It’s that time of year when all things pumpkin abound, and I’m not mad about it. In fact, I’m bringing pumpkin and pumpkin spice with today’s recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like pumpkin pie or cupcakes, and combining them sounds divine. That’s not even the best part. Okay, it’s the best part, but this is also pretty good: they’re topped with whipped cream, not buttercream frosting. That’s right, cupcakes without a topping made from multiple sticks of butter. They’re practically healthy! Okay, maybe healthier than your typical cupcake, but I’m betting they’ll be every bit as tasty.
If you are a fan of pumpkin pie, you will find these Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes to be a perfect spin on the traditional dessert. Pumpkin pie in the form of a cupcake. All the same great flavors just without the crust. Just add on a dollop of whipped cream for a perfect individual fall dessert.
I have to admit that this isn’t an ordinary cupcake recipe. The first thing I noticed was the relatively short list of ingredients. That meant I had most everything on hand, and all I had to shop for was the eggs, evaporated milk, and pumpkin puree.
The other thing that struck me was there is not a trace of butter in this recipe. Baked goods without butter?! I have heard of using applesauce as a substitute for butter in low-fat baking recipes, so perhaps the pumpkin puree will do the same here.
Pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, flour, vanilla extract, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
The Process
I have to say that these were the easiest cupcakes I’ve ever made! They had fewer ingredients than most recipes, and the steps were broken down nicely. There were no ‘what do I do now?’ moments at all.
Plus not having to make buttercream frosting meant no stand mixer or hand mixer was needed, just a plain old wooden spoon and a little elbow grease.
Making these Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes went so smoothly, but I did have a moment of doubt. It happened when I removed the muffin pan from the oven. I did the toothpick test on the center cupcake, and the toothpick came back coated in batter.
My first impulse was to bake them a bit longer, but the recipe was very specific so I decided to follow it to the letter since things had gone so well. I let them cool, and they were solid enough when I turned them out of the pan. I took that as a good sign and continued on, chilling them in the refrigerator.
One thing I did was top these cupcakes as I served them. Whipped cream has a tendency to melt if left for very long, and I didn’t want that to happen. But spooning a dab onto a cupcake or two and sprinkling on a little more pumpkin spice was easy enough.
I’m in the mood for comfort food, and shepherd’s pie is always a good choice. Ground beef or lamb, potatoes, and vegetables baked together into one of the most perfect cold-weather foods ever. It is, however, not the healthiest choice, so I don’t have it very often. That’s why I was really intrigued when I came across a vegan shepherd’s pie recipe. Nava’s Hearty Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie has a lot of similarities to the dish I’m used to, but can it really be as good without meat? I need to find out!
There are no words to describe this recipe other than ‘a deep dish of absolute comfort.’
Recipe Author: Susan Voisin at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen Get the recipe
The Ingredients
This recipe has a long list of ingredients, and I had some shopping to do before I got started. I didn’t have a few things like the fresh produce or margarine, but most were all readily available at my usual grocery store.
One item I couldn’t find was canned lentils so I used dry. I boiled them alongside the potatoes, and they were ready at the same time. I also decided to make my own rice milk. It’s a simple recipe, and I made it the day before. The time was not included in the prep work (below).
One thing I noticed right away was there was no direction for the mushrooms either in the ingredients list or the instructions. Since putting in whole mushrooms seemed unlikely, I decided to buy them sliced.
I also had a few choices to make on some of the ingredients like whether to use spinach or arugula. Since I had arugula on hand, that’s what I went with, and that was pretty much how I made all of those decisions. I also used the optional margarine, olive oil, and red wine.
Making vegan lentil and mushroom vegan shepherd’s pie wasn’t difficult, but it did take a while. Most of that was in the prep work—everything I did up until the moment the pie went into the oven. Here’s how my time was spent:
53 minutes of prep work
35 minutes to cook
10 minutes to stand
1 hour 38 minutes total
I timed things differently than the recipe author, but the bottom line is mine took slightly longer than the 1 hour 15 minutes listed.
Since I couldn’t find canned lentils, I started by boiling dry green lentils in a small saucepan. Then I peeled and diced the potatoes and boiled them in a larger saucepan. I used 10 red potatoes to make sure I had plenty for the topping.
Assembly was pretty easy. Just layer the breadcrumbs, lentil mixture, and mashed potatoes in a 2-quart casserole dish. I think I used too many potatoes and ended up with them piled into a mound. They held together, though, and I popped the casserole dish into the oven for 35 minutes.
