This weekend we “discovered” a package of arborio rice, way back on a shelf in our very deep pantry. We decided to use it.

We don’t know how long it had been there, but white rice kept in good condition (no moisture, no excess heat) can last at least 4-5 years. If vacuum sealed, it could last 25 to 30 years!

Brown rice doesn’t have the same staying power; the oil in the wheat germ will go rancid.

Here’s a chart on the shelf life of both uncooked and cooked rice (scroll to the middle of the page).

Back to our package of arborio: Cristina Ferrare sent us a recipe a year or two ago that we never got around to. Finding that package of arborio was the nudge we needed.

Before you dig in:

> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RICE
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN, SAUSAGE & SAGE RISOTTO

It’s the perfect fall risotto recipe. You can serve it as a first course, a side, or lunch with a side salad.

“Pumpkins not only bring the flavor of fall into each bite,” says Cristina Ferrare, “but they make great serving bowls as well.

“You’ll set the perfect cozy scene for your family dinner table [or impress your guests] with this creamy Pumpkin and Sausage Risotto.”

You can find more of her recipes here.

You don’t need to serve the risotto in a pumpkin; but if you do want to present it in a fresh pumpkin shell, you can buy either a standard pumpkin or mini pumpkins for individual servings.

If you want to scoop out the insides a day in advance, stick the pumpkin(s) in the freezer.

Or, you may wish to invest in a ceramic pumpkin tureen. When not used for tableware, it can serve as a household decoration from late September through Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BRING the chicken stock to a boil. In a separate heavy bottomed pot, sauté onions in the butter until translucent.

[2] How about a mini pumpkin?

[3] Mini pumpkins are more labor, but memorable. Here’s the recipe for this potato-rice stuffed pumpkin (photo © Dear Kitchen).

3. BEGIN adding the stock 2 cups at a time, stirring after each addition. As the rice absorbs the stock, continue to add another 2 cups until nearly all of the stock has been used and the risotto is very creamy.

4. STIR in the pumpkin and the remaining sage. Taste quickly, and season as needed. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Garnish with cheese curls if desired, and serve immediately.
  

[2] Chocolate squares are perfect with a cup of coffee.

[3] While maple is the most popular, there are 11 additional sugar-free syrup flavors.

Monk fruit (lo han guo) on the tree (photo courtesy Clean Plates).

With Halloween and the holidays approaching, many people will be dipping into the chocolate.

But what if you can’t join them because you’re avoiding sugar? How can you get a great chocolate fix?

Get ChocZero—lots of it! Sweetened with a relatively new noncaloric sweetener, monk fruit (see below), it tastes like a premium-quality chocolate bar.

According to the company, it’s the #1 selling chocolate on Amazon and there’s a reason why. This chocolate may be sugar-free, but it tastes like the real deal.

ChocZero was created for people who follow a ketogenic “keto” diet: a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. But you don’t have to be on that food plan to enjoy this chocolate. Everyone who wants to eliminate sugar can jump in.

Monk fruit is a zero-calorie natural sweetener made from melon that’s relatively new on the American sugar-substitute scene.

There’s no aftertaste, no digestive upset as with maltitol, a sugar alcohol that creates delicious sugar-free chocolate, but can cause digestive upset.

The line uses ethically-sourced cacao beans from South America, and Madagascar vanilla beans. The line is gluten free, GMO-free, soy free, and sugar alcohol-free company.
 
 
CHOCZERO KETO BARK (CHOCOLATE BAR) & CHOCOLATE SQUARE FLAVORS

The chocolate bars (photo #1) are stone-ground, meaning that the cacao beans are unrefined. This minimal processing lets the bold flavors of the chocolate shine through.

The bars are called bark—keto bark, to be precise—because they have inclusions.

The 1-ounce bars, 120 calories (a standard bar is 155 calories), are sold in boxes of six.

 
Don’t want inclusions? There are individual squares of chocolate, just right for a guilt-free snack or with a cup of coffee, in:

 
Currently sold out are Chocolate Dipping Cups. Think of them as single-serve portions that you microwave, and can then use as hot chocolate sauce, a fruit dip, or, mixed with milk, hot chocolate.
 
SUGAR-FREE SYRUPS

Who knew there was so much demand for sugar-free syrup (photo #3)? ChocZero makes 12 flavors.

The flavors:

 
It’s all waiting for you at ChocZero.com and on Amazon.
 
 
WHAT IS MONK FRUIT?

Monk fruit is a natural sweetener made from the extract of a small Asian melon, lo han kuo (also spelled lo han guo and luo han kuo, botanical name Siraitia grosvenorii).

The sweetener has been used in China and Southeast Asia for generations.

A low glycemic index makes it appropriate for diabetics. Monk fruit is 200 to 250 times as sweet as table sugar, so a tiny amount is used. It is very stable under high temperature and thus suitable for cooking and baking. It is currently labeled a dietary supplement by the FDA.
 
 
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SWEETENERS?

Check out our Sugar Substitutes Glossary, a guide to low-cal and no-cal sweeteners.
  

October 8th is National Fluffernutter Day, honoring an American sandwich that has been beloved by generations: a combination of Fluff marshmallow cream and peanut butter.

The invention of smooth, creamy Marshmallow Fluff in Massachusetts led to many recipes, including the Fluffernutter Sandwich, a combination of Marshmallow Fluff and peanut butter.

Today we have a Fluffernutter Pie to celebrate; it substitutes regular marshmallows for Marshmallow Fluff.

Before you dig in, check out:

 
 
RECIPE: IMPOSSIBLE PEANUT BUTTER PIE

The pie (photo #1) isn’t impossible, of course. “The title refers to the way it “impossibly” forms its own crust as it bakes, no pastry needed,” says recipe developer Hannah Kaminsky.

