Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Television seemed more exciting to me when I was younger. The same goes for movies, I used to love going to see new movies every Friday evening in my twenties. I would get addicted to television shows and be excited for the next weeks episode. Now in my middle thirties television and movies just don't seem to hold the same appeal. A big part of the change might have to do with the Internet and the way that I watch movies and television. My family dropped cable years ago, we now rely on Netflix and Hulu. It's cheaper and we don't miss having all pointless channels that have nothing to watch on them. However, I also seem to not enjoy television the way that I used to. I get bored halfway through a lot of episodes and more than a couple of seasons of any show is just a little too much. There are exceptions, there are some shows that I have watched for years, but they are the exception not the norm. Maybe my expectations for television and movies have gotten higher the older I get. I have far less time to waste hours watching a movie that I hate. Maybe I just haven't watched anything great lately. Whatever the reason I have preferred books to television and movies for years and the trend seems to get only stronger the older I get. Hopefully I'm not alone.

Last week I was having a strong craving for pancakes. Gluten free pancakes can be very hit or miss, some are great, others barely edible. I decided to try a new recipe for Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes in order to utilize the large amount of oat flour I had in my cupboard.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of total time, 10 minutes of which is active, and makes 8 pancakes. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. First I had a large container of coconut oil so I used it in the recipe. I warmed it in the microwave and I had no problems with it re-solidifying (like the recipe mentioned). I also cheated and didn't let the batter sit for 10 minutes. It was breakfast and I was hungry and I just wanted to eat. Not letting the batter sit didn't seem to change the outcome of the  pancakes. They were still fluffy without the wait time. Finally, I doubled the recipe and made my pancakes a little bigger than the recipe suggested so I ended up with 12 pancakes total.

These pancakes turned out very well. I topped the servings with melted peanut butter (which is delicious on pancakes and waffles - just heat peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds and it pours like syrup). The pancakes had a great banana taste and rose well on the griddle. They were delicious with peanut butter, but would also be great with butter or syrup. The only change I would make would be to add a small amount of vanilla extract the next time.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes.

Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

Gluten Free Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

I got stuck in a thunderstorm with a scared and crying 4-year-old today. It seems that every time we have a late summer storm it hits right before I have to go to the bus and wait for my oldest to come home. Now it wouldn't be as bad if the bus actually came in front of our house, it doesn't. I have to walk a block down the street and across to wait for the bus. Plus the bus is never on time so I have to arrive 5 minutes early. Today there was lightening, horrible rain and wind waiting for me as I stepped out the door. My 4-year-old was terrified and by the time I got to the bus stop I was sopping wet. It only got better as the tree across the street got struck by lightening and my oldest stepped off the bus crying. It wasn't the best weather scenario to be stuck in. Luckily the nasty weather brought our temperature down 25 degrees from yesterday's high, so I will take the cooler weather. Cooler weather always makes me think forward to fall and most of all fall baking. This week I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins from Martha Stewart Living.

Ritter Park Sign Huntington, WV

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 1 hour of total time, a half hour of which is active and makes 12 muffins. The original recipe was for 8 mini loaves. I have never owned mini loaf pans, with two boys mini loafs just aren't something that would be eaten in my house. Muffins on the other hand are very popular. Plus they are easy for my boys to grab from the kitchen on their own, which is much easier than cutting a loaf of bread for them. I ended up with 12 muffins and my baking time was approximately 20 minutes. I also made a batch of gluten free muffins. For the gluten free version I used gluten free all purpose baking mix. I do make my own gluten free baking mix on occasion, but this time I used pre-made boxed mix. The baking time for the gluten free muffins was around 25 minutes. I did not garnish the finished muffins with sage. I figured the sage flavor would be too intense and I know my two boys would comment and refuse to eat them.

Ritter Park Huntington, WV

The funny thing with this recipe is that the gluten free muffins turned out higher than the regular muffins. They were crumbly, but that is normal with gluten free baking. The regular muffins were a little intense on the sage flavor for my two boys. It is definitely more of an adult taste, with the browned butter and sage combination. However, I loved the gluten free muffins and ate two while they were still warm. This recipe would also make a great full size loaf, just increase the baking time to about an hour.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins.

Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Muffins

Recipe Type: Muffins

Summary:

A simple recipe for pumpkin muffins with fresh sage and browned butter. Great for fall baking!

Preparation Time: 0h, 30m

Cooking Time: 0h, 30m

Total Time: 1h, 0m

Yield: Serves 12

Wanting to Escape the Heat and Think of Cooler Weather: Try Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce

Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The weather is cooler, without being cold and the leaves turn beautiful colors. Best of all are the fall foods. I love anything involving apples or pumpkin. Since we are in the middle of the heat of summer it can be a little hard to want to cook. The humidity has been very high and the temps were in the 90's today. Needless to say it doesn't make me want to cook. It leaves me thinking of all the great things to come in the fall. So I decided to try some fall like foods for dinner tonight. I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce from the new All Recipes magazine.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 25 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I followed the recipe mostly as written. I make my own chicken broth since it allows me to control the amount of salt (and it tastes better). While the original recipe uses butter I substituted extra virgin olive oil. I prefer cooking with olive oil since it is healthier for the heart. Since Vidalia onions are in season that is the type I used in this recipe. They really are delicious. I allowed my onions to caramelize before adding the pumpkin. I hate half cooked onions in recipes, it turns me off.

If you are making this for more than two people you really need to double the amount of sauce. As written it was barely enough for three small sized portions. My husband likes lots of sauce and this needed more to fully coat the pasta. I liked that the chipotle peppers gave it a nice kick, if you like spicy foods you can increase the amount or seed the peppers to reduce the spiciness.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce.

Flavorful Quick 40 Minute Pasta Bolognese

I have been in the mood for comfort food this week. There is something about fall and winter that make me want to bake and cook foods that feel warm and like home. Since I can't eat gluten I have had to re-learn a lot of my favorite comfort foods that my mother made growing up. The dish that I struggled with the most making gluten free was macaroni and cheese. Every time I tried making it the flavor and texture was off. After approximately 10 tries I finally discovered a baked macaroni and cheese that even my husband enjoyed. The trick with a lot of gluten pasta recipes is to bake them in the oven or add a lot of spices. Now that I have baked a number of gluten free pasta dishes I love them and make pasta once a week. Last week I tried a new recipe for Quick Pasta Bolognese from the February 2013 issue of Eating Well magazine.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I did make a few modifications to the recipe. First I used gluten free pasta instead of whole-wheat. My husband and two boys love meat so I used a whole pound of lean ground beef. After the pasta was done cooking I added it to the sauce, tossed and continued cooking until the pasta was fully done. I cook my pasta until al dente and then finish cooking in the sauce. I prefer this method for pasta, it ensures that the pasta doesn't over cook and that the sauce is fully incorporated. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

Increasing the meat in this recipe worked well. I would suggest using whole tomatoes instead of diced and crushing the tomatoes by hand. To crush my tomatoes by hand I place them in a Ziploc, seal it and then crush it between my fingers. The diced tomatoes had a texture that my husband and I weren't big fans of, but could be easily remedied by using whole tomatoes instead. Make sure to add salt before serving, this dish needs to be salted adequately for flavor.

For the recipe go to Quick Pasta Bolognese.

Easy Baked Ziti with Pumpkin, Spinach and Chicken Sausage

I absolutely love pumpkin. There is something so comforting and relaxing about baking and cooking with winter squash, especially pumpkin. While I make pumpkin dishes year round I make a large number of pumpkin recipes during the fall and winter. The cooler months seem to just cry out for pumpkin. Everyone always thinks of pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie, but I love savory dishes that utilize the squash. As I have stated before my family loves pasta. Growing up my mother made pasta multiple times a week and it has been an ingredient that I have loved ever since. My two boys are huge pasta eaters and will eat spaghetti tossed with olive oil as a snack. Combining pasta and pumpkin is something I love to do. A couple of weeks back I tried a new recipe for Baked Ziti with Pumpkin and Sausage from Libby's Pumpkin.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 12 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and I made no ingredient modifications. Since I eat gluten free I used gluten free penne and gluten free all-purpose flour. I am not a huge fan of reduced fat mozzarella and always buy fresh mozzarella so I used full fat fresh mozzarella instead of the shredded suggest by the recipe. I prefer fresh mozzarella, the taste is superior to shredded. I found that it was hard to have enough pasta to spread across the pan when layering. Don't worry though once it is baked it works fine. I actually added the mozzarella cheese at the beginning of the cooking time and then the Parmesan cheese the last five minutes. I preferred this method since it allowed the fresh mozzarella to fully melt.

