“This Pumpkin Fudge is seriously super simple,” she says, “No candy thermometer, no special equipment.”

And, it’s done in 22 minutes: Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 12 minutes.

You can serve the fudge plain, but we have some suggestions for holiday-themed garnishes:

HALLOWEEN GARNISHES

 
If you’re wary of fudge because it has “too much sugar,” the solution is simple: Cut the squares to half the size. You don’t really need a two-inch square: a one-inch square is fine. We even cut them into half-inch squares and served one or two pieces on the saucer of an espresso or coffee cup.

You can also thread the fudge squares on fruit skewers.
 
THANKSGIVING GARNISHES

 
EITHER HOLIDAY

 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN FUDGE

Ingredients For 48 Pieces

[2] Seasonal-colored sprinkles work for either holiday (photo courtesy Wilton).

[3] Fall leaves edible confetti (photo courtesy Creative Converting).

1. LINE an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. COMBINE the sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter, salt and pumpkin pie spice in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium to a boil; allow the mixture to boil for 12 minutes, stirring often.

3. REMOVE from the heat and stir in the white chocolate chips and marshmallows. Stir in the vanilla.

4. POUR into the baking pan and chill until set. Cut into squares.

5. TO STORE: Layer the pieces on wax paper, then place in an airtight container. A sealable plastic bag works as an airtight container, but to keep it horizontal and flat, place a piece of cardboard on the bottom.
  

[2] In original plus three flavors, it’s our new favorite snack cracker (photo courtesy Beaches And Brie).

[3] In original plus three flavors, it’s our new favorite snack cracker (photo courtesy Pompeian).

[4] In original plus three flavors, it’s our new favorite snack cracker (photo courtesy Pompeian).

1. FARMER’S PANTRY CORNBREAD CRISPS

Farmer’s Pantry, a snack brand that launched last year, has generated feelings of snack-love in our home and office.

Farmer’s Pantry Cornbread Crisps are the first cornbread cracker snack to hit the market—and if that doesn’t sound exciting, let us restate:

The crisps are like cornbread in a crunchy chip.

Our bona fides: We love cornbread, we can’t get enough cornbread, when we have extra time, we bake cornbread. Ditto for corn muffins.

So after a few chips, when the cornmeal flavor and texture had titillated our taste buds, we:

 
There are three flavors, equally worthy of your attention:

 
The chips are all-natural and certified kosher (OU).

They crisps are available in 6-ounce bags of regular size crisps and 2-ounce bags of bite-sized crisps—although the regular size are bite-size enough for us.
 
We enjoy them:

 
Another fan turned them into cornbread stuffing, and inspired us to make a savory pie crust.

About the company:

Farmer’s Pantry gives back to American farmers, and is a proud sponsor of the National FFA Organization (formerly Future Farmers Of America), supporting students interested in a future in agriculture.

Look at your local food markets or do what we did: race to buy them online so you won’t be without for long.

See more at FarmersPantry.farm.
 
 
2. POMPEIAN OLIVE OIL

Recently we were treated to an olive oil tasting led by Dr. Luisito Cercaci, one of the most experienced olive oil scientists in the world. Our team was guided through the professional olive oil tasting technique used by official grading panels.

Luisito is Pompeian’s Vice President of Quality and Research & Development, following decades of work at the Department of the Food Quality Authority of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, and other Italian food quality authorities.

Some of us were already users of Pompeian olive oils, but pretty soon into the tasting, all of us became converts.

How good is it? We drink two tablespoons of heart-healthy olive oil daily (the FDA’s suggestion). We’d been drinking pricey olive oil from a variety of California artisan producers.

Not to mention, we’ve also converted to Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil for salads, and are using the Classic Pure Olive Oil for cooking.

There’s a Pompeian Olive Oil for every palate and every purpose:

 
You’ll no doubt find the line of Pompeian oils at your local markets. Buy them and taste the quality for yourself.

Discover more at Pompeian.com.
  

Is this black ice cream spooky enough for you?

