Gluten Free Almond Cranberry Apple Bread

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Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

**Disclaimer** I am not a foodie, nor do I pretend to be {in public}. This recipe probably has a zillion things wrong with it from a gourmet standpoint. However, it's cheap, tastes great, and is fairly simple. Hope you enjoy it for what it is...a fun experiment!



For weeks I've been aching to make a pumpkin pie. This is mostly because I baked up several of our fall pumpkins a couple months ago, pureed them, and froze them. And they've sat patiently waiting for the holiday season to be baked into something delicious!!

Unfortuately, Thanksgiving and Christmas rendered zero extra time, energy or oven space, so alas, the pumpkin puree sat. Finally yesterday evening, {New Year's!}, I had the time, energy AND oven space to tackle a pumpkin pie. I had some sweet potatoes on hand that needed using, so I combined several recipes of mine and created this.

It turned out pretty tasty, even though it's technically not pumpkin pie season anymore!

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie {with Crumb Topping}

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. cold margarine
1/4 c. ice water

Pie Filling:

1 c. pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin will work too! You may have to bake it longer.)
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. orange zest
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk

Crumb Topping:

1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oats
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar for the pie crust. Cut in the cold margarine. When thoroughly combined, pour the ice water on the top of the mixture. Knead gently with your hands until you can lift the crust dough with your hands into a greased pie pan.

Using your hands, press the crust into the pan, leaving it about 1/2 inch thick. Press sides of crust as desired.

Next, beat the pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, orange zest, brown sugar and salt in a large mixer. When well-combined, add the eggs. Beat again. Add milk, and beat again. The texture of the filling should seem liquidy, but creamy.

Pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs. I baked my pie for exactly 50 minutes. If you are using canned pumpkin, it should only take about 40 minutes. I add lots of water to my pumpkin puree. ;)

Remove from oven and allow at least ten  minutes to cool. I loved this pie warm with cool whip, but I love it even more cold. Store in the fridge for up to one week.

Although if you're like our family, you won't need a whole week to get rid of it!

Enjoy with life, and happy holidays. <3

Fall Soup

Extended Lunchtime!!! I love it when that happens. That means just a few extra minutes to do this and that around the house...a few extra minutes to throw future meals together...and most importantly, extra minutes with Bundle and Hubby in the evening!


<3

I just made this batter...can't wait to bake it up with my family later tonight!


On to more important things to do though...like dinner prep!

This couldn't be simpler or faster -- only a tiny bit of chopping, and the rest you toss in the crock pot. Six hours later, it's ready to go! Plus, there's nothing like coming home from work on a chilly fall evening with hot dinner already taken care of!

Fall Soup

Ingredients:
1 large can (28 oz.) of diced tomatoes
1 can creamed corn
1 can chickpeas, undrained
1 can sweet peas, drained
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 zucchini, quartered
2 Tbsp. seasoning salt
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 chicken bouillon cubes (or 3 tsp. chicken bouillon flavoring)
1/2 c. water
**Optional -- 1/3 c. pureed squash (I used acorn!)**

Instructions:

Place all ingredients together in a large crock pot and cook on high for six hours.

Serve hot, with mozzarella cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches!!

Truly, you won't be disappointed with this recipe. It was hearty, delicious, chock full of veggies, and just the right amount of spicy. :)



Enjoy with life. <3




**Update: these were amazing! Just ate two fresh out of the oven!! Totally worth the five minutes I spent on my extended lunch break whipping them up!**

Quick, Easy and Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins

October.

The month of gorgeous fall colors, warm scarves, pumpkin patches, crazy schedules, tons of traveling, and the first illnesses of the season.

The month where aforementioned activities and obstacles prevented any updates or posts during the last two weeks of this poor neglected blog's life. The Lord knew I needed a quiet spare moment to bake something.

I made this recipe, with a few changes, and love it.

Of course, I tweaked it to my liking...I added two frozen cubes of acorn squash puree, 1/2 cup of mini dark chocolate chips, and used honey instead of syrup. Concerned at that point about the consistency, I added a couple tablespoons of flour and a spoonful of brown sugar. A little bit goes a long way. :)

I am doing my best these days to eat clean, whole foods, but certainly am no expert on nutrition! *Disclaimer: This recipe is not a clean eating recipe! Just a tad lighter than your average chocolate muffins.** I am currently reading Joy McCarthy's Joyous Health. Check out her site here! She has fabulous suggestions and info about nutrition. Create your own nutritional experiment -- You could use raw cocao, cocao nibs, alternative nut butters and raw honey in this recipe. You could probably also experiment with gluten free flours and wheat-free grains. Play around with it...have fun...and comment if you figure out something amazingly delicious!

These muffins are supposed to be for tomorrow's breakfast, however, I may just have to give them a try this evening.

Enjoy with those rare but spare quiet moments.

Quick, Easy and Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/4 c. honey

1 c. creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 c. mini dark chocolate chips

**If desired, 1/4 c. pureed squash or sweet potato**

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups. 

Mix the bananas, cocoa powder, honey and peanut butter with a hand mixer on high for one minute. All the banana should be mixed in well enough that you can't see large-ish pieces anymore.

If desired and on hand, melt the frozen puree  and add to the mixture. Add the chocolate chips. Fold these ingredients together with a rubber spatula. 

Finally, add the flour and brown sugar. Mix again on high for one minute. 

Evenly divide and spoon the mixture into the 12 prepared muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy with life. <3

Throw-Together Herbed Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

So I admit...I am completely subsisting on the Lord Jesus and coffee today. Bundle was up til 2 a.m. this morning, thanks to new toddler teeth, growing pains, and a bad cold.

This blog is basically an online cookbook for myself... a place to be reminded of what exactly I did that one time with those one ingredients when we had that one thing going on... But here's the story anyway, just in case you were curious. :)

I needed a simple-to-fix, simple-to-serve side dish for a church lunch, and I needed it quick! I decided at about 10:30 this morning that Bundle and I were both feeling up to the invite. I do not have a lot of the fun seasonal fall salad fixings that most Pinterest-worthy (whatever that means) salads do, so I consulted my own herb garden and opted for a homemade dressing. For little ingredients and no prep, I was excited about how this turned out! Make again for sure.

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded lettuce
2 tsp. fresh chopped thyme
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh chopped basil
1/4 c. chopped sweet bell peppers (I keep frozen and chopped for easy access)

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. honey

Instructions:

Place lettuce in a large bowl. Top with herbs and peppers.

Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients, and pour directly over the salad.

Toss a bit with a pair of tongs, and serve!



Almost too simple, right? After the lunch, I only had a teeny (almost not worth a single serving) portion left. Sometimes our best ideas come at the last minute with whatever we have on hand!



Enjoy with life.  <3

For the Love of the Library

My job title for the next two days is high school substitute librarian.


<3

As a teacher, daughter of a public librarian, and long-time book-lover, there's no better place to spend the last two days of the work week. I've been pouring over the new book section and gleaning my own bookshelves at home for certain read-agains. This gorgeous fall weather just begs for a steaming mug of blonde roast coffee and a stack of first-rate reading material.

Instead of a recipe for delicious food today, here's my recipe for a fantastic fall reading list.

Former Favs

F in Exams by Richard Benson
 (nonfiction)

A unique and hilarious compilation of wrong answers on written tests.

Paper House by Jean Janzen
 (non-fiction, poetry)

A beautiful, fresh collection of poetry, written almost as a memior, by  an award winning poet.

Together: A Story of Shared Vision by Tom Sullivan and Betty White
  (non-fiction)

A  tale of heartbreak and inspiration based on a true story of a proud young man with a tragic accident led to hope by a seeing eye dog.

Coastliners by Joanne Harris
 (adult fiction)

A mysterious novel about a young woman returning to her home, the tiny, French island village of Les Salants, hoping to mend relationships once gone sour.

Current To-Reads


Style by Lauren Conrad
 (non-fiction)

A gorgeously illustrated guide to fashion, makeup, hair and all things beauty. So fun to look through!

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
 (young adult fiction)

Based on a true story, this is an adventure-laden tale of a young Japanese boy whose shipwrecked life finds pirates, world travels, and the hope of going back home. Can't wait to sit down with this fast-paced adventure!

If You're Reading This by Trent Reedy
 (young adult fiction)

A sixteen-year-old whose father has died in Afghanistan begins to open letters from his late father and following their advice about football, girls, and life in general. Tissue box, here I come.

Noggin by John Corey Whaley
 (young adult fiction)

A quirky, funny, modern-day Frankenstein tale of a former teenage leukemia patient given a new lease on life, literally. I started a few chapters into this book, and I'm already hooked! Definitely for a more adult audience.

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares
 (young adult fiction)

A seventeen year old escapes from the disease ridden future in hopes of saving her race, but encounters unexpected obstacles and emotions that might destroy her mission. Since I loved the Divergent series, I can't wait to get into this teen science fiction read!

Happy Reading! <3

Honey Glazed Sweet Potatoes

These are impossibly simple and delicious. That's all there is to it.

Honey Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
2 Tbsp. (plus more to taste) honey
4 Tbsp. brown sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray. (I love the olive oil ones!) Wash one large sweet potato and cut into slices about 1/4 in. thick. Place slices evenly across a large baking sheet. Drizzle with half the honey. Sprinkle with half the brown sugar (as evenly as possible) around all the slices of sweet potato. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove tray and flip each slice over. Repeat the honey drizzle and brown sugar sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Bake for another ten minutes. Remove and turn off oven. Let the slices cool for at least ten minutes before plating and devouring!!

Pre-oven-roasted...

Post-oven-roasted!!

Enjoy with life. <3

Wordless Wednesday: Fall

Pumpkin Pie Truffles

At first when I noticed the sign up in the teachers' lounge to bring treats, I ignored it and was more than tempted to cringe. For several weeks I even ignored the email that asked us to sign up. Treats for an entire week to feed the entire staff and faculty? Yikes...

Then I was browsing food blogs (as per usual) and found the cutest idea: covering pumpkin pie filling with white chocolate. I mean, covering anything with creamy, melted sugar is always a good idea, right? All of a sudden, scrawling my name on that schedule didn't sound so intimidating. I tweaked the recipe a little, and voila! Four dozen office-worthy treats in no time.

{Here's the original idea: http://livlifetoo.blogspot.com/2010/11/white-chocolate-pumpkin-pie-cupts.html}

Well, this week is my week! Hope they all love these little autumn truffles as much as I do.

Ingredients
3/4 c. (or 6 oz.) cream cheese
3/4 c. pureed pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c. powdered sugar
9 crushed graham crackers
3 squares of almond bark
decorative sprinkles or other edible decorations

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, spices and graham cracker crumbs.

Beat on high until well combined. Generously grease a 24 cup mini-muffin pan. Using a small melon-baller, fill each mini-muffin cup.

Bake for ten minutes. The batter will make two pans (48 mini muffins).

While waiting for the pumpkin cups to bake, melt your almond bark on a low setting, stirring often. When pumpkin cakes are done baking, cool them completely.

You don't want to be dipping them in bark while they're still warm! After cooling, coat each cake in melted bark. Decorate with sprinkles immediately after coating.  Allow each cake to cool again on a large sheet of wax paper. (To speed things up, feel free to put them in the freezer!)

Wonderful. Perfectly spiced. Coated in delicious almond bark. If the mood strikes (or if you have almond bark leftover) coat something else in it! Pretzels, cookies, Ritz crackers, you name it!

Definitely enjoy with life.

Monday Night Snack Mix

Since four days ago, (the first day of autumn!), I've been psyched for all fall-related things: marshmallow roasting, walks just to see the first signs of leaves falling, and of course, seasonal foods. 

I am not 100% sure that trail mix falls under this "autumn" category, but I did find it in my October edition of Taste of Home magazine! Does that count?? 

Anyway, I was in the mood for something both sweet and salty and crunchy last night. It was also late in the evening...the essential red light for me to stop attempting to cook. My recipe suits my family's taste (and also our budget....note the off-brand cheddar sharks), so feel free to make this yours by changing up what you throw in! :)

Happy Fall!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups mini pretzels

2 cups goldfish or other cheese crackers (or in my case, cheddar sharks)

3 cups oyster crackers

2 cups dry roasted peanuts

1 1/2 cups cashews (I like using lightly salted or unsalted)

4 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice

1 Tbsp. garlic salt

1/2 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Original

1 Tbsp. Kettle Corn Seasoning

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine all dry ingredients (minus the spices) in a large bowl. Mix well with spatula. 

Sprinkle mix with Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice and coat mix thoroughly with spatula. Sprinkle again with garlic salt, Mrs. Dash, and Kettle Corn seasoning, turning with spatula to coat evenly. 

Pour mix onto a large, greased baking pan. 

Bake for fifteen minutes, turning every five minutes. Upon bringing the mix out of the oven, sprinkle again with your favorite spice. I sprinkle with the Kettle Corn seasoning again. :)

Watch out...this may not last very long!