As I sit here writing this, it’s the evening of Labor Day Monday. I’ve had a good weekend, but I’ve got the Sunday blues (even though it’s Monday). Today marks the end of the long weekend, and worse, the end of the summer. I’m not quite ready for it to go. As much as I love crunchy leaves, boots, and cooler weather, I’m don’t want to say goodbye to hot days, beach vacations, and sundresses. Summer don’t go! I’m trying to hang on a little longer with this recipe for roasted peach pops. Not only is it a taste of summer, it might be the best thing I’ve ever made. 

This summer has been my summer of ice pops. At the start of the season I bought two different kinds of molds. The one used in the photos is this set of 6 molds. Each pop is about 3 ounces. I also bought this smaller square pop moldset. It seemed like too much when I was doing it, but I couldn’t help myself.

I wanted yummy, fruity, ice pops to keep the summer cool. I wanted them in the morning as I walked to work, in the evening after dinner, and as a midday treat on a hot Saturday. Over the last three months, I’ve made about a dozen different kinds. But today’s recipe is my absolute favorite.

I have made this recipe for roasted peach pops nearly half a dozen times this summer. For a few weeks in a row peaches kept showing up in the farm share bag. “Yes,” I’d think to myself, “more popsicles!” And I’d go home, make more, and somehow never get sick of them. Here’s the embarrassing secret behind this recipe: I drink any leftover puree that won’t fill up a mold. That’s how good this recipe is.

I stand by my earlier statement that this recipe is the best thing I’ve ever made. It seems hyperbolic to say that about ice pops, but it might be true. There are a few things in my life that every time I use them they make me ridiculously happy. The kind of happy where I  exclaim out loud about it, tell everyone I know how great it is, and never get sick of it. I feel this way about my mattress, my face wash, my conditioner, and these pops. I look forward to every pop, and every one delivers on flavor.

It’s also delicious with whatever kind of peaches you have. I’ve done it with doughnut peaches, white peaches, and yellow peaches. All crazy good. To pile on a little more love for roasted peach pops, let me say this recipe is so easy to make. You need five ingredients: peaches, water, sugar, lemon, and vanilla extract. With that, you’ll make an ice pop that feels like summer and tastes like a peach cobbler.

Do not underestimate the importance of roasting the peaches. Yes, you could use the peaches raw, but I urge you not to give into laziness. When roasted, the peaches are softer, sweeter, and they start to release the most beautiful sticky ruby juice. Twenty minutes in the oven and the whole flavor is elevated. A splash of vanilla then adds a warm flavor that will remind you of your favorite baked goods. The flavor is decadent, but the caloric intake is not.

While I’ll miss summer’s long evenings, cookouts, and pool parties, I can still get my taste of summer with roasted peach pops. My freezer is currently stocked full, and the sunshine they bring makes it easier for me to look forward to fall. Soon, I know I’ll be gushing over pumpkin spice everything, roasting various squashes, and throwing cranberries into my breakfast smoothies. But for now, I’ll hold on to summer just a little bit longer. And you should too. Go makes these pops!

Adapted from People’s Pops.

Messy level: There is a little cooking involved, but all of it easy and largely hands-off.  I do have one piece of advice though. If you’re using an immersion blender make sure to wait until everything is fairly cool and then blend in a deep bowl. A shallow bowl with hot peaches and simple syrup means tiny molten droplets of puree will likely hit your skin and hurt. Not that that’s ever happened to me…

Roasted Peach Pops

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 25 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound 5 ounces/ 595 grams peaches (about 4)
• ⅔ cup/ 150 grams sugar
• ⅔ cup/ 158 ml water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180ºC.
2. Cut the peaches in half and put cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. [Note: if it's hard to get the pit out, just leave it. It'll come out easily once the peach is roasted]
3. Roast for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, put the sugar and water into a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally. It's done when the sugar has dissolved. You've just made simple syrup! Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. Once the peaches are done, remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Remove any pits.
6. Put the peaches, simple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla extract into a blender, food processor, or a deep bowl if using an immersion blender.
7. Blend until evenly pureed.
8. Transfer the puree to a pitcher or measuring glass with spout. You just want something that makes pouring easy.
9. Pour puree into ice pop molds. Be sure to leave a little space at the time so the puree will have remove to expand when frozen.
10. Add the sticks and put in the freezer until frozen, about 6-8 hours.
11. When ready to eat, either run under warm water until easy to remove, or leave on the counter for 10 minutes. Try to be gentle and patient, otherwise you might break them when removing from the mold.
12. Eat and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 Calories: 127

3.5.3226

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Two Tourist Tuesdays in a row?! I know, it’s crazy. But I can’t help myself. A few weeks ago I got to go to Infinity Mirrors with some friends from work and it was awesome. I had to share it before it leaves the Hirshhorn on May 14th. So get excited my friend, this is a photo heavy post.

I was certain I wasn’t going to see this exhibit. Two of my friends went day-of and told me the lines were crazy long. One week, Brannah and I tried to get tickets. They were gone in one minute. ONE MINUTE! But then the next week, Brannah got lucky. She got four tickets and chose to bring me and our coworkers, Amanda and Ashley. 