Perfect for Halloween, it’s actually part of a “Goth” ice cream trend that sprang up in Los Angeles as an alternative to unicorn/rainbow ice cream trend.

We found this recipe at Baking Bites, a technique that uses activated charcoal to make a deathly black color with any flavor ice cream.

We added a selection of Halloween garnishes:

 
RECIPE: BLACK HALLOWEEN ICE CREAM

The original recipe is vanilla mint. To make it more Halloween-themed, we eliminated the mint for a pure vanilla flavor.

You can make any ice cream recipe and turn it black with activated charcoal.

Ingredients For 1 Quart

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the heavy cream, milk and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

[2] Activated charcoal, a natural, edible product, turns food black (photo Pro Teeth Whitening Co. | Amazon).

3. POUR the into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Eat at once or transfer to a covered container in the freezer.
 
 
WHAT IS ACTIVATED CHARCOAL?

Activated charcoal is a very fine form of carbon powder that is has numerous purposes, including teeth whitening and water purification.

The charcoal is typically made from coconut shells. It is odorless, tasteless and safe to eat.

Activated charcoal has long been a homeopathic remedy for indigestion. You can find it at health food stores and online.

Just don’t buy the capsules, or you’ll be spending lots of time opening them to shake out the contents!

________________

*You can substitute whole milk for a less rich ice cream.

[2] Don’t like gummies? You can melt white chocolate and add orange food color (photo Amazon).

It’s not a single-purpose purchase. You can also use it* to make:

 
The finished product is 1-1/2″ square by 1/2″ deep.

Our colleague Hannah Kaminsky shares her simple recipe with us. She used four plastic pumpkin molds (photo #2, $4.99 each with free shipping).

Alternatively, you can line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with foil and cut gummy squares. Just be sure to lightly grease the foil before proceeding.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN GUMMY CANDIES

Ingredients For About 60 Gummies

 
Preparation

1. WHISK all of the ingredients in a small saucepan until smooth, and set over medium heat. Stir gently but consistently: You should start to feel the mixture thicken almost instantly.

2. CONTINUE scraping the bottom and sides of the pan as you stir to prevent sticking or burning, until the mixture is sticky but spoonable. It will be so dense that it doesn’t quite come to a boil, but should bubble up around the edges quite a bit.

3. SMOOTH the mixture into the molds as quickly as possible—the candy sets up very quickly. Let stand at room temperature until fully

set; at least 20 to 30 minutes.

4. POP the pumpkins out of the molds and trim away any excess, if necessary. If they don’t mysteriously disappear first, the candy will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.  

It’s a delicious way to enjoy Brussels sprouts through the fall and winter seasons—and we have more recipes at the end of this article.

Brussels sprouts buying tips:

 
For some extra flavor and protein, add some toasted pecan or walnut pieces/halves to the recipe below. Here’s how to toast nuts.

And a final note:

Few foods are more unpleasant than overcooked Brussels sprouts. The same is true with other cruciferous members: excessive heat releases an unpleasant-smelling and -tasting chemical compound.

Brussels sprouts have more of this compound. But cook them lightly, and they are bites of pleasure.

> January 31st is National Brussels Sprouts Day.

> November 23rd is National Eat A Cranberry Day.

> The history of Brussels sprouts.

> The history of cranberries.
 
 
RECIPE: CRANBERRY-ORANGE ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

The total prep/cook time is 50 minutes.

If you like the cranberry-orange flavor profile, take a look at yesterday’s cranberry-orange white chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Trim the brown bottoms of the Brussels sprouts (photo #2) and remove any discolored leaves. If they are large sprouts, cut them in half (leave small sprouts whole).

2. ZEST and juice the orange. In a large bowl, whisk together zest, juice, olive oil and honey. Add the Brussels sprouts to the bowl and toss until they are well coated.

