Oatmeal Pumpkin Cream Pies

This was my back up Thanksgiving treat in case my pumpkin roll cake failed (but it didn't!).  These were so lovely and full of great fall flavour.  I've used this blog for a few baking recipes and I quite like it.  I found I only used half of the filling recipe.  So maybe adjust for that or else just double the cookie recipe.

Source: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/10/04/oatmeal-pumpkin-creme-sandwiches/

Ingredients:

Oatmeal Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour

Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened (half a block)
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (or 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice but then reduce the 1tsp cinnamon by 1/2)
2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
flour to thicken if desired
salt, to taste


Directions:

In a large bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, cream the softened butter and sugars until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly stir in the baking soda, cinnamon, oats, and flour. Mix together until just combined. Do not overmix.

Chill the dough for at least one hour in the fridge. Cookies will be very flat if the dough is not cold.

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (LOVE silicone baking mats). Roll 2 teaspoons of dough (I used a half tablespoon to scoop) into a ball and gently flatten onto prepared sheet. Bake for 9 minutes and let cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack.

While the cookies are cooling, prepare the pumpkin frosting. Using a mixer, beat all the ingredients together.  Use flour to thicken if you need and add salt if you wish to cut some of the sweetness.

Spread a generous amount of frosting on the underside of a cooled cookie and sandwich another cookie on top. Cookies stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Roll Cake

We decided to forego the big Thanksgiving dinner this year.  We don't have any family in town and because we're moving in a couple weeks, I didn't want the hassle or mess.  My girls are 3 and 1 and so they don't know the difference.  We spent our weekend mostly packing and on Monday night we had a pizza movie night with the girls.  But to acknowledge the holiday, I prepared two pumpkin treats.  I was excited for this one in particular because it was a technique I had never tried.  It turned out rather well and it felt super satisfying.  It was tasty to boot.  Also, I got to use my jelly roll pan for its intended purpose for the first time...ever. 

My recipe source was THIS.
In the comments of that recipe, I found a link to a lady who took step by step pictures.  It was really helpful.  Find those HERE.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (I use THIS blend)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree

For the filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2(ish) cups powdered sugar (taste as you go)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper or tinfoil and grease and flour the lining.

Sprinkle a clean tea towel with powdered sugar. Set pan and towel aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs, vanilla and sugar until thick. Add in pumpkin and mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
Bake for 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper (this took a little finesse when I did it...I don't know if that's typical or if it's because I accidentally forgot about the cake and it baked a few extra minutes).

Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.  It will still ooze a bit at this stage but is set up enough you can manage.  The next day it will cut beautifully though.  Sprinkle with icing sugar if there are flaws you want to hide.

Thai Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Carrot Soup with Roasted Honey Sriracha Seeds

Autumn has arrived and so has soup season! My favourite season of the year.  I made my first batch of soup last night.  It was delightful- so rich and creamy and so full of veggies and not at all of cream.  In fact, this recipe was beyond reproach- I didn't have to tweak it at all.  So I'm going to list the ingredients for you but then send you over to her site for instructions because it would be a complete copy and paste.  It was perfect as is.  The only thing I did differently (and only because I'm lazy) was roast the butternut squash whole so I wouldn't have to peel and chop it raw.

Ingredients: 
Thai Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Carrot Soup

3 tablespoons coconut oil (may substitute olive oil)
1 sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup red curry paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
8 garlic cloves, minced (I guess I did change something- I did 4 cloves)
3 cups uncooked butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1”cubes, seeds separated
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1”cubes
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (14 oz.) can quality coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon dried basil (I also think some thai fresh basil would be amazing in this instead of the cilantro on top)
2 tablespoons lime juice
Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce to taste (optional)  

Honey Sriracha Butternut Squash Seeds

Reserved butternut squash seeds
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Garnish

Freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup roasted peanuts, chopped (a must! unless you're allergic)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Find directions at http://www.carlsbadcravings.com/thai-butternut-squash-sweet-potato-carrot-soup-with-roasted-honey-sriracha-squash-seeds/.

Carrot Cake Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

My husband loves carrot cake and I have yet to make one for him mostly because I am completely overwhelmed with all the options and variations.  I stumbled across this recipe while looking for something else and it its simpleness intrigued me.  Also, I'm a sucker for a hint of lemon anywhere.  Even if you're not inclined to change your carrot cake recipe, start adding lemon zest to your cream cheese icing.  Seriously! Because these are in bar form, they are way less high maintenance than a layer cake and they're not dense- they're beautifully light and fluffy. 

