Guys. This is the pumpkin muffin dreams are made of! I cannot tell you how good they are with coffee – you just need to try it for yourself!
The pumpkin spice is so warm and comforting, especially as the temps are getting cooler. The coffee crumb has the best crunch and reinforces that pumpkin spice in the base. And the base is moist and delicious and I’ve made them so many times in the past week – we can’t stop eating them!
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.
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.
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?!
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!
We made it to Friday! I’m ready to celebrate the end of a crazy week, and 100% ready to whip up a batch of these cozy caramel apple ciders and curl up next to the fire. It’s a gloomy day here today – gray skies, misty and foggy out, and the leaves in our backyard are bursting with fall colors. I’m loving it.
These caramel apple ciders were such a hit last weekend, and when hubby said they were amazing (after pouring a shot of bourbon into his), I knew I had to share.
I love the idea of leaning into a meal with a soup (okay, a salad right after, too, because I’m 100% extra when I start cooking and planning an experience for friends & fam). This Butternut Squash & Apple soup is so, so good. It’s cozy and hits all the notes you want a soup to hit in the fall. It comes together relatively quickly, once you’ve roasted up your squash and can be made a day or two ahead.
You start with roasting up your squash with fall spices and while that’s roasting, you get your mirepoix going (it’s easy, promise!). Once that squash is nice and roasted, you combine in a pot with your mirepoix, add some broth, hit it with a stick blender, taste for S&P and you’re done.
Butternut Squash & Apple Soup Recipe
Yields: Serves 8-12 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1hr
Ingredients:
For the Squash:
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, and cubed
2tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp each: cinnamon, allspice, chili powder
For the Mirepoix:
1 chopped medium sweet or spanish onion
2 chopped medium celery sticks
2 chopped medium carrots
1 chopped sweet apple, such as gala
2 tbsp butter
You will also need:
Salt & Pepper, to taste
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
Optional, for garnish: pecans, pepitas, goat cheese crumbles, freshly ground pepper.
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400°. Prepare a pan with foil & oil spray, or a silpat.
Peel & chop your squash into cubes. Tip: they don’t have to be perfect, but will roast more evenly if you keep them about the same size.
Place the cubed squash into a large mixing bowl and add olive oil, S&P, spices.
Toss the squash to coat evenly with oil and spices. Tip: your hands are the best tool in your kitchen!
Bake your squash 30-40 minutes, until easily poked with a fork.
While your squash is baking, prepare your mirepoix ingredients.
Melt butter in a pot large enough to hold the squash and 6 cups of liquid. (Might I suggest at least an 8 qt pot?)
Once the butter is melted, add your mirepoix and sautee until soft and onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
When the squash is finished, add to the pot and top with broth and water. Stir to combine.
Remove from heat and use a stick blender/immersion blender to blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can add your mixture – carefully – to a blender. Allow to cool or serve immediately.
If making ahead of time, allow the soup to cool completely, before transfering to an airtight container and refridgerating. Bring to room temperature and reheat on the stovetop, adding some liquid to thin the soup again.
To serve, top with some nuts and cheese, such as pecans or walnuts, pepitas, goat cheese.
Come October, I’m all, bring me all the pumpkin spice things please okaythanksbye! I love that flavor, and it being so seasonal, really rings in the autumn for me.
These mini pumpkin cinnamon rolls are a quick and easy recipe with only a few ingredients. They come together in the time it takes to open the canned pumpkin + 2 minutes. Okay, and preheating the oven time. But once you make these, you’ll want to make them over and over again.
Mini Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Yield: 20 mini rolls (10 regular size rolls) | Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Cinnamon Rolls:
1 can crescent rolls (I used reduced fat, they were still lovely)
3 tbsp canned pumpkin (use the regular canned pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 c. sugar or sugar substitute that pours like sugar
1/4 teaspoon allspice, nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Sugar Icing:
2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare your baking sheet, love a silpat!
Combine sugar and spices. Set aside.
Roll out the crescent dough and split between the two sheets. Smoosh (very technical) the seams together.
Gently spread the canned pumpkin evenly over the two sheets of dough. Sprinkle spiced sugar over the pumpkin filling.
Roll up your pumpkin crescent rolls, lengthwise.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, prepare the sugar icing. Combine the ingredients and stir to combine, until no clumps are visible. If the mixture is soupy, add confectioner’s sugar 1/2 tsp at a time. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls. Enjoy!