3. ADD the sprouts to a large baking pan and season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.

4. PLACE in a large bowl and add the dried cranberries. Stir, garnish with the toasted nuts and serve immediately.
 
 
BRUSSELS SPROUTS HISTORY

The Brussels sprouts plant is a beauty: A four-foot stalk crowned with large, wide graceful leaves resembling a cabbage (photo #4).

The sprouts, edible buds, grow up the entire stalk in a progression from smallest to largest.

So if we eat the buds, why are they called Brussels sprouts? Because rather than a conventional bud, which develops into a flower, Brussels sprouts just spring up on the stalk, and stay that way.

The Brussels sprout is a member of the cancer-fighting Cruciferous vegetables group, also called the Brassicas. If they look like tiny cabbages, its because they’re a member of the cabbage genus and species, Brassica oleracea.

[1] A yummy fall dish from Two Peas And Their Pod.

[2] Trim off any brown edges before washing (photo courtesy Cava).

[3] You can sometimes find the entire stalk at the store. You can remove the individual buds, or roast the stalk whole (photo courtesy ABCDs Of Cooking).

[4] What looks like a cabbage on top of the stalk is known as Brussels leaves. They are most certainly edible: sweet and tender like greens, with a mild flavor that doesn’t have a cabbage’s edginess (photo courtesy Heirloom Organic Vegetable Garden | YouTube.

They are distinguished taxonomically by their cultivar group. Brussels sprouts belong to the Gemmifera group of cabbages.

From Rome To Brussels To Louisiana

Cabbage species are native to the Mediterranean region, and early versions of Brussels sprouts were likely cultivated by the ancient Romans. The original wild plants resembled leafy kale, and were selected and crossbred to create the Brassica oleracea cultivars we know today.

Modern Brussels sprouts were cultivated in northern Europe during the 5th century. By the 13th century they were (and still are) cultivated near Brussels, which is how they got their name. They were also cultivated extensively in The Netherlands, Germany and Britain: They do well in colder climates.

French settlers brought Brussels sprouts to Louisiana in the 18th century. It took a while for them to head west to the Golden State, where most of America’s supply is grown today. The first plantings in California began in the 1920s. The Central Coast areas of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey counties offer an ideal combination of coastal fog and cool temperatures year-round.

A smaller harvest is grown in Skagit Valley, Washington, and to a lesser extent on Long Island, New York.

Once harvested, the sprouts will keep well for three to five weeks in near-freezing storage (and about half as long in a home refrigerator), before wilting and discoloring. The minute you see that happening, steam them and turn them into a purée or soup.

Editor’s Note: We capitalize Brussels because it’s the name of a city. We do the same with French fries. After all, we wouldn’t like to see new york strip steak or california roll: They’re all proper names, named after places that don’t want to be lower-cased.

However, you’ll frequently see them spelled brussels sprouts, Brussel sprouts and brussel sprouts.
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*Other Brassica species include familiar crucifers such as arugula, bok choy, cauliflower, cress, horseradish/wasabi, mizuna, mustard greens/seeds, radish/daikon, rapini, rutabaga, tatsoi and turnip, among others.
 

[6] Brussels sprouts as part of winter veggie kabobs skewers. Here’s the recipe (photo Bittersweet Blog).

BRUSSELS SPROUTS NUTRITION

Brussels sprouts and other members of the cruciferous vegetables group are high in cancer-protecting phytochemicals.

Brussels sprouts themselves are exceptionally rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, including glucosinolate, an important cancer-fighting phytonutrient. All cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates, but brussels sprouts are especially potent in this regard.

They are also cholesterol-fighters. Steamed brussels sprouts actually have a have better cholesterol-lowering effect than raw brussels sprouts. The plant fibers do a better job of binding when they’ve been steamed.

Brussels sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin C: One cup provides more than the daily requirement.

Vitamin C, along with vitamins A and E, also found in Brussels sprouts, protect the body by trapping harmful free radicals.

Brussels sprouts are one of the best vegetable sources for vitamin K, which strengthens bones and helps to prevent, or at least, delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
 
 
MORE BRUSSELS SPROUTS RECIPES

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