Reasons to buy a new home in the fall!

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Bring Autumn Colors to Spiced Sweet

ooler temperatures, beautiful changing leaves and the familiar scent of pumpkin pie spice are all signs of fall. Whether you're hosting a pumpkin carving party or decorating sweet treats with family, celebrate the season with maple-flavored leaf-shaped cookies, pumpkin patch cupcakes and hot apple cider.

"The crisp air seems to inspire us all to start baking again," said McCormick Executive Chef Kevan Vetter. "Create an autumn frosting palate with our new Color from Nature Food Colors, which are made from ingredients such as beets and turmeric. You can combine the trio of starter colors – berry, sunflower and sky blue – to make everything from a maroon glaze for an Autumn Leaf Cookie to orange frosting for a Pumpkin Patch Cupcake."

The Color from Nature Food Colors can be used in icing, beverages and other no-bake recipes for best results. For more tips and recipes for the fall and Halloween season, visit McCormick.com or look for McCormick Spice on Pinterest and Facebook.

Glazed Autumn Leaf Cookies
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies

            2 3/4    cups flour
            1          teaspoon salt
            1          teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon
            1/2       teaspoon McCormick Ground Nutmeg
            1          cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
            1 1/2    cups sugar
            1          egg
            2          teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
            2          teaspoons McCormick Maple Extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and maple extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.

Roll dough on generously floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out leaves with 2- to 3-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Prepare desired colors of glazes. Decorate cooled cookies with glazes.

Glaze Variations: For the variations below, dissolve the designated amount of the Color from Nature Food Colors with water in small bowl. Stir in any remaining ingredients until smooth.

To glaze cookies, hold a cookie by its edge and dip the top into the glaze. (Or spoon the glaze onto cookies using a teaspoon.) Place iced cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch drips.) Let stand until glaze is set.

Maroon Cookie Glaze: Use 1/2 teaspoon Berry color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, 3 tablespoons water (plus additional to dissolve color), 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon cocoa powder.

Forest Green Cookie Glaze: Use 1/2 teaspoon Sky Blue color and 1/4 teaspoon Sunflower color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, 3 tablespoons water (plus additional to dissolve color), 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon cocoa powder.

Pumpkin Cookie Glaze: Use 1 teaspoon Sunflower color and 1/4 teaspoon Berry color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, 3 tablespoons water (plus additional to dissolve color) and 2 cups confectioners' sugar.

Test Kitchen Tips:

• Use glaze soon after preparing. Do not refrigerate glaze, as it will begin to harden.
• Allow glaze to dry before storing cookies in airtight containers.

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24 cupcakes

            2          cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
            4          teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
            2          boxes (16 ounces each) confectioners' sugar, sifted
            3          tablespoons milk
            1 1/2    teaspoons Sunflower color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, divided
            1/2       teaspoon Berry color from McCormick Color from Nature - Assorted Food Colors, divided

            24        unfrosted cupcakes
            12        regular marshmallows, halved crosswise
            12        small chocolate flavored taffy roll (Tootsie Roll), halved crosswise

Beat butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating well after each addition and scraping sides and bottom of bowl frequently. Add milk; beat until light and fluffy.

Remove 2 cups of the frosting into medium microwavable bowl. Tint frosting orange using 1 teaspoon of the Sunflower color and 1/4 teaspoon of the Berry color. Set aside.

Tint remaining frosting green using another 1/2 teaspoon of the Sunflower color and 1/4 teaspoon of the Berry color. Spread top of cupcakes with green frosting. Using a fork, gently touch frosting in different directions to resemble grass spikes.

To make the pumpkins, microwave the orange frosting on HIGH 10 to 20 seconds or until runny. Using a fork, dip marshmallow halves into frosting mixture, then place on top of frosted cupcakes. Let stand until pumpkin frosting has dried. Press a tootsie roll half in center of each pumpkin for the stem. Decorate leaves and vines with remaining green frosting, if desired.

Spiced Caramel Apple Cider
Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4

            4          cups apple cider
            1/4       cup caramel topping
            1          teaspoon McCormick Apple Pie Spice
            2          teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

Bring apple cider, caramel topping and apple pie spice to simmer in medium saucepan. Stir in vanilla.

