Pumpkin Spice Muffins-Easy and healthy

Tis the season to use up that canned pumpkin! Every year I stock up in ridiculous amounts once I spot Libby's pumpkin puree entering the supermarket. This is an old WW recipe that I make frequently. I've brought these to work, showers, and many other occasions. The recipe is simple, requires little ingredients, and these muffins are guilt free compared to high calorie alternatives. These can be made with a variety of mix-ins such as pecans, walnuts, chocolate chips, and so on. The possibilities are endless.

You will need:
*1 box of spice cake mix
*1 15oz. can pumpkin puree
*1 egg white
*splash of water

1. Preheat oven to temperature indicated on the spice cake directions. (Usually around 350)
2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat on low until combined.
3. Line muffin pans. Pour batter into muffin cups until about 3/4 full.
*Note, I never do this neatly. If you want 'neat' tops to your muffin, make sure your batter is even on top before cooking.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.

Ginger Soy Turkey Burgers

Happy Friday!

These tasty burgers were cooked up on our indoor grill-the Cuisinart Griddler. This tool was what kept us happy in our apartment, but now that we have an outdoor Weber, it was neglected since the move. We are entering the season for this to function regularly in our kitchen again. These burgers were something we both enjoyed. I made a side of kale chips to go with them. I found this recipe on Homemade by Holman.

You will need:
*1 pound lean ground turkey (I used just over a pound-however it comes packaged)
*2 tablespoon sesame oil
*1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
*2 tablespoons soy sauce
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
*1/2 teaspoon black pepper
*1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
*4 hamburger buns
*Greens for a topping or side

1. Preheat grill on medium low heat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. Add garlic, ginger, and black pepper; stir to combine. Remove about 1/3 of the mixture and set aside.

3. Add ground turkey and bread crumbs to remaining 2/3 of the mixture. Lightly mix with your hands until incorporated (be careful not to over mix). Form into 4 patties.

4. Cook about 5-6 minutes a side, or until cooked through. Grill your buns in the last 2 minutes of cook time.

5. Serve each burger with a drizzle of the remaining sauce. Topp with any greens or cheese if desired. (Originally recipe calls for feta)

Enjoy!

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage

Baby, it's cold outside! Pasta dishes are the ultimate warming comfort food for me. When you make them with multigrain pasta, these pasta dinners become more filling which results in eating a few less carbs. This recipe came together easily, and it was definitely full of fall flavors. The bacon gives this its great flavor. I found this recipe on Koko Cooks who adapted it from Cook's Illustrated.

You will need:
*3 slices of bacon, sliced thinly crosswise
*3 Tbs fresh sage, minced
*1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
*1 Tbs butter
*1 cup thinly sliced scallions, light green and green part only
*¼ tsp ground nutmeg
*2 cups low sodium chicken broth
*1 box of pasta (mine was just over 13oz, I wouldn't do more than a pound)
*2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
*4 tsp lemon juice

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add 2 Tbs of the sage, and cook for another minute. Remove bacon and sage to a plate, keeping as much of the bacon drippings in the pan as possible. Set aside bacon-sage mixture.

2. Turn heat to high. Add the squash in an even layer and cook until the squash begins to brown. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the squash is spotty brown on all sides. This should take from 10-15 minutes total.

3. Add butter and let it melt. Add ¾ of the scallions, nutmeg, and rest of the sage. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until scallions are softened, another minute or two. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Turn down heat to medium and cook until the squash is tender, another 3-4 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta to al dente. Drain, reserving ¼ c of pasta water.

5. Return pasta to pot used to cook it. Add the squash mixture, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and bacon-sage mixture. Use pasta water to help the sauce adhere to the noodles if needed. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Chicken in Walnut Sauce

It's the dark time of year again. It is dark when I am heading to work and it is dark as I am leaving work. The morning is such a struggle. I am sure each day that my alarm must be wrong. This weekend we turn the clocks, and while I am sad to lose daylight earlier, I need to see some sun in the morning. One positive to these darker, cooler days is my desire to cook us a warm home-cooked meal each evening. Too bad my already struggling food photography turns even worse in the dark dinner hour.

This recipe was another success from Stephanie Cooks. It came together nicely, and we enjoyed this chicken with a side of green beans.