The finished shepherd’s pie, ready to go into the oven
I tried a blackberry whiskey cocktail a while back called The Royal Affliction, and I wasn’t too keen on it. Sure, it was full of things I enjoy, but it was too tart/sour, and the whiskey was lost. I happened upon this Blackberry Pomegranate Bourbon Cocktail recipe while I was searching for Halloween recipes, and I thought I’d give it a try. It has some similarities to The Royal Affliction, but it’s made with bourbon instead of Scotch whiskey. I like scotch, but I like bourbon a lot more. Plus its sweeter taste might just be a better pairing with blackberries. Only one way to find out…
A creepy cocktail to sip on.
Recipe Author: Jacquelyn Clark at Lark and Linen Get the recipe
The Ingredients
I went with my go-to bourbon, Bulleit, for this cocktail. Then I added the fresh blackberries and a bottle of a well-known pomegranate juice, Pom Wonderful (good stuff!). The rosemary is really a garnish, but it’s important for the spooky effect. And I have to admit I kinda like smokey garnishes. They just look cool.
Rosemary, bourbon, sugar, pomegranate juice, and blackberries
The Process
This cocktail took me 30 minutes from start to finish. Here’s how I spent my time:
26 minutes to make the blackberry simple syrup
4 minutes to make the cocktail and garnish
30 minutes total
First up was the blackberry simple syrup. It’s called simple for a reason, and all I had to do was simmer the water, blackberries, and sugar in a small saucepan for 10 minutes.
Making the blackberry simple syrup
Once the mixture had cooled some, I strained it into a coffee mug. Well, I started to do that and made a mess. My solution was to use a slotted spoon to remove most of the blackberries first. Then I poured the syrup through a mesh cocktail strainer into the aforementioned coffee mug. No mess this time, and I was ready to move onto the next step immediately.
Straining the blackberry simple syrup
I chose rocks glasses entirely for the garnish. Let me explain. The sprigs of rosemary I bought were very long, but they were bent when they were packaged. I cut the garnishes at the bends, and they ended up being pretty short because of that. They would have been submerged in taller glasses, hence the short glasses.
Making the Blackberry Pomegranate Bourbon Cocktail was like many others: add ice to a cocktail shaker, add the ingredients, shake, and pour over ice. I did wait to light the rosemary until I had everything set up for the photos. It took about a minute to light, and it didn’t burn for too long. I didn’t time it, but I’d estimate 30 seconds at most. It’s something to be aware of when serving this cocktail, especially if you want to impress guests.
Halloween used to be a big deal for me, but not so much these days. I guess it’s because I moved away from my friends who threw big costume parties for the occasion. *sigh* But this year I’m getting back into the spirit of things! Not with a costume, but with this Witches Hair Pasta (Squid Ink Pasta). Black pasta? It’s a thing! Squid ink is used to color and flavor various kinds of pasta, like spaghetti, and it just happens to look spooky on or around Halloween. I’ve got to try this!
This Witches hair pasta is the perfect dinner for Halloween night. Jet black strands of squid ink pasta dressed with a garlic and chilli oil. Delicious, simple and dramatic. And there is plenty of garlic in there to keep the vampires at bay….well it is Halloween!
Recipe Author: Claire at Sprinkles and Sprouts Get the recipe
The Ingredients
This Halloween creation sounds like a simple recipe, and that starts with the ingredients, all five of them. Yes, five ingredients. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find squid ink spaghetti at Whole Foods, so I turned to Amazon. I found a 1-pound package for about $10. It’s pricey, but it is a special occasion.
Squid ink spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt
The Process
I started this recipe on step 2, boiling water for the pasta. I needed a big pot for the spaghetti, and I knew it would need some time to come to a boil. Once it was on the stove, I moved back to step 1, chopping the garlic.
The garlic was ready before the pasta water, so I used a small saucepan to cook it in the olive oil. The water reached a boil while it was cooking, so I got the pasta started. That’s when I noticed the package didn’t have the cooking time listed.
No problem, I just checked a package of regular spaghetti. It listed a cooking time of 8-9 minutes, so I set my timer for 8 minutes. That cooked it perfectly.
Speaking of pasta, the water is important for this recipe. You have to add some to the garlic-olive oil mixture and reserve a little more. The extra is in case you want to add it to the cooked pasta after adding the olive oil mixture. I didn’t need to, but I’m glad I had the option.
That’s about it. Cook the garlic and spaghetti, then mix it all up together (I used the pot I boiled the pasta in). The recipe lists 15 minutes, but my Witches Hair Pasta took 20 minutes. Still, not bad.
I’ve had my eye on this Tiramisu Cake for a while, but I always thought I wasn’t a good enough baker to make something so lovely. But since I’ve had some practice with cakes and buttercream frosting, I decided to give it a shot. I went into this feeling like my cake disasters were behind me and expected this to be a Pinterest success. And maybe that’s where I went wrong. As you can see from the image, my Tiramisu Cake wasn’t anywhere close to the beautiful pictures with the recipe. Well, I like to look at failures as learning experiences. Read on to find out what I think I did wrong and how I learned from my mistakes.
