out, I don't bother. When I have guests over, I make them go get their own cup of coffee. That's right - hostess of the year right here, folks!

I've never been a real coffee drinker. I enjoy the flavor of coffee, but the idea of drinking a big mug of it several times a day just doesn't really appeal to me. I'd rather just have tea or hot cocoa...

Lately, though, I've formed an addiction to these stupid Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks. I'm not proud of it, but what can I do? I had a taste and it was goooood.

Still, I'm not whipping up some espresso or a cup o' joe anytime soon, so if I don't want to go broke getting jacked up on lattes then I need to figure out an alternative. In comes hot cocoa. Simple to make, satisfying, plays well with pumpkin and spice - this is my ideal autumn drink! Not that I won't be enjoying a Pumpkin Latte now and then (read: several times a week), but variety is the spice of life! Har har...

Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa

2 servings

2 Tbsp pumpkin puree

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer dutch process in this)

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, plus extra for sprinkling

2 cups milk
Fresh whipped cream (optional)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. 

2. In a small saucepan, scald the milk over medium high heat (just until bubbles form around the edges.) Do not boil. Set aside and keep warm.

3. In another small saucepan, add the pumpkin and cook over medium heat for about 30 seconds, whisking constantly, just to cook out a little of the raw pumpkin flavor. Dump in the cocoa mixture, whisking to combine (it will be clumpy.) Add the warm milk and continue to cook over medium heat until hot and well mixed. Pour into serving glasses, top with whipped cream and additional pumpkin spice, if desired.

Walking Dead Cupcakes

 

Rrrrgghhrhhh....brrrrraaaaaiiinnnnssss......    Oh whoops, sorry, you'll have to excuse me.  The other day I got bitten by this really strange looking child who had half their face dissolved and ever since then I've had the most peculiar cravings.  Cravings for BRAINS!

However, when brains simply aren't available or a practical option, I also freakin' love me some cupcakes! They're sweet, chocolatey, slightly less messy to eat. In celebration of The Walking Dead Season 2 premiere tonight and all things Halloween, I made a graveyard of cupcakes like the good little baking zombie I am!

These chocolate cupcakes come complete with a gooey green coconut center, dirty caramel buttercream, and a most delicious gravestone. They're perfect for a party or just for fun to get you into the Halloween spirit!

 

Chocolate Cupcake

Makes 12-16 cupcakes

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Whisk together flour, baking powser, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. 

2. In the bowl of an stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed, scraping sides of bowl as needed, until light and fluffy. On low speed mix in the melted chocolate. Increase speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until mixture is creamy and light in color, about 1 minute. Mix in sour cream.

3. On low speed, add half of reserved flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Mix in 1/2 cup water. Add remaining flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. 

4. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Fill each liner about 2/3 the way full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until tops are firm and a cake tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan on wire racks, then carefully remove from the pan to finish cooling.

Coconut Pastry Cream

Makes 2 cups

3 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

pinch salt

1 1/2 cups whole  milk

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

3/4 tsp vanilla
1-2 drops green gel food coloring

1. Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside. Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk in milk gradually, and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Slowly whisk in about a 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the reserved egg yolks to temper. Add the yolk mixture back to the pot with the milk and cook over medium-low heat whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in coconut, vanilla and food coloring.

3. Transfer the pastry cream to a small bowl and cover with a sheet of slightly greased plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the cream and chill until cool, at least 1 hour.

Cookies and Caramel Buttercream

Makes 5 cups

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

6 large egg whites

pinch salt

1 lb butter, softened and cut into small cubes

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs, homemade or store bought

1. Pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan and add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush two or three times to prevent crystals from forming. Let syrup boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is dark amber.

2. Remove from the heat and carefully pour in the cream. Stir caramel until smooth then pour a small bowl to cool.

3. Whisk together remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, the egg whites, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

4. Return bowl to mixer; fit mixer with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff. Reduce speed to medium low; add butter, a few tablespoons at a time. Continue whisking until smooth.

5. Switch to paddle attachment. Add caramel and vanilla; beat on lowest speed until combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cookie crumbs and stir until they are thoroughly mixed in. The buttercream can be made 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Before using, bring frosting to room temperature; return to mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until smooth. (you will have extra for these cupcakes - the excess can be frozen.)

For Decorating

~16 chocolate covered graham crackers (like Keebler) decorated with royal icing

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1-2 drops green gel food coloring

1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs, homemade or store bought

Zombie hand cupcake toppers are from Bake it Pretty


1. Place the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (or a ziploc bag with a corner cut off). Set aside. 

2. Place the flaked coconut into a large ziploc bag, add the food coloring and shake the back until the color is well dispersed.

3. Using and small serrated knife, carefully cut out a small cone from the top of the center of each cupcake, making enough room to fill with about 1-2 Tbsp of pastry cream.

4. Spoon in 1-2 Tbsp of the pastry cream into the center hollow of each cupcake. Pipe a generous amount of buttercream, swirling from the edges to the center. Press some of the colored coconut flakes just around the edges of the cupcake on the buttercream. Using a spoon, create a small dent in the buttercream in the center of the cupcake. Place a gravestone behind each well, then spoon a heaping teaspoon of the cookie crumb "dirt" over each well. Top with a zombie cupcake topper if desired.

5. Enjoy alongside a serving of brains with your favorite fellow ghouls and goblins!