"The Pumpkin Cookbook" - Roasted Corn Pumpkin Chowder - Halloween!

Date I made this recipe:  October 31, 2017 – Halloween!

The Pumpkin Cookbook – 139 Recipes Celebrating the Versatility of Pumpkin and Other Winter Squash by DeeDee Stovel

Published by Storey

ISBN: 978-1-61212-833-7; copyright 2005,2017

Purchased at Bibelot Shops – St. Paul

Recipe:  Roasted Corn Pumpkin Chowder – p. 54

Well, it’s that time of year again which is to say it is fall and also Halloween.  I am not fond of either of these two “events.”

Fall is the season of dead things which is to say my allergies just go into overdrive.  It is also the calm before the storm of winter, and it has been gray in these parts now for oh, I don’t know—forever?  Okay, not really.  Let’s say for the past three weeks if not longer.  It’s also been cold which is why Halloween is no fun.  Did you ever hear a kid beg to put a coat on over his/her costume?  No, you did not!

And then there’s pumpkin which I don’t loathe but it’s not something I cozy up to, either.  It’s okay.  The taste is neither here nor there unless you add some spices to it but I’m not exactly fond of pumpkin spice so there’s another problem I have to overcome every year.  Then there’s the smell problem which is to say that once upon a time, real pumpkin spice didn’t really smell but if it did, it was a lovely scent reminding us of mom’s baking and family Thanksgiving.  Once everybody and their mother (but not my mother) got their hands on it though, it is now everywhere and in everything.  Starbucks of course, pushes the hell out of pumpkin-spiced lattes (usually in July which is maddening), grocery stores start carrying pumpkin-spiced everything and of course, stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond (a store I love), choke me out with their fake pumpkin-spiced candles and doodads.  Migraines are not fun, and there’s a special place in hell reserved for companies that trigger one by spraying everything with “that crap.”

Still, whilst shopping a few months back at one of my favorite stores, Bibelot (fun gifts, cool stuff), I spied this book, The Pumpkin Cookbook.  I debated and debated and then finally thought, “Oh, all right then” and so I brought it home, marked my calendar to remind me to use it and proceeded to flag some recipes.

What I really liked about this book is not only the wide variety of chapters/recipes from which to choose, but also because pages 16 and 17 break out all the recipes by how you want to use your pumpkin, to wit: “Baked or Roasted Pumpkin;” “Steamed or Microwaved Pumpkin;” “Raw Pumpkin;” “Canned Unsweetened Pumpkin or Puree,” and “Pepitas” (Pumpkin Seeds).  I think this is a damned fine idea!  They don’t match the cooking method to the Table of Contents, but they do reference page numbers so that helps.

Here then, is the Table of Contents:

• Starters, Snack & Beverages
• Soups & Salads
• Side Dishes
• Main Courses
• Breads
• Pies
• Cookies
• Cakes
• Desserts & Delicacies

 Many of the sweet treats sounded fantastic, but I thought that was too easy and expected so I looked at the savory options.  In the running were:

• Black Bean (and Pumpkin) Dip – p. 22
• Holiday Pumpkin Dip – p. 23
• Roasted Ginger Pumpkin-Pear Soup – p. 40
• Italian Pumpkin Soup with Crushed Amaretti Cookies – p. 55
• Chicken-Pumpkin Tacos – p. 102
• Punkin’ [Sloppy] Joes – p. 130
• Spaghetti with Peppers, Onions, and Sausage (and Pumpkin) – p. 141
• Creamy Fusilli, Sausage and Pumpkin [Pasta] – p. 145

Any of these would have been fine although since I am such a fan of Sloppy Joes, I was leaning in that direction.  Then I handed the book off to Andy and asked him to choose something, thinking he would choose one of the recipes I flagged in advance.  Turned out he went “rogue” on me and selected something I hadn’t marked and that is how I came to make tonight’s dinner selection – Roasted Corn Pumpkin Chowder (p. 54).  I did not see that coming!

