a day late and a dollar short

We shall begin with “a dollar short” – Do you ever buy something that you want to keep all to yourself, even though it really needs to be shared? Oh, you say that do it all the time? Yup, me too! Last week, I discovered another one of “those” things! As silly as it sounds, “that” thing is a box of crackers. Not just any box of crackers, but really expensive and amazingly decadent crackers. How expensive? How about $6.99 (at Whole Foods) for a 6-ounce box! That is about $1.17 an ounce or about $18.50 a pound! How many food items are you willing to pay $18 a pound for? Maybe something like jumbo shrimp, prime rib or beef tenderloin. But crackers?

Raincoast Crisps are the most amazing crackers on earth. I have to thank, and then loudly curse, Gwen Ashley Walters for turning me on to them. And when I say me, I mean that I shall be purchasing these ridiculously expensive crackers and hiding them from family and friends while carefully rationing them out for myself.  (This post was written in 2010 – by now, I hope you all know that Trader Joe’s sells knock-offs of these crackers for a fraction of the price!)

Next, let’s address, “a day late” – Two days ago, I posted a recipe in which I used a smokey marinade from Gwen. At the end of that post, I said that the next day I’d put up another recipe of Gwen’s, that I adore. Well, I forgot and put up a lentil recipe yesterday instead. Sorry, here is Gwen’s scrumptious and “easy-breezy” party spread recipe that she made last week for the Les Gourmettes cooking class and served atop the Raincoast Crisps.

Cranberry Pumpkin Walnut Spread

8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup dried cranberries, plus a tablespoon for garnish
1 cup toasted walnuts
1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt

Break up the cream cheese into chunks and drop it into a food processor. Sprinkle with cranberries and walnuts.

Spoon in the pumpkin puree and sprinkle with spices and salt. Pulse until almost smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl at least once.

Transfer the pumpkin spread to a serving bowl and garnish with extra cranberries. (Prior to garnishing, the spread may be made up to 2 days in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Allow the spread to sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before garnishing and serving.)

Serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices.

Makes 2  1/2 cups