Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because of the food – of course! The past few years though the holiday that been inching up my favorites list has been friendsgiving. It seems like everyone has adopted this fun tradition, and I’m delighted that it’s become so popular. It’s another chance to indulge in tasty Thanksgiving side dishes (I love to use it as an excuse to test a new recipe that I might not normally try for actual Thanksgiving day). I also have noticed that friendsgiving tends to come with a bit more of a casual vibe than the traditional family gathering, where friends just kick back with cocktails and bites and catch up – which I am certainly on board for.
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I am continuing on my mission to create to tasty recipes that are toddler-approved, while still being enjoyable for the adults at the table too. Jane, like most kids (and adults), is a big fan of macaroni and cheese. I recently made my classic homemade macaroni and cheese recipe, and stirred in some leftover butternut squash pieces and a few dashes of cinnamon while the pasta and cheese were still piping hot. The butternut squash melted into the sauce and created a sweet, seasonal spin on my favorite pasta dish. It was such a hit that I made it again for a family party this weekend, and it was a hit with both the kids and the grown-ups at the party.
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If I scan a restaurant menu and see anything, I mean anything, that has a brown butter sauce poured over it then I stop right there and close the menu — I know what I’ll be ordering. What is brown butter? Essentially it’s just butter that is cooked over medium-high heat until browned and foamy, which brings out the sweet and savory flavors and tastes delicious drizzled over pasta and seafood and steak. I decided to take this tasty technique and give it an autumnal spin for an easy weeknight dinner: Brown Butter Pumpkin Ravioli.
Our favorite candy and sweets filled holiday is right around the corner and I’m getting prepared with some Halloween recipe ideas. My friends at Peapod challenged me to come up with a Halloween treat that was both gluten-free and nut-free, and still delicious for all to enjoy. I love challenges like this because I feel like I’m on one of those competitive cooking shows, and nothing gets my creative juices flowing like friendly-competition. We actually have quite a few relatives who are gluten-free for health reasons, so I happened to know that my classic marshmallow crispy treat recipe starts with all gluten-free ingredients: butter, marshmallows, and crispy rice cereal.
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While it may seem like the holiday season is months away, in blogger world we get started on our holiday projects early (in fact, I’m busy testing some thanksgiving recipes this week to prepare!). One thing getting my in that holiday mindset is the fact that a recipe I worked on for Family Circle Magazine, featuring Torani Syrups, Domino and C&H Sugar is out on newsstands today! I’m flipping through the pages and getting inspired for the coming months. Grab a copy and check out my sweet holiday creation inside, a Chestnut Praline Frappe!
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Dinnertime can be a challenge on a good day, but add an infant or a toddler to the mix and it can be down right exhausting. Our daughter is 8 months old and diving head first into the world of solid foods right now. More than anything, she always wants to be eating what my husband and I are eating, which is great, as long as we’re eating something that’s appropriate for a toothless baby.
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There is nothing more satisfying on a cold winter day than a warm bowl of hearty soup, but we don’t always have time to wait for a stockpot to simmer for hours. Roasting root vegetables like butternut squash, carrots, onions and shallots with herbs and seasoning brings out flavor fast. Adding chopped apples to the roasted vegetable mix adds a perfect level of sweetness to the earthy soup flavors. Blending the roasted vegetables with warmed College Inn® Broth puts this soup on the table in under an hour and infuses the meal with extra bold flavors! Check out the video and full recipe below:
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We have reason to celebrate! It’s National Coffee Day! I shouldn’t just be celebrating today because there’s no way I would have survived this year as a new mom and business owner without copious amounts of coffee, let alone every Monday for the past few decades. Everyday is a coffee celebration in my book. Seeing that today is the official day for coffee though, I had to do something special, and decided to make a batch of mini-coffee cake style donuts to pair with a strong cup of coffee.
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The weather is really throwing me for a loop. My calendar says fall, my cravings say fall, but the thermometer is reading in the high 70s and I really want to pull out my boots and blanket scarves. We took Jane apple picking this weekend and while we sweated our way through the experience, I left with a big craving for autumn flavors. That is exactly where the inspiration for this recipe came from, an apple cider roasted chicken served over wild rice and asparagus.
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We rely on our grill at our house about 9 months out of the year. If it’s not snowing, we’re out on the porch grilling. I love the charred, crispy flavor you get from the heat and smoke of the grill, and I really love how fun it is to have friends over barbeque. When we host friends and family, I always like to make sure I have food options for everyone, including vegetarians! I got to brainstorming the other day about some tastier vegetarian options to add to my barbeque repertoire and this stuffed mushroom “burger” idea came to mind.
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