Pumpkin Pie Spice

This is the first week of Fall and despite how darn hot it still is outside, I am in full Fall mode! This is going to be the week of the Pumpkin on my blog - today, I'm talking about how I make Pumpkin Pie Spice. Tomorrow, I'm sharing my Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Recipe and on Thursday, I'm sharing a delicious recipe for Pumpkin Muffins with a cinnamon sugar on top!

The Struggle is Real

While I do love most everything about being in the kitchen, there are a few things that just drive me nuts! Today, I'm running through the list of things that I really struggle with while I'm cooking and baking!

Pesto, Tomato & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken

I should preface this post by saying that dealing with chicken is my least favorite kitchen duty. I don't love working with any meat really, but I find chicken the hardest! If I were to ever go vegetarian, my aversion to raw meat would be the main reason for my vegetarianism! This recipe involves a whole lot of raw chicken work - bleh! If you don't mind it, this recipe is great for you. If you struggle, as I do with raw meat, please know that the end result is so so worth it!!

My dad actually did the bulk of the heavy lifting in this recipe, but I'm so glad I got to take pictures to share with you! The recipe is from a blog called The Laughing Spatula, you can find it HERE.

Butter Chickpeas ( a Vegan & Gluten Free Recipe!)

I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and since then, someone in my family requests it almost daily! My mom has been Gluten free since January, so I am always on the lookout for tasty gluten free recipes - when this popped up on my Pinterest feed, I was intrigued! My family is not vegan (or even vegetarian for that matter) but I like to try to go meatless as often as possible! I strongly encourage you to try this yummy take on the traditional Butter Chicken even if you are not vegetarian/vegan/gluten free... it is that good!

Strawberry, Quinoa & Cashew Salad

This salad just screams summer to me! When I made this last week, my family enjoyed it with some Italian Sausages on the barbecue - it was sooo good! The Bean has loved lending a hand in the kitchen this summer, but all she wants to do is stir!! She was thoroughly unimpressed with this salad, because there is very little stirring to be done! I was worried she wouldn't eat the salad (she tends to be less willing to try if she isn't involved in the process!) but she loved the salad! This got rave reviews all around!

I found the recipe on Julia's Album, you can find it HERE. I swapped out the peaches for Nectarine (an intentional change) and used much less spinach than called for (an unintentional change), but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly!

Nanaimo Bars

On Canada Day, I was wanting to make a festive treat for my family to have. But I didn't want to go crazy with white and red - I wanted it to be festive and a little patriotic without screaming Canada :). Nanaimo Bars are named after a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia called Nanaimo! They are one of my favorite treats and they are so fun to bake!

Nanaimo bars are composed of 3 layers - the bottom is a mixture of chocolate, coconut and graham crackers, the middle layer is a custard then the top layer is made from melted chocolate -so good!!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole (a.k.a. the easiest dinner ever!!)

My family had this casserole for dinner a couple of weeks ago and I have been anxiously waiting to share it! This is the easiest recipe, so easy that I only took 6 (SIX!!) pictures while I was making it!! I found this recipe on Jo Cooks, you can find it HERE. I found the recipe a little bland - it was tasty but just lacking a little something! In the future, I would chop up some avocado and serve the casserole with a little avocado and salsa on the side.

Start by cooking 1 cup of dry Basmati rice (to end up with 2 cups of cooked Basmati rice) and cooking 1-2 chicken breasts (I used 2 small chicken breasts). I boiled the chicken until it was cooked through then removed it from the boiling water and let it cool in a mixing bowl. Once the chicken is cooled, shred it using 2 forks.

Walk Around Taco Salad

I have heard this fun dip called many different things - 7 layer dip (this just makes me yawn), trash (this grosses me out! Who wants to eat trash!?) and Walk Around Taco Salad (it's a mouthful, but I think it's the most fun of the three names I've heard!). So, I'm sticking with Walk Around Taco Salad, but what do you call this dip? Have you heard a different name!?