We had tickets for late on Wednesday and only had to wait a few minutes in the ticket holders line. Once inside, we were giddy. The artist who created these rooms is Yayoi Kusama. She’s Japanese and became famous in the 1960’s. She is known for her dot motifs, nets, soft sculptures, and of course – the infinity mirrors.

The first room we went in was called Phalli’s Field. It’s also the first on Kusama created back in 1965. Kusama tried to create the infinity effect on her own by sewing each individual “tuber.” Fatigue set in and the use of “infinity” mirrors let her create the effect in a less physically taxing way.

In each room, we had 30 seconds, which for this first room felt like enough to me.  The line for this room was also the shortest.

Some of the lines for other rooms were much longer. But it wasn’t just the rooms. In between rooms, there was information about the artist, works in other media, other immersive pieces like the one in the photo above. This one is called Love Forever. It has two peepholes so you can peer in, see yourself, and see the other person who might be looking in. The lights change color. Some colors were really beautiful. Some, in my opinion, had a bit of a boardwalk fair vibe.

Most of the rooms allowed for just 2-3 people at a time, so we had to split up. Above, Brannah and I are in a room called The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away. The lights are supposed to remind the viewer of stars in the sky. It’s meant to be a quiet place for contemplation.

While I see that, the desire to connect with the natural, looking at the photo now it reminds me of looking over a busy city at night. All the buildings, the activity, the people out there – it’s immersive and far away all at the same time.

In between rooms, there was other art by Kusama. All of it pretty bright and interesting. And fun to look at while waiting in line.

Overall, I didn’t mind the lines. Some of them were super long, but I enjoyed the time to talk with my friends about what we saw. It was also less stressful than some lines because we knew people were being moved in and out. Because remember, 30 seconds per room only.

I’ve thought about the 30 seconds thing. There were rooms where I wanted to spend more time. I wanted time to look at everything, watch the lights change color or brightness, and just enjoy the space. I also wanted time to take photos of the art, the details, my friends, and of course a selfie too. It’s hard to get all that done in 30 seconds.

However, I appreciate that it’s the policy. Keeps people from being selfish, and thereby making the lines really long.  I like it also because it made me spend time with the art I liked less. Phalli’s Field and All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins (where you can’t take photos), 30 seconds felt just fine. It felt like plenty of time to take it all in.

In grad school, I remember reading something about how people look at art for about 15-30 seconds. I remember thinking, oh that’s so quick! While that does seem short, how long should we be looking? What is enough time? While I was totally guilty of being selfie and Instagram focused, I also loved the art and enjoyed talking about it to my friends. Maybe then that’s it. If you look at it, enjoy it, take something away from it – maybe time doesn’t matter so much.

The room above is called Love Transformed into Dots. It’s the biggest room so the four of us all go into together. I liked it too because you could wander a bit more, instead of stay on a single runway. Also how great is Amanda’s happy face behind me in the photo above?!

My favorite room was Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity. The photo at the top of this post was also from this room and photo credit goes to Brannah. I loved this exhibit because I was immersed in the art. We were physically surrounded by it all. I love art that makes me want to touch it and be a part of it. This room did that.

It was the darkest. The lights flickered gently. The floor, the seams in the mirror, all seemed to melt away. That was a room I’d get back in line to see again.

Ok, so actually the last room is the biggest. Before entering we got a sheet of colorful dot stickers. Inside, we joined the dozens of other people and helped decorated the white room. We were warned the stickers were part of the art and could not leave the room.

The four of us split the stickers and explored the room. The room is basically a nice first floor of a house, with a kitchen, sitting area, bookshelves, and a piano. People layered stickers, made them pour out of cups, and took selfies. There was a working piano, which people played, while others sat on the couch and talked. It was a fun, really social way to end the exhibition.

I loved it. From start to finish we were there for about 2 hours, which I think is often plenty for a museum visit. There was so much to enjoy too – the colors, the lights, and most of all, I loved getting to be in the art. I had a blast with my friends, and so lucky I got to go. For me, Infinity Mirrors was worth they hype.

As the same time, I get why this might not be for everyone. Lines, and hype, and 30 second changes can be a barrier. But again, adored it. So if you’re curious and have the time, I highly recommend it. Try for walk-up tickets here in DC before the 14th. Otherwise, Infinity Mirrors is traveling, so maybe it’s coming to a city near you!

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! This recipe for nutella pumpkin muffins needs to be out there before pumpkin season is over!!! I think technically, pumpkin season can go through Christmas. However, we all know the season of pumpkin-flavored-everything really goes from October until Thanksgiving. After Thursday, it will be all about gingerbread and hot chocolate. Also, I used Halloween muffin wrappers so it’s about time I post this recipe. So let’s get to it. 

This recipe is moist, delicious, and because it’s called “muffins” you can have them for breakfast. Between you and me though, it’s pretty close to dessert. More specifically, it’s these muffins are like pumpkin pie in bread form. Bread with a delicious, and might I say, gorgeous swirl of Nutella baked into the top. What isn’t made better by a swirl of Nutella on top? Pretty much everything is better with Nutella.