If you like your pasta with a kick I would suggest adding more cayenne. I only added a pinch as suggested and I felt that it needed a little more flavor. I would add 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne or 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper if you like spicy foods. My husband was pleased that the recipe made the gluten free pasta not noticeable. He eats gluten free at dinner with me, but gluten free pasta he often finds lack luster. This dish was nice since it masked the taste of the gluten free pasta and the flavor from the pumpkin came out nicely.

For the recipe go to Baked Ziti with Pumpkin and Sausage.

Oatmeal Brulee with Ginger Cream

As I have discussed many times before, breakfast is the meal I struggle with the most. My natural tendency in the morning is to grab a cup of coffee and nothing else until the middle of the afternoon. The men in my house on the other hand wake-up very hungry. My two boys pop out of bed in the morning and want food right away. If I take more than 5 minutes, they start following me around asking why I haven't started their breakfast. Since my husband leaves for work at 6 in the morning I try to make sure that the meals I make for breakfast are quick and easy. I really don't have the energy to go full out at 6:30. However, on weekends I like to take the time to make a more labor and time intensive breakfast. Weekend breakfasts allow my family to talk about what has happened during the week and be together. This weekend I tried a new recipe for Oatmeal Brulee with Ginger Cream from the December/January issue of Taste of Home magazine, which looked delicious and perfect for fall.

This recipe has 15 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, 30 minutes of which is active, and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. Since I eat gluten-free I used gluten-free oats, however, regular oats would work just as well for people who can eat gluten. I haven't seen fresh raspberries in months so I bought frozen. The broiler on my oven has been broken for years so I used the broiler on my toaster oven. My total broiling time was longer since I used this method, about 15 minutes total. Instead of using butter to grease my ramekins, I used non-stick spray. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I loved this recipe. The ginger cream was delicious and the crusty sugar topping was very popular with my two kids. Plus, the time was reasonable for a weekend meal and the oatmeal was perfect with hard boiled eggs for breakfast. This is definitely a recipe I would make again.

For the recipe go to Oatmeal Brulee with Ginger Cream.

Gluten Free Eggnog Pancakes

Breakfast is the one meal that I always struggle with. I am horrible about grabbing a cup of coffee in the morning and then nothing else until the middle of the afternoon. After getting sick with pneumonia last winter I have changed my breakfast routine and attempt to eat breakfast every morning. Granted it's still a struggle. Some days I do great and others I glance up and it's 2 pm and all I've eaten is a brownie. Not so great. My two boys on the other are great breakfast eaters. They love pancakes, waffles and anything breakfast related. The only problem I have with them is that they get bored easily. If given the choice they would eat only sugar in the morning, pop-tarts, cookies you name it. I on the other hand want them to eat at least a little bit healthy, so I try to find a compromise. This week I tried a new recipe for Eggnog Pancakes from the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, which looked perfect for my family's breakfast needs.

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of prep, 4 minutes of cooking per patch and makes 16 pancakes. I did make a few changes to the recipe since I eat gluten free. Instead of all-purpose flour I used gluten free all-purpose flour. The gluten free all-purpose flour that I use has coconut flour as the main flour and is great for cooking and baking. I love eggnog, but I hate all the fat, so I used low-fat eggnog which only has 3 grams of fat per cup. For the cooking I used a griddle, which I love for making pancakes. A griddle makes all the difference for getting golden beautiful pancakes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys really loved this recipe. The pancakes baked up beautiful and neither of my kids noticed that I made them gluten free. I served their servings with butter and my serving with pure maple syrup. They were great either way and would be just as great with wheat flour. A great breakfast option for the holiday season.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Eggnog Pancakes.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread or Muffins