Since both of us are chowder fans, this one hit all the basic requirements:  corn, potatoes, a creamy broth, bacon (a nice addition) and even cheddar cheese.  The pumpkin was a nice addition, but pumpkin can be rather bland, and so it could have benefitted from more spice in the dish.  Aside from salt, the full recipe called for ½ teaspoon dried thyme and 1/8-1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Plan on using more.

As you might imagine, step one was to find a cooking pumpkin, carve it up which is to say, cut it into chunks, and roast it.  That was easy enough, but you’ll have to watch your cooking times.  The pumpkin was to roast for 35 minutes and then another 30 minutes once you add some, but not all, of the frozen corn.  After 65 minutes, my pumpkin was more than done and it was okay, but I ended up scrapping it off the rind and then pulsing it in a food processor instead of adding it in chunks to the broth.  No biggie.

I also found some “fresh” corn at Trader Joe’s and thought to myself “Wouldn’t this be better than frozen corn?  Of course, it would!”  Andy though, thought I should have used frozen and he was not wrong, but he picked a fine time to tell me which was while we were eating it!

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention that pumpkin does not appeal to a lot of people, primarily because of its appearance which is to say, “not pretty” and/or “completely unappetizing,” and/or “reminds me of baby [you know];” I’ll let you fill in the blanks on what “you know” is. This soup’s appearance is also “not pretty” but the flavor is good and if anything, suffers from not having enough.  That’s an easy remedy in my book.

This then, concludes Halloween, pumpkins and fake pumpkin spice, and hooray for that.  Meanwhile, I’ll have to brace myself before I go into Bed, Bath & Beyond because tis the season for fake evergreen.  Dear Lord, it just never ends, does it?

Roasted Corn Pumpkin Chowder – Serves 8

1 pound fresh pumpkin, seeds and fibers removed, cut into chunks

3 cups frozen corn

4 slices bacon

1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

¾ pound (about 8 small) Yukon Gold potatoes

5 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 – ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup grated cheese (for topping)

Heat oven to 400°F.  Grease a sheet pan with oil.  Rub the chunks of pumpkin with oil and bake for 35 minutes or until slightly tender.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.  Add 2 cups (out of 3) of the corn and cook 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly toasted and the pumpkin tender.  Cool.  Peel the pumpkin and cut into ½-inch cubes.  Ann’s Note [of caution]:  If making a half recipe, I suggest baking for 17 minutes or so (half the stated time) and then checking.  Do the same when you add the corn to the pumpkin i.e. no more than 15 minutes out of the 30 that is called for.  My pumpkin overbaked a bit which was fine but not what the author intended.  I also found a small baking pumpkin rather than a large jack-o-lantern (although do NOT use that for baking) and smaller pumpkins cook faster, or so it seemed!

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until crispy.  Drain, crumbled, and set aside.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and cook the onion in the fat for about 5 minutes, until it is wilted.  Add the bell peppers and continue cooking for 3 minutes.

Add the potatoes, broth, salt, thyme, and white pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Add the pumpkin to the soup, along with the roasted corn and the remaining frozen corn.  Continue cooking for another 10 minutes, until the pumpkin is quite soft.  Add the half-and-half and cook only until heated through.  Don’t let it boil.

Serve topped with the cheese and crumbled bacon.

"Pumpkin - Not Just for Halloween and Thanksgiving!" - Pumpkin and Beet Ravioli with Fresh Herb Butter - Halloween 2016

Date I made this recipe:  October 31, 2016 – Halloween!

Pumpkin – Not Just for Halloween and Thanksgiving! – 40 Mouthwatering Recipes by Joanna Farrow

Published by Octopussybooks, USA and the UK

ISBN:  978-1-84601-478-9; copyright 2005 (published in Great Britain by Hamlyn) and 2014 by Spruce

Purchased at Half-Priced Books

Recipe:  Pumpkin and Beet Ravioli with Fresh Herb Butter – p. 13

Well, it's time for my least favorite holiday, Halloween, and time, I suppose, to make something with pumpkin.  Sigh.

It's not that I don't like pumpkin per se, it's just that I hate the bastardization of pumpkin spice. 

Come this time of year, you'd be hard-pressed to avoid pumpkin.  There are pumpkin-spiced candles, pumpkin-spiced wreaths, and a ton of pumpkin-spiced food starting with coffee, natch, and ending with pumpkin beer. 