If you make these muffins early during pumpkin spice season, they’re a great way to dip your toe into autumnal flavors. But if you make them now, they can be the start of holiday indulgence. Maybe you can refrain from all the parties, and treats, and sweets that come with the holiday season.  I for one, cannot. I love festive treats to add some cheer to cold winter days. These nutella pumpkin muffins can be a new addition to your holiday repertoire. Add this to your day-after Thanksgiving breakfast, for cozy weekends in, or to bring to the office as a holiday treat. So yummy, and everyone will love them!

Insider tip: this recipe plus this one for pumpkin biscotti together use a whole can of pumpkin puree. I love that there won’t be any wasted puree languishing in my fridge.

Adapted from Inside BruCrew Life.

Messy level: Not so messy at all. The most difficult part, as with all muffins, is neatly pouring the batter into the muffin wrappers. Also, nutella by nature doesn’t want to be drizzled and pourable so sometimes it unhelpfully splats about. All in all, nothing to complain about.

Nutella Pumpkin Muffins

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

22 mins

Total time

37 mins

 

Author: Adapted by Cooking is Messy

Serves: 18

Ingredients

• 1 cup/ 225 grams pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup/ 118 ml vegetable oil
• 1 cup/ 225 grams sugar
• 2¼/ 280 grams cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup/ 240 ml milk
• ½ cup/ 150 grams Nutella spread

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a muffin tin with wrappers or spray with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, and sugar
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Pour the flour mixture and milk in to the pumpkin mixture. Stir gently until smooth.
4. Spoon the muffin batter into your prepared tin. Fill wrappers ¾ full.
5. Place the Nutella in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 20-30 seconds. Stir until it's thinned enough to be gently drizzled.
6. Spoon small dollops of Nutella in the center of each muffin. Use a toothpick artfully swirl a design on top.
7. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes.
8. Let cool for 2-5 minutes in the tin. Then remove from tin and let cool completely.
9. Serve!

3.5.3218

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I’ve been a bad blogger lately and largely because I’ve been focusing on work. I know that sounds really fake and ridiculous, but it’s kind of true. School started and I’m back in the classroom and on trips across DC and I come home tired and too lazy to write. I’m sorry friends! However, it’s October and it’s pumpkin season. I couldn’t stay silent any longer because there’s so much yummy stuff to do with pumpkin. For example, this recipe for pumpkin biscotti.

So, a few weeks ago I made pumpkin nutella muffins (a recipe I’ll post eventually!) and I had a little bit of pumpkin leftover in the can. I never know what to do with remaining puree. It’s so little! Throw it away? Keep in my fridge hoping I’ll use it, then eventually throw it away? But then, I found this recipe from King Arthur Flour that needed only half a cup of pumpkin. I scraped the can that had been languishing in my fridge and came up with exactly half a cup. Whew!  No need for waste and I was going to get some yummy biscotti.

I had only made biscotti twice before and so when these came out of the oven the second time, I had some fear. Did I really know what biscotti should be like? Were they too crunchy? Can biscotti be too crunchy?! But they tasted good so I wasn’t too concerned.

Then the next morning I had some with my coffee and oh-em-gee friends these pumpkin biscotti were SO. MUCH. BETTER. They soak up the coffee and soften slightly so you can easily bite into them while still holding their shape. They don’t get squishy, fall apart, and plop into your coffee. And somehow, the coffee enhanced the pumpkin and cinnamon flavors. These became my before-work treat for about a week. Who doesn’t want a reason to have a cookie for breakfast? This recipe is a win.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Messy level: The recipe is really easy to assemble with minimal dishes. What also keeps this recipe neat is that all the biscotti can be baked on one tray at the same time. Can’t often say that for a cookie recipe, so it’s a reason to like making biscotti.

Pumpkin Biscotti

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

70 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Author: Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Recipe type: cookie

Serves: ~30 biscotti

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons/ 56 grams butter, softened
• ⅔ cup/ 130 grams sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup/ 113 grams pumpkin puree
• 2 cups/ 240 grams all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Beat until smooth and creamy.
4. Beat in the egg and pumpkin puree. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the flour. Mix until just combined.
6. In the bowl, gather the dough into a loose ball. Divide the dough in half and place onto the baking sheet. Give yourself space, the dough is sticky and you'll be reshaping it on the baking sheet.
7. Shape each half of the dough into a long flat rectangular log, about 10"x2.5".
8. Bake the logs on the baking sheet for 25 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F/160°C.
10. After 5 minutes, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the log crosswise into ¾" pieces. Do your best to cut straight up and down so the biscotti will stand upright during the second bake.
11. Arrange the biscotti on the baking sheet so they are standing on their bottom edge and there is a little space between each cookie.
12. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden.
13. Turn off the oven, crack open the door, and let the biscotti cool completely inside the oven.
14. Serve plain, with coffee, or even with nutella.

3.5.3208

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It’s Labor Day, which pretty much marks the end of summer. School has start, pumpkin spice lattes are back, and the weather is a bit cooler (for now). To mark the end of summer, I’ve got a recipe for an Old Bay shrimp boil. I think it’s a pretty great end of summer transition meal. It’s perfect for dumping out on a table during a barbecue on a hot summer day. However, it’s also lovely bubbling on your stove and served in a bowl to warm you up on a slightly crisp fall day. 