Cold season has definitely hit my house. My two boys and I seem to have had a cold for the last two weeks straight. I am not one of those people that does well sick. I tend to be irritable and a wee bit snappy. It doesn't help that last winter the cold that I had turned into pneumonia and then two trips to the ER and a hospital stay. I think the whole ordeal has me a little paranoid. Add that to the fact that the two times I have intended to get my flu shot this year some sort of mini-issue has prevented it from happening. Luckily I got the pneumonia shot last year and I am determined to get my flu shot before the end of the month. The beginning of cold/flu season always has me thinking of food. Weird I know, but colder weather and feeling under the weather makes me long for soup and comfort food. As I have talked about before this is my favorite time of the year. I absolutely love fall flavors, with pumpkin being my number one favorite fall food. However, this is the first year I have been eating completely gluten free, so things have been a little different. The fall back staples in my fall recipe file have had to be modified. Some recipes have worked gluten free really well. Others have been pretty much disasters. Last month I tried a new recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread from Everyday Food which worked great as both bread and muffins.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 1 1/2 of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 8 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I found a great coconut flour based all-purpose gluten free flour which I love. It makes the best cookies and baked goods and my kids can't tell the difference from regular wheat flour. Make sure to not overly beat the mixture once the pumpkin and buttermilk is added. Overly stirring will cause the bread to not rise properly and have a dense, not fluffy texture. I had to cover the bread with foil approximately a half an hour into baking to prevent over browning. I actually made this recipe twice. The first time as bread and the second time as muffins. For the muffins I made 12 total and baked them for approximately 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. I used muffins liners since I love how they look and they are so much easier to deal with than trying to get muffins out of a pan. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys loved this bread. It doesn't have an overly strong nutmeg/cinnamon flavor. If you are a fan of a strong spice flavor I would recommend adding a small amount of ground cloves to the recipe or even a bit of ginger. I often add ground cloves to my pumpkin bread recipes and it does a great job of adding a little something extra. This recipe worked well as both bread and muffins and we ate the whole bread in less than a day. A great gluten free recipe that I will definitely make again.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread.

Yellow Squash Cake with Icing

This is the time of the year that I am always swimming in garden vegetables. I am fortunate that all my friends and family know that I cook and bake and throughout the summer I am always being dropped off pounds and pounds of vegetables. It is nice to know that I have such a great network of people that know that I will treat their garden fruits and vegetables with love and appreciation when I cook and bake. While I love savory dishes using vegetables, as I have stated numerous times in the past I am a big fan of sweets. So are my two boys who this morning ate an entire batch of brown sugar oatmeal waffles. Since I crave sweets so frequently I have learned to bake cakes, cookies and baked goods with modifications. A major modification that I make to almost all recipes using large amounts of vegetable oil is to substitute with unsweetened apple sauce. It keeps cakes and breads moist without overly effecting the taste or texture. A couple of weeks back I received 15 pounds of yellow squash, so I set about finding a recipe to utilize them in and came across a great recipe for Summer Squash Bread from Allrecipes.com.

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 1 hour of total time and makes 16 servings. I made some major changes to this recipe. First instead of using 1 cup of oil I substituted 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce. I also cut down the sugar to a cup and a half, two cups of sugar was too high for my kids. Make sure to squeeze all the water out of the squash before using. I place my shredded squash between layers of paper towels and squeeze over the sink. You will be able to squeeze a large amount of water out of the squash, keep squeezing until no additional water comes out. Finally, instead of using a loaf pan I baked my bread in a bundt pan. I also topped my finish bread with a powdered sugar/butter glaze. My total baking time was slightly longer since I used a bundt pan, I would approximate 15 additional minutes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys really liked this recipe. It was easy enough that my oldest son was able to help me bake it and since I baked the cake in a bundt pan it made more than the 16 servings suggested by the recipe. The changes to the oil and sugar made this recipe much healthier without sacrificing on taste. Overall a great way to use garden vegetables.