And if it was just the pumpkin itself (as in the gourd) and not the spices, that might be one thing, but as always, the smell of fake spice is so overpowering that I get a headache.  I like to avoid headaches.

I am happy to report though, that this recipe has nothing to do with (fake) pumpkin spice.  Nothing.  No need to brace thyself for an overdose of cinnamon or nutmeg (not my favorite although I'll deal with it in very low doses) or "other."  Nope.  Just clean, fresh, pumpkin, beets and a few herbs.

That said, it's time to play true confessions:  I didn't use a pumpkin.  I know, right?  In my defense, I looked for baking pumpkins and found them in several stores but they were all too big.  And sure, I can freeze pumpkin (I looked it up), but I have no need for frozen pumpkin and besides, it takes up valuable space for items I might need to freeze.  Not that I freeze anything, but it's the principle of the thing.

Instead, I substituted a tiny squash (name already forgotten) that was the perfect amount for this dish.  And it was orange, although not "orange" orange like a pumpkin but hey, am I a color analyst?  No. 

This recipe also calls for a small beet and I know there are beet haters out there who might not make this recipe because of it, but I bet you can get by with using more pumpkin or substituting another squash or another vegetable. 

So I have to tell you that my shopping excursion for the items for these recipes was rather hilarious.  I shopped at Seward Coop and bought one tiny squash, pulled one tiny beet (just the right size) from a bunch of beets, and then pulled one tiny scallion from a bunch of scallions because I didn't need any more than that.  The cashier didn't bat an eyelash until she got to the one, lone scallion.  Then she paused and frowned and I said "The scallions were $.99 a bunch and if you want to charge me for the full thing, that's fine.  I just didn't want to waste food." 

"Nope, it's fine.  I'm just trying to figure out how to do this."

So she worked her magic on the scale and charged me a whole, whopping $.05. 

In addition to the Great Pumpkin Swap of 2016, I also cheated on the pasta dough for the ravioli, something the recipe told me to make by hand but instead, I went out and bought. Because honestly folks, I just didn't want to spend the time making it, then chilling it for 30 minutes and worse (to me, anyway), rolling out the dough with the tool of the devil -  a rolling pin.  I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate rolling pins, but then again, I often avoid using them like the plague as I never seem to get the dough right.  I had the same problem when my grandmother had me and my cousin, Mary Pat, attempt to spread pizza dough onto a pizza pan – by hand, no less.  Epic fail.  "Oh. You mean the dough shouldn't be full of holes, grandma?"

Had my husband been home at the time – a/k/a "The Pie Guy" he would have nailed the sucker but he wasn't.  And since we don't have a pasta attachment for our Kitchen Aid, I

simply motored over to a former workplace of mine, Broder's Cucina Italiana, and bought four sheets of already made and already "rolled" pasta.  As I am wont to say "Why do for yourself when you can pay others to do for you?"

So unless you are a master a pasta making, I recommend you seek out other ready-made alternatives and if it isn't fresh pasta sheets, then use won-ton wrappers.

With the need to make the pasta dough out of the way, dinner was easily put together.

Except...well, let's just say I took liberties with the next set of instructions to "finely grate the pumpkin and the beet."  Oh come on folks, why grate anything when you can just finely chop it in a Cuisinart?  Grating makes one prone to cooking injuries i.e. scraped knuckles and fingers.  Using a Cuisinart is a relatively safe activity with the same result.  It's a no brainer!

And so I "finely grated" my veggies in my mini Cuisinart and then put everything into my regular-size Cuisinart to smooth it out, and then Andy and I set to work on filling my pre-made ravioli pasta squares – ta da!

The only thing left to do was to make the herb butter and that was pretty easy although I have to say that I am also not a huge fan of tarragon and so would leave it out were I to make this recipe again.  I'm not sure what I would substitute – sage, maybe? – but that's another story for another day.

And so this is how I made something with pumpkin only not pumpkin and something that did not contain the evil empire of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, and life was good.  I had a strong hankering to use goat cheese in some way but didn't although we did sprinkle some fresh Parmesan cheese on top for a little added zest.  It was Halloween after all, so why not throw caution to the wind?