Pour into serving cups. Serve topped with whipped cream, additional caramel topping and apple pie spice, if desired.

Flavor Variations: For the variations below, use the following extract in place of the vanilla:

Spiced Caramel Orange Cider: Use 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Pure Orange Extract.

Spiced Caramel Maple Cider: Use 3/4 teaspoon McCormick Maple Extract.

Spiced Caramel Rum Cider: Use 3/4 teaspoon McCormick Rum Extract.

Autumn is a Great Time to Buy a Home!

Pumpkin Cocktail Recipes

As autumn arrives, thoughts turn to … pumpkins.  So it's no surprise, then, that Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka has been so well received. This amber-hued expression of Crop Organic Vodka captures the seasonal delight of plump roasted pumpkin and baking spices.

Wherever you are in the country, autumn is the time for Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka. In Boston, where the days quickly turn crisp at summer's end, Top of the Hub's head bartender, Arley Howard, caters to his fellow New Englanders' longstanding taste for ginger with his Pumpkin Ginger Cooler. He notes how well this seasonal vodka pairs with most fall-style dishes.

In sunny Florida, Nick Nistico, Corporate Beverage Program Development Specialist for Florida's Premier Beverage Company, appreciates the combination of Crop's exquisitely spiced vodka and inherently spicy rye to create a seasonal twist on a julep. And since relaxing by the pool in Florida is still an option in the fall, he particularly enjoys refreshing drinks, such as the beer-topped Pumpkin Cocktail with its double dose of pumpkin, and the lemony Pumpkin Collins. Nistico also recommends adding Crop Pumpkin Vodka to a pina colada for a taste of autumn.

As with all of Crop's fresh expressions--Artisanal, Cucumber, Tomato, and Meyer Lemon--Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka is produced to strict USDA organic standards. It starts with the purely finest ingredients available and is distilled from 100 percent American grain, kept free of GMOs, artificial fertilizers and synthetic pesticides.

The following seasonal recipes were created by Arley Howard of Top of the Hub and Nick Nistico of Premier Beverage Company.

Crop Organic Pumpkin Ginger Cooler  (Arley Howard, Top of the Hub)  
1 tablespoon brown sugar  
1 lemon slice  
Nutmeg  
2 parts Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka  
1 part ginger liqueur  
1 part sour mix  
Ginger ale  
In a highball glass, muddle brown sugar with lemon and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Add ice, Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka, ginger liqueur, and sour mix. Shake contents and then top with ginger ale.

Plymouth Rock Julep  (Nick Nistico, Premier Beverage Company)  
2 parts Rye whiskey  
1 part Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka  
1/2 part cinnamon syrup  
5 dashes Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters  
Swizzle all ingredients with ice and then top with crushed ice.  Garnish with a candy-corn pumpkin and grated cinnamon.

Pumpkin Cocktail  (Nick Nistico, Premier Beverage Company)  
1 part Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka  
5 dashes bitters  
Top with pumpkin ale.

Pumpkin Collins  (Nick Nistico, Premier Beverage Company)  
2 parts Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka  
1 part fresh lemon juice  
1/2 part simple syrup   
Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel dusted with cinnamon.

Taking Care of Turkey

Here it is November already, and I’m already thinking about the bird. Not sure if I’m going to do one, but I am thinking about. As long as I’ve got bird on the brain, here are some interesting tidbits I came across on how to cook a turkey. It's quite interesting to read the differing perspectives on how to cook the bird. In fact some of the advice is down right contradictory. Try it all the different ways and you decide which works best in your kitchen.

NO SALT, NO BASTING

The bottom line is to not bast it because basting sucks moisture out of the bird. Here's one chef's suggestion on how to cook your thanksgiving turkey.

• Dry the turkey, place in roasting pan on a V-rack. Never put a turkey flat on the pan without a rack or you'll boil it and dry it out instead of roasting it.
• Never use a fork to turn or lift the turkey or any meat, this causes it to lose moisture.

