Cookies that MUST be obtained.

No lie, these are like the most delicious cookies you've ever had, and I thank my cousins Jeff and Kathleen Korn for introducing us to these tasties from the Hamptons.  Or maybe "thanks" is not correct, because now that I know they are available locally, I'm addicted.

                                  

In the absence of Tate's, (truthfully, I saw them on the shelf at Cost Plus World Market, but I thought "I can't buy those AGAIN!"),  I highly recommend Salem Bakery's Moravian Cookies, specifically Pumpkin Spice.  All the way from Winston-Salem, they are the greatest export from North Carolina since Michael Jordan entered the NBA.

Tortellini Soup? Or dinner? Or crockpot mess? Not sure...

Followed this set of directions, but mine looks like this:

which is a lot more pink, clumpy with cream cheese that didn't melt,

and does not look very appetizing. It tastes alright, but I think there is

something missing from the original recipe, like maybe some actual real cheese.

 Gonna use it as a "soup" rather than a "dinner".

Fish On!

For the Labor Day weekend, we decided to take a road trip up to Mt. Baldy village, which is a mere 10 miles up the road from the Claremont Wilderness Trail. It was such a beautiful day, and the mountain was surprisingly more green than I expected in our drought. We took my son to a trout pond (stocked with rainbows) to try his hand at fishing. He hasn't fished in a long time, so this was a compromise. We caught 3 total, with Aidan catching 2 himself and me the other one. One was huge, and one was a real fighter, as evidenced by this:

The trout farm is cool; you pay by the fish size, then they cut, clean, and pack them in ice for you.  It was great. We then stopped for lunch in the village before we came home. Later for dinner, I did baked trout with long grain & wild rice.  Baked them whole, then separated the fillets.

This was an entire trout, and I could only eat half of it.  It was huge, but very tasty. In the cavity, I sprinkled thyme, fresh garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon pepper, sea salt, butter, and a few slices of fresh lemon. In the pan below the grill rack, I added 1/2 c of white wine and a little water.

It was delicious and fell apart from the bones relatively easy.  Nothing like seafood when it's fresh!

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake

* I used a bundt pan & cream cheese frosting from the can & whipped in since cinnamon; also made homemade pie spice*

Pumpkin Pie Angel Food Cake

This simple and moist Pumpkin Pie Angel Food Cake is topped with a creamy homemade cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin Pie Angel Food Cake | Real Housemoms
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12
Ingredients

For the cake
1 box of angel food cake mix
15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
6 oz of cream cheese, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions
For the cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the angel food cake mix and the pumpkin pie spice. Then stir in the pumpkin puree until well combined. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are slightly golden brown and the centers springs back to the touch.
Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting
Once the cake has cooled, prepare your frosting.
Using a mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy. Add in the vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugared and then the cinnamon. Continue to beat until everything is well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy.

You can either cut the cake into bars and then prettily pipe the frosting on each one or simply spread the frosting over the entire cake.

Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!

Veggies, courtesy of our school garden!

The middle school where I teach has created a community garden.  I just think it's fantastic, and I'm so excited for their first harvest.  Both the corn and the zucchini here are products of our staff's and students' farming.  I think it's an awesome way to teach kids that they can help sustain their families without processed foods.  This squash was gigantic, so much so that I sliced it into about 1" wide circles, sprayed with a little EVOO, and sprinkled with Tajin seasoning.  Same with the corn, then grilled them both.  The boneless pork chops I marinated in a dry rub for 5 hours, then grilled them, and added a little side of rice pilaf (I do it easy, by using the Rice-a-roni version, but I use nonstick cooking spray (butter flavor) instead of the recommended butter to cut fat and calories. 

I still have enough zucchini left to make bread, too, I think, because it was HUGE! Here's a photo of the two squashes I brought home.  That butternut hybrid is currently roasting in my slow cooker.  Easy-peasy... no water, just put the whole squash in for 6 hours, and you're golden!

Cream of Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

1 roasted butternut squash ( you can slow cook a whole squash 5-6 hours)
2 cooked carrots
Small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c heavy cream
Salt to taste.

Sauté onions & garlic. Heat broth. Purée veggies in food processor , then add to broth. As it begins to boil, add salt and cream. Simmer until thickened. Only 1.7 WW points per 1/2 cup.

Summer Wurst

It's too hot to use the kitchen. So brats and coleslaw it is!