Because There Aren't Enough Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipes...

The leaves started to change on the trees and so began my favorite of the seasons - fall. The most beautiful, the most comforting, and yet - the most short in length. Oh how I wish that fall in New England could actually extend until Thanksgiving instead of the winter creeping in much earlier than should be allowed.

Part of what makes the fall so wonderful is the food. Apples and cinnamon and nutmeg and roasting poultry and butternut squash and of course - pumpkin. Try to find a chain that doesn't cash in on the arrival of the Great Pumpkin; one look around while driving and you'll see advertisements for pumpkin lattes, donuts, bread, muffins, pie, bread pudding, soup, and whatever else people can create out of the big orange ball that seems to become prominent this time of year.

Before I had kids, I would pine for my first purchased Pumpkin Spice Latte (or "PSL" for the 140-character crowd). The first leaves would fall from the trees and I would be desperate for the spiced coffee. Now, however, I have found that dragging an infant and a toddler into a "FiveBucks" just doesn't make the PSL all it's cracked up to be. Unless, of course, I could make it at home in the same amount of time it takes to wrangle a toddler and lug a carseat into a coffee shop. Plus, then it would make my house smell all fall-like and comfortable too.

So I set off to research how people do it, and found that like any other recipe there were many iterations. I found one that used what I had in the house (I don't remember which one now), tweaked a couple of things, and came up with what I believe to be the perfect homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe.

For me, anyways.

Note: If you are looking for a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, do a search for a copycat recipe. This... this is not Starbucks. It is, however, wonderful and full of fall comfort. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I used Almond Breeze)
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin 
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1.25 cups brewed strong coffee 

Directions:

• Combine everything except the coffee in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking regularly. 
• Once it is boiling, bring down to a simmer and add coffee. If the coffee you're adding was already hot, turn off the heat before adding (mine tends to be room temp or chilled when I add it because I brew it ahead of time).
• Serve. Sip. Enjoy. 

A note: because this recipe calls for real pumpkin and not pumpkin-flavored syrup that is used at fine coffee establishments, there will be sediment at the bottom of your mug that not properly tended to will become sludge. I just keep a spoon in my mug and stir it between sips to reduce the amount of sludge at the end of the mug and make sure to get as much of the fall-pumpkiny-goodness in every sip.

Happy sipping!

Sweet Potato Quesadillas - Naptime Dinners

For those who don't know me, I'm a mom of 2 tiny humans - a 2 year old (William/Will) and a 5 month old (Evangeline/Evie). This means that I need to maximize every minute of every day or my house would look like an episode of "Hoarders". As any mom will tell you, naptime is a prime time to get things done; in my case, I like to take advantage of the time to get things ready for that night's dinner. 

A friend of mine suggested that I share with you all the things that I make during naptime so that others may try their hand at doing the same. When I post these recipes, I'll make notes of the things that I was able to prepare ahead of the dinner hour so that you know where you can get some bang for your minutes. If you alter or experiment or have other tips that you discover if you try one of these recipes, please feel free to comment with what you did. I'm always looking for tips of things to do. 

The first Naptime Dinner that I'm going to share with you are Sweet Potato Quesadillas. I made these last night and thought the filler was pretty tasty. 

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Ingredients: 

• 1-2 tbsp. Canola Oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped 
• 2-2.5 cups chopped sweet potatos
• 1 large apple, chopped (I used Paula Red)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• 1/4 tsp each cinnamon and sage
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 10 tortillas (I used corn, but if I made these again I would try flour)
• Shredded Cheese (I used a sharp cheddar, and you should use as much as you want the quesadillas to be cheesy)

Directions: 

The part of this that I made ahead was the filler. To make the filler - heat the oil in a large skillet. Once the oil is warm, add the onions and saute until the edges are just brown. Once the edges are brown, add the sweet potatoes.

Time to add the sweet potatoes!

Saute until the sweet potatoes begin to brown, then add the apples.

Time to add the apples!

Once the apples are added, saute for another 2-3 minutes and then add the salt & pepper (to your taste). Once the sweet potatoes are tender and the apples start to reduce, deglaze the pan with the cider. Add the spices & brown sugar, stir and remove from heat after about another minute or two. 

Finished filler

Assembly is pretty easy and you could also do it ahead if you had time (which I did not as the 5-month old woke up from her nap). You take a tortilla, spread 1/5 of the filler around, sprinkle with however much cheese you want, the put another tortilla on the top. 

Assembly required.

To cook these, heat a skillet/cast iron skillet (or if you have a flat griddle that works too). Place a quesadilla down on the hot skillet and weigh down with another pan (or if you're cool enough to have a panini weight or steak press, those work too... I'm not that cool). Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip, and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. I found that once my skillet was good and hot, 2.5 minutes/side did the trick. 

There's a quesadilla in there.

