Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday, Main, Quick Bites, Recipes
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Turkey Breast Stuffed with Mushrooms, Bacon and Cranberries

Let’s start this by saying, this isn’t the prettiest thing I’ve made. You’re seeing the second go of this recipe – the first time it was perfect. And it was pretty. I almost wasn’t going to share this because this turkey breast wasn’t as pretty as the first one – but hey. Let’s learn from my mistakes!

So, because of #quarantine, this Thanksgiving is looking a little different. There is basically no reason to make a whole turkey, so a turkey breast is a great alternative! You could even roast some turkey legs, too, if you want the dark meat.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Appetizer, Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes
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Apple Cider Cranberry Sauce & Goat Cheese Crostini Appetizer Recipe

Can I even just tell you guys how much I love appetizers? It’s just my favorite. A cocktail party is my dream. Tapas is so much fun. I just love having lots of little dishes, especially for entertaining. My favorite gatherings I’ve hosted have been ones where we just serve picky food.

So, here’s a new idea for your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table – goat cheese crostini topped with apple cider cranberry sauce!

These crostini are toasted in a pan with butter, giving them a gentle crunch with a soft middle. The creaminess of the goat cheese balances the tang in the cranberry sauce. And then, there’s the cranberry sauce. Sweet. Tangy. A little warm, with a hint of cinnamon.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Appetizer, Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes
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Baked Camembert with Balsamic Vinegar Caramelized Figs

We’re continuing Friendsgiving week with the PERFECT and EASY fall appetizer you have to make this year, holiday or not. This appetizer is warm, and creamy, and a little sweet – but a lot good. I mean. Really good.

I love an easy appetizer that feels special but doesn’t require a crazy amount of effort (honestly, there’s only a few recipes I’m willing to make that do). But the flavors in this are perfectly balanced, with that tangy, creamy, sweetness. And literally you can put this together in 30 minutes with barely any hands on effort.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes
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Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream with Candied Pecans Recipe

There are two things that are totally essential – and worth it – about this recipe: making the custard base and purchasing the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment. Because if you like pumpkin spice, and you like ice cream, this recipe is a must. have.

So, I’m sure you’ve seen those no churn recipes that you don’t need an ice cream maker for – the ones that just use condensed milk and heavy cream. I’ve made them before, too, and they’re great. But this ice cream maker is a game changer. And my favorite thing? It has to store in the freezer, so it’s not even in the kitchen taking up space.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes, Side Dish
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Sausage and Roasted Grape Stuffing with Rosemary and Thyme

Can you imagine a Thanksgiving table without stuffing? It’s 100% my favorite part of the meal! Savory, satisfying, crunchy, soft, salty. It’s so much all in one bite. This year, I’m dishing out this sausage and roasted grape stuffing with rosemary and thyme.

Using breakfast sausage, rosemary and thyme brings those traditional flavors of the holidays I’m sure we are all gravitating towards, especially this year. But the roasted grapes – they bring something a little more unique to the table. They’re soft but still firm enough that they give you a burst of sweet juice when you take a bite.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes, Side Dish
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Butter, Garlic and Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash

Welcome to Friendsgiving week! I love using Friendsgiving as an excuse to create some fun, non traditional dishes. I hope you love the recipes this week and it inspires you to try something new, whether a small Thanksgiving gathering or a socially-distanced-outdoor-mask-wearing-be-smart-Friendsgiving.

If you haven’t made acorn squash yet, this recipe is your reason to try it! I always see stuffed acorn quash for a Thanksgiving side, but I cut these into slices and roasted them up in butter, garlic and parmesan. Can I even tell you how amazing the house smelled?!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Lunch, Recipes
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Lightened Up Stuffed Pepper Soup with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan

I love soup season. Today, it’s rainy and cold – this whole week has been gloomy and it’s the perfect time for a hot bowl of soup for lunch. This lightened up stuffed pepper soup uses ground turkey, veggies, riced cauliflower instead of rice, and fresh herbs. But what really packs the punch is a parmesan cheese rind.

It’s all the classic flavors of stuffed peppers that you love, but it comes together in 20 minutes and makes for amazing left overs!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Recipes, Snack
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Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix for a Halloween Treat

I have to say, I’ve never been much into Halloween. Fall – yes. But specifically the “holiday” of Halloween – no. But now that Harper is here, I’m a little more interested in it. Today, I made a batch of pumpkin spice chex mix (complete with candy corn) to drop off to a few of our friends.

There’s nothing much to this – a few kinds of chex, some pretzels, pepitas and pecans all combine with butter, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin spice and a dash of salt. Bake it up for about 28 minutes and let them cool – drop in some candy corn and you’re done!

A fun little treat for your neighbors or the kiddos friends! We’re going to drop these off to a few friends for a socially-distanced porch visits over the next few days. Something to look forward to!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Recipes
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Gluten Free Mini Caramel Apple Pies with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Apple pie is hands down my favorite fall dessert. It’s also one of those things I always make without a recipe and it’s always good. (Can’t tell you how hard it is to get something like that out of your head, on to paper, and get it to taste the same!).

This fall, I’ve been gravitating towards these mini apple pies. They come together so quickly, I can get them in the oven while we are having dinner and then have a warm apple pie to finish off a weeknight meal. I mean, that’s some quarantine weeknight perfection, no?

All of quarantine, I’ve been reaching for things that feel warm and homey, comforting. And I’ve definitely been trying to make weeknight meals more fun – I wouldn’t typically make a dessert if we weren’t having company but it’s been a nice way to make these groundhog days feel a little more special.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Appetizer, Lunch, Main, Recipes
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Cincinnati Chili-Inspired Meatballs

If you guys have been following for a while, you know I love me a meatball! I made a batch of Cincinnati Chili a few weeks ago – had a random craving, thanks #pregnancy, and then thought, hey maybe this would be a good meatball. I was right. And if this is sacrilegious to you, I’m very sorry.

In my defense, I’m not from Ohio, though I went to college there. Skyline Chili isn’t part of my religion, so these meatballs were super exciting for me. If it makes you mad, look away! ha!

These definitely have the essence of Cincy Chili – in fact, they have all the same spices, cinnamon and cocoa powder included. You spice up the meatballs and the sauce and I gotta tell you, they really hit the spot!

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