I’m from Maryland, so it’s no surprise that I love seafood and Old Bay seasoning. I put Old Bay on everything, but on seafood it’s the best. Steamed crabs with Old Bay is my favorite thing to have in the summer. Absolute favorite. But, it’s a bit more of a to-do than a shrimp boil. Enter this shrimp boil. This recipe combines my love for seafood and Old Bay plus it’s crazy easy to make with less fuss and expensive.

And I’ll be honest, sometimes seafood can be pretty expensive. I am crazy for peel and eat shrimp (I ate a pound of it by myself on vacation) but it’s not cheap. This shrimp boil though can go pretty far without breaking the bank because of the addition of corn, potatoes, and sausage. Each bowl-full has a lot going on, so you don’t need a ton of shrimp to satisfy. You get just enough seafood alongside other hearty yummy foods.

My biggest endorsement for this recipe is that it is so simple to make. All you do is chuck everything into a pot at various intervals and just let it happily simmer away. It’s low maintenance for a party or even for weeknight dinner. Best part? You don’t even have to use dishes if you don’t want to. Cover your table in newspaper, drain the pot and bring it to the table, dump it all out, and dig in. Could not be easier!

I do have one important recommendation. It’s vital. Use the biggest pot that you have when making this recipe. I used a 5 1/2 quart Dutch Oven and it was barely big enough. Everything was bubbling right up to the edge of pot. I was lucky and it didn’t overflow. So learn from me and use the biggest pot available!

Adapted from OldBay.com.

Messy level: If you use a large enough pot, the cooking should not be messy. The messiest part is the eating. This is a meal best eaten with your bare hands, so be sure to have a lot of paper towels handy.

Old Bay Shrimp Boil

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy, adapted from Old Bay

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 8 cups/ 2 quarts water
• 12 ounces/ 355 ml beer
• ¼ cup/ 85 gramsOld Bay Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 medium red potatoes quartered
• 1 large onions cut into large chunks
• ½ pound smoked sausage cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4-6 ears fresh corn shucked and cut into 3" pieces
• 2 pounds unpeeled jumbo shrimp

Instructions

1. In a very large pot, bring water, beer, Old Bay, and salt to a boil.
2. Stir in the potatoes and onions to the pot and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Add the sausage, stir and cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Next add the corn and cook for 8 more minutes.
5. Add the shrimp. Stir in so it is mixed all the way through. Cook for 4 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat. Drain cooking liquid. Serve directly from the pot into bowls. Alternatively, cover your table in newspaper and dumb the contents of the pot and eat the food directly using your hands.
7. Season with more Old Bay if needed.

3.5.3208

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Ok, so whipped cream is like the easiest thing ever to make. Seriously. I always knew it was “easy” in that all you really needed to do was beat heavy cream. However, beating by hand is exhausting and with a mixer it can sometimes be time consuming. The hero though, that makes this all kuh-ray-zee easy, is an immersion blender. It’s literally changed my dessert eating life. So much so that I’ve been experimenting with different flavors of whipped cream. Today we’ll just get into regular and chocolate – and both are killer. Historically, I’ve neglected my immersion blender. Friends have told me they love theirs, but I never knew what to do with it. I have a blender for smoothies, I am perfectly capable of chopping up my own guacamole ingredients, and as for soups I prefer a chunky stew. What’s the point of an immersion blender?! But now I know.

Here’s what happened, my friend Charlotte was over so we could nerd out and make a spiralized dinner and dessert. (Yeah, I’m super cool and my food stories are awesome). Because our spiralizer was new we were spiralizing everything including some apples and pears. We sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar and baked them. It came out ok… I thought it would be better with cream, and while we had heavy cream in the fridge I was too impatient to make it with the mixer.  And then Ryan, who had just walked in said, “what about the immersion blender?” Stunned silence. 

Why not? We tried it and friends, I kid you not, I made whipped cream in under a minute. ONE MINUTE! Ok, I admit this is not hte most fascinating story, but I was beyond excited. So easy, so neat, so fast!

The immersion blender stole the show and since then I’ve been making so much whipped cream. All you have to do is throw everything into a tall cup or bowl, whiz the immersion blender around until thick, and boom, it’s done. I’ve made plain and chocolate. But I also experimented with peanut butter whipped cream – which came out a bit thick but super delicious and amazing on moose tracks ice cream. I also made strawberry whipped cream – which was a bit runny but awesome with chocolate chip or Oreo cookies. And we’ve been brainstorming other flavors too like nutella, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Yummmmm!

But chocolate has been my favorite experiment so far. It’s comes out with a rich chocolate flavor but it’s the texture is still light and creamy. Basically, it’s like a chocolate mousse. And what is more better and decadent than that?!

I love chocolate mousse. It reminds me of a family vacation we took to Toronto when I was in 5th grade. One night my parents let me, my brother Eric, and my friend Sarah eat as much dessert as we wanted from the kids buffet. I remember us eating cup after cup of chocolate mousse, with a few cups of red Jell-o eaten in between. Since then, chocolate mousse has always been a symbol of delicious indulgence. And now I can practically have that at home, whenever I want, with super simple recipe for chocolate whipped cream.

And obviously if I eat all the whipped cream with fruit the calories don’t count right? Because I mean, I’m eating all those strawberries then what I’m eating is good for me. That’s how food works. I’m sure of it.

