where the secret ingredient is love
Week of October 20
Monday: pork
Tuesday: black beans and rice
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Pumpkin Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash
Friday: out to eat
Saturday: homemade pizza
Sunday: girls’ dinner – Italian theme. Not sure what I’m making yet!
With these pumpkin bagels, it’s like you’re eating pumpkin pie for breakfast!
Ever since I made bagels earlier this year I’ve been obsessed with the idea of making as many different kinds of bagels as I can. Problem is… I always come back to the same old recipe because it’s tried and true and so freaking delicious! I’ve seriously made plain bagels more times than I can count. But now… NOW I have the perfect bagel for fall: PUMPKIN bagels. Betcha didn’t see that one coming, did you? 🙂 Just kidding, it’s pretty obvious. Not only do these bagels taste absolutely incredible, but on the day you make them you won’t be able to think about anything else besides pumpkin spice goodness because your house will smell like fall just walked in to stay. Oh goodness, they’re divine!!
I know it may sound a bit crazy [and conceited] to say that these are the best bagels that I’ve ever had, but I really think it might be true. My bagel litmus test is whether or not I can eat them plain, untoasted, naked. Normally I’m very particular about how I eat bagels. They need to be toasted and covered with butter or cream cheese. For good bagels I can tolerate them at room temperature with cream cheese, but that’s rare. This all stems back to college cross country and track, when often the only thing available to eat during long days of meets and traveling was bagels, bagels, and more bagels, with some broken pretzels, brown spotted bananas, bruised apples, and smooshed bread thrown in there for good measure. All this food was stored in a huge plastic tote that was utterly nasty inside. For topping the bagels we had giant jars of peanut butter with broken plastic knives for spreading, along with a cooler full of Sam’s Club sized sliced deli meat. So hygienic, I know. And appetizing, yes? <sarcasm> But when you’re hungry, you do what you gotta do! After four years of this every. single. Saturday, I became a littttle tired of cold bagels. And bagels with peanut butter? Absolutely no way. It’s been seven [yikes] years since these days and still, the thought of sandwiches without condiments or peanut butter bagels churns my stomach a little. But these bagels… there’s something different about them! Something incredible, because the passed the test! When I was down to the last one, on a whim I threw it in a sandwich bag and tossed it in my lunchbox. Around 10:30 am I found a really great snack. 🙂 Woohoo!
These bagels taste like pumpkin pie, seriously. They’re sweet but not too sweet, have so much pumpkin spice that it’s a little ridiculous, AND they have the best crunchy sugar-spice topping. I didn’t do a great job chopping the pepitas on top but you definitely should so they spread out a little more evenly. They’re so good, and so easy! Hope you make them this weekend!
one year ago: Funfetti Cookies
two years ago: Apple Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
three years ago: Pumpkin Brownies
four years ago: Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Taste of Home
Ingredients:
for bagels
for topping
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and brown sugar. I don’t have an exact temperature for you, just that it should be like bathwater–warm enough you can comfortably put your fingers in but not too hot. Stir and let rest for 5 minutes. At the end of this time, water should be somewhat bubbly.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour yeast mixture into the flour, then add pumpkin and stir together with a fork until a shaggy dough is formed. At this point, you can knead by hand on a flour-dusted countertop for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic OR you can place in a stand mixer and knead with a dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 6-7 minutes. I recommend the second option if possible because the pumpkin makes the dough sticky.
Place dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn once to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
After an hour, punch dough down and let rest for 10 minutes. Then divide dough into eight pieces [if you are obsessive and weigh them like me, mine were approximately 120 grams each]. Shape into a ball and with a flour-covered finger, punch a hole through the center [there’s a lot of punching in bagel making, obviously]. The hole should be about 1 inch in diameter. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat, and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 10 minutes.
During this time, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water is boiling, place bagels in boiling water, two or three at a time. Poach for 2 minutes per side, then remove to baking sheet with a slotted spoon to drain excess water.
Prepare topping by combining brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, pepitas, and melted butter in a small bowl. Divide between bagels, pressing down gently so it sticks.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Broil for 1-2 minutes at the end if desired for extra texture/chewiness [I skipped this step].
Store in an airtight container after cooling completely.
linked up with: Weekend Potluck
Cute lil mini muffins filled with bananas and chocolate are perfect lunchbox treats!
Even though it’s pumpkin season, I bet you still have some brown bananas hanging about, needing to become banana bread, right?!? Well, next time you do, you will have to try these adorable Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins! I have a million banana bread recipes on my blog, and I love every one of them. 🙂 This one is no exception! Each muffin is full of mini chocolate chips and tons of banana flavor. You know how some banana recipes only call for one banana? That’s never enough, and this recipe knows it. That’s why it includes THREE bananas. Triple the banana love, folks!
These muffins are extra moist and rich thanks to the double dose of butter and sour cream in the batter. Is it weird that the first thing that came in my mind while typing butter and sour cream is, “boy, I’d like a baked potato.” Wait–don’t answer that. I guess I’m hungry. 🙂 While baked potatoes and banana muffins don’t go together, these muffins pair perfectly with a tall glass of milk or a cup of hot cocoa. Ben has become, can we say, a bit obsessed with chocolate milk recently, so he’d say you should serve the little guys with chocolate milk, but I say, drink whatever kind of milk suits your fancy. 🙂
Normally I prefer our everyday lunch/snack muffins to be on the healthy side, but sometimes you gotta live it up and enjoy the chocolate! 🙂 There’s plenty to go around!
Just look at all those mini chips on top! That’s why I love mini chocolate chips…spreading the wealth! YUM!
one year ago: Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cake with Nutella Frosting
three years ago: Roasted Vegetable Soup
four years ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
from The Lively Kitchen
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin pans with paper liners or grease with cooking spray.
With a mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one by one, mixing well in between. Beat in bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Slowly mix in flours and baking soda by hand until just combined, then fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon into prepared pans and bake for 10-13 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. These freeze well!
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer is a must for fall coffee drinking!
I love Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks like none other. I know, I know. They don’t contain pumpkin. I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT! They are delicious, and the lack of pumpkin isn’t my biggest gripe with them. But my biggest gripe with them is that they are so freaking expensive. Seriously, paying $5 for a grande isn’t something I do very often. So, I have a few of them every season, say that’s that, and go the DIY route to save some cash monies. I’ve made pumpkin spice lattes at home before with homemade syrup, but this method is MUCH easier for your pumpkin spice coffee fix. And bonus? It doesn’t have any weird ingredients–just your usual milk/cream or half and half, plus pumpkin, maple syrup, and spices. Easy easy!
Basically you just mix everything up on the stovetop and let it simmer away for a bit, then strain, chill, and enjoy! If you’re into pumpkin yogurt, you can stir the leftover pumpkin puree/spice mixture into some plain yogurt. Heavenly! I’ve made this in years past but this is my first go-round this year, and I just discovered the yogurt trick. It’s nice!
Normally, when I use flavored creamers I just like them with plain coffee. But we’ve recently discovered that this creamer with Apple Crisp Coffee from Paramount Coffee is incredible! [No affiliation, we just buy and love their coffee! It’s available online and sometimes TJ Maxx.] And why wouldn’t it be? Apple and pumpkin are the flavors of fall, right? I think this creamer would be tasty with almost any seasonal spiced coffee, or even with hot chocolate or chai. Mmm, the possibilities! Enjoy!
one year ago: Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheese
two years ago: No Bake Tropical Energy Bites
three years ago: Pumpkin, Sausage, and Spinach Lasagna
four years ago: Southwestern Pepperjack Baked Penne
Ingredients:
Directions:
Whisk milk, cream, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and maple syrup together in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick and cloves, if using. Set over medium heat. Reduce heat to low when it gets steamy, then let it simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Use a fine sieve or a coffee filter set over a colander to strain out the cinnamon stick, cloves, and pumpkin puree/spices. Don’t skip this step! I usually strain everything in my sieve into a measuring cup, then pour the mixture into a jar or pitcher for storing in the fridge.
*I have also made this using all half and half, and while it might not be traditional “creamer” it is still really good! Use what you prefer. 🙂
Flavorful Asian turkey meatballs served over carrot rice is an awesome, easy 30 minute weeknight dinner. Kids love it too!
This is one of our absolute favorite dinners. I’ve made it more times than I can count, but it’s never appeared on the blog because I never get a photo before it’s gone-zo. It’s pretty simple, as most meatball dinners are, but it feels so special because of the Asian flavors and wonderful aromatic ingredients in the dish. The meatballs are zingy with just a hint of spice. If spice isn’t your thing, feel free to leave out the Sriracha or use less. Don’t be afraid of the fish sauce though–a little goes a long way to making the meatballs extra tasty! Just don’t smell it. Take my word on that one. Can you say gross?! 🙂
One of the best things about this dinner is that it’s SO adaptable. Normally I make the meatballs with ground turkey, but if that’s not your thing, use pork or chicken or a combination. I also love that the rice isn’t boring. I stir carrots and cilantro [or Thai basil] in for some extra flavor and texture. To make this a 30 minute meal, using white rice is key… but if you have more time, brown rice would work too. Sometimes I make the rice with another liquid besides water, like chicken broth or coconut milk, for a lil extra something. But even if you just make the rice plain, it’s still amazing!
I love to serve this dinner with steamed broccoli or edamame. It’s the perfect meal to take to a family with a new baby. I’ve done that so many times and have gotten rave reviews from everyone, including the kiddos! Just don’t forget the lime wedges. A squeeze of lime over the whole meal is essential! Enjoy!
two years ago: Maple Cornmeal Drop Biscuits
three years ago: Garlicky Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
four years ago: Pillow Cookies
from Everyday Food Magazine
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups water [or coconut milk or chicken broth for extra flavor] and rice. Bring to a boil, stir, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and top with carrot and cilantro. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes, then stir to mix all ingredients and fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons water. Let stand for 5 minutes, then add turkey, white parts of the green onions, cilantro, fish sauce, Sriracha, sugar, garlic, and ginger if using. Gently stir to combine, then shape into 24 small meatballs.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Work in batches to brown meatballs on all sides, then transfer to a large baking dish to cook for 10 more minutes in the oven, or until cooked through. Serve meatballs over rice with green onions and lime wedges.
The Pajama Chef 