Pumpkin Risotto Recipe

Alright, guys. Awhile ago I promised you pumpkin risotto, and pumpkin risotto you shall have. Still working my way out of my cooking rut, but last night risotto just sounded so good, I had no choice but to get off my butt and make it. (I adapted from this recipe.)

Pumpkin Risotto (for 2)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 small onion

1 clove garlic, minced (or pressed-- I love my garlic press)

3/4 cup arborio rice

2-3 cups chicken stock

1/2-3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, or 1/8 cup dried parsley

dash of thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pan, heat butter and oil together. Once butter is melted, sautee the onion and garlic together over medium high heat until onion becomes translucent and garlic becomes fragrant. Add rice, stir to coat, and sautee for about 1 minute.

2. Add first 1 cup of chicken stock, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer. If you're using a non-stick pan, you don't have to stir constantly (until the end), but make sure you stir frequently.

3. Once liquid is mostly absorbed, add second 1 cup of stock, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer. About halfway through the second cup of stock, add the pumpkin puree. This gives the pumpkin flavor some time to develop and soak into the rice. 

4. After the second cup of liquid is mostly absorbed, check the rice. If it's soft, it's done. If it's still crunchy, add another 1 cup of stock and repeat until rice is tender. (I ended up using 3 cups to get rice tender.) After adding the third cup, I did have to stir almost constantly to keep the rice from sticking, so just watch out for that.

5. Once rice is done, turn heat to low. Stir in your cheese, parsley and spices. Stir until cheese is melted and everything is combined. Remove from heat, and serve!

This is my new favorite comfort food. It's warm, filling, satisfying, and full of fall flavors! I just want to curl up in a bowl of it now that the weather has cooled off. I hope you like it as much as we do!

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Banana Pumpkin Bread Muffins with Cranberries

E loves to help me. She loves to help clean, do dishes, do laundry, and cook. It's awesome, and I hope it stays that way, but sometimes it's hard to find ways for her to actually help. When it comes to cooking/baking, she is now my official stir-er. I measure the ingredients, she dumps them in and whisks them together. It's a pretty great system, and I hope it instills in her a love for cooking. I didn't learn much growing up, and am mostly self-taught. Knowing that she will at least have a foundation for cooking and baking for herself, and an appreciation of food and ingredients, makes me all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside (I think it's a mom thing). Bonus: when she's old enough, it'll be a great way to teach her fractions! I love my little sous chef.

Yesterday, she and I made these muffins. The original recipe is for a loaf of bread, but muffins are just so much easier to grab in the morning, instead of having to slice off a piece. I have one muffin tin, and one cupcake tin, and the batter was enough to fill both.

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup craisins (other options: raisins or chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare your muffin pans (I used cupcake liners for the cupcake tin, and baking spray on the muffin tin).

2. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey, sugar, and brown sugar. (Fun fact: after she mashed the bananas, E informed me that they weren't bananas any more, they were soup.)

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and whisk together. 

4. Whisk the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the craisins. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

how full I filled my tins, for reference

5. Bake for 25 minutes for cupcake-sized muffins, and 35 minutes for muffin-sized muffins (ha), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Move pans to cooling racks for about 10 minutes, then remove muffins from pans and complete cooling. 

mini-muffins

regular muffins

These are really moist, flavorful, and perfect for breakfast as they are not too sweet. Plus I hear bananas and pumpkin are good for energy! 

PS: I am creating a new label for the recipes E helps me with called "little helper recipes" so that, if anyone is interested, you can find recipes that are easy to do with your preschooler. I hope you find it helpful!

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Pumpkin No-Bake Cookies

My husband's favorite cookies are no-bakes. Which, I'm not even sure how to process that, as I consider myself to be a bake-er (not to be confused with a professional baker--one day!), and he's like "hey, can you not-bake me some cookies?" Sure, baby, whatever you want.

So when I came across this recipe for pumpkin no-bakes, I knew I wanted to make them for him (and for me, let's be honest here). And they ended up being a delicious treat and a nice surprise for him to come home to. Serious wife points here. :)

Ingredients (makes 1 dozen small cookies)

3/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup oat flour (make your own by blending oats in a food processor until they become powder. I needed about 3/4 cup oats to make 1/2 cup oat flour.)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons milk, as needed
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir.

