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Hello, foodies...

It was a true pleasure working with Mario Batali yesterday...he is a talented chef with a dynamic personality and the cookbook he brought to QVC yesterday, America Farm to Table, is a celebration of fresh, local, healthful ingredients. If you missed his appearance and our Cookbook Corner(R) presentation, you can still purchase the book on QVC.com. And, in case you weren't aware, we now record the presentations of all of our on air items, so you can even watch yesterday's clip of Mario and me right on QVC.com. 

Lucky for me, QVC has a dynamite September planned with celebrity guests on In the Kitchen with David. This Wednesday, we're welcoming Gina Homolka, author, photographer and recipe developer of the very popular blog, Skinnytaste.com with her new book, The Skinnytaste Cookbook. It's difficult to imagine that  Grilled Steak Sandwiches or a fall treat like Pumpkin Obsessed Vanilla Glazed Scones could be "lighter" recipes, but they are. And, I'll share those with you in a moment...first, I want you to keep painting this autumn picture for you with my recipe on Wednesday: Apple Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding. Foodies, sometimes the best recipes are some of the easiest. Watch and you'll see what I mean:

Apple Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Serves 12-15

Ingredients:

3 cups half-and-half

4 large eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 lbs store-bought, already baked cinnamon rolls, cut into 2" pieces

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1" pieces

4 oz cream cheese, cut into 1/2" pieces

Maple syrup, for drizzling 

Preparation:

Move an oven rack to the bottom of the oven and preheat to 300°F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish. Set aside. 

Whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated. Add the cinnamon rolls, apples, and cream cheese and gently toss until the custard completely coats all of the cinnamon-roll pieces and all of the liquid is absorbed. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake until the custard is set and the top is lightly browned, about 60–70 minutes. Cut into portions and drizzle maple syrup on top of each serving. 

This recipe is prepared with the Temp-tations® Figural Floral 13" x 9" Baker with Wire Rack (K39671).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.​

​Many thanks to Gina for sharing both of these recipes with us...look for two more on my Facebook page. 

Grilled Steak Sandwiches

SERVES 4

STEAK

14 ounces sirloin steak, trimmed of fat

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Cooking spray or oil mister

SANDWICHES

8 ounces whole wheat baguette, cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced

For the steak: Season the sirloin with the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to taste.

Preheat a grill to high (or preheat a grill pan over high heat). Lightly rub the grates with oil or spray a grill pan with oil and add the steaks. Grill for about 3 minutes, turn the steaks over, and grill another 3 minutes for medium (cook longer or less according to your preference). Transfer the steak to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.

For the sandwiches: Split open each piece of bread, then spread each with 1/2 tablespoon mustard and 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. Divide the lettuce and tomatoes among the sandwiches.

Thinly slice the steak and divide it among the sandwiches and serve.

per serving (1 sandwich)

calories 350

fat 11 g

saturated fat 2.5 g

cholesterol 64 mg

carbohydrate 35 g

fiber 4 g

protein 28 g

sugars 5 g

sodium 571 mg

skinnyscoop

Always let cooked steak rest at least 5 minutes before slicing so that you don’t lose all those delicious juices. I’d rather keep them in my sandwich than let them collect on the cutting board.

Pumpkin-Obsessed Vanilla-Glazed Scones 

Makes 12 scones

These light and fluffy buttermilk scones—made with pumpkin puree, fall spices, and a vanilla bean glaze—will warm up your home and fill it with an intoxicating scent that no fancy candle can come close to replicating. I’ve lightened these up substantially by using low-fat buttermilk instead of cream and replacing some butter with pumpkin puree. They taste just as good as any scone you would buy in a fancy coffee shop with half the calories.

Scones

Cooking spray or oil mister

1⁄2 cup cold lowfat 1% buttermilk

k1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 tablespoons canned unsweetened pumpkin puree

1⁄4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 vanilla bean

1 cup white whole wheat flour (I recommend King Arthur)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into small pieces

Glaze

2 tablespoons cold fat-free milk

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a baking sheet with oil.

For the scones: In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and brown sugar. Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut along the length of the vanilla bean to split it open. Scrape half of the seeds into the bowl and whisk well; reserve the remaining seeds for the glaze.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until just moist.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and shape in into a 9-inch round about ¾ inch thick. Using a knife, cut the dough all the way through into 12 wedges.

Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before glazing.

For the glaze: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining seeds from the vanilla bean and the milk. In another medium bowl, add the powdered sugar. Using a spatula mix in the milk and combine well until it is mixed through and forms a thick glaze.

Put the scones on parchment or wax paper and drizzle the vanilla glaze over the scones using a spoon. Alternatively you can dip the tops of the scones into the glaze, and then let them sit on the paper to harden

Serve warm. Leftovers can be stored in airtight containers for up to 2 days.

Per serving (1 scone)

Calories: 172

Fat: 4g

Saturated fat: 2g

Cholesterol: 24mg

Carbohydrate: 32g

Fiber: 2g

Protein: 4g

Sugars: 15g

Sodium: 214mg

I'll see you on Wednesday at 8pm ET, foodies. 

Keep it flavorful!

--David