Recently, Jeff emailed me from his job to tell me he wanted me to make him Spanakopita. Jeff is pretty particular about the foods he likes to eat, so when he sends me a recipe I get excited. So the other night I made us some delicious phyllo dough triangles filled with spinach and feta.

The recipe is easy:
Oven Temperature: 350
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

1 bag fresh spinach
1/4 red onion
3-4 ounces feta, crumbled
butter for brushing
1/4 tsp nutmeg
phyllo dough
s/p

Instructions:

1. Chop red onion and saute over medium low heat until sweated. Then, add spinach and cook until just wilted.
2. Let cool, and then squeeze out excess water. Mix with feta in a small bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Take a layer of phyllo dough and lay out on a cutting board. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush dough with butter, then add a second layer of phyllo dough.
4. Cut phyllo into about 1-inch thick strips – I ended up with four long strips, but it’ll depend on your phyllo.
5. Fill the top of each strip with about a teaspoon (maybe a little more) of filling. Then fold the phyllo down (like a flag) until it’s in a final triangle. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat with remaining phyllo strips, then repeat steps 3-5 until filling is gone.
6. Brush all triangles with butter, then stick in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

These guys were delicious – we ate them right up hot (although they’re good cold, too.) I can’t wait to make different fillings (I hear cinnamon pumpkin calling my name, anyone?)

Remember that pumpkin puree we made last week? Well, we promised you uses for it, and here we are, with delicious pumpkin muffins to prove it.

This pumpkin muffins were a synch to put together, and although we made them mini-size (we had a pan misunderstanding) you could definitely make them regular sized for a delicious breakfast treat, or after-dinner snack (with a cup of hot cider!)

Pumpkin Muffins (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Oven Temperature: 350

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable or coconut oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix flour and baking powder together in a small bowl.
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.
4. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in the flour bowl.
5. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 30 minutes.
5. Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Look how tiny they are! You could have several – I’ve been eating two for breakfast! Double the fun. Or just, you know, make ’em regular sized and have two anyways.

Enjoy! Tell us what your favorite fall breakfast treat is – a warm bowl of oatmeal? Pumpkin pancakes? Bran muffins?

They’re backkkk!!! YOU GUYS, pumpkins are here, and they’re everywhere, and we are so, so excited about their return. There are pumpkins in soup, and bars, and ice cream, and pasta…the possibilities are endless. And what do you need to make all of those things, you ask? Pumpkin puree, of course! And, while you can certainly get it in a can, you can also very easily make it yourself and freeze it for later. Here’s how.

Start by cutting your pumpkins in half. Aren’t they beautiful? Look at all those delicious seeds! We used sugar pumpkins (also known as pie pumpkins) which are small and perfect for slicing and roasting and pureeing. After you cut ’em in half, scoop out the guts, then slice each half in two. Then, stick them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, or until fork tender.

Once they’re done, you can let them cool for a few minutes before you scoop them out. I used a spoon, but you can also use a knife to get the skin off – whatever is easiest. Now, you are very close to having pumpkin puree in your presence.

This is what you do with your freshly roasted pumpkin: put the pumpkin pieces into a food processor, or in a blender. If you have to, you can add a little water to the pumpkin to make it smooth. We ended up adding a decent amount of water to ours because our pumpkins seemed a little dry.

When the puree is smooth, you’re ready to use it in whatever you’d normally used canned pumpkin puree in. You can also put it in freezer bags and freeze it, if you want to save some for later (we did that, too.) Some people strain theirs, but I didn’t see a need to, because ours was quite smooth.

Stay tuned, because at the beginning of next week, we’re going to show you exactly what we made with this delicious pumpkin puree!

Hello fellow caffeine lovers! I’ve been working in New England now for over a month, giving me the opportunity to visit some of my favorite old stomping grounds and spend lots of time with my family. Here at the Costa homestead coffee is brewed on the regs, a cute puppy is always available for snuggling, and freshly baked desserts keep magically appearing thanks to my talented mom. It’s been rather heavenly! One thing my family also adores is a good diner. That takes us to today’s adventure – the Red Arrow Diner in Milford, New Hampshire!

Red Arrow Diner has been around since 1922 in downtown Manchester. It’s the go-to stop for all presidential candidates, and a state-wide 24/7 hour favorite. My family made weekly visits here for as long as I can remember – we were here when my brother announced he was getting married, and I definitely came in for late night eats after one of my proms. My family was thrilled when a bigger and closer second branch opened up a few years ago in the quaint town of Milford!

That gorgeous red vehicle you see is my dad’s 1966 Mustang. My mom and I, er, borrowed it for our date! Riding in that car on a beautiful autumn day is one of my favorite things in the whole world.

It’s quite rare to see the Red Arrow this empty. Perks of coming at a very off time during the week!

As much as I love the Red Arrow’s 24/7 breakfast menu, my Mom and I had pie on the brain! While she opted for her traditional chocolate cream, I decided to try out the peanut butter cup pie…amazing.
Pie, devoured. Pants, unbuttoned. Don’t worry Dad, I regularly checked on your car! 
It’s my family’s love for diners that encouraged the Costa collection of diner mugs – my stockpile features locations from Maine to New Mexico! It’s constantly growing (big thanks to Corelyn for humoring this obsession with our kitchen display)!

