Raspberry, Pistachio and Cardamom Overnight Oats

More breakfast recipes! Except this one is a lazy man's breakfast recipe - throw everything in a jar, give it a stir, throw it in the fridge, and forget about it until the morning. Perfect for me since I am decidedly NOT a morning person.

I have to dissent from the majority though and say that I don't find oatmeal all that filling. I'm convinced this is just something people say to make you feel bad about your desire to throw back a plate of eggs and bacon. For this reason I tried to bolster the protein and fat content of these oats with the addition of greek yogurt and nuts to make the oats a little heartier. They make for a great breakfast that's on the lighter side, or a tasty and nutritious snack.

This recipe is also very customizable, so experiment with spices, sweeteners, fruits and liquids to suit your tastes. They will keep in the fridge for several days, so double or triple the recipe as needed.

Raspberry, Pistachio and Cardamom Overnight Oats
(makes two 1/2 pint servings)

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

2-4 Tbsp chopped shelled pistachios

1/3-1/2 cup fresh raspberries, or enough to fill your jars

1. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients until well incorporated, crushing some of the raspberries as you stir. Distribute equally between two 1/2 pint jars, or other 1 cup containers, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled or dump into a bowl and microwave for 30-60 seconds. 

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Bourbon Bacon Pecans

If you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner for your family, then I know that the last thing you're probably thinking about right now is pumpkin pancakes. It's more likely that you're still trying to figure out exactly how long that turkey is going to take, or playing tetris with said turkey and the 10 different casserole dishes in your fridge, or maybe you're busy ironing napkins and thinking to yourself "when did I become this person?" 

But perhaps if you're choosing R&R over being trampled in a riot at Walmart on Black Friday, and you've had a couple days full of turkey sandwiches and soup, you'd like to use up the leftover pumpkin puree from that pumpkin pie and make what amounts to dessert for breakfast. Or, if you're really lucky, you have an awesome family member who wants to treat you to it!

These aren't your average pancakes - they're super fluffy pancakes flavored with pumpkin and warm spices, laced with brown butter and topped with cinnamon whipped cream and sweet, salty, bacon-y pecans. Yeah, they're good. This recipe makes a big family sized portion of pancakes, but it's easy enough to half the recipe. They are surprisingly tasty even after being reheated, though!

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pancakes

with Maple Bourbon Bacon Pecans

For the pecans:

1 egg white

3 Tbsp bourbon

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked until crisp and finely chopped

3 cups raw pecans, coarsely chopped

For the pancakes:

1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into several slices

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 Tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp clove

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cup milk (room temp)

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (room temp)

2 eggs (room temp)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

pure maple syrup, for serving

1. For the pecans: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.  In a large bowl, whisk egg white until foamy, then whisk in the bourbon, vanilla, maple sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the pecans and bacon and toss to coat. Spread the nuts in an even layer on the prepared pan and bake int he preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan and setting aside.

2. For the pancakes: Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced stick of butter, whisking frequently. Continue to cook the butter and wait for it to foam up and then subside. Watch for small brown specks to form in the butter - it should smell toasty and nutty. Once it reaches this point remove from the heat and measure out 4 Tablespoons of the melted butter and place into a medium bowl. Pour the remaining butter into a small vessel and stick in the fridge or freezer so it can harden up for serving.

3. To the medium bowl with the 4 Tablespoons of brown butter, add the milk, pumpkin puree and eggs and whisk until well blended (it helps if these ingredients are at room temperature.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and salt. Gently, but quickly, mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. 

4. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease. The pan is ready when a drop of water skitters across the surface of the pan. Drop 1/4 cups of pancake batter onto the pan and cook on one side until bubbles begin to form on the surface, about 2 minutes or so. Flip over and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown. 

5. To serve, whip the heavy cream, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Top the pancakes with a bit of the cooled brown butter from the fridge/freezer, a drizzle of maple syrup, a dollop of whipped cream and prepared pecans.

Kabocha Squash and Celeriac Soup with Duckfat-Roasted Pepitas

I'm about to embark on the utter madness that occurs in my kitchen between Thanksgiving and Christmas. In a whirlwind I go into the wee hours of the morning for a month and half making dishes for family gatherings, a feast for Friendsgiving, and candies and cookies like a good little Christmas elf. It's over in a flash and an explosion of wrapping paper, and all I'm left with is a giant pile of dishes!

Without fail, after a month of nonstop crazy, I get sick right before Christmas and go into hibernation until New Year's. You'd think I'd learn to slow down a bit, but I never do. MUST. BAKE. ALL. THE. THINGS!!!

Until that happens though, I will be busy playing and experimenting in the kitchen. And even with all the Christmas lights going up around me, my focus is still on Thanksgiving. Give the day its due, people! What's the rush with Christmas decor up in the stores in August and Halloween stuff gone off the shelves before we even get there?! Thanksgiving is a glorious day filled with gluttony and naps and football! What could be better??

And here's another thing, I feel like soup doesn't get its rightful place on the Thanksgiving menu. I can't think of anything more comforting and homey than a warm bowl of soup shared with family and friends. Not a large bowl, or a rich bowl, (you do need to fit in all those mashed potatoes and second servings of stuffing, after all) but a small, well-seasoned bowl of soup made from simple, seasonal ingredients. Now that's the way to start Thanksgiving in my opinion.

This kabocha squash and celeriac soup hits all the marks. It's slightly sweet and super creamy, but still light thanks to the low starch content of the celeriac. Top that with some savory pepitas roasted in duck fat (or bacon fat!) and some crisp apples, and it's perfection.

Kabocha Squash and Celeriac Soup

with Duckfat Roasted Pepitas
(makes 8-10 cups)

For the soup:

1 medium kabocha squash, about 2-3lbs, peeled, seeded, and flesh cut into 1 inch pieces

1 large bulb celeriac, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 large shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup apple cider

2 sprigs thyme

1/2 cup cream (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tart apple, peeled, cored and finely diced (for garnish)

For the pepitas:
2 tsp duck fat, melted
1/2 cup pepitas 
1/2 tsp truffle salt, or kosher salt

1. For the soup: Preheat oven to 425F. Toss the squash and celeriac with olive oil and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Season well with salt and pepper and bake in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly brown and soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

2. While the squash and celeriac are roasting, melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook just until fragrant, about a minute. Add the roasted vegetables, garam masala and cinnamon, stir and cook for a minute or two. Add the chicken stock, apple cider and thyme to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes. 

3. In batches, puree the soup in a blender until very smooth and creamy. Add additional stock to thin if needed. Pour the pureed soup back into a pot and stir in the cream if using. Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed. Serve soup topped with diced apples and warm pepitas. (If you're making the soup in advance, don't add the cream until you're ready to serve.)

4. For the pepitas: Preheat oven to 350F. Toss the pepitas with the duck fat and 1/2 of the salt. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 of the salt. 

Korean Beef Tacos with cabbage and kohlrabi slaw

Would you like something to fill those homemade corn tortillas with? I have the perfect, easy slow cooker recipe for you!

I know you still might be thinking that making your own tortillas is too much work and not worth the trouble. Or maybe you think it's a weekend project and not something you could do on a weeknight. This recipe will take care of itself after throwing the ingredients in your slow cooker and slicing a couple veggies so that all you have to worry about is the 20 minutes it will take you to cook up your tortillas. 

You'll be rewarded with soft, warm tortillas topped with savory, melt-in-your-mouth beef and some bright, crunchy quick-pickled veggies. An impressive meal for any night of the week!

Korean Beef Tacos

For the cabbage & kohlrabi slaw:
2 cups cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

For the beef:

3lb beef shank, or short ribs

1 Tbsp canola oil

10oz bottle lower sodium soy sauce

1 cup water

1/2 cup sake

2 scallions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch piece ginger, minced

1 stalk lemongrass, minced (discard the thick outer leaves)

2 Tbsp sriracha

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

For the finished tacos:

tortillas

fresh cilantro

extra sriracha

1. For the slaw: Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add the sliced cabbage, kohlrabi and red onions and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, tossing a couple times. Can be made the day before.

2. For the beef: In a large pan (or if you have a slow cooker bowl designed to go over direct heat, use that) heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides until golden brown and set aside on a plate. 

3. Add all of the remaining ingredients for the beef to the bowl of the slow cooker and mix well. Add the beef and submerge in the liquid. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the beef is fall apart tender. Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred or break into chunks, reserving some of the cooking liquid, skimming the fat, to drizzle on the final tacos if desired. 

4. Pile the beef on the tortillas, drizzle on a bit of the reserved cooking liquid, top with the cabbage and kohlrabi slaw, cilantro and sriracha if desired. Enjoy! 

Soft Corn Tortillas

I feel like it's almost cheating passing this off as a blog post. These corn tortillas are soooo easy to make that it is barely even a recipe. But I feel like you really need to know just how easy it is to make your own delicious, fresh tortillas because it will change your life.

That right there is some of the best $20 I've spent in my kitchen. It has easily paid for itself by no longer buying the packaged tortillas in the grocery store, and I've been rewarded with way tastier tortillas. Seriously, you won't believe the difference between a fresh tortilla and the dried out junk that has been sitting in the fridge at the grocery store for who knows how long. They are lighter, softer and far more flavorful. They will take your tacos to the next level!

You should be able to find a bag of Masa Harina, a corn flour that has been treated with water and lime, in the aisle of your grocery store with other Mexican or Spanish foods. And while you can roll these out by hand or press them with a plate, I strongly recommend a tortilla press. They are inexpensive, make tortillas a breeze to put together, and I guarantee you will get a ton of use out of it once you give these tortillas a try!

Soft Corn Tortillas

(Makes about 8 small tortillas)

1 cup masa harina

about 3/4 cup warm water

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat a cast iron pan or other heavy bottomed nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Line the inside of your tortilla press with plastic wrap for easy cleanup. Set a small pot with a cover nearby.

2. In a bowl mix the masa harina and salt together. Start by adding 1/2 cup of the warm water and mixing well. If it still looks dry, add more water and knead. The dough should have a consistency such that when you roll a ball of it in your hands and flatten it, the dough neither sticks to your hand or cracks around the edges. If it's sticky, add more masa. If it cracks, add more water. Once it has reached the proper consistency, roll the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball and cover with plastic wrap while you wait to press and cook them.

3. Use your tortilla press to press each ball of dough then carefully peel it off the plastic wrap and add to the preheated pan. Cook on each side for about 45 seconds. You should see it puff up in areas and get charred in places. This is what gives it good flavor. Remove from the pan and place in the covered pot you have nearby. Keep covered while you cook all the tortillas. Serve warm!

Orecchiette with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Sausage

I never really ate brussels sprouts as a kid. Not because I didn't like them, but because I don't remember ever being introduced to them. See, both my parents had been burned by mushy, overcooked, boiled brussels sprouts as kids and never wanted to try them again as adults. And so, the great Brussels Sprout Hatred was almost perpetuated for another generation.

Finally, at some point in my young adulthood, despite all the horror stories I had heard, I decided to be so brave and had brussels sprouts cooked with bacon and onion at a friend's house. Now, that's the way to be introduced to brussels sprouts! Brussels&Bacon! As it turns out, they are pretty delicious and I've been hooked ever since.

Since then I've converted many a brussels sprout hater with roasted sprouts, raw sprout salads, and of course, the tried and true brussels&bacon! Now I think I have a new dish that can have much of the same effect - creamy, cheesy pasta with sweet squash, spicy sausage, and of course, brussels sprouts! Give a whirl and see if you can change some minds!

Orecchiette with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Sausage

1lb orecchiette pasta

3/4 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 lb brussels sprouts, halved

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1lb hot italian sausage links, about 4 links

1 large leek, white and light green only, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup apple cider

4 oz Mystic Cheese Company Melville, or marscarpone

1/3 cup parmigiano regiano, grated, plus more for serving

2 Tbsp sage, chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Toss the squash and brussels sprouts with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until squash is tender and vegetables are beginning to brown. Set aside.

2. While the vegetables are roasting, in a large pot heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage links and cook, browning all sides, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Move cooked sausage to a plate and reduce heat to medium-low.

3. Cook your pasta in salted water according to package instructions for al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.

3. While the pasta is cooking, add the butter to the same pot you cooked the sausage. Add the sliced leek and a pinch of salt and cook on medium low until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the apple cider and continue to cook, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until all liquid is evaporated. Add the garlic and stir, cooking just until fragrant. 

4. Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the leeks, then add the Melville or marscarpone and half the reserved pasta water and stir until all the cheese is melted. Slice the cooked sausage and add that, the roasted squash and brussels sprouts, parmigiano, sage, remaining 1/2 cup pasta water and salt & pepper, to taste. Toss gently until well combined. Serve with extra grated parmigiano.

Maple Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds

Have you carved your pumpkin yet? Maybe you're a last minute pumpkin carver. That's ok too. That means you can make these tasty seeds NOW! 

Maybe you already carved your pumpkin a week ago. Maybe it's already rotting out on your doorstep. Maybe it's going to sit there now until the last of the snow melts in the spring and you have to scoop it up with a shovel. I mean, I've totally never done that or anything... It's ok if you have. I won't judge.

Good news is, if you've already carved your pumpkin and don't have any seeds, you can still make these! You can roast up the seeds from any winter squash you cut up this fall. I bet you didn't know that! If you did, then high five!

These seeds are sweet, spicy, slightly smokey and totally addictive. I made these when it was already dark out and had to save my photos for the morning, so I limited myself to a handful. It was torture. Don't do that to yourself, just eat them hot out of the oven!

Maple Sriracha Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin or any winter squash seeds, cleaned of stringy squash guts

1 Tbsp bacon fat, melted (or olive oil)

1 Tbsp sriracha

1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp smoked salt, or kosher salt

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or nonstick foil. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a good little handful of salt. Add the cleaned pumpkin seeds to the pot and boil for about 8 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. It's ok if they're a little sticky, they don't need to be bone dry.

3. Add the boiled seeds to a small bowl and add the fat, sriracha, and maple syrup. Stir until well combined. Sprinkle on the salt and toss well. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently, or until they are golden brown. Sprinkle with a little extra salt if desired and dig in!