Messy level: Powdered sugar is one of my kitchen nemeses. I open the bag and as soon as I stick a spoon or cup in, a cloud of white powder flies everywhere and coats everything. If you’re super gentle, you should be able to get away without making any mess. I for one haven’t mastered that yet. Otherwise, a neat recipe.

Whipped Cream (Two Ways)

 

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Prep time

1 min

Cook time

1 min

Total time

2 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup cold heavy cream, divided
• 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar (more or less depending on desired sweetness)
• 2-3 tablespoons sweetened cocoa powder (more or less depending on desired richness)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

1. First we're making plain whipped cream. Add ½ cup heavy cream and all of the powdered sugar to a tall sturdy plastic cup or to a bowl. Add the vanilla extract if using.
2. Insert the immersion blender and turn on. Move the immersion blender around and blend until the mixture holds stiff peaks (basically when it's thick and looks like whipped cream). This should be done in 1 minute or less. Note: this step can be done with a stand or hand mixer, it will just take longer.
3. Transfer your completed plain whipped cream to a serving bowl.
4. Clean the immersion blender.
5. Add the second ½ cup of heavy cream and the cocoa powder to a tall plastic cup or to a bowl. Note: If using unsweetened cocoa powder you might want to add a bit of powdered sugar for sweetness.
6. Insert the immersion blender and turn on. Move the immersion blender around and blend until the mixture holds stiff peaks (basically when it's thick and looks like whipped cream).
7. Transfer the completed chocolate whipped cream to a serving bowl.
8. Serve with ice cream, fruit, or eat it straight from a spoon.

3.5.3208

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Happy Friday! The weekend is here and I’ve been having dreams of grilling and going to the pool. And yet… it’s supposed to rain. In fact, it poured down on me during my walk home. Sigh. Perhaps instead I’ll have to remember back to last weekend when it was hot and beautiful. Last weekend Ryan and I made burgers and hot dogs and a delicious fruit salad in a watermelon pig. Yeah, that’s right. I made a watermelon into a pig. Why have regular fruit salad slopped on your plate when you could lovingly scoop it out of a pretty pig container?!

Ok, but for real, why did I make a watermelon pig? Because I love pigs. They have been my favorite animal since I was a little girl. And ever since I have collected all things pigs – toys, figurines, slippers, socks, kitchen utensils. It’s the kind of thing that when my friends and family see something with a pig on it, they buy it for me. And when I was a kid, I told my parents I wasn’t going to eat pork anymore and I largely kept to that for nearly two decades. I even once made up a joke about pigs. Let me preface and set the scene by saying I was about four and I only half remember this joke. The rest is reconstructed from my mom’s memory. Anyway, I told the joke to my mom, who called me while I was home with the babysitter.

Mom: Hi ladybug [yes she calls me ladybug]

Me: Hi Mom. Wanna hear a dirty joke?

Mom: Terrified pause… Ok.

Me: Once upon a time, a pig fell in the mud!

What follows is awkward and relieved laughter from my mom. Hysterical laughter from me because apparently the idea of a big fat pig falling in mud and it splashing everywhere is super funny to four-year-old me. And get it, it’s a dirty joke because the pig is in the mud?! So clever, I know. I’m still this funny today.

All of that to say if it’s pig related I’m into it.

But also, it’s summer and all the delicious fruit is available. I literally impulse bought fruit at Harris Teeter. I bought strawberries because they are my favorite (and I’ve been into making homemade whipped cream recently). I had a grapefruit in the fridge, plus of course the watermelon insides. The impulse buying part came from the kiwis and golden raspberries. I just love the green color of kiwis and the starburst of black seeds in the middle. And the golden raspberries are so pretty! They were too interesting not to buy. I didn’t notice a huge difference in taste, but I liked how their color appears simultaneously showing and understated.

The best part though is that this is super easy to make and looks really cute. All you really have to do is hollow out the watermelon, use the top to make the ears, nose, and legs, and then fill with fruit. It’s an adorable centerpiece for your summer barbecue, pool party, or weekend fun. Plus you know, it’s healthy and refreshing and that’s good too.

Inspired by a photo I saw on Instagram, but I don’t remember whose. So sorry I can’t give credit!

Messy level: For someone like me who is a super mess in the kitchen, and not good at detail work, this is really pretty easy and neat. When I was scooping out the watermelon I did get juice all over the counter and that made it sticky. Still, that’s easy to clean and not a bother.

Watermelon Pig Fruit Salad

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Fruit salad in a watermelon pig. To fill a small watermelon I used 3 kiwis, half a carton of strawberries, one carton of raspberries, one grapefruit, and ¾ of the watermelon.

