Cooking Tip #1 - Wash Those Pumpkins!

 Many people, at this time, are canning and freezing up their bountiful harvest of pumpkins, putting up the ones they found on that wonderful super sale after Halloween and Thanksgiving were over, or just plain making up some delicious pumpkin pies. Pumpkins are so versatile and packed with nutrition, they are well worth the effort of putting them up for use all year long.

But before you begin to cut into one of those pumpkins, be sure and wash the entire outside off thoroughly with a naturally antibacterial soap. Give it a good scrubbing. Make extra sure you get into all of those creases and crevices. Weather you purchase your pumpkin at the grocer, from your local farmer's market, or grow it yourself, there is always the risk that odd, unusual and even dangerous germs could be lurking on the skin of those pumpkins. The cooler, damper climate of Fall, with fluctuating warmer days just before pumpkins are harvested, can lend to a faster growth/spread of some germs and fungi. A good scrubbing should easily take care of anything that might pose a danger and is very easy to do.

Then let your pumpkin(s) air dry. Don't get in a hurry and be tempted to dry them off with that dish towel that is setting right there at your fingertips. You will just put germs right back on your pumpkin! Especially for long term storage, you want every germ possible off of your pumpkin before you cut into it. If you don't wash them, and any unsafe germs are on the skin of your pumpkin, the moment you stick your knife into it, you push the germs right inside, where they quickly absorb into the softer flesh.

Have a happy and tasty holiday season, and watch for more great cooking tips to come!

Wordless Wednesday - 11/28

Wordless Wednesday

BREAD ON MONDAY - Puffy Dumplings

 Throughout the winter, I love to make a lot of soups and stews. Sometimes I like cornbread with them, and sometimes hot rolls, bread, or just plain crackers. But often times I especially like to mix up a batch of my Puffy Dumplings and drop on top of a steaming hot pot of soup/stew. They puff up nice and fluffy, while a just a little of the soup adheres to the bottom of the dumpling. Mmmmm..... are they good! They are also great in Chicken and Dumplings or, as many are making right now with their leftover turkey... Turkey and Dumplings. Here is my recipe.  Make sure your soup is boiling/simmering, or nearly there, before beginning. This recipe easily doubles if you are cooking a large kettle of soup.  Picture to be posted soon.

PUFFY DUMPLINGS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I prefer unbleached)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup milk

In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

Stir in milk and mix well.

Drop large, rounded tablespoonfuls into hot, boiling/hard simmering, stew, soup, or chicken and dumplings. Give a quick, gentle stir to make sure all dumplings are coated with the hot liquid and are separated.

Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes. . . . Cover and cook for about 10 minutes more, or until dumplings do not appear doughy in center. This time could vary according to the size of your dumplings. Sometimes I like to make mine a little bigger than this (larger spoonfuls of dough).

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you do NOT open the lid during the second half of the cooking time or dumplings could become very soggy. Also do not stir during any of the cooking time.

If you want to add a little additional flavor to your dumplings you can add a little powdered seasoning (such as poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.) to your dry ingredients before mixing in the milk.

Serve hot, but be careful! These dumplings stay hot in the center for a very long time. Be especially careful when serving to small children. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - 2012

FROM ALL OF US AT

TWO FARMS ONE

WE WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU THE 

SAFEST, HAPPIEST, AND MOST BLESSING FILLED

THANKSGIVING YOU HAVE EVER HAD!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

AND TO THOSE OF YOU OUTSIDE OF THE US

HAVE A VERY BLESSING FILLED DAY!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - 11/21

Wordless Wednesday