Pumpkin Mac n Cheese with Kale!

This is a splendid little lunch, that is easier than pie (pumpkin pie) duh.

Use a box of whole grain Mac n Cheese. We like Annie’s, or Kraft, or Hodgson Mill, or you could get all fancy and make some from scratch (in which case this is not as easy as pumpkin pie). So put your noodles on to boil, and saute up some Kale (that maybe you blanched and froze), and throw in some chicken sausage too while you’re at it (unless you don’t eat meat, and then don’t do that).

Once your noodles are done and you have followed the instructions to stir in cheese and milk, and salt n’ pepa (Shoop ba-doop ba-doop ba-doop). Then add in your sautéed kale and sausage, and 1 cup of canned pumpkin. STIR! Add little more milk, because it will get kinda thick. Then eat it, and be thankful for fall, and pumpkins, and husbands who made it all for you (because mine did)

Fall Harvest and Eats

On Sunday Mr. Gaunt and I tended to our (MUCH) neglected garden. I wont lie, with the hub of wedding and work and schedules and dieting, the garden was the first thing we let go. I’m still processing how I feel about the garden. Next year I wont do quite as big, but I will plan more for what I want to grow (NO LETTUCE!). So Sunday we trimmed things up and picked the ripe tomatoes (sauce will be canned tonight) the acorn squash, a few jalapeno, Zucchini and Cucumbers too.

I bought a beef roast for the Crockpot too. I cut up an onion, a few leftover potatoes from the wedding, a baby acorn squash and threw them in the crockpot and in the fridge. Then in the  morning I got up early and threw the roast in whole, with 2 cups of water and seasoning packet. Set the cooker to low and left for work. 8 hours later the house smelled amazing and dinner was done. Me and the crockpot are going to be good friends this winter. Oh and Pear Cider is the Beer Haters best friend!

Fall Foods: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Would you like to consume 8 million calories in one soft pumpkin flavored cream cheese filled sandwich?! Of ocurse you would! Lets get started.

I actually made these like 3 weeks ago, and for some reason have taken my sweet time posting them. Oh well, better late than never! And we still have a good few weeks before the dreaded winter devours my all too short Autumn…):

This recipe is actually really easy, kids could easily help too. The recipe originally came from this blog, and I basically followed it to a T. It says the recipe makes like 12, but mine made 24! So I dont know what kinda crazy large whoopie pies Martha was making, but this makes a ton! The only down side I found was that they stick together really bad, and then they kind of tear themselves apart if you stack them. I may have needed to cook them a little longer to “dry them out” a bit.

The cream cheese frosting was the easiest and BEST part, I really want to make Mr. Gaunt a pumpkin cake with this frosting for his birthday!

RECIPE:

3 cups of AP Flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of Cinnamon

2 tablespoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 cups of light brown sugar

1 cup of vegetable oil

3 cups of pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of Vanilla

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Filing

12 oz of Cream Cheese, softened

4 oz of unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons of vanilla bean paste  ( I just used vanilla)

2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

To make the Cookies –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.  In a Large bowl combine the brown sugar and oil until well mixed. Add in the pumpkin and stir to combine. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until completely incorporated.

Using a tablespoon ice cream scoop, drop scoops on the parchment paper about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 15 – 17 minutes rotating the pans half way through. The tops should be just starting to crack or firm to the touch. Let them cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling –

Cream together the cream cheese and the butter until they are light and fluffy. Then add in vanilla bean paste and stir to combine. Sift in the powdered sugar in 3 additions making sure to mix well after each addition. Set this aside to chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Using a piping bag, pipe a good amount of frosting on one cookie and top with another cookie pressing down ever so slightly. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

These were a HUGE hit at the party I went to. I even bought this cute plate at target for $3! If you have a Halloween part I definitely suggest making these!

Cauliflower Soup

Although the weather has yet to cooperate, tomorrow is October 1st, and that means ITS FALL!

Fall to me means:

-Pumpkins EVERYTHING! Lattes, scones, muffins, decorations, EVERYTHING!

-Scarves

-Soups

-Snuggles on the couch watching either A. When Harry Met Sally  B. Stepmom

-Crisp walks in the woods

-Halloween at all the thrift stores!

-Candy Corn and Carmel Apple Pops on my coffee table

-My two BFF’s Birthdays!

But this post is about soup, not fall, lets not get too excited now, it’s still in the 70’s this week (although there are signs of rain and 60’s ahead). And this soup was amazing!

Mr. Gaunt swears he hates Cauliflower, but in this household BEGGERS CANT BE CHOOSERS! You eat what I make you! No picky eaters! End of rant.

So I made Cauliflower Soup, and I made it so delicious that he ate it all up and loved it! He also had it for lunch two days in a row! Beat that picky eaters!

Ok the recipe (which I wont post on here because it’s the same thing) is from this blog CLICK HERE and I only made a few changes.

1. I hate cooked carrots, so buh-by. Instead I replaced the Carrots with a smaller head of Kale, which is the most amazing food on earth.

2. Right after the onions were sautéed I added diced Apple Chicken Sausage (that I get at Costco or Target)

3. I didn’t have any Parsley so I did Thyme and Basil. I also did a good shaking of Red Pepper Flakes (which belong in all soups)

4. I used Fat Free Milk and Sour Cream

5. I used 3 cups of Chicken stock and 4 cups of Vegan Beef Flavored Bullion Cube stock (because that’s what I had)

Other than that I followed it to a T! And it was Perfect! And could feed a family of four for two days, or a family of two for three days! Enjoy folks!

Oh and I kinda destroyed my lightbox and its getting dark so early these days so all my pictures suck. This weekend Mr. Gaunt and I will be building a new one for me.

Sweet Potato and Kale Hash

This was an “empty the fridge” kind of night that just happened to turn into something wonderful! Mr. Gaunt loves Sweet Potatoes, so I buy them and try to use them in recipes that make them a bit more interesting to me. Now I kind of winged this one, so I don’t have exact measurements or directions, but it goes a little something this:

INGREDIENTS:

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes

1 Avocado

1 Large bunch of kale chopped up

1/2 a diced onion

Parmesan Cheese

1 Chicken Sausage (optional)

Olive Oil

Minced Garlic

Red Pepper Flakes

Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

-Peel and dice (into dice size cubes) Sweet Potatoes. Chop Kale, Put both into a large pot of boiling water.

-You only want the Sweet Potatoes al dente, not mush. Watch them carefully and pull one out to verify its al dente.

-Get a separate LARGE pan and heat up olive oil. Add minced garlic, onions and red pepper flakes. Cook until onions are clear-ish.

-Cut sausage into small chunks and add it to the pan.

– When sweet potatoes are ready drain them (and the kale) and put into the pan.

-Turn heat up and cook like you would frozen hash browns. Letting them sit for a bit to fry up then turning them. Let them get slightly brown. If they seem to not be getting mushy enough you can cover the pan and let them steam a bit.

-When everything is nice and cooked add chopped avocado, sprinkle with salt and pepper and parmesan. Let cheese melt and serve.

Sorry the directions are kind of crappy. Feel free to edit them to work best for you. The Garlicy Cheesy Kale and Sweet Potato makes such a nice combo. This makes a fair amount too, and the leftovers are great! Will make again!