Tuesday, November 30, 2010
These tart bars will really liven up your cookie routine! Try them out this Holiday season!
Continuing along in COOKIE WEEK for the Holiday Saute, I wanted to feature an at least semi-healthy cookie. And, although these Pumpkin Cranberry Bars are not technically cookies, I think they still count. I absolutely LOVE these bars, and they are always made at least twice in the fall/winter in our house. They freeze great, and my husband and my office loves them! My husband is a big hiker, and we add some extra oats in them so he can take them backpacking with him for a healthy, energizing snack. This recipe is from Weight Watchers, and is absolutely amazing. I tweak it a little bit (add some extra oats sometimes, extra cranberries, little extra ginger), but play with it according to your taste buds and what you like! I'll post the …
Saturday, October 30, 2010
This delicious pumpkin pie is sure to become a tradition in your family. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for an extra tasty dessert!
Freakish 80 degree days aside, this has been a great fall month! The leaves are changing, pumpkins are everywhere, and this weekend kids will come knocking at your door for candy! This weekend is the culmination of fall! I feel like it's a great weekend to try out my pumpkin pie recipe. I say that because it's a couple weeks prior to Thanksgiving which gives you plenty of time to try it out and practice...or to sample it. "Sample" whole thing...without having to share it with extended family. :) Come on, you were thinking that, too! Pumpkin Pie (recipe origin: unknown! It was clipped from a newspaper before I was born-we have it every year!) Serves: 6-8 Ingredients: 9 inch pie crust (make your own or grab a frozen one. Not gonna lie, I was…
Saturday, October 23, 2010
This healthy pesto is refreshing and delicious. Try it tossed with pasta noodles or as a topping on your favorite sandwich.
I'm a girl to shake things up a bit. (Example, I seem to start most articles off talking about how much a LOVE pumpkins or apples or fall. Not this time!)... Anyway...typically when you hear of pumpkin recipes, you think of desserts. Specifically pie. Maybe you think of soup...maybe. And when you hear that pumpkin is in a recipe, you assume that product will be orange-as the fleshy part of the pumpkin is typically all that's used to cook with. Well...this week is different. Very different. I'm talking bright green different. I wanted to find a recipe that was very non-traditional, and I came across a Pumpkin Seed and Basil Pesto recipe. It uses pumpkin seeds rather than the orange, fleshy part of the pumpkin and comes out bright green. And…
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
This last installment of the "Outdoor Dating Season" series will require one pumpkin and one special someone.
Candy is flying off the shelves and if you haven't found a costume yet, your best bet is to hit up Bed, Bath & Beyond for a bed sheet and a pair of scissors. Luckily, the final step of the Halloween preparation just happens to be a great outdoor date activity: Making a Jack-O-Lantern. Carving a pumpkin is a backyard event. If your building does not have a yard or a courtyard, head to the courtyard in front of Cosi and Potbellys and plop yourselves directly in the center of the circle. Break out a couple of apple ciders and set up with carving tools, a scooping spoon, and a separate bowl to store the seeds. You can put a competitive spin on the fun by buying two pumpkins and challenging your date as an opponent in a carving contest. The …
Saturday, October 16, 2010
This unique side dish is a perfect substitution for typical cranberry sauce. The presentation is amazing and it tastes GREAT! I highly suggest it: perfect for Thanksgiving or a fall party.
We decorated our apartment for Halloween this year, after one year off when we were too busy with wedding plans. My husband teased me all night about how much pumpkin stuff I have. It's a little ridiculous. I love pumpkins (haven't heard that enough, have you?)!!! So...when I came across this recipe I got really excited. I mean, what could be better than cooking something and eating it out of a pumpkin?! The presentation alone would be amazing! And if it tasted good...even better. Well, we tried this out earlier this week...and it is AMAZING! We had it as a side dish to some baked chicken, and it was great!!! This would be a perfect WOW recipe for Thanksgiving dinner-replace traditional cranberries (ok, or canned cranberries) with this to …
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Pumpkin Seeds are an easy and delicious snack. Try some of these great ideas to liven them up: You’ll love it!
Since we always baked our own pumpkins in the fall, it seemed like my mother always had pumpkin seeds ready to be toasted in the oven. Sounds a little bit like a 1950's scenario, right? Not quite the case, as she is a single, working mother of three, but still-she loved pumpkins and knew how much we loved the pumpkin seeds! (Ok-or spitting the pumpkin seeds at each other...but still, we loved them!) I'm going to give you the basic "how to toast your pumpkin seeds" directions, but also we're going to try some fun and festive flavors! Most people just sprinkle salt on the seeds, which is great and delicious, but you can do so much more! Directions: 1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2) After you've removed the pumpkin seeds from your …
Saturday, October 9, 2010
This unique twist on a traditional pumpkin soup is sure to warm you up on a crisp fall day.
I love soup. Especially in the fall/winter. Especially squash based soup. For me, it doesn't get any better than a butternut squash or pumpkin based soup. Which drives my husband nuts-as he hates that type of soup because it essentially "just tastes like blended baby food." His words. So...I wanted to find a unique, grown-up pumpkin soup to try out this week to get him to change his mind. I wanted something sophisticated and delicious: something that would make an excellent start to a delicious fall meal. What I found was in a cookbook I got for my wedding. This pumpkin soup we are about to try is flavored with coconut milk- giving this soup a sweet taste...and jalapenos-which adds a very spicy flavor. If you're looking for some bland …
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
I love fresh pumpkin and use it instead of canned in all my recipes. Here's a quick lesson in how I cook and freeze pumpkin puree. It takes a little more effort than buying a can, but it's well worth it!
How to Cook a Pumpkin It FINALLY feels like fall! Nothing says fall more than changing leaves and pumpkins! As you know, in October, we'll be cooking with pumpkins! Pumpkins are a versatile squash, used in so much more than just pie. Now, I'm all about ease with my cooking, really. But what are you honestly going to do with those three pumpkins you bought this last week to make your place more festive? If you live in an apartment like I do-it's not like you can carve them and put them on your front porch...and we are a little too old to go throwing them on the sidewalk just to smash them and make a big mess. ...Right? That's not exactly the neighborly thing to do. :) Here's the thing: canned pumpkin doesn't even come CLOSE to how amazing …
