Happy Halloween! Halloween is just -- it’s my favorite holiday ever. Ever since I can remember, October has been a magical month. Growing up in Dallas, it was usually a million degrees when the first day of October hit; nevertheless, it was autumn in my mind. At school, I would spend hours on end doodling pumpkins, ghosts, witches on brooms, shading every detail down to the last snaggletooth and corkscrew stem. At home, my evenings were spent stationed on the couch, faithfully awaiting Disney’s nightly “Monstober” features -- Halloweentown, anyone? I snuck mini Snickers from the Trick or Treat bowl (my mother’s efforts to hide it didn’t stand a chance against my sweet tooth), I hummed kitschy Halloween tunes until my friends wanted to smack me, I pretty much slept with the costume catalog. For 31 days I dreamed in orange, and when the month of excitement was over, I relived the night (read: I ate) with shiny, tasty treasures overflowing from my plastic orange pumpkin. Today, I think the most exciting part of Halloween is the imaginative spirit that invites everyone to join in a season of creativity and inspiration. It is this very atmosphere that is especially unique to food-related holidays, and makes a great segue to what I want to stress in this post: collaborative cooking. Getting hands-on in the kitchen is a great way to get people hyped about food, and more cognizant of what goes into it. Leading this thought train in an amazing way is Recipe 4 Success, an organization that is “dedicated to combating childhood obesity by changing the way our children understand, appreciate and eat their food, and by educating and mobilizing the community to provide healthier diets for children.” The key word here is mobilizing. Growing up as a Montessori learner, I know that, for me, the most effective piece of the learning process is seeing, touching, smelling, and tasting. For a concept to stick, I often have to relate to the subject matter and experience the lesson firsthand. Recipe 4 Success is a prime example of the powerful impact that can be made on food perception when friends join together to create memorable dishes. “Kids don’t pay attention to cause and effect, so I don’t want to preach that,” shares Founder and CEO Gracie Cavnar in a PBS feature.“But I do hope kids take away a true appreciation for food and that we can change the way they eat.” Collaborative cooking doesn’t mean calorie counting; it means crafting something delicious, and nourishing—start to finish—and being proud of the product. One of my favorite things to make has been and will always be cookies. There’s something so comforting about baking; and something so universally craveable about soft, warm cookies. Combine these two and we’re talking slam-dunk happy kitchen party. And on that note, grab your apron and head to the kitchen for this delectable Halloween-themed triple-threat treat. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Homemade Candied Pecans In Texas, fall means pecan season. In my book, fall means pumpkin. And Halloween—any way you spin the crossbones—means candy. Being that I am from Texas, and that I am myself, and that today is the best day of the year, I’ve smooshed together this trifecta to form one crazy-good cookie. Spooky good. Ingredients 1 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature 1 c. white sugar 1 c. light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 c. canned pumpkin puree 3 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. Salt 1 tsp. ground cinnamon ½ tsp. ginger* ¼ tsp. nutmeg* ¼ tsp. cloves* 2 c. chocolate chips** For candied pecans: ½ c. brown sugar ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon 2 tsp. water 1 c. pecan halves Notes *If you don’t have these spices on hand, just add another teaspoon of cinnamon! Can confirm that it still tastes great :) **1 12 oz bag will yield 2 dry cups Instructions
*The pumpkin creates a super-moist cookie, so if you’re into a bit more crunch, leave the cookies in for a couple minutes longer. **Or store in an airtight container… booooooo.
0 Comments
|