Gorgeous Gourds!

Gourds. Not exactly the most beautiful foods to look at with their lumps and bumps and weird shapes, but they make for some pretty yummy dishes. Trust me. If you’re like me, the first thing that comes to mind when you think of gourds are pumpkins and squash. Friends, let me tell you those are not the only members of the gourd family. Zucchini (courgette), cucumber and even some melons all fall under the gourd classification. Mind blown? Mine was.

For dinner this week we decided to celebrate this eclectic fruit (yeah, they’re fruits not vegetables) and dedicate a dinner to their quirkiness. We had a creamy butternut squash soup, some cheesy sautéed zucchini, and pumpkin spice latte cupcakes. So, so delicious.

Butternut Squash Soup: 

Via

Ingredients:

• 1 large leek
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. Halve the leek lengthwise, rinse thoroughly and chop the white and light green parts only. Discard the tough dark green parts.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and leek and sauté until they start to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add squash, stir to coat with oil and continue cooking 10 minutes longer.
3. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add maple syrup and cinnamon. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Let soup cool slightly. In a food processor, purée half of the soup until smooth. Take extreme care when puréeing a hot liquid. Mix purée back into soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with toasted pecans and serve.

Sautéed Zucchni with Gruyere: 

Via

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. zucchini, sliced into 1/4 or 1/2 inch slices
• 1-2 tbsp. grapeseed or canola oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 2 oz. Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan on fairly high heat. (An anodized aluminum pan works well for this purpose because it is stick resistant yet can handle high heat.) Coat the bottom of the pan with the oil, adding more if needed. When the pan is hot, add the zucchini and onions. Spread out along the bottom of the pan. Cook quickly on high heat, stirring frequently, until all zucchini pieces are a little browned at least on one side (about 2 minutes). Sprinkle with salt and pepper while cooking. Halfway through the cooking, add the garlic and the herbs. If there is any sticking to the pan, add a little more oil.
2. Remove the pan from the heat. Place slices of cheese over the zucchini in a single layer. Cover the pan. Let sit for a few minutes, until the cheese is just melted. Remove the zucchini to a serving dish. Serve immediately.

 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes: 

Via

Ingredients:

Cupcakes: 

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. espresso powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 (15oz.) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup coffee or espresso, for brushing

Frosting: 

• 2 1/4 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

To Finish: 

• Ground cinnamon
• Caramel sauce

Directions:

1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Stir together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.
2. Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full. Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush them two or three times with the coffee or espresso, allowing the first coat to soak in before repeating. Let cool completely.
3. To make the frosting, place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-low speed at first, gradually increasing to high speed. Blend in the confectioners’ sugar gradually. Whip until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat. Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and drizzle with caramel sauce. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

We have a pretty fun dinner planned for next week, so stay tuned for that!

Happy eating, everyone!

 

Apples Galore!

Apples are one of my absolute favourite fall fruits. Crispy, crunchy, yummy goodness. As long as it isn’t one of those red delicious apples, I’m all over it. With autumn being in full swing in Portland, we thought this would be the perfect week to dedicate a dinner to this versatile fruit. We had an apple and pear salad, pork chops topped with sautéed apples and shallots, and apple spice cupcakes with salted caramel frosting.

Yeah, you read that right. Salted caramel frosting. I had extra frosting left over after I had frosted the cupcakes so I sliced up some apples and dipped in it. No shame. And the apple slices make it healthy, right?! 🙂

We continued our apple-themed weekend last night with a trip to a local cider bar. A few of us did kind of break the apple theme by ordering cranberry or peach ginger cider, but it totally still counts. We stayed until they kicked us out for closing up the place and we had a great time. Lots of laughs, fun conversations and really good cider.

Try out the recipes and let us know what you think!

Apple and Pear Salad: 

Ingredients:

• 1 bag lettuce, any kind
• 2 apples, cut into cubes
• 2 pears, cut into cubes
• 4 tbsp. goat’s cheese
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• Cranberry dressing

Directions:

1. Combine the lettuce, apples, pears, goat’s cheese and almonds in a bowl. Drizzle over some dressing and toss to combine.