This Tiramisu Cake turns your favourite Italian dessert into a delicious and decadent layer cake. Coffee soaked layers paired with mascarpone buttercream.
This cake recipe had quite a few ingredients, but nothing was difficult to find. In fact, it was a nice balance of things on hand versus things I needed to buy.
I had a lot of staple items like flour and sugar on hand. That left me to buy the dairy items like buttermilk, mascarpone cheese, and butter. I also had to buy the ladyfingers, but my regular grocery store had it all. No special trips required.
This recipe is kind of complicated, but it was broken down into manageable steps. The main steps were making the coffee syrup, making the cake, making the frosting, and assembling it all. Here’s how my time broke down:
58 minutes to make the cake and frosting
40 minutes to cool the cake
13 minutes to assemble
20 minutes to chill the assembled cake
13 minutes to finish frosting and decorate
2 hours 24 minutes total
That’s in line with the 2 hours 35 minutes listed on the recipe. Now let’s talk about each step.
Sliced tiramisu cake
The Coffee Syrup
This was the easiest part. I just boiled all but the Kahlua and stirred until the sugar and coffee crystals dissolved. Then I removed the saucepan from the heat, added the Kahlua, and set it all aside to cool. I didn’t time it separately, but it only took a few minutes.
The Cake
Now that I had the coffee syrup out of the way, I moved onto the cake. This part went smoothly, and I really didn’t have any trouble following along. I did almost miss adding the vanilla though, so be on the lookout for it in step 3. You don’t want to end up with flavorless cake!
Again, I didn’t time this part separately, but I had the cake pans in the oven in about 30 minutes. They were ready to go onto the wire cooling racks 35 minutes later.
Creaming butter and sugar for the cake
The Frosting
This was the second easiest part of the recipe, next to the coffee syrup. Really, all it is is mixing the ingredients in a stand mixer. I had the frosting mixed up before the cakes were ready to come out of the oven.
Assembly
I ordered a new cake leveler just for this recipe, and I’m happy to say it was as easy to use as I thought it would be. Unfortunately, the rest of this part didn’t go so smoothly.
First up, my cakes were very thin. I was able to slice each one into two layers, for a total of four layers, but just barely. I’m not sure if it was me or the recipe, but I do have some cake disasters in my past.
With the cake layers ready, I started assembling on my cake stand. Add a layer, soak with four tablespoons of coffee syrup, dust with cocoa powder, frost, repeat. Things seemed like they were back on track until I started trying to spread the frosting on the first layer. It was kind of chunky.
I managed to get all the layers assembled, topping them off with a layer of plain cake (no syrup, cocoa powder, or frosting). Then I put it into the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes before finishing.
A quick Google told me the butter hadn’t warmed up enough before I blended it and gave me a fix. I was so sure I had given it enough time to warm to room temperature, but I must not have. I followed the instructions and got the frosting too thin, but I thickened it up with a little more powdered sugar. More mixing and the texture was better but not perfect.
The closeup view is after I ‘fixed’ it. It seemed like the smooth texture I achieved with the fix just reverted to the chunky texture. I don’t understand what happened!
Hey there! So we’ve been busy over the past month or so, and my husband and I have given our kitchen a makeover. Plus it was long overdue and much needed, and I’m so excited to share it with you!!
Grab a glass of iced tea, put on your stretchy pants or get comfortable however you prefer, and sit back for a long-ish read to find out the good, the bad, and getting rid of the ugly.
Before the Makeover
Our kitchen was straight out of the 90s with oak cabinets, a dusty rose tile backsplash, and laminate counters that were a random grey and pink/peach pattern. I guess they were supposed to look like stone, but they just looked more like vomit. Yuck!
The kitchen right at move-in
When we moved into the house about 10 years ago, we had to replace the white appliances. We didn’t have the budget for stainless steel, so I went with black. We also tried painting the cabinet doors dark brown (sorry I don’t have pictures), and it held up reasonably well. I had a vision of the kitchen I wanted, but I think renovation fatigue hit, and the kitchen just stayed that way.
Another before shot of the kitchen
Planning
Fast forward to 2020, and I finally have had enough of my ugly kitchen. It’s hard to blog about food and hide your kitchen! I’m not sure which idea I got first, the countertop or the backsplash, but that’s where this all started. It led down a rabbit hole to some serious research.
We’re talking Houzz, Home Depot, Amazon, Pinterest, YouTube, and more, I’m sure. And that, in turn, led to adding more stuff. I hated my faucet, so why not add one of those? And then I found a groovy soap dispenser and these things called workstation kitchen sinks. They have a ledge that allows you to add a colander, cutting board, and dish rack as needed. Genius!
