Independence Day with Friends, Food, Fireworks

I love holidays. I love making themed food, I love spending time with friends and family, and I love celebrating! This comes from a childhood of my mom always decorating the house for every holiday, making us breakfast toast that looked like an American flag or cakes in the shape of a heart, and always getting to eat the leftover dessert for breakfast the next day (or few days).  To me it is tradition and I wouldn't have it any other way. However, this Fourth of July get together was a bit last minute and I have to say it worked out great.  The weather even held off for us to truly cook out! Started the day off with a soggy run, enjoyed food and friends, and ended the day with fireworks, I'd say it was a successful Independence Day! On to the menu...

Menu

Red, White, and Blue Sangria

Watermelon Salsa

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Blueberry, Strawberry, & Banana Skewers

Watermelon

Hamburgers

Hotdogs

Baked Beans

Olives

Red Velvet Cake

 

 

 

Red, White, and Blue Sangria

This was a pinterest find from Imagine!

 

Ingredients

2 bottles of white wine

1 cup triple sec

1/2 cup berry flavored vodka

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup simple syrup I may have left this out, simply because I didn't have it, I don't recommend skipping it- it makes for a strong sangria if you do!

Strawberries, blueberries and pineapple cut into stars (I didn't get to cut mine into stars but wish I could have)

 

Steps

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, chill and serve. 

 

 

Watermelon Salsa

This was a Pinterest find from Love and Olive Oil and I have to say it will definitely be a repeat!! It is an easy recipe and so tasty!

 

Ingredients

4 small Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, I actually did not include the jalapeno this time. Original recipe recommends discarding the seeds for a milder salsa.

1 cup diced watermelon

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, I used cilantro paste this time

3 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Steps

1. Add tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno to a food processor and chop finely, do not fully liquefy.

2. Transfer tomato mixture to a medium bowl and mix in watermelon, blueberries, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

3. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

 

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This recipe came from my mom's cookbook and we've been making it my entire life! I was floored when a woman at Bed, Bath, and Beyond was describing this new dish (strawberry pretzel salad) she had just eaten at friends, I was shocked she had never had it before, she was shocked I knew what it was!

 

Ingredients

Bottom Layer

2 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed

3/4 cup margarine, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

 

Middle Layer

1 cup sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed

 

Top Layer

6 ounces strawberry gelatin

2 cups boiling water

10 ounces frozen strawberries

 

Steps

Bottom Layer

1. Combine pretzels, margarine and brown sugar.

2. Mix well and pat into a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish.

3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

4. Let cool.

 

Middle Layer

1. Cream the sugar and cream cheese.

2. Fold in whipped topping.

3. Spread this mixture over the cooled crust, make sure the crust is sealed well with the mixture.

 

Top Layer

1. Dissolve gelatin in water while still warm.

2. Add frozen strawberries, stirring slightly to break up the strawberries.

3. Cool in refrigerator until mixture begins to set, do not let it completely set or it will be lumpy when transferred.

4. When gelatin mixture begins to set, pour over the dish.  Chill until firm, Serve.

 

Blueberry, Strawberry, and  Banana Skewers

Another Pinterest find

 

There really is no recipe for this dish but it was a fun Fourth of July themed Pinterest find.  I made six skewers with blueberries, strawberries, and bananas and 7 skewers with strawberries and bananas.  You lay them out in a flag design!

 

Red Velvet Cake

For this special themed dessert you need to make two recipes of the Red Velvet.

 

 

 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoon (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring / for second recipe you will need blue food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

 

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend.
3. With electric mixer, combine eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar. Beat on medium speed until well blended. For second recipe, do not add food coloring at this time.
4. Mix in dry ingredients on low and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
5. Divide batter evenly among two circular baking pans. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5-10 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack. Slice each cake in half to make 2 layers from each pan.

For the second recipe, combine dry and wet ingredients and take out 1/3 batter. In 2/3 batter mix in red food coloring, in 1/3 batter mix in blue food coloring.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Once cooled, cute the red cake in 3 layers. In each layer take cut out the center (I use a Margarita glass as my cookie cutter pattern) and lay the outer rim on top of the frosted cake, for the blue layer cut out the center and place inside the red. 

 

 

 

 

Frosting

In the end I made about 3x this recipe for the entire cake.  The ingredients below are for 1 original recipe.

 

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese
5 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

 

Steps

1. Combine cream cheese and butter with electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in vanilla extract. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Increase speed and beat until smooth.

 

 

I hope everyone had a great day celebrating our country and remembering our freedom! Happy Birthday America! Independence Day! Fourth of July!

 

 

Happy Fourth of July!!!