This concludes my pumpkin submission for our 2016 Halloween observance.  Until next year.

By the way, if you are like me and prefer a more savory pumpkin dish, consider these recipes:  "Beef and Pumpkin Curry" - p. 28; Pumpkin, Ricotta, and Spinach Tart - p. 25, or even "Mashed Pumpkin and Potatoes with Garlic Creme Fraiche - p. 12."  These constituted this year's "also ran" recipe considerations.

Pumpkin and Beet Ravioli – serves 4

Prep time:  30 minutes, plus chilling

If you make your own pasta dough

2 ½ cups pasta flour, plus extra for dusting

2 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

For the filling

9 oz pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and finely grated

1 small raw beet (about 3 ox), peeled and finely grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

Beaten egg white, for glazing

½ oz bunch of fresh herbs (chives, parsley, tarragon)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1 scallion, finely chopped

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus 2 teaspoons juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

If you make your own pasta: Place the flour on a work surface and make a well in the middle.  Break in the eggs, add the egg yolks, the oil, and salt.  Lightly whisk the eggs with a fork, gradually bringing in the flour, then use your fingers to mix into a soft dough, adding a tablespoon of cold water if the dough feels dry.  Once the dough is smooth and elastic, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Mix the grated pumpkin and beet with a little salt and pepper and the garlic until smooth.

Cut the pasta dough in half and roll each half on floured surface, each to a 13-inch square.  Brush one square with the egg white.  Place 25 teaspoons of the filling in five evenly spaced rows over the dough.  Lay the second sheet of dough on top, pressing between each mound of filling.  Use a sharp knife or pasty wheel to cut the ravioli into squares.

Discard any tough stalks from the herbs and chop finely.  Melt the butter in a small pan and add the herbs, scallion, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.  Drop the ravioli into the pan, bring back to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.  Ann's Note:  more like 7 minutes if you are using fresh pasta sheets.  Drain and arrange on warm plates.  Spoon over the herb butter and serve immediately.

"Mosh Potatoes - Recipes, Anecdotes, and Mayhem from the Heavyweights of Heavy Metal" - Rock Ragout, recipe from Markus Grosskopt from the band, Helloween

Date I made this recipe:  October 31, 2015 – Happy Halloween!  

Mosh Potatoes – Recipes, Anecdotes and Mayhem from the Heavyweights of Heavy Metal by Steve Seabury

Published by:  Simon and Schuster

ISBN:  978-1-4391-8132-4

Recipe:  Rock Ragout from Markus Grosskop,[from the band], Helloween – p. 72-73

It's not often I buy a brand-new cookbook given that used books are so prevalent and so inexpensive, but the minute I spotted this book – Mosh Potatoes - I had to have it.  And then color me giddy, but as soon as I spotted this recipe from Markus Grosskopt of the band, Helloween, I knew I had to make this dish on Halloween night.  And so I am.

I cannot say that I am "into" heavy metal but that doesn't mean I don't recognize a number of bands or artists in this book, including:

• Lita Ford
• David Lee Roth
• Queensryche
• Guns N' Roses
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Alice Cooper
• and Judas Priest, just to name a few

Actually, Alice Cooper was a favorite of mine, especially the [unofficial school anthem] "School's Out."  Did we not all tear out of class singing this every summer?  We did.

As to recipes, they vary from the expected – spaghetti and meatballs, Thai curry, and even a roasted turkey dinner, to the unexpected  - "Reindeer Sausage and Pasta" (Brock Lindow of 36 Crazyfists).  I passed on the reindeer sausage given that reindeer are probably hard to find in North America, plus there's that whole Rudolph thing so...

In addition to making this dish from a band member of Helloween, several other recipes also fit a Halloween theme such as "Deviled Chicken" (Jeremy "Jerms" Genske of Dirge Within) or "Chuck's Evil Chili" (Chuck Schuldiner of Death), or "Satanic Burrito" (Joel Grind, Toxic Holocaust).  And one made me tear up: "Linguine and Clams Castellamare" from Frankie Banali, Quiet Riot/W.A.S.P.  My grandparents hailed from that Sicilian fishing village and it sounds like Frankie's father was either from there or knew someone who was because he said the recipe "was a favorite of my father and handed down by example."  So - we're practically related!

