It is technically never too early to start thinking about holiday gifts. This year I was especially organized with my ideas. Since I knew I’d be in no mood to stand on my feet long periods in December I canned all my Peppermint Fudge Sauce in August! However, that isn’t the only thing I give out around the holidays. Oh no, my friends, I always have several gifties up my sleeve including simple homemade vanilla extract.
Last week my friend Valessa asked me if I had a recipe for Pumpkin Cranberry Bread. I quickly realized, to my horror, that I have this classic Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread on my website but haven’t posted any major pumpkin bread recipe since (!) I am a little amazed by this since I adore making a quick loaf of pumpkin bread here and there with my daughter and clearly have not thought to mention my recipe for this simply awesome snack in this space. Oops!
Fall colds are not fun. Especially when you are pregnant. When I managed to come down with one last week I turned to all the home remedies I could find. Steamy cups of tea, clear soups, hot compresses – you name it, I did it. Since my taste buds were pretty much on the fritz one of the soups I made, for both its restorative benefits and the strong flavor, was this homemade Apple Cider French Onion version. I’ve been all about oniony flavorslately and I knew this rich, brothy soup full of pungent onions and a hint of apple cider would lend the helping hand I needed.
We are at the height of pumpkin season right now so I thought I would check-in with some simple tips on pumpkin and a few ideas on ways you can enjoy it right this very second!
We carved a jack-o-lantern last weekend and you better believe I was all over the “guts” as they spilled out. My daughter, of course, was completely non-plussed by my whisking away the mixing bowl of pumpkin gore. She stayed outside and kept right on carving! Meanwhile, I went outside and toasted some yummy pumpkin seeds for a quick snack.
If you aren’t carving a pumpkin this year, or have no interest in making your own pumpkin puree from scratch, no worries. Here are some more ideas for some delicious things you can make with the cans of pumpkin you can buy at the store. I encourage you to buy organic pumpkin whenever possible. I usually buy ours at Trader Joe’s.
Last weekend was our first weekend at home in three weeks. You can imagine my relief at not having to get in a car or on an airplane yet again. Not that I don’t love a good trip – but my ankles are begging for mercy! I did my best to keep our schedule generally free and clear to allow for a nice amount of down time. I wanted to focus on some very necessary pre-baby nesting and some fun baking with my daughter. To kick off our weekend we made this orange cinnamon coffee cake. Moist, delicious, and easily made in just one bowl, it was the perfect cozy breakfast treat to celebrate some time at home.
Two weeks ago I had lunch at Islandwith my friend Barbara and we both ordered the lunch special: turkey burgers with gruyere and arugula. I make turkey burgers now and then, and they are pretty good, but these burgers were exceptional. The meat was juicy and moist and they were spiced up with black pepper and something hot, we think it might have been chili powder. Each burger was topped with a generous slice of melted gruyere, a handful of arugula, and some yummy tomato and shallots. Then, as if that wasn’t awesome enough, the towering burger was served on a warm brioche bun with french fries on the side. In short, it was heaven on a plate.
Brunch is a great time of day to entertain when you have kids. Mid-morning most kids are, generally speaking, in a good mood, parents are pleased to get out of the house so early, and the food is always fun. Since my daughter is really into pancakes these days I recently decided to entertain friends with a big Chai-spiced Dutch baby pancake. It is infinitely easier to make than standing over the stovetop flipping the silver dollar kind. Plus, it can be sliced and served like a pie, keeping the brunch buffet neat and tidy.
Last week was a whirlwind. We had barely arrived home from Columbus Day weekend in Cooperstown before we were off to Lima, Ohio for my friend’s wedding. Cooking-wise it didn’t leave me a lot of time to stock up on my weekly groceries and dig into a big week of meals. Instead, I just took each day as it came and whipped up a few of our favorite meals on the fly. One of these was our stand-by quick carbonara. My brother, Uncle Will, is a huge fan of this simple recipe so we always eat it when he is around. It is perfect for when he visits because I can literally make the whole meal in 15 minutes.
Around the holidays I love to get extra-crafty with my gift-giving and celebration style. Most of the time when I give a batch of cookies or brownies to a friend I employ a simple, pretty packaging technique that always looks good but doesn’t take a ton of effort. But, when the holidays roll around, I like to break out the big(ger) guns and see what fun stuff I can come up with. This month I’m all about pumpkin recipesand Halloween and packaging up cute treats to take to friends like these awesome pumpkin swirl brownies!
The funny thing about baby on board is that I’ve eliminated snacking in favor of bigger meals. When I am not pregnant I usually am content nibbling on some baked oatmeal for breakfast, having a poached egg on pesto cheese toast for lunch, and a container of Greek yogurt between meals. However, when I am pregnant this is simply not enough. For lunches I’ve been making two soft boiled eggs and eating them with whole wheat toast and just last week I made this awesome caramelized onion grilled cheese.
I love making big family breakfasts on the weekend. I find it so relaxing to wake up on Saturday morning with nothing particularly urgent to do except making something warm and cozy to eat in our pajamas. With the weather in full fall mode last weekend I decided to make an awesome baked oatmeal to start the weekend right. I had a fresh bag of McIntosh apples on hands, plenty of cinnamon, and everything I needed to whip up this easy breakfast.
It is technically never too early to start thinking about holiday gifts. This year I was especially organized with my ideas. Since I knew I’d be in no mood to stand on my feet long periods in December I canned all my Peppermint Fudge Sauce in August! However, that isn’t the only thing I give out around the holidays. Oh no, my friends, I always have several gifties up my sleeve including simple homemade vanilla extract.