I don't follow a recipe when I'm making this chip dip. I just layer some yummy taco seasonings in a pyrex dish and call it a day! You can exclude any of the layers or substitute a layer with something you prefer. You could even add a whole extra layer! I love how flexible this dip is and how easily it comes together!

Chicken & Sausage Cajun Jambalaya

I made this Jambalaya a couple of weeks ago for my family and we all fell in love! It is so easy to make and results in very few dishes! I found the recipe on Gluten Free with LB, you can find it HERE. In the future, I would half this recipe - we're only four in my house so we had so much left over Jambalaya!!

Start by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil a large pot. Then add 12 ounces of Italian Sausage - I used 4 Italian sausages. Cook the sausage for 2-3 minutes until it starts to cook. Then add 1 1/2 lbs of chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook the chicken and sausage over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through (about 8-10 minutes). Then, remove the chicken and sausage from the pot and set it aside.

Bacon & Spinach Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

I've been trying so many gluten free recipes lately because my mom has gone gluten free and this was my very first success!! I've had a few successes since this yummy quiche and I am looking forward to sharing all of my gluten free adventures! I have to say, I like this quiche even better than quiche with regular crust! The sweet potato compliments the filling of the quiche nicely! I would really encourage you to try this even if you aren't gluten free!

I found this recipe on Rachel Cooks - you can find it HERE.

Baking with the Bean: Breakfast Omelet Muffins

The Bean is in exams right now and was looking for a little break from studying and suggested a little Baking with the Bean segment! I was happy to oblige especially because I've had these fun muffins on my 'to make' list forever! So, with my sidekick in toe I made some muffins that I am so excited to share with you today!

Homemade Pizza Crust

Happy June!! It's no secret that one of my favorite things is second day, cold pizza! It's also no secret that my favorite blog to get recipes from is Carlsbad Cravings! So when I found this pizza crust recipe on Carlsbad cravings, I knew it was a match made in heaven! :) I should also mention that I really do love fresh pizza, but I always make sure to have at least a piece left over to eat the next day because that's my favorite way to eat pizza!

Start by adding 1 1/2 cups of water that is between 105 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit to the bowl of your Kitchen-Aid mixer (you could also do this by hand - just put the water in a regular bowl and mix with a wooden spoon). Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of instant yeast to the warm water. You could use active dry yeast, but the dough will take longer to rise if you do.

Let the yeast sit in the water for about 10 minutes so that it foams like in the picture above.

Attach the dough hook to your mixer and mix in 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix these ingredients in until they are well combined. Then, gradually add 2 more cups of flour - the dough should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still really sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, but add it 1 tablespoon at a time (4 tablespoons + 1/4 cup).

You should stop adding flour when the dough barely sticks to your fingers. Let the mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes at medium speed - if you are not using a mixer, do the kneading by hand! Once the dough has been kneaded, remove it from the bowl, shape it into a ball and place it back into a bowl coated with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that all sides are covered in olive oil. Then, cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size (about 1-2 hours).

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and split it into 2 equal pieces. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for 15 minutes longer. I put some flour on my dough because it was a little sticky after rising.

Roll out each piece of dough into about a 12'' circle and transfer it onto a baking sheet. My family has 2 round pizza baking sheets. Jen from Carlsbad Cravings details how she uses a baking stone, if you plan on going that route, check out her post HERE. I found that a plain baking sheet worked well, I might try the pizza stone in the future!

The baking sheet or pizza stone that you cook the pizza on should be coated with olive oil and a little bit of cornmeal. Then, once you put the crust down, brush some olive oil onto the crust and sprinkle a little garlic salt over the olive oil. 

Fold over the sides of the pizza dough to make the crust. Then dress the pizza with your favorite toppings. I used marinara sauce instead of pizza sauce, then I made one pizza with pepperoni and cheese and the other with pepperoni, cheese and red peppers.

Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit the bake the pizzas for 12 minutes. My cheese was golden after 12 minutes in the oven, but if needed, you could broil your pizza to brown the cheese. Let the pizza sit for a minutes before serving!

