Like I mentioned in my last post, there was a time, not so long ago, when Chris would not eat avocados. He’s slowly been coming around and happily gobbled up my Avocado Spinach Egg Salad last week. In fact, the very next day, he said, “I’m craving avocado SO much! What can we have?” I was already planning on making flatbread this weekend, so I decided to incorporate avocados into the mix.

Instead of just topping a typical flatbread with avocado, I decided to go all out and use guacamole instead of tomato sauce. Because, I mean, why not, right? It was definitely an experiment. And one that I have to say came out quite nicely. Can I just say how thrilled I am that Chris has formed an avocado obsession? I could eat them every day, so this is going to make life quite lovely for me. All avocados, all the time. We may turn green. And I’m perfectly OK with that.

Mexican Guacamole Flatbread (makes 1 flatbread):
Print this recipe!

• 1/2 batch flatbread dough
• 1.5 lb. pork loin
• 2 t paprika
• 2 t cumin
• 2 t cayenne
• 1 t oregano
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
• 3 oz queso fresco, crumbled
• 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 C sliced olives
• Sour cream, optional

Somehow the queso fresco escaped the photo! Caught ya!

I started by preparing my flatbread dough… Which I’ve done so many times, it’s kind of like second nature to me. Seriously; it’s so easy. All you have to do is mix everything together and wait a couple hours. WORTH IT.

The pork was kind of an afterthought for this dish. Because I had a pork loin and figured this flatbread could use a little meat on it. It was delicious, but just know that you could use any meat as a topping (or none at all!). I think ground turkey or beef would also be fabulous. As would an actual Mexican-style pulled pork.

For this pork loin, I simply mixed the paprika, cumin, cayenne, and oregano together in a small bowl. Then I slathered the loin in EVOO, sprinkled a little salt and pepper on, and rubbed the spices all over.

I popped it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until it reached an internal temperature of about 140 degrees.

While the pork was cooking I peeled and pitted my avocados and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.

And then I mashed them all up, just like I would for a guac.

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I rolled out my flatbread dough on a floured surface and then transferred it to a foil covered pizza pan. And spread the guacamole over the top. See? It’s guacamole pizza sauce!

And then I crumbled queso fresco on top of the guacamole.

Chop the rest of your veggies, making sure to wear gloves if you’re getting involved in jalapeño action! Or at least to take your contact lenses out.

Put jalapeños, tomatoes, and sliced olives over the top.

Shred up the pork and toss that on, too.

And then bake at 450 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until crust is nice and crispy.

Remove from oven and… You know the drill.

Chris declared this the best flatbread I’ve ever made. Which is saying a lot considering he’s absolutely obsessed with my sausage, grape, and gorgonzola flatbread. I’m thinking it just has something to do with his newfound avocado obsession. I wouldn’t declare this my most favorite flatbread ever, but I did think it was pretty darn tasty. Even if the guac sauce wasn’t the most appetizing color after coming out of the oven.

I’m generally a super cheesy, saucy pizza person, so this was a leap for me. But it showed me that you don’t need lots of sauce and cheese to have a satisfying pizza. And I’m pretty certain this is far healthier than most of those other pizzas. If you want an even healthier pie, you could make the crust with part whole wheat flour.

The jalapeños added the perfect zing and the pork was delightfully spiced, adding a little extra protein and Mexican flair.

I originally thought I would use sour cream in this recipe, which is why you see it in the ingredients photo. But I didn’t end up incorporating it. However, I think sour cream could be pretty awesome dolloped over the top of this flatbread.

I’m pretty inspired now to find other substitutes for the typical tomato pizza sauce. Just for fun. And I’m also kind of inspired to use avocado in every single meal from now on. Now taking bets on how long it will take Chris to get horribly sick of avocado after he is forced onto overload. I honestly don’t think I’d ever get sick of it. Ever. And I’m more than willing to prove my theory correct.

Could you eat avocado on everything?

[Sues]

Clearly, I was put on this Earth to show you that you can eat all your favorite foods and still be healthy as can be. All you have to do is throw some vegetables in (fact: I am not a dietitian, so if this proves false for you, please don’t sue me). Egg salad is one of my very favorite foods on this wonderful Earth. It can be a little tricky, though, when ordering out, you know? If you’re not at a trusted establishment, you can’t always have faith in their egg salad. And while good egg salad can be like heaven on a plate, there are few things worse than bad egg salad. We’ll avoid that topic for the purposes of this post.

