Pumpkin Delight

Its that time of year, time to indulge in the autumn bounty of Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Beer, Pumpkin Coffee and of course Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!

Not only are roasted pumpkin seeds easy to make they are really good for you too! This year I roasted and lightly salted them but you can sprinkle any type of seasoning or dried herbs onto them too. Alex and I like them with a hint of cayenne pepper! They are great sprinkled on a salad, as a crunch snack, or even as a topping on a bowl of chili.

Health benefits of pumpkin seeds

• Crunchy, delicious pumpkin seeds are high in calories, about 559 calories per 100 g. In addition; they are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and numerous health promoting antioxidants.
• Their high caloric content mainly comes from protein and fats. On the positive side, the nuts are especially rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) like oleic acid (18:1) that helps lower bad LDL cholesterol and increases good HDL cholesterol in the blood. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet, which is liberal in monounsaturated fatty acids help to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring healthy blood lipid profile.
• The seeds contain good-quality protein. 100 g seeds provide 30 g or 54% of recommended daily allowance. In addition, the seeds are an excellent source of amino acid tryptophan and glutamate. Tryptophan is converted into serotonin and niacin. Serotonin is a beneficial neuro-chemical often labeled as nature's sleeping pill. Further, tryptophan is a precursor of B-complex vitamin, niacin (60 mg of tryptophan = 1mg niacin).
• Glutamate is required in the synthesis of γ-amino butyric acid (GABA). GABA, an anti-stress neurochemical in the brain, helps reducing anxiety, nervous irritability, and other neurotic conditions.
• Pumpkin seeds are a very good source of anti-oxidant vitamin E; contain about 35.10 mg of tocopherol-gamma per 100 g (about 237% of RDA). Vitamin E is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant. It prevents tissue cells from the free radical mediated oxidant injury. Thus, it helps maintain the integrity of mucus membranes and skin by protecting from harmful oxygen-free radicals.
• Pumpkin kernels are an also excellent source of B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) and folates. These vitamins work as co-factors for various enzymes during cellular substrate metabolism in the human body. In addition, niacin helps to reduce LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood. Along with glutamate, it enhances GABA activity inside the brain, which in turn reduces anxiety and neurosis.
• Furthermore, its seeds contain very good levels of essential minerals like copper, manganese,potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium. Just as in pine nuts, pumpkin seeds too are very rich in manganese (provide 4543 mg per 100 g, about 198% of daily-recommended intake).Manganese is an all-important co-factor for antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. It is therefore, consumption of pumpkin kernels helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.

Feel Better Food

This past week has been rough in our household with everyone getting sick one after another. I had a very busy work week and after many restless days and nights I ended up calling in sick on Friday. Thankfully, Rebecca found a great deal on 3 packs of NyQuil at Costco and the past 3 days I have been spent getting some much needed rest due to my favorite blue elixir. Tonight I finally came out of my room craving hot wings and cookies. Rebecca went out and picked up Wings over Springfield and after eating my spicy dinner I whipped up some cookies. I decided to mix some of my favorite items for a yummy, somewhat healthy snack - Oatmeal, coconut and dark chocolate!

Oatmeal Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Cream together:

 1 cup butter (room temp) / 1+1/4 cup brown sugar / 1/4 cup white sugar

Once smooth add in 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons Milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift together 1+3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and a pinch of salt.

Add to creamed mixture until smooth

Then add: 3 cups rolled oats, 1+1/2 cup dark chocolate chips and 2 cups flake coconut (unsweetened)

Mix until well incorporated and place in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375*F 

Once oven is preheated remove the cookie dough from the fridge and spoon rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes.

Feel free to substitute some of the flour with whole wheat flour or skip the white sugar and use sweetened coconut instead. This is a good recipe to adjust to your tastes. I am normally not a baker because I don't like following a set recipe which is why I enjoyed making these!

The Flavors of Autumn

Now that summer is officially over weekend lunches will be more often then not centered around different soups. While a bowl of soup can be enjoyed year round there is something more satisfying when it is enjoyed on a cool, crisp autumn afternoon. Today was the perfect day to try out a new recipe which included sweet potatoes, fresh Bosc pears which I picked from Danny's backyard tree last weekend and peppers fresh from my cousin Kim and Debbie's back yard garden. On the side we enjoyed my mother in law's raspberry corn muffins along with cheddar and pepper jack cheese and local farm fresh apples. The soup was creamy on the palate and the different flavors made my taste buds dance in delight. The spicy smell of the soup was also very appealing to the senses and created the perfect fragrance which filled the house on this beautiful fall afternoon.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
I Sauteed 1 large Onion with a little olive oil
I steamed several peeled, cubed sweet potato's
Once both were soft I combined in a stock pot with several cups of chicken stock and the water from the steamer. I added salt, black pepper and curry powder to taste and brought to a boil.

In the same skillet I used for the onion I Sauteed several Bosc pears which I peeled, cored and sliced with 2 tablespoons of butter. I added one diced hot banana pepper as well as a diced sweet bell pepper. I sauteed until everything began to soften then I added several pinches of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of half & half. (cream would be even better but I was using what I had on hand) Once everything is heated through I combined into the stock pot and with a stick blender (mine broke so I processed mine in a blender in several batches) puree until you have a thick creamy consistency. The soup has a nice balance of sweetness from the pears and brown sugar, a creaminess from the potatoes and half & half, along with a hint of heat and spice from the curry powder and diced hot pepper. The best part is all of these help balance each other out and none of them were overwhelming. Everyone including my father in law and Alex enjoyed it, which equals success in my book! I served each bowl piping hot with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with fresh diced peppers.

Roast Beast - Boston, Massachusetts

I realize that I usually post food that I have made here but tonight I am making a special exception. This past Thursday I took the day off and the family and I went to Boston for the Owl City concert. Before we left I did a little research to determine where we were going to eat prior to the concert. I didn't want to go to a normal chain restaurant and was determined to find somewhere that we would get a good hearty meal that was different from every other restaurant you normally find walking around the city.

After doing some searching online I found a place called Roast Beast. I was surprised that I never noticed this restaurant before. I have driven past it countless times but never saw the sign pointing the way down the stairs in the corner nook of the building to a little taste of heaven!

The menu is basic, you pick your meat of choice, Roast Beef or Turkey, how big you want it and the type of roll you want it on. Then it gets exciting because they have 14 different sauces to choose from and they are more than willing to put one or all of them on your sandwich. We were the only ones there at the time so they asked what our favorite tastes were and let us sample several different ones and made suggestions as to which combinations were their favorites. Once you decide on your sauce then you get to pick from 15 different cheeses. They offer lettuce, tomatoes and onions to finish off the sandwich.

(Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)

They also offer spicy pickles and the 6 different types of brownie squares made this a must go establishment if you ever find yourself in the area. My only regret was despite us ordering 5 different sandwiches I never took a picture because all I could think about was getting mine and eating every bite of it! You can see some pictures of their food on their web site which I will post below. I know I will be a regular customer whenever I am working in the area - I strongly recommend you give it a try if you are ever in Boston and in need of a tasty, forever memorable, hearty sandwich! (As do my wife and kids)

http://www.roastbeast.com

Pesto Pasta

Tonight I cooked mini farfalle pasta and tossed it with the pesto sauce I made this weekend and some diced tomatoes. To round out the meal we had steamed beets and greens and hot italian sausage, peppers and onions. The great thing about pesto is you can make it when you have lots of fresh herbs and freeze it for use throughout the year. I like to portion it out in and freeze it in ice cube trays for a quick addition to any deserving meal.

Pesto

Blend together fresh Basil, Parsley, Garlic, Olive Oil, and Grated Romano or Parmigiano Cheese 

Yup it's that easy - I like to season with a few red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and toasted pignoli nuts. 

MANGIA!

Pasta e fagioli

La cucina piccola fal la casa grande - A small kitchen makes the house big.

There is nothing quite like sitting down with the family for a hearty dinner of pasta e fagioli when the days are growing shorter and a cool breeze has chilled the house just enough to justify putting on a warm sweater. Tonight was one of those nights and as I sit writing this my stomach and my heart have been warmed with the joy of comfort food. As I said in my last post some of the best food is the simplest.

If you have never made pasta bean soup you are missing out on one of life's simplest pleasures. It can be made how ever you desire but my normal base is made with the following ingredients. Sauteed diced onion, celery and garlic once everything starts to soften I add diced peeled tomatoes, cannellini beans, chicken stock and season with dried oregano, diced fresh parsley, salt and pepper. Tonight we topped our soup with grilled chicken and pecorino romano. Tonight the kids opted for pipette as the pasta because it holds more broth than elbows or the traditional ditalini.  I love having a nice crostini with my soup but tonight I opted to toast the left over rolls we had from dinner the other night and topped it with the caponata I made this weekend. Now for some cuddle time with the wife and as the old Italian proverb says: "A tavola non si invecchia" - At the table with good friends and family you do not become old.

Everyday Italian

This past week my Italian heritage has consumed our family food preparation. Summer is ending along with the production of the staple vegetables in everyone's gardens. I have been blessed the past several days with lots of eggplant, basil, parsley, oregano and lots of different peppers from our garden and thanks to Aunt Rosalie a big bag of Roma tomatoes. So when life gives you goodies like these you can't help but cook Italian!

The past several days have been spent filling the house with the aroma of me making fresh pesto sauce with the basil, parsley and garlic I grew, a big pot of Pasta E Fagoiloi (pasta bean soup) and a big batch of Caponata (Italian Eggplant appetizer.) I also cooked down the remaining tomatoes which were then transformed into my homemade pasta sauce.

One thing so many people overlook is the simplicity of Italian cooking, whether it is the hearty meals of the north or the delectable seafood plates that have made Sicily famous. Authentic Italian cooking is made of simple ingredients that are on hand and cooked with love. Don't get me wrong I can make an impressive fancy meal and it too would be "Italian" but in my honest opinion the meals that are my favorite comfort foods are made up of a little of this and a little of that. If you can embrace the idea of using what you have in your refrigerator, freezer, pantry and back yard garden to make a meal without the need to follow a recipe, I promise that you will never go hungry and will end up eating the best meals ever.