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 watermelon
• 2 chocolate chips (or 2 blueberries)
• toothpicks
• variety of fruit cut in bite sized pieces, enough to fill a watermelon

Instructions

1. Use a sharp knife, and holding it so the blade pierces the watermelon at about a 45° angle, cut out a lid from the top of the watermelon. You want the lid to be about 1-2 inches down the watermelon. If you've ever carved a pumpkin, think about what it's like to cut a lid there, and do the same thing here.
2. Save the lid to make the pig's features. First cut out a large oval for the pig's nose. Then cut two triangles for ears and four rough rectangle-like shapes for legs. You can also cut a piece for the tail if you'd like.
3. Take a spoon and scoop out the insides of the watermelon. Put the watermelon flesh in a large bowl and pour out any watermelon juice that is accumulating in the bottom of your watermelon shell. [Note, you can scrape the watermelon pretty clean or you can leave some on the edges if you want to]
4. Using a toothpicks, connect the nose on one end of the watermelon. Then use more toothpicks to connect the ears at the top near the edge of the opening and the four legs around the bottom. The watermelon is not being held up by the legs so the legs don't have to be perfect. Just place the legs so it looks like the pig is standing.
5. Use your knife to carve out two small eye holes above the nose. Wedge in the pointy end of chocolate chips into these holes - now you have eyes. [Alternatively you can use toothpicks and blueberries to make eyes.]
6. Take the reserved watermelon flesh and cut it into bite sized pieces. Cut any other large fruits you're using into bite sized pieces (bananas, strawberries, apples, melon, kiwi, etc.).
7. Throw in any other fruit you have that doesn't need to be cut (grapes, raspberries, blueberries, etc).
8. Mix all the fruit together and then pour it into your watermelon pig.
9. Place on your table and serve.

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I know. I know.The last thing you need less than a week after Thanksgiving is a pumpkin pie recipe. Am I right? It’s something you needed before Thanksgiving. And I’m sorry, I should have posted it earlier. But better late than never. And besides, this cream cheese swirl pumpkin pie is so delicious it’s worth having just so you know it exists. Plus, my family and friends really enjoyed this pie over Thanksgiving that I thought I had to share it because maybe you’d enjoy it too. First, I made this pie the Tuesday before Thanksgiving for a “friendsgiving” I organized at with my colleagues at work. Everyone brought in food and I brought in this pumpkin pie and an apple pie. We watched the parade (from 2013, it’s on YouTube) and we traced our hands and made hand turkeys. And everyone was happy and chatting and together. It felt like Thanksgiving.  It was a warm and fuzzy feeling. And on top of that the entire pie was eaten and a couple of people asked me for the recipe. That’s a win in my book.

Then, I had this pie again as part of the official Thanksgiving meal. Aaron, Katy, and Boden came from Zurich and we all worked together chopping, pealing, cleaning, shopping, and cooking together. Katy and I made this pumpkin pie together and again I felt warm fuzzies. It was nice to spend time with my sister-in-law and put together something delicious. And she wanted the recipe too.

So not only does this pie make people happy and bring them together, but it also tastes delicious and people want to make it themselves. It’s rich from the cream cheese, but also surprisingly still pretty light. The crust is a flavorful spicy mix of gingersnap-graham cracker crust, which I love. Ordinarily I grind up the cookies using the food processor. Since we spent Thanksgiving at a rental house I didn’t have the food processor so instead, I made a pouch out of aluminium foil and smashed the cookies with with a can of edamame. Don’t let equipment get in the way, anyone cane make a cookie crust.

A few more words of advice. Your pie will probably come out lighter in color than mine. My tart tin is slightly rubbish and very thin therefore it often cooks things too quickly. So, rest assured yours might come out more beautifully. Also, with the cream cheese as you dollop it onto the pie you might feel disheartened that it doesn’t look pretty. Don’t fret. The cream cheese will rise a bit during cooking and will create a gorgeous swirly dotted pattern regardless of what it looks like when you pop it in the oven.

I know pumpkin-season is pretty much over, but I really do love this pie. I hope you can find a reason to share it with friends and family this holiday season. And maybe they’ll ask you for the recipe too. All right, now I’m all done talking about Thanksgiving food. Tomorrow is December, that means I can move on to Christmas right?

Adapted (barely) from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I love everything from Smitten Kitchen and this cookbook is awesome – a perfect holiday gift for the cook in your life.

Messy level: Assembly and baking is so easy, but honestly this requires a lot of dishes. You need to make three separate things and then combine them. That equals dishes. Also, put your pie tin on a cookie sheet then assemble your pie! This will help make sure you don’t spill or make a mess as you put the pie in the oven.

Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Pie

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Author: Adapted slightly by Cooking is Messy from Smitten Kitchen

Serves: 10

Ingredients

Crust

• 4 oz/115 grams gingersnap cookies
• 3 oz/ 85 grams/ about 5 sheets graham crackers (or digestive biscuits)
• 4 tablespoons/ 55 grams butter, melted

Cream Cheese Batter

• 4 ounces/115 grams softened cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons/ 40 grams sugar
• 1 egg yolk (don't throw out the white, you'll need it later)