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees, paper towel dry inside and outside of the turkey.
• Brush turkey inside and outside with oil, season, (Remember: No salt, it evaporates moisture).
• Place turkey on V-rack in roasting pan. Remove excess skin around cavity.
• Wedge a metal fork between the backbone and the bottom ribs, keeping the cavity open so the heat reaches the backbone.
• Cover the breasts and legs with Pam/oiled foil.
• Add 4 cups of broth to roasting pan.
• For conventional ovens, cook at 450 to 475 degrees for two hours. Cook for 1 1/2 hours at 425 degrees for convection ovens.
• Remove foil for last 20-25 minutes browning skin.
• Do not baste! Basting breaks caramelization.

The turkey is ready when:

• The turkey is ready at 155 degrees.
• Check temperature through the breast with thermometer, adjust cooking time if needed. There'll be residual cooking for 1/2 hour.
• Rest the turkey 30 minutes before carving. Remove fork, deglaze pan for gravy, salt and pepper to taste after carving.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO SALT? BRINE THAT BIRD!

 Brining means to soak the bird in salt. The premise is that brining locks in juices.

You'll need:

• 2 gallons of water
• 1/2 cup Kosher salt per gallon of water
• 1/2 cup Sugar per gallon of water
• A container large enough to submerge the bird

To brine a turkey, soak it in kosher salt for 4-14 hours. Typically try to brine it at least overnight, which is what the recipe above is for. If it won't fit in the fridge, you can use a clean cooler. After the bird soaks, thoroughly rinse, then it's ready to cook.

Don'ts

• Don't brine prebasted turkeys
• Don't brine if you plan to fry

YEAH, FRY IT!

 A new national poll commissioned by LouAna Peanut Oil and Cajun Injector Marinade shows that 49 percent of adults surveyed have eaten fried turkey, and 28 percent plan to eat fried turkey this holiday season. The survey of 1,000 adults was conducted by the Opinion Research. Last year, a similar survey reported that nearly 39 percent of U.S. adults say they've eaten fried turkey.

It takes just 48 minutes to fry a 12-pound turkey in peanut oil, compared to more than three hours to roast a turkey the traditional way. And the turkey won't be greasy as long as you fry it at a constant 350 degrees F. A Cajun-fried turkey only has 220 calories per serving.

I won't fry chicken, much less a turkey, but my brother does, and boy, is it good!

Fun with Winter Squash!

Winter Squash

With summer vegetables giving way to the fall harvest, I still find myself craving squash. Winter squash, acorn squash, butternut squash. Yum! In researching winter squash, here’s what I’ve learned:

TIPS ON HOW TO PICK OUT A WINTER SQUASH:

·         Look for a squash with a very hard outer shell. If you can put your thumbnail through the fruit, it's not ready. You want to look for fruit that has had a chance to mature completely on the plant. Squash that are harvested before they reach maturity haven't had a chance to fully develop their flavor and will probably have a shorter shelf life.

·         Pick a squash with as few blemishes as possible, as cracks and blemishes decrease storage life.

TIPS ON COOKING WITH WINTER SQUASH

·         Use acorns and butternuts for baking, because they have a nice flesh consistency so after baking you can easily scoop the flesh out.

·         For soups, choose a butternut rather than an acorn.

·         Butternut squash is easier to process and handle, with fewer ridges and crannies and has a higher concentration of caratonoids, the precursor to vitamin A.

·         Acorn squash and delicatas are great for stuffing, mainly because of  the shape left when the seeds are removed.

Here are a few recipes I’ve already tried:

Brown Sugar Acorn Squash

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Please cut sides down in a foil-lined pan. Mix a half cup of brown sugar with a cup of water. Beat the mixture until the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture into the pan and cover tightly. Cook at 450 for 40 minutes. During the cooking process the mixture is drawn up into the flesh. When down, the flesh easily scoops out of the shell. It tastes like candy!

Butternut Squash Bisque with Roasted Red Bell Pepper

Ingredients:

·         2 tbsp butter

·         4-5 tbsp olive oil (divided)

·         1 cup diced onion

·         3 cloves minced garlic

·         1 1/2 cups diced carrots

·         1 tart apple, sliced but unpeeled

·         1 roasted red bell pepper

·         8 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

·         6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         Ground nutmeg to taste

·         1 cup butternut pieces diced to small crouton size

·         1 cup heavy cream

·         Sour cream for garnish (optional)

·          

Directions:

•  Heat butter and 2 tablespoons oil in large pot. Cook and stir the onion and garlic in the butter and oil until tender. Add the carrots, apples, bell pepper and squash.
•  Pour in stock and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
•  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
•  Meanwhile, heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet.
•  Fry butternut croutons, stirring frequently, until crispy.
• Puree soup. 
• Stir in heavy cream, heat through, but do not allow to boil.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with butternut croutons and dollop of sour cream if desired. Makes eight generous servings.

