Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Today was pumpkin carving day. This year we decided to roast the pumpkin seeds after carving THREE pumpkins. Not sure why we haven't dones this before, because the kids (and us) really enjoyed them! I remember doing it when I was a child and now will make sure we do it each year with the boys. Here's the "recipe" I followed for making them. So simple, so yummy. AND healthy! Pumpkin seeds are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and numerous health promoting antioxidants. So make sure you save your seeds and roast them this year, too. Well worth it! Enjoy!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 2 cups (ish) pumpkin seeds, sorted from the pumpkin pulp!
• fresh cracked sea salt
• spritz of oil (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchament paper (if you have some).
2. After you sort the seeds from the pulp, give them a rinse and pat dry. Spread seeds to form one layer on cookie sheet. Spritz with a tiny amount of oil, then sprinkle with a generous amount of salt.
3. Roast in oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and serve. These are yummy warm! ENJOY!

Bran Flax Muffins

Thanks for the support J.B.! Also, thank you for my first recipe I am posting based on recommendation, rather than actually trying it. The health factor of these muffins, plus the note about them being moist and delicious, makes these blog worthy. I have not made these, but sure hope to! Enjoy!

Bran Flax Muffins

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white or spelt flour
• 3/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 3/4 cup oat bran (the cereal works fine)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups fined shredded carrot (about 2 big or 3 medium)
• 2 peeled & shredded apples
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins (if desired) and nuts (if using).

2. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened being careful to not over mix.

3. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (I find they usually need 20+ but watch carefully). Makes about 18 muffins. ENJOY!

Decisions, decisions...

Anyone who follows this blog will have noticed my obvious lack of recipes lately. I discussed my feelings of possibly quiting a while ago, but said that I planned/hoped to stick it out. As much as I would love to keep this blog going the way it has been (correction - the way it WAS), I realize that life is busier these days and trying a different recipe every.single.day isn't currently working into our routine. As of right now I am 30 recipes behind - a whole month's worth! Yikes! That means I not only need 1 new recipe daily, I need an additional one about every 3-4 days......wow......

SO - I have made the executive decision to change my "rules". When I started out, I had hoped that all 365 recipes would be ones I had made within the 365 days. I now realize the impossibility of this, so I've imposed a new rule. In addition to any recipes that I make, I will also be posting recipes that have been recommended to me, ones that attract me (either online, in magazines, in cookbooks, etc), or ones that I have made/tried BEFORE the 365 days started. I hope to post as many "healthy" ones as I can. But as always, I will encourage to strive for homemade!

I hope you all will still continue to follow me and cook along with me. If I post a recipe that I have yet to try, if/when I try it, I will do my best to add in my review. In the meantime, stay healthy and happy cooking! Enjoy!

Creamy Baked Trout

This is how I served up our fish for dinner last night. It was very delicious! Remember - you should be trying to incorporate fish into your weekly or bi-weekly meal plan! Enjoy.

Creamy Baked Trout

• 1 lb trout filets
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely grated parm cheese
• fresh cracked s&p

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place trout filets in a greased baking dish, skin side down.
2. In a small mixing bowl, mix together sour cream, lemon juice, parm cheese and s&p until smooth. Evenly spoon over filets.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. ENJOY!

Sweet Roasted Squash

I love squash. I love eating it and I love smelling it while it cooks. Not everyone in our house shares this same love, but I still make it a few times a year nonetheless. Tonight I made buttercup squash, but this recipe works just as well with acorn, butternut, etc. Grab a squash from your local market and give it a try. Squash is packed with many health benefits, including being packed full of carotenes (which help to protect against cancer). Enjoy!

Sweet Roasted Squash

• 1 squash of choice (acorn is my person fav)
• 2-3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash in half, lenghwise. Scoop out seeds and place on cookie sheet, cut side up.
2. Place 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp cold butter into each hollowed out squash half (use 1 1/2 tbsp for bigger/thicker squash). Sprinkle each cavity with 1.5 tbsp brown sugar.
3. Cook squash in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven, scoop out flesh, lightly mash, serve and ENJOY!

Classic Waffles

This waffle recipe is different from my other one, and likely will be my go-to. It's from allrecipes. I made these for the 3rd time yesterday morning, as requested by the birthday boy. You can invest in a waffle iron for as little as $8 (from Wal-Mart). That's what we spent and it works well! Enjoy!

Classic Waffles

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups warm milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.
3. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

Yikes!

Here we go again.....I am falling further and further behind with my blogs/recipes......I'll try to get back into the blogging life. It's not for lack of baking and cooking, it's for lack of baking and cooking NEW recipes!

Life is also very BUSY these days. Yesterday was our Big D's 5th birthday. Hard to believe I have been a Mommy for 5 years now. Something I heard recently is very true for myself - "Do I remember what life was like before having kids? NO - because my life began when I had them!"

Happy cooking and baking! Enjoy!

Creamy Herb & Goat Cheese Dip

Here's the other dip we had with dinner. Enjoy!

Creamy Herb & Goat Cheese Dip

• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, snipped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• fresh cracked s&p

1. Using a fork, mix together sour cream and goat cheese until smooth (a few lumps are okay). Stir in chives, parsley, and s&p. Serve with crackers and/or veggies. ENJOY!

