....is Roasted Squash & Cauliflower over Browned Butter Capellini

I have a new food obsession: roasted cauliflower (though it hasn't lessened my love of zucchini). Roasted Cauliflower with Toasted Hazelnuts and Roasted with Creamy Goat Cheese are two of the recipes I've recently discovered. I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge and decided to combine my two veggie loves. CPB & I went to the farmers market and I stocked up on Zucchini & Yellow Squash. I've made it this pasta three times in about two weeks. The roasting takes a some time but it's an otherwise low maintenance dish. The caramelized roasted vegetables compliment the nutty rich brown butter coated pasta well.

....is Tutu's for Bachelorette Bowling

I'm super excited to share a tutu tutorial (too many tu's?) no sewing required!! Last weekend I was in Big Bear for a friend's bachelorette weekend (Save the Date & Invitation post to follow). The MOH came up with the amazing idea to go tutu bowling while we were there and I volunteered to make the tutu's. Little did we know, bowling would be black lit, not only were we the only ones in tutus (though I can't imagine why....) but we were all in glowing tutus! The Bride, of course, glowing most of all.

Two things to note about tutu's, they are super easy to make, and they're SO MUCH FUN to twirl in.

....is Braised Sausages & Chiles, Revisited

Last weekend I was in Big Bear for an amazing friend's Bachelorette weekend (stay tuned for a tutu tutorial tomorrow). It was a great weekend of delicious food, friends & tutu bowling! When I came home CPB planned an amazing meal of Braised Sausages & Chiles over rice. I think it's his favorite Donald Link recipe from the book Real Cajun. We made it for the first time a few months ago but it's become a regular.

....is Mint Brownies with Candy Cane Oreo Crumble

I know a lot of people love (LOVE) Christmas, and I do too, the lights, the decorations, everything. There's a great feeling that comes with December. But Christmas is not here yet, even though I think all of retail disagrees with me, we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet. Normally I shy away from all things holiday until after Thanksgiving but I made an exception when I saw Candy Cane Oreos! I couldn't resist the colorful minty chocolate cookie. I knew they would make the perfect crunchy topping to a gooey brownie. For this recipe I used the brownie layer from my Mexican Chocolate Brownies, the Peppermint Patty Brownie's mint layer and topped with melted chocolate & crushed Oreos. These are very incredibly rich brownies, absolutely wonderful and I definitely plan to make them again!

....is Brown Sugar Shortbread & Pumpkin Butter, Revisited

Today I'm revisiting another Fall favorite from years past! Growing up I thought shortbread was a dry and flavorless cookie in a tin (I made sure to avoid) and then I made it from scratch. It's buttery, and sweet and when made with brown sugar it's even more decadent. It's wonderful by itself but in the Fall I like to top with Apple Butter or Pumpkin Butter. To save some time, Pumkpin Butter can be found in a jar at the grocery but it's easy to make and tastes like Fall (but then again I say that about anything spiced with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves & Allspice). The Pumpkin Butter needs minimal attention and can simmer on the stove while the Brown Sugar Shortbread is in the oven. They make a lovely pair and are perfect for this time of year.

....is Roasted Cauliflower & Goat Cheese

Along with spiced fall desserts, I've been on a bit of a Cauliflower kick recently. In September I made a Roasted Cauliflower Pasta from the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook, which started my craving. CPB found the below recipe flipping thru an issue of Bon Appetit I had laying around, Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Whipped Goat Cheese, if the Roasted Cauliflower doesn't sound delicious enough the Whipped Goat Cheese will win you over. We made this as a side to Blackened Salmon, but it could be a small meal on it's own.

....is a Harvest Cake, Revisited

I hope everyone had a nice Veterans Day! I love seeing everyone's posts and pictures thanking service men & women both past and present. They give so much so we can enjoy this country's freedoms.

This morning, I'm revisiting my third ever blog post, about Vegetables and the most delicious way to them. Though, anything covered in a Cream Cheese Frosting is a winner in my book. There are some slight differences in the recipe below from the original recipe in Edible. It's another treat I crave when the weather begins to cool and the leaves become multicolor. Enjoy!

....is Fire Roasted Tomato, Basil & Ricotta Pizza

This is another treat I (indirectly) brought back from Boston. My last evening in the city, I met one of my friends at Otto, a local pizza place. I had an amazing squash pizza with a white base. A week later, back in California, I got a craving for another pizza from Otto. I contemplated hopping on a plane to grab a slice but chose the slightly less expensive option. I found their website and looked up their menu. I used it to choose ingredients and made their pizza at home (with a few modifications).

....is Apple Cider Sangria

This weekend, for a bridal shower, I made this delicious beverage (well I pre-made a batch two weeks ago, for quality control). Apple Cider Sangria tastes like Autumn in a glass, well spiced and wonderful. A little honey can be used to slightly sweeten the Sangria but most of the sweetness will come from the Fruit and the Cider. I added honey to the trial batch but not the one I made for the shower. The other sweet addition to this is the brown Sugar & Cinnamon on the rim of the glass. 

....is Tomato & Ricotta on Lemon Pepper Bread

I made another version of the Dutch Oven Bread! Instead of a Tablespoon of Salt, I used 2 tsp of Salt and substituted the last tsp of Lemon Pepper. I also added a Tablespoon of Olive Oil. Serve with Ricotta and a few Pearl Tomatoes, drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with a little Salt & Pepper. This is my favorite snack for the moment.

Happy Cooking!

....is Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last month, when I flew to Boston, I was so excited to see the Spirit Magazine article: 'Hello Cookie'. An entire inflight article on cookies?! They must have known I was flying. When I got home, I found the compiled recipes online, and wanted to make them all, immediately. (I've managed to hold out so far and only made the one but I plan to make more soon.) MMcK & I had another baking day and CPB helped decide which one we made first. He loves Chocolate and the Bacon & Chocolate combination sounded intriguing to all of us. They turned out to be a nice salty versus sweet treat to add to my cookie recipe collection. (Two cookies in one week, 'tis the season for baking!)