Well, I should paint my kitchen cabinets while I’m at it, and adding handles will help keep my fingernails from chipping the paint on the edges. Shoot, we need an electrician to fix some stuff, too, so might as well get that done while we’re at it. I’m sure you see where I’m going with this! Honestly, I was surprised that all this was well within our budget when I added it up. I really thought my math was off, but checking and rechecking said it was correct. Okay, the spreadsheet’s math was correct. ?
Then there was the all-important question of how long this would take. I planned for a month without a kitchen, so that meant working ahead on my blog and social media posts. I didn’t want to have to worry about suddenly going dark online. So I did more research, a lot of cooking, lassoed the husband, and ordered a lot of stuff from Amazon and Home Depot.
We didn’t have a huge budget (read on for a breakdown), so a lot of what we did was cosmetic. Also, we did most of the work ourselves, and that saved major bucks. I’m handy, but I’m also disabled. My main issues were fibromyalgia plus some pretty intense neck and back problems. I almost never mention it here because this is a food blog, not a health blog, and it’s my escape from all that.
Still, I did a lot of thinking about whether or not I could handle this project. I could before, but things are very different now. My mobility and range of motion are severely limited, and I’m still coming to terms with that. But my husband was more than willing to be the muscle if I was the brains!
I decided I would have to work slowly on my parts, take lots of breaks, and keep my ice packs and pain pills handy. It was frustrating, but my husband really stepped up and took direction very well. ? Plus achieving goals really helps with the depression that has come with the disabilities, so I had high hopes for success.
Getting Started
But anyway, first up was calling an electrician. We had a recessed light above the sink that stopped working a while ago. There were also a couple of outlets that had stopped working, so getting that fixed was a nice way to kick off this project.
We got started on the demo and prep work while we awaited the appointment for the electrician to come out. That was intense! We had a lot more to do than met the eye. We started by removing the sink and garbage disposal, removing the cabinet doors, and moving the refrigerator and stove out of the way.
This is when I realized the ice maker and water dispenser in the kitchen door would no longer work because the water supply comes from the cold water valve we had to turn off when we removed the sink. Ice trays got old real fast. But I quickly discovered I could buy a brass cap for the part of the valve that led to the faucet. That meant I could turn the valve back on without flooding the kitchen, and voila! Our ice maker and water dispenser worked again.
The last part of our prep work was cleaning the counters and backsplash with a degreaser and covering the floor and anything we didn’t want to ruin. I mostly removed cabinet doors, and I was crazy sore the next few days after that.
I started having doubts about this and wondering if I had taken on too much. But my kitchen was demolished, and the only way was forward at this point. Right about then the electrician showed up and did his thing. It sounds small, but it lifted my mood, so it was on to the real work!
The Countertops
The first thing we did was tackle the counters. That ugly laminate had to go! I looked into tons of options and settled on epoxy because it was the most affordable, durable, and customizable.
Hours and hours of watching how-to videos on YouTube was worth it! I chose a subtle white and grey Carrara marble-like pattern with a matte top coat for extra durability. I also added faux rock edges with Bondo, and I’m loving the effect!
The new faux rock edges on my countertops
My aunt stepped up to help with this part, and it was nice having her around. We tackled the counters in sections over a few days. One day to prep the counters by sanding, adding the rock edge, priming, and painting.
We divided the counters into four sections for the actual epoxy part. I’m so glad that was possible! I tried to think of it as fun art therapy, but man I was so sore the days after we did it! What kept me going was thinking of it as fun art therapy and that I was starting to see my new kitchen. I had the idea in my head for so long, and it was happening!
A piece of the old laminate on the new counter
The Backsplash
Once the countertop was cured, I got started on that ugly pink backsplash. I went the easy route here and chose a white stick-on subway tile with a grey grout effect. It complimented the countertop nicely, and it was pretty easy to install.
I did try that trick where you spray the sticky side with a soapy mixture to make it easier to adjust the tile when you stick it on the wall. It did not work for me at all. Instead, I just ruined a tile ?
I also came up short at the very end and had to order two more packages. But I was very fortunate to have them arrive in a couple of days so I could finish the backsplash. Adding screwless switch plate covers really finished it off and made it look so nice.
White stick-on subway tile backsplash
Y’all this was the worst part of the project for me because of my back. My back decided it hated the ways I had to bend to get the tiles aligned, and breaks, ice packs, IcyHot, and meds did very little to alleviate the pain. I can tile, so I’m now certain removing the old backsplash and replacing it with new tile and grout would have killed me.
Between that and missing cooking, the sink, and the garbage disposal, I had another bout of severe doubt. Having to take a few days to recover didn’t help my mood too much, either.
All That and the Kitchen Sink
Next up was the kitchen sink. I originally wanted a pull-down faucet, but it just didn’t work in the space. My sink is up against a bar that faces our dining room, and the tall faucet seemed awkward. I ended up changing to a shorter pull-out faucet that I like even better, so all is good.
