This soup is perfect for when you are feeling under the weather, but still hungry. It is hearty and satisfying, plus it soothes the throat.

What you need:

4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced

4-6 celery stalks, sliced

1 yellow onion, sliced thin

1 tbs butter

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into chunks

apprx. 6 cloves of garlic, peeled but not cut

1 carton low sodium chicken stalk

olive oil

salt

pepper

marjoram

basil

rosemary

sage

What you do:

Place chopped sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and whole garlic cloves on a baking stone. Drizzle olive oil over them and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Bake at around 400 degrees until the outside of the chunks are crispy, but the inside feels squishy- about 40 minutes or more. 

While waiting for the baking vegetables, sauté carrots, celery, and onion in the butter in a large frying pan until the onions are caramelized and the vegetables are tender.

When the baked vegetables are done, place them in a large pot and add half the carton of chicken stalk. Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetables completely. Add the celery mixture. 

Pour some of the stalk into the pan that had the carrot mixture and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan. Add this to the pot along with the rest of the stalk. Add spices according to taste and cook at a low boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point the soup is done, but I like to cook it on low for a while longer to add flavor. I'll usually start this in the afternoon to eat it mid-evening. It can stay on the stove for hours. You could also start this in the morning and cook it on the crock pot. If you need more liquid, just add a bit of water. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

I like to have some fun with my classes on Halloween. At our school, the students are required to recite poetry, speeches, or monologues throughout the year, so on Halloween I have my students recite poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Usually I have them do "The Raven", but we wanted something new this year, so we decided to do a few different poems. Here is one I was not familiar with before, but that I have come to enjoy:

The Conqueror Worm

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

Lo! ’t is a gala night

   Within the lonesome latter years!   

An angel throng, bewinged, bedight

   In veils, and drowned in tears,   

Sit in a theatre, to see

   A play of hopes and fears,

While the orchestra breathes fitfully   

   The music of the spheres.

Mimes, in the form of God on high,   

   Mutter and mumble low,

And hither and thither fly—

   Mere puppets they, who come and go   

At bidding of vast formless things

   That shift the scenery to and fro,

Flapping from out their Condor wings

   Invisible Wo!

That motley drama—oh, be sure   

   It shall not be forgot!

With its Phantom chased for evermore   

   By a crowd that seize it not,

Through a circle that ever returneth in   

   To the self-same spot,

And much of Madness, and more of Sin,   

   And Horror the soul of the plot.

But see, amid the mimic rout,

   A crawling shape intrude!

A blood-red thing that writhes from out   

   The scenic solitude!

It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs   

The mimes become its food,

And seraphs sob at vermin fangs

   In human gore imbued.

Out—out are the lights—out all!   

   And, over each quivering form,

The curtain, a funeral pall,

   Comes down with the rush of a storm,   

While the angels, all pallid and wan,   

   Uprising, unveiling, affirm

That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”   

   And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.

This poem was copied from here.

Once again, Happy Halloween!

Makeshift Bookshelves

We moved in about three months ago and our spare room is still a disaster. One of our big problems is that we have a lot of books but only one bookshelf and several "magic" bookshelves (you can see one in the last picture next to the map).

So, since we cannot simply go out and buy a few bookshelves, I decided to get creative and make some space.

 The books were already in these boxes from moving, so I just re-arranged them and was able to get rid of a bunch of them. When we moved, my husband's desk broke, but we saved the shelves and scrapped the rest. I put those two shelves on top of the boxes, as you can see. This saved so much space in the room. It also looks kind of cool, so it is definitely manageable until we can get some real shelves. This would be great for a dorm room or a small apartment, too, especially if you don't plan on staying for long.

Muffins for Two

I accidentally bought squash instead of pumpkin again. When will I learn! Honestly though, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Squash can be used in all the same recipes or just eaten as a side dish with dinner.

