Savory Baked Pumpkin Flautas #Cookbook Spotlight

I have a love-hate relationship with computers. 

Sure, they are amazing and give me the internet and email and the latest news but man, when they mess up I hate them. 

We've been having problems with our internet off and on for quite some time now. Today is another one of those days. 

I'm writing this post from my phone. Yep. It's brutal. Bear with me. 

But I just had to tell you all about these Savory Baked Pumpkin Flautas. Like, literally had to. The post is due today for The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight  :) 

But seriously, I also couldn't wait to share these. They're savory and flavorful. I loved the caramelized onions and garlic with the pumpkin. We didn't miss the meat AT ALL! Meagan sure does know what she's doing. 

Ha, and PJ can no longer deny that he likes pumpkin. It's a done deal. We are both pumpkin fans.

Savory Baked Pumpkin Flautas

slightly adapted from The New Southwest cookbook by Meagan Micozzi of Scarletta Bakes

*Yields: 12 flautas

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
• 2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 and 1/2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese (mozzarella cheese may be substituted)
• 12 small (5-to 6-inch) flour tortillas
• Olive oil, for brushing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

Heat the butter in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add the onion and saute slowly. The onion will go from translucent and lightly colored to deep golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. Once the onion is browned, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, place the pumpkin, salt, cumin, black pepper, buttermilk, and shredded cheese in a large bowl and stir until well blended. Fold in the cooled onion mixture.

Warm the tortillas and place on a flat surface to assemble. Top each tortilla with 2-3 tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture, roll tightly into a cigar shape, and place, seam-side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush the top of each flauta lightly with oil and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the flautas are golden brown on top and the tortillas are crisped. Cool slightly before serving.

Printable Recipe

  

Oh, and you might wanna come back tomorrow for a chance to win this cookbook! Just sayin :)

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef.

This post is part of The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef. - See more at: http://www.girlichef.com/2013/10/MushroomLeekMigas.html#more

Also linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip

Secret Recipe Club time!

This month I was assigned to Brittany's blog, We Heart Vegan. I was intrigued looking through her recipes since I'm not familiar with vegan foods. I was tempted by Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, Vegan Enchiladas with a Creamy Pumpkin Sauce, and Cookies 'n Cream Cupcakes, I chose this recipe. 

I am all about pumpkin everything during these fall days! I'll take any opportunity I can to eat something pumpkin flavored! 

Crazy thing is, I used to think I didn't love pumpkin. I'm not big on pumpkin pie actually, but I tend to like most other things pumpkin-flavored.

This dip was no exception. Creamy, a bit sweet, and that comforting pumpkin flavor. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip
adapted from We Heart Vegan

Yields: 1 cup (about 6-8 servings) 

• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• Pinch of sea salt

In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well with a spoon until no lumps remain and all ingredients are incorporated.


Printable Recipe


Serve this delightful dip with crackers, cookies, fruit... whatever your little heart desires. 

Or you can eat it by the spoon. 

No judgment here.


Peace, and bacon grease!

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Pumpkin {Shaped} Cheese Ball

Oh, hi there. I am indeed alive and have not suddenly vanished off the face of the earth.

I have no good excuse except that I've been busy, like all of you I'm sure.

I've neglected my poor blog for over a week now, and I don't feel good about it. I haven't even gotten to catch up on your Thanksgivings (I've missed you!)... or post any new recipes (sorry, no Thanksgiving recipes)... or even cook recently really (and no menu plan this week)! I feel like a terrible blogger. I truly hope you all did enjoy your Thanksgivings and had plenty to be thankful for. I know I do. I'm thankful for all of you, too! Like, so much. Especially when I don't call or write for over a week. Yall are definitely some keepers.  Don't break up with me, k?

Enough with the sappy talk though, let's get on to the food that I've deprived you of lately.

You know what else makes me a bad blogger? I have been wanting to post about this recipe for the past month and a half! Time just gets away from me. You too? Ok good, it's not just me. I made this to bring to our company potluck lunch at Halloween. I never did post about it though, but figured I could still post about it before Thanksgiving and that you, my readers, could still make it for Thanksgiving if you wanted. Again, I didn't. So here it is. Finally. After Halloween and after Thanksgiving. But before Christmas, at least... pat on the back for that.

