Happy first day of fall! I’m sure most of you aren’t feeling very excited about this change, especially if you reside in New England like I do.  The onset of Fall means that sunblock, bathing suits, and flip flops will soon be distant memories and the inevitable snowflakes are lurking just around the corner. In the meantime though I fully intend to take advantage of the crisp cool air, visit my favorite local orchard, and maybe even bake a pie or two. Of course my fondness for fall is probably made possible due to the fact that I’m flying to Florida for an extended dose of sun soaked laziness this week. It’s much easier to get excited about bundling up in scarves and mittens when you know you have an upcoming date with a frozen rum soaked concoction and a chaise lounge in 48-hours.

Beach retreat or not, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the changing seasons than with a spicy pumpkin muffin topped with a subtle orange icing. This substantial snack is the perfect way to ready yourself for the pumpkin flavored onslaught that is bound to take place over the next few weeks. Are you ready for the pumpkin?

Orange Frosted Pumpkin Muffins (originally published in A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash by Lou Seibert Pappas)
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup pumpkin or winter squash purée, canned or homemade
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat until creamy. Add the pumpkin and eggs and beat until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture along with the raisins and mix just until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each almost to the rim, and smooth the tops. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly, then turn the muffins out and let cool compltely in their liners on the rack.

Orange Frosting
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons butter melted
1 tablespoon thawed orange juice concentrate

In a small bowl, beat together the confectioners’ sugar, butter, and orange juice concentrate. Spread over the cooled muffins. Serve at room temperature. Note: I really wanted my icing to be orange tinted so I added one drop of yellow and red food coloring to the mixture.

Last weekend, Chris and I had lunch with our friend Anna at a restaurant called Bukhara in Jamaica Plain. It was insanely delicious and not only did I eat my own food, but I also liberally sampled everyone elses’ selections as well. You’ve been warned, don’t let me loose on a plate of fresh naan.

This little excursion also managed to set off my obsessive compulsive need to educate myself in the area of Indian cuisine (yet again). Coincidentally, the September issue of Cooks Illustrated featured a recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala. Apparently, while being the single most popular “Indian” dish in the world, it’s origins aren’t authentic. In fact, according to the magazine, this scrumptious chicken and creamy tomato based sauce was actually invented in a London curry house. My bubble was promptly burst. But the recipe appeared straight forward and the always thorough Cooks Illustrated article made the several steps involved in the preparation seem manageable, so I gathered the ingredients, some naan from Whole Foods (I just couldn’t help myself), and got to work.

The end result yielded unbelievably tender chicken in a thick and rich sauce with just enough spice and heat to make you reach for that nearby glass of water. To view the full recipe you’ll need to have an online membership to Cooks Illustrated, or pick up the September issue at your local newsstand. This dish would be perfect for a dinner party as it makes a huge amount of food, to which I can fully attest, as I ate leftovers for days.

Rub in the Spice	Mix the Yogurt Topping
Whip Up the Sauce and Simmer	Coat the Chicken and Broil
Combine	Indulge

While searching online for a recipe to make one of my favorite Indian dishes, Aloo Gobi, I discovered that there is an adorable segment on the DVD extras of the movie “Bend it Like Beckham” where the director of the film (with help from her mother and auntie) demonstrates how to prepare this popular meal. Thankfully I didn’t have an audience watching me in the kitchen because I’m quite certain there would have been a lot to critique. In addition, I quickly learned that I didn’t have a large enough pan to prepare the amount of food that this recipe yields so take that into consideration when you cook this dish at your home. The stock pot that I ended up using made it very difficult to effectively stir the potato and cauliflower mixture. I suppose that’s all the more reason for me to finally break down and purchase the All-Clad 6 Quart Saute Pan that I’ve been eying for months. In the end though the Aloo Gobi came out quite well, although next time I attempt this dish I think I’ll try pre-cooking the potatoes as they do take quite a long time to cook and unfortunately the cauliflower ended up breaking down much more than I wanted it to. Also, in case you aren’t already aware fresh coriander is actually cilantro.

Shop	Heat the Oil
Saute Cumin Seeds & Onions	Chop Coriander Stalks
Stalks, Salt, & Turmeric	Stir in Chillies & Tomatoes
Add Garlic & Ginger	Add Cauliflower & Potatoes. Cover & Cook
Stir in Garam Masala & Chopped Coriander	Better Than Bending it Like Beckham?

I made a phenomenal steak the other day for Chris and Anna and now I’m a huge fan of the “rub.” The rub I’m gushing over actually consisted of chili powder, coriander, mustard, brown sugar, espresso and salt & pepper — who knew such an odd assortment of flavors could taste so incredibly amazing! Well apparently Ellie Kriger did, and Cowboy Steak was born. A great addition to this fabulous dish are Ellie’s Garlic Fries. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to slice the potato correctly (and a mini consultation with Chris), but they turned out delicious, spicy, and very crispy. I think these fries are destined to become a weekly staple in our home now.

Heat Oil & Garlic	Strain
Slice	Coat
Combine Spices	Rub
Grill	Flip
Toss With Garlic & Parsley	Yee Haw

Before I started dating CK I essentially refused to eat anything spicy. In the past I’ve honestly gone out to dinner at Mexican restaurants and only ordered margaritas and snacked on corn chips, but now I’m addicted to heat. Essentially this means I tend to double the amount of spice, which is exactly what I did with the chili powder called for in the below soup as well as the chipolte pepper in the cornbread muffins.

Combine Cheese, Mix, Corn & Peppers	Spoon
Choped Onion	Sliced Bacon
Minced Garlic	Saute
Add Stock, Spices & Tomatoes	Add Beans & Boil
Stir in Oodles of Cilantro	Thicken
Fresh From the Oven	Garnish

Fire!