Pumpkin pie spice: Not just for pumpkin pie anymore
I've seen a few leaves fall and it has me thinking about butternut squash and pumpkin pie and the little container of pumpkin pie spice in the cabinet. I haven't use it since last year.
And what a shame that is, points out Daniela Massey, flavor expert with The Spice Hunter.
Pumpkin pie spice, a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, can be added to baked apples, pears or peaches, substituted for cinnamon and cloves in carrot cake or oatmeal cookies or stirred into Indian curries, Massey says.
For a great pumpkin spread for bagels or fruit, blend 8 ounces softened cream cheese and 2 cups confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add 1 can (15 ounces) solid pack pumpkin and 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice; mix thoroughly and chill. Serve with sliced apples or pears, graham crackers, gingersnaps or sugar cookies. Spread on toast or bagels.
Massey bets you have other rarely used spice mixes at the back of the cabinet. Dig out fajita seasoning to season omelettes or turkey burgers and sprinkle Chinese five-spice powder into chili or onto baked macaroni and cheese. You can get other ideas and advice and buy fresh spices for the holiday cooking and baking season at spicehunter.com.
Free groceries: Christmas music isn't yet playing in the stores (thank goodness), but how to afford holiday feasts and presents is already on many people's minds.
Maybe a grocery gift card could help you out? That's the prize offered in the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association's potato recipe contest.
Between now and Oct. 16 you can submit your favorite, original potato recipe for the winter holidays at winwithwisconsinpotatoes.com. Winners of $150, $100 and $50 grocery gift cards will be announced Nov. 2 and the recipes will be available online.
If you have a potato recipe that's more fitting for Easter, stay tuned. The Holiday Celebrations promotion is the first in a series of five seasonal recipe contests sponsored by the potato growers group. Future contests will seek potato recipes for football parties, St. Patrick's Day, Easter and summer entertaining.
If you're looking for inspiration, browse the 100-plus spud recipes already on the site.
No small potatoes: While I'm on the subject... Did you know Wisconsin ranks third in the nation for potato production? In 2008 Wisconsin growers harvested 2.3 billion pounds of potatoes, generating more than $300 million in product dollars for farmers and shippers.
On a wider scale, agribusiness in the Dairy State generated $51.5 billion in economic activity and provided jobs for 420,000 people - about one out of every eight residents works in a job related to farming, according to the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association.
And you thought our neighbors to the north were all about milk and cheese.
Hot men: Fifty men from the Bloomingdale area will heat things up from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 at Hilton Chicago Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale.
Sponsored by the Bloomingdale Chamber of Commerce, the 50 Men Who Cook event aims to raise $20,000 to support schools' efforts to promote wellness and fitness among elementary students.
The men, among them State Rep. Franco Coladipietro, Ed Levato Jr. of Old Town Bank, and John Butts, superintendent of Lake Park High School, will prepare their favorite recipes supersized to feed 200 people each.
Attendees will sample these dishes and vote for their favorite appetizer, side dish, entree, dessert or healthy choice.
The resort is at 250 W. Schick Road. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased at bloomingdalechamber.com or (630) 980-9082.
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at food@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4524. Listen to her discuss food trends and restaurant news on Restaurant Radio Chicago, 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560 AM.