Pumpkin Batter

• 1 egg
• 1 egg white (see I told you you'd use it)
• 1¼ cups/300 grams pumpkin puree (you can use a whole 15 oz can if you really want to, but your pie will be VERY full)
• ¼ cup/ 50 grams sugar
• ¼ cup/ 50 grams brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• sprinkle of grated nutmeg
• 1 cup/ 235 ml heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
2. Using a food processor, grind the gingersnaps and graham crackers until broken up into fine crumbs. It's ok if there a few pea sized lumps - just not too many.
3. Pour the melted butter into the food processor and pulse until all the cookie crumbs are moistened. [Alternatively put the cookies in a plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin. Then transfer the crumbs to a bowl then stir in the melted butter until it is all moistened.]
4. Pour this cookie mixture into a 9" tart pan. (I've also had success with a deep 8" cake pan. It's also best if the pan has a removable bottom but that's not 100% necessary) Press the cookie mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan. Press firmly so it all becomes compact. Use the bottom and sides of a drinking glass or measuring cup to help you really press the cookie crumbs into the corners and up the sides.
5. Set the pie crust to the side.
6. Now for the cream cheese, in a small bowl mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and egg yolk. Give your arm a work out and really mix until smooth and a little bit drippy. [Sometimes when I've done it this has been thick and not very pourable, that's ok it will still work fine]
7. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and egg white.
8. Add the pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir until everything is combined.
9. Slowly pour the heavy cream into the pumpkin mixture. Whisk until everything is smooth.
10. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie crust.
11. Take a fork and dollop the cream cheese mixture randomly into the pumpkin mixture.
12. Using the tines of the fork gently swirl it about to create a beautiful pattern. Don't worry if it doesn't immediately look beautiful. While swirling, be careful not to stab the bottom of the pie crust with your fork.
13. Bake for 10 minutes.
14. Lower the heat to 350°F/180°C and bake for a further 30 minutes. Check the pie and if a fork or toothpick comes out clean your done! If not, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

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Up until a few weeks ago I had been living under the impression that making your own pumpkin puree was hard. Like, so wildly hard that there was no reason to ever attempt it. Have you ever made pumpkin puree from scratch? I just didn’t see the reason to do it, and this coming from someone who has made her own butter. And then I was talking to one of my colleagues from work and everything changed.

We were talking about what we were going to make for the upcoming cake sale (where I made pumpkin butterscotch cookies), and we got to talking about cooking with pumpkin. She said she’d made a pumpkin pie once and that she had made her own puree. I was gobsmacked. And then we had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: What?! You made the pumpkin puree?!

Her: Yeah, how else do you do it?

Me: Get it from a can!

And then we both looked at each other slightly confused. At least, that’s how I remember it.

Needless to say, after this conversation I felt a little silly. Why was I so dependent on a can? Where had I learned that making my own pumpkin puree would be so hard? Now I was determined to try it out for myself.

What I learned is, the hardest part of making your own pumpkin puree is ensuring that you don’t get attached to your pumpkin. I went to Waitrose with my friend Sarah and picked out what I thought was fine pumpkin. She pointed out it was ugly looking on one side. I said, “It’s fine, we’re going to eat it.” And then I got home and told Ryan I bought a pumpkin. He got excited and asked if we were going to carve it. “No,” I said, “we’re going to eat it.” A word of advice to you my friend: don’t name it, don’t carve it, don’t get attached to your pumpkin!

Even though I wasn’t carving the pumpkin, preparing the pumpkin for cooking starts much the same way. You slice off the top and then scoop out the insides. I cut the pumpkin in half before scooping out the insides. Save the seeds if you’re into that. Then cut your pumpkin in quarters and put on a roasting pan to then cook the slices in the oven. Put the slices in the oven plain – no seasoning or oil. This is so you have the purest pumpkin puree, which I think is really the reason to make this yourself. Sure, opening a can is easier but by making this yourself you’re getting the freshest ingredients with no unknown or unnecessary additives.

When choosing a pumpkin buy one on the smaller side. Save that big impressive gigantic pumpkin for carving. My research said that big pumpkins result in less flavor and a less pleasant texture. This guy here weighed 1.2 kg (2.64 pounds) and resulted in 393 grams (about 1 3/4 cups) of puree. This is probably just slightly less than what you’d get in a can from the super market. The end result was really tasty (because yes, I ate some plain with a spoon). It’s smooth, but less perfectly smooth than a can. I credit that with magical additives used in the canning factory plus also my food processor is mediocre.

What I like best about making my own pumpkin puree is how excited I am to use it. I am itching to make a pumpkin pie and I think I’ll be especially proud when the finish product is extra homemade.

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman.

Messy level: I am giving this four spoons only because I hate, hate, hate cleaning the food processor. It’s so many pieces and such a pain! Also, it’s a little messy in peeling the pumpkin. Some pieces of skin just peeled off, and some fought back a little. It was annoying, but it was a good excuse to taste test what was stuck to my hands.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Serves: 1¾ cup

Ingredients

• 1 smallish pumpkin (or more depending on desired final amount)
• water, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Cut the top of the pumpkin off near the stem. About 1" of the top cut off is fine.
3. Cut the pumpkin in half.
4. Use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds and inner gunk. You can throw this away or set the seeds aside to roast if you like that.
5. Cut the cleaned pumpkin in half again so you have 4 pumpkin quarters.
6. Put the pumpkin quarters on to a roasting pan.
7. Roast the pumpkin for 45 minutes or until you can easily stick a fork into the flesh.
8. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and let cool until you can safely handle them.
9. Use a knife, a peeler, or your hands to remove the pumpkin skin. It will mostly come off easily, and where it's difficult just use a peeler.
10. Put the pumpkin flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth. If you notice your pumpkin is too dry then you can add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you have your desired consistency. (I added 2 tablespoons of water) If you're finding your pumpkin is too wet you can strain off some of that liquid after you're done with the food processor.
11. Transfer your pumpkin puree to a bowl if you're going to use immediately or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator if you'll be using it later.

