Recipes

Be a Better Baker Challenge: Pie

Please note: This post was created in collaboration with Chase Freedom Unlimited. All opinions, images and content are my own.

I have been working on my “be a better baker challenge” in collaboration with my friends at Chase Freedom Unlimited for several months now, and I’m winding down the official challenge but still baking away! This month I decided to tackle an apple pie, for a few reasons. First, I used my cash back credit card to stock up on the most beautiful, seasonal farm stand apples and I needed to make something with them! And second, apple pie is one of the few baked goods that I always felt really comfortable baking. It felt like the perfect time to come full circle, back to the basics, and see how far I’ve come over the past few months with a dish that’s tried and true. read more

Recipes

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Recipe Round Up.

This is one of my favorite posts to write each year — it’s like a greatest hits album for all of the deliciousness that I love about Thanksgiving. I’ve got everything from appetizers to desserts and all of the side dishes in between that you need to plan a drool-worthy Thanksgiving feast. Scroll down for 30+ Thanksgiving recipes to inspire your turkey day feast, and don’t forget, there’s a full Thanksgiving menu with recipes and tips in my cookbook — New England Invite: Fresh Feasts to Savor the Seasons! read more

Recipes

Bourbon Ginger Pear Punch.

I proclaimed to my family that after tons of work events and big projects this past week that I’m in desperate need of an “introvert night.” All I want is some cozy jammies, a rolling fire in the fireplace, a full DVR, and a delicious cocktail I can sip on while not talking to anyone. It’s a tall order for this time of year when our schedules are so darn busy with the beginning of the holiday bonanza but know I can check one item off that dream list though, in the form of this delicious cocktail that’s perfect for the late fall. It’s a Bourbon Ginger Pear Punch, and it packs some serious flavor into a glass. read more

Recipes

Mushroom and Shallot Brioche Stuffing.

I shared a hearty cornbread-sausage stuffing on the blog to kick off my new Thanksgiving recipes, and this stuffing is a swing in a totally different direction: Mushroom, Shallot Brioche Stuffing. It’s lighter and fluffier — almost like a bread pudding texture — and the flavors are much more earthy with shallots and mixed mushrooms and loads of fresh thyme. I’m always a fan of having one classic, basic stuffing on the table to stick to tradition, and then one stuffing that is a little bit more gourmet and different. This version definitely fits the bill for the latter category! Get the full recipe below, and check out all of my Thanksgiving recipes here! read more

Recipes

Harvest Salad with Creamy Pumpkin Vinaigrette.

I am feeling all of the fall flavors lately and finding ways to work the season’s best ingredients into every dish I make. This salad is bursting with those seasonal notes, combining roasted sweet potatoes, pepita-coated goat cheese bites, dried cranberries and a simple pumpkin vinaigrette made with pumpkin puree. The key to any good salad though is the base that it sits on – the greens! I build this harvest-inspired salad on Little Leaf Farms Red & Green Leaf Mix, which is grown locally in a greenhouse facility in Devens, Massachusetts! read more

Recipes

Bourbon Brown Butter Roasted Cauliflower.

I polled my readers a few weeks ago to figure out what people were looking for in their Thanksgiving menu research and overwhelmingly there was a call for fresh takes on vegetable dishes. I think that people were generally looking for healthy vegetables but on a day like Thanksgiving I find it quite hard not to make even the poster-child of healthy veggies — cauliflower — a bit indulgent. Cauliflower is such a great ingredient because it can take on so many different flavors depending on how it’s prepared (see my garlic and herb cauliflower mash for another good example). This version starts with roasting the cauliflower for a nutty, caramelized flavor and then gets topped off with a quick sauce made of brown butter, a splash of bourbon and sweet maple syrup. Then it’s all tossed together with chopped walnuts and fresh parsley — it’s simple but so flavorful! Get the full recipe below, and check out all of my Thanksgiving recipes here! read more

Recipes

Sweet and Spicy Sausage Cornbread Stuffing.

I am so excited to be kicking off all of my Thanksgiving recipe content today! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and stuffing is my favorite Thanksgiving food — so of course that’s where we’re starting with our new recipes! This sweet and spicy sausage cornbread stuffing evolved as I was testing it, and I’m happy to report where it ended up was right at the corner of delicious and delectable. The stuffing gets a bit of spice from the hot Italian sausage crumbles, and a bit of sweet from the apple cider used to deglaze the pan and the dried cranberries dotting the top of the dish. It’s also full of seasonal flavors, like fragrant celery seed and fresh sage, all wrapped up in those tasty cornbread crumbles. The best part? You can make it all in a cast iron skillet and serve it in there too — one less dish to wash at the end of the night! Get the full recipe below, and check out all of my Thanksgiving recipes here! read more

Recipes

Be a Better Baker Challenge: Croissants

Please note: This post was created in collaboration with Chase Freedom Unlimited. All opinions, images and content are my own.

I took on one of my hardest projects yet in my most recent bake for my “be a better baker challenge” in collaboration with my friends at Chase Freedom Unlimited! Croissants have been on my to-bake list for ages; they’re one of my favorite French pastries but have always felt way too challenging to manage making at home. I started to feel a bit more confident after some of my bread baking and pretzel-making experiments, and a laminated dough felt like the most logical next step to continue to challenge myself. read more

Recipes

Halloween Popcorn Balls.

My very favorite treats are the ones that are a little bit salty and a little bit sweet! I worked with my friends at Family Circle Magazine to share some festive Halloween ideas in their October issue, and one the treats I made for the display was that perfect combination: popcorn balls! This recipe for popcorn balls is made with Sugar In The Raw®, honey, and a touch of butter.  The natural molasses in the golden crystals of Sugar In The Raw® provides a great base when combined with the honey to keep the popcorn balls together. read more

Recipes

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup.

It’s soup season! I am so in love with this new soup recipe and couldn’t wait to share it today. I’ve been playing around with the idea of a loaded cauliflower soup for a while and this version just hit the spot! I started by roasting two heads of cauliflower and a head of garlic in the oven — it makes the cauliflower really rich and nutty. All that it needed for seasoning was a bit of olive oil and a sea salt with herbs (I use this brand!). Then you pulse the roasted cauliflower and garlic in a blender with some really good chicken broth and cracked black pepper, it’s as easy as can be.  This soup is unintentionally  dairy-free; when I was first testing it I had planned to stir in some cream at the end to give it a richer flavor, but just taste-testing it from the blender it was already so rich and flavorful I decided it didn’t need it! To finish it off, I topped it with some crispy bacon crumbles and chives — delicious! Get the full recipe below: read more