Fall Soup Kitchen

Our October dinner was held at Marina's home where we enjoyed a fall soup kitchen styled menu.  We enjoyed three different types of soups, breads, and desserts for a tasty meal as the weather turned cool.  

Marina's sister, Melanie, joined us for the dinner and made us lovely place cards.

Italian Cheese Bread

Ingredients

• French bread
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup prepared Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Dash pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese
• grated Mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Combine the seasonings; sprinkle over top. Sprinkle with cheeses.
• Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Scrumptious Banana Bread

Roasted Root Vegetable "Fries"

Ingredients:

• Root vegetables of your choosing (I use carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes [used in the recipe above], also works for regular potatoes)
• Good quality olive oil
• Cumin (or any other spice you want)
• Course sea salt
• Black pepper

Directions:

1. Cut root vegetables into match stick lengths
2. Toss in olive oil and seasonings
3. Roast in oven at 425 deg until desired crispiness (note they will never get as crispy as french fries - but close enough to be satisfying in my opinion)
4. Can be served with ketchup or any aoili creations

Dipping Sauces 

• Mix Greek Yogut with dijon mustard, pepper
• Mix Mayo with garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper

Soups Galore

Pumpkin Pie Crème Brulee

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups canned pumpkin puree
Hot water
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:  

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  In a medium sauce pot, over medium-high heat, add 2 cups of the cream, the spices, and the vanilla. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and the sugar is dissolved. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream and the 1/2 cup of milk to the cream and spice mixture. Slowly incorporate the yolk and sugar mixture, then strain through a medium-size sieve. Whisk in the pumpkin puree.

Divide the pumpkin mixture evenly into eight 6 oz custard cups and place in a baking dish or roasting pan.  Add the hot water until it reaches about half way up the cups to create a hot bath and put the pan into the oven. Bake until the custard is starting to set, yet still a little wiggly in the middle, about 35 to 45 minutes. Not too wiggly, or it will turn to soup when you heat the sugar like mine did:) Remove the brulee from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.

Lightly sprinkle each custard with the sugar. Heat the sugar with a butane torch until caramelized. To get a thick caramelized sugar crust, repeat this, with just a light sprinkling each time. Allow to cool and serve.

Huge Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Zucchini Cake 

NOTE:  For huge pumpkin shown in photograph, you will need to double the recipe and bake in two bundt cake pans. After cakes are baked and cooled, you turn one bundt cake upside down and put the other bundt cake on top of the flat side for a pumpkin shape.  Frost in between layers.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of vegetable oil

3 cups sugar

4 large eggs + 2 Tablespoons of water

3 ¾ cups of flour

¾ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda

¼ and 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder

¾ cup milk or buttermilk  (buttermilk makes it better)

4 ½ squares of unsweetened chocolate (in a rectangle box)

1 ½ tablespoons of vanilla

3 cups of grated zucchini.  (Do not peel, just cut ends off)

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine oil, sugar, and eggs.  In a separate bowl sift dry ingredients: add to first mixture. Add milk and mix well.

2. Melt baking chocolate in the microwave at 20 second intervals, until just melted.

3. Blend chocolate and vanilla into batter.

4. Stir in grated zucchini.

Bake in Greased (spray Pam) large cookie sheet (jelly roll pan).  350 degree oven for about 25 minutes (maybe 20 so put a toothpick in the middle and see if it appears done). Cool.    When totally cool, frost. Do not cover with plastic but tin foil.


Cream Cheese Frosting

NOTE:  Double recipe to frost large pumpkin cake.  Add orange food coloring (yellow and red).

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.