Pumpkin Walnut streusel sourdough bread

 There’s just something about fall that makes me want to bake bread. The air gets cooler, the kitchen feels a little cozier, and suddenly I’m looking for excuses to use pumpkin in just about everything. This sourdough loaf was one of those happy kitchen experiments that started off a little questionable — my first one turned out like a brick! — but after a few tweaks, it became one of my favorite breads of the season.

It’s got everything I love in an autumn bake: a warm hint of pumpkin spice, the nuttiness of toasted walnuts, and that perfect sourdough tang. It’s a little rustic, a little sweet, and completely irresistible fresh out of the oven.

Ingredients

½ cup active, bubbly sourdough starter

½ cup water

½ cup canned pumpkin (or fresh cooked pumpkin, just make sure it’s not watery)

3½ cups flour

1½ teaspoons salt

½ cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Optional: dried cranberries or leftover streusel topping, I put cranberries in my first love so I did not have any for the second one. But I had some leftover streusel that I used on some cookies and it's so good inside the sourdough.

Pumpkin spice, for sprinkling between folds

Instructions

1. Mix the base. Stir together your sourdough starter and water until smooth.

2. Add the pumpkin. Mix in the pumpkin puree until combined.

3. Add dry ingredients. Add flour and salt, stirring until a shaggy dough forms.

4. Add the good stuff. Fold in chopped nuts — walnuts or pecans — and any extras like cranberries or streusel topping if you have them.

5. Rest and fold. Let the dough rest uncovered for 20 minutes, then do a couple of stretch and folds. Cover and let it rise overnight at room temperature.

6. Shape the dough. In the morning, flatten it gently into a rectangle. Sprinkle pumpkin spice, fold one side over, sprinkle more, fold again, and repeat from the other direction. This layers that warm spice throughout. Shape into a round mound.

7. Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 450°F and place your baking pan or Dutch oven inside for 30–45 minutes to preheat.

8. Bake. Score the top, place the dough into the hot pan, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, reduce oven to 425°F, and bake another 15–20 minutes until golden and crisp.

Let it cool before slicing (if you can wait!). The crust is beautifully crisp, the inside is soft and flavorful, and the scent of pumpkin spice fills the whole kitchen.

This loaf is especially good toasted with a little butter or cream cheese — or just eaten warm, straight from the cutting board. It’s the kind of bread that makes you slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy every cozy bite.

Chicken Pot Pie

 I honestly wasn’t planning on sharing this pie, so the photos aren’t my best—but the recipe turned out so delicious that I just couldn’t keep it to myself. Instead of using wine, I made a quick substitute: two cups of water (minus 2 tablespoons) mixed with Better Than Chicken Bouillon, plus two tablespoons of rice wine vinegar. It worked beautifully!

Next time, I’m definitely trying it with a double crust for a little extra comfort factor. I baked mine in a standard pie plate, and it came out just right.

If you’re curious, go check out her YouTube channel for the original recipe and give this pie a try—I think you’ll love it as much as I did.

https://youtu.be/W0y7LsZujFI?si=o8iQ6XG9YmUe2nL-

Chicken jalapeno lasagna rolls

 I made this today but I did not write the recipe down and I'm trying really hard to remember everything I did. You can switch your cheeses out for either monterey jack, mozzarella or pepper jack. I used Parmesan, Pepper Jack and mozzarella.

I wish I could have got a better picture but I don't think about it until after we ate. This was really good.

Olive oil

 1/4 c cup butter

Garlic

5 jalapenos seeded and divine and chopped

 2 cups heavy whipping cream

 1 cup chicken broth

 4 oz can green diced chilies

 cilantro 

4 oz Parmesan cheese 

8 oz pepper jack grated 

8oz Mozzarella 

salt and pepper

Filling

8 oz cream cheese

4oz Parmesan cheese 

8oz pepper jack or monterey jack

12oz mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

15 Oz container ricotta 

1 egg 

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning 

one shredded rotisserie chicken

Fresh spinach

Lasagna noodles

Heat olive oil in pan, add 1/4 cup butter, garlic and jalapenos and cook for a few minutes. Add two cups heavy whipping cream, one cup chicken broth, 4 oz can chopped green chopped chilies, 4 oz Parmesan cheese 12 oz pepper jack, chopped cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes until cheese is melted and set aside.

Cook lasagna noodles as directed on packet until Al Dente.

For the filling...

Mixed soft and cream cheese, 4 oz Parmesan cheese, 12 oz pepper jack or you can use mozzarella or monterey jack, one teaspoon garlic powder 15 oz container or ricotta cheese one egg, 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning. Mix until combined fully. Add shreddred rotisserie chicken.

In a large baking pan add some of your sauce to the bottom and set aside.

Take your lasagna noodles and lay them out flat, take some of your filling and fully cover your lasagna noodle, top with a fresh spinach. It's starting at one end roll up your lasagna noodle and place in your prepared pan seam side down. Repeat with remaining lasagna noodles. Cover with remaining sauce and then cover with foil. Vega 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and top with 8 to 12 oz of mozzarella cheese and bake until cheese is melted.