“Riffing off my favorite childhood sandwich (photo #2), stacked thick with gooey marshmallow cream slathered over crunchy peanut butter, this reinterpretation skips the bland bread and gets right to the good stuff: the filling.

“Deceptively simple, it takes little more effort to assemble than the classic school lunch that inspired it.

“Prepare for a luscious peanut butter and marshmallow onslaught.”
 
Ingredients For 1 Pie: 8 To 10 Servings

 
*If you’re using salted peanut butter to begin with, dial back the additional salt or omit entirely, to taste.
 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.

[2] The inspiration for the pie: a Fluffernutter Sandwich. Avoid the white bread and serve it on better bread; here, oat bread (photo courtesy King Arthur Flour).

[3] Dating to 1910, Marshmallow Fluff was first sold to ice cream parlors (photo courtesy Hawkin).

3. COMBINE the sugar, flour, arrowroot, baking powder and salt. Mix thoroughly so that no lumps remain and all of the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Add in the liquid mixture and stir until smooth.

4. POUR the batter into the pie pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes and remove from the oven. The pie should be set around the edges but quite wobbly in the center, much like a cheesecake.

5. PILE the marshmallows on top in an even layer and return the pie to the oven. Set the broiler to high and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the marshmallows are lightly toasted and golden brown.

6. REMOVE and cool to room temperature before garnishing with peanuts, slicing, and serving.
  

[2] Tip #7: Keep one of these aerosol sprays next to your stove at all times (photo courtesy First Alert).

[3] Tip #8: Be sure you have a kitchen fire alarm…and that its batteries are fresh (photo courtesy Thrifty Fun).

Fire Prevention Week begins October 7th and, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking is the leading cause of home fires.

In 40% of the cases, believe it or not, people have forgotten to turn off a stove or oven (source: 2017 American Red Cross survey last).

We can believe it. We’ve caused two microwave fires and one stove top fires for stupid behavior: leaving the kitchen while food is cooking.

That’s tip #1, below. The American Red Cross shared more tips to stay safe from cooking-related fires.
 
COOKING SAFETY TIPS

1. Don’t leave the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. (Or microwaving, per our experience, since we burned out the microwaves by accidentally punching in 40 minutes instead of 4 minutes. Then we left the room, planning to come back when it was done. We got waylaid; the food combusted long before it got to 40 minutes. The smoke alarm tipped us off.)

2. Don’t leave the house when simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food.

3. Keep the stove area clean and clear of things that can catch fire, such as pot holders, towels, curtains, bags, and other appliances.

4. Keep pets away from cooking surfaces and countertops.

5. Be sure your home smoke alarm is working.

5. If a fire starts in a pan, slide a lid over the burning pan and turn off the burner. Leave the lid in place until the pan is completely cool. Moving the pan can cause serious injury or spread the fire.

6. Never pour water on grease fires.

Two tips from THE NIBBLE:

7. Keep an easy-to-use aerosol fire extinguisher next to the stove. THE NIBBLE uses The First Alert Tundra Fire Extinguisher

8. Test your smoke alarm to be sure it’s working. Don’t have a smoke alarm in or just outside of the kitchen? Get one ASAP!
 
 
WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN’T EXTINGUISH THE FIRE

If your fire is out of control, exit the residence immediately and call 911 from outside the house.

Experts say that today’s home fires burn faster than ever, leaving people with as little as two minutes to escape a burning residence. But many mistakenly believe they have more time.

Share these tips with everyone in your household.
 
 
INSTRUCTIVE VIDEOS FROM THE RED CROSS

Cooking Fires Fact Sheet

How to Test and Install a Smoke Alarm (video)
How To Prepare For Home Fire Emergencies

Who says fun snack mixes are only for kids? You’re never too old to enjoy candy eyes staring up at you from popcorn.

This mix, created by the Popcorn Board for National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, October, is fun for harvest and Halloween snacking. Make a double batch and bring some to work or to a friend.

Starting now, leave out the candy eyes and it’s Harvest Munch. Closer to Halloween, add the eyes for Monster Munch

Sweet and salty, this Fall- and Halloween-inspired snack mix is ready in just 20 minutes: 15 minutes of prep time and 5 minutes of cook time.

 
RECIPE: HARVEST PUNCH POPCORN / HALLOWEEN MONSTER MUNCH

Ingredients For 12 Servings

 
Preparation

1. TOSS the popcorn with the pretzel sticks and spread out on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. COMBINE the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling.

3. STIR in the marshmallows and salt; cook for 30 to 60 seconds or until the marshmallows are melted. Pour evenly over the popcorn mixture. Sprinkle with the mini peanut butter cups and candy corn. Let cool completely and break into clusters.
 

Harvest popcorn: Add candy eyes for Halloween (photos courtesy Popcorn Board).

 
POPCORN TRIVIA

we consume 13 billion quarts each year of this wholesome, whole grain.

Flavored Popcorn: According to The Popcorn Factory, caramel corn is favored 2:1 over the second most popular flavor, cheese. If you add in the Butter Almond Toffee flavor (caramel and almonds), its 3:1. Here are the stats: Caramel 19.82%, Cheese 9.91%, White Cheddar 9.91%, Butter Toffee Almond 8.27% and Butter 8.17%.

Read more at: https://blog.thenibble.com/2015/10/11/trivia-for-national-popcorn-month/

For more than 30 years, National Popcorn Poppin’ Month has been celebrated in October; it became official in 1999, when then Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman proclaimed October as National Popcorn Poppin’ Month.

More popcorn trivia.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF POPCORN

How long have humans been popping? Check it out.