We had nothing in the house for breakfast the other day, so I decided to use what I had around the house to make just two muffins. They were delicious! I found a recipe somewhere on the internet for one muffin, which inspired me to create a recipe like it of my own. Of course I decided to make it as healthy as possible by using whole wheat flour and oats. My husband doesn't usually like the individual muffins (I love them) because he finds them denser than regular muffins, but he actually loved these. Besides being delicious, these are also super easy and can be made in a regular cereal bowl, so there is hardly any clean up. All around, a good choice for breakfast :)

What you need:

6 tbs whole wheat flour
1-2 tbs quick cook oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1-2 tbs toasted coconut (we happened to have this lying around, actually, but you can use any mix-ins you want. Derek didn't want chocolate chips in his-I've been known to overdue the chocolate- but I added a few in mine. You could also do cinnamon chips, nuts, or anything you like)

Vanilla (Again, I overdue the vanilla, but a couple teaspoons to a tablespoon would be good)
2 tbs squash (or pumpkin)
2 tbs melted butter
2 tbs brown sugar
pumpkin pie spice (again, a couple teaspoons to a tablespoon if you really like it spicy)

What you do:

In a regular bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, coconut, and any other mix-ins. Add the vanilla, squash, butter, brown sugar, and spice. Divide batter into two small corning ware ramekins or muffin tins and bake at 345 degrees for about 20-30 minutes (check with a wooden toothpick around 15 minutes because ovens vary and I think mine generally takes longer than most).

When it's done, allow to cool and enjoy!

Eyeball Cake Pops

While I do not use these for Halloween, they are perfect for ghoulish gatherings or scary snacks! I actually use these for the classroom. Every year I have "Cyclops Day" when we get to book 9 of The Odyssey. I also have an eyeball candle, a cyclops figurine, one eyeball earring (obviously I can't wear two!), and this year I had eyeball plates and napkins. It's just a way to make learning fun and tasty! Kids will love this creepy, but delicious, treat. Plus, this is crazy easy, though a little time consuming.

Last year I put these on sticks and I think that's actually the best way to do it, but this year I left out the sticks and it still worked out well- actually it's even a bit creepier this way.

What you need:

1 box Funfetti cake mix

1 container vanilla frosting

white chocolate melting chocolate

blue, black, and red decorating gels

What you do:

Cook the cake as directed and let it cool completely.

In a large bowl, crumble the cake and mix with the entire container of frosting. A big fork works well for this, or you can get your hands right in there and do it that way.

Roll the mixture into medium sized balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Put the rolled balls into the refrigerator for about an hour or two.

When the rolled balls are cold, melt the chocolate using a double boiler on the stove. If using a stick, dip the tip of the stick into the chocolate and then stick it into the ball and let it sit for a minute. Then the cake should stay on the stick while you dip it into the chocolate. If you are not using sticks you can just roll the cake ball in the chocolate with a spoon. This way works fine, but it does not get the balls as round and smooth as using a stick will.

Allow the cake pops to cool and dry completely, possibly by putting them back in the refrigerator. When they are dry, you can use the gels to decorate. I start with a black dot in the top center. Then I add a ring of blue around that. Finally I make jagged lines coming out from the blue ring, so that the eye looks bloodshot.

Kids really like this snack because it's silly, but also because it tastes so good :) Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Mash (with a secret ingredient)

Derek and I are not cream and sugar people. We like our coffee black and bitter. That's not to say we don't enjoy a latte every now and then, but in the morning, we like to enjoy the pure coffee taste.

Sometimes we forget this. Sometimes something in the grocery store looks too good to pass up. Something like this:

If we liked cream in our coffee, I'm sure this would be great. But, as we found out the morning after we bought it, we don't. We couldn't simply let this go to waste, though, so we had to find another use for it.

OK, actually the only plan I had for this was to bring it to the faculty room at work- teachers need a lot of coffee, after all. But, as I was preparing dinner, I had a brilliant idea- put some in my sweet potato mashed potatoes. Let me just say, if you love everything fall and everything pumpkin, you will love this!

What you need:

three sweet potatoes- washed and peeled

about 3/4 cup Bailey's Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer (more of less depending on your preference for    consistency and taste)

1 tablespoon butter

salt

pepper

garlic powder

What you do:

Cut and boil the potatoes in salt water. Keep them cooking until they are very tender. Drain the water. add the butter, cream, pepper, and garlic powder and whip with a hand mixer until you reach the desired consistency. That's it! Super easy!