Apple and Pear Salad

Pork Chops with Apples and Shallots: 

Via

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 pound medium shallots, halved or quartered lengthwise
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored, cut into eigths
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 4 pork chops
• Coarse salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat broiler; set rack 4 inches from heat. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high. Add shallots; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Cover pan; reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking until shallots are soft, about 5 minutes more.
2. Add apples and wine; cover, and cook until apples are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Uncover; cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated and apples are tender, 2 to 4 minutes more. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
3. While apples are cooking, season pork chops generously with salt and pepper; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. To serve, spoon warm apple mixture over chops.

Pork Chops with Apples and Shallots

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting: 

Via

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar (you can use dark brown, if you want to)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt (I omitted this because I thought the batter was salty enough)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 small apples, chopped into fine pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Line muffin pan with baking cups. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, sugars, milk, and vanilla until completely smooth. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Slowly mix in the apples.
3. Fill each baking cup about 2/3 full and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
4. Make the frosting: While the cupcakes are cooling, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add brown sugar and heavy cream. Stir constantly over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add salt. Allow to bubble for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to slightly cool. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, until you reach desired consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes and adorn with caramel sauce and sprinkles. Cupcakes stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for 5 days.

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

Happy eating, everyone!

Girls Weekend!

Best. Weekend. Ever. 

I mean, seriously. So much fun. What could be better than cooking, wine, running into one of the Timbers, cookies, cider, girl talk, rocking out to music from the 90s and early 2000s, coffee, celebrations and laughing so hard you fall to the floor (I’m looking at you, Taylor)?! Can’t think of anything, can you? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

If you remember last week’s post, we were supposed to spend this weekend at the beach. That didn’t happen. The part of the coast we were going to was forecast to get 7-10 inches of rain and massive wind gusts. We all love the beach, but the thought of having to deal with that much rain and wind just wasn’t appealing. So instead of heading to the beach, we took over Taylor’s apartment for a weekend of fun.

You know those rare days when you can just do things on your own time and not worry about a million and one things you should/could be doing? That’s what this weekend was like. Pure relaxation. We played the ultimate ‘Girls Night’ game called “What’s a Dame to Do?” — Ladies, I highly recommend you check this game out. We were laughing for hours. The ridiculous, uncontrollable laughter that kind of makes your stomach hurt. It was great.

The food we had this weekend was delicious. All of the dishes were the perfect things to eat on a rainy, windy autumn weekend. Roasted vegetable burritos, cake for breakfast, kale and cannellini bean soup, and all kinds of pumpkin cookies. YUM. Everything was really easy to make and didn’t require too much effort which was perfect for us this weekend. You should absolutely try all of these recipes. I promise you won’t be disappointed 🙂

Roasted Veggie & Black Bean Burritos: 

Via

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed small
• 2 jalapeños, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced small
• 1 red onion, diced small
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 pinch salt and pepper
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 package burrito sized wheat tortillas or wraps

Directions:

1. In a bowl, toss your raw veggies in olive oil and season with spices. Place in a large baking dish and roast in 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, tossing around halfway through.
2. Let cool. Add your roasted veggies to a can of rinsed black beans. Add cilantro and squirt of lime juice. Combine gently. At this point, mixture can be stored for later use.
3. Warm your wheat tortillas or wraps in microwave according to directions on package. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil spray.
4. Add two heaping tablespoons of vegetable and bean mixture to center of wrap. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over, fold in sides, place in pan and continue to roll the others. Place into your baking dish, seam side down so that they stay together.
5. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Baking this way will make the tortilla wrap crisp. For a softer burrito, spray burrito with nonstick spray, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for same amount of time.

Fresh Fig and Almond Breakfast Cake:

Via 

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Topping:

• 8-10 fresh figs (depending on size), cut in half
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 3 tbsp. turbinado (or granulated) sugar for topping

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 10-inch cast iron skillet.  You can also use a 10-inch cake pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and sugar. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and butter.  Whisk in the vanilla and almond extract.
4. Add the buttermilk mixture all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined and no lumps remain.  Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Top batter with fresh figs, gently pressing the figs part-way into the batter.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds and then sprinkle generously with sugar.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow cake to cool to room temperature before slicing to serve.