But that sink! I went from a double bowl to a single. I had no idea how much I would appreciate being able to fit a large saute pan into the sink, but I’m learning LOL. It also has a ledge for a colander and cutting board, so I have a little more workspace. I really like that because counter space is limited in my kitchen.
My new gigantic sink
I also found this clever soap dispenser that feeds a tube directly into a bottle of dish soap. No more trying to funnel soap into the dispenser only to have it overflow or not knowing when I’m low on soap. It took about a million pumps to get the soap to feed through the tube, but I’m loving it. Sometimes it’s the little things ?
We had to have a plumber do this part, and it was ungodly expensive. Worth it, absolutely necessary, but yeah… It kind of hurt when he swiped my card. Not being able to do something myself was part of that pain. I hate to admit defeat, but it happens to us all, right? But seeing the new sink installed made it all go away, and I smiled every time I looked at it over the next few days.
The Cabinets
Last up was the cabinets. I gave them a darker paint job so they would blend in with the appliances and make the white counters and backsplash pop. I also added soft-close hinges and some black knobs and pulls.
This felt like the biggest part of the project, but it was also the easiest since I was able to divide it up and do a few doors at a time. Seventeen doors and two drawers had to have the existing hinges removed, then be cleaned, primed, painted, and reinstalled.
I tried a paint sprayer on the first few, but it really didn’t do a good job. I’m glad I started on the doors that are above the refrigerator since we can’t see them! I ended up using a foam paint roller and a brush for the inset details. This took days (maybe more than a week, I didn’t count), so I just wrapped my brush and roller in Press ‘N Seal so I didn’t have to clean them constantly.
I also mixed polyurethane into the paint along for extra durability with some Floetrol to make it go on smoother. That made the paint a bit less opaque, so I had to do three coats on each side instead of two. The alternative was to paint and wait seven days for it to cure before coating with polyurethane to prevent bubbles. I’m not patient enough for that!
I don’t think it looks like a pro job, but it’s still an improvement. I’ll have to go back and fix a few drips I missed one of these days, but that shouldn’t be too much work.
New cabinet knobs
Wrapping It Up
Whew, typing it all up sounds so major! We did things in stages and allowed extra time because of my disabilities, but the results are absolutely fabulous!! It was worth the pain, frustration, inconvenience, and money to have a new kitchen that I love and am proud to show off.
And how much was it? you ask. If my math is right, our kitchen makeover costs were:
Backsplash $318
Cabinets $331
Counters $965
Electrical $106
Sink & installation $1,048
Misc. $114
Total $2,882
I think we got a lot of bang for our buck(s)! We still need to paint the toe-kicks and update the under- and above cabinet lighting to LEDs. We still have the original fluorescent fixtures, and they’rere on their last legs. The electrician quoted us $800 for the lights and installation, but I DIYing it would be around $360.
But that’s going to have to wait a bit—my bank account and my body need a break, and I want to break-in my beautiful new kitchen. First up: White Wine Chicken Stew. And now I’ll be able to fit my biggest Dutch oven into my sink to wash it after. Like I said earlier, it’s the little things. ?
My mom used to make me Chicken Diane when I was growing up—it was one of her specialties, and I loved it! It was chicken breasts in a sauce made with dijon mustard and brandy, but she did tell me it was normally made with beef. That’s why I was so excited when I found this Slow Cooked Steak Diane Casserole recipe. Then I read through the ingredients and didn’t see the mustard. I was confused, and I had to consult the Google. It turns out there are a few takes on Steak Diane, and not all of them use mustard in the sauce. This version has a tomato-based sauce. I’m intrigued. And I have to try this!
Slow Cooked Steak Diane Casserole – a great make-ahead meal, perfect for feeding a crowd! Cook in the oven, slow cooker or on the hob.
Recipe Author: Nicky Corbishley at Kitchen Sanctuary Get the recipe
The Ingredients
I had some shopping to do for my steak Diane casserole, but nothing was difficult to find. My regular grocery store had everything I needed, so no special trips or online orders (yay!).
I did have to convert the metric measurements to imperial before my shopping trip. There weren’t many, so it was quick. Here’s what I came up with:
1 liter beef stock = 4 1/4 cups (34 ounces)
300g chestnut mushrooms = 10 ounces
120ml heavy cream = 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 1/4 pint)
I had to adjust those measurements to fit the packaging. The beef stock was sold in a 32-ounce container and the mushrooms in an 8-ounce container. I went with those rather than buying extra packages and having leftovers that might not get used.
I also had to look up what chestnut mushrooms were. As I thought, they are just small brown mushrooms. My store labels them as baby Bella mushrooms.
