Pumpkin Cornbread

On Monday, I shared my favorite chili recipe of all time and gave you a preview of today's post.  What goes best with chili - cornbread!  As I am sure you have noticed, we are all about pumpkin over here these days.  So we put the two together to make Pumpkin Cornbread.

Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

I hope everyone enjoyed a festive holiday weekend.  I had a nice break, did a lot of packing and moving, and am now excited to be back here to share one of my favorite winter recipes ~ Three Bean Vegetarian Chili, also known as "Veg Head" Chili.  This chili could not be any easier to put together and on the table around 30 minutes.  

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

Here are the Pumpkin Banana Pancakes I alluded to in yesterday's post.  Thankfully I did not lose the eggs and was able to make them.  It's a good thing too.  I was excited to try a new spin on an old recipe, and Adam absolutely LOVED them!  Similar to Pumpkin Banana Bread, these definitely taste like a cross between pumpkin pancakes and banana pancakes.  Not a bad thing if you ask me!

Land 'o Lakes Eggs

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program with Land 'o Lakes, I was the lucky recipient of coupons for 2 dozen free Land 'o Lakes eggs.  We use so many Land 'o Lakes products, from cottage cheese to light butter to ice cream, I was definitely excited for the opportunity to use their eggs.  The Land 'o Lakes website has a wealth of information about their eggs, including the Egg Essentials Brochure, which details their different types of eggs, as well as their benefits.  I chose the Omega 3 eggs.  Since I don't eat any fish, I'm always looking to get my good fats from other sources.

I used the eggs in several recipes, including Cottage Cheese Pancakes, Skinny Pumpkin Pie, Peanut  Butter Surprise Muffins, Easy Spinach and Cheese Lasagna, and here are a couple pictures of others that will be posted in the coming weeks.  I absolutely love these eggs, but something happened that makes me love Land 'o Lakes even more.

 One night I was making Pumpkin Banana Pancakes.  I opened the refrigerator to grab the eggs, and then SMACK!  The egg carton slipped out of the fridge and onto the ceramic floor.  Oh NO!  This happened once before, with a different brand of eggs (full carton, mind you) and I lost them ALL.  Now Mike was gone, Adam was asleep, I had partial pancake batter, thought I lost the rest of my eggs, and was dreading the mess.  It was 10pm, and I was tired.  I reluctantly picked up the carton, looked through the clear packaging, and....I saw only one little crack.  Could it be?  I opened the carton, picked each one up and indeed...I only lost ONE egg.  Whoever created the packaging for the Land 'o Lakes eggs is pure genius!  It saved my eggs from a potential disaster.  Premium quality eggs, premium quality packaging, Land 'o Lakes eggs rock!

Tomorrow I will share with you the recipe for the Pumpkin Banana Pancakes.  Adam absolutely LOVED them and so did we!   

Easy Spinach & Cheese Lasagna

While working on clearing out the cupboards in advance of our upcoming move, I found myself faced with 3 boxes of lasagna noodles.  How did that happen!  At least it is something I am happy to use, unlike the random can of soup that I have been avoiding.  In lieu of my usual lasagna recipes, which tend to be a bit more labor intensive, I decided to go with something easy and quick to prepare.  This Easy Spinach and Cheese Lasagna is exactly that...and so good!

Layered Pumpkin Loaf

For the longest time, Mike and I would get 'Pumpkin Loaf' from everybody's favorite coffee shop (you know, the one with the green logo).  While that bread is good, I dare say that I prefer this Layered Pumpkin Loaf.  Perhaps it's the moist and flavorful bread, or perhaps it's the cream cheese layer resting in the middle.  Regardless of the reason, this is just plain good.

Alida's Weekly Recap - 11/12

Greetings!  While many folks are planning for the Thanksgiving holiday, we are planning our move at the end of the month.  Part of this means using up all the food in the house, though I had to replenish a few critical baking supplies that I used up.  So far we've been pretty successful, using up flour, baking powder, canned beans, mustard, honey and canned tomatoes, just to name a few things.  All of these creations will be featured in the coming weeks (not together of course, though THAT would be interesting!). 

The only thing I am struggling to use up is frozen mixed berries.  I bought several bags while pregnant, because I ate Greek yogurt with mixed berries every. single. day.  It was tasty and so good for us, but got a little old.  I'm resigned to the fact that may be my fate over the next couple weeks, but I'm hoping you can help.  If you have any suggestions for using up frozen mixed berries (other than smoothies because I have no blender), please let me know!

While you think about that, let's recap the week. 

Peanut Butter Surprise Muffins

It has been far too long since I have made something with peanut butter.  I thought these Peanut Butter Surprise Muffins would be a good way to curb any peanut butter withdrawal.  You know anything with 'surprise' in the title is going to be something special (good or bad I suppose, but I promise only good things for you).

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Usually by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I have made at least 6 pumpkin pies...and enjoyed them immensely, of course. Now, before you think I'm some crust-making machine, I must confess to you that my pumpkin pies are made without crust. This is a recipe that I found years ago, and frankly it is pure genius. By elminating the extra step of making crust and the excess fat and calories that come with the crust, you are left with a simple, delicious and skinny pumpkin pie!

Alida's Weekly Recap - 10/29-11/5

After last week's recap, I was off to run a half marathon.  I am happy to report that operation first half marathon was a success!  The weather could not have been more perfect - cool and sunny.  People were dressed in great costumes, bands were playing at the water stations...and I finished in 2 hours and 15 minutes!

Halloween was the other big event this past week.  Adam is still too young to grasp the concept of Halloween, but he definitely enjoyed wearing his tiger costume.  In fact, he has been asking to wear his 'tiger sweatshirt' every day since.  He had a great day, including a fun trip to the zoo.

With November here, fall cooking and baking is in full effect.  This week I shared recipes using apples.  There will definitely be more fall-inspred recipes coming your way, as well as some ideas for holiday.  But for now, let's recap the week.    

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Adam's nap cycle is pretty predictable.  He typically naps for 2-3 hours each day, but occasionally goes through week-long periods of 1 hour naps.  Sometimes it's due to teeth, sometimes it's due to growing, and sometimes who knows.  We have been through it enough to know that it passes in about a week.  So when we found ourselves through week 2 of short naps, it was a little disconcerting (and tiring) for all.  Fortunately, we did made it through the latest short-nap phase, and these Pumpkin Apple Muffins are a result of those extra 2 hours I was not expecting.   

Apple Cinnamon Oven Pancake

I can still remember the first time I made this pancake.  It was many years ago, after I moved into my very first apartment.  I had purchased a Betty Crocker cookbook, and for whatever reason, out of all the recipes, the Puffy Oven Pancake jumped out at me.  I was hosting a brunch to show off the new place, and thought it would be a perfect dish to serve.  You know it's a winner when after so many years, the memory of this pancake is fresh in my mind. 

Apple Cheddar Frittata

Since last week ended up being pumpkin week, I thought it would be fun to give a nod to another fall classic this week - the apple.   I enjoy an apple for lunch nearly every day and love using them in new recipes.  This Apple Cheddar Frittata was new to us and will definitely be making a recurring appearance.   The sweetness of the apple pairs beautifully with the sharp cheddar and the red onion balances nicely with the two.