You will need:
*1 teaspoon olive oil
*2 boneless chicken breasts
*1/3 cup finely chopped onion
*1 garlic clove, minced
*1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
*2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
*1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
*1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
*1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (I forgot!)
*1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook several minutes on each side until browned. (Timing will vary depending on thickness of chicken breast)

2. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring constantly. Add walnuts; cook 1 minute or until toasted and fragrant, stirring constantly.

3. Combine flour, cinnamon, and red pepper, and sprinkle over walnuts, stirring to coat. Add the broth with a whisk. Return chicken to pan; cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until chicken is done and sauce is slightly thick.

4. Stir in parsley, vinegar, salt, and black pepper, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Serve immediately.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Happy Halloween!

I made these bite-sized treats for a Halloween party we went to, and they were perfect for the toddlers and adults to enjoy. I saved this recipe that The Novice Chef posted last year. These are simple to make, but they look like a bit more effort was required. If you still have candy corn around then I recommend you use it to top these desserts. I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but the colors are layered like a candy corn-yellow bottom, orange cake top, and the white frosting tip.

You will need:

*1 box white cake mix

*Ingredients required on box to make cake mix (I needed vegetable oil, 3 egg whites, and water)

*Red and yellow food coloring
*
1 can white frosting
*
Candy corn for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your mini cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Prepare cake batter as directed on the box and separate batter into two different bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl of batter until you reach desired orange and yellow colors.
3. Pour yellow batter first into your mini cupcake liner. Slowly add orange batter on top.
4. Bake as directed on the cake mix box.
Once the mini cupcakes has cooled completely, add a swirl of white frosting and a cute little candy corn for decoration.

Apple BBQ Crockpot Chicken

We get together with friends to watch the Patriots Game almost every Sunday during football season. Last week's game start was at 4:00 which formed a plan to have dinner at halftime. I made this crockpot recipe and was not disappointed. This recipe was posted on What's On My Menu last fall. I think I slightly overcooked my chicken because it much more shredded than I expected. This is probably because I butterflied the chicken breasts. Next time, I will use thicker pieces of chicken or alter the cook time. I noted this below in suggesting a cook time of 6-8 hours.

You will need:
*1/2 cup barbecue sauce
*2 apples - peeled, cored and grated
*Juice of 1 lemon
*4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
*8 slices of bacon

1) Combine barbecue sauce, apple and lemon juice.

2) Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each chicken breast and place in crock pot. Top with barbecue sauce mixture; cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes

Fall is fabulous. It is a time to indulge in all things pumpkin. The great pumpkin shortage of last year required me to stock up on pumpkin puree. No one, however, prepared me for this year's candy corn shortage around here! This weekend I will be hunting some down to try more delicious fall recipes.
I digress because pumpkin puree wasn't even needed for this particular recipe. Luckily, Shipyard Pumpkin Ale is easy to track down. These cupcakes were made for my friend's 30th birthday party, and I did not have any leftovers. The taste is more like a spice cake, and I really liked them paired with the cinnamon frosting. This recipe was posted on Tiny Tyrant's Kitchen last year.

For the cupcakes, you will need:
*2 1/2 cups flour
*1/4 cup cornstarch
*4 teaspoons baking powder
*2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
*1 cup pumpkin ale
*3 eggs
*2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
*2 sticks salted butter, softened (Add about 1/2 tsp salt if you use unsalted butter)
*2 cups light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set up cupcake pan with 24 liners.

2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla to butter/sugar mixture and beat until well incorporated. Alternately add flour, then beer to butter mixture, beating on low.

4. Pour batter into cupcake liners, about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

For the cinnamon icing, you will need:
*1 stick salted butter, room temperature
*1/2 block (4 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature (I always use low-fat)
*1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
*3 cups powdered sugar

Please note: I always double icing recipes because I like to frost with the 1M Wilton star tip, and it always requires more frosting. The above ingredients are not doubled, but I recommend it if you are frosting with the 1M or a similar tip.

1. Cream together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla.
2. Add cinnamon then powdered sugar one cup at a time; beat well.
3. Top cupcakes with icing and a light dusting of cinnamon.
4. Store iced cupcakes in refrigerator. Allow them to come to room temperature for serving.