I was blessed growing up with an Italian mother and grandmother who not only loved to cook, they loved to spend time teaching me how to cook. I may have gone to school for formal chef training but it is my childhood experiences that I fall back on every time I'm in the kitchen, whether I am cooking for my family or for a large group of people. I guess that is why I am proud to have Aquilino as my middle name and have many friends, family and even the occasional stranger consider me a...

I will be sure to post pictures of the food throughout the week - feel free to let me know in the comment section if you have any questions about the preparation of the dishes!

It's the most important meal of the day

I love cooking, especially for my wife. Rebecca does so much for our family and sneaking out into the kitchen and making her a nice breakfast is one of my favorite things to do. Growing up I loved when my mom would make me "Egg in a basket" and I enjoy making it as much as I do eating them now that I have mastered making them to peoples liking (The kids like their yolks runny while Rebecca likes a soft cooked yolk) which I will admit took lots of practice.

First and foremost food is for sustenance but I am a firm believer that it is even more enjoyable when you make food fun. I am often laughed at because I like to garnish everything no matter how simple the meal or dessert. Like Andrew Zimmern says, "If it looks good, Eat it" Lots of garnishes are multi-purpose. We enjoy growing different flowers on our property that look great in the yard but are also edible and often quite tasty! My garnishes are usually simple but effective. They add color to the plate and I have found when things are bright and cheery they always seem to taste better. In this plate a sliced strawberry, a sprig of curly parsley and a Nasturtium flower make an ordinary breakfast into the best meal of the day!

Organic Woodland Bounty

As most know I am an avid hunter so if you are offended by the thought of harvesting one's own meat you may not want to read on any further.

I grew up with a father who absolutely loved archery hunting for deer. While he may not have had much success during my childhood the love of hunting and the appreciation of time spent together as father and child were quickly instilled into my being. I can remember my dad letting me take time off from school to go sit in a hemlock tree in an attempt to fill the freezer with fresh meat, memories which I will cherish until the day I day. Fast forward to the present year, 2012. While healthy living has been around for a long time the consumption of organic food is a relative new trend.
Looking back on my childhood I now realize that while my dad didn't realize it, he was a pioneer of feeding his family healthy organic food. Between the fresh venison and rabbit meat we hunted for each fall and winter and the bounty of our home grown vegetables each summer and fall not only were we saving money on the weekly grocery bill, we were eating food that was beneficial to our bodies and not filling it with hormone laced, radiated foods.
Now before anyone corrects me,  I realize he wasn't really a pioneer because long before anyone that is readings this was born that was how people survived and fed their family by raising there own meat, growing gardens full of vegetables and hunting for the rest. The fact is that is is easy to drive to the local grocery store and pick up what ever you are craving now but the quality and nutritional value of those foods can never match what you grow, raise and hunt yourself.

In the winter of 2009 I spent the morning in the woods with my daughter and one of my closest friends Seth which you can read about here if you so desire. (Click on the word "here" if you would like to read the story.) The deer Ariel and I harvest provide us with enough meat that we are able to limit the amount of beef we purchase and very little goes to waste during the process. The Meat, bones and organs are all used and usually the only waste is the stomach and remaining digestive track along with the head and pelt (although on occasion the pelt is used as well)

While the deer I harvested that day may not be the largest of deer it provided me and my family with over 30 large meals. The meat was portioned out for a family of 4 with enough for a guest or 2.

Once the animal has been skinned, I remove all the meat from the bone and cut the large sections of meat into the desired product.

All the tougher cuts of meat and scraps are ground (by hand with an old fashioned table mounted grinder) into hamburger. I don't add any pork fat to my hamburger when I process my meat. Depending on what we are making for a meal sometimes I add fat sometimes I don't.

Then there is the stew meat! This is good stuff - while we use it for stew it is also good as kabob meat and my favorite - stroganoff meat!

Then there is the "steaks" while they may not be your typical t-bone or rib eye steaks they are just as good if not better. I prefer not to cut through the bone because I have found the marrow in the bones leads to the heavy gamy taste that turns most people off to wild game. Of course there is the loin meat which is often referred to as the back strap and the tenderloins which are eaten the day of the hunt!

Once everything is cut up I portion it out and we package it for the freezer so it can be enjoyed over the next  several months. I am proud to say that both my kids ate venison as part of their first meal of solid food. While I may still enjoy junk food I am doing what I can to provide my family with fresh organic meat from the game that Ariel and I hunt for along with poultry and eggs that we raise. I also wrote a post on my thankfulness for the above mentioned meat which can be read by clicking here.

I realize that a majority of people may not ever go hunting but with all the local farmers markets the option of purchasing grass fed, organic and hormone free meats, eggs and milk are readily available to most now. So my suggestion is get up and harvest it yourself or support your local farmers - your body will thank you for it!

Let them eat cake

My wife has a gift for creating some beautiful sugary confections out of cake. I am always amazed at how she transforms eggs, flour, and sugar into such amazing looking treats. Here are some of her creations from throughout the years that we have actually remembered to take photo's of before they enjoyed by the masses!