It's The Great Pumpkin...

I am really in the pumpkin mode this month! I can remember not being fond of anything pumpkin when I was small. It certainly wasn't the color because I liked carrots. I just didn't want to try anything in the squash family. As I got older, I started to branch out and become more "daring"! Now I love all kinds of squash, but I love the versatility of pumpkin. You can make a soup, make a dip, make a pie, decorate with them, eat their seeds or make a scary jack-o-lantern. And from what I have seen on other blogs, there are some great looking recipes and decorating ideas, all using those beautiful orange pumpkins. Pumpkins are also good for you! Pumpkin is really low in calories, it is very rich in potassium, the bright orange flesh of pumpkin is loaded with beta-carotene. Pumpkin seeds are high in protein, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper and essential fatty acids.

My post for today doesn't contain pumpkin, but you make it into the shape of a pumpkin. It comes out of the October, 2009 issue of Southern Living, and is called The Great White Pumpkin Cheese Ball. The recipe calls for all extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese, but the footnote states that for the photo, they used both orange and white, and I love the look of it. I am going to try it using low-fat cheeses to see how it holds up, but I think it should do fine. And I might just add a touch of crushed red pepper to give it more pizzazz. This looks like a very cute addition for your Halloween party table and the best part is that you can make it up to 2 days ahead of serving!

THE GREAT WHITE PUMPKIN CHEESE BALL

Makes 12 Appetizer Servings

2 10-oz blocks extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded (I am going to use the low-fat shredded packages for testing)

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened (I am using Philly Neufchatal)

2 4-oz goat cheese logs (also low-fat)

1/2 tsp. pepper

Braided pretzel, grape vine and leaf (or use something similar from the craft store)

Crackers and assorted vegetables

Stir together first 4 ingredients. Shape mixture into a ball to resemble a pumpkin. Smooth pumpkin's entire surface with a metal spatula or table knife. Make vertical grooves in ball, if desired, using fingertips (to resemble the lines of a pumpkin). Press pretzel into top of cheese ball to resemble a pumpkin stem and place leaf and vine beside pretzel. Serve with crackers and assorted vegetables. If making ahead, decorate with stem and vine right before serving.

I Selected Dark Blue

Well, how exciting! My foot is broken. I ended up going for an X-ray when things weren't getting better and sure enough, I have a break on the side of my foot. The solution? I am in a walking cast...RIGHT UP TO MY KNEE! With all the pretty colors to choose from, I opted for dark blue for my cast. It is still RIGHT OUT THERE, but less so than neon pink or green! So here I am for the next 6 weeks, hobbling around. Now the husband can wait on me.

This is what I look like only in blue.

Anyway, I found this neat recipe in the September 09 issue of Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee. I think it is something that my family will like and I plan to make it when they are all here in the next couple of weeks.

It is a Sausage, Egg and Cheese Casserole. While the recipe calls for heavy whipping cream, I am going to use Low-Fat Half and Half. I don't think it will compromise the flavor or consistency. And I am also going to use breskfast turkey sausage.

The photo in the magazine makes me want to dig right in and it is so easy to make. It would also be nice on a brunch table or for company, without spending a lot of time. The recipe calls for fresh thyme. I like the sage -iness of breakfast sausage so I might toss a touch of that in as well.

But, I wanted to share this with you, because I think it sounds like a hearty way to start a nice chilly fall day before getting out to rake the leaves! Just don't eat too much!

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Biscuit Casserole

1 (1 lb. pkg ) bulk breakfast sausage

1 cup shredded Italian 5-cheese blend

1 (8 oz) pkg cubed Velveeta cheese

4 large eggs

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp dried thyme

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 (10.2 oz) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Garnish with fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9-in. square baking dish with PAM and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet cook sausage over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned and crumbly. Drain well on paper towels. Cool.

Sprinkle sausage and cheeses into prepared dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, thyme, garlic salt and pepper; pour over sausage mixture.

Arrange biscuits evenly over top. Bake for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake 15 minutes longer.

Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.

Easy and Different Appetizers

These are such easy appetizers and will disappear quickly when you set them out. When I made these, I did not use a whole slice of ham for the cups as they were too large, so I cut the slices in half and fit them into the cups. It is a nice alternative to using a pastry cup and they look nice on a serving tray. What I really like most is that you can assemble these the day before in the muffin tin, cover and refrigerate. Bring them out and bake for 15 minutes...serve warm. These are great on a brunch buffet table also.

Mini Florentine Cups

300 g spinach, frozen, chopped, cooked and well drained
1/2 cup cheese, Monterey jack, shredded
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 tbsp cheese, grated Parmesan
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely minced
24 slices (thin) deli ham

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix together all ingredients, except the deli ham, until well blended.

3. Form a "cup" shape with 1 slice of ham and fit it into miniature muffin pan cup.

Fill with about 1- 1/2 tsp of the spinach mixture. Repeat for other 23 muffin cups.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through - serve warm.