Cannellini Bean Soup with Kale and Garlic-Olive Oil Crostini: 

Via

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 6-8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; plus 1-2 whole cloves
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 (6oz.) can tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 (15oz.) cans cannellini beans
• 2 quarts chicken stock, water, or a combination
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch kale, large ribs removed, chopped
• 1 baguette

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add garlic and oregano and cook no more than a minute. Add tomato paste and vinegar, and cook another minute. Add beans and stock and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add kale and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour. Season, to taste, again with salt and pepper before serving.
2. Slice baguette on a heavy angle to create long slices. Toast in a toaster or in the conventional oven. Rub once or twice with half a garlic clove. Season a shallow plate of extra-virgin olive oil with salt and dip each side of bread into the oil. Serve as accompaniment to the soup.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: 

Via

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp. pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft.  Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory.
3. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
4. Roll the dough into balls, about 2 Tablespoons of dough each. Slightly flatten the dough balls because the cookies will only slightly spread in the oven. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. Keeping them in the oven for longer may dry them out.  Remove from the oven and press a few more chocolate chips onto the tops, if desired.  If you find that your cookies didn’t spread much at all, flatten them out when you take them out of the oven.
5. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a wire rack.  The longer the cookies cool, the chewier they will be. I let them sit out for at least 1 hour before enjoying.  I find that their chewiness and pumpkin flavor is more prominent on day 2. Cookies stay soft, moist, and chewy stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles: 

Via

Ingredients:

Cookies: 

• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Coating: 

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• Dash of allspice

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the pumpkin puree.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend.  Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball.  Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart.  Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly.  Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.
3. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through.  Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Store in an airtight container.

Happy eating, everyone!

Fall into Fall

Autumn is officially here and to ring in the new season, we decided to “fall into fall” with a dinner composed of autumnal ingredients. Pears, squash, pumpkin, sweet potato and broccoli came together for a delicious harvest-inspired meal. After we enjoyed some very tasty food, we went to Moonstruck Chocolates where we kept ringing on the new season with some hot drinks and yummy chocolates.

Pear Arugula Salad: 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• 5 cups arugula, washed and dried
• 1-2 pears, thinly sliced
• Juice of one lemon
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Toast nuts in a pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Cool.
2. Combine arugula, pear, and nuts in a salad bowl. Dress the salad with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Sprinkle feta crumbles over salad and serve.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika (original recipe calls for 2 tsp., but I think that’s too much; however, you can add as much/little as you like)
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Slice potatoes into wedges; toss the wedges with the oil, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt. Lay the wedges on a baking sheet and cook for 30-45 minutes (check after 30 minutes to make sure they don’t burn) until they are brown on the outside and tender all the way through.

Cheese Quesadillas:

Ingredients:

• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 cup grated cheese (monterey jack, mexican blend or sharp cheddar)
• 4 tbsp. butter

Directions:

1. Lay tortillas flat on cookie sheet. Sprinkle some cheese on one half of each tortilla. Fold the tortillas in half over the cheese.
2. Warm a skillet over low heat and add 1 tbsp. of butter. Add tortilla to the skillet and cook until lightly brown, about 2 minutes. When one side is brown turn tortilla over and cook other side until brown and cheese is melted. Remove from skillet and repeat with remaining tortillas.

Broccoli Pasta Salad: 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sliced pecans
• 1 box pasta
• 1 lb. fresh broccoli
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup shredded carrot

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, cut the broccoli into small florets.
3. Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, red onion, and red wine vinegar; add the broccoli, pasta, salt and carrots and stir to coat. Cover and chill for 3 hours.

Pumpkin Poppers from Domestically Speaking:

Ingredients:

For Poppers

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 cup milk

For Coating

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and spray mini muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking soda,salt, and spices in a bowl and whisk until combined.
3. In another bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk.  Pour in flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Fill mini muffin tins until almost full and bake 10-12 minutes.
4. Melt butter in small bowl.  Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate small bowl.  After popper cool for a few minutes, dip them in the butter and roll them in the sugar mixture.

Falling into Fall

Pumpkin Poppers!

Mayan Hot Chocolate

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy eating, everyone!