I’m nearing the end of my beloved jar of apple butter.  Sigh…  I know I can always buy more, but for some reason it still gives me heartache to see those last dredges lying listless at the bottom of the jar.

So in the wake of this obvious tragedy, I decided to take the last pie pumpkin sitting proudly and patiently atop my fridge and grant him with a most noble calling… that of becoming pumpkin butter.

Ok. That was way too dramatic.

But seriously, I almost bought some overpriced pumpkin butter at Whole Foods the other day and snapped myself out of it when I realized that I had a whole pumpkin at home and that I could totally make it myself.

I started by making pumpkin puree and transferring it to a heavy-bottomed pot.

I added about 1/4 cup of apple cider, a hunk of Earth Balance (1-2 tbsp.), 4 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar, and 1 tsp. each of cinnamon and nutmeg.

I turned the heat on to medium-low and stirred until everything was melted and incorporated.

After about 25 minutes of cooking, having stirred often throughout, it turned into this luscious creamy spread…

I turned off the heat and stirred in about half a teaspoon of vanilla extract.  I covered it and let it cool on a windowsill for a few hours.

And this was my marvelous breakfast this morning!…

Homemade oatmeal topped with a bit of crumbled vegan pumpkin bread and a generous dollop of the rich autumn-scented pumpkin buttah!

Yes, it was awesome.  Thank you for noticing.

So the verdict is that yes it was worth it to make it myself.  Mine was just as rich and decadent as store-bought pumpkin butter and not terribly labor-intensive.

What if I made oatmeal with pumpkin butter and apple butter!?!?  I know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow.

October 28, 2010 Alayna Recipes 2 comments

One of the best dishes I’ve ever had at a restaurant was the Seafood in a Claypot at Ma Li. It’s full of noodles, ginger, mushrooms, a piece of fish, some squid, some shellfish; all cooked in a personal-sized clay pot that seals in all the juices, making for a rich and delicious broth.

When Jeff and I were honeymooning in Japan, we looked for a clay pot to take home with us, but they were all very large, heavy, and expensive.  We were already lugging around more than we could comfortably carry, so we opted to not purchase one while we were there.

I’m still looking for a good clay pot, but that hasn’t stopped me from trying to recreate my favorite dish with what I have available.

I chose to use a large baking dish to make my soup in.  I started with a layer of bok choy and slices of daikon radish. I just cut the ends of the bok choy and separated the leaves a bit, then I used a vegetable peeler on the daikon to remove a layer and cut it into thin slices.

Next I sliced up some shiitakes and scallions and spread those over, then grated about an inch-long piece of ginger over the top. I cut a portion of salmon into a few smaller pieces and nestled them into the vegetables.

I used some leftover miso soup and added a swish of soy sauce and about a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil.  If you don’t wanna make miso soup, just use vegetable or seafood broth and add a bit of miso paste.

I poured it over the vegetables and salmon along with some water and covered the dish with aluminum foil with a few holes poked in the top.

Baked at about 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, it comes out looking and smelling intensely divine. I like to add a drop or two of chili oil to the top to finish it off.

This dish is so easy because it’s mostly just assembly. There’s nothing you need to stand around and monitor while it’s cooking, you just stick it in the oven and go do something else.

I still want a real clay pot to try this with, but the baking dish works surprisingly well. I’m sure this technique could work with many other kinds of soup too.

Mmmm…warm and spicy soup sounds so good right now.

October 27, 2010 Alayna Recipes 5 comments

Started the day with this heaping bowl of goodness…

An apple, a banana, granola, chia seeds, toasted buckwheat, cinnamon, and almond milk.

The idea was to get up and go on a run immediately, but it started raining pretty early so I ended up waiting most of the morning before I could go. I did manage to get in almost 2 miles while it was still sprinkling out.

I’m running my first 5K this Saturday, so while I don’t want to overdo it this week and wear myself out, I don’t want to sit around all week either.  I think I’ll do one more short run tomorrow and just take a few walks before Saturday.

Also this week, I’m attending my first ever blogger meetup on Friday! I’m excited to meet other Georgia bloggers and just have a good time.  I haven’t been blogging for very long, so maybe I can learn a few things too!

Ok.  Gonna munch on some of these and try to get some work done.

It’s pouring down rain now, makes me want to go back to sleep……zzz.

October 27, 2010 Alayna Discussion 2 comments