Yup. You heard me. Pumpkin Rocky Road Brownies. I love Rocky Road ice cream and I love the fall flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. So why not combine them into a brownie?

Kelly of Evil Shenanigans (and she is evil, people, make no mistake!) issued a challenge: In honor of the new show, Top Chef: Just Desserts, let’s see if we can duplicate the elimination challenge. We, of course, would have the whole following week and post on Wednesday. Last week’s elimination challenge was “Bake Sale”. The cheftestants had to create items that would sell big at a high school bake sale, so that became our challenge, too.

That was my inspiration for these – and I’m betting they’d sell big-time!

Pumpkin Rocky Road Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup natural cane sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. table salt

1 cup California Walnuts, chopped or crushed coarsely
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325º F. Prepare a 9″ x 9″ pan by spraying with cooking spray, or by lining with non-stick aluminum foil.

Melt the stick of butter over medium-low heat and allow to brown (yes! brown butter!). Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder until completely blended. Transfer mixture into a medium bowl.

Add the pumpkin puree to the cocoa mixture and mix on low speed with an electric mixer. Add the sugar, then add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix well after each addition.

Sift together all the dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips,nuts, and marshmallows, and add to the wet mixture in thirds, and mix thoroughly after each third. Fold in the nuts, chocolate chips, and mini-marshmallows by hand. This is a fairly thick batter.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the top appears dry. Allow to cool completely in the pan, on a rack, before cutting.

Notes:

* Again, allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting, or you’ll wind up with a sloppy (albeit delicious) mess. Patience, Grasshopper.

* For all my brownies, rather than greasing the pan, I like to line it with non-stick aluminum foil. Not only does this eliminate the need to grease and clean a pan, but after a few minutes, you can remove the brownie cake from the pan, in the foil, allowing it to cool faster. When it’s completely cool, you can peel back the foil and never worry about digging out that first piece – every piece you cut can be perfect!

Remember a couple of weeks ago? I was bitching about Fall taking absolutelyfreakingever to reach South Florida? Like many of you Northerners look for the first Robin of Spring, how I look for the first Vulture of Autumn?

Well, boys and girls, just in time for the #GreatHallowTweet, the Turkey Vultures are back!

First, there was one. Then there were three:

Then there were about a dozen!

As the season progresses, that whole rooftop will be covered in sunning Turkey Vultures. A little unsettling when you think that this is the heart of downtown Miami! And then again, appropriate in a way…

This is what they look like close-up. I could never – nor would I ever – actually want to get this close, thankyouverymuch, but if I’m going to talk about the beasties, you should at least see what they look like. Charming, right? There’s a reason their heads are pretty much devoid of feathers: Being carrion-eaters, they’re able to avoid retaining a bunch of blood and guts and nasty microbes that might later cause disease if it were stuck to feathers. It’s hygenic. Hee!

Courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Click on this photo or link and learn more about Turkey Vultures – the unsung clean-up crew of nature!

For more appetizing (in a sense) celebrations of Halloween, travel the #GreatHallowTweet Halloween Blog Hop sidebar, over there to the left, and see how 18 of my best blogger friends are whooping it up! Happy Halloween!

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Michelle at Rambling Woods is hosting Nature Notes: Signs of the Season, a weekly meme dedicated to challenging us to take a moment out of our hectic lives and notice the seasonal changes – large and small – taking place in nature all around each of us, in our own little corners of the world. Please visit Michelle and all the other participants, and maybe take some of your own Nature Notes!

Michelle is also one of our #GreatHallowTweet participants, so be sure to stop by and say Hi! You might even learn something!

Continuing with this week’s Halloween theme, I bring you Squashed Soup.

I’ve adapted this recipe from the Butternut Squash Soup that used to be served at the Simon Pearce Glassworks and Restaurant in Quechee, Vermont. We discovered this soup one October several years ago, when MJ and I took a “leaf-peeping” road trip to take in the foliage colors through Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

As a glass-lover, I’d heard about the Simon Pearce Glassworks and we made a special point of including it on our drive. We’d also heard that the restaurant they have onsite is top-notch, so we also made a point of having lunch there. If you’re in the neighborhood, you should, too. The food is absolutely delicious, served on their own dinnerware, with a view not to be believed – especially at the height of the leaf-peeping season!

This recipe is especially attractive to me, because it’s one of the only creamy soups I’ve ever had that doesn’t get its body or texture from the addition of dairy, making it perfect for the lactose-intolerant, kosher, or vegan! Simon Pearce actually handed out this recipe at their restaurant, if you asked for it, so I’m not giving away any trade secrets here. They’ve since changed their butternut squash soup recipe to include cream, so I’m glad I retained the original!

Butternut Squash Soup with Scallion Cream (adapted from Original Simon Pearce Recipe) – Yields about 6 cups

One 2 to 2 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
8 Tbs. olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium leek, white and tender green, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp. dried
1 quart vegetable stock

Optional Scallion Cream Topping:

1/4 cup cold heavy cream
2 medium scallions, minced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large roasting pan, toss the squash with the 4 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery, leek and carrot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until barely softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the ginger, thyme and roasted squash. Add the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Partially cover, reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, or use a stick blender and puree directly in the pot. Return the soup to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper and reheat.

In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the scallions and a pinch of salt and whip to firm peaks.

Ladle the soup into bowls or shallow soup plates and garnish with a dollop of the scallion cream (if using) and a sprinkling of the chives or additional chopped scallions.

