I made this PSL knock-off and it’s obviously not the same as the one at the place with the big green circle, but it wasn’t bad. I used coconut almond milk and some brown sugar to sweeten it up a bit. I must admit, a whipped cream cloud and some festive fall sprinkles would take it up a notch, but it was fun to try and a good way to use up your pumpkin puree if you have any leftover from another recipe.
I love to spruce up our mantel with the seasons and Fall makes it easy to bring nature inside as decor.
I found a branch with weird pods/seeds of some sort on a hike last week and stuck it in with some manzanita branches that I already had on-hand for some height above our fireplace…
Pinecones in a simple glass vase would make a nice focal point, as well.
Grab several autumn hued paint chips from your local home improvement store, a leaf stencil and some twine to create a garland/bunting ~ use a hole punch and put two holes in each leaf to hang.
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I love candles year round, but there’s something about a candle flickering on a cool, dark-by-5 o’clock early fall evening.
Check out these super cheap, super fragrant candles from Wal-mart ~ the Vanilla Cream, Cinnamon Roll and Apple Spice are perfect for harvest season.
{1-wick candle, under 2 bucks & 3-wick candle, only 5 bucks}
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That’s just the tip of the iceberg as to what I have planned for my most favorite season…come back for the next few months for more recipes and sweet treat ideas.
It’s a cold, rainy day here today ~ much like Ireland, so it’s perfect.
The kiddos started out the morning in their Old Navy {lucky charm} jammies from last year and had Lucky Charms and green milk for breakfast…a must for leprechauns!
I braved the storm and went to gather ingredients for this evenings dinner with neighbors ~ Steak & Guinness Pie
Spotted this on Pinterest and thought it’d be fun to do a little something different than the usual corned beef and cabbage.
We’ll have it with a little {green salad} and Jalapeño Popper Dip as an appetizer.
The beer glasses are in the freezer and the food coloring is ready and waiting to tint our pale ale a festive shade of green.
For dessert, I’m going to make some Lucky Charms marshmallow treats…
Just prepare as you would regular Rice Krispie Treats, but sub Lucky Charms for the rice krispies and add a couple drops of green food coloring to the marshmallow and butter mixture!
Done.
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Off to do some food prep and take a look in my closet for a green somethin’ to wear.
Like I-wish-I-could-send-a-warrant-out-for-your-arrest-if-you-don’t-make-it good.
Notes: I used 1/2 cup {instead of 1/4 cup} Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce and a 4 ounce container of reduced fat blue cheese in the cornbread. I also added 3 chopped green onions to the cornbread mix for a little extra color and pizzaz.
Another Pinterest WIN!
Super yum.
Happy Saturday…don’t forget to set those clocks an hour ahead tonight!
Jay listened to this podcast and immediately requested Frito Pie for dinner this weekend.
Who was I to deny him.
I chose to make an oven baked version rather than the {street} way ~ cut open a small bag of Fritos, pour in some chili & add some cheese like Pioneer Woman does…not that I am above or would not totally devour it in that form, but I was trying to take a little more of a healthified, sophisticated route.
Here’s how this little number comes together…
1. Sauté a chopped onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic and a chopped red pepper {I used a tri-color pepper assortment that turned out to be about 1.5 peppers}.
2. When those are soft {about 5 minutes}, remove them from heat and pour them into a bowl.
3. Brown about 1 pound of ground beef or turkey {I used extra lean ground beef}.
4. Add one package taco seasoning and about 1/4 cup water ~ let simmer for a couple minutes.
5. Add an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes, a drained can of pinto beans {no need to rinse} and handful of shredded cheese {I used reduced fat Mexican blend}.
6. Add in your onion, peppers and garlic mixture and combine together ~ will look like chili.
7. Spray a 9X13 pan with Pam and pour half a bag of Fritos {I used Scoops} in the bottom of the pan.
8. Pour the entire pan of meat/veggie mixture onto the chips and place in a 350* oven for 20 minutes.
9. After 20 minutes, remove and spread 1.5 cups sour cream {I used light} on top followed by a the rest of the Fritos and about a cup of cheese.
10. Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
I am all about the toppings so we added some cilantro, avocado, Cholula and a squeeze of lime to ours…totally forgot about the jalapeños!
It was yuuuummmy…the bottom layer serves as a kind of crust and gets soft, but there is still crunch from the top layer. I felt a little better about making this by adding the additional peppers and using low fat versions of the cheese and sour cream.
Definitely a keeper!
It makes a TON so would be perfect for Superbowl Sunday!
Who will it be?
I’m hoping for a showdown between the Niners and the Pats…
Delicious with ginger snaps, sliced grannies and cinnamon graham sticks {these are Ralphs brand} but would equally yummy with orange segments or Nilla wafers!
It makes A LOT so it’s great for a big crowd…we had some leftover from a dinner last night and I made up a little {dessert for two} plate to finish off the weekend.
Whatever you do, don’t situate it next to the crudite platter…someone mistook it for hummus and plunged their celery stick into it. No bueno.
You simply must make this…I used neufchâtel {light} cream cheese and reduced fat sour cream to make it a little guilt-free and you could not tell.
I was just kind of off today…we all wore green, but that was about it.
We received an invite to the neighbor’s for shepard’s pie and green beer and I just sort of dropped all plans to do anything here at home! Shame on me. The kids had a fun time at school and I had a good early morning walk and found a few {pots of gold} on my errand running! Oh, the little leprechaun DID turn out toilet water green ~ that was a hit!
Hmmm, apparently Summer didn’t receive the memo that we’ve moved into Fall.
It was over 100* here again today and it’s not supposed to cool down anytime soon as far as the little weather widget on our computer is concerned.
I was SO ready for Fall.
Earlier this week I was inspired to make a chicken pot pie. Couldn’t stop thinking about it…I’ve never made one so I was excited to give it a shot.
I wanted to use fresh veggies and the tail end of a bag of peas at the bottom of my freezer. I just sauteed some sliced baby carrots, diced onion, halved haricot verts {thin green beans}, and some fresh thyme in a little butter, salt and pepper for about 10 minutes. I then added a little chicken stock and cooked that off for another couple minutes and added the frozen peas at the last minute to help them keep their bright green color. I then cheated and used a can of undiluted cream of mushroom soup and added that to the veggies.
In the meantime, I baked off some chicken tenderloins that I had defrosted and drizzled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. {350 for about 3o minutes}. Chopped them up and added them to the veggie mixture.
For the crust, I purchased 2 pre-made frozen pie crusts from Trader Joe’s and defrosted them at room temperature for about an hour. I used my old trusty dusty 9X9 Corningware and put one crust down on the bottom and fit it to the corners of the dish. I then dumped all the chicken/veggie mixture on top of that and then laid the other crust on top and tried to crimp the edges as pretty as possible {it looked a little more rustic than I wanted it to}. I cut a few slits in the top to let out the steam.
Bake at 425* for about 35 minutes until crust is golden brown and inside is bubbling.
I must say I was a little nervous about how this was going to turn out. But let me just say that it was D-E-L-I-S-H. The crust was super flaky and done to perfection. I cannot wait to make it again. Next time I think I’ll add some fresh mushrooms, use cream of potato soup and a little white wine instead of the chicken stock. Yum!
So, take that Summer.
We’re going to enjoy some comfort food despite your lingering temperatures.
I HIGHLY suggest whipping one of these up. You could certainly use a rotisserie chicken and some frozen veggies to speed up the prep time and enjoy it quicker. Would also be great with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
So glad to have a new favorite to add to our Fall menu favorites.
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Here’s to a comfy, cozy weekend no matter what type of weather you’re experiencing!
Seriously…this pie is easy and the only thing that isn’t from scratch is the shell. I use frozen unbaked crusts that come two to a package AND in a tin! Easy peasy!
Here is what it looks like when it’s making your whole house smell delish:
Looks like I need to clean the inside of my oven door…..
Anywhoo, this is what it looks before you cut it and devour it:
The recipe calls for a meringue top, but I think the pie is gorgeous without it. Maybe a little vanilla bean whipped cream? But tonight I’m serving it on it’s own and saving the calories for something else!