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One time, a few years ago, Ryan and I went apple picking with our friends Phil and Meg. It’s incredibly easy to pick too many apples while apple picking and I remember thinking, “what can we possibly do with a wheelbarrow full of apples?!” And I think we made pies, and tarts, and ate them raw. But now, I think we should have made apple cider. Homemade apple cider makes your whole house smell like autumn and pie. And also you can use up a ton of apples. In the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t go apple picking for these apples. I just got them from the store. It’s less exciting, I know. 

But let me tell you more about the time we went apple picking – because I do have an exciting story about that time. This is a story that I think all four of us tell a lot. We drove out to a farm in rural Maryland and the place was decked out for fall. There was a little shop, hay bales, and pumpkins. And rows and rows of apple trees. We got wheelbarrows and strolled up and down the rows of apples.

There were all different kinds of apples and we picked out gigantic apples, tiny perfectly spherical apples, and overall we picked way more than we needed. In general, I need like 5 for a week so I can have one each day with lunch. And then for an apple pie I want 8-10 apples. What can I say, I like a fat pie? Anyway I think I went home with over 30 apples – and that doesn’t even count the ones we snacked on during the day.

Now back to the story…the four of us start to walk down this row of apple trees. We’re chatting mindlessly and enjoying the fall day when suddenly we see something we can never forget. One girl is holding up a coat at about waist height to cover her friend. Her friend had dropped her pants down to her ankles and she is peeing. Yes, she is peeing in the apple orchard!!! There are people – families even – all around us picking apples and this chick is peeing in the middle of it all. There was even a portable toilet back by the parking lot. But apparently this girl could not wait.

We quickly turned around and rushed to the next aisle. We’re having way down the row when we hear that girl loudly groan,

“Ugh! Feels so good!”

Most awkward and wildly inappropriate apple picking experience ever. It was shocking and horrifying in the moment, but it’s turned into a hilarious story ever since.

Ok, so I admit it, this post  was mostly an excuse to tell that story again. But if you are going apple picking this year making apple cider is a good way to use up your apples. I haven’t gone apple picking this year, unfortunately. But still, I used 18 apples from three different varieties (Braeburn, Gala, and Pink Lady) for this recipe; and it made a nice big jug of cider for me and Ryan. You can use whatever kind of apples you like, but I choose a mix so I’d have a balance of sweet and tart flavors.

This is also fun to make because it makes your house smell absolutely amazing. Seriously. It smells like pie, and cinnamon, and the best holiday scented candle you could buy at the mall. The end product will be a thick-ish concoction that tastes like liquid apple pie. You can also drink it hot or cold. When warm, I felt like it was fine as is (although a little added rum or whiskey is nice too!). When cold, I think it’s too rich and should be used more as a cordial to be diluted with water. Try it yourself and see what you think, but diluting it is a nice way to stretch the recipe. And don’t just stick to regular tap water, it’s lovely with sparkling water and ginger ale.

Adapted from Food.com

Messy level: Easy and straightforward until it’s time to strain it. Then you have to use a strainer, pour back and forth, use a lot of containers – and even strain it through cloth. It’s a bit oozy and messy and sticky. You’ve been warned.

Apple Cider

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 10 mins

 

Serves: ~ ¾ gallon

Ingredients

• 18 apples
• 1 - 1½ cups of sugar (depending on how sweet you'd like it)
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 - 3 tablespoons all spice (depending on how much spice you'd like)
• water

Instructions

1. Wash the apples and cut them into quarters. Don't worry about cutting out the seeds or stem, it will come out later.
2. Put the apples, sugar, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and all spice into a large pot.
3. Cover the apples with water. This is tricky because the apples float, but do your best to add enough water until apples are just covered.
4. Put the pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil and let it bubble for one hour, uncovered. Check it regularly just to make sure it's not bubbling over. You can also stir it a bit if you feel things are rising to the top and should be mixed.
5. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for an additional two hours. Your house will smell amazing.
6. Remove from heat and let it cool to the point that it's safe for you to handle.
7. Put a fine sieve over a large bowl. Carefully pour the contents of the pot into the sieve. The liquid in the bowl is your cider, set it aside for now.
8. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the sieve. Now, take the contents of your sieve and put it all in the blender. Blend it up until it's a even mush.
9. Put this apple mush (which is yummy by the way, take a spoonful to taste) and put it into a cheesecloth or other thin cloth that you don't mind getting dirty (like a tea towel).
10. Squeeze the mush in the cheese cloth over your bowl of cider. Squeeze until you get as much juice out as you can.
11. If you don't like bits of pulp or spice in your cider, then you can continue to strain it through the sieve and/or cheesecloth until you get it as clear as you like. I only ran it through once as I don't mind things settling to the bottom of the glass. Do what feels best to you.
12. Now you have all your cider in a bowl! Transfer it to a pitcher and put it in the fridge to cool. Or heat put it back in your pot to heat it up if you'd like it warm. You're done!

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