Vegetarian Thanksgiving Lasagna

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I can't believe we are already at Thanksgiving and December and the holidays are just around the corner.  I hope that everyone is having a great time with friends and family today and that you all eat some seriously delicious food and enjoy!

I made a Vegetarian Lasagna to have around in honor of Thanksgiving.  My husband is a vegetarian and thanksgiving food is typically not his favorite.  Sure he likes the sides, but the main course is obviously not for him.  So, I tried out this recipe I saw from The Kitchn and it turned out fantastic! I subbed a few different things in so here is my variation:

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Lasagna

Ingredients:
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 large butternut squash
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
8 oz creme fraiche
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp salt, plus more
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 oz baby arugula/spinach mix
1 lb fontina cheese, shredded
fresh sage leaves
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 and lightly grease a few baking sheets.
2. Peel the butternut squash, cut off the ends, and then thinly slice the rest.  Place the slices of squash on the prepared sheets, sprinkle with some salt and bake for 20 minutes.
3. While the squash is baking, in a medium bowl, mix the pumpkin puree with the creme fraiche, dried sage, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
4. In a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, spread a thin layer of sauce.  Place 4 lasagna sheets down then place some butternut squash pieces on top.  Spread more pumpkin sauce over the top, sprinkle 1/2 of the arugula/spinach mix, and 1/3 of the fontina cheese.  Place 4 more lasagna sheets on top and repeat the same process.  Top with the final 4 sheets, more sauce, and the rest of the fontina.  Place some sage leaves over the top and sprinkle with the parmesan.
5.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Happy Thanksgiving! French Silk Pie

I know, I know, I'm a day off.  However, I was too busy celebrating Thanksgiving yesterday, to really sit down and write a post.  So, today, I am taking the opportunity to say what I am thankful for and share with you this amazing French Silk Pie.

I have so much to be thankful for.  I am incredibly thankful for my family, Bri, and Benny.  The amount of love that surrounds me makes me feel grateful and blessed.  Last night, I went to Bri's thanksgiving with his amazing family and then, also my sister's house for thanksgiving with my family.  The fact that we have so many people in our life that are there for us is just amazing.  It was so great to see all the family (plus the food was fantastic!).  This brings me to my next point, I am pretty thankful for food.  I love how food has the power to bring people together and I love making food that can do that.  In addition, I am thankful for my school, the teachers I work with, and my students.  I love everything about my job and I am so happy that I am at this point in my life.  My second year of teaching is going great and makes me so relieved that I am living out the career of my dreams.  And finally, we can't forget about all my crazy, amazing, silly friends that stick by me no matter what.  I love them all.  So yep, I have a ton to be thankful for and I just hope that I can so everyone how special they really are to me.

Last weekend, I went to a "Friendsgiving" and I brought this French Silk Pie.  It was so cool to be part of this evening and see how we can really put together an amazing Thanksgiving dinner.  I had a ton of fun and I hope that this is a new tradition that continues through the years.

French Silk Pie

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp ice water
For the Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 heavy whipping cream
2 tsp powdered sugar
Whipped Cream Frosting:
8 oz light cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups heavy whipping cream
semi-sweet chocolate curls or chips for the topping

Directions:
1. Make the crust.  In a food processor, place flour, sugar and salt.  Process to mix.  Keep processing and add cubes of butter until you have a mixture that resembles wet sand.  Add in the vinegar and 1 tbsp of water at a time until dough forms into a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 
2. Preheat oven to 450.  Once dough is chilled, lightly flour a surface and roll dough out until you have a circle about 12 inches in diameter.  Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan and, place in pie pan and trim edges.  Cover with foil  Place in oven and bake for 5 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes or until dough is lightly browned.  Remove and let cool.
3.  Make the filling.  In a small saucepan, combine eggs and sugar.  Cook over low heat until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and chocolate until chocolate completely melts and is well combined. 
4. In a medium bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in chocolate mixture and beat on high for 5 minutes.  Mixture should be light and fluffy.
5.  In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream with powdered sugar until it forms a stiff peak.  Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.  Pour into pie crust and let chill while you make the topping.
6.  For the whipped cream topping, in a large bowl, beat sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla until well combined.  Slowly pour in the cream while beating and whip until stiff peaks form.  Frost the chilled pie.  If you are using chocolate curls, heat up a chocolate bar in the microwave on 50% power for about 1 minute.  Use a peeler and gently scrape off edges of the chocolate bar to make your chocolate curls.  Place finished pie back in the fridge to chill and set.