This is a pumpkin-shaped cheese ball. Not a pumpkin-flavored cheese ball. I don't want any nasty comments saying someone was expecting a pumpkin-flavored cheese ball recipe. Though that does sound quite enticing. Just coverin' my butt.

Pumpkin {Shaped} Cheese Ball

adapted from Taste of Home

• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8 oz) container chive and onion cream cheese, softened
• 2 oz sour cream
• 2 cups (8 oz) sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 celery rib 
• Sliced apples, crackers, tortilla chips, veggies, pretzels for dipping

In a small bowl, beat cream cheeses and sour cream until smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Shape into a ball, to resemble a pumpkin. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.

With a knife, add vertical lines to the cheese ball to resemble a pumpkin furthermore. Insert a celery rib (you will have to cut it) for the stem. Serve with dippers of choice.

Printable Recipe

 

Make this next Halloween. Or Thanksgiving. Or anytime during the 2012 fall season and those to come. Just be sure to make it before Christmas, like I did, and you'll be a-ok in my book.

*Another reason I am a horrible blogger: I'm behind on my 12 Weeks of Christmas posts! Yikes, tomorrow we are supposed to be on Week 10 I believe... and I haven't linked up since Week 7. So you may be seeing some Christmas goodie recipes coming from me soon that I'll be linking up to past weeks.... going back in time. I'm allowed to do that, right? Hey, if the linky is still open I say it's fair game, even if it is several weeks later! So stay tuned for that.

I'm gonna stop listing reasons I'm a bad blogger now. 

Off to bed to get 5 hours of sleep!!! Gotta love late-night blogging.


Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese {Improv Cooking Challenge}

Good morning, friends. 

Today I'm bringing you a delicious topper for your breakfast bagel or toast... Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese. For so long, I've thought I didn't like pumpkin much. Since I had to make something containing pumpkin and cream cheese for this month's Improv Cooking Challenge and still wanted to participate, I figured I would test out my taste buds again and see how I felt about pumpkin now. I mean, I had seen so many delicious-looking pumpkin recipes all over pinterest and different blogs that were calling me to try them. This was definitely one of them.

Now that I see the photo on the screen I think I'll re-edit it tonight

And you know what? I'm so glad we did! We both were surprised at how much we loved this cream cheese. I like mine for breakfast on a cinnamon raisin bagel. MMM....

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

from Pinch My Salt

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup Libby's canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Printable Recipe

Oh yeah, and I finally splurged and bought some of the pricier vanilla extract. I've heard it's the only way to go. We'll see if I'll be able to taste the difference.

This spread really was delicious! I'm so glad I got a little bit of a pumpkin fix this fall season. I'd love to dabble some more in the pumpkin fields before the season is over.

And check out all of the other pumpkin and cream cheese recipes in the blog hop below:

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Easy Chicken Pot Pie: Foodbuzz Tastemaker {Green Giant}

Today I'm partnering with Foodbuzz Tastemaker to bring you another review, this time for Green Giant vegetables. I received a coupon for a free bag of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers and needed to make a recipe using some Green Giant frozen vegetables. So fun! I've always been a fan of Green Giant's frozen vegetables anyways. Their Niblets Corn & Butter Sauce is our go-to corn product. LOVE it. I've also enjoyed their Garden Vegetable Medley, Roasted Potatoes & Garlic Herb Sauce, and their Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli & Cheese Sauce. And I love to take their single-serve Niblets Corn, and Corn & Peas to lunch. They're adorable, and very practical for someone like me who doesn't need a big portion for lunch. So you can I imagine that I was excited to be able to try their Fresh Steamers products, since I had seen them for awhile and wondered about them.

I wanted to make a pot pie recipe using their frozen veggies, and so we bought the Valley Blend variety which had broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower... perfect for a pot pie. 

We modified this recipe to make it more of our own, using a whole can of cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup. We also didn't use skim milk, just regular. We upped the veggie amount and used the whole 11 oz bag of frozen veggies rather than only one cup. I also knew that 1/2 cup chicken definitely wouldn't be enough for us, plus we had half of a rotisserie chicken in the fridge leftover from yesterday's Taco Chicken Alfredo so I wanted to use it up since we had it! So we used 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken. 

