In the Kitchen with Kat: Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

I never knew that I liked pumpkin. I knew that I didn't like pumpkin pie. So, I just made the leap that I did not like pumpkin in any form.

And then a few years ago, when I was doing Weight Watchers. For the millionth time. I got a recipe that included pumpkin. I was skeptical. But my deep desire for chocolate was rearing it's ugly head. You know. That desire for chocolate is strong. Only when I diet. Otherwise, I am all about the salt. The grease. And the crunch.

That Weight Watcher recipe was simple. A box of devil's food chocolate cake mix. And a can of pumpkin. That's it. Maybe a little water if you needed it. Mix, and pour into muffin pans. Bake. Each muffin was 1.5 points. And to me. That simply meant you eat two. Three points was much easier to deal with. And these muffins. Oh. My. Delish.

And thus began my great love affair with pumpkin. Pumpkin soup has to be one of the most devine culinary creations. There is Lula's pumpkin crisp. Debbie wrote about Paula Deen's gooey butter pumpkin cake. Brandy made pumpkin cake. With chocolate chips. And now, I want to add my recipe to the pumpkin hall of infamy fame. Or at least to your menu for Thanksgiving.

Here is our cast of characters.

First thing to do is to bake up those gingerbread cake mixes. Oh my. The scent of those cooking. Might be strong enough to wake children from sleep. Demanding to know why it smells like Christmas.

Next, make the vanilla pudding. Doing cook and serve pudding is much more time consuming than instant. You know what they say about a watch pot. It never boils. And a pot being stirred. Well...it doesn't boil either. I think that next time I am just going to do instant.

When it FINALLY is done. And cooled. Add your pumpkin and your brown sugar. And mix.

Are you ready to assemble our layers? This is where it gets pretty.

First you get out your trifle bowl. It's really hard to take a good picture of something that is clear.Then take one of the gingerbread cakes and crumble it up. Press down on the cake to make it somewhat smooth.Then add half of the pumpkin and pudding mixture. My layers are never pretty. Or even. But they will be really tasty.

Then add a layer of cool whip.

And repeat.I waited to add the final layer of cool whip till serving the trifle. Because it wouldn't have fit under the lid.

But look at that. It's a show stopper. The grand finale. The Pièce de résistance.And the taste? Sinful. Sinfully delicious.

Here is the easy recipe:

2 packages of gingerbread cake mix

1 package (4.6 ounces) of cook and serve vanilla pudding mix

3 cups of milk

1 can of pumpkin

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 8oz containers of cool whip

Prepare and bake gingerbread according to package directions. Use two round baking pans. Cool completely.

In a large saucepan, combine pudding mix and milk. Stir until smooth.

Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Or until thickened.

Remove the pudding from the heat. Cool to room temperature.

Combine the pudding with the pumpkin and brown sugar.

In a glass serving bowl, crumble one of the gingerbread cakes. Gently press down on the cake.

Top with half of the pudding mixture.

And then add the cool whip.

Repeat the layers.

You could add nuts or caramel to the top. Or both.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Makes 25 servings!

So...what about you? Do you have a favorite dessert? What do you like to have on your birthday? What is your favorite to have at Thanksgiving? Have you developed a love for something that you thought you wouldn't like? Have you entered THE CONTEST yet??

Theme song: Smashing Pumpkins - 1979. Because there wasn't a band named Gingerbread. And pumpkin is rather smashing now, isn't it?

In the Kitchen with Kat: Chicken and Dumplings

Have I mentioned that I am a procrastinator extraordinaire? Did you know that extraordinaire is one of those rare adjectives that follows its subject? About a month ago, Brandy "tweeted" about wanting a chicken and dumplings recipe. I told her that I had a good one. And it was really easy. And that I should blog about it. And poor Brandy. My proclamation mocked her. Because I did not share my recipe. And she was ready to cook. So...Brandy...this is for you.

When I cook. I only know how to cook for an army. I am not quite sure why. But it's the way I have always cooked. I think that part of it is that leftovers are expected. We usually make a meal of them another night during the week. Michael and my mom will take the leftovers for lunches. When I make grits casserole, the girls will eat it for breakfast.

The other part of it is that I have a husband with the metabolism of Michael Phelps a teenage boy. And the appetite to prove it. And my girls are closing in on his tail. My metabolism clearly got intimidated. And ran away. Never to be seen again. As it clearly does not answer "Polo" to my "Marco."

But I digress. Which is a habit of a procrastinator extraordinaire. Here are the basic ingredients for our recipe. Which I always double. I use more chicken than is pictured. I had just moved on to the first step before I realized that I forgot a photo of the cast and crew.

And that first step is to cut the chicken into 2 inch-ish pieces. I like the specificity of the "ish." Is specificity a word? Stop yelling "procrastinator." Just whisper it. Under your breath. Behind clenched teeth. Brandy.