For the recipe go to Summer Squash Bread.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

My husband likes to tease me that I eat a lot of carbs. He's right, I would be a horrible person on a low-carb diet, I just can't live without bread, muffins, pretty much baked goods in general. I know that I have my dad to blame for this love of all things bread related. Growing up when my mom was out doing her tupperware parties my dad would take me to the donut shop down the street and we would literally eat a dozen donuts between the two of us. I was also so thin that the doctors put me on ensure to gain weight, which did nothing except make me hate the taste of vanilla drinks for the rest of my life. Needless to say I have been lucky most of my life that eating a large amount of carbs has never had the effect that my husband claims they have had on his waistline. However, now that I am in my thirties I have been trying to find ways to modify my favorite carb snacks into healthier versions. This week I had an abundance of garden veggies and thought that the Chocolate Zucchini Muffin recipe on Allrecipes.com would be a good starting point for a healthier muffin.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 35 minutes of prep and cook time and makes 2 dozen muffins. I made a number of ingredient modifications to this recipe. First I never have cardamon in my house, it's not a spice that I use frequently. Given that I didn't have the spice and I had no desire to run to the store in 100 degree heat I left it out completely. Second, the thought of using 1 whole cup of oil made me cringe. Instead I substituted 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce. The original recipe only uses cocoa powder. I also added 1/2 package of mixed bittersweet and milk chocolate all natural chocolate chips. Finally I ended up with 18 muffins total since I like my muffins on the larger size. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys ate the majority of this batch of muffins and had no idea that they were eating zucchini or that I substituted the fat with applesauce. I was very happy with how moist the muffins were with the applesauce and the taste was delicious. It was definitely a great way to use an overabundance of garden vegetables and is a recipe that I would use again in the future.

For the recipe go to Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.

Food and Wine Pasta with Roasted Squash, Sausage and Pecans

Pasta recipes always grab my attention. I read through a ton of magazines every month looking for new recipes to try. I glance over any recipe with impossible to find ingredients or a flavor that I know that someone in my family refuses to eat. Then I look through the remaining and pull out all the recipes for my recipe file (which funny story is now in an old suitcase). I have a ton of pasta recipes in my pile of magazine recipes to try in the future. I can always be guaranteed that my children will at least try a pasta recipe, which is more than I can say for other recipes. I normally make pasta at least once a week, so I try to vary the vegetables and meats that I use. The February issue of Food and Wine Magazine had a recipe for Pasta with Roasted Squash, Sausage and Pecans, which looked easy and a perfect way to use winter squash.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 50 minutes to prepare and cook, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 6 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I did find that my sage didn't work exactly as the recipe stated. When I added my sage to the butter, it only got partially crisp, which was fine since it was for flavor and none of us would have actually eaten the sage leaves. Be careful when roasting the butternut squash or it will burn. I stirred my squash twice during the cooking time to prevent sticking and burning. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The flavor on this dish is mild. The only flavor comes from the sage and the butternut squash. It is a good basic, pasta dish, but it would benefit from either using hot Italian sausage or adding red pepper flakes. My two boys liked the mild flavor and ate their entire serving. My husband and I added red pepper flakes, which we both thought added a nice flavor to the dish.

For the recipe go to Pasta with Roasted Squash, Sausage and Pecans.

Family Circle Root Vegetable Gratin

I have a slight obsession with root vegetables, I absolutely love them. The fall/winter season is one of my favorite times of the year since root vegetables are so easy to find and there are numerous new recipes to try. My two boys are just beginning to appreciate and eat parsnips and turnips, so I have been looking for more ways to incorporate them into my family's diet. Hence, the McDonald's plate in the photo. As I was looking through the November issue of Family Circle magazine I ran across a recipe for Root Vegetable Gratin, which looked delicious and a great way to use root vegetables.

This recipe has 16 ingredients. It takes two hours of prep and cooking time and makes six servings. The prep on this recipe took me slightly longer than the 25 minutes suggested, I find that it takes me a while to prep butternut squash. I was easily able to find all the ingredients at my local grocery store and didn't have to make any modifications to ingredients. I found that even after sitting for 10 minutes the gratin was still not completely thickened. After sitting overnight in the fridge the thickness was much better than when I first served the recipe. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys were big fans of this recipe. Root vegetables are always a hit in my household and this recipe was no exception. The recipe states that it makes 6 servings, but I found that it made more like 8-10 when served as a side dish. I would suggest allowing the gratin to sit longer than 10 minutes in order for it to fully set. Overall, a great fall dish.

For the recipe go to Root Vegetable Gratin.

