Fall


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PUMPKIN Gone Wild! 10 Ways to Use That Pumpkin on Your Porch

80% of Americans have at least one pumpkin still sitting on their porch – FACT. Well, not definitely, but you get the point. Many of us toss the pumpkin in the woods, others in the garbage. But why not EAT the pumpkin (or drink out of it)? Even though Halloween is over, you can still find a handy (and edible) way of using that pumpkin before throwing it out. These are recipes that require the real thing – pumpkin puree, real pumpkin…not pumpkin pie filling. You’re welcome.

Cauliflower Pumpkin Gratin

10.  Cauliflower-Pumpkin-Ricota Gratin

Total veggie dish…so it’s totally healthy. With one pumpkin and a large serving of cauliflower, you can feed a full family!

 

Warm Fall Kale Salad with Bison

9. Warm Kale Salad w/Pumpkin Seeds and Sweet Potato (or PUMPKIN)

I’m sorry to even say this…but yes, I like Kale. UGH. I understand the disappointment. But even if you don’t like Kale, adding in the pumpkin seeds for a good crunch, and substituting the sweet potato with pumpkin may finally get to you the “basic” status that you’ve been aiming for. If you don’t know what that means, clearly you aren’t cool.

 

potatoes

8. Pumpkin Mashed Potatoes

Yum. That’s all.

(Reluctant Entertainer)

 

Favorite Fall Tomato Soup

7. Tomato-Pumpkin Soup

Tomato soup is the perfect meal for a cold winter day. But we have not reached winter yet! Clearly, the only way to make it a seasonal dish right now is to….add pumpkin!

 

pumpkin1

6. Bacon, Egg, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pumpkin

This is not for the faint of heart. But need I remind you of the FIRST word….BACON!

 

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5. The Pumpkin TAP

Personally, I believe this is the most useful.

4. Pumpkin Fried Rice

Try your own “fake out take out” night and impress the fam with this adorable dish.

(Judy in Her Natural Habitat: The Kitchen)

3. Pumpkin Ricotta Ravioli

Cheese, pumpkin, and pasta. Need I say more?

(My Kitchen Addiction)

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2. Kaddo Bourani

While I love sweets, and overall American values like over-eating, it’s always fun to embark upon different flavors. This is a completely different way of using a pumpkin – put the pie crust away.

(Tiny Urban Kitchen)

pumpkin cinnamon rolls

1. Pumpkin Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Ooey, gooey, pumpkin-y. Screw Cinnabon.

(Wild Yeast)

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brioche stuffing for Thanksgiving
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Brioche Stuffing: A Taste of Thanksgiving Luxury

brioche stuffing for Thanksgiving

I’ve been waiting a YEAR to write this post! I made this brioche stuffing for Thanksgiving 2014… and I waited until now to thrust it upon the world. And oh yes, I will be making this stuffing again this year! Right after I finish this post, to be exact.

So I love Thanksgiving stuffing. Who doesn’t? I’ve got nothing against Stovetop, but I like to take my stuffing game up a notch. That’s where this brioche stuffing comes in. Why brioche? It has a high egg and butter content (mmm… butter…) which means it’s super rich, soft, and slightly sweet.

I stud my stuffing with caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, and a good dose of greens. Oh, and a lot of fresh aromatic herbs to make sure your kitchen/house smells amazing for all your Thanksgiving guests. I can’t wait to make and EAT it again this year!

Brioche Stuffing with Wild Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions

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Ultra Easy Roasted Fall Vegetables

If you’re looking for a simple side dish for your favorite fall recipes, here it is. I whipped this up the other week for a family dinner with the future in-laws (and as you know, in-laws = scary = must impress them to earn their trust) and it was received with glowing reviews, so I think we can all agree this one is a keeper. And as I mentioned, simple. This dish is so easy it’s ridiculous. You just chop up onions, sweet potato, brussels sprouts, and butternut squash (or if you hate chopping uncooked squash as I do, buy it pre-peeled and chopped, I won’t tell). Roast it for a while in some olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. Mix in some melty cheese and more fresh herbs at the very end. Done and done.

Did I mention you could also bring this to Thanksgiving as an alternative to the overdone sweet potato pies and green bean casseroles we see every year? Your dinner table will thank you.

