Starter: Pumpkin Stuffed with Bread and Cheese

Mr. & Mrs. Meyer joined us for dinner last night, and their visit seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something I'd read about a week or so ago on food writer Dorie Greenspan's blog: a stuffed pumpkin.


The concept is pretty simple: take a 2-3 lb pumpkin, cut a lid out the way you might with a jack-o-lantern and scoop out the seeds and strings. But then instead of carving a face in the little guy, stuff it with a mixture of bread, cheese and chopped garlic, then pour some heavy cream laced with nutmeg over the bread mixture, put the lid back on the pumpkin and roast the whole thing at 350 for 2 hours. What you end up with is an eggless bread-and-cheese strata surrounded by tender, fragrant roasted pumpkin. In a word: sublime.

Greenspan notes that you can use just about any combination of bread and cheese. I used Italian bread and Parmesan cheese because that's what I had on hand. But I think gruyere or brie and french bread or even pumpernickel and white cheddar would be equally scrumptious. I also think my pumpkin may have been smaller than what was called for -- I used a pie pumpkin that was probably closer to one and a half pounds than three pounds. Regardless, it came out really well.

To serve, I used a sharp knife to cut the pumpkin into four parts and we each dove into our personal hunk of pumpkiny goodness, leaving only the pumpkin's skin on our plates by the end. A wonderful treat for a fall evening and one I plan to return to again and again in years to come. Yum!

Starter: Jeanne's Famous Artichoke Spinach Dip

I should preface this by saying that I have no idea who Jeanne is. But she submitted a great recipe to Gourmet back in 1995 which subsequently made it onto the epicurious.com web site (though it disappeared off the site a couple of years later, strangely) and, ever since, it has been my favorite recipe for this ubiquitous party appetizer.

This version is perfect in that it's simple, quick to prepare, and most importantly, crazy tasty. We've served it at many a Mingleside Christmas Party and it's always been a big hit. If you have any servewear that stays hot long after it's been out of the oven (such as Wilton Armetale), I'd recommend baking it in that, as the dip becomes much less appetizing when it gets cold. I like to serve it with tortilla chips, but I suppose any sort of crackers would be lovely. And to Jeanne, wherever you are, thanks so much for sharing this great recipe with the world oh so long ago. You are definitely famous in my eyes!

JEANNE'S FAMOUS ARTICHOKE SPINACH DIP
1 13 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped finely
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped finely
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 1/4 cups coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 9 ounces)
1 Tb freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Tortilla chips or crackers for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine artichoke hearts, spinach, mayo, Parmesan, 1 3/4 cups Monterey Jack cheese and Pecorino Romano, stirring until combined well. Transfer artichoke mixture to 1 quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese. Dip may be made up to this point, covered, and chilled for one day.

Bake dip in middle of oven until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Serve with chips or crackers. Makes about 3 cups.

Source: Gourmet, May 1995, Jeanne Manzi of Dix Hills, N.Y.

Dinner tonight... Sauteed Chicken with Mushrooms and Green Beans

If I had more time, I think I could probably write a pretty good ode to the shitake mushroom. Shitakes are, by far, my favorite fungi. I discovered them in the mid-nineties, around the time that I decided to give mushrooms a chance in general. Unlike your everyday button variety, shitakes have a stronger flavor and a better, springier texture. They're sort of woodsy, if that makes sense. Regardless of the adjective, I can say without hesitation that I just love them and could probably eat them every day. Mr. Fritz, I learned tonight, doesn't quite share my passion for the mighty shitake. Although he enjoyed their flavor more than previous shrooms I've slipped onto his plate, the texture sort of stopped him cold. ("It's like chewing a snail," he noted.) Sigh.

Mr. Fritz does enjoy a good green bean, however, so tonight's meal, Sauteed Chicken with Mushrooms and Green Beans from (where else?) the November issue of Everyday Food actually worked well for us both. I served him a few of the mushrooms along with a lot of green beans (that's his plate below) and then in turn did the opposite on my plate. End result? One happy mushroom eater (me) and one happy green bean eater (Mr. Fritz) with a touch of balance for us both as well. Good times.


This meal came together in just a few minutes. To prepare it, you set some green beans in a steamer basket over an inch or so of boiling water. Once the beans are in the pot, cover and reduce heat to low. Let the beans steam for 4-6 minutes. Meanwhile, saute chicken cutlets in a little olive oil over medium high heat for 3 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Toss the mushrooms into the now chicken-less skillet along with a tablespoon of butter, saute for a couple of minutes until they soften, add chopped parsley, fresh lemon juice and a little more butter and you're done. To plate, set the green beans alongside the chicken, then top the chicken with the mushroom mixture. The result? Crisp green beans, good (if standard) chicken, and truly fabulous mushrooms (the lemon, butter and parsley really enhanced them!). Yum! And all in around 10-12 minutes. I'll definitely make this again.