Braising beef, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce. onion, parsley, chestnut mushrooms, heavy cream, whiskey, garlic, flour, and tomato paste
The Process
This recipe has a couple of options for cooking, either in the oven or in a slow cooker. I chose my trusty slow cooker, of course.
The recipe is written pretty well, and I didn’t have any moments of confusion as I worked. That was at least in part due to reading it a couple of times before I started and planning ahead.
As I mentioned earlier, I had to convert the metric measurements. I also made sure I knew at what point in the instructions I had to stop and move to the separate slow cooker instructions. Then I got started cooking.
A 5-quart Dutch oven was perfect for the first part of the cooking process. I had everything ready to go into the slow cooker in 20 minutes, and this is where I’m glad I planned ahead.
The recipe had me add all the ingredients including the liquid to the pot on the stove. Just pouring a large pot of boiling liquid into my slow cooker wouldn’t have gone well. Instead, I used a slotted spoon to transfer the beef and mushrooms, then I poured the liquid over them. No spills or splashes ? Then it was just a matter of waiting 5 hours until my steak Diane casserole was done.
I’ve made pork tenderloin stuffed into bread and wrapped in pork belly, but I’ve never made a stuffed pork tenderloin. I feel like that has to change, and this Stuffed Pork Tenderloin recipe sounds like a great way to make that happen. The general principle is similar to a beef recipe I made a while back called Matambre. A piece of meat is cut open, pounded flat, stuffed, and rolled up to cook. Sounds complicated, right? Let’s find out!
Here I am with a great fall recipe (stick to your ribs and turn on the oven)!
Recipe Author: Katie at Chaos in the Kitchen Get the recipe
The Ingredients
The list of ingredients for this recipe is medium-length and full of tasty things. I had a couple of things on hand, so I had to buy quite a few ingredients. The good news was my local grocery store had almost everything.
I couldn’t find dried mushrooms and ended up ordering them from Amazon. Thank goodness for next-day delivery! I chose dried porcini mushrooms, and a 1-ounce bag was $4.66.
I’m going to tell you upfront that my husband and I loved this recipe! And I have to admit I loved that he was so impressed by the finished roast. It was so good that I hate to have to point out the problems I had with the recipe, but that’s part of why I’m here.
Here’s how my time was spent on the entire recipe:
33 minutes to prep
5 minutes to brown
40 minutes to bake
5 minutes to stand
1 hour 23 minutes total
The Filling Ingredients
First, most of the ingredients don’t have instructions on how they are to be prepared. For instance, the ingredients listed two garlic cloves, but there is no note specifying whether it needs to be minced, pressed, chopped, etc. Whole garlic cloves seemed very unlikely, so I used my garlic press.
This is how I prepped the ingredients that had no instruction:
Spinach – I used whole baby spinach leaves. kale would need to be torn chopped.
Goat Cheese – I cut it into small pieces.
Sun-dried Tomatoes – I roughly chopped them.
Garlic Cloves – Pressed, as previously mentioned. Mincing would also work.
Prepping the Pork
Next up was how the pork tenderloin was cut open. There are two methods to do this, butterflying or roll-cutting (both shown in this video). The recipe instructions describe the butterfly method, but my pork tenderloin was quite thick, so I used the roll-cutting method.
There were a couple of reasons behind my decision to change methods. The main reason was butterflying the tenderloin would have left me with very thick halves to pound. You can only thin the meat so much by pounding it—it’s not a miracle process.
The other reason was roll-cutting the tenderloin gave me a larger piece of pork to roll up, especially after I pounded it with my meat mallet. I did cut a hole in it near the center (shown below), but everything worked out just fine. I used a strategically placed spinach leaf to patch the hole before adding the filling.
Filleted pork tenderloin before being pounded thin
Once the pork was pounded thin, I cut a few pieces of kitchen string to tie it with. Then I laid them out on a cutting board, placed the pork on top of them, and spread the filling on top of that. The amount was perfect, and I was able to roll everything up and tie it easily.
There was just enough overlap on the pork to hold it all together nicely. Yes, a little filling did spill out of the ends, but it was easy to tuck back in. A final piece of string to wrap the roll lengthwise helped secure it.
The stuffing has been added, and the pounded filet is ready to be rolled up.
Cooking
I chose my 12-inch cast iron pan to brown and bake the stuffed pork tenderloin, and it was perfect for the job. Abut one minute per side browned the roast nicely, then it was into the preheated oven.
I was skeptical of the 10-minute baking time listed in the recipe, so I made sure to check the temperature with my meat thermometer. Sure enough, the center of the roll was only 86℉ ?. It took a total of 40 minutes to get the center to a safe 165℉. After removing it from the oven, I let the roast stand for another 5 minutes to allow the temperature to rise a little more.