Enjoy :)

Oatmeal Cookie Apple Pie

This is my 500th blog post! Can you believe that?  I can't!  I love posting here and although and don't post as frequently as I used to, I still love documenting a little about my life and all the fun food I make!

Last night, I had a great time with some of my teacher buddies.  We ran a 5K and then hung out after for dinner and drinks.  It was so much fun!  Plus, I cam in first in the 5K for my age group!  That was pretty funny and exciting.  We also played Cards Against Humanity which is just hilarious.

In honor of my 500th post and Thanksgiving being right around the corner, I have a yummy recipe for Apple Pie with an Oatmeal Cookie Crust!  I found the recipe on How Sweet It Is and then adapted it a bit to fit what I wanted.  I hope that you enjoy this amazing recipe and (hopefully) another 500 posts to come.

Oatmeal Cookie Apple Pie

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp ice water
Filling:
6 large apples peeled and sliced thin (I used Granny Smith)
2 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Topping:
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Make the crust: place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor.  Let pulse and add in the butter until mixture starts to combine.  Add in the vinegar and then the water, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture forms into a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill.
2. Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the apple cider, brown sugar, butter and vanilla.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 6-7 minutes or until mixture thickens.
3. In a large bowl, toss apple slices with the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Pour the cider mixture over the top and toss to combine.
4. Once dough has chilled, place on a lightly floured surface and roll out until you have a crust that is about 1/4 inch thick.  Place in a lightly greased pie pan.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6.  Place apples in the prepared pie pan.
7.  Make the topping: In a large bowl, whisk the oats, flour, cinnamon and salt.  Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut in the butter until you have a streusel like topping.  Sprinkle the topping over the apples and press down to make sure that it stays in place.
8.  Bake pie for 45-50 minutes.


Enjoy :)

no bourbon- 1 cup apple cider
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves

Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

This semester has been so hectic for me.  When I saw that I had a chance to leave for a weekend, I got really excited! I decided to visit Bri in St. Louis for the weekend and it worked out that my best friend, Michael's group would have their fall show while I was in town! In order to get in at a good time, I was going to have to leave pretty early on Friday.  So, I drove to Chicago Thursday night to see my family acapella because then I would be able to leave earlier on Friday and have a slightly shorter drive.  Plus, I really wanted to see my parents!

Thursday was great!  After my Methods class, I drove home.  As soon as I got home, we went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and then had Swirlcup for dessert.  It was a great evening and I really loved getting to see my parents.  My mom and I watched Grey's Anatomy and Glee and I was able to pick up some stuff that I needed to take back to school.

Friday morning, I woke up and went for a great 5 mile run, showered, and then got ready to get on the road to St. Louis.  I arrived around 3:30 and then Bri and I met up with his friends around 5:30 for dinner at the Fountain.  This is Bri's favorite restaurant.  They have great food and amazing desserts.  Bri tried their Thin Mint Martini which is made with mint ice cream and I had the NuttyIrishman for my dessert.  Coffee ice cream, hot fudge, and pecans.  Yum!  It was a really fun evening.  I can't wait for tomorrow!

Today's recipe is all about veggies.  It is a fantastic side dish and will look great on the holiday table.  I made this for my sister's Thanksgiving, but I'm probably going to be making it again for my Aunt's Christmas party.  I found a recipe on the Food Network that was all about roasting potatoes and then I adapted it to incorporate brussel sprouts as well.  Brussel sprouts are great because they are in season and they add awesome color to your dish.  This dish was super yummy and a huge hit!

Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:
3 lbs. russet potatoes
3 lbs. red potatos
4 lbs. sweet potatoes
5 lbs brussel sprouts
3-4 tbsp canola oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Wash the potatoes and chop into 2-inch thick pieces.  Place in a pot, cover with water and let boil for 10 minutes.  Drain potatoes and spread them out on a baking pan in one layer.  Drizzle 2 tbsp of canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss the potatoes to combine and then spread them back out. Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are crisp.
3.  Wash the brussel sprouts and cut off the white ends.  Remove any yellow leaves.  Place on another baking sheet in one layer and drizzle the rest of the canola oil, salt, and pepper over the sprouts.  Toss the combine.  Place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until sprouts get crispy.
4.  While your veggies are roasting, mix the butter with the parsley, thyme, and rosemary.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place in a container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve the dish.
5.  When the veggies are done, place in your serving dish.  When ready to serve, make sure they are warm and then drop spoonfuls of the butter into the veggies so that it melts.  Toss to combine and serve!

Enjoy :)

Champagne Glazed Carrots

I am so so so so so so nervous.

I have a Recruitment Fair in one hour and I am crazy antsy.  I just want to get it over with! After work today, I am going over the union for the K-12 Recruitment Fair.  A bunch of districts from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota have sent representatives over to talk to prospective teachers and interview them.  I have never done anything like this before and so I am nervous! I am also pretty excited, but the nerves are mostly taking over.  I also have a busy week where I am teaching, working, having staff meetings, and going out of town for the weekend! Why does this always seem to happen?  Thanksgiving is over and so everything gets piled on!

In other news, I made some super yummy carrots to bring to my sister's house for Thanksgiving.  I am sharing them today because this post is helping me keep busy and de-stress while I wait to go over to the fair.  Enjoy this recipe and wish me luck!

Champagne Honey Glazed Carrots (adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp unsalted butter
4 lbs. baby carrots
2 shallots, minced
2 cups champagne
4 tbsp honey
4 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher salt and white pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Once butter has melted, mix in the carrots and stir to combine.  Cook on medium-high, uncovered for about 20 minutes.  Carrots should be just starting to cook and become soft.
2. Mix in the champagne, honey and thyme.  Season with the salt and white pepper.  Let cook until the liquid is reduced by about 3/4.  This should take another 5 minutes.  Remove the thyme and remove from heat.  Serve immediately, or place in fridge and warm up when ready to serve.
This can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.

Enjoy :)

Fun with Greek Yogurt

Today is Sunday and I have to get ready to go back to school.

This break has been so nice and much needed.  After all the Thanksgiving festivities and Black Friday shopping, I also got to go freeze my toes off at the Northwestern v. Illinois game.

Then, I got to help decorated Bri's Mom's Christmas tree. So pretty!

Also, of course, I indulged in a lot of awesome frozen yogurt with my friends and family.

Yogurt is quickly becoming one of my favorite treats.  I have done a little experimenting lately with yogurt and made some yummy and healthy snacks.  For both of these little treats, I used Chobani Greek Yogurt.  Today I am sharing pumpkin yogurt and peanut butter yogurt.  I am pretty sure that these would make awesome frozen yogurt options.  If only I had my ice cream maker at school!

Pumpkin Spice Yogurt

Ingredients:
3/4 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
3 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp agave nectar

Directions:
1. Stir everything together.  Add more pumpkin or agave to taste.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Yogurt

Ingredients:
3/4 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp honey
Toppings: I used mini m&ms, but oreos, reeses, chocolate chips, etc would work well too!

Directions:
1. Mix the yogurt, peanut butter, vanilla and honey together.  Add more honey or peanut butter to taste. Top with toppings or enjoy as it is!

Enjoy :)

Sweet Potato Pie

So, I know that everyone is probably suffering from some sort of food coma today, but I just had to share this fun recipe that is perfect for Thanksgiving or the Holidays.

Also, I am not suffering from a food coma.  Don't get me wrong, I went to a great Thanksgiving dinner.  First, Bri and I stopped over at his families thanksgiving dinners for a few hours and then we made our way over to my sister's house for my family's thanksgiving dinner.  It was so nice to see everyone.  I haven't been home with family since the summer and this was just amazing to be around everyone once again.  Plus, I got to meet my new baby nephew who is just the cutest thing ever! The food was delicious and the company was even better.