Dinner tonight... Asian Noodle Bowls with Chicken and Snow Peas

Happy Election Night! I'm spending the evening with Mr. Fritz, while monitoring my work email for potential meltdowns. Thus, dinner needed to be superfast. I went with another one of Everyday Food's November "On the Short List" recipes -- Asian Noodle Bowls with Steak and Snow Peas. The one big exception? I subbed chicken for steak and seasoned the chicken with a little bit of powdered ginger to add a little zing, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Mr. Fritz really liked this one, especially the dry-roasted peanuts tossed on top as a garnish. It's going to be a late night. Hopefully by this time tomorrow this crazy election season will be over.

Dinner tonight... Shrimp with Scallions and Crispy Potatoes

The newest issue of Everyday Food magazine arrived last week, so I availed myself of it as I planned this week's menu. They have a section this month called "On the Short List," which is comprised of five complete, fast, diverse five-ingredient meals. I added a few of the selections to my plan for the week, starting with Shrimp with Scallions and Crispy Potatoes.

Suffice it to say, I was a little perplexed about the combination of potatoes and shrimp. Shrimp and grits, shrimp and couscous, shrimp and rice, shrimp and noodles -- all of those combinations sounded better to me than shrimp and potatoes. But I figured that they would not have featured it were it not worth making.

Since today was a fairly trying day for me at work, it helped that the method is super simple: chop a potato into 1 inch cubes, saute it in a little olive oil for about 14 minutes. Then add a little bit of chopped scallion and saute for another couple of minutes. Set that aside, add peeled and deveined shrimp to the skillet and saute for 2-3 minutes along with some curry powder and salt and pepper. Once the shrimp have cooked through, add the potato mixture back to the skillet, give it all a good mix, and serve.


The verdict? Surprisingly tasty! The shrimp and potatoes really complemented each other to a good end. And the curry really pulled everything together. One note: I halved the recipe (it's written to serve four) and after I plated it, it seemed sort of paltry, so I quickly sauteed some mushrooms to go along with the dish. Regardless, when we were finished eating, I told Mr. Fritz that I would be adding this one to my "must make again list." He approved. Yum!

PS: Mr. Fritz noticed the other day that if you click on any of the photos I've posted, you can see them in a bigger size. Just thought I should note that in case you are interested in getting a closer look at any of the finished dishes.

Dinner tonight... Curried Coconut Chicken Over Noodles

I first started making this dish in 1999 but it's been a few years since the last time I attempted it. Happily, it was just as simple to make as I remembered it to be.

Curried Coconut Chicken Over Noodles, a Cooking Light recipe, is comprised of just a few ingredients: garlic, chicken, light coconut milk, thinly sliced onion, boneless chicken breasts, curry powder and fresh basil. I like to add a 4 or 5 oz of sliced mushrooms to it to give the dish a little more oomph. But other than that, it's great as is -- and it smells incredible as it's cooking. I used Somen noodles tonight (Japanese wheat noodles), but Soba or Udon noodles or even plain old vermicelli would work just as well. This recipe serves 2 but is easily doubled if you are cooking for a crowd. Really nice for a crisp fall day.

Lunch today... Quick Chicken Chili

Behold, my go-to chili recipe. I've been making Quick Chicken Chili for years and it literally could not be easier. If you can cut up and saute chicken, and if you know how to use a can opener, you can make this recipe. I generally serve it with shredded cheddar, avocado, fresh limes, sour cream and tortilla chips. Today, all I had on hand was the cheddar, but I mixed things up a little bit by serving it over spaghetti, which (strangely to me) is how Mr. Fritz usually eats chili. I think it's officially called "Chili Mac" when it's served this way, but I could be wrong. Also, I think that's an Ohio thing. Whatever works!


Also, a bit of trivia: in the months leading up to our wedding, we bartered with the debonair Mr. Vogt for dancing lessons. The deal was, Mr. Vogt taught us to dance, and I taught Mr. Vogt to cook. (Mr. Fritz' role? Dancing and eating. Not a bad deal!) This was one of the recipes featured during "Cooking and Dancing with Mr. Vogt and Soon-To-Be-Mrs. Fritz." Enjoy!