Small Batch Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with love, family, friends, and lots of good food!

Let's talk about leftovers.  One of the best things about the Thanksgiving feast is all the leftovers that you can eat for days! Don't you agree?  Some just love having another plate of that turkey dinner with all the sides and a slice of pie.  Some want to re-create those leftovers into a totally new dish like my Turkey Tex-Mex Quesadillas, Turkey and Swiss Panini, or my Turkey Wild Rice Soup.  These are great ways to use that leftover turkey, but what do you do with extra cans of pumpkin?

Well, I have several ways that you can use a can a pumpkin!  Let start out with a breakfast dish.

SMALL BATCH PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

These are perfect to whip up on the weekend or anytime over the cold winter months.  The kids LOVE them, and they are great for quick breakfasts on the go, or as a little sweet something with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon.  This is a small batch of 6 muffins which is just perfect when you want just a little something.  

The pumpkin flavors pop in this moist muffin that's studded with mini chocolate chips.  Heaven!  The combination of pumpkin and chocolate is hard to beat.  I used mini chocolate chips so that the chocolate flavor is plenty throughout the muffing although you can use regular chips if you like.  Dark chocolate chips would be awesome as well. 

What equipment do I need?  I always keep this six cup muffin tin on hand for small batches.  It works perfectly.  I also can't make muffins with out my trusty scoop.  This is a "necessity" for even sized muffins in my house! Other staples such as this and this help make baking easier.  

This recipe won't use up that whole can of pumpkin, so make sure to save the rest in a sealed container in the refrigerator so you can make my next pumpkin recipe coming up!  

Enjoy a hot breakfast and the flavors of the season.  These muffins will leave you wanting more!




Small Batch Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

yield: 6 muffins

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 6 tin muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, egg, and vanilla.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.  Stir to combine.  Add wet ingredients and mix until the flour is just blended.  Don't overmix.  Fold in mini chocolate chips.

Scoop batter into 6 muffin tin wells.  Bake for 20-22 minutes.  Remove from the oven an cool on a wire rack.  Serve with butter if desired.

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you. I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you.

Spicy Fall Squash Salad

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We are in the home stretch toward one of the biggest holidays of the year:  Thanksgiving!

Each year we have all of our traditional dishes such as my favorite pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, a wonderful Citrus Rosemary roasted Turkey Breast, lime jello salad, among other veggies such as this and this.  Plus I always try to introduce a new dish each year to keep it fresh and hopefully inspire a new traditional food to the mix.

This year I'm making a wonderful Fall fresh salad.  One with spicy roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, and pistachios!  This salad just screams the flavors of the season.  The squash is roasted and then tossed with a spice mix of cumin, coriander, and a little cayenne for some heat.  Mixed greens are topped with the roasted spiced squash, goat cheese, chopped dates, along with the pomegranate seeds and pistachios.  The whole salad is topped with cider and date dressing that is just fabulous.  The fresh salad is filled with autumn flavors that lend a sweet and spicy note to the salad!

SPICY FALL SQUASH SALAD

You can't pick a better salad to go with your Thanksgiving meal!  The perfect autumn salad full of sweet and spicy flavors that totally compliment each other.  This salad is a WINNER!

Add something new to your holiday spread with this salad.  It's THAT GOOD!

Happy Thanksgiving!







Spicy Fall Squash Salad
adapted from Love and Lemons

1 package pre-cut butternut squash
1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
6 cups spring mix greens
2 ounces Goat Cheese, torn into smaller pieces
2 Medjool dates, pitted and diced
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup Pistachios, chopped and toasted

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cider Date Dressing (makes extra)
5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Medjool date, pitted
½ garlic clove
⅛ teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 to 5 tablespoons water, as needed to blend

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.   Place the butternut squash cubes on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and pinches of sea salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender and browned around the edges.

In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne. Set aside.

Make the Cider Date Dressing: In a blender combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, date, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and 3 tablespoons of water. Blend well until combined.  Add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water as needed if too thick.

Remove the butternut squash from the oven, let cool slightly, and, while warm, toss with the spice mixture.

Assemble the salad with the spring mix greens and half of the roasted squash. Drizzle with ⅓ of the dressing, toss lightly, then add the remaining squash, goat cheese, dates, pomegranates, and pistachios. Drizzle with more dressing as desired. Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Stew

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Whenever the weather change to fall then toward winter I love, love, love making soups.  

