Toasted Pumpkin Pita

You've made your favorite pumpkin dessert and now you have leftover canned pumpkin just sitting in your fridge. You don't want to throw it out because that would be wasteful, but it's not enough pumpkin to make something else, or is it? If you like goat cheese, give this a try...

INGREDIENTS:
2 multi-grain pitas (I say 2 because you may want more than one.)
leftover canned pumpkin
a handful of walnuts
Goat cheese

1. Heat up your toaster oven or turn on your oven to 350. Place the pita in the oven on a piece of foil and heat until toasted, flipping it over, about 2 min of each side. Remove pita and foil and place on the counter. Spread pumpkin on top like you are making a pizza, only you don't need room of the edges. Sprinkle walnuts and goat cheese to your liking. Place pita on foil back in the oven for about 4-5 minutes or just until pumpkin is heated up.

OPTIONAL: Serve with a seasonal salad of spinach, pears, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, celery, and goat cheese with poppyseed dressing.

Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

Since I pinned this recipe on Pinterest two weeks ago, I have made these sweet potatoes about four times. They are sweet, yet salty with not much guilt.
Sweet potatoes are nutritionally rich. They are packed with calcium, folate, potassium and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant which converts to Vitamin A in the body. Their high levels of Vitamin A and beta-carotene means sweet potatoes are a skin superfood.
Their high potassium content means sweet potatoes can alleviate muscle cramps which are often related to potassium deficiency. During times of stress, the body uses more potassium, so eating sweet potatoes can help protect you from the negative health effects of tension.
So are you ready to incorporate this vegetable into your everyday foods? I'm convinced!

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4in-1/2in thick

2 TBSP butter

1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped (pull the leaves off of the twig backwards)

salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a small saucepan melt butter and add rosemary; remove from heat. Place cut sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Pour butter mixture over potatoes and mix well. 

2. Layer the potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Season with salt. Bake for 12 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Serve hot as a side dish or even as a snack.

Easy Skinny Penne

This dinner will take you about 15-20 minutes to make and it's on the table. Your family and your taste buds will think you slaved away in the kitchen. Here's where the original recipe comes from.

INGREDIENTS:
1 box penne
2 TBSP olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, diced
salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 in pieces
2 handfuls fresh spinach
3/4 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to box. Drain, rinse and set aside.
2. In a large skillet heat oil; add garlic and tomatoes and season with salt & pepper. Add asparagus and cook about 6-8 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add marinara and yogurt; stir well. Add penne and cheese. Stir well until well coated and heated through. Serve with a salad and your favorite bread.

NOTE: If you would like a non-vegetarian option add cooked chicken or shrimp. (The original recipe calls for shrimp.)

Sausage and Butternut Squash Soup with Kale

I was flipping through Martha Stewart's, Everyday Food magazine when I stumbled upon a similar picture. It looked so appetizing (more so than this one.) So I ventured into the world of kale. It's not being that adventurous I do admit, but it was my first time cooking with it.
The soup was SOOOOOO good!!! I couldn't wait for lunch the next day so I could enjoy it once more.





INGREDIENTS:
1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 lb (1 package) sweet Italian sausage, remove casings
1 butternut squash, peeled, remove seeds & pulp, and chopped
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 1/4 cups small pasta shells
1 head organic (if you can) kale, roughly chopped

1. In a large stock pot heat oil. Add onion and garlic, season with salt & pepper and cook 1-2 minutes. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Add butternut squash, broth and water; bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes to get the squash tender. Add pasta and cook 3 minutes less than package instructions. Reduce to a simmer, add greens and cook until pasta is tender and greens are wilted, about 4 minutes. Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

INGREDIENTS:
BATTER:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup walnuts (optional)

TOPPING:
2/3 cup + 2 TBSP rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 TBSP butter, cold

1. Make topping. Combine 2/3 cup oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add butter and cut with a pastry cutter or fork until crumbly. (I cut up the butter with a knife first.) Stir in remaining 2 TBSP oats and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5x3 in loaf pan. (I used a bread loaf pan and sliced it like banana bread which was good, but it might taste better in the original size suggested.)
3. In a large bowl beat room temp butter and sugar until creamy. Add each egg one at a time mixing after you add each one. Add pumpkin and vanilla and beat well.
4. In a separate bowl combine all of the dry ingredients; flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda + powder, and salt. Mix well. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Slowly add milk and optional walnuts.
4. Transfer batter to loaf pan and spread topping evenly over. Bake for 55 min if using 9x5 or 1 hr 10 min if using bread loaf pan. Be sure to test if a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan and turn out onto a plate to cool.

NOTE: This is another Pinterest winner. The original recipe comes from this blog.

Slow Cooker Southwestern 2 Bean Chicken

This was yet another Pinterest hit. It came from this blog.
I made it for a party, doubling the recipe and everyone loved it; including my mom who does not eat anything with beans.
Another selling feature; it's a simple as putting together a bowl of cereal. (with the exception of sauteing the corn.)

