Pumpkin Cream Pasta

You guessed it: another Pumpkin recipe. I promise this will all be over at least by Thanksgiving. I still have a few more things I want to try, but I won't get too crazy on you. As I mentioned in the last post, this idea came from my Dad talking about some Pumpkin pasta he had at some restaurant. I googled recipes, found one, and kind of went from there. Pumpkin is a great addition to any basic alfredo, it makes it a little thicker, creamier, and gives it a kind of sweet taste. I thought it turned out REALLY well... and I will definitely be making it again in the future!!!

Ingredients

8 ounces pasta of your choice (I used whole wheat fettuccine)
Olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 lb boneless skinless chicken (breasts/tenderloins)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
Salt/Pepper to taste
Shredded Parmesean Cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, melt butter and coat chopped pecans. Spread on baking sheet and broil for only a few minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they do not burn! After a minute or two take them out and toss them, then put back in.


Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and heat on medium-high heat until it gets a little bubbly, then add garlic and cook for another two minutes. Cut chicken into bite size chunks and add to garlic/oil. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through (around 8-10 minutes).


In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, chicken broth, whipping cream, sage, and about a teaspoon of salt. Pour into the pan with the chicken. Continue to cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes until heated through, then add the pasta to the mixture.


Before service, sprinkle with pecans and parmesean cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

I saw a recipe the other day on the How Sweet It Is blog for pumpkin waffles, and I originally wanted to try those. However, I wanted to cook for my roommate and another friend, and when cooking for more than one person waffles can take a bit... so I switched to pancakes!

The original recipe was taken from PinchMySalt.com, but the one here has a few little tweaks I made to it. I think they turned out wonderful! Whole wheat pancakes also tend to be a little thicker and in turn hold shape really nicely.

Ingredients

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree (Half of small can)
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1 tablespoon Vanilla
4 tablespoons Brown Sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the first eight dry ingredients. In a separate (can be smaller) bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

2. Stir wet ingredients into dry mixture, and blend until combined with large lumps broken up. If batter is too thick, you can stir in a little more milk.



3. Melt a tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat on a skillet/griddle, and then drop pancakes by 1/3 cup into skillet. Cook until pancakes start to get a little bubbly and then flip. Repeat buttering before doing a second round.



4. Serve and enjoy! I drizzled a tiny bit of Caramel on top of the pancakes before adding syrup, and they were absolutely delicious!

Next up I'm hoping to have a pumpkin pasta inspired by my dad, who informed me he had some amazing Pumpkin-cream filled pasta at a restaurant tonight. I would have never thought of that, but I looked up a couple of recipes, and I think it may turn out pretty well. Tune in this weekend for results!!! ;-)

APPLE JACKS!

"Recipe" courtesy of the Wanhainen clan. This is the perfect (alcoholic) fall drink. If you don't have a crock pot, you can always just heat the cider up in the microwave like you would for hot chocolate or tea, and then add the ingredients!

Ingredients
Cider
Cinnamon (Sprinkled for one cup, about a tablespoon or more for a crock pot)
Nutmeg (Just a dash for a cup, or a little more for a crock pot)
Jack Daniels

Heat cider and spices in a crock pot until warm/hot. Laddle into mugs and add Jack Daniels to your preferences. (Another friend also really likes this with Southern Comfort, and that's a little bit sweeter and also really good!)

ENJOY (Responsibly)!

Baja Shrimp Tacos

This just sounded like something that would go well when making guacamole, so I pretty much went out, bought some shrimp, and threw this together. I added the onions and lime as an afterthought when I had some leftover from the guacamole recipe, but it actually turned out REALLY well.

Ingredients
1 lb. Shrimp, Peeled and De-veined
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Small Onion, Diced
1 Teaspoon Garlic Chili Paste
1/2 Lime
Salt to taste

Other ingredients: Taco shells (Or whatever you want to use), other taco toppings of choice... I used guacamole, lettuce, and a little dab of ranch.

Directions

Cut the shrimp into small pieces. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and garlic chili paste on medium high heat. Once oil starts to bubble a little bit, throw in shrimp, squeeze the lime juice over the shrimp, and toss to coat.


Let shrimp cook for a few minutes (this is a good time to throw taco shells in the oven if that is what you are using!), then add the chopped onions and toss again. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink and opaque.

Serve as desired... whether it be in taco shells, tortillas, etc!

ENJOY!

Homemade Guacamole

I have been craving guacamole for days. Really random, I know. Even more random considering I didn't even like guacamole until earlier this year. Anyways, I looked through a few recipes, and came up with this one... the Garlic Chili Paste really just adds a little bit of extra kick and can be left out if you want. Really all of the other ingredients can be adjusted to taste preference as well!

Ingredients

3 Avocados
1/2 Small Onion, Chopped
1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
1 Small Roma Tomato
1/2 Lime
1 Heaping Tablespoon Sour Cream
1 Teaspoon Thai Garlic Chili Paste
1 Tablespoon Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Avocado Side Note: I'm not going to lie, I could not have described to you what one of these looked like before I went to the store. I had, however, read that you know when it's RIPE but not TOO RIPE by pressing on it- you don't want it to be hard, but you don't want it to be "too squishy". I was that woman in the grocery store grabbing every single one trying to find the perfect avocados. This was the worst of the 3... I just scooped out the little brown parts. Just cut them in half around the center section, pop it out, and the flesh should be pretty easy to scoop out of the outside.

Directions

Half the avocados, remove the center, and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash the avocado.


Add remaining ingredients, squeezing the juice from the half of lime, and mix. If needed, mash the mixture until it reaches the desired smoothness. (I like it a little chunkier)

ENJOY!

Cheesecake Nutella Brownies

This recipe came from the lovely Red Vines for Breakfast (Check her out! She has all sorts of great recipe posts!). The original recipe (here) was for Cheesecake Brownies, but Valerie added the Nutella, which makes them THAT much better! They are a definite indulgent dessert, with all the goodness of both a brownie and cheesecake, with those delicious gooey center spots spread throughout them!

Here is the recipe as found on the original website. You can also replace the first section of ingredients with a box-brownie mix to save time. I also used a 9x13 in glass baking dish, which worked fine as well.

One 9-inch (23cm) square pan

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (70g) flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80g) chocolate chips

8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional: Several tablespoons of Nutella

Directions

1. Line a 9-inch (23cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly. (I didn't use the foil, but I think this might make it much easier if you're planning on cutting the brownies out to serve on a platter)

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.

4. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

5. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

6. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter. (Before swirling the mixture, I just drizzled a few spoonfuls of Nutella and then swirled)

7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set.

Let cool, then lift out the foil and peel it away. Cut the brownies into squares if desired!

ENJOY!

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

This is another family favorite made for many a cookouts and family gatherings. If you like potatoes, and cheese, you really can't go wrong here!!! It's really simple to make and sure to be a guest favorite.

Ingredients

32 oz. frozen hash browns (thawed) 8oz. sour cream
1 stick butter
1 cup cheddar cheese (I use more like 2 cups)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 Cups Crushed Corn Flakes
1/2 Stick Melted Butter

Directions

Mix hash browns, stick of butter, cheddar cheese, and soup until well blended. Put this mixture in a greased 9X13 pan.


Then mix 2 cups crushed cornflakes with 1/2 stick melted butter and spread across the top of mixture in pan.




Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes.



ENJOY!