Saveur Kartoffelrahmsuppe (Spiced Potato Soup)

Cold weather doesn't agree with me. I freeze once the temp hits approximately 50 degrees. Everyone else in my house seems content to sit around in t-shirts, while I have a sweatshirt and huge blanket wrapped around me. To me the fall and winter are worse weather wise than the summer. Even when I am burning up I can shed clothes or turn on the air conditioner, in the winter I just plain freeze. One thing I love to keep me somewhat warm during the cooler months is soup. There is nothing more warming than a big bowl of soup and a slice of homemade bread. Recently, Saveur magazine had a recipe for Kartoffelrahmsuppe (Spiced Potato Soup), which looked creamy, warm, and delicious.

This recipe has 18 ingredients. The prep and cooking time is approximately an hour and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients. Recently, my local grocery store has started carrying leeks in the organic section, which is so much better than having to drive 30 minutes to the suburban grocery store. Instead of store bought stock, I used the homemade chicken stock that I already had in my freezer. I chose to leave out the caramelized onions since my two boys were eating the recipe, and would shy away from them. Instead of cooking the soup for 30 minutes, I allowed my soup to cook for closer to 45 minutes in order for the potatoes to be completely soft and cooked through. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was very impressed with this recipe. The horseradish gives the soup a spicy undertone which blends perfectly with the potatoes and leeks. The recipe states that it makes 4 servings, but it made enough for a meal for my family of four plus leftovers for lunch the next day. This soup would make a great addition to a steak dinner or a roast beef sandwich. A delicious soup that would compliment a variety of beef dishes.

For the recipe go to Spiced Potato Soup.

Taste of Home Pumpkin Bisque with Smoked Gouda

As I've stated many times before, this is my favorite time if year. There are many things that I love about the fall, but the biggest is the food. Growing up my mother would go into a baking and cooking frenzy during the months leading up to Christmas. The smells were delicious and my mother would spend hours teaching me to cook the dishes she was making. Now that I have a family of my own I have continued the tradition of fall baking with my own family. My absolute favorite fall ingredient is pumpkin, I love it in just about everything. I was excited when the November issue of Taste of Home magazine had a recipe for Pumpkin Bisque with Smoked Gouda, which looked delicious and utilized my favorite fall ingredient, pumpkin.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It makes 9 servings and takes 15 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking time. During the non-fall/winter months it is absolutely impossible to find pure pumpkin in my local stores, but this time of the year it is easily found. All the ingredients were basic and I had no problems finding any of them at my local grocery store. I made my own chicken broth from scratch. I prefer the taste of homemade broth, plus it is free of preservatives and sodium (I don't salt my broth, I salt the dish I prepare it with instead). I used thick-cut bacon, I love the taste and texture and use it frequently in my dishes.Make sure to adequately salt the soup, since I used homemade chicken broth which I don't salt when preparing I had to add a significant amount of salt for flavor. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

Pumpkin soup is delicious, and this recipe was no exception. I loved how quick this bisque went together and how few ingredients were needed. My two boys were impressed with this soup and ate their entire servings. The recipe states that this serves 9, but I found there was a significant amount of leftovers after feeding my family of four. Overall, a delicious and easy pumpkin soup recipe, perfect for the fall.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Bisque with Smoked Gouda.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you haven't guessed from previous blog posts, I absolutely love pumpkin. Fall is my favorite time of year and I do a ton of baking during the fall and winter months. There is something very comforting about the smell of baked goods during the colder months which makes me feel very warm and homey. My husband and kids just love that they get all kinds of delicious food and sweets to try. A couple of years back I started making my own pumpkin puree due to my total inability to find any type of canned pure pumpkin. With so many freezer bags full of homemade puree I set out to find various recipes utilitizing the ingredient. I found a number of chocolate-chip cookie recipes that I was less than excited with and my family half-heartidly ate them. This year I tried a new recipe from the Food Network website and I was pleased with the result (and so were the rest of my household, who ate almost 60 of these cookies last week).