HOMEMADE PIZZA CRUST
yield: two 12'' pizzas

ingredients
1 1/2 cups of warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
1 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of instant or active dry yeast (instant yeast will rise faster)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (+ more for bowl and baking sheet)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (+1/4 cup more if needed)
Cornmeal
Garlic Salt

directions
1. Add the warm water, sugar and yeast to the of a Kitchen-Aid with the dough hook attached. All this mixture to sit for 10 minutes giving the yeast time to foam. [You could do this recipe by hand instead of using a Kitchen-Aid. If you are doing this, use a regular mixing bowl and a wooden spoon].
2. Mix in the salt, the olive oil and 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour. Mix these ingredients in until they are well combined. Gradually add 2 more cups of flour - the dough should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still really sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, but add it 1 tablespoon at a time (4 tablespoons + 1/4 cup).
3. You should stop adding flour when the dough barely sticks to your fingers. Let the mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes at medium speed. If you are not using a mixer, do the kneading by hand. Once the dough has been kneaded, remove it from the bowl, shape it into a ball and place it back into a bowl coated with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that all sides are covered in olive oil. Then, cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size (about 1-2 hours).
4. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and split it into 2 equal pieces. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for 15 minutes longer.
5.  Roll out each piece of dough into about a 12'' circle and transfer it onto a baking sheet. The baking sheet should be coated with olive oil and a little bit of cornmeal. Then, once you put the crust down, brush some olive oil onto the crust and sprinkle a little garlic salt over the olive oil.
6. Fold over the sides of the pizza dough to make the crust. Then dress the pizza with your favorite toppings.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit the bake the pizzas for 12 minutes. If needed, broil the pizzas for 2 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

Let me know if you have questions!

Mediterranean Quinoa Chickpea Salad

This salad is sooo good! I mean I could eat it everyday and I don't think I would ever get sick of it! My family has made it three times in within the last couple of weeks and I still love just as much! I get excited for lunch everyday, just because it means that I get to eat this salad! The recipe is from The Alberta Pulse, you can find it HERE.

Cook 1/2 cup of quinoa following the instructions on the package of quinoa that you are using. [This is 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa btw :)]

Butternut Squash & Mozzarella Ravioli

 

The Bean and I made Homemade pasta a couple of Sundays ago. This process is always so much fun and the end result is spectacular! I know I typically share every little detail for the recipe that I use, but today will be a little less of that and more so focused I tips I have for making your own pasta. I will share the recipe I use - but I am not precise at all with this, so I'd recommend experimenting with some of you favorite flavors!

Cheeseburger Balls

The Bean went on a kick of finding recipes a couple of weeks ago. Some of them were great (this is one of the great ones) but some of them were downright weird (like the really really salty teriyaki chicken, but I will spare you from that)! My family brought these to the St-Patricks Day party that we went to and they were a hit! They make great hors-d'oeurves!

Macaroni and Cheese (a.k.a. Wacky Mac!)

I am so excited to share this recipe with all of you! When I started a blog last May, I wrote down a whole bunch of recipes that I knew I wanted to share and this was one of them! I had a different post planned for today but that got a little derailed when I made Macaroni and Cheese a couple of nights ago! So, I'll share Macaroni and Cheese now and I'll save the cheeseburger balls for next week!

This is a recipe that my dad has been making forever and ever! It is from the Fanny Farmer cookbook and it is so good every time! My family has always called this meal 'Wacky Mac,' I don't remember how that started but it stuck! So today I am sharing my most favorite Wacky Mac with you!

*This recipe serves 3-4 (maybe 5!) people, so you can double it depending on your needs!

You'll need to start by making a bechamel sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a medium sized saucepan.

Along with 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

Melt the butter on medium heat and stir it into the flour - you will need to stir pretty constantly, so I recommend having all of you ingredients ready to go! I recommend stirring with a whisk. The butter and flour mixture should begin to bubble as you are whisking it.

