Run With The Fishes

CINNAMON PUMPKIN, SQUASH, YAM AND CHEDDAR POT PIE
Makes 100 servings (haha, just divide by 25 for 4 servings. )

FOR THE PUMPKIN MIXTURE:
1 can pumpkin
1/2 packet rosemary – I wonder how much a packet is, but I’m sure you can wing it to taste
1/2 lb garlic chopped (may be divided use with the squash and yam mixture)
2 lbs leeks
Heavy cream (amount not given) – to correct consistency?
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 oz cinnamon powder
Egg white (amount not given)

FOR THE SQUASH AND YAM MIXTURE:
5 lbs yam
5 lbs butternut squash
1/2 liter vegetable oil
2 lbs onion chopped
Heavy cream (amount not given)
4 pints cherry tomatoes
5 bunches scallions
1 packet basil
2 packets chives
1 lb brie cheese
1 lb cheddar cheese
1 lb mozzarella gated
1 lb onion sliced
2 cups gari (pickled ginger)
2 1/2 lbs short crust pastry (recipe follows)

FOR THE POLENTA:
5 lbs polenta
vegetable stock
grated cheese
3 lbs butter

FOR THE GARNISH:
1 cup red pepper reduction
5 bottled pearl onions (these were disgusting)
200 sprigs watercress
5 lbs green peas

TO PREPARE THE PUMPKIN MIXTURE:
Roast pumpkin puree in the oven with rosemary.

Heat a pan with oil saute garlic and leeks add heavy cream and make a leek fondue and add the roasted pumpkin puree and cook season with salt pepper and spice with cinnamon powder.

Whip egg white and fold in the pumpkin mixture once it is cold. Arrange the fluffy mixture of the pumpkin on the bottom of the oval bowl.

TO PREPARE THE SQUASH AND YAM MIXTURE:
Roast yam with skin and deskin and cut in to dices. Cut Squash in dices.

Heat oil in pan saute onion and garlic; add the butternut squash and saute add heavy cream and cook the squash.

Add the yam cook, add half cut cherry tomatoes and sprinkle some cut scallions and flavor with basil, chives. Thicken the mixture by folding in brie, cheddar and grated mozzarella cheese.

Pickle the thinly sliced onion in gari juice (pickled ginger juice) and add them in the yam and butternut squash mixture. Adjust seasoning. Arrange in the oval bowl over the pumpkin mixture.

TO PREPARE THE PUFF:
Cut the pastry into size that can fit the oval bowl. Place the pastry sheet over the square bowl and tuck the edges. Eggs wash the pastry. Take another sheet and cut strips of 1cm each. Arrange these strips over the tucked sheet of the oval bowl to form a trellis impression, egg wash the puff and keep in the fridge. There should be 12 strips per portion, 6×6

Bake in the oven in batches serve hot as close to service.

TO PREPARE THE POLENTA:
Make the polenta with stock, cheese, butter and parsley. Set on a sheet tray chill and then cut into triangles. Warm in the oven as required.

PRESENTATION AND GARNISH:
Place the baked square bowl on the topmost corner of the plate. Brush the red pepper reduction on the plate. Arrange triangles of polenta on the plate. Sprinkle with sauteed peas and pearl onion and garnish with watercress and parsley sprigs.

SHORT CRUST PASTRY FOR 100 PUMPKIN POT PIES

8 lb H&R flour
1 1/2 lb cake shortening
1 lb unsalted butter
2 oz salt
3 to 31/2 liters ice cold water

Sift flour, add in the shortening and butter. Mix at slow speed till the butter and shortening break down well. Add in the salt and mix. Add the water gradually till medium stiff dough is formed. Mix well at medium speed till smooth dough is formed.

Sheet out to 2 mm thickness. Place a few sheets in the refrigerator for lattice cut. Arrange all oval dishes on a work table and roll out the dough on the dishes. Press along the edges and cut to cover making sure the dough stays a little over the rim.

Apply egg wash and arrange thinly cut strips for the lattice (6×6 crisscrosses). Again apply egg wash.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 20-25 minutes till golden brown.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard again soon.

Cordially,

Carnival Cruise Lines

Remember when my garden plot looked like this? It’s basically the last time the blog was updated.

Now it looks like this:

I know it’s hard to tell with the grass around it, but there are things like corn, watermelon, flowers, basil, and…..

Squash! or Zucchini! I don’t remember which one I planted maybe both!

Look! Peppers! So far, this is the only pepper plant with anything growing on it.

Tomatoes! I have 18 more of these plants (different varieties). There are some with green tomatoes and many more that are covered in flowers. So far, I’ve picked one red tomato that was eaten by bugs. I’m hoping to save the others by using Chris and Cindy‘s recommended soap spray.

So, I’m going to do this a little out of order. I realized if I kept waiting until I had a chance to sit down and put in all of the photos at the same time and keep them in order of date taken, I would never get caught up. Instead, I’m going to try and start putting in the most recent days and as time permits fill in the past.

Yesterday we picked Zoey up from her week long stay at the Stephen F. Austin University Band Camp. At the end of camp, the bands put on a concert and give out awards. This year, Zoey made the concert band instead of the symphonic. No worries though. There were only five 8th grade oboe players, who were all pretty evenly matched.

Here she is with two of her band camp friends. Zoey met Avery (the one on the right) last year at camp and they’ve kept in touch.

Zoey with the director of her band and receiving one of the many awards she earned. As the camp director said, “You can never have too many pictures of Zoey”. She received awards for reed making, musicianship, and the Outstanding Musician for her band (which comes with a scholarship towards band camp next year). Way to go Zoey! We are so proud of you!

It’s time to get caught back up on the 365 project. Many pictures will soon be posted. A little over a months worth to be close. It might not happen today, but it is my goal for the weekend.

Other goals? Shopping. My ever growing children need some summer clothes before they are forced to lay around the house in just their skivvies. I suppose sending them to their various camps in shorts that are 70′s basketball shorts lengths would not work. It’s retro! I wondered the other day on Facebook about how my children ever survive the school day where they can’t just sit around and eat constantly. I only thought I was joking. They are constantly hungry. I’ve been making larger meals thinking there would be leftovers for lunch the next day. Extra taco meat? Nope, Oldest child ate six of them. The same with our veggie lasagna, burgers, and sweet and sour chicken. Whatever I’ve fixed has been eaten completely and they still ask for something else after. I have a feeling that before the summer is over, the older two will be towering above me.

Our Easter Eggs. It’s a little funny to me that we had to make a special trip to buy white eggs for dying.

Here’s a full view of our garden spot.

As it turns out, it’s a great place to play. I gave the Alli and one of her friends a few seeds and an area they could use for planting. I really need to go buy more seeds and some tomato plants.

Remember just a couple of weeks ago when the rose bush had all of those buds? Just look at it now!

This is one of the Aster Lilies (also known as Tiger Lilies) that I transplanted from the side of the house when we redid it. I did not kill it! Even though they aren’t standing as straight as they should be, I’m super excited they are even blooming.

Today was the Easter Egg Hunt for the first graders. Greg was kind enough to volunteer and take pictures for me. Here they all are, heading out to the starting location.

At the starting spot. On your mark!

Hunting the eggs. This one is like a “Where’s Waldo”. I don’t even think Alli is in it

Eggs are all gathered and time to enjoy lunch.

Ugh! I am not taking any more pictures of the chicks until they reach adulthood. I think I jinx them. Greg went out to check on them and this is what he found. A snake with two big lumps. The other six are hiding behind the roost in the corner.

A coworker with a tractor offered to till up a big garden spot for us. I don’t know if I’ll use the whole area, but it sure is nice to have it.