I served this as a side to turkey meatloaf (which was delightful! I didn't measure a single thing, otherwise I'd post a recipe- will do soon.) and steamed broccoli. 

This is an absolutely perfect, easy, and healthy fall comfort meal :) Enjoy!

Chicken Lentil Stew

I thought a dark picture would look mysterious and cozy, but I'm afraid it just looks like a poor photo. I had to share anyway because this soup is AMAZING! I made this for Sunday dinner and then we had the leftovers for lunch throughout the week. It is so filling and very healthy. A must try healthy comfort food for the fall/winter months.

What you need:

1 rotisserie chicken (my go-to for soups and stews)
4 carrots peeled
4 stalks of celery
1 medium yellow onion
Several cloves of garlic (depends on your taste- I always put a bunch)
1 tablespoon of oil (I use olive oil but vegetable oil will do fine)
1 tablespoon of butter (although I usually just use more vegetable oil and no butter)
1 bag of lentils
1 small can of roasted tomatoes
1 carton low sodium chicken stalk
salt
pepper
marjoram
sage

What you do:

Make a soup stater (mirepoix) by chopping the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sautéing them in the oil/butter with salt and pepper until tender.

While the vegetables are sautéing, pick apart the rotisserie chicken and put the meat into a large pot.

Add the vegetables and the chicken stalk to the pot along with the lentils, tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil, then cover and continue to cook on low-medium heat for about a half hour or until the lentils are tender. Once done, remove the pot from the stove and use and immersion blender in the stew for about 30 seconds to a minute. You don't want everything blended, just some of the stew to give it that stew-like consistency. After that, keep warm on the stove until you want to serve. A nice hearty wheat bread goes well with this. Store the leftovers and enjoy for the week!

Left-Over Cake?

When I made that delicious dark chocolate Hershey's cake, I only had two 8-inch round pans, rather than 9-inch ones, so I made a small loaf cake as well. I realized that I should do this more often for two reasons: The obvious reason and the less-obvious reason. The obvious reason is this:

It's a delicious snack!

The less-obvious reason is that it allowed me to avoid the problem I run into with cakes all the time: I can't taste them before hand to make sure they aren't terrible! True, I can taste the part I cut off from the bottom layer to even it out, but with this cake I actually did not need to even the bottom layer out. I was also able to taste multiple bites with the frosting at various stages of making it. That allowed me to get just the taste I was looking for (as much of a burden as eating bites of cake and frosting is!). Point being, if you have extra batter, make and extra cake ;)

Dark Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

A birthday is simply not a birthday without birthday cake- everyone knows that! So, for my beautiful mother's birthday this weekend, I decided to make her a cake. She likes chocolate (who doesn't!) and I happened to have some Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa powder, so I used the chocolate cake recipe on the back of the cocoa powder container with a little twist. My husband said it was the best chocolate cake he has ever had in his life, and I think that is something worth bragging about :)

I wanted something other than the usual buttercream frosting, and something fall-like but not pumpkin, so I went with caramel. It was incredibly rich and tasty, plus it was easy to spread and shape on the cake. To add a little crunch, I crumbled some caramel covered shortbread cookies and spread them between the two layers. This is certainly not a light dessert, but it is delicious and comforting. 

Here's how to do it:

What you need:

Again, I mostly followed the cake recipe for Hershey's "Especially Dark" Chocolate Cake, on the back of the cocoa carton.

Cake:

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

*my additions*
1 to 2 tbs cinnamon
1-2 tsp chili powder

Frosting:

I found this recipe on Pinterest and actually did not tweak it at all- it is amazing as is! Here is the link Caramel Frosting I am not going to repost the ingredients or directions, since they are on this website.

Filling:

1 package store brand caramel covered shortbread cookies (ginger snaps would be great, as would Oreos, animal crackers, or anything you like!)

What to do:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round baking pans (I used two 8 inch and made a little loaf as well). 

Mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and chili powder in a large bowl. 

Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla- beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Stir in boiling water. Pour batter into pans. 

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.

Cool completely on wire racks. 

In a large ziplock bag, crush cookies into tiny crumbles. 

Once the cakes are completely cooled, spread a thin layer of frosting on the top of one and spread the cookie crumbles all over. If the center of the cakes raised significantly higher than the edges, you may want to even off one of the cakes by cutting the top so that when you place the second cake on top, it touches all the way around. 

Place the second cake on top of the first and frost the cake as usual. This frosting is very rich and the cake should be very moist, so you do not need a ton of frosting. I love frosting this cake because the consistency of the frosting was so easy to work with. I made my pattern by pressing the edge of my bent icing knife in lines along the outside of the cake and in no particular pattern on the top of the cake. 

Then I topped it off by writing a birthday message. I was going to decorate more, but I thought simple was best for this one. 

Everyone loved the cake, but almost no one could finish it because it was so rich! One thing I might try next time is using the caramel icing for the filling and regular buttercream for the rest. I'd definitely do it this way again, though! Enjoy!

Help! I ran out of coffee filters!

picture

This tip save my life! Well, that may be a little dramatic, but if you need caffeine in the morning as much as I do, I'm sure you understand.

My husband and I used to be french press people, until we discovered the Aero Press, that is. It makes an incredible cup of coffee with several benefits! Read about it here and find out where to purchase one here (FYI: I don't work for the company that makes them, nor am I being compensated in any way- I just really love this product!).

The one down side to the aero press, that we did not experience with the french press, is that we need filters. They are not at all a hassle to use, nor are they expensive. The only problem with them is running out of them. We have to order filters for the Aeropress online because we cannot find a store that sells them. A single package comes with plenty, but we can be a bit flighty, so by the time we remember to order them we are usually already out. So, on mornings such as this, I run into the terrifying problem of being without a filter. The idea of using a paper towel freaks me out, especially after researching it a bit and finding out that the chemicals and adhesives from the paper towel can get into the coffee through brewing. Gross! After a little more research I discovered the life-saving tip. Tea bags!

All I did was carefully open a tea bag and empty the leaves out. Then I fit the open bag in the space the filter would go and made my coffee normally. It worked perfectly! If you use a regular coffee pot you can do this with a couple more tea bags and simply layer them where the filter would go. I was worried that I would get the flavor of the tea in my drink (especially because it was peppermint, which can be very strong) but I did not taste anything but delicious, dark coffee. I just had to share this method. Hopefully, this post will safe many more of you from a coffee-less mornings due to a lack of coffee filters :)

Oh, also, I do not advise wasting tea- you could save the leaves and use them in a metal strainer. I did throw the leaves away but, personally, I'm willing to sacrifice tea for coffee. I would not do it on a regular basis, however. Filters are being ordered today!

Healthy Apple-Pumpkin Oatmeal

This was breakfast this morning! It's not pancakes, but it's still pretty delicious and very fall. I actually just modified a recipe I have in a low-calorie cookbook. It uses apple juice instead of cider and dried apples instead of fresh. That's really the only difference, so thank you Better Homes and Gardens!

What you need:

4 peeled, diced apples

1/2 can pumpkin

1 1/3 cup water

2/3 cup apple cider

1 1/4 cup quick cooking oats

1 tbs brown sugar

cinnamon

nutmeg

ginger

Plain Greek Yogurt

Honey

What you do:

Boil the apples, pumpkin, water, and cider.

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (besides the yogurt). add the spices according to your tastes. I like a lot of cinnamon! Add this combination to the boiling ingredients. 

Cook and stir for one minute. That's it for the oatmeal! What's with the yogurt you ask? Well, if you want, you can serve it over yogurt. I usually buy plain greek yogurt (because I use it as sour cream), so I add some honey to sweeten it, but this oatmeal is sweet enough that you may not want the honey. Add according to preference, of course. Enjoy your healthy breakfast :)

Quick and Easy Ginger Stir Fry

My husband always enjoys what I make for dinner and, especially in the first month of cooking for the two of us, I usually try to make something that will really impress him. This meal, which was not planned at all and thrown together in about ten minutes, was probably the one he has been the most excited about yet. I call it my Quick and Easy Ginger Stir Fry.