Plus, egg salad isn’t usually the healthiest thing. Especially when you’re never really sure just what restaurants are putting into it (heaven forbid they use Miracle Whip!). So when I got a craving for egg salad the other day, I decided to turn it green and pack a nutritional punch with it, sans any mayo at all. This recipe is essentially like combining egg salad and guacamole. And could there really be anything better than that? I think not.

Avocado Spinach Egg Salad Sandwiches (makes 5-6 sandwiches):
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• 7 eggs, hardboiled
• 4 oz. plain greek yogurt
• 2 avocados
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 C baby spinach
• Hot pepper flakes to taste
• Good bread, toasted if you want

Of course, you’ll want to start by hardboiling your eggs. Otherwise, let’s face it, your egg salad isn’t going to be too tasty. If you’re never sure how to tell when your eggs are done boiling, follow Simply Recipe’s amazing guide! Once your eggs are ready (I hardboiled mine in the morning before I went to work and popped them in the fridge for the day), peel them.

And mash them up with the Greek yogurt (Chobani, of course!). Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top, too.

Now, peel and pit your avocados.

And mash those up, too. Just like a guacamole. Add a little salt and pepper to this, too, if you’d like.

Now, all you do is combine the egg with the guac! And mix in the cup of spinach and the celery, too.

I wasn’t sure what kinds of spices I would be using when I first started making this salad, but I decided it only needed a few hot pepper flashes to kick it up a bit.

Of course, you could eat this avocado spinach egg salad right out of the bowl. But I opted to put it on some nice toasted crusty bread. When Pigs Fly is one of my favorites. And lucky for me, there’s one right in my hood.

I’m telling you, if you like egg salad and avocado, there’s no reason you won’t like this! In fact, you might even decide that you never want to make egg salad the “normal” way again. Because what’s the point? You might even want to serve this with a bag of tortilla chips and eat it like it’s an eggy guacamole. Does that sound gross? Because I really don’t care.

I think the spinach is a nice added touch, too. A little bit of crunch and roughage and some extra nutrition to boot.

Chris claimed not to like egg salad the other day. But then he asked to take this to lunch the next day. Oh, and it wasn’t so long ago that boy didn’t like avocados, either. If I told him I’d be making him avocado spinach egg salad when I first met him, he may not have dated me in the first place. Thank goodness I didn’t come up with this recipe until we were a little bit further into our relationship (and I had a ring on my finger!). Now, I’m pretty sure he’d eat anything I whipped up in the kitchen.

I’ll probably be making this many, many more times. It’s super quick and keeps me happy for multiple meals. And is packed with protein and other fun nutrients. Who said you needed to serve ham with green eggs?

Are you an egg salad fan? And furthermore, do you like Miracle Whip? I was always a Hellmann’s girl… Until I tasted this recipe! Now I’m a Greek yogurt/avocado girl!

[Sues]

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If we go out to lunch together, chances are you won’t hear me ordering a salad. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m averse to ordering salads out. If a restaurant offers me a salad featuring ahi tuna, for instance, I’m generally game. Or if I’m going through one of my regular Caesar salad cravings (but let’s be honest, can we really refer to a Caesar as “salad”?). Or yes, the typical Greek salad. It must be something about the combination of fresh veggies with kalamata olives and feta cheese (read: salt!) that I absolutely love. But no matter the salad, I’ve never been much for iceberg lettuce. Romaine doesn’t really do it for me either. Kale, on the other hand? Not only do I feel like some sort of healthy rockstar when I eat kale, but I also find it to be so much more flavorful than all that other watery, bland stuff.

In continuing with my let’s add more vegetables to my diet as soon as possible mantra, I whipped up this quick Kale Greek Salad. I think I get extra points for healthifying it up with kale. But who’s keeping score? Just me? OK.

Kale Greek Salad (serves 5-8):

Print this recipe!

• 1/2 bunch kale
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 C kalamata olives
• 1 C feta cheese
• 1 batch Greek dressing (see recipe below)

Let’s not pretend I invented the wheel, here. I’m not that smart. Everyone knows how to make a salad and everyone has preferences for what they like in a salad. I used the typical Greek salad veggies (though, admittedly, my onion should have been red), but feel free to subtract any out or add any in. I did use kale in place of lettuce after all.

Once you’ve washed your kale, remove the tough stems by cutting a “V” on both sides. Then cut the kale leaves into strips. I find this makes the best salad-eating kale, but, you can, of course, cut the kale however you’d like. Put the kale in a big salad bowl.

Chop the rest of your veggies (tomatoes diced, cucumbers in slices, peppers in strips, and onions in slices) and halve your olives. Throw them in the bowl and crumble the feta on top.

