A Night in Bethlehem

Here are the recipes from our Relief Society Christmas Dinner. That was such a beautiful evening. It was one of the highlights of the Christmas season for me this year. I’ve delayed posting because I’ve been waiting for the pictures, but it looks like I don’t have those after all, so here are the recipes you’ve been requesting. We wanted to serve the type of food that could have been eaten in a Bethlehem inn. This would be a fun dinner to serve your family before Christmas.
Middle-Eastern Lentil Soup

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large diced carrot
• 2 stalks finely diced celery
• 6 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups red or brown lentils
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, undrained
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, undrained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 T. chicken bouillon powder
• 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• cayenne pepper to taste (I didn’t use any because I used a hot curry powder)

Directions
1. In large pot saute the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the water, lentils, garbonzos, cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft.
3. Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender (this step is important to achieve the right texture). Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir and enjoy!
*This can also be made in the crockpot. Skip the sauté step and put everything into the crockpot at once. Cook for 5-6 hours on high or 10-12 on low, and then puree half the soup as directed.

Flatbread (makes 6 rounds)

• 2 cups of All Purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 2 tablespoons yogurt
• 3/4 cup warm water

1. Mix all ingredients into a soft dough. Don’t add too much flour—just enough to keep the dough from being too sticky.
2. Knead until the dough is smooth. Cover the dough and keep in a warm place for 3-4 hours. The dough should almost be double in volume.
3. Heat the oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone for at least thirty minutes so stone is hot.
4. Knead the dough for about two to three minutes and divide the dough into six equal parts.
5. Take each piece of dough, one at a time, and roll into 8-inch circle shape. Dust lightly with dry flour to help with the rolling.
6. You can place about 2 breads on the baking/pizza stone at a time. Bake about 2 to 3 minutes, depending upon your oven. Bread should be golden brown.
7. Take bread out of the oven and brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder or garlic salt on one side.

NOTE: Some of the bread was baked in the oven, as explained above. The rest was cooked on my pancake griddle, about 2 minutes per side, and then brushed with butter and sprinkled with garlic salt. I thought the pancake griddle was easier than the oven and I didn’t notice a difference in taste.
NOTE 2: The bread can be made ahead and warmed in the oven before serving.

Salad

• Romaine lettuce
• Baby Spinach
• Feta cheese
• grape tomatoes
• red onions
• olives
• sliced cucumbers
• Bernstein’s Light Fantastic Cheese Fantastico dressing

Pumpkin Cooking Class

Thanks for coming! We had such a good group tonight. The best part of my calling isn't when I'm running around all afternoon cleaning my house and cooking, it's when you come over to eat and talk. I am so blessed to call you my friends. We have such great women in our neighborhood!

You will find all of the recipes for the food you tasted, plus a couple more that I wanted to include. Check the sidebar under November to see a list of all recipes. You can also scroll down to search by ingredients or categories. Please let me know if I've made any mistakes, or if the directions are unclear. Believe me, it happens all the time.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and happy cooking!

Curried Pumpkin Soup

I really wanted to make this soup so you could taste it during class, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Trust me, you would have loved it. So try it for yourselves! And if you don't like mushrooms, leave 'em out.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Roasted pumpkin seeds, optional

Directions

• In a large saucepan, saute the mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour and curry powder until blended. Gradually add the broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the pumpkin, milk, honey, salt, pepper and nutmeg; heat through. Garnish with roasted seeds if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

I posted this recipe last month, but I'm re-posting it so that it is easier to find with the other pumpkin class recipes.
I didn't include this recipe when I taught my last cooking class on pasta sauces because I already had plenty of recipes and I decided to save this one for a pumpkin-themed class--coming soon. However, after several requests from family and friends who have tasted this at my house, I'm going to post the recipe early. I only make it in the fall--I'm just weird that way. Pumpkin=fall. So try this and see what you think. And when canned pumpkin goes on sale, stock up so you can make this all year long(unless you're weird like me). Or, if you don't find a sale on pumpkin, go visit my sister, Monette. If I know her, pretty soon she'll have a freezer full of fresh, pureed pumpkin--skins and all.

I would have posted this sooner but I had to make it again to test amounts of ingredients I use, because this is a recipe I made up. It's loosely based on an recipe I saw in a magazine at the dentist's office a couple of years ago, but that recipe had cinnamon and cloves. That's great in pumpkin pie, but I wanted a main dish that didn't taste like a dessert, so I went home and created this version. I served this to some friends who liked it but asked, "Do your kids eat this?" Yes, they do, and all of them like it! I hope your family will give it a chance--it's a favorite around here.

Ingredients:
1 lb. pasta (I usually use penne but tortellini is really good, too)
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped

2 T. flour
Sliced mushrooms (optional)
Sliced red bell pepper (also optional)
3 cloves garlic (or more)
2 c. chicken broth (I use water and bouillon)
15 oz. can pumpkin
1 t. salt
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2-1c. cream (I use light sour cream or cream cheese)
Parmesan cheese
Toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds

Cook pasta as directed and drain. Saute onion and garlic (and mushrooms and pepper, if using) in olive oil for 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Add chicken broth and simmer for a few more minutes until vegetables are tender and sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in pumpkin until smooth. Add salt, basil, and pepper flakes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in cream before serving and simmer on low heat. Add more cream, milk, or broth if sauce seems too thick.

Serve over pasta and top with parmesan cheese and toasted walnuts. I used pumpkin seeds (pepitas) in the picture above because I had them, but I think I prefer the walnuts.

Pumpkin Fluff Dip

This dip is so easy to stir together for fall parties. It's light and not too sweet.

Ingredients

• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
  
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours until serving.

Serve with gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, or apples.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

I forgot to take a picture of the pumpkin roll I made for tonight's class! We'll just pretend it was as beautiful as this picture that I borrowed from Libby's website--the same place I found the recipe. I did make a couple of minor changes to the recipe (reduced the butter, added more spices, and used brown sugar instead of white). Try a cake roll soon--it's easier than it looks, right everyone?

Ingredients

• powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
  
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• powdered sugar (optional)
  

  Directions
  

1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
   
2. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
   
3. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
   
4. BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
   
5. This can be made ahead and frozen--wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Thaw for about 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Corn and Red Pepper Chowder

This recipe originally called for butternut squash, but I've found that pumpkin and sweet potatoes can be substituted with great results. The squash turns the soup a pretty golden color which can be pale or bright, depending on the amount of cream used.

Corn and Red Pepper Chowder

1 onion, chopped 2 celery stalks, finely chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons flour (white or wheat) 2 cups chicken broth 4 potatoes, cubed 6 cups mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or butternut squash 2 cups frozen corn

1 cup red pepper, chopped and sauteed, or roasted from a jar 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1-1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1-1/2 cup light sour cream fresh parsley, chopped

1 In a large pot, saute onions, red pepper, and celery in oil until tender. Add flour and stir. Gradually stir in broth then bring to a boil. Add potatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are cooked.

2 Add cooked squash, corn, and spices and stir until blended. Heat to very warm, then stir in the sour cream. Do not boil or cream will curdle. Top with fresh parsley before serving.