As my holiday obsession continues, I’ve moved to all things ginger and peppermint. Not much going on around here other than the sniffles and these ginger cookies. Of course, I managed to get sick right before my vacation to New Orleans. Just my luck, huh? We are going to New Orleans for Dan’s dad’s birthday this weekend and I managed to get a head cold on Monday. But enough complaining, how about these cookies!
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Spicy Soy-rizo and Acorn Squash Chili
It’s squash season people, and while many of us associate this with our sturdiest kitchen knife jammed into the butternut on our counter like sword in the stone, you gotta love a soft roasted acorn with coconut oil and brown sugar that melts in your mouth. I scored a nice deal on squash at the farmer’s market and got a little carried away so I did my best to stuff it into everything, including this spicy soy-rizo and acorn squash chili. I whipped up a batch of this chili last week and froze it before the Thanksgiving holiday and super glad I did. I got home last night after traveling and spending the last few days with my parents and had zeroooo motivation to cook. Thanks to microwaves, I had dinner in all of 5 minutes. If you are starting from scratch, you can make this hearty chili in only 45 minutes.
Peppermint Ice Cream
Move over pumpkin, it’s time for peppermint. I know that was a quick transition from my last post about pumpkin pie bites but I’m just taking notes from every department store in the United States. Just be thankful I waited until after Thanksgiving to talk about anything related to gingerbread or sugar plum fairies.
Pumpkin Pie Bites
HAH! You thought that I was going to miss out on posting a pumpkin pie recipe just in time for Thanksgiving didn’t you? Well, you were almost right but I snuck one on in there. I must confess that Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday – just behind Christmas and before Halloween ’cause I love candy. I thought that “I love candy” warranted all caps but I didn’t want to get carried away on dark chocolate peanut butter cups when this is supposed to be a PIE post.
Blueberry Coconut Granola
Toasted coconut, almonds, blueberries, and crunch. Is there anything else you need in your breakfast or mid morning snack? Don’t answer that. I loooooove breakfast but always find it hard make time to eat in the morning at home. I can manage the coffee and making myself presentable thing but breakfast is usually at the desk or on the go. So yeah, granola fits the “easy to eat” category but it’s so expensive, right? Wrong – make your own.
Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies
I have decided that these are my new favorite cookies.
I understand that this is a pretty bold statement. However, I can assure you that these cookies will live up to their name in the world of tangy/herby goodness and I cannot get enough of them. On that last note, I also made sure to hand these off to my boyfriend quickly so they were not hanging around my kitchen too long.
Why do I like these cookies so much?
Bourbon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Let’s talk about ice cream.
Growing up, we ate a lot of ice cream. I’m not sure if that was because I grew up in Wisconsin or because my father gave into our childish whims and let us have it so we would stop complaining. Probably the latter option. I remember summer days when we would go up to our cottage in Michigan, play a round of “Put Put” (the local run down mini golf that no longer exists), and then get a waffle cone of ice cream at the little stand down the street from mini golf. Yes you heard me, waffle cones for everyone.
Easy Pumpkin Ciabatta Bread
Bread, bread, bread. Need I say more?
I am a fan of things that are easy and also relatively quick to make. Bread is usually pretty easy but it has to rise for like 8 hours, and who has time for that? Not this girl. This recipe calls for sugar, which a lot of traditional ciabatta recipes don’t have. I’m not Italian so I’m sure they’d be upset when I tell you to add sugar to the yeast but it decreases the rising time for the dough and lets you have tasty bread in under 3 hours. This week I’ll be munchin’ on this loaf along with one of my favorites, butternut squash soup.
Superfood Quinoa Salad
Are you ready for one of the easiest dishes you will ever make? This recipe is great for a quick side salad or even a football watch party side (if you dare be the person who brings something other than mini sausages). Trust me, your gut will thank you in the end when you put this in it next to the beer cheese dip. Don’t get me wrong, I love “football food”, but I always struggle with finding something made from REAL food at those things.
Rhubarb Blackberry Apple Pie
Alright, let’s do this. Welcome to my first blog post (YAY). Thanks for visiting and being patient as I build my recipe index. As you can see, I have a lot of photos of my food that don’t have recipes posted yet. Those are on their way.
Now, I’m just going to say that this pie definitely swayed me over to the pie side. I’ve always been a cake fan. Why? Because I love a good buttercream frosting. Throw something subtle in there to compliment the vanilla cupcake you’re about to eat and, oh my gosh. Aren’t you guys living this with me right now? No? Okay well, this pie took all those feelings about moist vanilla bean cupcakes with lavender frosting and made me forget about them for a while. AND, it’s vegan.
Hi, I'm Dana! I work as a full time engineer and part time foodie in Minneapolis, MN. Outside of food blogging, I love riding my bike, traveling, and anything outdoors.