Now, make your dressing

Greek Salad Dressing:

• 1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1 t dijon mustard
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/8 C red wine vinegar

In a bowl or other container, mix together extra virgin olive oil, garlic, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, black pepper, and dijon.

Add in lemon juice and red wine vinegar and mix well.

Now all that’s left to do is to dress your salad!

And dig in. I don’t generally eat a whole lot of kale raw, so I was a bit nervous… But this was pretty awesome. The flavor of the kale wasn’t over-powering and it wasn’t too chewy either. I loved that it had a bit more of a kick than the typical romaine lettuce.

I offered Chris some salad, but warned him that he may not like the raw kale… He took a bite and said, “why wouldn’t I?”

If this salad was always in my fridge, I think I’d happily eat it for lunch every day. And if I wanted a sandwich, I’d put it in a pita and call it a lunch! Now, if only I had someone to run to the grocery store and chop all these vegetables for me every week. Hmmm. (and to hide the cookies and candy from me).

Let’s just say that so far, I’m pretty happy about adding these extra vegetables into my life. Let’s hope I can carry it into the New Year! But first, I think I’m going to enjoy my weekend quite a bit. You?

Are you a salad person?

[Sues]

What is the difference between a soup and a stew? I haven’t a clue. Nor, it seems, does anyone else on the World Wide Web. After much debate, I decided to call this wild rice and chicken sausage dish a stew. Because it sounds warmer. And more homey. And it’s cold out there. Plus, this dish has a whole lotta stuff in it. Just stewing away.

If you had the kind of holiday weekend I did, then you’re in serious need of some stew… soup… whatever. I enjoyed a huge feast of a dinner at L’andana on Christmas Eve, followed by a rather large Christmas brunch and beef tenderloin and stuffed shrimp dinner. Oh and homemade peppermint marshmallow ice cream and buche de Noel galore. And cocktails. Many cocktails. Basically, I ate and sat on the couch in my pajamas with my family and my Kindle all weekend long (which was exactly my goal). So, I needed to come down easy. Which meant sausage. But chicken sausage. And a slightly creamy stew, but only using one cup of milk in the whole pot. Oh, plus lots and lots of vegetables. Of course, you can add or eliminate anything you want to this dish. That’s the beauty of a good soup slash stew! But try to include at least one vegetable… I know you need it right now.

While I’m calling this a stew, it actually doesn’t need a whole lot of time to “stew” on the stove like you would think. In fact, it’s incredibly quick and easy to make. Which is another essential as you come down from this holiday season. Now maybe you’ll have enough energy to vacuum up those pine needles and rearrange your kitchen to fit all your new goodies. But even if you eat this in your slippers while on the couch continuing your holiday laziness, you can rejoice in the fact that you’re packing in both vegetables and healthy protein. That’s something not even Santa could bring you.

Wild Rice and Chicken Sausage Stew (serves about 8):
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• 1 C wild rice
• 1 1/2 T olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 parsnips, chopped
• 1 C mushrooms, sliced
• 1 t cayenne
• 4 C reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 links chicken sausage (I used roasted garlic), sliced
• 1 C milk
• 1/3 C flour

Begin by cooking your cup of rice, according to directions. For some reason, neither grocery store I went to had just plain wild rice in stock, so I had to get a blend. You can get whichever you prefer. Or really use any type of rice you prefer. I’m a huge sucker for wild rice. Cook until just al dente.

Make sure your onion, garlic, carrots, celery, parsnips, and mushrooms are all chopped up.

Pour olive oil into a medium-sized stock pot or french oven. Add all the veggies in and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and cayenne.

In a medium pan, cook chicken sausage in a little bit of olive oil until heated through and browned a bit. I used Al Fresco‘s Roasted Garlic sausage

Now pour chicken stock into stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook another 5 minutes.

Stir in chicken sausage.

Whisk together the flour and milk.

Add rice to stockpot and then stir in flour/milk roux.  Cook for 2 minutes.

Taste and add more salt, pepper, or cayenne if needed.

And dig into this jam-packed stew that will seriously satisfy you. I didn’t even feel the need to dip a huge hunk of bread into the broth while eating it, which is saying a whole lot for me. Generally soup has me craving bread big-time.

Honestly, it felt really good to be chowing down on vegetables. Though I do consider myself a fairly healthy eater, I think one of my New Year’s resolutions is going to be to pack in more vegetables every single day. Consciously eating more bright greens and oranges (and that doesn’t mean Skittles…) makes all the difference in the way I feel throughout my day.

And get ready because I have another veggie-packed dish coming to you later this week. But don’t worry; I won’t be getting rid of the cupcakes, marshmallows, and cocktails in 2012 either.  You know me better than that.