 



Banana Pudding Cupcakes

I bake because I love it and lately I have been in a baking funk.  Ask my friends there are two funks that you don't want me to be in-a baking funk and a running funk (however, they probably hate the baking funk more because they get a grumpy Brittany AND they don't get baked goods). All I needed was to mix it up a little and try a new recipe - enter a banana pudding cupcake recipe for a co-worker's birthday!  I was told her favorite dessert was banana pudding so I took to pinterest to find the perfect new recipe to try out and I have to say pinterest did not let me down. I think it is safe to say the banana pudding cupcakes were a hit! The only thing I would change next time would be to make more than one batch. No worries this will be a REPEAT recipe throughout the summer!

Banana Pudding Cupcakes recipe originally from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1 egg, room temperature

2 eggs yolks, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup vanilla wafer crumbs

Whip Cream the recipe called for 1 container of frozen whipped topping but I chose to make it fresh, recipe below

12 whole vanilla wafers

Pudding Filling Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 ripe banana, cut into thin slices and then diced

Whipped Cream Frosting Ingredients

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps

1. Pre-heat oven to 350, line cupcake tin with paper liners.

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add butter, sour cream, egg, egg yolks, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds, until smooth.

4. Divide batter equally among the cupcake tins and bake for 18-22 minutes I turn the pan halfway through baking.  Let the cupcakes cool before proceeding.

5. Create a hollowed out portion in each cupcake, be careful to leave a layer of cupcake across the bottom I used a cupcake corer to make my holes, very helpful!

6. Sprinkle vanilla wafer crumbs in each cupcake hole.

7. Beat together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk for 2-3 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl.

8. Add milk, vanilla extract and pudding mix and beat until mixed together.  Stir in bananas by hand. Immediately spoon into cupcakes I used my icing gun with the piping attachment to fill the cupcakes, a huge help and allowed me to not only fill the cupcakes but also add a layer on top before topping with whipped cream.
9. Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until whipped cream is thick enough to stand.
10. Using a pastry bag or an icing gun frost the cupcakes with whipped cream and garnish with vanilla wafer crumbs and a full wafer.

Enjoy!

 

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I want to share the love - my love for baking, my love for new recipes, and my love for blogging. Also, I really love to list things in threes, if you haven't noticed. Last week a coworker sent me a recipe for red velvet white chocolate chip cookies and looking over the recipe I had ALL the ingredients so why wouldn't I make them for Valentine's Day week?!?! However, I didn't read the entire recipe before starting and therefore did not allow myself enough time to make these cookies earlier in the week and have this recipe posted to the blog before today so everyone could make them for Valentine's Day- the dough needs to sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours meaning you do still have time to make them today.  I went ahead and made the dough Wednesday night and finished up baking them Thursday, allowing me to take them into work on Friday to bring a smile to everyone's face. I have to say this recipe got RAVE reviews (even from my CEO - yes, this made my day)! I doubled the recipe because I knew that 18 would not be enough for me and my friends and like I said I did want to share the love and not eat them ALL! Doubling the recipe made more than 36 but we had no problem taking care of the extras.  On to the recipe - hope you enjoy it, I will definitely be repeating it!

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies-
Recipe was featured on People.com from baker Sally Quinn of Sally's Baking Addiction
Makes 18 cookies (double if you would like more)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp. liquid red food coloring
1 cup white chocolate chips plus a few extra for after baking

Steps
1. Toss flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, & salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Beat the butter on high until creamy.  Scrap down the sides of the bowl and beat in the brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until combined.  Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla extract.  Once mixed, add the food coloring and beat until combined. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on low until a soft dough is formed. If you want the dough redder, add in more food coloring.  Beat in the white chocolate chips.
3. Cover the dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours up to 4 or 5 days.  If you let it chill for over a day, let it sit for 45 minutes before baking.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
5. Scoop 1 1/2 tbsp. of dough and roll into a ball and place on baking sheets.  Bake each batch for 10-11 minutes.  Take a spoon and press down on the warm cookies to flatten. I used a cookie scoop to divide out my dough, this may have made my cookies a bit smaller but that allowed for more cookies to share. 
6. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before you transfer to a wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days I doubt they will last that long (definitely didn't in my case).

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Skinny Shrimp Scampi

I am trying to cook more and to incorporate some healthier recipes into the mix - don't worry the cupcakes are NOT going away in person or on the blog. This recipe needs to be added to your week's meal plan immediately!! For me cooking more means trying to plan my meals ahead of time. A friend shared this recipe with me and I couldn't wait to try it.  I won't lie, I was a little skeptical simply because I love pasta but I have to say this recipe was delicious and a healthy alternative to a classic pasta dish. What makes it even better is that it is so easy to prepare! Clearly, I'm slightly obsessed with this recipe and turns out I'm not the only one, I've already shared the recipe with several friends and they had already tried it and loved it as well!  On to the recipe so that you can add it to your meals for the upcoming week! Enjoy!!