Buffalo Wing Dip

This dip used to be a staple in our house. It is one of M's all-time favourite things to eat. Tonight we had this dip, along with another, served alongside a sliced baguette and a large platter of veggies. Yum! The kids passed on the dip, as it was too spicy for them. Choose a milder buffalo wing sauce if you don't like spicy. Enjoy!

Buffalo Wing Dip

• 3 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup Frank's Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce (or 3 tbsp butter mixed with Frank's Red Hot equal to 1 cup total)
• 1 cup (1 8 oz package) of cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Tortilla chips, crackers, or bread

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Boil and shred chicken. In a small saucepan, mix shredded chicken and wing sauce and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Mix in half of mozarella cheese at the last minute.
3. Spread cream cheese onto the bottom of a casserole dish. Spread chicken mixture on top of the cream cheese. Spread blue cheese on top of chicken. Top with remaining mozarella.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or bread. ENJOY!

Sausage Melts

This was last nights dinner. I'm trying to use items from the garden as much as possible right now, before the frost comes and wipes everything else. These were thrown together off the top of my head. They worked, and I will likely make again. Enjoy!

Sausage Melts

• 1/2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• sprinkle of salt
• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 kaiser buns, sliced in half (or 2 large hamburger buns), toasted
• 4 sausages, cooked (preferably BBQ'd), and sliced into 1/2" pcs
• 1/2 cup (ish) shredded cheddar cheese

1. Turn oven on to broil.
2. In a small frypan over med-high, warm olive oil, then add onions. Sprinkle with salt. Allow to soften for 3-4 minutes before adding pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes (or until peppers are soft), stirring often, then toss in minced garlic. 30 seconds after adding garlic, add tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Sprinkle with some pepper, and leave on burner for another 2-3 minutes (to soften tomatoes).
3. Place toasted buns on cookie sheet, cut side up). Place sliced sausages on buns. Divide onion/pepper mixture evenly over 4 sausage buns. Top with shredded cheese and place in broiler.
4. Broil buns for about 2 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven, serve and ENJOY!

*These are great as is, and even better topped with a little homemade salsa!*

Hollandaise Sauce

Tonight we enjoyed one of the best plates of eggs benedict I have ever had. The key to success - perfect hollandaise sauce. This recipe is a winner. I think it also helped that I used poached duck eggs (and thinly shaved ham). The whole combination was amazing. I will be making this hollandaise sauce again and again. If only it didn't have so many calories!!! Enjoy!

Perfect Hollandaise Sauce

• 2/3 cup butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tsp cold water
• 2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• s&p to taste
• dash of hot sauce

1. Cut 2 tbsp of butter from the 2/3 cup, and set in fridge (in 1 tbsp cubes). In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter completely. Scoop off any foam. Keep warm over low heat. (OR - you can melt this in the microwave!).
2. In a glass bowl or double boiler, whisk egg yolks with water until light. Place bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and whisk until thickened (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from pot heat (but keep bowl over water).
3. Add cold butter cubes to eggs and whisk until melted. Slowly pour in the warm butter, whisking as you pour. Finally, whisk in lemon juie, s&p, and hot sauce. Taste and season as necessary.
4. Keep sauce over the pot of warm water until ready to use. If it is too thick when ready to serve, add in a few drops of water. Serve and ENJOY!

Coffee Coffee Cake

I LOVE to bake. I especially love to bake with my boys. This morning, Little D and I whipped up a coffee cake, with the other 2 Ds slept. I wanted to make one that actually had coffee in it. Here's the recipe I used. I will definitely be making this one again. It's right up there with my sour cream coffee cake recipe. The ingredients that make up this cake might not be the healthiest...adding caramel to the top is also not healthy...BUT - baking something from scratch, with or without the help of a little one, IS healthy. It's healthy for the mind and soul. The smells, the tatses, the warm-feelings of accomplishment are good for us. So throw away your calorie counter one Sunday morning, roll up your sleeves and get baking! Enjoy!

Coffee Coffee Cake

• FILLING
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cups), soft
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 1/3 cups AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 3/4 cups strong brewed coffee, COLD
• 2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generouslly butter bundt pan. In a small bowl, mix togther ingredients for the filling. Set aside.
2. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at at time, and continue to mix until creamy.
3. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. In a 2-cup pyrex dish, mix together buttermilk, coffee and vanilla.
4. Add half of the dry mixture and half of the wet mixture to the creamed butter. Mix until combined, then add the remaining wet and dry ingredients, until everything is thoroughly combined.
5. Spoon half of the batter into the bundt pan and try to level out. Pour filling on top, distributing evenly over pan. Add the remaining batter, and again try to smooth level.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
7. Let cool slightly, then serve with some drizzled caramel and a big cup of coffee. ENJOY!

Sausage and Beef Chili

It's a cold October day - perfect for chili! Here's the recipe I made today. I threw it together and man oh man, was it good! Enjoy!

Sausage and Beef Chili

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground sausage meat (I used mild. Italian)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• dash of s&p
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 jalepenos, diced
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can brown beans
• 1 can tomato soup
• few good splashes hot sauce
• 1/2 cup salsa

1. In a large frypan, brown beef and sausage meat over med-high heat. After meat is half cooked, sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, paprika and s&p, stir, then add onions and jalepenos to the pan. Once meat is cooked and onions are soft, add garlic.
2. 2 minutes after adding garlic to the pan, pour in beans and soup. Add hot sauce and salsa, and stir to combine. Let simmer over med-low heat for about 30 minutes. Taste and season accordingly.
3. Serve with some nachos for dipping and ENJOY!