Are you trying to eat a bit healthier this week? Or are you waiting until after January 1st?  

[Sues]

It’s a funny thing about olives. People either LOVE them or they HATE them. It’s rare to meet someone who simply *likes* olives. Right? Unless you do… And then I’m wrong. Anyway. I’m 100% on the love side. And I have been for as long as I can remember. Of course, I started with olives of the canned variety. But quickly learned I loved all kinds of olives from kalamata to manzanilla and probably everything else. I mean, I’m sure there are plenty of types of olives I haven’t tried yet, but I have a feeling I’d love them all. For some reason, I’ve been craving olives like crazy lately. And then, likely because I’m always craving risotto, I decided to try out an olive risotto. I struggled between using kalamata or green olives because, while both would be awesome, I knew they’d each make completely different risottos. But I finally settled on kalamata. That just means green is coming soon.

While I was gathering my ingredients, I realized that the traditional dry white wine that goes into risotto just wouldn’t make sense in olive risotto. So, I swapped it out for a dry red wine instead. And now red wine risotto might be my new favorite thing. It’s beautiful, bold, and multi-dimensional. I have yet to discover anything that isn’t better with red wine. Amiright?

Red Wine Olive Risotto:
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• 3 1/2-4 1/2 C chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 2 T butter
• 1 1/2 C arborio rice
• 1 C dry red wine, like merlot or cabernet
• 1 C pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped
• 1/2 C parmesan cheese
• 1/4 C chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

Start by putting your chicken or vegetable broth into a small saucepan and bringing to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer and keep broth hot.

In the meantime, melt the butter into a medium or large size saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add in the chopped shallot and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add in minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Now add the arborio rice and cook for about 2 minutes, until grains are translucent-looking.

Pour in the cup of dry red wine and stir a bit, until the rice absorbs all the wine. Love the color!

Now, begin adding in the chicken or vegetable broth, half a cup at a time. After every addition, stir until rice absorbs broth. Then add another 1/2 C. You really don’t have to stand over the pot stirring non-stop. Just go about your business and give it a stir every so often (you don’t want all the liquid absorbing and the rice getting stuck to the bottom of the pot).

When the rice is nice and tender, but still firm, you can stop adding broth. I used about 4 C in mine before I decided to stop.

Then fold in the chopped kalamata olives and stir for about 1 minute.

And stir in the parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

And you’re done! Pretty simple, right? I swear, once you make risotto a time or two, it becomes second nature and you’ll be making it non-stop. You may even spend half your life trying to think of new variations of risotto to try out. Orrr maybe that’s just me.

I just LOVE that the options are endless. The first risotto I ever made was a simple spring pea risotto. And that risotto is miles away from this olive one. I mean, if I had the moolah to get started, I’d totally be tempted to open a risotto-only restaurant. No matter your mood, there’s a risotto for you.

This one is the perfect cold-weather comfort food. But yes, you’ll have to like olives (A LOT) to enjoy this. It really is an olive-lovers dream. But the notes from the red wine really shined through, too, likely because I used a whole cup of it. I usually use 1/2 cup of wine in my risottos, but uh, I couldn’t stop pouring.

It’s also pretty necessary to have a glass of red wine WHILE you’re eating a bowl of this.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the parsley adds a crisp lightness that’s definitely needed in this deep dish. I loved the contrasts of the flavors.

Then again, this dish includes the three essential food groups: wine, cheese, and olives; so you really can’t go wrong.

Are you an olive lover or an olive hater?

[Sues]

AreoPress Coffee Maker Giveaway Winner!

Remember the AeroPress coffee maker giveaway I held last week? We have a winner! It’s Christina from She Runs, She Eats! Congrats, Christina! I’ll be e-mailing you to get your contact info

Also known as my dream recipe. Well, I guess I should re-phrase that to say my dream healthy recipe. Because Lord knows my actual dream recipe involves all sorts of chocolate, peanut butter, marshmallows, and mounds of rainbow sprinkles (what? It’s my dream recipe here). Then again, I’d probably throw some chipotle chills in that dream recipe, too. Because you can never go with with sweet and spicy.

I recently spotted a recipe from Cooking Light that involved sweet potatoes with a cranberry-chipotle dressing and it immediately sparked all kinds of inspiration. Of course, I needed to involve kale in this party. Because it’s my philosophy that if you add a little touch of green to everything, your life will be infinitely better. OK, you know me enough to know I’m totally lying; that’s clearly not my philosophy. Stay away from my ice cream, green stuff! But I do love kale and thought it would add an extra fall warmth and healthy kick to this salad. I also bumped the spice up in a major way because um, that’s just what I do.