The finished stuffed pork tenderloin in a cast iron pan
A lot of times I theme my weekly posts, but I’m not doing that this week. I have been wanting to try this Cherrytini recipe for ages, and I just haven’t found a way to fit it into a theme. I’ve done cherry-themed weeks in the past and I could do more, but I’m afraid that would get boring. So this week is unthemed, and today is all about cherries. Cherry martini, here I come!
This cherrytini is the perfect fruity martini! It tastes like an adult version of cherry drop sweets. Packed with cherry flavour and pulling a great alcoholic punch.
Recipe Author: Claire at Sprinkles and Sprouts Get the recipe
The Ingredients
There are only a few ingredients in this cocktail, and I didn’t have any trouble finding them. I keep a bottle of Luxardo cherry liqueur on hand to make Aviation gin cocktails. The 750ml size has lasted several years since most recipes only require a little bit. If I remember correctly, it was about $30 for the bottle. I had to go to Total Wine to find it as it’s a bit of a specialty item.
My regular grocery store, Whole Foods, had a few types of cherry juice to choose from. Most were made with tart cherries and had no sugar added. I was thinking this cocktail should be sweet, so I chose a sweet black cherry juice.
And lastly, I went with what has. become my regular vodka, Pinnacle. It’s reasonably priced and excellent for mixed drinks. It does have a strong finish, though, so I wouldn’t drink it on the rocks or neat.
Cheery liqueur, lemon, cherry juice, and vodka
The Process
Making this cocktail was as simple as I thought it would be, and I had mine ready in just three minutes.
I was glad to see this recipe didn’t need much in the way of equipment. Just a measuring cup, measuring spoon, and a cocktail shaker. Complicated cocktails can be fun, but sometimes I enjoy simplicity.
The only thing I wasn’t thrilled with was the flecks of ice floating on top of the drink. As you can see below, they made the cocktail look like it was covered in lint until they melted. Yes, I could have waited until then to take the photos, but I wanted to show you the real deal. Honestly, I think it looks worse in the photos than it did in person.
Of course, the ice flakes didn’t affect the taste of the drink, but it’s something to be aware of if you are serving these to impress. Making them a few minutes ahead of time or straining with a fine mesh sieve should solve that problem.
Can you tell this week’s theme is Hungarian food? After the spectacular Hungarian Chicken Paprikash I just made, I felt the need for a dessert. I found this Hungarian Zserbo Szelet recipe and immediately put it on my list of possibilities. What sold me was reading the accompanying blog post. The author did a good bit of research to create an authentic Hungarian recipe. Not that I don’t like new interpretations (I do!) but I also appreciate the history behind traditional foods. I’m pretty sure I can’t pronounce zserbo szelet, but I’m going to make it. Let’s get to it!
I found this old-fashioned Zserbo Szelet Recipe in one of the vintage recipe binders I own. This traditional Hungarian holiday dessert recipe is also known as Gerbeaud cake.
Recipe Author: Arlene Mobley at Flour on My Face Get the recipe
The Ingredients
Alright, let’s talk about the ingredients for this recipe. They were all basics, and I had most everything in my pantry and refrigerator. I love it when that happens! I even had most of a jar of apricot preserves, so I used that for the filling.
That left me a short grocery list, which is always a good thing. I had to buy milk, sour cream, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Nothing exotic or expensive, and all things my regular grocery store had in stock.
Walnuts, apricot preserves, sour cream, sugar, flour, dark chocolate chips, milk, butter, baking soda, salt, and yeast
The Process
When I started making my zserbo szelet, I had it in my head that it would be a long and arduous recipe. I’m really pleased to tell you that this wasn’t the case! While it did take just over two hours, about 3/4 of that time was inactive. Here’s how it breaks down:
34 minutes to prep
1 hour to stand
35 minutes to bake
5 minutes for the chocolate topping
2 hours 14 minutes total (not including time to cool)
Making the zserbo szelet wasn’t too difficult, either. I liked how the steps were broken down to one action each—it made the recipe very easy to follow.
There are some special pieces of equipment you’ll need beyond the usual mixing bowls and measuring cups/spoons. A food processor and a rolling pin are a must, and you’ll need a flour sifter or a mesh sieve to sift—you guessed it—flour. Another must-have is a rectangular cake pan (the kind you would use for a sheet cake or brownies). The recipe calls it a sheet pan, but the accompanying photos show a deeper pan. I also used my dough blender, but it’s not a requirement—you can use your hands instead.
The toughest part of this recipe was rolling out the dough so I had three pieces the size of my cake pan. I was worried I would end up redoing this part until I got it right, then I came up with a way to make my life a little easier. I used the pan’s lid as a template when I rolled out the dough, cutting away any excess so I had nicely shaped rectangles. It worked a treat!
