Foodie Friday: Thanksgiving Baked Goods

As I mentioned in my last post, I am super excited for the Thanksgiving holiday to roll around. There is something magical about pies (there is something magical about dessert in general…), cranberry sauce, fresh bread, potatoes, turkey, green beans, pumpkin, sage… Really, don’t get me started.

I’m posting a few recipes that I hope to bake this season (and post online too). I’m also posting a few that look way too good to only keep to myself. Friends help friends eat delicious dessert (at least that’s the type of friend I am).

BREADS

American Pumpkin Cornbread from Baltic Maid. Do you ever get a hankering for cornbread? Growing up in the Southeastern United States, I’ve been exposed to “southern” and “northern” cornbread. I don’t really have a preference (cough… northern… cough), but I feel like this one would be more northern because it has the brown sugar addition.

Buttered Rosemary Rolls from the Pioneer Woman. These look so yummy. Rosemary is one of my favorite fall herbs. And a little butter and salt. It looks like a winner!

Hearty Sweet Potato Braids from Once Upon a Cutting Board. I love bread (obviously) but I especially love braided breads. They are so easy and the result is usually pretty stunning. This bread is no exception!

CAKE

Pumpkin-Cranberry Pudding Cake from the Professional Palate. I’ve never made a pudding cake, but I’ve been dying to bake one for a while. This one sounds delicious and festive!

One-Skillet Gooey Pumpkin Cookie Cake from Willow Bird Baking. Basically this cookie cake looks like the best flavor/texture party in a pan I can imagine. I can almost hardly restrain myself from finishing this post and running into the kitchen to bake it!

Pumpkin Cheesecake from Food Network. We can thank Paula Deen for this caloric wonder. It looks divine!

PIE

Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie from Chocolate and Carrots. I have had this pit on my to-make (now!) list since I saw it a few weeks ago. It has two crusts: a flaky pastry crust and a crushed gingersnap crust. I cannot wait to have this in my kitchen, on my plate, in my mouth.

Crustless Cranberry Pie from Allrecipes. Since I go to school so far from home, it’s difficult for me to go back for Thanksgiving. So instead of having Thanksgiving when the rest of the United States celebrates, I have a lovely Thanksgiving-Birthday-Christmahanakwanzika celebration. When I saw this pie last year, I knew that I wanted it on the menu. And I am so glad that I did. It’s slightly sweet, slightly tangy, 100% delicious!

Pecan Praline Tart from Waiting for Gateau. Gorgeous tart with the flavors of fall. Super Yum!

OTHER TASTY TREATS

Cornmeal Cranberry Drop Scones from NYTimes. I love the flavors of cranberry and citrus together. These scones combine the two and are made with whole wheat flour for a healthier Thanksgiving breakfast option

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars from MyRecipes. These look so delicious and also seem to be a healthier, but also super tasty option for an after dinner snack!

Maple Pecan Shortbread Squares from me! I loved these squares. They are great for a crowd because you can cut them into tiny pieces and serve them that way. They were very festive, rich, and delicious.

Basically this is only a tiny list of some of the amazing things that I see online and in cookbooks.

Do you have any wonderful dessert recipes to share? What types of foods do you always have on your table? Do you have an unusual family tradition or no tradition at all? I’d love to hear about them!

Foodie Friday: Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash is one of my favorite fall foods. It’s up there with pumpkin (in any form); anything with some kind of combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves; and baked goods. I love its versatility since: it can be used as an excellent starch in place of something like potatoes. It can also be used in breads and baked goods. Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite butternut squash recipes with you, plus some that I haven’t yet tried, but really want to make soon!

Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup with Pesto Cream I made this glorious soup back in March when I went home for spring break. It was completely the wrong season for fall-ish foods (I realize this. I love soup) but I saw it in one of my cookbooks and really wanted to make it. It’s more of a side dish soup since it has a thinner consistency, but I think next time I might try cutting back on the liquid to give it a thicker texture.

Chicken-Butternut Tagine from MyRecipes. I love this dish so much. I’ve made it twice already, and both times I could not have been more pleased. It’s warm and comforting with all of the spices and vegetables.I think it could easily be made with no chicken (more squash in it’s place) and veggie broth if you wanted to go for a vegetarian option.

Baked Risotto with Butternut, Pine Nuts & Sage from Simply Delicious. I’ve had this recipe tagged for a long time now and I desperately want to make it soon. It combines two awesome flavors and textures: creamy, cheesy risotto with hearty, sweet butternut squash.

Savory Butternut Squash Pie with Hazelnuts from Whole Foods. I love pie and I think this savory one would be no different. It looks like it would be rich and comforting, Major deliciousness.

Butternut Squash Pie from Serious Eats. This pie looks like it would probably be similar to a pumpkin or sweet potato pie with butternut squash instead. The whole thing looks divine, plus it doesn’t call for that many ingredients!

Butternut Blondies from Whole Foods. These looks so amazing. I imagine it might taste like something similar to heaven. I want to make these soon and give them to random people; because, really, what’s more fun than giving random things to people you don’t know? (Don’t answer that).

What’s your favorite way to eat butternut squash?

Foodie Friday: Pancakes

Who doesn’t love warm, soft, sweet pancakes? Fluffy stacks of deliciousness that can pretty much be any flavor your heart desires; I mean, seriously.

I didn’t always love breakfast. For years I avoided the typical breakfast foods because I hadn’t found what I really like. For the most part, I only like sweet things for breakfast, and pancakes are definitely one of them. They are an incredibly versatile food that can have an abundance of different types of flavors: fruits, nuts, chocolate, peanut butter, savory spices. Not to mention, there are several different types of pancakes that are unique to certain cultures: crepes, Dutch babies, Raggmunk, Dosas, Scotch pancakes. Here are a few recipes to get you in the pancake mood (you’re going to flip…).

Whole-Wheat Blueberry and Lemon Pancakes I made these pancakes a few months ago and was very pleased. They aren’t as sweet as your typical blueberry pancake, but I actually liked them like that.

Red Onion and Goat Cheese Pancake by Eating Well Magazine. Remember when I said above that I pretty much only like sweet things for breakfast? I lied… Partially. This savory dutch baby is probably the one exception to the rule. It has delicious caramelized onions and tangy goat cheese with a quiche-y texture.

Souffled Pumpkin Pancake by Paula Deen. I like to watch the Food Network when I am running on the treadmill. Is that weird? One day, I was watching one of my favorite calorie queens Paula Deen making this awesome pancake. I have yet to make it, but it’s on my mind a lot. It looks like an awesome dessert-pumpkin explosion.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes by Two Peas and Their Pod. If you didn’t realize this yet, I really love pumpkin. These pancakes are the epitome of Fall and amazingness. I cannot wait to make them!

Single Lady Pancake by Joy the Baker. I love Joy the Baker. I get on her site daily, just for a little giggle. This pancake looks delicious. The only requirement is that you must eat all of it. By Yourself!

Monkey Pancakes by (Never Home) Maker. Chocolate and Bananas, they go together like Sonny and Cher… had they stayed together of course. These pancakes look super yummy and they have my favorite peanut butter, Dark Chocolate Dreams, in them too.

What are your favorite pancakes like? Are they sweet or savory? Fruity or Nutty? 

Foodie Friday: Candy

I wanted to start a new little section on my blog where I highlight some of the recipes that I’ve made along with some great recipes that I’ve found on the web. I really admire the work that I see other food bloggers doing and I want to share it with you!

This week I am feeling especially festive and cannot wait for October to be here tomorrow. I love October (and of course Halloween), and all of the foods that are in season. Apples, butternut squash, pumpkins, stews… And candy. To say I have a sweet tooth is terribly underrated. It’s more like a fang (perhaps that isn’t the best metaphor). That’s probably why I like Halloween so much. Anyway, I’m going to share some great homemade candy recipes so get to your kitchen, it’s gonna be sweet!

 

 

 

Homemade Snickers Bars. These are amazing. They were a little bit of a time consuming process, but it wasn’t anything hard (and you can totally lick the spoon as you make it). Mine weren’t the prettiest, but they hit every single flavor note that I was looking for. Make these. Now.

 

Some other great treats from the web:

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles from Whole Foods. I have been dying to make these since I bookmarked them last year. I love pumpkin and the pumpkin spice flavors. Hopefully I’ll get to it soon.

Key Lime Pie Fudge from Sugar Cooking. I love key lime pie and this fudge looks ridiculously good. While it is a more summery candy, who says I can’t start a summer foods trend in the fall?

Pumpkin Fudge from Brown Eyed Baker. Pretty much the only thing that is keeping me from not running to the kitchen to make this is that I don’t have a candy thermometer. It looks so tasty though!

“Snickers” Bars These Snickers are Bon Appetit’s version of the candy bar. From the ingredients list and instructions, it looks much more “classy” and a bit more challenging than the bars I made a few months back. I have them on my “to-make” list.