Once they're cooked up, cut them in quarters (or halves, whatever you prefer) and serve with your preferred side dish. I served mine up with some roasted sweet plantains, but rice or apple slices or even potato chips would work well too. 

If you decide to make these - enjoy! We thought they were pretty good but I didn't like the consistency of the corn tortillas after they were cooked up (which is why I think next time I make quesadillas I'll be making them with flour tortillas). If you make this and have any tips/ideas - please share!! I'd love to hear your feedback.

Mission Cookbook: Chicken Piccata

Quite some time ago (I mean like... 3 years?) I gave Steve a coupon that allowed him to choose whatever meal he wanted and I would cook it. He chose chicken piccata over angel hair pasta with fresh green beans. Time passed... like... 3 years... and I finally got around to cooking it.

Like... 3 months ago. And I'm just now posting it. GO ME.

At any rate - without any further delay - I present to you...

Mission Cookbook: Chicken Piccata

Part of the reason I never got around to cooking this was (I think) a subconscious avoidance. The truth is that I'm not a giant fan of overly-tangy-citrus flavors when they're cooked in my food. I don't mind them in a lemonade or some sort of sweet flavor, but when it comes to savory dishes I tend to avoid it. I'm the chick that never EVER squeezes the lemon over her seafood. The rest of it was that we were trying to lose weight, and buttery, saucy, dredged chicken over starchy pasta isn't really diet friendly. Once we hit goal - it was time for me to get past my citrus issue and get to cooking!

We scoured the cookbooks we have in-house and decided on the version of the recipe featured in our Cooking with Mickey cookbook. Say what you want about the kitchy-ness of Disney, they make some DARNED good food; if you don't believe me, I can give you a list of places I'll demand you try in order to prove you wrong. At any rate, I gathered my ingredients and got to work.

First things first: I must give yet another shout-out to my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. This thing is freaking amazing. I use it constantly when I'm cooking for things as simple as mashed potatoes to all sorts of complicated dishes... like chicken piccata. Check out this live-action shot of the dredged chicken frying away in the Le Creuset. It is seriously my favorite piece of kitchen equipment ever.

Can I even begin to tell you how awesome it is to deglaze this pot and get all the brown bits up? Once I hit the pan with the white wine and chicken stock it came right up - not an ounce of flavor was missed. Also, I was surprised at how simple it was to make the piccata. I was envisioning some super complicated process of sauce making and it wasn't bad at all. Truthfully, making the dish was pretty fun!

Now for the taste: I am pleased to announce (mostly for myself) that while the flavor was definitely distinctly lemon, it wasn't so bad that I wanted to pucker my face off and ignore the dish. Truthfully, it was quite good. The recipe in the book also allowed the chicken to maintain its moisture and it was one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had in my home. The angel hair pasta was the perfect choice to pair with the delicate nature of the chicken & sauce, and any green vegetable with a sweetness to it (think peas or green beans) are a wonderful compliment as well.

When I told Steve I was finally writing this post, he said "Oh THAT? That was fantastic!" so I think that it won over my main food critic as well. I would definitely make this dish again; I think that it's one that is great for an inside date night (which is what we had it for) or having another couple over for dinner. If anyone has this cookbook and has thought about the recipe - don't think anymore. Just make it. It's simple and delicious.

Using Leftovers: "Boiled Dinner" Risotto

Growing up in New England, I am very familiar with the phrase "Boiled Dinner". This meal usually consists of a ham or corned beef boiled with potatoes, carrots, onions, and cabbage - at least that's what it was in my house growing up. It wasn't unusual for us to have boiled dinners a few times over the course of the winter growing up in my house, and some of my fondest Sunday dinner memories surround these meals.

Staring at a seemingly endless pile of leftover ham from Christmas, I decided that I would use some of it in a risotto dish. While wandering the produce section at my local grocery store yesterday, I came up with the idea of creating a "Boiled Dinner" risotto using some of my favorite ingredients from a typical New England boiled dinner. The results were absolutely delicious, so I will share them with you.

"Boiled Dinner" Risotto (Serves 8)

Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of light olive oil, divided
- 1.5 medium or 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled & chopped
- 2 red potatoes, washed & chopped
- 1/2 small/medium head of cabbage, cut into 2" long x 0.5" wide strips (roughly)
- 1.5 tsp crushed garlic
- 2 cups leftover ham, chopped
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 6 cups stock (I used chicken)
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1.5 oz (or 1/2 cup) shredded/grated Asiago Cheese
-  Cinnamon, sage, nutmeg, rosemary, and fresh ground pepper (about 2-3 dashes each... just enough, but not too much)

Method: 
- In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil.
- Add in onions & carrots. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add red potatoes & the other 2 tbsp olive oil. Sauté for about 2-3 more minutes.
- In a separate pot, combine stock, water, and cider vinegar. Put heat on medium to bring up to a warm temperature - liquid should be steaming but not bubbling. 
- Add cabbage & ham. Sauté for about 2-3 more minutes. (At this point, I also added about 1/4 cup water to help de-glaze the pan as there was some brown starting to appear at the bottom.)

