Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

This is one of those recipes my mother would kill me if she found out I shared. I don't know why, but there are only a handful of recipes my mother has deemed "not shareable," yet luckily for you, I don't ever abide by this rule. This is one of those, the weather is cool, its almost thanksgiving/the holiday season, and I need to start making things to bring as treats to various work/school functions. Its simple, you can make a ton of loaves at once, and if you get one of those intricate loaf pans with the ivy and holly over it, everyone will be amazed at your baking capabilities.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice (OR 1/2 nutmeg, 2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup veggie oil (my mother uses Mazola right blend, but I have no idea what this consists of, nor where to get it, but if you see it, get it)
1 cup solid pack pumpkin (DO NOT use pumpkin pie filling. Its not the same). You can also make your own from scratch by cooking the pumpkin meat in the over on a low heat, then putting it in the food processor, but its very time consuming.
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped (by a machine, don't chop yourself, its exhausting and unnecessary)
powdered sugar (optional)
*intricately laced bread loaves (also optional)

Directions: (preheating at 350)
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour baking soda, salt & spice (until everything's nice...hehehe). Set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, mix eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin
3. Make a well (that's right, a volcano crater, if you will) in the flour mix & pour wet ingredients into well. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Fold in the cranberries
5. Spoon batter in 2 greased & floured loaf pans (or one bunt pan)
6. Bake in preheated over at 350 for 50-60 mins, or as my mother calls it, "its toothpick clean." For those unaware, if you slide a knife or toothpick in the center of the bread it should come out clean, if not, it isn't done yet)
7. Let cool for 10 mins before taking out of the pan, BUT when it is still warm so it can slide out easily.
8. Sift powdered sugar over the top, and viola!

Chicken Noodle Soup in Under Three Hours

Whenever I don't feel well, I start to crave things my mother used to cook for me when I didn't feel well as a child. (To be fair, if I ever asked her to cook something now, she'd probably make enough for twenty and just tell me to, "Freeze what you can't eat, honey. It'll keep for months in the freezer." Yes, in fact, my mother is amazing.)

Tonight was one of those nights where I felt like crap, and actually had a crazy craving for chicken noodle soup. I don't think Progresso is real food, and I've grown out of Campbell's, so it was time to hit the kitchen, even in my weakened state.

I rarely deal in exact amounts and, I'm always experimenting with little things, but here's the basics of what you'll need:

3-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3-4 Tablespoons of minced garlic

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 of a Sweet Vidalia onion, chopped

4 carrots (or 1/2 bag of baby carrots), chopped

1/2 a bag of medium width egg noodles, cooked

Chicken broth (which can be made from bouillon or you can buy pre-made. I use both.)

Lemon juice (no more than a few tablespoons)

Extra virgin olive oil

The spice rack tonight:

Grinder pepper

Grinder sea salt

Basil

Oregano

Tarragon

Rosemary

Roasted garlic (Granules or powder will work, but I like to have mine set-up in a grinder.)

First, we'll start out with the chicken. Pre-heat your oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit. Set-up your chicken breasts in an oven safe baking dish side by side, and stab them with a fork several times. This can be as violent or as normal as possible. (This is an excellent time to note that cooking can be very therapeutic.) Squirt lemon juice over the breasts, until you feel like they all have a nice sheen of lemon, but not to the point where juice pools largely in your dish. Drizzle about a tsp. of extra virgin olive oil over each chicken breast and spread the oil around over the tops. Now you can start seasoning the chicken, with the oil acting as a great glue for your seasonings. Tonight, I topped my chicken with fresh cracked pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary, roasted garlic, and just the lightest amount of fresh cracked sea salt. Leave your dish uncovered and throw it in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the tops of the chicken look nicely browned.

While the chicken is cooking, chop and cook your veggies. I stick with the 1:1 ratio between the carrots and the celery as well as only using 1/2 a Vidalia onion. Add the chopped vegetables to a deep skillet, drizzle some olive oil over them, and spice them with tarragon (You don't need a lot of tarragon. It's a very potent herb, so about 5-6 pinches will do), fresh ground pepper, basil, oregano, and finish it off with a dash of salt. Mix it all up, so that the oil and the spices really cover your vegetables.

Turn your stove to 'sauté' (on a gas stove this is about medium), and saute the vegetables for about 15 minutes, or until they cook down to a suitable volume. At this point, you can add about a cup of chicken broth, turn the heat down a bit (medium low), and let the veggies simmer while it also forms the base of your stock. About every 10 minutes add another cup of broth until you've added 6 cups.

Your chicken should be done cooking by now and needs to be sliced and diced, quite literally. Cut up your chicken into chunks, and add the chicken to your vegetables and broth, turning down the whole mixture to low. Your pan should be pretty full by now.

The final step is to cook the egg noodles. Once the noodles are cooked to your liking, drain them, and add them to your chicken, vegetables, and broth. You now have chicken noodle soup. I like to add fresh grated parmesan to the top.

Tonight, I gave over the soundtracking reigns to Cameron Crowe, "Elizabethtown", and comfort movies, and because I was a bit sick, I went with Gatorade instead of chardonnay. (If you were to pair it with a chardonnay, try the Smoking Loon. It's light and won't overpower the soup or your wallet.) Curl up in your favorite place, and enjoy.