September 29, 2014

Pumpkin pie French toast

Stack of pumpkin pie French toast on a plate.

We started Long Island cheese pumpkins (in the photos) from seed this year and planted them over at my father-in-law's big garden. We were over there last weekend and checked on them and saw that we have a lot of pumpkins. A few were ripe so we grabbed a couple. The first thing I noticed is how adorable they are and what a lovely shade of orange they are on the outside. I roasted one up right away and froze a bunch of puree (and have a feeling I'll be doing more of that). I'm excited to give these pumpkins a try in pumpkin pie because they have a sweet, dense, bright orange flesh and according to some of my research they were historically a preferred pie pumpkin. Since we have a lot of pumpkins on our plants, you can probably expect even more pumpkin recipes this fall/winter!

One of my favorite fall weekend breakfasts is this French toast. The custard is full of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices. It's delicious, especially with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, a good drizzle of real maple syrup, and some sage breakfast sausage. This recipe will make about 8 slices of French toast. 

Top of pumpkin pie French toast.

September 18, 2014

Chicken and apple curry

Finished plate of Chicken and Apple Indian Curry with a bowl of rice.

Autumn apples, apple cider, and warm Indian spices come together in this delightful and unique chicken curry meal. 

September 15, 2014

Pumpkin spice loaf cake

Sliced pumpkin spice loaf cake.

Behold, my first pumpkin recipe of the season! I couldn't wait any longer! Over the weekend I decided it was high time to kick off pumpkin season with this pumpkin spice loaf cake. This loaf is pretty simple to make and while I usually love to toss in nuts and/or chocolate chips when I make pumpkin baked goods, I wanted this to be all about the pumpkin and pumpkin spices that we all crave in the fall. While baking, the whole place smelled of warm pumpkin spice, which was perfect for a crisp day. This is a lovely treat for after a day outside or with a hot cup of tea for an autumn weekend snack.

This recipe will make one 9 x 5-inch loaf. Most quick breads/loaf cakes have at least one cup of sugar in them, but I almost always cut down the sugar. Feel free to add more for a sweeter cake. I dusted it with powdered sugar only to make it look prettier for the photo - that's completely optional. A glaze would also be nice, or a smear of pumpkin butter on individual slices would be even better.

Have you made your first pumpkin recipe of the season yet??

Finished pumpkin spice loaf cake topped with powdered sugar.

September 9, 2014

Jalapeno popper chicken chili


Soup and chili season is arriving! I absolutely love making and eating a hot and hearty soup when the weather is crisp and cool. My husband and I took a walk at the nearby park yesterday evening and noticed that the leaves are starting to fall and that they were crunching under our feet. The squirrels were packing away acorns, crane flies were hovering over the grass, and the smell of fall was in the air (although it's still a bit warm). It's my favorite time of the year.

We had a ton of jalapenos that needed to be used up and I found this recipe is from Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice. I adapted it as written below. This soup packs a punch of heat from all the jalapenos, but the creaminess mellows it out making a smooth flavor combination. This recipe will serve about four people and the leftovers are even better.