When the mixture is bubbling, it's time to add the milk. Add 1 1/4 cups of warm milk gradually to the saucepan. Stirring continuously as you add the milk. Once all of the milk is added, continue to stir until the sauce begins to thicken and bubble.

I don't know exactly how long this takes. But I leave the saucepan over medium heat and just stir away until the sauce is thick. I would guess that it takes about 10-15 minutes.

Once the bechamel thickens, add some cheese. I don't measure how much cheese I add, but I would guess that it's about a cup. I use a combination of cheddar cheese, Gouda and grated Parmesan. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the sauce. When the cheese is stirred in, add 1/4 teaspoon of dried mustard and 1/4 teaspoon of paprika. The sauce should be used a quickly as possible once it's ready, so I usually have pasta noodles cooking as I'm working on the sauce.

I cooked 4 - 4 1/2 cups of fusilli noodles, drained the water and then stirred in the cheese sauce.

Then it's ready to serve! I recommend serving it pretty quickly after mixing the sauce in.

MACARONI AND CHEESE
serves 3-4 people
ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups warmed milk
~ 1 cup cheese (Cheddar, Gouda, Parmesan or any other kind of cheese you like!)
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste

directions
1. Add butter and flour to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter on medium heat and stir it into the flour. I recommend stirring constantly with a whisk. The butter and flour mixture should begin to bubble as you are whisking it.
2. When the butter and flour bubble, gradually mix in the warmed milk. Once all of the milk is added stir the sauce until the sauce thickens [about 10-15 minutes]. The sauce burns quickly, so it should be stirred often.
3. Add the cheese into the sauce. As the cheese melts, stir it into the sauce. Once the cheese is incorporated, mix in the dried mustard and paprika.
4. When the sauce is finished, mix it into 4 - 4 1/2 cups of cooked pasta (I use fusilli) and serve right away.

Let me know if you have questions!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

On Tuesday, we got a huge dumping of snow and I mean ginormous!! The roads were horrible and it continued overnight so almost nothing was open yesterday - my whole family was home from work and school! Well, lots of snow and chilly weather had me craving stew! Last month when my family went to Vermont, our friends made this stew for us and it was so hearty and perfect for winter! So when I woke up to school being cancelled, I called Vermont for the recipe and got started on the stew!

The original recipe is from Damn Delicious, you can find it HERE.

Spinach & Bacon Quiche

Yesterday, I was watching Gilmore Girls (because that's my absolute favorite thing to do!) and Sookie made quiche. Well, that quiche was something powerful because I paused the episode and made quiche for dinner. I have never made quiche before but I was excited to find out that it was so easy to make and the result was delish! I found this recipe on The Kurtz Corner - you can find it HERE.

Start by making a pie crust - add 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar to a medium mixing bowl.
*You could use store bought pie crust if you prefer!

Homemade Granola Bars

I made these granola bars on Saturday evening and I have had one every day since as a snack because they are so good! I found the recipe from a cute blog called Bless This Mess and you can see it HERE.

Start by spreading 2 1/2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats and 1/2 cup of roughly chopped nuts of your choice out over a baking sheet. Two notes - I used gluten free oats because my mama is Gluten Free and the recipe worked great! And I used sliced almonds, but you could use any kind of nut you like! Bake the oats and the nuts for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and transfer them to a medium mixing bowl.

Garlic & Basil Knots

I made these Garlic & Basil knots on Monday evening to go with dinner and they were scrumptious! The garlic and basil flavors are very subtle, so they would go perfectly with pasta or soup (and probably so much more!). I found this recipe as I was scrolling through Pinterest, and the original recipe is from a blog Jo Cooks, you can find it HERE.

Start by mixing 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 teaspoons of active dry yeast in a small mixing bowl - once the sugar and yeast are mixed, pour in 1 cup of warm water. Leave the bowl to sit for about ten minutes so that the yeast foams up. When it foams, it will look like the picture above.

While the yeast is foaming, mix 3 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment hooked on. [**NOTE: if you don't have an electric mixer, you could easily do these next few steps by hand.]