I had planned a meal for the night, but Derek ended up having a meeting so I decided I would just throw something easy together. Of course, when I went to the local market across the street, i got inspired to create something a little bit more interesting than I was originally planning (it was so boring that I can't even remember what it was!). The main inspiration for the dish was the bag of dry noodles I found. I have never cooked them before and love trying new things, so I grabbed them along with a broccoli cole slaw mix and a package of mixed mushrooms and I headed home. 

These are the ingredients I used for the sauce, which I made over the meal. It's just soy sauce (I use lite in order to cut out some of the sodium), ground ginger, curry powder, chili powder, onion powder (of course fresh onion would be great in this!), and some lemon juice.

What's great about this dish is that, aside from cooking the noodles, everything can be done in one pot. 

I also found a lot of recipes for making your own noodles from scratch. I think I'm definitely going to try that next time!

What you need:

1/2 package of egg noodles (I cooked the whole package but left some out because it would have been too much for the amount of vegetables and sauce I had. Just play with it to see what works for you.)

1 package broccoli cole slaw mix

1 package mixed mushrooms (Throw in whatever veggies you want- anything would work! I highly recommend the mushroom, though.)

garlic

onion powder (or fresh onion)

lite soy sauce

ground ginger

cumin

chili powder 

lemon juice

How to do it:

Cook your egg noodles (I just threw mine in some boiling water for a couple of minutes just to soften them up, but they cook in the pan.)

In a large frying pan or sauce pan, sauté some garlic in about a tablespoon of vegetable oil (I love garlic, so the more the better for me. I used probably a couple spoonfuls of chopped garlic, but adjust to your liking.). 

After about a minute add the mushrooms and the broccoli mix. You'll want this mixture to sauté for a bit, until the mushrooms start to get tender but not floppy. 

While this is cooking, you can add in the spices. I'm generous with the onion powder. If it were a fresh onion I'd put a whole small one in or half of a large one, so I use between 5-8 strong shakes of the powder. For the other spices, you really want to play with what you like. I use plenty more cumin than chili powder and, while I want the ginger flavor to come through strongly, the spice is much more potent than some other spices, so I can use less and still get a great flavor. I usually cover the top of the food with spices and then mix it all in. 

After that, mix the noodles in. 

Now it's time to add the sauce sauce. Make sure you have enough to create a light sauce. You can really play with what you like here. I like a more subtle soy sauce flavor than Derek does, so he adds some more on after I serve it. 

The last thing you want to add is just a hint of lemon. 

Mix it up and taste it, then modify whatever you think needs modification. More ginger? More onion? Whatever works for you. 

This meal really only takes about 10 minutes, if that, so it is a great option for a quick dinner or lunch. Next time, I definitely want to add a protein. Beef or shrimp would probably be good, but really any meat would work. Have fun! Oh and enjoy with a glass of wine, of course :)

Fall Wedding Shower Basket

Fall is definitely close by! Along with all the usual joys of fall (apple picking, leaves changing, pumpkin spice lattes, etc.), this fall will also include my sister's wedding. With the wedding less than two months away, we are getting very excited. A couple of weekends ago the bridesmaids and wonderful mother-of-the-bride threw my sister a movie-themed wedding shower. Liz, my sister, is a huge movie fan, so we tried to incorporate her favorite movies into the shower. I will post shower pictures soon, but today I wanted to share with you the fall basket my mom and I put together for the couple.

For my wedding shower (only four months ago!) my mom and sister gave me an "Italy Basket" (our honeymoon was in Italy) filled with things like Bath-and-Body Works Italian scented candles and soaps and a Moka Pot for espresso with a couple of espresso mugs. Since my sister is getting married in the fall, we decided we would make her a fall basket.