I ate a ton, however, after dinner, Bri, me and my brother Zack went home around 8 and then I took a "nap" from about 9:30 to 11:30.  Then, we got in the car with my mom and drove over to the mall for Black Friday shopping that started at midnight.  The entire mall was opened and we got some great deals at a bunch of stores.  I made a killing at the Limited and seriously stocked up on some much needed teacher clothes.  I am totally ready for interviews and high school.  I also was able to get a bunch of presents as well as a new pair of cute shoes! I just love Black Friday.  The mall was busier than I have ever seen before and they were playing music throughout the stores.  It was so much fun.  We got home a little after 3 and went back to sleep.

Now, I am writing this after sleeping in later than I have in ages (9...woah) and deciding whether or not I should go shopping again.  I do need a bunch of groceries so Super Target is currently calling my name.  I am also planning on a great lunch at Portillos and then an evening out with my friends.  I can't wait for another lovely day of break!

Sweet Potato Pie (adapted from All Recipes)

 Ingredients:
1 pound sweet potatoes
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup half and half
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla
1 9-inch pie crust (recipe-I left out the lemon juice for this pie and added a dash of cinnamon)

Directions:
1.  If you are making the pie crust, you can follow the recipe link and do this a day or two in advance.  Then, just leave the dough out to soften a bit and then roll out into a circle, 12 inches in diameter and place in your pie dish.  Fold dough over the side a bit and then take off any excess dough.  Place in fridge until ready to use.
2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3.  Microwave the sweet potato until it can be easily pierced with a fork, about 5-6 minutes.  Remove the skins and then mash the sweet potato.
4.  In a large bowl, beat the mashed sweet potato with the butter until well combined.  Beat in the sugar and brown sugar until well combined and then the half and half and eggs.  Mix in the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla.  Pour the filling into your prepared pie dish.
5.  Bake the pie for 60 minutes or until sides and middle are firm.  Let cool and top with whipped cream.

Enjoy :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving!

We all have so much to be thankful for and I can't wait to share this day with all the wonderful friends and family in my life.

Cranberry Sauce

I adore cranberries.  Also, here in Wisconsin, cranberries are kind of a big deal.  Every week at the Farmer's Market, you can pick up huge bags of fresh cranberries!  I know they are not everyone's favorite cup of tea, but I think this recipe could change a lot of cranberry non-believers out there into believers.  The recipe is crazy simple and crazy good.  I basically used the recipe that was on the bag of cranberries and used Orange Juice instead of water.  Please put down the canned stuff, go get some fresh cranberries, and make this sauce.  It's perfect for Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup sugar
1 cup Orange Juice

Directions:
1.  Heat the orange juice and sugar in a saucepan until boiling.  Add in the cranberries and let boil until they all pop.  Remove from heat and place in a bowl to be refrigerated   As the sauce cools it will thicken.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I found out where I am teaching next semester! And, if it all works out, I will be teaching high school Trig, Pre-Calc, and AP Calculus.  Woah! I have to go remember all that now!  But actually, I am so excited.  Plus, this is going to be such a different experience from teaching middle school algebra.  I can't wait! The high school has block scheduling, which will be new for me, and periods are 90 minutes instead of the 50 that I am used to.  Overall, I am going to learn a whole lot and I can't wait to get started!

Also, today I am sharing the recipe I used for Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes from my Thanksgiving Feast!  This was a yummy recipe that was totally simply.  Make it and you won't regret it!

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients:
7 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled
4 tbsp salt
32 fluid oz. half and half
12 cloves garlic, crushed
12-14 oz grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and place potatoes in the pot.  Cover and let cook until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.  Drain and place potatoes back in the pot.
2.  Heat the half and half in a saucepan until simmering and add in the garlic.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Pour the half and half into the pot with the potatoes and mash with a potato masher.  Add in salt and Parmesan.  Season with pepper and more salt.  Serve immediately, or keep warm until ready to serve.

Enjoy :)

Thanksgiving Stuffing

This stuffing recipe was amazing! I adapted it because we decided against stuffing it into the turkey, but it was simply fantastic.  I am definitely going to be bring this one to the Thanksgiving table in the future.