An added bonus to this cookbook are the photographs of all these heavy-metal chefs and their recipes.  Love that:  head-bangers by day, chefs at night.

The meat from this dish is meant to be marinated in beer for 1-2 days so plan ahead!  I shopped for the beer on Friday, October 30 by heading to Total Wine in nearby Roseville and asking for assistance in the "lager" department (as called for in the recipe).  My selection was a local favorite (from Wisconsin) – Leinenkugel.  I'm not a beer drinker but rumor has it you can't miss with this one.

Rock Ragout – "Serves 4 hungry fellas like us" (Ann's Note:  Marinate overnight)

3 pounds boneless beef, lamb, or pork shoulder or round

2 onions

Salt and pepper

Paprika

Mustard powder

Lager beer (as many as you like)

¼ pound bacon (chopped)

½ pound red potatoes peeled (and chopped)

½ pound carrots, peeled (and chopped)

½ pound green beans, trimmed (and chopped)

½ pound mushrooms, cleaned (and chopped)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups heavy cream

2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste

Chop the meat into bite-size pieces.  Chop 1 of the onions.  Mix the meat and onion in a large bowl with salt and pepper, paprika, and mustard to taste.  Now pour beer over it until thoroughly covered.  Leave marinating in the fridge for 1 or 2 days.

Chop the remaining onion into bite-size pieces and set aside.  Chop the bacon and set aside separately.  Chop the potatoes, carrots, beans, and mushrooms and set each aside separately as well.

After marinating for at least 24 hours, drain the meat (and onions) and set aside on paper towels.  Keep the beer marinade in a separate bowl for later use.  Pour the olive oil in a stockpot and begin cooking the remaining (unmarinated) chopped onion.  After half a minute, add the bacon.  When bacon turns a nice golden color, add the meat mixture.  Stir until browned all over.

Pour almost half of the beer marinade in the pot.  Reduce the temperature so the whole dish is gently simmering for approximately an hour (depends on the kind of meat you are cooking).  Add more beer marinade as it reduces.

After nearly an hour, add the green beans to the pot.  After a couple of minutes, add the carrots and potatoes.  Allow another 5 minutes and add the mushrooms.

Simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.  Gradually stir in the cream and tomato paste and simmer for another 2 minutes.  Add some salt, pepper, and paprika to taste, and enjoy a great dish.  Cheers.

 

"Great Pumpkin Cookbook" (Peanuts characters) - Great Pumpkin Cake for Halloween

Date I made this recipe:  October 31, 2013 - Halloween!

Great Pumpkin Cookbook - No Tricks...Just Treats (Peanuts Comic Strip):  Cartoons by Charles M. Schulz; Recipes by June Dutton

Published by:  Determined Products, Inc.

© 1990; 1981 (Peanuts copyright held by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)

Recipe:  Great Pumpkin Cake - p. 31

There is nothing I love more than a good, all-purpose line, something from a movie, TV show, or song that just summarizes everything.  In this case, the best line out of the classic TV cartoon, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is this:  "I got a rock."

In this TV cartoon, poor, hapless Charlie Brown goes trick-or-treating with his friends and afterwards, they compare notes:  "I got five pieces of candy!"  "I got a chocolate bar!"  "I got a quarter!"  And then... (Charlie Brown)"I got a rock."  No matter where they go or what they do, Charlie Brown ends up with a rock. This clearly, is a metaphor for life's trials and tribulations and is a line I quote often.  In fact, it works on so many levels of daily life, it's ridiculous.  Let's look at some examples:

Co-worker A:  "I got a promotion"

Co-worker B:  "I'm so happy for you because I get to move up in your slot."

You (the un-promoted):  "I got a rock."

Or there's this scenario:

Co-worker A:  "I got a raise!"

Co-worker B:  "I got a raise, too!"

You (the un-raised):  "I got a rock."