Skinny Shrimp Scampi (originally from Just a Taste)

Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined I went ahead and used frozen shrimp and used just enough for my meal so this can be your call on how much shrimp
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 medium zucchini cut into noodles- there are several different tools that you can use, but because I did not have the correct tool this week I used a regular vegetable peeler and it gave me wider noodles but they still tasted great
Parsley, for garnish

Steps
1. Add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-low heat for 1 minute.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook them for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook them thoroughly until they are pink on all sides. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper then with a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a bowl.  Leave all liquid in the pan.
3. Increase the heat to medium and add the white wine and lemon juice. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Return the shrimp to the pan and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes - the Holidays are here!

December is usually a busy baking month for me...I say usually because we are halfway through December and I have only baked ONCE!!! Don't worry, I'll be at it again shortly and will make up for my lack of baking at the beginning of the month. My go-to cupcake recipe during December usually is a Chocolate cupcake with a Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting but I wanted to try something different this year so I made Hot Cocoa cupcakes that I found on pinterest over a year ago. I have to admit I chose this recipe mostly for appearance but everyone raved on the taste too so I can't complain. I think the homemade whipped cream was what won so many over for this cupcake. When you are done, the cupcakes look like little cups of hot cocoa! Many have asked for the recipe so I won't make you wait any longer. 

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes originally from Lick the Bowl Good - makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients for Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup prepared hot cocoa, cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Ingredients for Whipped Cream
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnishes
Mini marshmallows
Mini chocolate chips
Crushed peppermints - I actually used crushed peppermint bark, a delicious topping
18 mini candy canes

Steps for the Cupcakes
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with 18 liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk dry ingredients thoroughly.
3. Add oil, prepared hot cocoa, vanilla and eggs to the dry ingredients.  Whisk until well incorporated and no lumps, stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Evenly divide the batter among the lined cupcake tins.
5. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. I still turn my pan halfway through baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Steps for the Whipped Cream
1. Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Use an electric mixer on medium speed and beat until thick, creamy, and slightly stiff.  You want the whipped cream to be able to stand but you don't want to overbeat but make sure that it isn't still runny.

Assembling the Cupcakes
1. Pipe the whipped cream onto the cooled cupcakes.
2. Garnish with mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, and crushed peppermint.
3. Add a mini candy cane tucked into the side of the cupcake to make the handle of the hot cocoa "mug".
4. You can make ahead and cover and refrigerate but I do recommend saving the mini candy cane until right before you serve the cupcake!  The original recipe blog suggested covering and refrigerating leftovers....but leftover cupcakes are a foreign concept to me!

'Tis the Season

 

It doesn't take a lot for me to find a reason to bake so the reason I decided to make these adorable cupcakes was that some of my running buddies and I were getting together to run and look at Christmas lights and after we enjoyed Hot Cocoa, cookies, and these hot cocoa cupcakes! I would say they were a hit and we have started an annual tradition! Yes...we may run because we really love food! Below is a picture of us from our Christmas Light Run!



Pumpkin Fest 2.0

If you know me at all or if you've read the blog for a while you've probably heard once or twice that I LOVE Pumpkin! All things pumpkin! Last year my friends and I gathered to share our love of pumpkin and coined our dinner party "Pumpkin Fest".  We decided it would be an annual event and starting planning this year's Pumpkin Fest (aka Pumpkin Fest 2.0) at the beginning of September, it was that important we could not miss it this year and finally set the date for this past Saturday, October 11th.  I truly believe this year was an even bigger hit.  We had an amazing menu that could not have been possible without the help of everyone!

Menu

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good recipe included

Biscuits and Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin Sausage Pasta recipe included

Pumpkin Bourbon Sangria recipe included

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel recipe included

Sweet Pumpkin dip with graham crackers

Coffee with Pumpkin Creamer

Enough blabbering, on to the recipes!

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good -Daly made this dish and it was absolutely FANTASTIC! She got the recipe originally from Epicurious, she made two pumpkins - one with bacon and one without - you can't go wrong! Since I didn't make this dish I am going based off the directions on the blog, no worries I will be making this SOON and can update any notes as needed but I think this will cover you completely.

Ingredients

1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyère, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2–4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped

4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped

About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

About 1/3 cup heavy cream

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

 

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin, clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and inside of the pumpkin.

4. Season inside of pumpkin with salt and pepper and put it on the baking sheet.

5. Toss the bread, cheese, bacon and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper and pack into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled.

6. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour into the pumpkin.  You want the ingredients nicely moistened but not swimming in the cream.

7. Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours - check after 90 minutes - until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced with the tip of a knife.

8. Remove the cap during the last 20 minutes of baking and let the liquid bake away and the stuffing brown a little.

9. Transfer very carefully to a platter for presentation.

 

You can either spoon out portions of the filling or cut it in slices so everyone will get ample amounts of pumpkin. We were a little nervous about slicing Saturday night but it worked out perfectly. It is best served as soon as it is ready.