Find the original recipe HERE. The original recipe calls for the cake batter to be divided in half.  But I found the bars too thin-so I would suggest either using like 2/3 of the batter in the 9x13 pan and then just making a couple cupcakes...or else pour into an 8x11 pan instead and save the other half in the freezer. 

Ingredients:
Carrot Cake Bars:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil
4 large eggs
4 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Icing: (makes enough to frost 1 9x13 pan plus a little extra)
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
5 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 lemons zested

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease whatever pan you're going to use.  If you want to cook up all the batter at once, I recommend the 9x13 and a muffin tin (you will only get a couple muffins).
In a medium bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil and eggs on low speed until well blended. Mix in the dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in the carrots and coconut.

Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan (or half the recipe into the 8x11). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (time will vary depending on what pan you've chosen), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cake cool completely in pan before frosting with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing. Once frosted, refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into bar-sized pieces.

To make frosting: Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat with a hand mixer until well-blended and smooth enough to frost cake. Avoid over-beating, which may make frosting too soft.

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Bars (Clean Ingredients)

You've probably seen these bars all over Pinterest- they are so so yummy! Good clean ingredients- just be careful how many you scarf down...peanut butter and coconut oil are high in calories  This is my modified version, which is why I'm not referencing a specific place I got it.

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts, raisins or dried cranberries (I use craisins)
1/4 cup cocoa or cacao or some combination of the two
1 tsp vanilla
I've started adding 1/4c chia seeds as well


Directions:
Melt the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.

Remove from heat once it’s melted together and add in the oats, shredded coconut, cocoa, nuts/raisins, and vanilla. Stir together until everything is incorporated.

Pour into a greased (or tinfoil lined) 9×13 pan and cool in the fridge or freezer. If you’d like thicker bars, you can pour the mixture into a smaller pan- I've used all kinds of pans to get different shapes and thickness.  Use whatever you want.

When the mixture is hardened, cut into bars and eat. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Easy Crockpot Butter Chicken

This is a great crockpot recipe for the colder days coming up.  It's so delicious and ridiculously easy and so much healthier than a lot of butter chicken recipes.  My husband doesn't care for Indian food and he really enjoyed this.  I got the recipe from HERE.  I also made the homemade Naan suggested on the blog.  Also easy- my husband LOVED those.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite size chunks

1/2 onion, finely minced

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced or grated

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

2 teaspoons curry powder

1-2 teaspoons red curry paste

2 tablespoons garam masala

1/2-1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less if you are not a spicy person)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream
cilantro for garnish

cooked white rice, for serving

Fresh homemade Naan , for scooping (so easy)
Raita to serve along side as a cooling element

Directions:

1.  Mix together the coconut milk, greek yogurt and cream. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, ginger and all the spices. Mix well.
2. Spray the inside of your crockpot bowl with cooking spray or grease with olive oil.  Sprinkle the onion over the bottom. Add the chicken and then pour the coconut milk mixture over the chicken so the chicken is completely covered. Add the butter and place the lid on the crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. You can stir it once or twice during cooking, but it is not necessary. When ready to serve taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve over rice with a aprinkle of cilantro and a big piece of fresh Naan.

With the Raita

Ground Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

After making the Black Bean Quinoa Enchilada Bake and testing out a new red enchilada sauce, I was inspired to make some ground beef enchiladas this week.  When I make enchiladas, it's often shredded beef with a spicy cheesy white sauce.  This was much more economical and still delicious.  These have been dubbed our everyday enchiladas. 

Ingredients:

double batch of my red enchilada sauce found HERE, or else buy some from the store
6-8 large flour tortillas (or corn- use more if they're small)
1 lb (450-500g) ground beef
1 onion
1 large jalapeno chopped (I had a can of green chilies in my pantry so I used half of that)
2 cloves garlic, minced
spices (I sprinkled in some chili powder, cumin and oregano but you could use a taco mix or whatever you want to spice it up)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cheese (I used mozza)
1/4-1/2 cup chopped green onion
(chopped olives would be great in this recipe but my husband hates them)

Directions:

Make your sauce (if you're going homemade route); it takes a few hours so take that into account.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown meat.  Drain fat.  Add onion and jalapeno.  Add spices and salt and pepper. 

Warm your tortillas. Ladle some sauce into the bottom of an oven safe, large pyrex dish. 

In the middle of each tortilla, ladle a bit of sauce.  Top with beef mixture, a sprinkle of green onion and some cheese. Fold in ends then roll into an enchilada.  Place in dish and repeat with rest of tortillas.

Ladle more sauce to cover all enchiladas.  Top with cheese and green onions.  Bake for 15ish minutes.

Top with sour cream, guacamole or whatever you please.

This is my favourite brand of green salsa.  I love to add it to my guacamole.