Pumpkin Bread

1 cup pumpkin 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 eggs 1 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil 1 tsp. grated orange peel 1/2 cup pecans 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. salt Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat together sugar, oil, eggs and orange peel. Stir in pumpkin and remaining ingredients. Turn batter into an oiled loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Brush top of loaf with melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar, maple sugar, turbinado sugar or white sugar.

Chicken with Spicy Marmalade Glaze

Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Spray the rack of a broiler pan, preheat the broiler.

2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper on each side. Place in oven for 4 minutes on one side until lightly browned. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Remove chicken from oven and turn over to other side. Spoon or brush glaze onto each breast and return to oven for another 4 minutes, or until chicken is done.

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

These are from Martha Stewart.
Makes about 8 dozen

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons finely ground Earl Grey tea leaves, (from about 8 bags)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (8 ounce) sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Directions
Whisk together flour, tea, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Put butter, sugar, and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; slowly mix in flour mixture until just combined.
Divide dough in half. Transfer each half to a piece of parchment paper; shape into logs. Roll in parchment to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log and force out air. Transfer in parchment to paper-towel tubes; freeze 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake until edges turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Dutch Baby

Thanks to Ruth Daly for the recipe.

4 T butter
4 eggs
3/4-1 c. milk or 1/2 & 1/2
3/4-1 c. flour
2 T sugar (or so -- not necessary at all)
1 t. vanilla (also optional)
salt

Preheat the oven to 400 F, and put the butter into a glass or clay pie pan or cake pan and into the oven. The butter will melt in the pan, and the pan will get hot and form a nice crust on the pancake. Meanwhile, in the blender, combine the eggs and milk until frothy (30 seconds or so). Add the flour in two or three batches, otherwise it will stick to the walls of the blender. Add the sugar and vanilla and salt, if you like. Blend until frothy, then pour immediately into the pie pan (make sure the butter is melted already). Bake for 20-25 minutes. It will puff up and turn all golden brown, but will fall shortly after removing, so eat it immediately!

Serve with:
lemon juice and powdered sugar or honey or jam
maple syrup
jam
honey
fresh fruit and whipped cream
etc.

Some people also combine fruit with the pancake in the oven. If you decide to do this, I think you can add apples with the butter in the beginning and then pour the batter over them. You can also put in sausage or ham or whatever -- in this case, omit the sugar and vanilla, but possibly add salt and pepper and rosemary or whatever spices you enjoy.

10 No Cook Summer Meals from Weight Watchers

Cantaloupe Soup with Basil & CrabPuree
2 cups cubed cantaloupe with 1/2 cup mango nectar. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in 1 small shallot, minced; 6 basil leaves, shredded; 3 dashes hot pepper sauce; and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Chill at least 2 hours. Top each serving with 3 ounces cooked lump crab meat, picked over for shell and cartilage.Serving size: 1 1/4 cupsPOINTS® value: 3

Cranberry-Nut Turkey Roll Ups
Spread two medium low-fat whole-wheat tortillas each with 1 tablespoon whole-berry cranberry sauce and 1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise. Top each with 3 ounces thickly sliced deli turkey breast, 1 leaf Romaine lettuce, and 1 teaspoon chopped pecans. Roll up and serve.POINTS value: 4

Bombay Tuna Salad
Drain a 6-ounce can of chunk white tuna packed in water and place in a bowl. Mix with 1/4-cup fat-free mayonnaise; 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons minced red onion; 2 tablespoons sliced almonds; 2 tablespoons golden raisins; 2 teaspoons curry powder; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place a bed of Boston or Bibb lettuce on each of two plates and divide tuna between them.POINTS value: 4

Melon & Berries with Poppyseed Dressing
Combine 1 cup diced watermelon, seeded or seedless; 1 cup diced honeydew melon; 1 cup sliced strawberries; and 1 cup raspberries. Toss with 1/4-cup bottled low-fat poppy seed dressing. Serve over 1/2 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese.Serving size: 2 cupsPOINTS value: 5

Ceviche
Toss 4 ounces sea scallops, thinly sliced, and 4 ounces skinned red snapper filet, diced, with 1/2 cup fresh lime juice in a medium glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the fish becomes opaque, about 1 hour. Drain, then toss with 1 large tomato, diced; 1/2 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced; 1 small red onion, minced; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 3 dashes hot pepper sauce; salt to taste; and ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately, cold, on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce. NOTE: Ask for sushi-grade fish at your market.Serving size: 1 cupPOINTS value: 5

Chunky Roast Chicken Slaw
Pull 6 ounces of white meat off a store-bought roast chicken. Mix with 1 small Napa cabbage, finely shredded; 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded; 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced; 1 small shallot, minced; and 1/4-cup low-fat ranch dressing.Serving size: 2 cupsPOINTS value: 5
Two Bean Chili Salad with Smoked Chicken
Drain and rinse one 14 1/2-ounce can French-style green beans and place them in a large bowl. Toss with 1 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 6 ounces chopped store-bought smoked chicken breast; 1 tablespoon cider vinegar; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons olive oil; salt to taste; and ground pepper to taste.Serving size: 1 1/2 cupsPOINTS value: 6

Thai Summer Rolls
Soak 6 Thai rice paper wrappers (available in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets) in warm water until soft, about 10 seconds. Lay them flat on your work surface and top each with 1 large cooked cocktail shrimp (about 1 ounce), 2 cucumber slices, 2 tablespoons shredded carrot, 1 tablespoon minced scallion (green part only), and 1/2 teaspoon hoisin sauce. Roll to seal in the filling; serve immediately or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.Serving size: 3 rollsPOINTS value: 4

Mozzarella & Tomato
Thinly slice two large beefsteak tomatoes. Layer the slices with 4 ounces thinly sliced part-skim mozzarella and 12 basil leaves. Sprinkle the stacks with 2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt.Serving size: 1 1/2 cupsPOINTS value: 4
Optional: Accompany each serving with 4 ounces cooked large shrimp, drizzled with a splash of white wine vinegar.POINTS value: 6

Chef's Orchard Salad
Place 1 1/2 cups mixed greens on each of two plates. Top each set of greens with 1/2 peach, pitted and thinly sliced; 1/4-cup blueberries; 1/4-cup small red seedless grapes; 3 ounces thinly-sliced deli roast beef; and 2 tablespoons bottled fat-free vinaigrette. POINTS value: 5

Wheat Berry Salad and Red Fruit

I have been looking for Wheat Berry recipies lately. If you have any favorites, please leave a comment!

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 cups Cooked Wheat Berries
1 large Fuji apple, unpeeled, diced
1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Combine orange juice and cranberries in a small bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes. Combine wheat berries, apple and pecans in a large bowl; stir gently. Drain the cranberries, reserving the juice. Stir the cranberries into the wheat berry mixture. Whisk the reserved orange juice, vinegar and oil in a small bowl until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and stir gently to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.

To toast pecans, spread nuts onto a baking sheet and baje at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes.

Recipe source: Alton Brown

Aebleskivers (Danish Ball Pancakes)

This is a Danish tradition that requires a special kind of pan. We recently purchased a monk's pan at Williams-Sonoma and have started a new tradition of serving aebleskivers for special holidays.

4 separated eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour
oil or lard

Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside. Beat rest of ingredients until batter is very smooth. Fold in egg whites. Heat [at a moderate temperature] a well-seasoned monk's pan (see tip below) with 1/8 teaspoon oil or lard in each of the 7 holes. Fill each hole [about three-quarters full] with batter. [Be sure to add a few drops of oil to each well in the pan before the next round of batter.]
When browned on one side (almost right away), turn with knitting needle [or two-tined fork] and keep turning until needle comes out clean after piercing through the cake. [We find that you need to turn these only once.]

Serve with flavored butters, such as maple or cinnamon honey, syrup, jam and brown or white sugar. Tips: You can purchase a cast iron monk's pan at Scandinavia gift shops or at small town hardware stores in Danish communities. As for servings, plan on each person eating 7-10 cakes. Makes approximately 48 pancakes.

recipe source: Lindgren's B&B on Lake Superior