First of all, the basket itself is part of the gift. It will make a great laundry basket. What you can't see at the bottom of the basket are some pieces of the Lemax Spooky Town Collection from Michael's. On top of that, we have some fall-scented soaps from bath and body works, and the scarecrow in the front is an oven-mit (so cute!). Then we have these:

I got this idea from Pinterest. It's just orange yarn (I wrapped it around a balled up paper towel) with pine cones on top. The pinecones were actually from a bag of potpourri, which smelled like cinnamon- these two bits from it alone made the whole basket smell delicious!

The other thing we have in there are mugs my mom and I painted for Liz and her fiancé Andy. If you have not painted pottery before, it's a lot of fun and very relaxing.

Finally, we put some jars of homemade hot chocolate in the mugs.

"His" is chocolate-peanut butter hot chocolate (I added reese's chips- and that is probably the only time I will have peanut butter in my kitchen. As delicious as it is, I am sadly allergic) and "Hers" is pumpkin spice hot chocolate. 

We put all of this fall fun together in the basket, threw in some tissue paper, and set it out. She loved it!! Baskets are such a fun way to give a personalized gift to someone special. The possibilities are endless!

R.I.P Seamus Heaney

I am currently teaching my tenth grade literature class Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. Today, in honor of this brilliant writer's life, I shared one of his poems with my class. This poem, actually, that I found here http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177017:

Digging

BY SEAMUS HEANEY

Between my finger and my thumb   

The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

Under my window, a clean rasping sound   

When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:   

My father, digging. I look down

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds   

Bends low, comes up twenty years away   

Stooping in rhythm through potato drills   

Where he was digging.

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft   

Against the inside knee was levered firmly.

He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep

To scatter new potatoes that we picked,

Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

By God, the old man could handle a spade.   

Just like his old man.

My grandfather cut more turf in a day

Than any other man on Toner’s bog.

Once I carried him milk in a bottle

Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up

To drink it, then fell to right away

Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods

Over his shoulder, going down and down

For the good turf. Digging.

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap

Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge

Through living roots awaken in my head.

But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb

The squat pen rests.

I’ll dig with it.

I also shared some articles I found about his funeral. The articles explained that people from all walks of life turned out to celebrate this man. I wanted my students to see that people are always going to be moved by beauty and that poetry is still very much alive and very much beloved by people all around the world. We are privileged to have the opportunity to study such beauty. This event brings hope that, even though there seems to be a lot of, what I would call, ugly entertainment, people are always going to be attracted to true beauty. This writing is talent. This is beauty. And beauty will survive.

Sort of Sour Cream and Onion Cauliflower Casserole

I wanted to get a picture of the completed casserole, but it was so good that we ate it before we got the picture!

I wouldn't call this a healthy meal, but I would definitely call it a healthy alternative that does not sacrifice flavor. Since we had a couple of pieces of leftover pizza to get rid of (and who's good after just one piece of pizza?!), I figured I would make a side dish. Most of my ideas for things like this come out of a desire to use the things I already have kicking around the kitchen and to spend the least amount of money

What's in it?

1 package of frozen cauliflower (cheap and easy- some nights that's the best combo for dinner)

1 package shredded parmesan cheese

32 oz container of plain Greek yogurt

Small package french fried onions (OK so they aren't a health food, but there isn't much in them and they make a nice topper)

garlic powder

onion powder

You will also need:

A small to medium sized casserole dish (if it was clean, I would have used a smaller dish than the one pictured)

oven pre-heated to 375

When I said quick and easy for this recipe, I really meant it! All you do is steam your cauliflower according to what you have. For instance, I used frozen cauliflower so I just followed the directions on the package (microwave in the casserole dish with 2 tbs water for 8ish minutes). This would also be great if you need to get rid of some fresh cauliflower -I love fresh vegetables but frozen vegetables are great on a budget and I have felt better about eating them since I discovered this link: Eating Well -Fresh vs Frozen

Next I mashed the cauliflower with an abundant amount of Greek yogurt. OK this is one of the greatest things I have learned: plain Greek yogurt tastes just like sour cream in food. I love sour cream but I always feel guilty eating it. If I replace it with plain greek yogurt (which I always do!) I am going from unhealthy to healthy because this stuff is packed with protein! Try it for yourself- it definitely works for me, but not all taste buds are created equal.