Or this one on Valentine's Day:

Friend A (no longer friend): "I got engaged on Valentine's Day.  Look at my ring!"  (While you simme...r)

Friend B (also no longer a friend):  "He delivered flowers to my work, then took me out for a fabulous dinner at "Chez Overpriced" and then gave me specially-made truffles from cocoa beans he had flown in from South America!"

You (the un-Valentined):  "I got a rock."

Do you see how easy this is?  There is not one situation in life to which "I got a rock" does not apply.  Let me tell you, that Charles M. Schulz guy was quite a genius!  Oh, and there's that comic strip things of his too, that I heard did really well.  (PS--Charles was from St. Paul--practically a neighbor!).

Out of all the Peanuts TV specials that appeared over the years (most notably, the other favorite - A Charlie Brown Christmas) none have tickled me more than "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  And it's pretty much due to that one fabulous line.  Who would have thunk?

So when I saw this cookbook - Great Pumpkin Cookbook -  on Etsy (talk about feeling like you hit the Halloween candy Mother Lode), I had to have it and then as soon as I had it, I promptly put a note on my calendar to cook from it on Halloween.  And so sure enough, I made Great Pumpkin Cake and it was fabulous and so fun and fitting for a day I usually hate (too many Halloween's spent bundled up in winter coats kills a mood; kills it). 

This cake is really moist, something I wasn't expecting, such that you can eat it without the whipped cream frosting...and I have been eating it without the frosting.  And eating it, and eating it and....

And so I'm happy to report that when it came to this cookbook, I did not "get a rock."  But I'm telling you--try out my suggestion some time in work and social situations and see if it doesn't just summarize everything.  It does - trust me.  But as to whether or not you'll see the Great Pumpkin rise up out of the pumpkin patch?  Well.....

Great Pumpkin Cake (makes a 9 x 13 x 2 cake)

1 stick soft butter

1 - 1/4 cups sugar      

2 eggs

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon soda  

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 cup canned pumpkin (Note: 1 cup not 1 can)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped pecans     

Topping

1 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, beating well after each addition.  Sift flour with dry ingredients.  Combine pumpkin and milk.  Add sifted ingredients alternately with pumpkin mixture to butter and sugar.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.  Bake about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.  Cool.  Top with whipped cream to which sugar and vanilla have been added, or with vanilla ice cream.

*I purchased this book on Esty:  Chelle's Kitchen -

ChellesKitchen

"The Mystery Chef's Own Cookbook" and "The Nancy Drew Cookbook" - Baked Sliced Ham and Apples & Dave's Deviled Potatoes

Date I made these recipes: October 30, 2011

The Mystery Chef’s Own Cook Book by The Mystery Chef (John McPherson)
Published by: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc.
© 1934, 1943
Recipe: Baked Sliced Ham and Apples – p. 77

The Nancy Drew Cookbook – Clues to Good Cooking by Carolyn Keene
Published by: Grosset & Dunlap
© 1973 – 1974 printing
Recipe: Dave’s Deviled Potatoes – p. 59-60

I am not a big fan of Halloween. It’s too cold, too dark and when I was growing up, it often snowed. Trust me it is not fun to wear a Halloween costume under a winter coat.

And speaking of snow, the east coast got blasted this weekend by an early (for them) snowfall. This prompted all the local media to remind us Minnesotans of our huge 1991 Halloween blizzard. I cannot believe 20 years have passed since that debacle.

On that Halloween, a rain shower quickly turned into a ton of heavy, wet snow that just kept and falling and falling and falling. While we are used to a big snowfall in these parts, it was hard to get around the cities; snow plows got stuck, roads were only half plowed, mail wasn’t delivered, schools closed and so on. In a word, folks, we were truly snowed in. Well, true confession: my husband brought me to work the next day as driving in this stuff is a challenge to him and I went in on the day after that (the weekend) to get some work done as I was under deadline. Let me just mention that while I made it there and back safely, I also managed to spin the most beautiful doughnut on the freeway without hitting a thing! (So.proud). Darned ice!!

