I set out to make you another delicious pumpkin recipe…and then I went and added spinach, and then it turned green, and now I feel like maybe you won’t believe that it has pumpkin in it. But it does, I swear. It’s chocked full of pumpkin and pumpkin spice and tastes like fall, only it’s green because of the spinach…and parsley.

Green Pumpkin Smoothie

1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
1/4 cup apple
4 oz almond milk
1 hearty handful spinach
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions: Chop up apple, and parsley. Juice half a lemon. Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth. Makes one hearty serving!

This one is easy to make with your pumpkin puree we taught you how to make, or with canned pumpkin puree. Store it in jars in your fridge for an on-the-go breakfast or an afterwork pick-me-up to get you on to your next task: making dinner, or yoga, or whatever you kids do when you get home!

What other smoothie ingredients do you want us to use to make brand new fall recipes for you? Tell us and you might see one of your suggestions up here sometime in the next few months!

Our friendly Megan (who will be dressed to impress over here on Thursday, don’t you worry) recently had a birthday. She was out of town on her actual birthday, so this past weekend we had a Halloween Pumpkin Carving afternoon and celebrated her birth, too.

This is Megan, getting ready to carve her killer pumpkins. Dressed as Donatello. We love Megan because we said to her, “You want a pumpkin spice cake for your birthday, right?” and she gladly accepted without question. A friend who you can assign a cake you want to make anyway to is a true friend, indeed.

We took our recipe from Pinch My Salt, but switched it up a little.

Pumpkin Spice Cake
Adapted from Pinch My Salt

Oven Temperature: 350 degrees
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 45 minutes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup kefir
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a Bundt pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine eggs, sour cream, kefir, pumpkin, and coconut oil. Beat well with a hand mixer, scraping down sides with a spatula, until everything is well blended. Add flour mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition, until everything is well combined. Scrape down sides, then blend in the vanilla extract.
4. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake in the center of a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack for ten minutes, then invert cake onto wire rack and let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
From My Baking Addiction

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions: Mix together all ingredients. If it’s too thick, add milk. Drizzle on cake.

Bring your cake to room temperature and ice just before serving. And, obviously, for good measure, sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon.

Guaranteed to be gone in five minutes flat if you present it to a handful of your friends.

 What is your fave cake for birthdays? Or do you prefer a different kind of treat?

Firstly, let me tell you something. This is a casserole. I just, I hate the word casserole, so I’ve disguised it as a bake, which really isn’t a thing. It’s a casserole. But, if you hate the word, too, then call it a bake, serve it to your family, and be on your way. Whew! We can begin, now.

This is our bake, folks. Served with squash of the season, and for good measure, pea shoots. This came together quickly, and serves about six people, so it’s good for a family dinner or for two and then leftovers (which is exactly how I plan on using it up!)

Oven temperature: 375
Bake time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced
5 oz parmesan, romano, asiago shaved cheese mix (I got mine at TJs…use whatever blend you please, and it can be shaved or shredded)
1 10 oz bag shredded Brussels sprouts (or Brussels cut into quarters)
1 large handful pea shoots
4 oz feta cheese
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
olive oil
s/p
1 medium squash (optional)

Directions:

1. If you’re using a squash, cut it in half, scoop out the insides, and place on a jelly roll pan cut side down in water. Put in oven to bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, salt and pepper your chicken, then pan fry it in a smidge of olive oil, about five minutes each side. If you have a big cast iron you can do all your pieces at the same time.
3. While your chicken is frying, you can make a roux: melt your butter, then add your flour and whisk until your roux bubbles, about 2-3 minutes. Add your milk, and all your feta. Turn heat to low.
4. Remove your chicken from the pan and cut into strips. In a 13 by 9 pan, layer chicken, then Brussels sprouts, then pea shoots.
5. Take your cheese sauce and pour over the top, then salt and pepper. Finally, top with a layer your parmesan, romano, asiago mix.
6. Put in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until top browns.
7. Meanwhile, pull your squash out of the oven when it’s fork tender, and then scoop out of the shell. Next, max your squash to serve alongside your bake.
8. When your bake is done, let cool slightly before scooping and serving with mashed squash and maybe some fresh pea shoots or a salad.