Perhaps you noticed that I am mashing my cauliflower with a fork. We got so many amazing things for our wedding, but we keep forgetting we did not get a potato masher. I imagine that would work better, so go ahead and use that if you have one. If not, a fork does the trick with a little extra effort.

When you've mashed and mixed, add about a 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese and a generous amount of garlic powder and onion powder. I always prefer fresh garlic and onion, but if time is tight, the powders work well. Mix it all up and spread evenly across the bottom of the dish.

Cover the top with french fried onions and pop in the oven for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

This is definitely not filling enough for a full meal, but it's great if you need something cheesy, creamy, crunchy, and flavorful, with some healthy benefits! Enjoy!

Overview:

Steam Cauliflower

Mash with Greek yogurt

Add garlic and onion powder

Add parmesan cheese

Mix and spread evenly

cover top with french fried onions

bake for  5-8 minutes at 375

Serve and enjoy!

Gluten Free Squash Cupcakes

Derek and I had lunch last week with a friend of ours who has a gluten allergy, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try my first gluten-free recipe! These were actually quite good, but they are absolutely not made healthier! 

And that picture is just the frosting ingredients!

These are squash cupcakes for a very simple reason: I thought I grabbed pumpkin. Often times I'll replace eggs and oil with pumpkin in recipes, which was my intention with these, but I realized when I got home from the store that I had grabbed squash instead of pumpkin. The mix up really didn't make much of a difference, and they still tasted great and were soooo moist :) 

The spices in this recipe make a huge difference because, in my opinion, the gluten free flour has a strange taste when used as is. This can easily be overpowered by adding interesting flavors and spices.

The frosting tasted great, but when I make these again, I may nix the buttermilk- it added a cream-cheesey taste, but it made the texture too soupy. Play with it- I am going to. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 22 oz bag gluten free cake mix

1 cup canned squash

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

Spices! I recommend a heaping tablespoonful of cinnamon and dashes of ginger, nutmeg, and allspice

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups butter softened (not melted)

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbs vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup powdered sugar

A note on the frosting: These amounts are good for starting, but as you mix the frosting, you should taste it and adjust the ingredients to your taste and consistency preference. You may need to add more sugar or buttermilk depending on how it turns out.

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease or line 12 cupcake tins.

Mix squash and cake mix. Add oil, water, and spices. Mix until completely combined. Fill cupcake tins with the entire mixture. Cook in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.

Frosting Directions:

In a stand mixer or with an electric mixture, cream butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla and buttermilk. Gradually add powdered sugar as needed for consistency and taste. Store frosting in refrigerator until you are ready to frost the cupcakes.

When the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with frosting. My frosting was just a bit too soupy to frost directly on top, so I cut a well in the top of the cupcake and filled it with frosting. Then I place the piece I had cut out on top- it made for a cute look.

Chocolate-Raspberry Pie

Typically, dessert for me means chocolate. Of course, I do love a good fruit pie, so I figured I would have the best of both worlds and throw some chocolate in my fruit pie. This was a definite winner! The crust is home-made, but the filling is kind of a cheat; nevertheless, the taste is delightful.

I used a recipe I found online for the crust. It was delicious and easy to make from things I already had in the house. It's called French Pastry Pie Crust and you can find it here: allrecipes pie crust.

I separated the dough, spread half of it in a pie pan, and set the other half aside. I filled the crust in the pan with canned raspberries and, get this, milk chocolate hershey kisses!

I put them in upside down (except for that one straggler who fell in right-side-up. Oops!). Looks kind of weird, but tasted awesome. I put the top on, pressed the edges together, cleaned them up, finished by pressing the edges with a fork, and baked on 425 degrees until the edges and top was golden and firm (at lease 20-25 minutes, but it will depend on your oven). Before serving, I allowed the pie to cool for about an hour.

I also put some brown sugar on the top before baking. Take it or leave it. Enjoy!