Sage is the name of the game!

I did not have a game plan for dinner tonight but inspiration struck as I was leafing through a Food Network magazine waiting for our staff meeting to start. I love it when dinner comes together (especially when you heavily edited a recipe!), you have all the ingredients at home, and you're using up leftover bits. In this case I was using up leftover pumpkin, cream, onion, and fresh sage. The added bonus being I got to open a bottle of wine! Who doesn't like that? Plus gemelli pasta makes me insanely happy for some odd reason.

Pumpkin Sage Alfredo Sauce

(from my kitchen!)

Ingredients:

1 box of fun shaped pasta (GEMELLI!!!)

2 tablespoons butter

10 sage leaves

1/4 cup red onion, minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup light cream

2 generous pinches of nutmeg

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to box.

2. Melt the butter and saute the onion and garlic for two minutes. Add the sage leaves and saute for two more minutes.

3. Whisk in the pumpkin, cream, and nutmeg.

4. Add in wine and parmesan. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Toss with pasta and serve with extra parmesan cheese.

Tablescape!

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

Yet another thing off the Fall Bucket List!

I'm a pumpkin pie girl and a traditionalist. I don't like to mess with things and I like my routine. Just ask my Grandma Nancy who has to make me broccoli salad at every family gathering. If you change things I'm not a happy camper. I was intrigued by this recipe but hesitant to butcher a perfectly good pumpkin pie. I'm glad I did! This was a nice change up but not glaringly different from a traditional pumpkin. There was a slight fruity sweetness due to the apple butter but that was all. It felt like a lightened up pumpkin pie. The proof is in the pie...or lack therefore of. If Mr. Lawyer finishes the pie (and crumbs!) in 24 hours I guess it is a keeper.

We had it with some bubbly because why not?

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

(Taste of Home)

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup apple butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon each ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
Whipped cream
Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine eggs, pumpkin, apple butter, brown sugar, evaporated milk, milk, and vanilla. Whisk in salt and spices until well blended. Pour into pastry shell.
2. Bake at 400° for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes if necessary. Cool on wire rack. Garnish with whipped cream.

Harvest Pumpkin

These cupcakes were satisfactory but they didn't wow me. My co-workers and students raved about them so part of it might just be I'm too critical of something that I made, it does always taste better when someone else makes it! I was excited because the batter tasted so amazing (yes Grandma, I still lick the bowl....haven't died yet.) but a lot of the pumpkin flavor baked off. Once the cream cheese frosting was on it tasted like a carrot cake to me. Sometimes pumpkin cupcakes/muffins get too dense but this cupcake was nice and fluffy. 

Harvest Pumpkin Cupcakes

(from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel
4 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. To make cupcakes: Blend the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl; set aside. 

2. Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. 

3. Pour into lined muffin tins. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes or until center springs back when touched. Cool 30 minutes. Spread with frosting.
4. To make frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

The orangey-brown color looked amazing.

 Fun with Frosting!

 I didn't have enough room in the fridge so I kept them out on the balcony until school the next day....because it's fall now and chilly enough to do that!

Birthday Cake!

The Mother Unit came up and she brought a birthday cake! Woo! 

I asked for something that wasn't too sweet as I haven't recovered from my holiday sugar overdose. This pumpkin cake was perfect! Mom says that it's better if you make it ahead of time and let it sit overnight (minus the caramel and nut topping, add those right before serving). We may or may not have had some for breakfast.

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

(from the Mother Unit)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix 

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided 

1.5 cup milk 

1 1/3 cup oil 

4 Eggs 

1-1.5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice , divided 

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 

1 cup powdered sugar 

1 tub (8 oz.) cool whip, thawed 

1 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping 

1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F. 

2. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. 

3. Pour into two greased and floured 9·inch round pans. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
4. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in cool whip. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

Early Thanksgiving!

I did not make this recipe but I was lucky enough to consume it for both dessert and breakfast. It's marvelous and I'm keeping the recipe for future use. Last night we had early Thanksgiving with Mr. Lawyer's family and everything was amazingly delicious. From one Thanksgiving to another...I sense that I will not be cooking this week. A big shout out to Mrs. T for a ton of yummy food, thank you! We were also sent home with this:

Is this not the most glorious tupperware container of food you have ever seen?! There were also rolls and dessert which brings us to the recipe. These cupcakes were divine. Nice pumpkin flavor, maple frosting (right?!) and a heath bar crunch. All the elements were good on their own but when you got a bite of all three....oh my. It was even better for breakfast.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

(made by Mrs. T, adapted from Ina Garten) 

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Maple Frosting Ingredients:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon Boyajian Natural Maple Flavor
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars, for serving (2 1.4-ounce bars)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with 10 paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

5. Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped toffee bits.

Pumpkin! And more Pumpkin!

It's a very pumpkin weekend. Fall is here in full force in our apartment! BAM!

Apple Cider, Pumpkin Waffles topped with frozen Bourbon Pumpkin Pie Milkshake and a sweet fall tablescape. Breakfast of Awesomeness.

I have a slight obsession with leaves/trees, especially maple, which includes but is not limited to kitchen wares, jewelry, my photographs and household decorations. I just love a good leaf. And a good deal. These plates were a dollar at target three years ago. Anyway, my morning went like this:

1. Get up to make some pumpkin waffles in order to use up the leftover half can of pumpkin but wait! There's no brown sugar because someone has been sneaking it for his oatmeal and didn't tell me we were out. Alas, there is not an extra bag in my under the cupboard baking stash from BJs. And yes, I have a maple leaf shaped brown sugar bear. See the above paragraph on leaf love.

2. Next step, make your own brown sugar! Use 1 cup white sugar and 3 tablespoons molasses. It's not as sweet as store bought but it works in a pinch.

3. Set up the waffle station and get cracking! Look at that steam. I was told out apartment smelled like Christmas once I started.

4. Serve in an awesome fall fashion and eat up! I totally got brownie points for serving them up with the left over bourbon pumpkin milkshakes.

Pumpkin Waffles

(adapted from the pumpkin waffle blog)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Directions:

1. Mix brown sugar and cornstarch, then mix in the remaining dried ingredients.

2. Separate the egg whites and yolks. Whisk the egg whites.

3. Mix the pumpkin and milk with the yolk, then add the melted butter.

4. Add the yolk/pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, mix well.

5. Stir in the egg whites.

6. Heat up your waffle iron and commence making the apartment smell like Christmas!

*I halved the recipe because I only had a half can of pumpkin to use. It worked out perfectly for us and resulted in 6 cute waffles.*

Alcohol + Milkshake = Great Idea

I love fall and finally got my hands on the last two cans of pumpkin at Whole Foods. That stuff is like gold....goopy gelatinous gold. To help us get through the Phillies dismal performance I whipped up a batch of these bad boys and man oh man, after one of these I didn't care as much....or I was semi-comatosed on the couch during the 8th inning.

Bourbon Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

(adapted from how sweet it is)

Ingredients:
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cream or half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste!)
2/3 cup pumpkin
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
2-3 ounces of bourbon
cinnamon sugar for rimming the glasses

Directions:

1. Rim your glasses, I used our martini glasses because they don't get used enough and they looked beautiful.

2. Throw it all in the blender!

They were insanely rich. My favorite part was getting the little chunks of graham crackers. We didn't finish the whole batch so I froze it and used it to top our pumpkin waffles the following morning....because alcoholic ice cream at 8 in the morning is completely okay.
Side note: I love how dark and spooky and halloween-y this picture is.