What’s your go-to bake (read: casserole) recipe? I could use some more easy dinners around here…

Hello Folks – It’s good to be back!

Here we are in the throws of fall and I really wanted to come back to blogging with something I have never tried before. It’s all a part of my new effort to try new things and challenge myself with new goals. So step one was to figure out something that I have never done with you, my loyal followers, and the answer became clear very quickly. Baking!

I have shown you recipes for drinks, appetizers, and dinners, but I have never done a dessert. So then I was at a crossroads. What dessert should I do that reflects the spirit of fall?

When I think of fall I think of three things. Treats, pumpkins, and beer!  So today we are going to combine all three. I present to you today a quick and awesome recipe for creating Peanut Butter Pumpkin Ale Brownies! Yes it is a mouthful to say, but an even more delicious mouthful to bite into.

Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Oven Temperature: 350 degrees
Yields:  About 20 Brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cup of white sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup of cocoa powder
2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp peanut butter
¾ cup of chocolate morsels
1 tbs of ground cinnamon
¾ cup of pumpkin ale

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the melted butter and the white sugar.  Stir the two ingredients together until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3. Next you want to fold in your eggs and the vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
4. Add in the flour and the cocoa powder. This will be very clumpy and will take a few minutes to smooth out. Be patient, the lumps will go away.
5. After you smoothed out the mixture, add in the ground cinnamon, peanut butter, and chocolate morsels.  Stir the batch until the only lumps that remain are the morsels themselves.
6. Once your mixture is smooth, it should look like standard cake or cupcake batter, add in your beer. I chose to use Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat Ale.  You don’t want to overwhelm the other flavors of your brownies, so use something like a wheat pumpkin beer, which won’t compete like the alcohol content of a lager or a stout.  The flavor will be be better and the brownies will end up fluffier and sweeter.
7. Stir until smooth – this will take several minutes to complete. The goal is to have the liquid absorb as much as possible into the solid mixture.  You should have a consistency that is very reminiscent of chocolate pudding.
8. Grab a 15 inch x 10 inch baking sheet and grease it with some olive oil or butter so the bottoms of your brownies don’t burn.
9. Transfer the mixture from your bowl to the baking sheet and spread it evenly across the pan. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but do your best.
10. Put the baking sheet into the oven for 30 to 35 minutes for the brownies to cook.
11. When the brownies are done, let the sheet rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into the brownies.
12. ENJOY!

Full disclosure before this little challenge to myself I had never baked a thing in my life.  These brownies came out so well and you really can taste all the wonderful elements of fall within each bite.  Moral of the story, if I can do it, so can you! (Editor’s note: This is Jennie, y’all. These brownies are bomb. I promise.)

Good Spirits Folks!

I am notoriously bad at eating breakfast. I know, I know! It’s the most important meal of the day. I just never have time for it, since I’m not what you’d call a morning person. When I do remember to grab something on my way out the door, it’s usually full of carbs and sugar. That’s why these muffin tin baked eggs are the perfect solution.

What’s better than a recipe with only three ingredients? This comes together so quickly, and it’s the perfect project for a Sunday afternoon, to make breakfasts for the week ahead.

Brown your sausage for about 10 minutes, then toss the broccoli rabe in the pan for one or two minutes to soften slightly. Fill each muffin cup with a teaspoon of the cooked sausage and broccoli rabe, and fill the rest of each cup with beaten eggs. Bake for about 15 minutes until the eggs firm up, and that’s it! Grab 3 or 4 the next morning and heat them in the microwave for a savory breakfast that takes almost no time.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

1/2 lb spicy pork sausage, casings removed
1 cup broccoli rabe, chopped
6 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a mini-muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Brown sausage in skillet, approximately ten minutes.
3. Toss broccoli rabe with cooked sausage for 2 minutes and then remove from heat.
4. Beat eggs together and add salt and pepper.
5. Place a teaspoon sized amount of sausage and broccoli florets in each muffin cup, then fill the rest of each cup with egg.
6. Bake 15 minutes until eggs firm up.

The above recipe makes enough for several servings, but it only uses about half of the sausage that comes in a store-bought package. If that drives you as crazy as it it does me, you can double the recipe and freeze the extra eggs, or saute your extra sausage and broccoli together to serve as a side dish or toss with pasta.