<-<-<-< Submarine Sandwich >->->->

The Sub Sandwich originated in several different Italian American communities in the Northeastern US from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries. The popularity of this Italian-American cuisine has grown from its origins in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts to spread to most parts of the US. The use of the term submarine or sub is believed to have originated in a restaurant in Scollay Square in Boston, Massachusetts at the beginning of World War I. The sandwich was created to entice the large numbers of navy servicemen stationed at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The bread was a smaller specially baked baguette intended to resemble the hull of the submarines. There are many varieties but the typical Submarine Sandwich consists of: long crust bread, filled with cold cuts, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, oil, vinegar, Italian herbs and spices, salt and pepper. The sandwich starts with a layer of cheese and ends with a layer of cheese (so the bread doesn't get soggy). ~ Chef ~

~ Sunday Brunch ~

Yesterday, I put my homemade preserves

to good use. I made French Toast and topped it with

the Pear Preserves drizzled with Pear Honey.It was amazing!
~ Chef ~

~ Pumpkin Bread Pudding ~

This will conclude Pumpkin Week.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole milk (or 1 cup heavy cream plus 1/2 cup whole milk)
3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (ground) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (ground) ginger
1/8 teaspoon (ground) allspice
Pinch of (ground) cloves
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old baguette or crusty bread
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Whisk together pumpkin, cream, milk, sugar, eggs, yolk, salt, spices and bourbon in a bowl. Toss bread cubes with butter in another bowl, then add pumpkin mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish and bake until custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Top with Whipped Cream. ~ Chef ~

~ Pumpkin Pie Squares ~

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or instant oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLE CARNATION Evaporated Milk
2 large eggs
2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Whipped Cream
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and butter in small mixer bowl. Beat at low speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until crumbly. Press on bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Combine granulated sugar, pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs and pumpkin pie spice in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes; pour over crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Combine pecans and brown sugar in small bowl. Sprinkle pecan topping over filling. Continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Top with whipped cream. Tired of talking pumpkin? Tomorrow we will conclude. ~ Chef ~

~ Crockpot Pumpkin Butter ~

(makes 3-5 pints, depending on pumpkin size)

Ingredients:
1 sugar pumpkin, peeled, seeded & diced
1 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 cup 'Grade B' maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 T. (ground) cinnamon
1 tsp. (ground) ginger
1/2 tsp. (ground) nutmeg
3/4 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions: Place diced pumpkin in crock-pot with orange juice, maple syrup & brown sugar. Cook on low for 7 hours. Now stir in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, sea salt and vanilla extract. Cook for an additional 1 hour or until pumpkin is fork-tender. Allow to cool; then place in food processor and purée until smooth. If it's too liquidy, strain through a metal sieve, if desired. Store in tightly covered containers. Refrigerate or, if not using right away, freeze. If freezing, only fill to within 1/2" of rim because pumpkin butter will expand. Nothing needed now but some homemade biscuits! ~ Chef ~

~*~ Pumpkin Roll ~*~

Cake Ingredients:
3/4 cup (all-purpose ) flour, plus some for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon (ground) cinnamon
1 teaspoon (ground) nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon (ground) ginger
1/2 teaspoon (ground) nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 whole eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup (canned) pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Filling Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup (sifted) confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions: Preheat oven to 350-degree F. Grease 10" x 15" jelly-roll pan, line bottom with parchment or waxed paper, then grease and dust with flour. In small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with electric mixer on high speed until thick, fluffy and light yellow, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir together pumpkin and lemon juice; gently stir into egg mixture. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture; stir gently until just combined. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 15 minutes. Cool on rack 10 minutes. Sift a bit of confectioners' sugar evenly onto a clean kitchen towel. Invert cake onto towel and gently roll up, starting with the longer side of the cake. Cool completely. While cake cools, prepare filling: Beat together softened cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy; stir in 3/4 cup powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; spread filling evenly over cake. Gently roll up, ending with seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap; chill at least 1 hour. Slice before serving. Keep leftover slices refrigerated. Whew! ~ Chef ~

~ All Things Pumpkin ~

It's that time of year! This week we will be blogging pumpkin recipes. We're going to start with Pumpkin Pancakes with Pumpkin Honey Butter. Make sure you prepare the Honey Butter the day before as it needs time to set.

Pumpkin Pancake Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp oil
1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In a medium bowl, whisk together maple syrup, pumpkin, buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour into flour mixture and whisk until well-combined. Heat a nonstick griddle to medium-high heat, and wait until the surface is hot enough that a drop of water skitters around the pan when dropped onto it (if the water evaporates immediately, the pan is too hot). Dollop batter onto pan and cook until golden, then flip and cook the second side until golden. Turn down the heat to medium as you continue to make pancakes in batches so the pancakes don’t get too dark. Serve immediately!

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Pumpkin Honey Butter Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons canned pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions: Place the butter in a mixing bowl and whip on high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute. In another bowl, stir together the honey, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice until well mixed. Add the honey mixture to the butter and whip on high with the electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy and smooth, about 1 more minute. Chill the pumpkin butter for several hours or overnight to blend the flavors. Yields: 1 cup ~ Chef ~