In other news, I am currently watching Gossip Girl.  I haven't been into this show since high school, but something about it is drawing me in this season.  Plus, I don't really feel the need to get a good nights sleep lately.  This week is funky because the students had testing today and all I did was help hand out books, calculators, pencils, and whatnot.  Then, I got to get a lot of work done for both my university classes and 8th grade classes.  I'm feeling pretty relaxed about now.  On Wednesday, though, I am getting observed.  I'm a little nervous because I'm trying out a new sort of classroom arrangement for an activity, but I am also excited because I think that my lesson plan looks really good and thoughtful.  Finally, I am supposed to find out where I will be teaching next semester any day now.  I am extremely excited and nervous.  More on that as soon as I get details!

Sorry about my random ramblings.  I guess I am just a little unfocused, it must be the gossip girl, or the fact that I am still STUFFED from the crazy Thanksgiving Feast I had this weekend.  I mean...check out this stuffing!

Thanksgiving Stuffing (adapted from the Food Network)
serves about 40

Ingredients:
2 loaves Challah bread, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
2 quarts chicken broth
8 oz mushrooms
4 cups chopped white onion
4 cups chopped celery
4 cups chopped green pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp salt
12 oz dried cranberries
8 oz chopped pecans
8 eggs, beaten
8 tsp dried rubbed sage
8 tsp dried parsley
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Pour the chicken broth into a large saucepan and heat until simmering.  Place the mushrooms in the broth, remove from heat, and let sit, covered, for 35 minutes.
3.  Place the copped onion, celery, and green pepper in a large bowl.  Toss with the vegetable oil and salt.  Spread the vegetables out on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.  During the last 10 minutes, place the cubed bread on top and continue to cook.  
4.  Reserve 1 cup of the chicken broth and then drain the mushrooms.  Chop the mushrooms and place in a bowl with the rest of the roasted vegetables and bread.  Mix in the cranberries, pecans, and season with sage, parsley, and pepper.  Pour the beaten egg over the mixture and toss to combine.  Place the stuffing in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm.

Also, you can pour some of the cooked turkey juices over the stuffing.  This will moisten the stuffing up a bit and make it taste as though it was cooked in the turkey!

Enjoy :)

My First Turkey

I participated in making my first turkey this past weekend.  The Little Sisters of Delta Theta Sigma threw a Thanksgiving Feast-Harry Potter Style for an event we call, Dinner/Auction.  We have dinner, we have an auction, and its a great fundraiser.  We dressed up like Harry Potter characters and it was a blast!  For the next few days, I will be updating this menu with posts on the Thanksgiving recipes that we made for this awesome feast.  Stay tuned...

The Menu:

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Roasted Herbed Carrots

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Golden Snitch Cake Pops

Butterbeer

Butternut Squash Blondies

With Thanksgiving coming up, I have been on the lookout for fun recipes to celebrate fall flavors.  When I came across the idea for Butternut Squash Blondies, I just couldn't resist! I love when recipes are unexpected and exciting and this was perfect! I adapted it slightly from Food Plus Words and the result was amazing! I knew I was going to like it since I adore butternut squash, but even I was surprised at how much I loved it.  I roasted by own butternut squash to make the puree and then got to work on the blondies.  I can't wait to make this again and share it with my family for Thanksgiving!

Butternut Squash Blondies 

Ingredients:
Roasted Butternut Squash Puree:
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
Blondies:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp (heaping) cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tbsp brown butter, cooled
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mixed chocolate chips (I did white chocolate, milk chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate)
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prepare your butternut squash by peeling it, taking out the seeds, and then cutting it into 1/2 inch cubes.
3.  Toss the chopped squash in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and brown sugar.  Spread the squash out on a baking sheet in a single layer and place in the oven for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, stir the squash and roast for another 15.  After 15, stir again, and leave in for a final 15 minutes.
4.  Place the roasted squash in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.  Let cool.  You can do this ahead of time and place in the fridge for a few days, or you can let it cool and use immediately.
5. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350.
6.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
7.  In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and eggs until pale in color.  Beat in the brown butter, squash, vanilla, and salt until well combined.  Switch to a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and cranberries.
8. In a lightly greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish, pour the batter.  Bake the blondies for about 30 minutes or until sides are lightly browned and the middle is set.  Let cool.

Enjoy :)

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

One of my besties is turning 21!  It's Lauren's 21st birthday tomorrow and in honor of the day, we are having a little birthday party tonight.  What would a birthday party be without the cake? Right?