Simple Spicy Sausage Dip

I made this dip for a friends birthday party, and it was another successful recipe from Annie's Eats. Because I was making cupcakes (which will be posted soon), I decided to look for a simple appetizer. Of course I was running late. It always takes me way longer to ice cupcakes than I think it will! So Dave gets the credit for making this app from the recipe below. The dip was delicious with some corn chips. This will probably make another appearance at a football get-together soon.

You will need:
*1 pound of spicy/zesty ground sausage (or break up your own frozen)
*1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
*2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
*Hot sauce, to taste

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the crumbled sausage until browned. Drain off any excess fat.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes, cream cheese, and hot sauce. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is warmed through and the ingredients are well blended.

3. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve warm.

Saucy Pork Chops

It's official, fall is here! As the days start seeming shorter because darkness is creeping in earlier, I turn to quick to prepare dinners. This was perfect for a week night because it was easy to throw together. The cook time is lengthy, but that allowed me an opportunity to get some work done while dinner was cooking. These pork chops didn't dry out like many of my grilled attempts do. I recommend serving them over rice with a green veggie on the side. I discovered this recipe on Pineapple Grass who found it in the 5-Ingredients of Less cookbook.

You will need:
*1 can cream of chicken soup
*1/4 cup ketchup
*1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
*3-4 pork chops
*1-1/2 cups prepared rice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix soup, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce together. Set aside.

3. Arrange pork chops in an ungreased 8x8 pan. Pour soup mixture over the top of the chops. Cover with foil and bake for one hour.

4. Serve each pork chop on a serving of rice and top with remaining sauce.

Cosmo Cupcakes

This recipe screamed bachelorette party to me when I spotted on Loves to Eat back in the spring. I saved this recipe for the perfect opportunity, and I recently made these treats for my friend Danielle's bachelorette party. I found cupcake wrappers matched our theme and her wedding colors perfectly. These cupcakes came out very sweet and definitely tasted similar to a Cosmo. I am not the biggest fan of pink, but I was really happy with the look of these. Give them a try for your next girl's event.

Recipe orginally from A Cup Full of Cake
For the cupcakes, you will need:
*1/2 cup butter room temp
*2 cups sugar
*2 eggs, room temp
*1/2 tsp salt
*2-1/2 tsp baking powder
*3 cups all-purpose flour
*1/4 cup buttermilk
*1 1/4 cup Cosmopolitan ( recipe below)
*zest of 1 lime
*Optional red paste or gel food coloring- if you would like a reddish tint to the cake (I used pink dye)

1. Allow all ingredients to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin pans with cupcake papers.

2. With a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and beat until well combined. Add the lime zest and buttermilk.

3. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside

4. Make the cosmopolitan (recipe below) and measure out 1 1⁄2 cups in a separate bowl.

5. Add in 1 cup each of the dry and wet mixtures alternately, beating on low until the whole mixture is well combined.

6. Fill cups with batter two-thirds full. Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until cupcakes spring back in the middle when touched lightly. Cool for 10 minutes in pan.

7. Next, make the glaze (I think I may skip this step next time)
Heat the 1 1/2 cup cosmopolitan over medium heat until thickened and slightly reduced. Poke cupcakes with a fork and brush with cranberry/vodka glaze when cupcakes are still slightly warm.

8. Allow cupcakes to cool completely. Frost with the frosting listed below.

Cosmopolitan Buttercream Recipe
For the frosting, you will need:
*3 sticks (1 1/2 cup) butter room temp
*4 cups confectioner’s sugar
*pinch salt
*1 tsp lime zest
*3-4 tbsp of the Cosmopolitan (or more until you reach desired consistency)
*coloring if desired- I used more pink dye

1. Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

2. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time beating well with each addition. Add the salt and mix in the zest.

3. Add the Cosmopolitan one tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.

Garnish with lime zest, lime wedges, sugar crystals, or anything else you'd like to use. Enjoy!


Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe
You will need:

*1 1/2 ouncesvodka (I used absolut cranberry)
*1/2 ounce triple sec
*1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
*1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
*1 twist lime and zest

1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with lots of ice.
2. Shake vigorously for several seconds and strain into a cocktail glass.