Sweet Potato Chips

 

Sweet potatoes, I'll take 'em any way, shape or form.  By far, one of my favorite fall veggies.  I'm always searching for different ways to prepare them.  Combine that with the fact that my mom bestowed upon me her mandoline and this is what you get: chips :)  These chips were super easy to prepare.  My least favorite part of sweet pots is when I have to peel them - but no peeling here.  Just a thorough scrub, a pat dry, and onto the mandoline.  I had about six sweet potatoes and once I put them through the mandoline, they made a LOT of chips.  I actually had to bake them in batches because there were so many of them.  Seasoning was simple: olive oil, sea salt, and cinnamon.  That's it.  I made the very first round with pepper, but found that I didn't like the pairing of the cinnamon with the pepper.  Also, the chips have to lay flat and be spaced apart from one another on the baking sheets, otherwise they won't come out 'chip-like.'  Into the oven at 350 degrees for a brief 15 minutes.  (And trust me on that timing, I thought batch number two needed a few extra minutes and I ended up with undefined, black disks!).  When they were done, I simply piled them onto a plate in huge heaps, easily accessible for snacking as we went about our evening.  The best part was that my husband kept walking by the table swiping a chip or two, commenting on their sweetness.  He didn't believe me that there was no sugar added....

Make them again?  Yes.  Absolutely.  In fact, I am now interested to know what other types of vegetables I can 'chip.'

Improvements?  Well, in this first round I certainly learned on the job.  I tossed the sweet potato chips lightly in olive oil at first.  But found them to be oil-laden and heavy when they came out of the oven - they were not light and crisp.  So the second time around I switched to a spray olive oil instead.  This allowed me to achieve the chip consistency I was hoping for.  Besides the oil factor, I know are more spice combinations to be had with these sweet little pots, and that is what I plan on trying next. 

Hearty, Fall Chili. Round One.

 

The weather has cooled enough for chili.  I am so excited - it is finally time to cozy up with hearty bowls of homemade deliciousness, just they way we like it.  I prefer to make my own chili from scratch (versus 'from the can') because I am not always a fan of all the ingredients or seasonings included.  I like to choose my own meats, veggies, beans and spices; and blend them in proportions to my liking.  This November Chili is Round One - the chili at our house is like snowflakes, we never make the same batch twice.  For a lead-off batter, this one scored.  

Meat selection was a pound of each - bison and turkey sausage.  I have heard more and more about bison lately, especially how lean it is.  A little nervous about a new meat - I picked up a pound from Whole Foods, pleasantly eyeing the '90% lean' signage it displayed.  When I got it home and put in the pot to brown up, I found the aroma very mild and light.  I browned the sausage simultaneously - two meats offer more flavor than just one, right?  The meats got the first blast of seasonings: chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, s&p, all to taste.  Then out came the meats and in went the veggies - two yellow onions minced, four cloves of garlic, a large bunch of spinach cut into thin ribbons, and an equally large bunch of kale, also in ribbons.  At this point, I took a slight tangent.  After adding the meat back in to the nicely sauteed veggies, I chose to deglaze the pan with one beer (brand is your choosing).  The beer reduced for about 4-5 minutes and later on this concentrated flavor really added a distinct note to the dish.  Back on track, in went one can of roasted tomatoes, one cup of stock, and one can of pinto beans.  As the chili started to boil, the broth was sampled and seasoned accordingly, with more of the spices mentioned previously.  The only new addition was the tiniest dash of cinnamon, which I find adds a warm to meaty dishes that is undeniably delicious.   From here on out, this pot of goodness simmered until the ingredients were married into wedded bliss (about a good hour).  And we always make sure to serve it up with classic condiments: avocado chunks, light sour cream and shredded cheddar. 

Make it again?  Yes, of course.  Same players, perhaps a slight variation.  But we certainly achieved hearty satisfaction with this one. 

Improvements? Well, I wouldn't be able to call anything added next time an improvement until we taste it.  This chili was damn good.  Potentials currently are - a different combination of meats, more beans, and definitely more greens.  I loved the green element because they easily assimilated into a dish that typically does not feature veggies.  I can't wait to up the ante next time.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

 

I wanted to honor my friend's fall birthday with some baked goods.  Brownies didn't seem to say 'October' to me, nor did chocolate chip cookies.  So I went in search of a treat featuring one of my fall favorites: pumpkin.  Keeping in mind that it was too early for Thanksgiving's pumpkin pie, my quest led me to the Brown Eyed Baker.   I stumbled across her blog while searching for pumpkin desserts and was pleasantly surprised.  I liked the things she'd been baking.  And I found exactly what I was looking for: Pumpkin Pie Bars.  She described them as pumpkin pie 'without the crust' but I found them to be much firmer than the pie filling.  They did have a certain reminiscence of pumpkin pie; the pumpkin kept these bars very moist.  I dusted the top with sugar and delivered them to my friend with a birthday candle on top.  (Because at our age, we don't need anything more than a solitary candle).  The verdict: she loved them!

Make them again: Yes, but I would like to alter the consistency ever so slightly.  

Improvements: They were quite dense.  I need to figure out which ingredients to change to make them lighter and a bit fluffier.  

Follow this link for the recipe: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/14/pumpkin-pie-bars/