So back to the snow, this did not deter some intrepid trick or treaters who now have a great story to tell their children when they grow up. And in the blink of an eye, Halloween is once again upon us. The sun is out and it appears we are safe from a snowstorm this year. Hooray.

Given my track record of dark, cold and snow, I usually ignore the date all together. Yes, that’s my house, as dark as dark can be. That glow you see? It’s the TV. Otherwise, we usually settle in for a couple hour’s worth of “Just ignore them and they will go away.” (That is very Scrooge of me; I’m getting an early start to Christmas.) Actually, we don’t have many kids in the neighborhood and our street is pretty much ignored by the masses. And that’s good because we never stock up on candy except for ourselves, naturally!

But as I was working on my cookbook list on Saturday, I remembered that I had recently purchased The Nancy Drew Cookbook and if that doesn’t say mystery and spooks and whatnot, then I don’t know what does.

And then, taking a little liberty with the title, I also chose to make a recipe from The Mystery Chef’s Own Cook Book.

In this instance, The Mystery Chef is a man who took the place of a friend on a radio show about cooking and food and built a following of fans although of course, his identity remained a – key point here - mystery. Well, with the advent of the internet, it is no longer a mystery—his name is John McPherson. A clever mystery problem-solver however, could also determine his identity by looking at the copyright information: “Copyright, 1934 by John McPherson.” Move over, Nancy Drew!

So while John’s book is not quite related to today’s theme, it was close enough for me.

As to Nancy Drew, I hardly know a woman in my age category who didn’t read Nancy Drew as a kid. My teeny, tiny library at Sacred Heart Catholic School (grade school) actually carried most of the Nancy Drew books and I believe I managed to read them all—twice! I still love solving a good mystery which might be why I became an attorney. Not that attorneys solve mysteries but sometimes when putting a case together, you often become your own little Nancy (or Ned) Drew.

Tonight’s meal was really easy to make and it kept with my Halloween theme: Ham and Apples (I remember getting caramel apples as a kid for Halloween) and Dave’s Deviled Potatoes for that little Halloween devil in all of us!

Baked Sliced Ham and Apples (to serve 4)
2 large, thin slices raw ham (1/4 to 1/3 inch thick) Ann’s note: I used one large pre-cooked ham steak and that was sufficient for two of us.
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 cooking apple
½ cup brown sugar
Butter

Remove bone from ham. Mix together the mustard and vinegar. Spread the mixture thinly on the ham. Slice apples very thin and spread 2 layers on the thin slices on ham. Sprinkle well with brown sugar. Now roll the ham the long way, starting from the fat side and folding the fat into the center. Hold together with metal butcher skewers. Place in baking pan and put a few dabs of butter on each ham roll. Bake in a moderate oven (375) for 25 minutes. Baste 2 or 3 times while baking.

Ann’s Note: What am I, a culinary school graduate? I didn’t bother to roll the ham slices as that is just way too much work. Besides, I couldn’t find my metal skewers, assuming I even have any. So I put the ham in a baking pan, spread the mixture mustard and vinegar mixture, put the sliced apples on top of the ham, sprinkled the sugar and then put dots of butter over the ham slice and it worked just fine. As to the apples, the instructions didn’t say to peel them or core them or anything, so I left them peeled and took out the cores when needed.

Dave’s Deviled Potatoes – serves 4
4-6 medium potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons softened butter
1/3 cup warm milk (or, in place of the above ingredients, one envelope of instant potatoes)
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
(optional) 4 slices bacon for topping

Wash, pare and cut potatoes into 4 pieces each for faster cooking. Cover with boiling water, add salt and cook (covered) from 20 to 40 minutes until tender when tested with a fork. Drain. Add softened butter and warm milk. Mash until free of lumps. (If you are using instant potatoes, follow directions on package.)

Heat the sour cream in a small saucepan over a low flame. Add mustard and sugar to the sour cream and mix until well blended. Stir potatoes into the sour cream mixture. Blend in chopped onion. Put the potato mixture into a 1 quart casserole.

Heat the over to 350. Bake for 12 minutes.

“Nancy’s Topper”
Add a surprise by frying 4 slices of bacon in the skillet over low heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, crumble, and sprinkle on top of deviled potatoes.