Oh My, It's Pumpkin Pie Time Again

Looking for a way to make baking pumpkin pie with my two boys a little easier, I decided to try Trader Joe's frozen pie crusts. They're really frozen pie dough already rolled out - no pie tin. This is not your supermarket's pie crust! No, no, no. This is the real deal. It is not lowfat but there's no hydrogenated oil and no HFCS - they use real butter and sugar. I do wish it were made with whole wheat flour though.

The dough defrosts in an hour on the counter. All you do is unfold it, lay it in a 10" pie pan, tidy up the excess crust and crimp. Fill with prepared pumpkin pie filling (I use the Libby's recipe but substitute Trader Joe's organic pumpkin for Libby's, dark brown sugar for white sugar and add 1/4 tsp. of freshly grated nutmeg.) Here's a link to the original recipe. http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=18470

So everything went well until my four-year-old decided to taste the ground ginger. He took it pretty well although I nearly ripped the sleeve of his sweater while trying to pry it out of his mouth. He'd bitten onto the closest thing he could to relieve his scorching tongue and wouldn't let go! A cup of water later, we were on to the next problem.

So, I'm sure I'm not the only one who discovers, a bit too late, that they're brown sugar has fossilized. I decided to chop the solid, dried out mass it into smaller pieces with a chef's knife, dump it into a microwave safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel. I microwaved it for 30 seconds and voila, it was just like new. I couldn't believe it. It was gorgeous.

So we were able to finish preparing our pies, baked them off, and the boys shared a ramekin of leftover filling for dessert. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My Trusty Rice Cooker

I love my rice cooker! It sure has seen a lot of action over the last 12 years. It was a wedding gift from my mother-in-law, who is Korean, and who has probably used one every day of her life. It was a great gift because I use it several times a week. Not only is it a huge time saver, it's incredibly convenient and easy to use. You can cook just about any grain in it; all you have to do is add the right amount of grain and water and the cooker does the rest. When it's through cooking, it holds it in warm only mode indefinitely. You will never ruin a pot of rice or quinoa again. On super busy cooking days, that's one more empty burner you can use for something else.

One piece of advice, make sure the steam vent is directed away from your wood cabinets and never reach over the steamer while it's running or you'll get a nasty steam burn. Obviously, keep it away from kids. You can buy a rice cooker at Asian grocery stores and just about any other retailer that sells small kitchen electronics.

The basic recipe for brown rice or quinoa is 1 part grain to 2 parts water. It comes out perfect every time. Koreans let rice rest for a little while in the cooker after it's done to "jim" or "set". At first I was skeptical, but it's true. It is much better, both in flavor and texture, if you let it a rest at least 10 minutes after the lever flips to "done".

I recommend immediately unplugging the unit after filling the serving bowl and leaving the lid open so any leftovers can cool off. Or, if you're sure to be serving seconds, leave it plugged in with the lid closed and you'll have nice hot rice when you return.

Quesadillas on the Fly

It's cold outstide and everyone wants something warm and filling for lunch before venturing outdoors. How about a quesadilla? It's nothing more than a tortilla filled with cheese and vegetables. Here's how I make my very simple and fast yet yummy and healthy quesadillas. The kids love them.

Ingredients:

• 1 package whole wheat tortillas (Trader Joe's brand shown)
  
  
• 1 bag no rBST (Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin aka growth hormone) shredded Lite Mexican Blend cheese (Trader Joe's)


• 1 package fresh bell peppers, red yellow and orange (Trader Joe's or supermarket). Or Trader Joe's prepared broccoli slaw if you're too rushed to slice the peppers.
  

Preparation:

1. Wash and slice peppers into thin strips.


2. Preheat cast iron skillet over medium heat or broiler over low.


3. Using one tortilla per person, lay tortillas on cutting board and fill half with cheese, then layer on pepper strips. Fold empty half onto filled half and place directly in skillet or under broiler on a sheet pan lined with foil.


4. Heat until crispy and golden, then flip using a spatula to heat and crisp the other side.
   
5. Remove from heat and place on cutting board. Allow to cool for at least 30 seconds and then slice into wedges.


6. Serve with guacamole (Trader Joe's is excellent and can be frozen) or avocado wedges, tomato salsa, and sour cream (Breakstone's lowfat tastes great).

Enjoy!

The Skinny on High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Corn, corn, corn. I never realized how much corn we were all eating until I sifted through Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma". According to the author Japanese chemists figured out a way to transform glucose into fructose, which is much sweeter. Pollan writes "HFCS is a blend of 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose that tastes exactly as sweet as sucrose." HFCS attained mainstream status in the 1970s after the corn refining process was perfected. The sweetener replaced sugar in many of the sweetened drinks and foods found in supermarkets including soda, baked goods, frozen desserts and condiments like salad dressing and ketchup. Today it is omnipresent.

So, why is HFCS an ingredient we should avoid? Scientific evidence now supports what many doctors, dietitians, nutritionists and healthy food advocates have been saying for years. It's bad for you and your kids! Here's a link to an article discussing the findings, which I will summarize below: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/08/corn_syrup.html.

According to Professor Ho, a professor of food science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, lab tests he conducted on HFCS-sweetened carbonated beverages found high levels of reactive carbonyls. These "undesirable and highly-reactive compounds associated with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage." Ho pointed out that "elevated levels of reactive carbonyls are found in the blood of diabetics and linked to complications of that disease. Reactive carbonyls are not present in table sugar, whose fructose and glucose components are “bound” and chemically stable." Ho recommended reducing or eliminating HFCS from our diets.

Just one more reason to become a box turner! Just to let you know, every time someone says something negative about HFCS, the Corn Refiners Association sends them a very impressive press kit rebutting the negative press. Don't believe it.

Halloween Hangover

How long will the candy last? Tonight I purged the bedrooms of hidden candy and hid the bags still quite full of goodies. I'm hoping they forget how much they had. It's either going to the gingerbread decorating fund at school or a neighbor's mother's office for donation to the needy. Needy of what? How can anyone be needy of candy? I can't in good conscience give it to the needy. Then I'll become part of the problem.

One solution I heard to the everlasting Halloween candy problem is to schedule a visit from the good witch. She trades candy for money or toys. All the children have to do is leave it with a note to the witch requesting an exchange. Great idea. Wish I had thought of that sooner.

What will you do with your children's candy hoards?