It was requested that the lovely lady have a carrot cake for her birthday and of course I have an amazing recipe.  I really can't take full credit for this one though, this recipe is a Donna original.  My mom's recipe is absolutely fantastic.

Every year for Thanksgiving, my mom would make this great cake.  When I was around 5 or 6 I asked her if I could help.  When I found out what went into the cake, I refused to eat it.  Let me explain.  The secret ingredient in this cake is baby food.  I went around telling everyone how gross the cake was because it had baby food in it and as a 5 year old, baby food was disgusting.  I mean, I was a big girl now and I was soooo over baby food.

Baby food, now that I have had a ton of experience baking, is a genius idea.  You get all the carrot-y goodness, but you don't have to deal with shredding the carrots.  Also, everyone I know who is a non-carrot cake believer, isn't a fan because of the strange consistency due to the shredded carrots.  This carrot cake ends up being super tasty, but without the weird consistency.  It's amazing!

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 jars junior size baby carrots (Also known as #3 foods.  If you have trouble finding #3, you can do 4 jars of #2 baby food carrots)
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a bundt cake pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
3. Cream sugar and eggs in a large bowl.  Mix in carrots until well combined.  Alternate adding the flour mixture with the oil, starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Mix in vanilla.
4.  Pour in prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. When cool, top with cream cheese frosting. (recipe below)

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 8 oz packaged of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk

Directions:
Cream butter and cream cheese until well combined.  Slowly mix in sugar.  Finally, mix in vanilla and milk until you have the desired consistency.

The Birthday Girl cutting into the cake!

I am thankful for...PIE!

On this thanksgiving when everyone is thinking about what they are thankful for, I can't help but think about how thankful I am for everyone who is around me on this wonderful day.  I have spent the morning with my family and boyfriend doing what I love to do best, bake!

My mom has be slaving away making more vegetables than I have ever seen in one setting.  We are going to my sister's for Thanksgiving Dinner.  I am extremely excited because I have one HUGE family and EVERYONE is going to be there tonight.  Seriously, she is entertaining no less than 32 people! My mom is making Bourbon Glazed Carrots and Fresh Green Beans Parmesan (for recipes just shoot me a comment and I'll get those to you).

When I was approached with the opportunity to contribute to this feast tonight, I thought long and hard about what could be special enough for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is all about food! You have a lot to live up to if you are cooking.  I found this wonderful recipe for a Butternut Squash pie from Une Gamine dans la Cuisine.  However, there were some things that I wanted to get creative with.  So here it goes: Butternut Squash Pie (Jodie style!).

First, I found a recipe for pie-crust without any shortening (requested my Mom, thank you for keeping me healthy).  This crust is mostly whole wheat and has NO shortening, plus it was easy to make, and amazing to eat!

Pie Crust:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water
1 egg
1 pinch of cinnamon (I love cinnamon)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (frozen)

Directions:

Grated Butter!

1. Take butter out of freeze and grate the butter.  Place grated butter into a bowl and stick back in freezer (this is the coolest trick I have discovered thus far, it makes mixing the butter in a piece of cake (or pie :)) and the colder the butter the better!)
2. Mix flours, salt, and cinnamon together.  I did this in an electric mixer on low speed.
3. Wisk egg right into the ice water.
4. Next, get that butter out of the freezer and add to the bowl. It is helpful to add the butter in spoonfuls to allow it to clump up in the bowl.  Continue to mix on low speed.
5. Then, add the ice water/egg mixture.  Mix on low speed.  If the texture is too dry add in a tsp or two of water.
6. Clump up the dough and divide into two disks.  Wrap disks tightly and place in refrigerator for later. I left them in the fridge overnight.

Butternut Squash Pie

 Ingredients: 
1 1/4 pounds of cubed butternut squash, ready to cook
2 ripe pears, peeled/cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup of craisins
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Grated zest of 1/2 orange
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
sugar (for sprinkling over the pie crust)




Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place oven rack in lower 1/3 of the oven.
2. Roll out both disks of pie dough into 11-inch circles.  Lighly flour a clean surface and roll out the dough.  Place one into the pie pan and place other on a plate. Place both into the fridge until you are ready for them.