There's something about a comforting homey meal when you get home from work after a long day that gets me right there. (Pointing toward heart)  It soothes the soul, if you know what I mean.  

So to make these wonderfully tasting soups and stews during the week I turn to my slow cooker for help.  It gives you that cooked all day flavor without the effort.  So what to make?  I'm feeling like a comforting chicken stew is in order.  I have a French chicken stew that I make but I'm actually in the mood for Italian flavors.  Something with a tomato base.  So a Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Stew was in order.

Wonderfully simple ingredients such as onion, celery, and carrots are the base of the recipes as with many soups and stews.  What makes this special are the addition of Italian ingredients such as tomatoes and Cannellini beans along with Italian spices such as basil, oregano, add the zest this Italian stew deserves.  

What equipment do I need to make this?  I have several slow cookers but my favorite is this one.  It has a sauté feature that I love along with it being a multi-functional cooker.  Another standard slow cooker I have is this one.  It has a good price point but doesn't have timer functions.  Other items you might like are some wonderful spices such as this one, or this one. Staples such as these long lasting measuring spoons and this necessary ladle for soups and stews are great to have as well.

Warm and inviting, this thick and hearty stew will have you rubbing your tummy and going back for more!  The spices blend together beautifully throughout the day and give this a wonderful flavor. This is a stew that you will want on rotation throughout the winter this year.

Enjoy! 





Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Stew

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts about 1 - 1 1/2 lbs.
28 oz crushed tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 14.5 oz cans of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups celery, sliced
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
4 Tbls. Italian seasoning

2 tsp garlic, minced

1/4 parsley, chopped

1 tsp. kosher salt 

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Add all of the ingredients to a 6 quart slow cooker placing the chicken on the bottom with the other ingredients over the chicken.  Stir to combine seasonings. 

Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred or chop chicken.  Place the chicken back in the slow cooker.  Stir to combine.  Serve immediately.

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you.  I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you.

Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken

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I'm still on my quest to cook from my gazillion cookbooks in my collection.  The other day I brought you a wonderful side dish of Cajun Roasted Potatoes which were a major hit!

Today, to go with those potatoes, I've served up a main dish of Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken.  I found this recipe in the cookbook by Mary Younkin, The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook.  This sounded like the perfect dinner to serve on a weeknight.  Something quick and light, but slightly different than your usual chicken dish.

This recipe has the option of frying or baking the chicken.  I chose to bake them for a healthier meal.  The recipe also uses chicken tenders for ease of preparation and I chose to use chicken breasts that I cut into strips as I prefer them over tenders.

The dish has the perfect pop of flavors.  Tender juicy baked chicken strips drizzled with honey and lime make the perfect weeknight dinner.  Make sure and don't skip the honey or the lime as they make this dish a winner!

What do I need to make this?  Good baking sheets are a must.  I love these.  You want ones that are sturdy and hold up well to high oven temperatures.  A good cooling rack that fits the baking sheet is a plus.  I use these.  They fit perfectly on a half sheet pan and they elevate the chicken so that air can flow above and below to ensure a crispy crust all around.  No soggy bottoms!  Some items like these breading trays, and tongs  are nice to haves but very handy 

All in all we just loved both the Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken and the Cajun Roasted Potatoes together.  This was the perfect combo we needed for a quick yet tasty weeknight dinner.  Plus, any leftovers taste just as good the next day for lunch!

Enjoy!

Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken

slightly adapted from The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook
serves 4

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, toasted if desired
cooking spray
2 large limes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup honey

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Set a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a medium-size bowl.  Add the egg and milk and whisk until smooth.  Place the panko in a medium-size bowl.  Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch strips.  Add the chicken strips to the flour mixture turning to coat both sides.  Shake off excess.  Place the coated chicken strips in the panko and press into the mixture, turning to coat both sides.  Place the strips on the wire rack on top of the baking sheet.  Repeat until all chicken is coated.

Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray.  Place in the oven and cook 10-15 minutes until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and place chicken on a platter.  Drizzle with honey and squeeze lime juice over the chicken.  Serve with the remaining lime wedges.