INGREDIENTS:
1 package chicken breasts
1 jar salsa (I love Giant's Nature's Promise brand of organic salsa.)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can cannelini beans, drained & rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bag frozen corn
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 or 1/4 tsp chili powder
sea salt & pepper to taste

TOPPINGS:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Green onions

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add frozen corn, pressed garlic, cumin, chili powder, and season with sea salt & pepper. Let heat for about 4-5 minutes so the corn takes on the flavors. (This is my own personal step and touch to add great flavor. You can omit this step if you don't have time.)
2. Plug in your  crock pot and set it to low. Place chicken on the bottom. Layer the ingredients as follows; salsa, beans, diced tomatoes & corn. Cook on low heat for about 6-8 hours. The chicken will become tender and shred easily. Serve with the suggested above toppings and a side salad.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Do you like American-Chinese food? Do you like the American-Chinese version of sweet and sour chicken?
If you answered "yes," then make this for your family this week.
I made this the other night for the first time and here is how my 5 year old reacted..."Mom this is SO good! This is better then Pei Wei. (P.F. Chang's step down restaurant.) I'm calling Pei Wei right now. When you die, can I have this recipe?"
I am not exagerating. This is what she said to me. So here it is. Oh and it's not my recipe. It's all thanks to Pinterest and this lady's blog.



INGREDIENTS:
1 package chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 cup corn starch
2 eggs beaten + 1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil

SAUCE:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 white vinegar
1 TBSP soy sauce
4 TBSP ketchup
1 tsp garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Trim chicken and cut into 1in cubes. Dip into corn starch. Then coat fully into egg/milk mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook the chicken just until browned; it will be going in the oven as well. Once browned, place in a 9x13 pan.
2. Make the sauce. Whisk until smooth. Once all the chicken is browned and in the 9x13 pan, pour the sauce over all of the chicken and cook for 15 minutes at 350. Turn the chicken and cook 15 more min. Serve with rice.

Zucchini, Chicken and Black Bean Skillet Dish

INGREDIENTS:  (serves 4)
1 zucchini, quartered
1 package chicken breasts
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup rice
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Green onions, finely chopped

1. Cook the rice according to the package, set aside. In a large skillet cook chicken in a little bit of olive oil. Cook for about 10 minutes or so until no longer pink. Set aside on a cutting board. In the same pan, don't rinse it, add zucchini, bell pepper and onion. Season with cumin, garlic powder and sea salt. Let cook about 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, shred the chicken. Add to the skillet once vegetables are cooked stirring well. Add black beans and diced tomatoes. Mix well and let sit over low heat for everything to absorb the flavors.
2. Place a heaping spoonful of rice of a plate. Top with cheese. Add the skillet mixture over top so as to melt the cheese. Top with sour cream and green onions.

Easy homemade Caramel Dip

It's fall! The air is getting cooler, the leaves are changing colors and it's apple season! This coming weekend we are hosting Alex's 3rd birthday party. It's going to be a fall celebration. In light of that I found some neat ideas using apples and homemade caramel dip. The reason why I am making my own is because in preparation for the party I went to the food store today and picked up Marzetti's caramel dip. I read the ingredients and the 1st one listed was High Fructose Corn Syrup - a pretty major contributor to an obese generation of children. So I went onto Pinterest to find my own recipe. The one I found looks super easy!

Caramel Apple Dip

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C butter
• 1/8 C whipping cream (or evaporated milk)
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• Apples – we love Honeycrisp or Jonagold for this dip

Directions

Combine the 1/4 C butter, 1/8 C whipping cream and 1/2 C brown sugar in a large saucepan. Slowly, begin to melt this goodness together over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, and boil for 1-2 minutes. When cooled slightly, transfer to a serving dish, or a canning jar.  Serve with sliced apples. 

THIS RECIPE COMES FROM: http://joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/10/31-days-cooking-from-scratch-diy-dips.html#.UGobyY6Wm7M

When you are ready to serve, here is a SUPER cool way to present this delicious caramel dip via Martha Stewart (of course).

Simply Trim the top of a McIntosh (really easy to scoop) apple and hollow it out with a spoon or a melon baller. Brush the inside with lemon juice and fill with caramel dip. Serve with apple slices.

Lavender Lemon Cookies

 Makes about 24 cookies.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 lemon: 1TBSP lemon juice, 1 TBSP lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 TBSP dried lavender
1/4 salt
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix. Add lemon juice and mix. Add vanilla and mix.
2. In a separate bowl combine flour, lemon zest, lavender and salt. Mix well.
3. In 2 or 3 batches, add dry mix to creamed mixture and blend well. Form into a soft ball. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the dough on the parchment paper and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are lightly goldened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
They taste best with a cup of tea!