Sweet Potato and Kale Salad with Cranberry-Chipotle Sauce (serves about 6):
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• 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), cut into cubes
• 4 1/2 T olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bunch kale, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped or torn
• 3/4 C fresh cranberries
• 1/4 C water
• 1 1/2 t honey
• 4 chipotle chiles, plus 2 T adobo sauce (from 1 can)
• 1/2 C pepitas (unsalted pumpkinseeds)

(pre-heat oven to 400 degrees)

Most recipes for roasted sweet potato salads will tell you to peel the potatoes before roasting. But another one of my vegetable philosophies? Peels are good for you! Really good for you! And if you like the way they taste, leave the peel on (but scrub those potatoes well). I rarely peel vegetables or fruits, so I opted to leave the sweet potato peels on. The choice is up to you.

Whatever you choose, cut your sweet potatoes into bite-sized cubes.

Then put them in a bowl with 2 T olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them and mix them all up. Then place them on a foil-lined baking tray (or two) and pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until tender, turning once.

While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, drizzle kale with 2 T olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and put in the oven with the sweet potatoes when there are about 15 minutes remaining. Remove the kale after 15 minutes; it should be wilting and starting to crisp up.

While all that roasting is going on, start on your cranberry-chipotle sauce. It’s super simple! Put the cranberries, 1/2 T olive oil, water, and honey in a small saucepan. Chop up 4 chipotle chiles (about 3-4 T) and add them, along with 2 T adobo sauce, into the cranberry mixture.

Now, over medium-low heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to pop.

Remove from heat.

Lastly, you’ll want to lightly toast your pumpkinseeds in a toaster oven. Make sure you keep an eye on them as they’ll brown quickly! If you don’t have a toaster oven, you can brown them in the oven or in a skillet.

Now, toss the sweet potatoes and kale together and mix with the cranberry-chipotle dressing. Sprinkle pepitas over the top.

Yup, out-of-this-world flavor combination! Clearly I am on a fall salad kick and I don’t plan on coming down any time soon. After all… sweet potatoes! Kale! Cranberries! And now my dream come true- chipotle! Seriously, I would add chipotle to everything in my life if possible. Including ice cream (hmmm. Now I’m going to have to make this happen).

Of course, the sweet potatoes and kale were delicious, but the cranberry-chipotle sauce definitely kicked this salad up, like, up to the moon. I mean, if you close your eyes, you can probably imagine. The sweetness of the cranberries and the spiciness of the chipotle chills blended together into one sauce. HEAVENLY. If you’re looking for a new non-traditional recipe for Thanksgiving, this could be the one. Just saying

I ate this salad right away. But I’ll admit, I also ate it the next day cold. And it was pretty fantastic like that, too. Perhaps the only thing missing was some rainbow sprinkles. Kidding! Kind of.

At this point in the season, I wouldn’t mind if fall stuck around forever. I’ve only just begun getting my fill of orange veggies. Plus, it was 60 degrees out yesterday. So, minus the fact that I did actually see a mosquito (ew ew), you won’t hear any complaints about fall from me.

Do you love the sweet-spicy flavor combination?

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway to win an AeroPress Coffee Maker! You have until tomorrow night to enter!

[Sues]

It’s starting. The most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas. Pumpkin season. I even mixed pumpkin puree into my oatmeal yesterday. Yes, I stockpiled about 6 cans from last year just in case it was tough to find in stores this autumn (like you don’t remember the great pumpkin drought of 2009? Nightmare). But it really is the most wonderful time of the year because, while it’s pumpkin season, my basil plant is still flourishing, summery fruits and veggies are still available, and it really is the best of both seasons. I’m slightly confused, but mainly happy.

I first made soft pretzels back when Chels and I had our Orville Redenbacher Oscar’s party. I didn’t blog them because, well, I was trying to throw a party and am not good at photographing each step of a recipe when I’m also trying to do 8392 other things. Basically I’m the worst party thrower ever. I’ve been wanting to make soft pretzels again ever since, but this time with a twist. Beer pretzels are better than regular old pretzels. And if you’re going to make beer pretzels, you may as well make pumpkin beer pretzels! See my logic there? This is how my brain works from September-November.

I also made two dipping sauces because I couldn’t decide if I wanted mustard with my pretzels or a sweet dipping sauce. Instead of deciding, I made a pumpkin beer mustard and a sweet pumpkin dip and alternated bites.

‘Tis the season. Embrace it with all your heart. Ready, set, go!