*Notes:

Butternut squash is hard. I find it easier to peel the squash with a vegetable peeler and cut it up after. Just take care – naked squash is slippery.

I’ve modified Simon Pearce’s recipe by substituting olive oil for the butter, using vegetable stock for their chicken stock, and using half the amount of squash to intensify the flavor. The scallion cream is completely optional. If you’d like to garnish or really feel the need for a creamy topping, sour cream works well, as does Tofutti’s non-dairy sour cream replacement.

You can also double or treble the recipe to serve a crowd. It’s also a great make-ahead dish – you can prepare this soup a couple of days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Just reheat gently and serve when ready.

For Halloween, try serving this in black or Halloween-themed mugs – makes a nice warm-up after a chilly evening of Trick or Treating… or is that Twick or Tweeting?

This is, of course, another post for The #GreatHallowTweet Halloween Blog Hop – Don’t forget to hop on to the next blog in the #GreatHallowTweet sidebar to see what’s lurking around the corner!

I love autumn. One of the first signs of the season shows up in the grocery store – the winter squashes arrive. Not just one or two Butternut Squashes from God-only-knows-where, but bushels of them, along with Delicata, Acorn, Spaghetti, and my favorite – Sweet Dumpling.

The Sweet Dumpling Squash has a cream colored skin marked with streaks of green and orange, and is shaped something like an Acorn Squash, but more squared, and a seed cavity just begging to be stuffed. The texture of the flesh is soft and rich, but light and sweet – something like a cross between Butternut and Acorn. Get a good-sized one of these babies and a light, but satisfying meal for two is on the way!

Sweet Dumpling Squash With Brown Rice and Carmelized Brussels Sprouts

1 Sweet Dumpling Squash (approx. 16″ circumference – sounds huge, but it’s only about 5″ or 6″ high)

1 tsp. olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400º.

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. Brush each half with a 1/2 teaspoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place each half, cut-side down onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the skin can be pierced easily with a fork.

In the meantime:

1/2 cup brown rice

1 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth

pinch each of salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Bring broth to a boil, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add rice, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 40 – 45 minutes.

And then:

Carmelized Brussels Sprouts:

I know what you’re thinking: Brussels Sprouts?!? Seems most people either love ‘em or hate ‘em, and no in between. We happen to love them. I think the people who hate them have had bad sprout experiences – mushy, overcooked to oblivion. Just try them this way once. Please? I think you’ll find that a crispy, garlicky exterior combined with a firm but creamy interior, makes all the difference. Just once. For me?

1/2 pound fresh brussels sprouts (or more, depending on how much you like brussels sprouts!)

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. butter (we use SmartBalance Light)

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped in large pieces

Pinch of salt and pepper

Trim off the stem ends of the sprouts and any dark outer leaves. Rinse in cold water and while they’re wet, put them in a medium saucepan with the oil, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Do not add any water. Cover tightly and turn heat to medium. After several minutes, the butter should be melted, and there should be a slight sizzle. Keep covered and turn heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes, remove cover and raise heat to medium. Stir lightly and allow the sprouts and garlic to brown, an additional 5 minutes or so.

Topping:

1 medium to large shallot, sliced thinly

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Heat olive oil in a small pan, add shallots and fry over medium heat until dark, golden brown. As they start to turn color, keep an eye on them, as they can go from yummy to burnt in a heartbeat! Remove the shallots from the oil and drain on a paper towel.

Put it all together:

Divide the Carmelized Brussels Sprouts between two plates. Spoon half the rice into each squash half, top with the crispy fried shallots, and a few shreds of Parmesan cheese if you like. Then dig in!

This recipe is easily made vegetarian or even vegan, depending on your choice of broth and butter or butter alternative, and you can certainly double or even triple the ingredients, depending on the number of people you’re feeding.

If fresh brussels sprouts aren’t available, you can certainly use frozen. Cooking time will be reduced by about half, and don’t forget to crisp them up at the end!

Enjoy!

Please don’t hate me because I’m warm. Because I’m not warm. I’m freaking HOT. And not in a good way.

While I realize that many of you didn’t have much of a summer and that you’re probably freezing your keisters off prematurely, we here in Florida have been roasting in 90º heat way past its time.

For weeks now, I’ve been staring at the peaked roof of the County Courthouse, waiting for the arrival of the Turkey Vultures, and therefore, fall. The Turkey Vultures, while seen all over South Florida in the winter, seem to love the thermal air currents around the courthouse. Their arrival is some reassurance that eventually the humidity will drop and the temperatures will moderate. But everyday, I’m disappointed. No vultures. C’mon! It’s October! Where’s Fall?!?

Oh. There it is. The first American Redstart showed up at my birdbaths this week! The American Redstart is a warbler that hawks – or hover-gleans – its food, and is mucho cool to watch as it flits up and through the branches of trees and shrubs to catch insects or nab a berry. This one is either a female or first-year male, and seems to be the first of this year’s winter migrants, at least in my yard. Yay!

And I saw a Turkey Vulture this morning. Just one, but can his buddies be far behind? Fall. Finally.

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Michelle at Rambling Woods is hosting Nature Notes: Signs of the Season, a weekly meme dedicated to challenging us to take a moment out of our hectic lives and notice the seasonal changes – large and small – taking place in nature all around each of us, in our own little corners of the world. Please visit Michelle and all the other participants, and maybe take some of your own Nature Notes!