The Great Pumpkin Post

It's no secret that I LOVE the Fall. The weather is perfect, football season starts, pumpkins are EVERYWHERE and... it's when my wedding anniversary will be :-)

I'm sure it's completely obvious that I'm totally in LOVE with pumpkins. I love to decorate with them and even more...I LOVE to eat them - lol! Since I've been super busy with school, work and wrapping up wedding stuff I thought I'd share some recipes I've made but haven't had a chance to post.

Here in Omaha, we are suppose to get our first snow tonight - yay!!! I think I'm going to start making another pot of the pumpkin chili - that will be the perfect "1st snow of the season" meal! :)

Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter

I made these a while ago. They were a bit time consuming but so much fun! Definitely a good weekend project. Very tasty!

Whole Food's Turkey & Pumpkin Chili

Perfect Fall treat! So easy! I served this chili in bread bowl that I picked up from Panera.

Williams Sonoma's Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

I heart Williams Sonoma! Their recipes are so wonderful! In this recipe there are instructions for a ginger snap crust and if I would have had more time I definitely would have made it....using the super neat spring form pan my Aunt got us as one of our wedding presents. :)

Happy 1 Month Anniversary to Us!

Kevin & I had a very productive day - while I can't say it was "exciting" it was nice to get some things checked off our to-do list.

First of all, we slept-in....woo hoo!! Then, we went to church and heard an especially awesome sermon! Afterwards, our church had a delicious pancake breakfast - with super yummy bacon! Kevin and I then went to Dillard's to get a few things with some of our wedding gift cards. Gotta love the gift cards! ;)

But sadly, when we came home it was time to buckle down so we could both get some studying done.

This afternoon Kevin rushed in our room to take a picture of me studying. I have trouble sitting still while studying so I often move from room to room and from place to place. For whatever reason I thought it would be a good idea if I studied for Microbiology on my bed.....not really sure why. Maybe because Micro is really boring and if I fell asleep reading, I'd be in a perfect place for a nap - LOL! But seriously, I struggle with Micro!

Since we both knew we would be busy, we decided we would have our slow cooker make our dinner. :) It couldn't have been easier. When we arrived home we threw a pork loin in the slow cooker with some root beer (I know it sounds weird but, it's really good) and spices and let it cook. And before serving we made a chipotle sauce for the pork. Five minutes later we were eating tacos!

Here's the recipe:
1/2 Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
Combine on low heat. Thoroughly coat the pork.

Here's a really blurry (not quite sure what happened) picture of my taco:

Spaghetti Carbonara - Fast

Have you ever had a day that you thought would be calming and relaxing only to realize that it will actually be very hectic and rushed? Sadly, that is what today has been for me. Last night I mentally made a note of what I had to do today, that list had 1 item on it. This morning, after sleeping in until 9:30am I decided it would be best if I wrote a list out. Well, half way through my list, it hit me - I have A LOT to do today. A whole lot!

So, I grabbed a quick bowl of cereal and started on my to-do list. Around noon I started to get a little hungry but was determined to get just 1 more thing done. Well, around 1:30pm my stomach started to growl. It was also that time that Martha Stewart was making Spaghetti Carbonara. How perfect for a fast and tastey; not to mention well balanced - protein, carbs (no, they aren't all bad and when you need energy they are a must) and um, bacon! Perfect. It's been so simple and fast to make. The longest part is actually been boiling the water for the pasta. And, I already had all the ingredients on-hand. Huge thumbs up from me!

On a completely separate note, I'm going to see "Fireproof" tonight! I have heard nothing but good things about this movie and can't wait to see it!

Here's Martha's recipe

Ingredients :
Serves 4
· 8 ounces bacon (8 slices), cut 1-inch thick crosswise
· Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
· 1 pound spaghetti
· 3 large eggs
· 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
· 1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions :
1. Set a large pot of water to boil (for the pasta). In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
2. Salt the boiling water generously; add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package instructions.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan, and half-and-half. Set aside. Drain the pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add the hot pasta to the egg mixture. Add the bacon; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (the heat from the pasta will cook the eggs). Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.

Yay!! Kevin's Home!!!

After I decided on the perfect appetizer, it was time to chose the perfect main course. I decided on spicy shrimp; the recipe I used I had adapted from The Pioneer Woman (I highly recommend her blog, it's full of fun & useful info). This dish is one of our favorite meals so I knew Kevin would be pleasantly surprised. I was *planning* on baking homemade bread but, I had soooo many errands to run that I totally ran out of time. Instead, I cheated and used a "roll and bake" Italian loaf from Pillsbury.

The Ingredients don't really have exact measurements - and, I'm soooo bad about writing down the exact measurements I use.

Ingredients:

Shrimp

Olive Oil (Enough to coat thoroughly)

Tabasco (I used a few shakes of the bottle)

Worcestershire (1/8 - 1/4 cup)

Salt (1/2 Tablespoon)

Pepper (1/4 Pepper)

Butter (1/2 Stick cut into pats and placed over the shrimp)

Lemon (I squeezed a 1/2 lemon over the top shrimp)

Throw the shrimp on a baking pan and douse it with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt, pepper, and butter. Then, put the pan under the broiler for about ten minutes or until the shrimp are no longer translucent. Serve with hot bread; I highly recommend dipping the bread into the sauce that forms on the bottom of the pan - it's awesome!!!

Great Summer Snack

These days my sleep schedule is a bit off kilter and unfortunately, it's effecting my appetite. Which is rough on me since I LOVE to eat! Although it's just about dinner time I am not hungry at all - but, since know how important it is to eat several small meals a day (it keeps your body functioning at it's highest potential while keeping your metabolism up) I was determined to find something that sounded appetizing. I was actually on the phone with my brother when my search began; he suggested I get a Big Mac from McDonald's......ah, 16 year-old boys - Lol! I decided to go with something a bit on the lighter side. While scavenging through my fridge and herb garden, I came up with this recipe for an easy and nutritious veggie dip:

1/2 Cup Light Mayonnaise (I used Smart Balance)

1/2 Cup Fat-Free Plain Yogurt

1 Palmful Fresh Dill

1 Palmful Fresh Chives

1 Palmful Fresh Basil

1 Teaspoon of Onion Powder

1 Teaspoon of Garlic Pepper

1 Pinch of Paprika

Mix and enjoy with fresh veggies.

* I should note that I have pretty small hands, so I'm not really sure how much a "palmful" actually is. I'm so bad about recording measurements. :)

Quick Summer Dinner

Oven Baked Chicken and Panzanella

Despite our best efforts, Kevin and I are having a really busy summer. A quick, and easy meal is a great way to come together after a busy day. This meal was soooo simple, and soooo good!

Panzanella Salad‏

Salad:
1 loaf French bread

1 container of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 ball, diced fresh mozzarella

1 bag baby arugala for garnish,

1/2 handful of chopped fresh basil (from our garden - yay!)

Dressing:

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut bread in cubes and dry out in the oven - about 15 minutes at 375

Combine arugala, bread, tomatoes, basil, and cheese in large bowl. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and salt. Pour over contents in bowl and combine.

It's just that simple!

Oven Baked Chicken

There isn't a recipe for the chicken as much as a breading method I usually use.

First, I combine panko (I LOVE Panko!)

Second, I mix an egg or two with some milk and get the chicken throughly coated.
Then, I dip the chicken into the Panko mixture and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Also, soooo simple!!