- Add garlic & rice. Sauté for about 2 more minutes.
- Ladle enough of the liquid over the rice to cover it. Stir and bring up to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

- As the liquid becomes absorbed, add 1-2 more ladles of liquid until the rice becomes al-dente and the risotto begins to appear to have a creamy texture/look.
- Before adding the last ladle or two of liquid, add the 2 tbsp of brown sugar and all spices to the mixture. Stir until combined.
- Once the last of the liquid has been added and has been absorbed, stir in the Asiago cheese until it is combined. Serve in bowls, feeds up to 8.

This is basically what the finished product should look like.

When I served this up to Steve and our friend John, it was better received than I had anticipated. Steve is not much of a cabbage person so I wasn't sure how he'd like the cabbage in the mix, but he went for seconds - so it wasn't bad to be in there! We have about 4 servings left so I'm looking forward to having this for another meal or two.

One variation on this that I will throw out there. The cider vinegar combined with the brown sugar & cinnamon lend this dish to have a slightly tart & sweet flavor. If you're not a fan of vinegar tastes, I would recommend not adding the vinegar to the liquid and instead substituting in 1/2 cup of apple juice or apple cider. I think that it would keep that sweetness to the flavor but take away the tartness of the vinegar.

If you try this out, leave a comment and let me know. I will say this for anyone who's never made risotto - I think that it can be intimidating because you don't want to overcook it. However, it is incredibly easy to do once you know what you're doing. The key - I've found - is to make sure you're ready to stand over the pot, stirring in the liquid and keeping a watchful eye for when it has been absorbed by the rice so you know when to add more. Risotto is an interactive meal to prepare and can be fun to watch it transform into a pile of sauteed stuff into a delicious creamy rice dish.

Enjoy!

Mission Cookbook: Couscous Stuffed Peppers

As many do, I have quite a few cookbooks and cooking magazines that I never quite get around to trying recipes out of. Sure, I cook and create (I have made a few recipes of my own) but it's rare that I crack open a cookbook and make the wonderful dishes inside.

 My Cookbook Collection

I decided recently that I would begin to change that trend and start making things out of my cookbooks. I also made the decision that to keep me motivated, I would make this a regular feature on my blog. I'm calling it...

MISSION COOKBOOK

I know, it's very creative. If you've got a better idea - I'm open to it; just leave it in the comments. I may use it, you never know... especially if it's more creative than that.

The basic idea for this feature will be that each week Steve will pick a cookbook (he asked if he could when I told him about this) and then from there I will pick a recipe to make. When I post about it, to respect the authors/publishers of the cookbook I will NOT be posting the recipe itself; instead I will post the main ingredients, our thoughts on the recipe, any modifications if I were to make it again, and a link to the book (just incase you want to buy it yourself or find it at your local library).

Anyhow, for my first recipe I picked Couscous Stuffed Peppers from the Mediterranean: Food of the Sun cookbook that I got in the Borders bargain bin a couple of years ago. This was the first recipe I've made from it, and it was pretty tasty. The main ingredients were sweet red peppers, couscous, onions, and raisins.

This was the first time I had ever made stuffed peppers of any kind (Steve is not a fan of the traditional American stuffed peppers that have ground meat, rice, and tomato sauce) so I was excited for the experience. The entire process to cook them took about an hour (30-40 minutes prep, 20-25 minutes to cook). There were a couple of things that I did differently from the recipe:

• I eliminated the 1 tsp of olive oil that it called for. I didn't think it would make a huge taste difference in the small amount across the large portion of filling that it called for - I was right.
• After the 20 minutes baking until tender that the book called for on the recipe, I turned my oven to "Broil" for 1 minute to create the tasty red-pepper charring that I enjoy and that it showed in the picture.

I served the peppers with a small side salad of romaine lettuce, raisins, Texas Toast croutons and balsamic vinaigrette. When I entered the recipe into Livestrong to get our calorie output, each pepper only contained 182 calories - and they were pretty filling, especially with the small salad on the side. For a nerdy cute touch, I served it with a beverage of seltzer and lime slices and made sure to add the mint leave garnish that the recipe suggested.

If I were to make this again, I think I would add a little bit of basil, maybe a dash of cinnamon, and a bit of feta cheese. The couscous stuffing was good, but felt like it was missing something more that even the teaspoon of olive oil wouldn't have replaced. Overall though, I liked using the sweet red pepper as the one to stuff. It added a wonderful flavor that the green bell peppers used in traditional American stuffed peppers just don't have. The husband litmus test was passed, he ate it all and we'll be saving the other 4 peppers for our lunches this week.