The last step was adding the chocolate chips, allowing them to melt, then spreading the melted chocolate like frosting. The recipe says it will take about eight minutes for the chocolate to melt, but mine melted much faster. It was fully melted and spread over the in just 5 minutes.
I left the completed zserbo szelet on the counter to cool for about an hour, then I refrigerated it overnight. I wanted to be certain it was completely cooled before cutting it. There was no doubt about that the next day. It was a bit of a workout getting the pieces cut as the zserbo szelet is quite dense. I managed 24 pieces an called it quits. I felt I had earned a taste after all that work, and I was not disappointed!
Have you ever tried Hungarian food? I really hadn’t before I started blogging, and I didn’t know what I was missing. Sure, I had tried goulash, but not an authentic recipe made with real Hungarian sweet paprika. It makes a huge difference! Now I’m slowly discovering more Hungarian food, and I’m loving it. That journey is continuing today with this Hungarian Chicken Paprikash. It sounds like a simple recipe that will be savory and flavorful. I can’t wait!
Simple and affordable ingredients always produce the best results. Hungarian Chicken Paprikash recipe is an easy one pan weeknight dinner recipe with a finger licking good sour cream sauce made of the pantry staples.
Recipe Author: Iryna at Lavender and Macarons Get the recipe
The Ingredients
This simple recipe didn’t have a whole lot of ingredients, and they were all basics. My local grocery store had everything that wasn’t in my pantry. The one thing I did splurge on was the paprika. Well, paprikas—this recipe uses two types.
I used the brand of sweet paprika my aunt brought back from Hungary. The smoked paprika (pimentón) I use is from Seasonality Spices. They also carry sweet paprika, but I’ve never tried it (I’m sure it’s just as good as the smoked variety!). These are so much better than the stuff I find in my local grocery store, and they last for a long time if cared for properly. Make sure you keep them in a sealed container, away from the light and heat.
I’m happy to say this recipe was as easy to make as it sounds. Mine was ready in about an hour, just a bit faster than the 1 hour 15 minutes listed. Here’s how my time broke down:
13 minutes to prep
50 minutes to cook
1 hour 3 minutes total
The instructions were broken down into easy to follow steps, and I didn’t have any trouble. The prep work was pretty quick and used basic techniques. Cooking was also simple techniques, and most of the time for this recipe was inactive.
I did make one minor change to this recipe. Using my fingers, I partially lifted the skin off the chicken so I could get some of the paprika mixture underneath. I find it gets the spice flavor into the meat a little better than just sprinkling the spices over the skin.
One thing I’m very glad I did was checking on the chicken 30 minutes into simmering. The instructions say to cook it for about 40 minutes or until it reaches 165℉. My chicken was well over that after 30 minutes ?, and once again I’m glad I have a meat thermometer.
Read on to find out how my Hungarian Chicken paprikash turned out!
My journey to becoming a salad person continues today with this Apple Cranberry Bacon Kale Salad. It sounds like it will be a hybrid between two salads I’ve blogged before. It has several of the ingredients from the Apple, Bacon & Pecan Salad with Garlic Balsamic Dressing with a dressing that sounds similar to the one on the Easy Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing. I have made both of those salads several times, and they never disappoint. Combining the two is brilliant! Well, it sounds brilliant. Let’s find out if it is.
Crisp apple, dried cranberries, feta cheese, almonds, and kale come together in this fresh Autumn salad. And the best of all? Toss some crispy bacon in and you are set for life!
Recipe Author: Christina Cherrier at Eatwell101 Get the recipe
The Ingredients
This salad is packed with easy to find simple ingredients, including a few superfoods like kale, cranberries, and almonds. All I had to buy a bottle of apple juice, a red delicious apple, and two bunches of lacinato kale to make it. I had the rest on hand either as pantry staples or leftovers.
There were a couple of minor changes, like using leftover sliced almonds instead of buying chopped. I also had some bacon, so I made my own bacon bits. Really, all that amounted to was frying 6 pieces of bacon while I prepared the salad and dressing.
Kale, apple cider vinegar, dried cranberries, apple juice, sliced almonds, apple, olive oil, bacon, pepper, salt, dijon mustard, honey, and feta cheese
The Process
Talk about easy! Making this salad was just as easy as I imagined. I put the bacon on to fry and did the rest while it cooked. The salad part was a little bit of chopping but mostly throwing things into a big bowl. I mean gently placing ?
Then I measured the salad addressing ingredients into a sealed container and gave it a good shake. The bacon finished around this time, so I gave it a quick chop and tossed it into the bowl with everything else.
Pouring the salad dressing and giving it all a quick toss was the final step. That’s it, my Apple Cranberry Bacon Kale Salad was ready to serve.
I did use an apple corer and slicer, but it’s strictly optional. You can also use pre-made bacon bits to speed things up, but frying the bacon while prepping the rest was almost no work.