Easy Squash Side Dish

Ingredients:

·         1 winter squash (acorn, butternut, delicata)

·         Vegetable oil

·         Shredded cheese

Directions:

•   Cut squash in half and remove seeds.
• · Cut a cross-hatch pattern in the flesh.
• · Bake face down for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
• · Turn squash right side up and fill cracks with vegetable oil, bake another 20 minutesor until a knife slides smoothly in.
• · Top with shredded cheese and serve.

What Can You Do With Pumpkin Pie Vodka

For a festive pumpkin pie holiday experience, try one of these Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie Vodka recipes:

Spiced Pumpkin
2 parts Pinnacle® Pumpkin Pie Vodka
1 part Irish Cream
Splash Half & Half
Shake with ice, strain into a cinnamon sugar rimmed martini glass, and garnish with a cherry.

Pumpkin Cider
2 parts Pinnacle® Pumpkin Pie Vodka
1 part Apple Cider
Splash of Fresh Lemon Sour
Shake with ice, strain into a caramel swirled martini glass, and garnish with an apple slice.

Chocolate Pumpkin
2 parts Pinnacle® Pumpkin Pie Vodka
1 part Creme de Cacao
1 part Chocolate Milk
Shake with ice, strain into a crushed graham cracker rimmed martini glass, and top with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Pie follows the other flavor introductions from the premium vodka in 2012, including Pineapple, Peach, Blackberry, and Cucumber Watermelon. Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie is available in select U.S. markets for a suggested retail price of $12.99. To find a store or recipe, please visit www.pinnaclevodka.com, "LIKE" Pinnacle Vodka on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter @PinnacleVodka.

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Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ah autumn is falling across North Texas. A delightfully cool and dreary day. The perfect time heat things up with a slow cooker full of thick and hearty chicken enchilada soup with a side of corn bread. Here we go….

Ingredients:

1 lb Velveeta cheese loaf. (I use the 2% milk)

1 pound of boneless skinless chicken cubed

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, drained

2 cups black beans

2 cups Pictsweet three pepper blend

2 pages of enchilada mix

2 fresh jalapeños (optional)

Place raw chicken in the crock pot, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally.

Remove seeds from jalapeños and dice. Add to chicken. While the chicken and jalapenos are browning  chunk up the cheese loaf.

Add the cheese to the chicken and let it soften for about 15 minutes. Stir in enchilada packets. If veggies have begun to defrost, drain off excess water and add to the pot. Add fire roasted tomatoes and black beans.

Simmer on low until the beans are soft.

If you’re in a hurry, you can speed the cooking process by browning the chicken in a skillet on a low heat, substituting canned corn for frozen and canned black beans, rinsed and drained, for dry.

If you prefer it spicier, you can add a jar of salsa and/or a tablespoon or two of juice from jarred jalapenos. 

Halloween Fun Facts

Welcome to October! The ghosts, ghouls and other creepy things already are starting to pop up in the neighborhood! People are ready for some spook-tacular fun!! As the bats begin to invade your belfry, and the monsters begin to mash on your lawn, check out these fun facts from the U.S. Census Bureau

Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of witches, ghosts and vampires. Over the years, Halloween customs have changed dramatically. Today, Halloween is celebrated many different ways, including wearing costumes, children trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, and going to haunted houses and parties.

Trick or Treat!

41 million The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2011 — children age 5 to 14 — across the United States. Of course, many other children — older than 14 and younger than 5 — also go trick-or-treating. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/asrh/2011/index.html. 

132 millionNumber of occupied housing units across the nation in 2011 — all potential stops for trick-or-treaters. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates http://www.census.gov/popest/data/housing/totals/2011/index.html.

Jack-o'-Lanterns and Pumpkin Pies

$113 millionValue of pumpkins harvested from the top six pumpkin-producing states, Illinois, California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan in 2011. Source: Agricultural Marketing Resource Center http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/vegetables/pumpkins.cfm.