The Milford Oval is basically Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls! Too charming! This post filled me with all kinds of warm fuzzies (and pie). Do you have a favorite local diner?

It’s finally back. It’s fall. It’s chilly, but not too cold yet here in London. It’s October. It’s Vegetarian Awareness Month! Last year I answered several of the FAQ’s I get as a vegetarian. This year I’m here to help you win the $1,000 prize offered by the people who run Vegetarian Awareness Month. I’m here to tell you how easy to be a vegetarian. There is a wide range of delicious food out there to be discovered. This month, try cooking a vegetable that scares you, like spaghetti squash. Try eating tofu instead of chicken. Try cooking with quinoa instead of rice or pasta. There are so many options. Here are a few delicious recipe ideas to get you inspired to support Vegetarian Awareness Month this October. Some of these I have previously cooked and blogged about. Some of them are recipes my fellow GMS bloggers have made that I have eaten, admired, or added to my To-Cook list. Some are new recipes. Enjoy!

Day One:
Breakfast – Fruit and granola is one of my favorite quick and easy morning meals. I eat blueberries, strawberries and raspberries with Greek yogurt, a little bit of honey, and granola almost daily. It’s fast, it’s simple, and it tastes so good!

Ingredients:
10-12 blueberries
5-8 raspberries
4-6 strawberries, quartered
Two heaping tablespoons Greek yogurt
A teaspoon of honey
¼ cup granola

Directions:
Mix everything together and devour!

Lunch – Try my recipe for cooking tofu and add to your favorite rice or pasta dish instead of chicken.

Dinner – Busy week? Prepare this crock pot mac and cheese in the morning and come home to a hot and tasty dinner after work.

Day Two:
Breakfast – Melissa made these gluten free waffles that look amazing. The batter can also be used for pancakes if you don’t have a waffle iron.

Lunch – Try these falafel wraps. The recipe makes lots of leftovers for a week of vegetarian lunches.

Dinner – Risotto may get a bad reputation for taking forever to cook, but it is one of my favorite dishes. Whenever I have a random medley of vegetables, I throw everything into a risotto. I haven’t ever been disappointed.

Day Three:
Breakfast – Try making these popovers in a muffin tin.

Lunch – Nikki made this amazing looking farro salad. Farro is a great grain to experiment with if you are tired of rice, couscous, or quinoa.

Dinner – This eggplant parmesan was what I looked forward to at the end of the 4 or 5 hour drive from Alexandria, Virginia to Grandma’s house in New Jersey.

Day Four:
Breakfast – Ellen made these paleo pancakes that just look amazing. Although it’s impossible to survive as a paleo vegetarian due to the inherent meaty nature of the paleo diet, this crossover dish looks simply delish.

Lunch – Corelyn made this wilted greens salad that just screams weekday vegetarian lunch to me. So simple and tasty.

Dinner – I was lucky enough to be in the GMS kitchen the day this tomato tart was made. Jennie almost didn’t get to photograph it, it got gobbled up so quickly.

Day Five:
Breakfast – French toast isn’t a popular dish here in England. Try the better-known eggy bread if you want a savory alternative.

Lunch – Corelyn made these sesame peanut noodles. I just got back from the grocery store with all the necessary ingredients for this recipe. I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow.

Dinner – Nikki struggled with the proper egg consistency in this spinach soufflé. My eggs never form soft peaks either! It seems like everything turned out fine and delicious though, and I can’t wait to give this a go.

Day Six:
Breakfast – This is my famous breakfast (or breakfast for dinner!) quiche. This is a tried a true favorite which will not get old even after eating it for several meals.

Lunch – Melissa just posted these fontina quinoa cakes. I’m desperately looking for a fontina-esque cheese here in London to make these immediately.

Dinner – Melissa also wrote this spaghetti squash tutorial. I can’t wait for the first crop of these to show up in stores this fall. I love using spaghetti squash as a pasta alternative and piling it with veggies.

Day Seven:

Breakfast –Make these eggs Florentine with Hollandaise sauce for a high protein start to your day.

Lunch – I finally revealed my family’s famous salad dressing to the GMS team and here it is for you as well. Drizzle this all over your favorite lunchtime salad.

Dinner – It’s been a long week. You’ve cooked a ton of veggie meals. You deserve a reward for all this veggie cooking you have been doing! I love a good creamy sauce on my pasta. Try this tagliatelle dish from Jamie Oliver (who else!) immediately. I added lemon zest and green beans which was an excellent decision. Feel free to add some more veggies too, there is plenty of sauce to go around.

Ingredients:
500 grams tagliatelle pasta
olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
4 cloves garlic
A large handful of green beans
250 grams of spinach
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt
pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
120ml double cream
250 grams mascarpone cheese
grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a pot, boil pasta until al dente. In a frying pan, sauté the garlic, green beans, and spinach (a few handfuls at a time until it wilts) with the olive oil and butter. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Once everything has cooked nicely and the liquid has been absorbed, add the lemon zest and some juice, reserving a bit for later on. (Trust me!) Add the mascarpone, double cream and two spoonfuls of cooking water from the pasta. Once everything has melted and simmered, add the cooked pasta. Toss until everything is mixed and coated. Grab a heaping helping for yourself and top with lemon juice and grated parmesan cheese.

Happy vegetarian eating this month! Are you going to try eating vegetarian this October?