 

Thank you Daly for this great new pumpkin recipe! I can't wait to make it sometime this fall.

 

Pumpkin Sausage Pasta - If you've been reading my blog lately you know that this is my new go-to fall recipe! I mixed it up a little this weekend and made it with Turkey Sausage. Just as a reminder I originally got this recipe from Mix and Match Mama.

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
1 pound sausage (I used turkey sausage this time- yum!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped (I used 1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup of pumpkin
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste (I actually didn't add either of these, I don't think it needed it but that could be your choice)

Steps
1. Bring one large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta until cooked completely.
2. In another large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown and crumble the sausage.
3. After the sausage has browned, add in onion and garlic and sauté 4-5 minutes.
4. Once sausage and onion mixture is sautéed, add in the chicken broth, lower heat to low and let chicken broth simmer 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in pumpkin and heat through about 3 minutes.
6. Drain your pasta and add to the sausage pan.
7. Stir in cheese and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bourbon Sangria - A little background on why I chose this drink choice to include in our Pumpkin Fest, October 11th was 18 years since my dad passed away and usually on his birthday and the day he passed my sister and I like to do things that remind us of him - donuts are a MUST and usually pizza and bourbon in his honor. So I wanted to incorporate a bourbon drink into our Pumpkin Fest and found Pumpkin Bourbon Sangria - It won my vote by a landslide!  I highly recommend actually making this 24 hours before serving it (a step I missed), but that gives it plenty of time to chill and the flavors to set. I found this recipe off the one and only Pinterest from Kiran Tarun.

Ingredients

2 small honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced

1 orange, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

2 tbsp pumpkin butter or puree

1 cup apple or pumpkin flavored bourbon (I went with straight bourbon- had an impossible time finding pumpkin bourbon!)

2 cups apple cider

1 bottle of pink rosé wine

Steps
1. Add all ingredients into a tall large pitcher. Stir to combine and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. If you are reading this with only 6 hours until your event, do not worry, you can still make this drink!
2. Serve over ice! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting - another fall favorite! I kept saying I was going to try a different pumpkin recipe but when you find a tried and true one it is hard to stray from it! I originally got this recipe from Made in Melissa's Kitchen and it has been a few years since I posted it so we could all use a refresher!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cupcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line cupcake pans and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice; set aside.
3. In another bowl combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and eggs. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat on low until smooth.  Fold in the pumpkin puree.
4. Fill each cupcake liner about halfway and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotate the pans once halfway through baking.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups powdered sugar

Steps
1. In a saucepan stir granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color, about 10 minutes (but watch it closely and don't just go by the time, it can burn easily). Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until smooth.  Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes until it is just barely warm and still pourable.
2. In a medium bowl, beat butter and salt together until light and fluffy. Reduce to low speed and add powdered sugar. Mix until well combined.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add caramel.  Beat on medium speed until light and airy and completely mixed, about 2 minutes.  You should be ready to frost your cupcakes! If the caramel was too warm when you added it, your icing will be runny and should refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

I hope you all enjoyed this review of Pumpkin Fest 2.0, I'm sure it will not be the last pumpkin related post for the fall season but it is the most pumpkin packed! Happy Fall!

It's Fall Y'all

We welcomed the first day of fall this week and that means cooler weather, football, boots, and of course PUMPKIN! I love fall! So tonight I'm writing this entry with an Autumn Harvest candle burning and a delicious fall recipe to share. If you look back at past entries (and I'm sure there will be more in the future) you know that I love pumpkin - pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin stuffed shells, pumpkin beer, and of course pumpkin cupcakes!

In anticipation of fall I started searching Pinterest weeks ago for some new pumpkin recipes and stumbled across this Pumpkin-Sausage Pasta recipe, some of my favorite things in one recipe how could I not try it?! I have  to say, this recipe is so simple to make and will definitely be repeated lots this fall. Okay, I've rambled enough about my love for fall and my love for this new dish let me get to the recipe!  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin-Sausage Pasta (originally from Mix and Match Mama)

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
1 pound sausage (I used pork but you can use chicken or turkey-will try with turkey next time)
3 garlic cloves, chopped (I used 1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic)
1 onion, chopped (make this easy on yourself and get the pre-chopped onion)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, I used canned Libby's pumpkin)
Freshly Grated Parmesan cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste (I actually didn't add either of these, don't think it needed it)

Steps
1. Bring one large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta until cooked completely.
2. In another large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown and crumble the sausage.
3. After sausage has browned, add in onion and garlic and sauté 4-5 minutes.
4. Once sausage and onion mixture is sautéed add in chicken broth, lower heat to low and let chicken broth simmer 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in pumpkin and heat through about 3 minutes.
6. Drain your pasta and add to the sausage pan.
7. Stir in cheese and enjoy!!

Happy Fall Y'all!