When cutting up my chicken, I like for it to still be a little frozen. It makes it really easy to slice. Add all your chicken to a deep frying pan. If you like, you could add some chopped celery and onion. But I don't like. So I don't. Cook your chicken until it is no longer pink. And drain. You know. My original recipe does not say to drain it. I would drain it. Really. I would.

Add your flour to the chicken broth. And mix until it is blended.

Then add the broth to the drained chicken in the frying pan.And add the gravy, half-and-half, bay leaf (which I didn't have on my spice rack. Hey. Honey. Add bay leaves to the grocery list please.), and pepper to the pot.Bring to a boil.

Then add the biscuits. Doesn't this look yummy??

Cook it with the lid on for about 10 - 15 minutes until the broth is thickened. And the dumplings are done.

Serve.

Now, there is another option. Besides adding green peas to the mixture. Which I personally think is gross. And that peas contaminate the whole meal. But as long as you are not inviting me for dinner, feel free to add peas. Are your teeth still clenched? You know that you can really aggravate your jaw by doing that? And have some nasty headaches.

My mom is not a fan of the dumpling part of chicken and dumplings. So...you can leave it out. Chicken and dumplings. Hold the dumpling. So, what I do for her is to cook biscuits. And then serve the chicken mixture over that. And if you are carbo loading, you can always serve your chicken and dumplings over a biscuit. Or if you are like me. And are enthralled with watching your hips spread. Chicken and dumplings over a biscuit is just divine.

Here is my easy peasy recipe:

2 packages of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 10 thighs)

1 can of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

4 tbs all purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 (12oz) jars of chicken gravy

2 cups of half-and-half

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp pepper

Cut the chicken into pieces. Cook chicken (you can add celery and/or onions if you like) for about 6-8 minutes - or until no longer pink. Drain.

Blend flour into the chicken broth.

Add broth and remaining ingredients (except the biscuits) - you could also add a cup of frozen peas - and bring to a boil.

Flatten the biscuits and cut each one into 6 pieces. When the chicken mixture is boiling, add the biscuit pieces. And then cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low. And cook 10-15 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and serve.

So...what about you? Do you have a favorite chicken recipe? A favorite comfort food? Does your family eat leftovers? Is chicken and dumplings a Southern thing? What are you procrastinating?

Theme song: Little Feat - Dixie Chicken

In the kitchen with Katie: Scotch Eggs

A few weeks ago we studied Scotland as part of our homeschool geography program. I was really excited about it because I could coordinate the learning with going to the Highland Games. And Georgia hosts the largest gathering of clans and games. Bigger than the ones in Scotland! And naturally, I was excited about the games. About watching the parade. Seeing sheep dogs at work. Witnessing a caber toss. And most importantly. Photographing hot men in kilts.

Except that it didn't quite work out like that.

We did see caber tossing. And learned that the object was not to toss it for distance. But to get the caber to make a complete rotation.

We did see some dogs learning to herd.

We got to meet Katie the hawk. But there was not a birds of prey demonstration because there are so many wild hawks in the area.

And there was the parade of clans. (And Heather - I didn't see anyone resembling Jamie. Trust me. I was looking.)

With their kilts.But someone forgot to send Gerard Butler his invite.And tell him that I needed some sexy Scots for my blog post.

We went to console ourselves with some food. And found this shocking sign.

The girls decided to have some fish and chips. Because I told them that I could teach them to make Scotch eggs.

And now. Katie can teach you.

The ingredient list is pretty short.

Please notice my eggs.A while ago, Staci did a whole post on how horrible her hard boiled eggs looked. And then I found this video that showed how to peel them. Without actually peeling them. Has anyone tried this? We did. It didn't work.

All you do is mix your Worcestershire, bread crumbs, beaten eggs, and a little bit of lawry's with your sausage.

I know that some of you are squeamish with your tactile issues. Have someone else mix. This recipe is too good and too easy to pass by.Once it's all mixed, scoop out a handfull and roll the egg in your hand so that the sausage completely covers it.

Put all the sausage coated eggs on a pan. Have ya'll noticed how many of my recipes include sausage? I had no idea that I had such an affinity for sausage. And here is the finished product. Delish!

Here is my simple recipe:

Hard boiled eggs (the sausage will cover about 10)

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 egg lightly beaten

1 1lb breakfast sausage

bread crumbs (ugh. you are going to want to know how much aren't you? A handful? 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup? The bread crumbs help to hold the sausage together. But you want the mixture to still be sticky)

1 tbs flour

Lawry's seasoned salt. Just a dash. Or a shake.

Mix all the ingredients (except for the hard boiled eggs). And then scoop out a handful of the sausage and press around an egg.

Bake them at 350º for 30-45 minutes. You don't want them crispy - just cooked through.

So...what about you? Have you ever been to a Highland games? Seen sexy men in kilts? Eaten Haggis? Or yummy Scottish food?

Theme Song: Big Country - In a Big Country. Love me some 80s bagpipes...