Where to Spend Halloween?

Some places around the country that may put you in the Halloween mood are:

Transylvania County, N.C. (population 32,820)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 Population Estimates
http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2011/CO-EST2011-01.html

Tombstone, Ariz. (population 1,396)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 Population Estimates
http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/SUB-EST2011-3.html

Pumpkin Center, N.C. (population 2,222); and Pumpkin Bend, Ark. (population 276)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census, Table DP-1
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

Cape Fear in New Hanover County, N.C. (population 18,388); and Cape Fear in Chatham County, N.C. (population 1,323).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census, Table DP-1
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

Skull Creek, Neb. (population 268)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 Population Estimates
http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/SUB-EST2011-4.html

Candy and Costumes

1,155 Number of U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2010, employing 35,074 people. Pennsylvania led the nation in the number of chocolate and cocoa manufacturing establishments, with 102, followed byCalifornia, with 100.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns: 2010, NAICS codes (31132 & 31133), http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/.

409Number of U.S. establishments that manufactured non-chocolate confectionery products in 2010. These establishments employed 17,526 people. California led the nation in this category, with 49 establishments.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns: 2010, NAICS code (31134), http://censtats.census.gov/cgi-bin/cbpnaic/cbpsect.pl.

1,634Number of costume rental and formal wear establishments across the nation in 2010.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 County Business Patterns, NAICS code (53222),
http://censtats.census.gov/cgi-bin/cbpnaic/cbpsect.pl.

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Celebrate the Pasta-bilities: October is National Pasta Month Too

With only 12 months to go around, it stands to reason, that October has a lot more to celebrate than just hot dogs and sausage. How about pasta? The National Pasta Association (NPA), yup, there's an association for pasta too, says that pasta is America's favorite food. And it has a survey to prove it.

According to a 2011 survey conducted by the National Pasta Association, pasta lovers eat their favorite food seven times a month – nearly twice a week! Bringing American families exactly what they are looking for, pasta is a versatile dish which can easily fit into a healthy lifestyle. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that when asked what food they could not live without 60% of those surveyed chose pasta, even instead of chocolate!

Celebrate this household staple over family dinner this October during National Pasta Month. Quick, fun, fall recipes the entire family will enjoy like Acorn Squash ‘n Pasta Soup, Pasta with Turkey-Black Bean Chili, and Apple Frittata are available atwww.ilovepasta.org. If you are looking for a reason to celebrate pasta, here are some interesting facts that might persuade you:

Americans eat approximately 20 pounds of pasta each year. This may sounds outrageous but in Italy, the average person eats 51 pounds – salute! 

Pasta is the ideal delivery system for nutritious foods! It boosts energy, satisfies hunger, tastes great and can be prepared in countless ways. It’s great to pair with fiber-filled vegetables and beans, heart -healthy fish and oils, antioxidant-rich tomato sauce and protein-packed poultry and lean meats.

 
The first American pasta factory was opened in Brooklyn in 1848. If you think it was an Italian that started the US industry, you are wrong; it was a Frenchman named Antoine Zerega. 

There are over 600 different shapes of pasta which can be made into an infinite number of meals. With pasta varieties ranging from fusilli and ziti to farfalle and orecchiette, it’s hard to pick a favorite. In 2011, Americans named spaghetti as their favorite shape. 

54% of Americans keep 1-4 packages of pasta in their pantry at all times. An easy meal to toss together, a pasta dish can create a delicious and nutritious last-minute meal when the pantry is otherwise bare.

There are so many ways a food lover can celebrate National Pasta Month, from learning how to cook the perfect pasta to trying out a new pasta shape, or even creating a pasta dish with a healthy twist. To share your low-calorie recipes and for more information on how Pasta Fits into your diet, lifestyle, and budget, visit www.pastafits.org orwww.facebook.com/PastaFits.

About National Pasta Association

The National Pasta Association (NPA) is the trade association for the United States pasta industry. Founded in 1904, the NPA’s mission is to increase the consumption of pasta, to promote the development of sound public policy, and to act as a center of knowledge for the industry and the consumer. For additional information, please visit: www.pastafits.org or www.facebook.com/PastaFits.