3. Cook squash in microwave for about 6-8 minutes or until you can stick a fork through the pieces.
Mix squash and the rest of the ingredients in a mixer on low speed.  Sugar should melt, and squash should get slightly mashed.

4. Get the pie crusts out of the fridge and add the filling to the dish.  Trim the edges and brush water along the edges.  Place other part of crust over the top of the pie and trim/press the edges together.  Cut a circle in the center of the pie and 4 1-inch slits through the top.  Using a fork press edges together.  Next, brush water over the top and sprinkle with sugar.  If you want, decorate the top by using the extra dough to cut out fun shapes (I did flowers!)

5. Place pie into preheated oven on a rack about 1/3 from the bottom.  Back for 55-60 min.  After 30 min or so check on the pie.  If the edges are starting to burn, place a foil tent over the pie and continue to cook. I checked after 40 minutes and my edges were already a little burnt :(, you should be fine if you check earlier.
6. Serve same day or tightly cover and refrigerate overnight.

Butternut Squash Pie

Enjoy :)

Family Thanksgiving Dinner

Welcome to my blog! I'm new at this so go easy on me.  I have been using my facebook more or less as a food blog for the past few months and so I finally broke down and created a blog.  I LOVE to cook and whenever planning a dinner, I always find about 5 desserts to every 1 dinner that I want to make.  I have a serious sweet tooth issue! 
Today I have been baking up a storm, party because I decided to get my cartilage pierced tonight and I am FREAKING out, and partly because it's Friday and I don't want to do homework.  Also, I have a thanksgiving dinner to go to tonight and as the resident sweet tooth baking queen, I am bringing dessert.
As a Secondary Education Major, I am apart of a learning team.  Every Monday and Wednesday we go to a high school to complete our Practicum experience.  We observe for half a day and help out in different classes.  We love it!  Anyways, we also have to complete numerous assignments as a group.  There are seven of us.  Do you know how hard it is to write a paper with six other people? Well, I do. We decided that we are not just a team, we are a family and that if we were going to go through this together we might as well have some fun along the way. Friday Night Family Bonding (FNFB) was created. Friday night family bonding has gone well so far, but tonight will be a night to remember.  Thanksgiving is on its way and as a family we of course have to have a Family Thanksgiving Night.  Everyone is bringing a different dish and I, of course, am bringing dessert. 
Pumpkin Pie is the traditional Thanksgiving dessert, of course.  However, I NEVER make something normal.  Pumpkin Pie just seemed too boring so I found a recipe for whole wheat (yay healthy) crust with ginger snap-pecan embellishments.

Whole Wheat Gingersnap-Pecan Pumpkin Pie

I am way too excited about this pie.

For the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter (cut up into tiny piece, about 6 cubes per tablespoon)
• 4 tablespoons ice cold water (I probably used about 5)
• 1 cups of gingersnaps
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 cup melted unsalted butter

1. In a large bowl (with an electric hand mixer) or in your stand mixer, combine the flour, salt and butter.
2. Next add in 1 tablespoon of the ice cold water into the mixer at a time, until the dough will form a ball when pressed in.
3. Form the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until it’s cold.
4. Preheat oven to 350°.
5. Roll out the pie crust onto a floured surface.
6. Carefully transfer it to your pie plate, crimp, and tuck under the excess dough.
7. Now, in a food processor or blender combine the pecans and gingersnaps and chop them until they are finely chopped.
8. Add in the powdered sugar, combine.
9. Drizzle the butter in and combine.
10. Push gingersnap mixture in the bottom and halfway up the sides of the crust.
11. Bake for 15 minutes.
12. Let cool on a cooling rack.

Then, just make the pie filling any way you want! I went with a healthy(er) recipe, but you can make anything!

On the top is a pecan streusel topping:

1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

1. Mix together all dry ingredients
2. Melt butter and mix into dry ingredients
3. After the pie has been in the oven for around 30 minutes, take the pie out, sprinkle topping around the edges, then place pie back in the oven for another 40 minutes.
4. Cool for an hour

Also, true to form, I couldn't decide on just one dessert and so I made carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting as well.  My friend Mario gave me a dessert mix that he just wasn't going to make.  They came out beautifully!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes