Thankful

Since it's Thanksgiving time, and Adam and I did host our own Thanksgiving for a few select friends, you'd think that I'd have tons of successful recipes to put on here. I do, but the problem is that I was in such a hustle and bustle preparing our feast for our guests that I forgot to take pictures of how they turned out. And in my opinion, the best recipes are those with pictures. There's something about having an idea of how your final outcome should be. To me, it gives me confidence in my cooking ability. To give you an idea of the recipes that I forgot to shoot, and that were missed by this blog, Adam and I have made a Thanksgiving Turkey, Cranberry-Apple-Sausage Stuffing, Cranberry-Sweet Potato Casserole, and a Pumpkin Log. Well, today, I was at the kitchen counter again, but this time at the Gross Residence in Oregon, Ohio in order to make my portion of Thanksgiving "Linner" for my immediate family. Ever since they found out I could make pumpkin pie, I've been in charge of it. Since Adam and I will have eaten potentially 4 Thanksgiving meals by the Sunday, I'm tired of the staples and wanted something a little different then your standard pumpkin pie. So I ventured to make a pumpkin cheesecake. Making two, we'll be able to sample one this evening, before my family gets an opportunity to critique. But, more importantly, I remembered pictures!

INGREDIENTS
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

I hope everyone of you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

It's about time!

I begged. I pleaded. And finally I got it in writing. Yep, that's right. Mom finally, after much convincing, put down the basics to her Potato Soup in an email. Although Sunday's temperature didn't feel very fall-ish on Adam and I's adventure out, it looked of Autumn through and through. I couldn't manage my cravings anymore. So Sunday's dinner was pure home-cooking. Here's the basics. Its a rough recipe, as Mom told me she never made it the same way twice, but my version tasted of home, so I call it a success.

Ingredients:

olive oil

6-8 potatoes (depending on size) - cleaned and cut in bite-size cubes - peelings optional

onion and celery - you know, a few slices and a few stalks - again cut bite-size

1 sm carrot - grated

ham - bite-sized, use however much you want, what's important is that it has great smokey flavor

2 "boxes" chicken stock - the smaller size ones
1 can evaporated milk

Directions:
Heat a big soup pot and heat up a swirl of olive oil. Toss in the onion and celery and let it cook for a little while. Until it's began to get that golden hue. Add stock to pot and bring to boil. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender. Add carrot and ham and continue to simmer. Add the evaporated milk to help thicken. (Or, you can try mashing some of the potatoes, or using a rue, or even the cold starch/cold water method, all of which have been tested by my mom).

That's pretty much the jist of it. It's a piece of cake to make, and pretty much a no-brainer. I don't think this picture is the best representation of the soup, but you get the idea.

And look, even Adam liked it!!

I recommend you try it for yourself!!

Autumn Harvest Chili

I've been horrible at keeping up with this thing. My evenings already seem to be too short between making dinner, showering, and keeping up with the cleaning and laundry. Before I know it, I have to head to bed so I can get up the next morning again. But I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. Again, it was one that I made before I started the blog, so I don't have pictures of the finished product. It's another random Rachel Ray recipe that I came across one day. Autumn Harvest Chili isn't like most chili recipes, as for it called for a ton of veggies, minimal beans, and not a speck of meat in it. Whether or not its a chili for you, I can't say. You'll just have to try it out later yourself.

Ingredients
2 small butternut squash, cut in half and seeded
4 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
Salt and ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
2 small zucchini, diced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 10-ounce box frozen corn
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 lager beer, as needed -- I used a Stella for it, so Shyne could drink the other 5 from the 6 pack :)
2 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Place butternut squash cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons EVOO and some salt and pepper. Roast squash in oven until tender, about 45 minutes. When they've finished roasting, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler.

While the squash is in the oven, place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, mushrooms and zucchini to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the veggies are tender, about 7 minutes.

Add the spices, corn, black beans and tomato paste to the pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the beer to the pan (start with about half the bottle and add more as needed -- you want a thicker chili) and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Scoop the finished chili over the butternut squash halves and sprinkle with the cheese. Place the squash under the broiler to melt the cheese then serve.

I couldn't find any butternut sqaush when I made this and got acorn instead. I think it turned out great. Ours pretty much looked like the pictures online of it. Just wish I could prove it to you all!

By the way, I'm supposed to be featuring a new chili recipe on here, but they still have yet to get it tom me. You know who you are. I can't mention it though until I've made it and tasted it myself. Along with that, I'm hoping to make Mom's FAMOUS POTATO SOUP today!!! I'll be sure to take pictures! :)