Fall Treats!

 

It's once again the time of year for all kinds of pumpkin goodies! Last night, Regan and I went to a Halloween/costume party, and of course, I tried out some new recipes! Seriously, and I know I've said it like a million times; what did we do BEFORE Pinterest? Such a wonderful resource!

 

Anywhooooo, I made a FABULOUS dip that's truly been all over the Internet: Fall Pumpkin Dip - mmmmmm!   Super simple and super tasty! I served it with sliced apples, mini 'Nilla wafers and crunchy gingersnaps. Again, mmmmmmmm! I also tried a new cookie recipe that peaked my interest: Chai Pumpkin Spice Cookies. They were a hit at the party! 

 

Fall Pumpkin Dip (original recipe from northcarolinacharm.blogspot.com)

 

15 ounce can of pumpkin

5 ounce box vanilla instant pudding (just the powder, do not make the pudding)

16 ounce tub of Cool Whip (thawed)

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

ground cinnamon (optional)

 

Combine pumpkin, pudding mix, cool whip and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl - stirring by hand.  Transfer to serving bowl and chill for at least an hour.  Before serving, sprinkle with cinnamon (if desired). Serve with sliced fruit, cookies, crackers, etc.

 

Chai Pumpkin Spice Cookies (found at http://passthesushi.com)

1/2 cup (one stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup chai concentrate (I used Tazo)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chai spice mix (see recipe below)
22-24 pumpkin spice Hershey's kisses (I found them at Target)

Chai Spice Mix
1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer until fluffy, for about 2-3 minutes.  Add the egg, chai concentrate and vanilla; mix until combined.  Add the flour, baking soda and salt.  Cover bowl and chill for at least an hour.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Using your hands, roll the dough into 22-24 one-inch balls.  Place the dough balls on parchment paper lined baking sheets and sprinkle chai spice mix lightly over the cookies.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, unwrap the kisses.  Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press a pumpkin kiss in the center of each cookie.  Let cool completely or the kisses will turn into puddles!

 

One party down, another to go! We are hosting an open house on Halloween, so...more new recipes will be coming up! Woo hoo!

Awesome Autumn Meal!

 

So, as per usual, I hosted Girls Night last night and tried a new recipe. From Pinterest. And it was delicious! The finish product looks harder to make than it really is...trust me! Here's the impressive sounding name, and the how-tos:

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce (adapted from http://prouditaliancook.blogspot.co.uk)

one butternut squash, peeled and chopped (I had a giant one, so I only used half)
jumbo pasta shells (I only used half a box)
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/3 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 fresh smashed garlic (I used dried minced)
1/4 - 1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach, squeezed and drained
one egg
salt and pepper to taste
grated lemon peel
one stick butter
10 fresh sage leaves, or dried minced sage
lemon juice

Toss the butternut squash in olive oil and salt and pepper.  Roast at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Cook the jumbo pasta shells according to directions. In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan, garlic, spinach, egg, salt and pepper, the cooled down roasted squash (about 2 cups) and grated lemon peel. Stuff the shells with the mixture and place in a buttered baking dish. Make the sauce by melting a stick of butter in a saute pan until golden brown and bubbly. Add sage leaves and cook until slightly crisp.  Turn off heat and add lemon juice.  Place the shells in a 400 degree oven until heated through, around 20-25 minutes.  When done, spoon the warm sage sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

I also made a "girly" salad of mixed greens, sliced pears, goat cheese crumbles and glazed pecans, with a French vinaigrette - mmm!

I rounded out the meal with a warm asiago foccacia bread (from the supermarket) and homemade apple crisp (have I posted a recipe for that?) and some cold sauvignon blanc! See, it is AWESOME AUTUMN....

It's feelin' like fall!

 

I can't believe it's already THAT time of year again! Time for cooler temps, shorter days,  apple cider, falling leaves, aaaaaand, our annual wine-tasting party! Last week was our 14th party, and I think we're finally getting the hang of throwing this event! We had about 30 guests and the "usual" offerings of cheese platters, gooey dips, cut fruit and LOTS of wine! And, believe it or not, I didn't try ANY new recipes! Sometimes you just have to stick to what you know, to alleviate some stress!

 

Since the weather has been cooler, and my daughter have been spending more time indoors, we've been doing a lot more crafts than usual! This week's project, fall leaf "lanterns", was inspired by Brenda; aka Secret Agent Josephine (http://secret-agent-josephine.com).

Smear some jars with white glue or Mod Podge (that's what we used), and "glue" down pieces of cut tissue paper.

Press on freshly-gathered leaves (they need to be "bendy") and then "glue" more tissue paper on top.

Let 'em dry.

 

Toss in a tealight or one of those battery-operated fake candle things...oooooo!

And, never fear, I DID try out a new recipe this week: Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes. It was MY week to provide snacks for Regan's preschool, and I thought baked pumpkin goodies and apple cider sounded TRES seasonal! Yeah, SOUNDS nice, but , well, first of all, apple cider costs like seven bucks a gallon here, since we had a horrible frost this spring that damaged tons of fruit trees, so I spent a small fortune just for a beverage for a few dozen 3 and 4-year-olds. Then....after reading over the "specifics" of being in charge of class snacks, it appeared that my homemade treats might be a little over the top, as most moms have brought fruit snacks, pretzel sticks and juice boxes. But I was determined to supply a fun, seasonal snack.  So, I made a double batch. I painstakingly rolled each mini muffin/donut in a little butter and then cinnamon sugar, and then set them on waxed paper. Within an hour, they were all gooey and sticky, as the cinnamon sugar coating became , well, gooey and sticky. Ugh. Oh, and did I mention that the day I was responsible for snacks was PICTURE DAY?!? I imagined all these preschoolers with sticky brown smudges on their faces and dress clothes. Oh, what was I thinking??? My back up plan? Well, I had previously purchased some cute woodland animal cookie/cracker things with "snack day" in mind, but I only bought ONE box, and needed more like 3 or 4. So, off to the only store that carried them, 20-plus minutes, each way. Oh, and this was RIGHT BEFORE I was supposed to be at my girlfriend's house for girls night...so, what have I learned from all this? Stop trying to show off to all the other Mommies! :)

 

By the way, these muffin/donut things are really good! I took some to work and shared some at a play date. Try them for yourself!

 

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes

(adapted from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com)

 

For the Donuts:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup canola oil (I used applesauce)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup milk
For the Coating:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
 

Preheat oven 350°F. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In a separate, large bowl whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the muffins bake, melt butter in one bowl and combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove muffins from oven and cool for 2 minutes. Dip each muffin in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve muffins warm or at room temperature.