Pumpkin Beer Pretzels (makes 12 pretzels):
Print this recipe!

• 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 t)
• 1/2 C warm water, plus 2 C warm water
• 1/2 T sugar
• 1/2 t fine sea salt
• 1 t olive oil
• 1 C pumpkin beer of your choice
• 3-4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2-3 T coarse salt
• 1 T butter, melted
• Dipping sauces (see below)

(pre-heat oven to 425 degrees)

I chose to use Southern Tier’s Pumking because it’s one of my all-time favorite pumpkin ales.

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over your 1/2 cup of warm water. Let rest for about 5 minutes.

Then stir in sugar, salt, and olive oil. Pour in the beer. It will get all kinds of frothy as it reacts with the yeast already in the bowl. It was kind of fun to watch, but then, I’m easily entertained.

With a wooden spoon, stir the flour in one cup at a time. You don’t want your dough to be too sticky, but you don’t want it to be too dry either. I started by adding 3 cups of flour (you can always add more in as you knead it. Or need it. Hehe).

Now, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes. Or you can throw it in your mixer with the dough hook for about 3 minutes and save your muscles that work. As I kneaded my dough in the mixer, it started getting sticky, so I ended up adding another 3/4 C flour in.

Once you’re done kneading, place your dough into a lightly oiled bowl.

Place bowl in a warm spot, cover with a kitchen towel, and let sit for about an hour to rise.

When you come back to it, it will likely look something like this:

Punch the dough down and you’re ready to form the pretzels! Start by dividing the dough into 12 balls, so you can make sure your pretzels will all be relatively the same size.

Take one dough ball and roll it into a rope, like so:

Shape the rope into a pretzel by forming into a “u.”

And crossing one end down.

Followed by the other end.

Now, mix your remaining 2 C warm water with 1 t baking soda in a baking pan or other shallow dish. Dip the formed pretzels in. And then place on a greased baking sheet.

Continue with the remaining dough balls.

Cover with a kitchen towel again and let rise for another 20 minutes.

Now brush each pretzel lightly with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Pop in the oven at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Right when they come out of the oven, brush them with a little melted butter and let cool.

Now for the dipping sauces, which you can make ahead of time if you choose. In fact, you should make the mustard ahead of time because it needs to sit for a bit. While I was doing my mustard research (right before I started baking the pretzels), I realized that the mixture was supposed to sit for a day or two before processing. Um, oops. I decided to just make my own mixture on my own terms. The pumpkin beer mustard I made ended up coming out wonderfully. It was super strong (likely because the flavors didn’t have time to mellow), but what’s the point of mustard if it’s not strong? I loved it!

Pumpkin Beer Mustard (makes about 3/4 C):

• 1/2 C yellow mustard seed
• 3/4 C pumpkin beer of your choice
• 1/8 C apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg

In a medium bowl, mix together mustard seed, pumpkin beer, and apple cider vinegar. Put in fridge for about 2 hours (or up to 2 days) to marinate.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until the mustard seeds are ground and the mixture thickens.

Whoa! I couldn’t believe it went from looking like a brown liquid to a thick yellow mustard, all from a little processing. Pop it back in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. If you let it sit for a day or two, the flavors will begin to mellow.

I had briefly considered adding a cinnamon sugar mixture to my pretzels, but wasn’t certain I wanted them to be sweet over savory, so I refrained. Instead, I decided to make a sweet pumpkin dip. This is basically the easiest dip in the world. I used fat free sour cream in mine, but definitely would have used plain Greek yogurt if I had any on hand.

Sweet Pumpkin Dip (makes about 1 C):

• 1/2 C pure pumpkin
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C fat free sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t nutmeg

I told you this one was easy. Just mix all the ingredients together and put in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

Your pretzels are ready. Your two dips are ready. And you’re ready to dig in. With the extra beer on the side, obviously. Not my fault the Southern Tier bottles are so big!

You obviously don’t have to make both dips, but if you’re horribly indecisive like me, you might want to.

I literally tore off a piece or pretzel and dipped it in the mustard.

And tore off another piece and dipped it in the sweet pumpkin dip.

And could not have been happier. But then, I really enjoy weird food combinations.

The pretzels themselves are actually pretty fabulous without the dips. The pumpkin beer taste was not overwhelming at all and was more of just an essence. The pretzels were soft, chewy, salty, and everything a soft pretzel is meant to be.

You could certainly make these pretzels even more pumpkin-y (yes, it’s a word) by adding cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg to the mix, if you want to go for a sweeter pretzel. You could even mix in pumpkin puree. There’s something about pumpkin and pretzels that just works. And beer. Always beer.

