Two-fers Tuesday, Part One: Waste Not, Want Not

At the risk of sounding entirely too pretentious, thinking that I've already *maybe* collected a teensy bit of a following, my sincerest apologies for my lack of posting and promise-keeping for yesterday's pie match. In order to win your forgiveness, I'm making it a Tuesday filled with Two-fers. What does this mean, you may ask? Well, you'll get TWO posts, TWO pumpkin pie recipes, and TWO uses for crust.

I get disproportionate pleasure out of multitasking successfully and creatively. In fact, I already know that while my siblings and I tease my mother for her incessant use of "are you going to take the high road?", my children will pick at my daily usage of "I killed two birds with one stone!"...seriously, is there any greater thrill?

Bringing this to cooking, one of my greatest pet peeves, is wasting. For instance, the peppermint angel food cake I made Friday required 12 egg whites, and I swear a part of me died when I didn't have the energy to utilize the now disposed of 12 egg yolks. I had an energy-sapping, freak accident. A freak KITCHEN accident in which the latest Real Housewives of Beverly Hills distracted me from my egg white whipping, at which point my very, terribly long hair somehow made contact with the beaters, and before I knew it, there was an egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, beating horror of a mess attached to the side of my head. (silver lining)

Back to the crust and pardon the digression, but I had to share. Anyone who has ever made a pie crust from scratch will surely understand that there are always scrappings. And, scrappings allow for both successful and creative multitasking - joy!

What can you do with yours?

I grew up taking the leftover crust, cookie-cutting it into fun shapes, covering it in cinnamon sugar, and baking it at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

Are you looking for a chocolatey option? Take scraps of approximately 2 inch diameter in whatever shape you like. Brush the scrap with melted butter and place a couple of chocolate chips in the middle. Then fold the scrap over (like a dumpling), covering the buttery, chocolate goodness and press all edges so the melted filling won't leak out. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8 minutes.

What's up next? A Food Network fight to the finish! Ms. Paula Dean's Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie  versus Claire Robinson's Ginger Pumpkin Tart.

In the meantime, what do you do with your leftover scraps?

It's the Great Pumpkin!

Well, we have a winner - pumpkin pie! If you've come across any recipes you've been dying to test, do tell. In the meantime, a quick and *gasp* healthy pumpkin-filled dessert to tide you over.

Take 1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (not pie filling if you're shooting for skinny), 1 1/2 cups low fat ricotta cheese, 1 tspn cinnamon, 1/2 tspn nutmeg, and maple syrup or honey to taste. Mix it together and enjoy. This makes around 6 servings of pumpkin-autumn-creamy-glory.

Stay tuned to see which pie still stands come Monday and have a glorious weekend.

Eggstraordinary Fact of The Day

Did you know that the tall chef's hat we know and love today traditionally had a hundred pleats to represent the number of ways an egg could be cooked?

What's your favorite way to cook an egg? I think it's pretty hard to beat a good scramble...

Ice Cubes, Reinvented...

A huge deterrent when I'm considering making homeade sauces (i.e. pesto, tomato) is that I know little ol' me could never finish them before they spoil. Freezing the sauce in individual ice cube molds allows for longer shelf life, portion control, and total avoidance of microwave ovens that look like crime scenes. With the smaller size, you can melt the sauce directly on top of the pasta, veggies, or whatever else you choose.

Tip o' the Day

When recipes call for coursely chopped chocolate bars (typically for melting), use chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips instead. If you're going for familiarity and budget, Nestle is always a good choice, but if you're looking for higher quality, Ghiradelli is your best bet. This will cut your overall prep time in half.