Crispy Pumpkin Delight

Boo!  Guess what’s right around the corner? It’s Trick or Treat Night.  Have some little BeaNs coming over or going to visit at a friend’s house?  Make these festive party treats that burst with pumpkin flavor.  My little BeaN is allergic to nuts so Chef Azuki made this batch with a secret ingredient – Rice Krispies!

Crispy Pumpkin Delight

1 (1 lb. 13 oz.) can pumpkin

1 (12 oz. can) evaporated milk

1-cup sugar

3 eggs

1-teaspoon cinnamon

1-cup moist yellow cake mix

1½ cups of Rice Krispies cereal

1½ sticks of butter melted

1.     Mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs and cinnamon

2.     Pour the mixture into 9” by 13” pan lined with wax paper

3.     Sprinkle with dry cake mix on top of the mixture

4.     Sprinkle Rice Krispies on top of cake mix

5.     Pour melted butter evenly on top

6.     Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

7.     Completely cool

8.     Invert pie onto cookie sheet

9.     Remove wax paper

10. Cut into 1” squares

11. Put each square into a paper cupcake cup

Frosting:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

¾ cup Cool Whip

1 cup powdered sugar

Candy Corn

1.     Mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and powdered sugar together

2.     Put the frosting in a cookie press and squirt out a flower on each square

3.     Top with a candy corn or candy pumpkin. 

**My little bean is not highly allergic to nuts so I don’t have to be too careful, just no actual nuts in it.  I don’t know if the cereal, canned pumpkin, cake mix or anything else is safe for all those allergic to nuts, but I’m sure you parents know which ingredients are good and not good for you little BeaN! 

BeaNspiration:  This fall, add a little pumpkin to your life!

Peek-a-boo Fall Flavor Cake

It's hard to tell in Southern California
That Summer's fled and Autumn's moved in
But hints lie tucked between evergreens
Liquid Amber's vermillion glow
Gingko's lazer yellow
And hidden berries of the toyon and cotoneaster
Make a crimson appearance
Peek-a-boo
I spy Autumn
And the spirits of Halloween
Wandering through the city

Do you ?

In Southern California Fall does not hit you with loads of color, but there are hints of autumn if you know where to look.  This fall, Chef Azuki and I have been enjoying a little pumpkin spice creamer in our coffee.  We love the flavor and so Chef Azuki came up with this dessert recipe by adding this creamer to cake mix.  The cake is delicious and just hints at fall's mystery.  It's not an in your face, only for pumpkin lovers cake, but a rather subtle spiced cake that gently reminds you fall is here; just like the Southern California landscape.

Peek-a-boo Fall Flavor Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 1/2 C Pumpkin Spice Creamer
3 eggs
Cool Whip
Candy Pumpkins or candy corn

Beat together the cake mix, creamer and eggs for two minutes. Pour into a 13" x 9" pan.   Follow the cooking directions on the box.  Let it cool.  Then serve with a dollop of cool whip and top with a candy pumpkin or candy corn.  The pumpkin flavor just peeks out at you for a fun dessert.

Halloween parties may be up and running starting this Friday and next Wednesday is already Halloween.  Do you have your costume?  Do you have a dessert to take to your Halloween event?  Well if you're in a pinch for a dessert, try this recipe.  You can cut the cake into 2" squares and put it in decorative cupcake baking cups and  top with cool whip and candy. The Halloween spirit is hiding in Southern California.  Have fun with your friends and family while playing peek-a-boo...look around Southern California for hints of fall and spooky spirits!

One Chop, Two Salads

Because Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, you may have double the holiday parties.  Halloween parties may fall on either October 26-28 weekend or November 2-4 weekend.  It’s going to be busy!  What to do if you get two sudden invites to Halloween Potlucks on the same day?  Try these beautiful “magical” salad dishes created by our own Chef Azuki. We can chop all the vegetables in one sitting and end up with two beautiful salads. Yummy!  Autumn colors, delicious flavors and the sense of fun lifts the spirits of even the grumpiest gremlins.  It’s great for a quick bite before heading out to a haunted house or ghost walk.  Abracadabra, and like magic you have two salads ready for today and tonight. 

Autumn Colors Bow Tie Salad

1 lb. box farfalle (bow tie) pasta

24 slices of Italian Salami cut into thin strips

4 oz. of cheddar cheese cut into cubes

½ red, orange and yellow bell peppers diced

1 C of grape tomatoes cut in half

3 Tbsp. capers

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ C Italian Dressing

*Optional – 1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise.  This allows the pasta to hold its flavor

        longer.  Otherwise, you may need to add more dressing before serving.