Ultra Easy Roasted Fall Vegetables

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Warm Fall Kale Salad with Bison
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Warm Fall Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes & Pumpkin Seeds

Warm Fall Kale Salad

Heyo! I’m finally feeling sorta fall-ish (even though it’s still in the 90s in Austin) so I decided to make a warm kale salad last week. I realize kale salad isn’t the epitome of fall cooking, but like I said, 90 degrees! So I’m easing into the whole seasonal eating thing right now. Once it dips below 80 here it will feel properly “cold” and I can start busting out the soups, etc.

But for now… delicious kale salad! This one can be served as a side but it easily stands alone for a fairly light lunch or dinner, as it’s chock full of filling roasted sweet potatoes and crunchy pumpkin seeds. Plus salty parmesan cheese. Of course, if you want to make it a bigger protein-packed meal and add meat, you totally can and should! We added some grilled bison to one iteration and it was perfect:

Warm Fall Kale Salad with Bison

Warm Fall Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes & Pumpkin Seeds

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pumpkin spice french toast
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The Pumpkin Spice Pinterest Roundup

Happy October, ES friends! It’s time to really start focusing on our favorite fall recipes… including, of course, the ubiquitous pumpkin spice. Believe it or not, October 1st is actually National Pumpkin Spice Day. Whether this flavor is a friend or foe to you, you can’t deny that it’s become an integral component to our cultural fall narrative.

And of course, pumpkin spice goes hand-in-hand with another favorite… Pinterest. Yes, these are two P’s in a pod. We trolled Pinterest to find the best, funniest, and weirdest PSL/pumpkin spice recipes trending this year. All of these puppies are certified Pinterest-viral right now, and for good reason. Whip one up if you’re feeling fall-ish and festive!

 

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Covered Pretzels 
originally from Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Chocolate-Covered-Pumpkin-Spice-Pretzels

Chocolate covered pretzels? Good. Chocolate covered pretzels with pumpkin pie spice? Great!

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Pecan Pie M&Ms
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This Exists: Pecan Pie M&Ms

Hot on the heels of my explosive pumpkin spice M&Ms review of Fall 2014, I’m back with my thoughts on Pecan Pie M&Ms. Just call me the Jebidiah Atkinson of the fall novelty candy world.

Pecan Pie M&Ms

Just look at that sultry green minx, tempting us with a slice of pie! That’s a snapshot of said Pecan Pie M&Ms in their natural habitat: on the countertop of a shared workspace, free for the tasting. And taste I did. I also tasted the Pumpkin Spice Latte M&Ms, which I first did not realize were different from last year’s Pumpkin Spice M&Ms. More on that later.

Pecan Pie M&Ms, similar to last year’s Pumpkin Spice, actually, really don’t taste that different than regular M&Ms. I was foolishly hoping for pecans inside the M&Ms, but no. No real nuts at all. Just a vague butter flavor infused into the chocolate. If I gave them out in a blind taste-test, I would be shocked if anyone could guess what their flavor was imitating.

Oh, and those aforementioned Pumpkin Spice Latte M&Ms? They can be summed up in one word: barf. They taste like a giant mouthful of dry, powdery allspice and cinnamon. They are an affront to the phrase “pumpkin spice.” There is no pumpkin to be found, just WAY too much spice. Maybe we rename them Old Spice M&Ms. In the battle between Pumpkin Spice M&Ms and Pumpkin Spice Latte M&Ms, the former reigns supreme.

This has been my formal, journalistic review of the new M&Ms fall flavors. In my opinion, you’re better off buying a bag of normal M&Ms (I personally prefer almond and/or peanut butter, but I will allow you to enjoy plain, peanut, crispy, or even pretzel if you’d like) and washing them down with a pumpkin spice latte.

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Cocktail O’Clock: Apple Ginger Brew

Apple Ginger Brew

Has anyone else noticed that ginger shows up as an ingredient on every single cocktail list lately? Not that I’m complaining. It adds just the right mixture of sweetness and bite to any drink.

Here’s a perfect fall  that I can’t believe I haven’t thought of before — mixing ginger beer up with apple for a spicy-sweet autumn mix (and of course adding a l’il rum).

Apple Ginger Brew

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