This recipe has 14 ingredients and yields approximately 60 cookies. The total time is 32 minutes, with 15 minutes of cooking time. The ingredients are very basic, I had every spice and dry good already in my pantry cupboard. Instead of using store-bought pumpkin puree I used the homemade pumpkin puree I made last month. This recipe would work just as well however, with the canned variety. Be very careful with the baking time for these cookies. My oven tends to run hot, so I turned my pans half-way through the baking. These cookies brown a little quickly, but if you take them out too soon they will be very cake-like in texture. If you prefer a less soft texture, I would flatten out the cookies with a cup or spoon before baking. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written, with no modifications.

These were a much bigger hit in my household than the previous chocolate-chip pumpkin cookie recipes that I have tried. This recipe does make a lot of cookies, so would be perfect for a party or a bake sale. However, the cookies are pretty small, so if you prefer you could make larger cookies or bake the batter in a 13 by 9 inch pan and bake them as bar cookies (with an adjusted cooking time). Overall, a delicious way to use fall flavors that takes very little time to prepare and cook, and would be a perfect baking activity with kids (my five-year-old was able to help with no problems).

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Pumpkin Scones

As I've stated numerous times recently, fall is my favorite time of the year. The weather cools down, but isn't too cool yet, the leaves turn beautiful colors, and best of all the food. I have a slight pumpkin obsession and make just about anything possible using pumpkin puree. For whatever reason, pumpkin puree is impossible to find in my area except for the few months leading up to Thanksgiving. Therefore, I make my own pumpkin puree, which is very quick and easy to do. With a freezer full of puree I have been making numerous recipes, with one of my favorite being Pumpkin Scones. The recipe is as follows:

• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 7 tablespoons Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg 
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 6 tablespoons Cold Butter
• 1/2 cup canned or homemade pureed Pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons Half and Half
• 1 large Egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl.  Cut butter into mixture (either using a pasty cutter or a food processor, sometimes I even use a fork). Mixture should be crumbly, but not full of butter lumps.

In another bowl combine pumpkin, half and half and egg. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Form a ball with the dough, add more flour if dough is too sticky. Form dough into a circle approximately 1 inch thick, cut into either 8 or 12 scones, depending on the size preferred. Place on a greased baking sheet. If desired brush with heavy whipping cream and sugar (I almost always do this step, but some people prefer scones without this step). Bake for 14-16 minutes.

These scones are very easy to make and have a great fall flavor. The original recipe included two types of glaze, I chose to bake the scones without the glaze, I try to avoid additional sugar when possible. My two boys really enjoyed these scones and ate almost the whole batch before my husband arrived home from work. A great way to use fall spices and makes a delicious breakfast or snack.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my chocolate-chip pumpkin cookie recipe!

This recipe was adapted from here. It contains the recipe for the two glazes, if you would prefer to add them to the recipe.
.

Martha Stewart Living Three-Cheese Macaroni

Most days I eat very healthy. However, I still love comfort food and make it relatively frequently. Growing up my mother made the best homemade macaroni and cheese. She had a hand written recipe for my grandmother's macaroni and cheese that I still keep in my recipe file. It was simple and delicious. My two sons will eat any type of macaroni and cheese that I give them, boxed or homemade, so I am always looking for a recipe that my husband and I will also enjoy. The October issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine had a recipe for Three-Cheese Macaroni, which loved like a delicious grown-up comfort food.

This recipe has 13 ingredients and takes 1 hour and 10 minutes, 40 minutes of which is active. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and had the majority already in my pantry cupboard. The three cheeses used in the recipe are sharp cheddar, Gruyere and Fontina. I used a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, rather than mini pie plates. The total cooking time, I found to be longer than the suggested 15 minutes due to the larger pan. My total cooking time was probably closer to 20-25 minutes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The cayenne in this recipe gave a nice kick to the macaroni, making it not bland like many macaroni and cheese recipes can be. This makes a large pan of macaroni, so it would be perfect for a potluck or dinner party. I actually thought that the dish tasted even better after it had sat in the fridge overnight and then was re-heated in the oven. It gave the macaroni a nice thick consistency, so I recommend letting the recipe sit in the refrigerator. This dish was a hit with my two-year-old, he absolutely loved it, a very family friendly recipe.

As with most of the October 2011 Martha Stewart Living magazine recipes, this recipe is currently unavailable on-line. It can be found in the October 2011 issue or there is another recipe for Macaroni and Three Cheeses on the Martha Stewart website.