Directions:

1.     Cook pasta according to the directions on the box.

2.     Cool pasta

3.     Cut the salami, cheese, peppers and tomatoes

4.     Put pasta in large bowl

5.     Add the sliced salami, cheese, peppers and tomatoes

6.     Sprinkle on the capers, oregano, salt, and pepper

7.     Toss with dressing

Quinoa Confetti Salad

            1 C of dry Quinoa

½ red, yellow and orange bell pepper chopped

½ C grape tomatoes sliced in half

2 tsp. capers

1 sprig of basil sliced thinly into ribbons

½ tsp. oregano

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup of Italian Dressing

Directions

1.     Prepare Quinoa as directed on the box

2.     Put in large bowl to cool

3.     Add the peppers, tomatoes, capers and basil.

4.     Season with oregano, salt and pepper.

5.     Toss with Italian Dressing

You can chop all vegetables at once and use them for both salads. Your potluck salads are ready so you can get out there and enjoy the magic that is all around us!

Treasure Hunt Noodles

     The Azuki BeaN Mamas search to find MAGIC while cooking!  Today we're planning a meal that is beautiful, nutritious and fun!  It's called

Treasure Hunt Noodles

with Roots, Fruits, Stems, Leaves, and Flowers

1/4 C water
1 crown of broccoli (broken into small pieces)
1 carrot  (thin circles)
1-2 stalks of celery (cut at a diagonal)
1/2 red bell pepper (cut vertically)
1-2 stalks of green onion (1 inch rods)
3 cups fresh spinach leaves only
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cups cooked noodles (chuka soba or buckwheat noodles work well)
2 T Memmi (Japanese Noodle Soup Base - looks like soy sauce)
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Start with a 1/4 C of water in a hot fry pan
Add broccoli, carrots, celery, bell pepper and garlic powder in pan.
Cover and steam for 3-5 minutes.
Add spinach, mushrooms, green onions, and noodles and gently stir.
Add Memmi and sesame oil.  Heat for 2 minutes or until heated through, gently stirring and soon it's ready to serve.

     This is a beautiful dish with shapes and colors.  It can be served with rice as a meal or as a side dish to chicken.  Garnish with edible flowers if you have them. We used zucchini flowers from the garden.

     Now for the fun part!  This dish is filled with different plant parts and one ingredient that is not in the Kingdom Plantae at all.  As a fun activity you can have the kiddies (Little BeaNs) search for Roots, Stems, Flowers, Fruits and Leaves in the Noodles.  You can also have them find the one ingredient that is not from the Plant Kingdom.  Then they need to try them all!

Answer Key:
Plant                            Part of the Plant
Carrots                            Roots
Celery                             Stems
Broccoli                          Flower
Bell Pepper                     Fruit (to a scientist--remember anything with seeds inside is a fruit)
Spinach                           Leaves
Green onion                    Leaves

Noodles are made from plants - Wheat, buckwheat or rice
Mushrooms are NOT in the Plant Kingdom but are actually Fungi.

     The different shapes we created make it fun to look for the treasures.  You can try your own and if you have older kiddies that help in the kitchen they can see what shapes they can create.  Hopefully by playing the treasure hunt game they will want to try all the roots, fruits, stems, leaves and flowers in the dish. A quick, easy, beautiful meal with a treasure hunt game...and maybe, just maybe, the little BeaNs eating all their vegetables and a Fungus ...this would be Truly Magical!!!!!!

Crock Pot Hawaiian Ribs

          Happy October!  The harvest moon brought the feeling of autumn in and now October made it's entrance. Well what does October mean to parents?  Yikes, after school activities are in full force as school leaps into high gear, my kids need poster boards for projects, after school snacks, and the mountain of laundry just keeps piling up.  To top it off, Back to School night is tonight!  AND I HAVE TO MAKE DINNER?  But it's fall now, so I don't want to throw together a cold sandwich/salad combo.  I want a hearty, warm meal that gives me the homey feeling of family.  What to do?  Help me Chef Azuki!

Crock-Pot Hawaiian Ribs

to the Rescue!

3 lbs of ribs
1 cup of teriyaki sauce**
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:  Put the ribs in the crock-pot.  In a mixing bowl, stir teriyaki sauce, crushed pineapple and garlic powder together.  Then pour over the ribs.  Set the crock pot on low and let it go.  Come back in 6-7 hours and the ribs will be tender and delicious!

**For the teriyaki sauce, you can use your favorite bottled sauce or use equal parts soy sauce and sugar and make your own.

          Yummy, I'm going to try it tonight!  I will plate the ribs with a serving of rice and steamed broccoli.  Thank you Chef Azuki for creating an easy recipe for a hectic day!