Birria Taco

 

8 dried guajillo chile peppers, seeded

4 dried chile de arbol peppers, stemmed and seeded

2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed

5 medium Roma tomatoes

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons ground black peppe

2 tsp chicken bouillon 

Pinch cloves

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cumin

1 pinch ground thyme

1 pinch dried marjoram

1 pinch dried oregano

1 pinch salt

Meat:

4 pounds beef chuck roast

1 pound short ribs

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Tacos:

18 corn tortillas

1 large white onion, finely chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup shredded queso asadero (white Mexican cheese) 

Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.

Start the sauce: Add guajillo, arbol, and ancho chile peppers to the boiling water; boil for 5 minutes.

Remove pot from the heat and allow peppers to soak until cool. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, sear the meat: Rinse beef and pat dry with paper towels. Cut beef into chunks if desired, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat

While the beef is searing, continue the sauce: Line a heavy cast-iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on top. Grill until tomato skin is burned on all sides and begins to peel, 3 to 5 minutes.

Place cooled chile peppers into a blender. Add grilled tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, 2 teaspoons black pepper, chicken bouillon, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, thyme, marjoram, oregano, and salt in a blender. Pour in the reserved 1 1/2 cup of chile water and blend until smooth.

Strain chile sauce through a mesh strainer and pour over browned meat in the Dutch oven, turning the roast so it is completely covered with sauce; cover with a lid.

Bake in the preheated oven, basting meat every 45 minutes with sauce, until birria begins to fall apart, 3 to 4 hours. Remove the lid and bake, uncovered, until birria is crispy on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with 2 layers of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes

Remove meat to a cutting board and strain off any fat from the sauce.keep some of the sauce to the side to dip your tortilla in. Shred meat with two forks, then return meat to the pot and stir with the remaining sauce to combine.

Assemble and heat tacos: dip tortilla in sauce, lat on a griddle or hot frying pan, Fill each tortilla with birria and top with Mexican cheese, chopped onion, and cilantro. Warm tortillas on a griddle, flipping until both sides are crispy and cheese is melted.

Serve with extra sauce on the side for dipping.

Here is the link to the original post, I added short ribs and chicken bouillon to my Birria, I also dip them in sauce before I fried them..

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/265338/birria-de-res-tacos-beef-birria-tacos/

there is a slow cooker recipe on her link also.

Sourdough Pizza on the Traeger

My husband and I aren't avid pizza enthusiasts, but I enjoy experimenting with recipes, particularly those involving sourdough bread. I decided to create a sourdough pizza crust and cook it on the Traeger. This experience may have converted us into pizza aficionados. The pizza was exceptional, with a crispy bottom. I'll provide the ingredients and methodology used for the crust, as well as the toppings I recall using. Feel free to customize the toppings to your liking. I highly recommend attempting this pizza recipe on your Traeger, although oven cooking is also an option. However, after utilizing my Traeger, I'll never prepare pizza differently.

100g sourdough discard

10g sea salt

30g olive oil

50g whole wheat flour

400g all-purpose flour 

50g bread flour 

10g instant yeast ( only if you want yo use same day)

325g water

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. If preparing the dough a day in advance, omit the yeast. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to ferment overnight. The following morning, perform a series of stretch and folds.( If adding yeast after an hour do your first set of folds, ensure your hands are wet, do the next set in an hour. Alternatively, if not using yeast, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 12 to 36 hours. Although chilling is optional, it enhances the sourdough flavor. Since I required the dough for same-day use, I added yeast and omitted the chilling step. Thirty minutes prior to use, divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a ball on a heavily floured surface. 

Preheat the Traeger to 500°F with a pizza stone inside for 15 minutes.

I recently purchased all the topping ingredients from Whole Foods, and I must say that their pepperoni is noticeably less greasy compared to what I've found at traditional grocery stores. As someone who's not particularly fond of red sauce, whether it's enchilada or pizza sauce, I was pleasantly surprised by Whole Foods' pizza sauce - it struck a perfect balance without being overwhelming or too acidic. My shopping list included pizza sauce from Whole Foods' prepared food section, 

Parmesan cheese, 

pizza cheese, 

pepperoni, 

Italian sausage, cooked

jalapenos, 

fresh basil, thinly sliced onions, 

sliced mushrooms, 

sliced bell peppers. 

Not having a pizza paddle, I've since invested in one, hoping it will make a difference in my pizza-making process. In hindsight, I would recommend shaping the pizza dough, placing it directly on the preheated stone, adding toppings, and cooking for 15-20 minutes. The original link that inspired my sourdough pizza crust recipe is listed below, with some minor modifications made 

https://littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-pizza-crust-recipe/

The Best Blueberry Muffins.

These are great blueberry muffins. I was on a hunt for zucchini muffins and came across these. I had blueberries in the refrigerator so off to make blueberry muffins a d not zucchini.

Here is the original link where I got the recipe from.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6865/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins/

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

⅓ cup milk, or more as needed

1 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping

½ cup white sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter, cubed

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, Grease 8 muffin cups or line with paper liners.

To make the muffins: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

Pour oil into a small liquid measuring cup. Add egg and enough milk to reach the 1-cup mark; stir until combined.

Pour into flour mixture and mix just until batter is combined. Fold in blueberries; set batter aside.

To make the crumb topping: Combine sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix with a fork until crumbly

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling right to the top. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cornbread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
⅔ cup white sugar
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Lightly grease a 9-inch pan.
Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add milk, vegetable oil, and egg; whisk until well combined.
Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Honey Butter

 Blend honey and butter together.