2. In a small bowl, combine all liquid ingredients (including pumpkin). Whisk to combine.

3. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated.

4. Let the mixture set up in the fridge for about half an hour (this makes them easier to work with), then form into balls and allow to set on a cookie sheet fixed with parchment paper.

Easy peasy, delicious, and fall-y? Yes please!

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Butternut Squashed

Once every few weeks, a friend of ours will come over and we'll all prepare this big meal together. Last night was one of those nights. The menu for the evening was butternut squash soup, roasted chicken, roasted artichokes, pumpkin risotto and an apple raspberry crisp for dessert. 

Today I was planning on sharing the butternut squash soup recipe with you, but with all the craziness that was going on, we sort of forgot one key ingredient while preparing the soup: the butternut squash. We had boiled all of the other veggies until they were soft, but we had to add the butternut squash in raw, so the texture of the soup ended up more fiber-y than creamy as intended. So once I actually get that right, I'll share it. I was a little intimidated by the prospect of having to cube the squash, but I used this tutorial and it ended up being pretty easy! Just watch your fingers. 

I also plan on sharing the pumpkin risotto with you at some point. It was my first time ever making risotto and it actually came out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

The moral of the story is, I don't have a recipe for you today, but I should have some good ones coming soon! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

Chicken & Pumpkin Cream Sauce Pasta

When I run out of actual planned meals for the week, but haven't made it back to the store yet, I like to play a version of Chopped with myself. I find a protein and a starch or grain and see what I can whip up with them. This week, I was left with a pound of chicken breast and some whole grain pasta. I also still have a ton of pumpkin left, and thought maybe I could incorporate it into a chicken pasta dish. So I scoured Pinterest for "chicken pumpkin pasta" and came across this pin of this recipe.

I glanced at the ingredients and figured I would have everything I needed. As it turned out, I didn't have any chicken broth or heavy whipping cream. But I was able to find substitutes for both of them, so I forged ahead. And then I realized I didn't have any sage, so I looked up spices that typically accompany sage and used the ones I had from that list instead. The recipe you see here is a result of all those substitutions, a sort of Frankenstein's monster of mish-mashed ingredients that I figured would be "good enough."

Don't worry, unlike Frankenstein, this story has a happy ending.

Ingredients

8 oz whole grain linguine 

2 Tbsp butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips

2 cloves pressed or chopped garlic

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup water + 1/2 Tbsp olive oil mixed (sub for 1/2 cup chicken broth)

1/2 cup milk + 1/4 cup melted butter mixed ( sub for 3/4 cup whipping cream)

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in 12-inch skillet until it sizzles, then add the chicken and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through (8 to 10 minutes). Add chicken and garlic to pasta.

3. Combine the pumpkin puree, chicken broth (or substitute), whipping cream (or substitute), herbs, spices and salt in medium bowl. 

4. Pour over pasta mixture and stir to coat. Heat everything up over medium heat until heated through (3 to 5 minutes).

The end result was actually pretty good! My husband said it was "surprisingly good" (a glowing recommendation if ever I've heard one). It was pretty devoid of color, though. If I were to make it again, I might try it the way it was originally intended. But without having the original version to compare this one to, I think this was a pretty good substitute.

This has been another installment of The Pintester Movement, where I pick a pin and just go for it, win or lose. I'm counting this one as a mostly-win, since all of the substitutions didn't render the dish inedible!

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Today is J's birthday (happy birthday, baby!), so I wanted to have E help me make something special for him. Since she's a pro at making cookies, I decided on pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I found this recipe, and halved it. And it wasn't until I'd already started throwing ingredients together that I discovered that I was out of eggs, so I used the old banana substitute (1 banana = 1 egg). This ended up working out in my favor, since it's easier to halve a banana than it is an egg. 

I'm writing this up exactly as I made it, but if you want to make more, you can use the original recipe's measurements, and if you actually have eggs and you want to use them, well you just go right on ahead. I will say, however, that it was kind of nice not having to worry about there being raw eggs in the dough, because E and I are both bowl-lickers. ;)

Ingredients (I ended up with 20 cookies)

 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 banana, smashed

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp milk

1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, and banana in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 

2. Dissolve baking soda in milk, and stir into flour mixture. Then add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until well combined.