With football season starting, these would be the perfect game time snack. I’m not a huge football lover, but when there’s good food involved, I’m always in, so I’m planning to develop some more fabulous game time snacks this season.

OK, time for me to go have my pumpkin oatmeal breakfast. I told you, when I go in, I go all in.

Favorite Pumpkin Recipes on We are not Martha:

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Pie Martini
Cranberry Pumpkin Granola
Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
Pumpkin Chicken Tacos
Pumpkin Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Spinach
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Chicken Potpie in a Pumpkin
Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Squares
Pumpkin Quinoa Parfait
Pumpkin Pie Bars
Molasses Ginger Cookies with Sweet Pumpkin Dip

Has pumpkin season started for you or are you waiting until the official start of fall?

[Sues]

Gap Jeans Giveaway Winner!

The winner of last week’s Gap jeans giveaway is Lauren from Keep It Sweet! Congrats, Lauren; I’ll email you ASAP to get your contact info

While you’re all sipping pumpkin beers and lusting after pumpkin spice lattes, corn season continues for me. I’m actually going to post two corn recipes today. Because let’s get realistic: We don’t have much time left and you need these recipes now. OK, and I have 8432 posts I need to get out and they’re piling up more and more. A good problem to have, I say

With an obsession with corn and a heartily blooming basil plant (thanks, Dad!), I knew I wanted to combine the two. And when I spotted a recipe in the summer issue of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, I knew right away I needed these muffins in my life. I love corn muffins/bread anyway, but it’s rare to find them made with actual real corn. Sad, right? Plus, if I didn’t do something with my basil plant soon, I’m pretty sure it would have taken over our apartment. Now, that would be a pretty awesome (and scary) blog post.

Fresh Corn Muffins with Basil (makes 12 muffins):
Adapted from Everyday Food’s Summer Issue
Print this recipe!

• 1 C corn kernels, from about 2 cobs
• 2 C flour (plus more for coating tin)
• 1/4 C cornmeal
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 C buttermilk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 C unsalted butter, melted (plus more for coating tin)
• 1/4 C basil, chopped

(pre-heat oven to 375 degrees)

These are incredibly quick and easy to make and the toughest part is cutting the corn off the cob. But it’s only two cobs, so don’t complain (wait until you see my next recipe… muhahaha).

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and red pepper flakes.

Then, in a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until just combined. Then fold in the corn and basil, making sure they’re spread throughout the batter.

Lightly butter and flour your muffin tin.

Scoop about 1/3 C of batter in prepared tin, filling about 3/4 of the way.

Bake muffins at 375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, until muffins are lightly golden. Like so:

Let them cool a bit before taking out of the pan. But only a little bit because these are SO good warm. Though I’ll admit I ate a few cold and those were fantastic, too. I ate a lot of these over the past week. When you live in a household of two and make muffins 12 at a time, trouble can ensue.

Luckily, these had fresh vegetables in them, minimizing my guilt a bit. Right? I love a corn muffin with actual real-life corn in it. Fresh corn. And fresh basil. The colors are beautiful and the taste incredible.

The original recipe actually called for a bit of sugar, but I left it out because you know what? Fresh corn at this time of year is sweet enough. And I wanted these to be savory muffins that weren’t packed with white sugar. The red pepper flakes gave them an awesome kick that wasn’t overpowering at all.

I mean, you could slather these in lots of butter, too, but really it’s not necessary. I made a delightful fresh corn soup to eat with the muffins and there was lots of dipping going on. I’ll be posting that recipe later today… And then I think I’ll take a little corn-cation. Not because I’m sick of it, but because I think I got too much of an arm workout from the next recipe. You’ll see.

And I’m pretty sure corn-cation is my new favorite word.

Do you have an ultimate corn muffin recipe? What does it involve?

For some weird reason I’m anti creamed vegetables and “cream of…” soups, but I’ve heard muffins with creamed corn in them are out of this world amazing.

If you get a chance, please don’t forget to vote for us as CBS Boston’s Most Valuable Lifestyle Blogger. Thank you so much!!

[Sues]

Happy Monday! See? I’m trying to be pleasant about it, but in truth, I’m feeling a bit sluggish. I actually generally enjoy Mondays, simply because they bring with them so much potential. Anything can happen with a whole week spread out in front of you. And this Monday is especially promising because, not only is it the start of the week, it’s also the start of the month.

I tend to waver between cooking complicated, ambitious meals on Monday evenings and simple, “let’s please ease into this week slowly” meals. I can already tell I’m going to need to ease into this week/month nice and gently and this sandwich is the perfect way to do so. Sure, it’s a simple grilled cheese. But really, it’s so much more than that.

