....is Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Once Upon a Recipe 

(The Cookies are exactly the same, the Frosting has been altered.)

For the Cookies:

1 Cup Butter, Softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Ground Nutmeg

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

1½ Cups Pumpkin Puree

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, beat the Butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add The Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg. Beat until thoroughly combined, taking care to scrape the bowl down at least once. Add the Egg and Vanilla, and beat until combined. 

Beat in the Pumpkin. 

Add in the Flour and mix together well. 

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons onto a cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are just set and have lovely golden brown ridges. 

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool.

For the Frosting:

1 (8oz.) Package Cream Cheese, Softened

¼ Cup Butter, Softened

1 Cup Icing Sugar

¼ Cup Brown Sugar

½ tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.

Frost the cookies when cool and enjoy!

....is a Turkey Burger with Molasses BBQ Date

Michaela! Thanks for the guest post invite. I hope you get a chance to make these soon, they're wonderful. Chris and I made these yesterday for our long distance date night, he sent me a few of his pictures to add in too. 

We did all of the chopping first and then the order of operations was combining the salad ingredients, cooking and warming the sauce then we mixed and grilled the burgers.  Enjoy!

For the Salad:

1 Limes, Zest and Juiced

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
1/4 Cucumber, Chopped
Spinach, Coarsely Chopped

For the Sauce:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Red Onion, Chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, Finely Diced

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

3 Tbsp Molasses

1 Cans Fire-Roasted Tomatoes (15 ounces)

For the Burger:
Ciabatta Bread

1- 1/3 pounds all-white-meat ground turkey breast (about 1 package)
1 Egg

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Scallions (Green Onions), Finely Chopped

1/4 Bunch of Cilantro, Finely Chopped

1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 Limes, Zest and Juiced
Salt & Pepper
1 Packages of Goat Cheese

(Recipe originally from Rachel Ray edited and finagled with JH.)

Place the Chopped Spinach, Cucumber, Sliced Red Onion, the Lime Zest and the Lime Juice in a bowl. Add 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Set aside.

The Molasses Barbecue Sauce: In  a medium size sauce pot over medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Add the Chopped Red Onion and Garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until Onion becomes slightly tender. Add the Vinegar and Molasses, cook for another minute, then add the tomatoes. Bring up to a light bubble and cook for 10-15 minutes. Leave on the stove at a low temp to keep warm.

In a medium size bowl, combine the Ground Turkey, Scallions, Cilantro, Cumin, Salt, Pepper, Zest of 1 Lime and one Tbsp of Olive Oil. Score the meat into four equal parts and then form four 1 1/2-inch thick patties. Place a small chunk of Goat Cheese in the middle of each patty. Drizzle with Olive Oil and place on the grill for 6-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Toast the Ciabatta on the Grill or Grill Pan on both sides. To serve, place a piece of Toasted Bread on a plate and top with a couple spoonfuls of the molasses barbecue sauce. Place the Turkey Burger on top of that and then finish it off with the Salad.

....Pumpkin Bread Pudding on a Snow Day

From Smitten Kitchen, I opted for the 'Come On, Be Lazy With Me, Instructions'

It snowed today! And this is what my street looked like. I literally saw a man skiing down my flat street in cross country skis. The covered hunk in the bottom right of the picture is my lovely Jeep. It has a rack on the top but snow covered it. What it meant was a Snow Day! And 'snow work' (finding myself punny). So what better to do then bake deliciousness?

1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
3/4 Cup Canned Solid-Pack Pumpkin
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs Plus 1 Yolk
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp Ground Allspice
Pinch of Ground Cloves
2 Tbsp Bourbon
5 Cups Cubed (1-inch) Crusty Bread*
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted

*The best way to make fresh bread crusty is to cube and then bake them 350°F for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

While preheating oven to 350°F with rack in middle, melt butter in bottom of a 8inch square baking dish. Once it is melted, take it out of the oven and toss bread cubes with butter, coating thoroughly. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together all the remaining ingredients. 

Pour them over buttered bread cubes in baking dish, stirring to make sure all pieces are evenly coated. Bake until custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes.

So yummy I tried some right away.

....is Fudge

Adapted from Marshmallow Fluff's Fantasy Fudge

3 Cups Sugar
¾ Cup Butter
1 Small Can (5 oz.) Evaporated Milk (about 2/3 cup)
12 oz. Ghirardelli 60% Dark Chocolate, Chopped
1 Jar (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Crème
1tsp. Vanilla

Line 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. 

Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate....

....and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Add vanilla; mix well.

Pour into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting into squares.

*Use a Candy Thermometer!*

I attempted fudge over new years eve and thought I could use the '5 minute active boil' rule of thumb. The above picture is what our fudge looked like after an over night stay in the fridge. Round two went much better, I put it out at work and it was gone within an hour.

....is a Trout Meunière Date

Taken from New Orleans Food: More Than 250 of the City's Best Recipes to Cook at Home

1 Cup Flour
1 Tbsp Creole Ceasoning
 Six 6-8 oz. Speckled Trout Fillets *
1-1/4 sticks (10 tbsp.) Butter
1 Cup Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
Peanut Oil for frying
Lemon Wedges
*If you can’t find speckled Trout, substitute Redfish, Red Snapper, Drum, Striped Bass, or Halibut.

Combine the Flour and Creole seasoning in a wide, flat-bottomed bowl.

Rinse the Trout Fillets and pat dry. Dredge the Fish through the seasoned Flour and knock off excess. Place the Fish in a pan on waxed paper and set aside.

Melt the Butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to bubble, stir in ¼ cup of the leftover seasoned Flour and make a Roux, stirring constantly, until it’s medium brown.

When the right color is reached, add the Chicken stock and whisk until the Roux is dissolved into the stock. Add the Lemon Juice, Worcestershire Sauce, and Vinegar and bring to a simmer. Whisk now and then while cooking, until the sauce is thick enough to flow but not slosh. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep the sauce warm while you prepare the Fish.

You can pan fry the Fish in butter if you like, but it’s more common in New Orleans to fry it in about an inch of 375 degree oil. 

Either way, cook till golden brown (about 2 minutes per side).

Nap with the sauce and serve with Lemon Wedges.

....is a Beet Risotto

Adapted from Once Upon A Recipe posted on Tasty Kitchen

2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter

2 whole Beets, Chopped Small

½ whole Onion, Chopped Small

1 cup Arborio Rice

3-½ Cups Chicken Stock

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 Oz Goat Cheese

Melt the Oil or Butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the Beets and Onion, and cook for 8 minutes (stir to allow the onion to caramelize). 

Mix in the Rice, and coat with Butter, Onions and Beets.

Add Broth ½ Cup at a time, adding more as it cooks off, cook until it is no longer crunchy. Sprinkle with the goat cheese and add Balsamic Vinegar.