Though we increased some things, we didn't increase the Bisquick mixture measurements. Doh! Next time we would increase that so there would be more of a crust on top of the pot pie. It only made enough to form a very thin layer (in the baking dish I used). That was just silly of me to think we didn't need to increase that amount, too. We also baked it for about 25-28 minutes instead of 20 minutes, and the top layer was still pretty mushy. When I touched it, it felt hardened but when served, it just wasn't the right consistency of how a pot pie crust should be. Next time we'd definitely try to use a smaller baking dish so that the Bisquick mix wouldn't have to spread so wide across the top layer... maybe even individual baking dishes that I can serve the pot pies from. The recipe below is exactly what I did...  feel free to add more Bisquick mix/milk/egg white for the top crust layer if you want, and/or to cook it longer if needed.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

adapted from Green Giant

• 1 can (10 and 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/3 cup milk
• 11 oz bag of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers - Valley Blend (broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower)
• 1 and 1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped
• 1/2 cup Bisquick mix
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg white

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In an ungreased 1 quart casserole dish, stir together the soup and 1/3 cup milk; stir in vegetables and chicken. Microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes; stir. Microwave for 1-2 more minutes and stir again.

In a small bowl, stir together the Bisquick mix, 1/4 cup milk, and egg white until blended. Pour evenly over chicken mixture.

Bake uncovered for 25-28 minutes or until crust is golden brown.


Printable Recipe

 























Even with some of the problems with the crust, it still tasted delicious, much better than either of us expected. Of course it's nice to use fresh vegetables when possible, but let's face it, it's not always plausible. I love Green Giant's frozen products because they provide a convenient alternative to fresh veggies, and taste great too. I've had only good experiences using Green Giant's frozen vegetables, and I'm sure I will continue to love their products in the future as well.

And we'll definitely be making this recipe again and again, modifying it using many different veggies. Can't wait to try this with some onions, mushrooms, peas, corn, and more!

*Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a coupon for a free package of Green Giant vegetables. All opinions and thoughts are my own and I was not compensated in any way for my opinions. 

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

A Fall Craft - Mini Pumpkin Wreath

This blog aint just about food. Today I'm bringing you a Halloween craft idea! I know... you guys didn't know I could be crafty, did you? It's cool, neither did I!! 

Now don't go thinking I'm all sorts of amazing with my crafty skills, cuz I'm not. I actually am one of the least crafty people ever. I want to be crafty. I want to take old junk furniture and turn it into a masterpiece. I want to be able to make my own jewelry and clothes, and sew, and paint drawings, and sell stuff on Etsy. I want to gut my house and re-do it all by myself without calling in a professional. But let's face it, I'm not crafty. I asked for some art supplies two birthdays ago so I could get my art on. Nope, never touched it. It's still in the bag. And yes I've got some old pieces of random furniture that I've purchased throughout the years at numerous yard sales, stashed in the basement, which I vowed to renovate and never did.  I just get intimidated...

But for once, I saw a crafty Halloween idea on Pinterest and knew it was something I could actually start and finish. Sweeeeet! That Pinterest has got me inspired, thinking I can do all sorts of things! I've spent hours pinning different holiday-themed crafts and other house renovating ideas. I have been so inspired to decorate my home with fall and Halloween decorations, that I knew I had to make this wreath made with mini pumpkins from the grocery store.

First you wanna grab a wire hanger from the closet. I molded the wire hanger into a round shape as best I could. Stick each mini pumpkin through the wire... it will go through. I wondered... it does. Mine isn't the best circle, but it'll do. I secured the wire to itself and hung it on our door for guests to see right when they walk up. 

You can purchase the really mini pumpkins from your grocery store in the produce aisle. I got mine at Walmart. They weren't with the other large pumpkins, or even the smaller sized pumpkins that you would still display on your porch. Those are too big for this wreath. I couldn't find the tiny ones at our local outdoor pumpkin stand. Your best bet is to grab the tiny ones from the produce section.

And so there be it. My finished craft project! Isn't this Halloween wreath ultra cute? I think so. And it was super easy too. It better be, cuz that's pretty much the only way I could have completed it.

Go me! :)

Peace, and bacon grease!

 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad