The other day I was in the mood for some cookies and I made the mistake of asking my toddler what type of cookies we should bake. His answer? Pumpkin cookies. Ok, pumpkin cookies are a random request for the first day of spring, but I'm fostering his new found skill of decision making. So we rolled with it and made some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. My favorite pumpkin chocolate chip recipe however only uses 6 tablespoons of pumpkin puree. So I am inevitably left with  2/3rds of a can of pumpkin every time I bake them. What to do, what to do. So I invented a new recipe that uses up all the leftover pumpkin! I know I'm not the only one who has left over portions of pumpkin laying around, so without further ado, I introduce to you: Pumpkin Pasta with Brown Butter and Sage. 

Ingredients;
1/2 stick of butter
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried french tarragon
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 box penne pasta (about 8 ounces) 
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup goat cheese
Salt & Pepper

Melt your butter in a frying pan on low heat. Just leave it there and don't mess with it. Let it bubble and get golden. As soon as you see the butter changing from yellow to golden, add your garlic, sage, and tarragon. 

While your butter browns, go ahead and boil your pasta in salted water for 8-10 minutes as the package directs. Strain the water from your pasta, reserving about 1/4 of a cup of the starchy water for later. While that pasta sits in your colander, use your warm pot to heat up your pumpkin puree and mix it with your goat cheese. Once those two are incorporated, add your pasta back to pot and mix. Then add your butter to the pot and mix. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little of your reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Due to the brown butter, pumpkin, herbs, and goat cheese, this is a very flavorful dish. It tastes as indulgent as a macaroni, but due to a lot of the sauce being made up from pumpkin, its much less sinful, and a little bit more sophisticated as well. This will serve 2-3 people. 

Enjoy!

I was asked to help host a baby shower that looked like it literally came to life from Pinterest. One of my friends is a professional party planner and she was able to make this "woodland themed" baby shower come together perfectly.  It was complete with a trail mix station, a s'mores bar, and a woodland themed photo booth. It was amazing. 

Hand crafted smores bar with real live flame!

Even the crockpots wore flannel to match the theme.

Trail mix station as you left so guests could take home a little treat.

 
My contributions included mostly items for the s'mores bar, including homemade marshmellows. But by far the hit of the night were my chocolate chip cookies. These are the best chocolate chip cookies my husband has ever tasted. He threatened that if I didn't bring back the leftovers, to not bother coming home. 

Turn oven to 375. 3/4 cup white sugar3/4 cup packed brown sugar1 cup butter softened1 teaspoon vanilla1 egg2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1 large handful chocolate chips 

Bake for 10 minutes and if you feel adventurous add them to a s'mores bar! I usually double this recipe and freeze half of the dough for future cookie emergencies. Enjoy! 

Sometimes your food is just so delicious, you don't care about taking a pretty photo. These rolls speak for themselves, so let your taste buds rather than your eyes do the talking. 

(Taken from the Nelson Family Cook Book)

2 tbs dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Beat eggs well and add to yeast. Scaled milk, stir in sugar and salt and eggs. Let cool until warm. Add yeast to mixture. Add 2 1/2 cups flour, beating well with fork. Gradually add the remaining flour. Keep the dough rather sticky. Lift out dough and grease bowl on all sides. Knead dough in bowl for 2 minutes. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Punch down dough and knead for 15 seconds. Let rise for another hour. Form into desired shapes and place in buttered pans. Let rise for at least an hour. Bake at 375 for 12-17 minutes or until light golden brown. Yields 1 1/2 dozen, feel free to double or triple the recipe! 

Bon Appetite! 

Easy weeknight meals are a must when you make a homemade meal every night. This chicken dish is just that. I love meals that can be made ahead of time and then easily cooked when ready. 

3 chicken breasts 

Juice and zest of 3 limes 

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 tablespoons melted butter 

Place your chicken breasts in a ziplock bag. Add the juice of 3 limes, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic to the bag. Let marinate for at least an hour or more. Place your chicken and marinade in a greased baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter, and salt and pepper lightly. Cook at 425 for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. When cooked, sprinkle with lime zest and serve over quinoa. 

Fresh, easy, low fat, affordable, what more could you want in a dish? Enjoy!