3. Add vanilla and chocolate chips, stir until incorporated.

4. Spoon dough out onto baking sheet fixed with parchment paper (or sprayed with baking spray). Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. 

I'm not even mad about the banana being in there, because while you can taste it a little bit, the flavor goes really well with the pumpkin and cinnamon and chocolate. It fits right in. And it didn't seem to affect the texture of the finished product at all, either. These are just as gooey and soft as you'd expect a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie to be. And J gives them a big thumbs up, which is really the important part because they're his birthday treat. :) 

To further celebrate his birthday (and mine, since it's next week), we are going on a date tonight-- for the first time in months. I'm super excited, and I'll be back Monday with pictures! In the meantime, I hope you all are having a lovely weekend!

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Pumpkin Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

My pumpkin kick is still in full swing. I just love it so much, you guys. After posting a few of my favorite smoothie recipes awhile back, I've been working on coming up with some more, and I think we have a winner with this one. It's like pumpkin oatmeal, but in a glass, to go.

Ingredients

1 banana

2 heaping spoonfuls of pumpkin (or to taste)

1/2 cup quick oats

3/4 cup milk

1 spoonful brown sugar (or you can use honey)

1 tsp cinnamon (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Blend all ingredients. Garnish if desired. Enjoy!

Plus, did you guys know about all the health benefits of pumpkin? I sure didn't until I looked them up. As an orange veggie (like carrots and sweet potatoes), they help with eyesight. They are also rich in fiber but low in calories, so they aid in weight loss. They can even help keep your skin wrinkle-free and give your immune system a boost. (source) So maybe indulging in this pumpkin obsession is a good thing, after all!

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Pumpkin Chili Recipe

adapted from here

Today we're continuing the pumpkin theme with pumpkin chili! My husband was very skeptical (actually, I'm pretty sure he thought I'd lost my marbles) when he saw this on the menu for the week. But he ended up really enjoying it, as did I! The pumpkin is subtle, but still there. And it makes for a creamier chili, rather than really chunky like my go-to chili recipe is (maybe I'll share that one at some point, too?). And it smells amaaaazing while it's cooking. Like chili combined with pumpkin pie, which sounds weird but it totally works. I wish I could make this a scratch-and-sniff post, but I can't, so if you want to find out what I'm talking about you'll just have to make it yourself. ;) This recipe made enough for one heaping bowl for each of us, so if you're feeding more than two people (or want leftovers) you'll have to multiply the ingredients.

Ingredients

1/2 pound ground beef
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 15.25-ounce can black beans
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef in a medium pan. Add the bell pepper and cook until it becomes fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. (If you are planning on throwing this together in the morning before heading to work or wherever, you can simply complete this step the night before then store in the fridge until the morning.)

2. In your crock pot, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Stir in the beef/pepper combo. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Treat it like a regular chili and serve with your favorite chili toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, or tortilla strips.

Chili is already a great fall dish, but the pumpkin just takes the "fall" level up a notch, which I love. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

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Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

It is now September, and with September comes pumpkin spice lattes. It's inevitable, everyone knows it, and it's the most wonderful time of the year (suck it, Christmas). If I could, I would buy one every single day. But ain't nobody got money for that, so I was super excited when I stumbled across this homemade version. Of course, it's not the same, but it IS way cheaper, and the best part is you can customize it to your tastes. The ingredients here are customized to mine, but feel free to play around with it until it suits you.

Ingredients

A cup of fresh coffee (I use a Keurig, so my "cup" was 8 oz)

1 cup milk

1/4 to 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (depending on how much pumpkin flavor you want)

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

1. Whisk everything (except the coffee) together in a medium-sized bowl. Taste test and adjust measurements according to your preferences.

 2. Top off your coffee cup with the pumpkin milk (I ended up using about 1/2 cup). Store the remaining milk in an airtight container in the fridge.

Like I said, it's not the same, but it definitely scratches the pumpkin itch, plus it's way more economical. FYI, there will be some sludge at the bottom of your coffee cup.

I just poured more coffee into it and once that cup was gone, I tossed it out. But I'm totally looking forward to enjoying this for a couple more mornings! I'll probably still be getting a latte from a coffee shop once a week, but this is a nice homemade alternative. Enjoy!