Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

It’s a sign of the season that I went to 3 different coffee shops yesterday, looking for a place to study, and couldn’t find a spot to sit down. Good thing I had everything I needed to make the pumpkin spice latte at home! The recipe is fairly simple, using espresso, almond milk, pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, and spices.

True coffee aficionados may not appreciate the fact that I used instant espresso, and foamed the milk by stirring vigorously with a whisk, but it worked for me. And in just a few minutes, I had my own cup at a fraction of the cost.
You may not want to open a whole can of pumpkin for one recipe, but bookmark this one for your next pumpkin baking expedition. I assume that everyone will have one such baking adventure during the holiday season, and while your creation is in the oven, you can sit back with your latte and relax.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes

There’s something special about the Pumpkin Spice Latte, or the PSL as those “in the know” call it. It’s like autumn in a cup. A reminder to slow down, and enjoy the season. But wait, you can make a version of the PSL at home!?!

I didn’t get to try this project this week, but I just couldn’t wait to share it with you. Let’s all try to recreate the fancy coffee experience, and we’ll compare notes later. Have a great weekend!

Dorset Cereal

It’s true that many companies send samples to food bloggers hoping for a product review. But sometimes we get free stuff by being in the right place at the right time. I was at Whole Foods recently, and was handed a sample box of Dorset cereal. I had never heard of that brand, but I tossed it in my cart and went on my merry way. When I got home, I realized that the list of ingredients is very impressive!

This week, I tore open the box and decided to give it a try. I poured some skim milk over the top and dug in. Wow – this stuff is good! I love the crunchiness and variety, and it was naturally just sweet enough.
This cereal is nutritious but calorie dense, so I might be more inclined to use it as a topping for a bowl of yogurt rather than a breakfast cereal. And while I do like making my own granola, this is a good option for convenience. Thanks to Dorset for the sample, and I might pick up a box soon.

Maple Balsamic Dressing

I hardly ever buy bottled salad dressing these days. I usually have a jar of Honey Mustard dressing in the fridge, or a variation that includes soy sauce and ginger, or a tomato based dressing like this one. It’s a lot less expensive to make your own dressing, and it only takes a few minutes.

So in keeping with fall themed foods this week, I made a maple balsamic dressing to use for some salads. The dressing includes 2 T olive oil, 2 T balsamic, 1 T maple syrup, and 1 T mustard. You can see the thick consistency, and it was a good blend of sweet and tangy flavors. Like I always say, give it a try!

Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I’ve been in the mood for mushrooms lately, and then I saw this recipe for a mushroom sauce. That sounded perfect, but I increased the mushroom to pasta ratio to make sure I got my fix. The original recipe also called for mascarpone, and I used ricotta. I am not suggesting that these two cheeses are interchangeable, but ricotta is a more common ingredient and I thought it worked well here. Overall, I tried to make this a simpler dish, one which was less fussy and could be made on a weeknight.

The meal was really good, but next time I would use even more mushrooms, because you really can’t ever have too many. Please forgive the monochromatic picture – some fresh herbs would really brighten this up.

12 oz. whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 T olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
1 T minced garlic
2 (10 oz.) packages sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 T Italian seasoning
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add shallot and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add white wine, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in ricotta cheese and Italian seasoning. Spoon sauce over pasta, and serve with Parmesan.

Acorn Squash, Swiss Chard, and Gorgonzola Pizza

I don’t want to scare you or anything, but I read on Twitter that there are only 7 Saturdays left between now and Christmas. I didn’t believe it at first so I got out my calendar and counted. Those tweeters were right. I am not nearly through my fall recipes, never mind any holiday ones. How did this happen?

But here is a fall recipe that you need to make before you start talking about turkeys. This is not a traditional pizza at all, and there’s a lot going on here – but it’s all good. I adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, based on some reader comments. It starts out like a pizza, and then gets loaded up with vegetables to create a hearty ‘fork and knife’ meal.
It was a little bit of extra work to cook the squash, Swiss chard, and pizza base separately, but it was worth it in the end. Plus, you could cook extra amounts of the vegetables to be used later in the week for other meals.

1 acorn squash, cut into 1″ slices
2 T maple syrup
2 T olive oil, divided
1/2 t chili powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems chopped and leaves torn
1 lb. pizza dough
1 c. reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Gorgonzola cheese

Place the squash slices in a large bowl. Drizzle with syrup and 1 T oil, and add chili powder and cayenne pepper. Toss with a spoon to ensure the slices are well coated. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes or until soft. Cool, and remove skin from slices before chopping into cubes.

Add remaining 1 T oil to a large frying pan on medium heat. Add Swiss chard stems, and cook for 10 minutes or until softened. Add the torn leaves and cover the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until wilted, stirring occasionally.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions, and spread into thin circles. Top with mozzarella and Gorgonzola cheeses, and bake at 375F for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Add squash cubes and Swiss chard to the top of the pizza, and enjoy!

Spicy Pumpkin Dip

Here’s another great pumpkin recipe, because you’ve stocked up on canned pumpkin, right? I made this on Saturday night as an appetizer. Most pumpkin dips are sweet, but this one is definitely savory. I cut back the cayenne to about 1/8 teaspoon and that was just spicy enough.

It’s been a really crazy week and I am not ashamed to tell you that I had crackers and dip one night for dinner, with a glass of wine of course. Happy Halloween!

Sweet Potato Chili

I got back to my Sunday routine of throwing something together in the crockpot, to be used for dinner that night and then lunches for the week. This time I made Sweet Potato Chili from my very favorite slow cooker blog. It took less than 15 minutes from the time I started chopping until the time I walked away from the kitchen to do more productive things. (Things like homework, and catching up on Gossip Girl, don’t judge!)

I pretty much followed the recipe, except that I used an extra can of diced tomatoes, and a small can of drained mushrooms. A few words about the orange juice: I don’t usually have any juice in the house, and generally prefer to eat whole fruit. However, I purchased a small carton of OJ for this recipe and it was totally worth it! The chili was spicy from the chili powder and paprika, and the sweetness of the orange juice offset this perfectly. Don’t all the pretty colors remind you of fall foliage? This was a great dish, and I am sure I will come back to this recipe on another Sunday soon.

Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

I was searching for a brightly colored and fall themed side dish to serve with the Coq Au Riesling, and these carrots fit both requirements. The carrots are tossed with olive oil on the stove, and then seasoned with maple syrup, salt, and pepper and finished in the oven. I cooked them longer than indicated in the original recipe, but I also cut them a little larger.

The carrots were tender and tasted great. These are not overly sweet because the small amount of maple syrup provides just a hint of flavor. A simple side dish for any fall meal!