As you probably know by now, I like to add spice to my meals whenever possible. So, what’s better than a jalapeño-packed grilled cheese sandwich? And since jalapeño poppers are just about the best party appetizer ever, I decided to recreate them into a sandwich. Bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers, of course. Because until recently, I didn’t even realize people ate jalapeño poppers without bacon. Huh.

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese (makes 2 sandwiches):

Print this recipe!

• 3 jalapeño peppers
• 1 t olive oil
• 4 strips bacon
• 4 slices crusty bread
• 1.5 T butter
• 1 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
• 3 oz. pepperjack cheese(I used Cabot’s 50% reduced fat)

(Turn broiler on high)

Start by cutting the jalapeños into strips and getting rid of that membrane. I disposed of many of the seeds, but left some since I knew I wanted the sandwich to have a kick.

Brush the jalapeños lightly with olive oil and place on a foil-covered baking sheet.

Broil the peppers for about 5-7 minutes, until nice and blackened. Put the peppers in a bowl and immediately cover, so they can steam. Once they’re cooled, remove from bowl and take the skin off. It should come off from the pepper easily.

While the peppers are broiling, you can start cooking the bacon. Cook it until it’s nice and crispy.

Divide 1.5 T butter between each slice of bread. Slather the tops of two of the slices with cream cheese. Place bread slices butter-side down on cooking surface over medium-low heat.

Put jalapeño peppers on top of cream cheese. On the other two slices of bread, lay out cheese.

Cook open-face for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is nice and melty and the bread is crisping up (but not burning).

Remove bread slices from pan and put bacon on top of the cheese.

And your grilled cheese sandwich is complete! I love that it’s basically a deconstructed jalapeño popper snuggled in between bread.

I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to look at “normal” grilled cheese sandwiches the same way ever again.

OK, Monday, you’re really not so bad when you get started off this way. And I have a feeling this sandwich bodes really well for what the rest of August will bring. Fingers crossed.

Now, it’s time for me to get this week started in the best way possible. With the new Bon Iver blasting on Spotify (seeing Bon Iver on Friday and I can’t wait!!) and a nice mug of hot Starbucks coffee in hand. Plus, it’s the season finale of The Bachelorette tonight. Yes, I watch and I have no shame Who are you rooting for? I’m Team JP all the way. But I have to say, I’m quite excited for the upcoming Bachelor Pad… It’s going to be scandalous!

I hope you all have a fabulous first day of the week and month and that August is your best month yet. I can’t believe that summer is flying by so quickly and that before long, pumpkin recipes will be back in regular rotation! Sorry, I won’t get ahead of myself

What are you looking forward to this week/month?

[Sues]

All I really want to eat is light or refreshing foods so over the weekend I bookmarked a ton of light recipes from Cooking Light so, please pardon me if my food-related blog posts for the rest of the summer are simple recipes or don’t require any cooking. But I can guarantee they’ll be delicious!

Even though I haven’t had an appetite, that doesn’t mean I just want to eat boring food. I very much wanted something delicious for lunch today and I was craving prosciutto and a cold sandwich, so I made an Open-Faced Prosciutto and Plum Sandwich. I about passed out when I saw the title of this recipe so I knew I had to make it!

Open-Faced Prosciutto and Plum Sandwich (serves 4, can easily be adjusted to serve 1)
Adapted from Cooking Light
Print this Recipe!

• 1.4 cup fig preserves (I bought fig Ginger spread from Whole Foods! DELICIOUS)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/3 cup soft goat cheese
• 4 slices of good thick wheat bread, toasted
• 1 cup arugula
• 2 ripe plums, cut into thin wedges
• 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

In a ramekin, combine the fig spread, fresh lemon juice, and grated ginger and gently whisk.

Spread the goat cheese over the toasted wheat bread.

Generously pile on the arugula.

Top with the deliciously ripe plums.

Top with shaved prosciutto.

And drizzle the fig spread on top.

I told you it was easy.

And I also promised it would be delicious.

With the 90 degree weather, this was a refreshing sandwich and just enough to fill my now-tiny stomach up. The little spicy bites of ginger were most definitely my favorite part. And the soft goat cheese. Oh, and the salty prosciutto. And the little kick from the arugula. And the cold juicy plum. Mmmm, the whole thing was just great, okay? And it was mighty pretty to look at as well. As I was eating this I pictured it being served in a small bite as an appetizer, too. I just might have to make these the next time I entertain. I think they’d be a huge hit! I also think it would make a great salad if you wanted to nix the bread. So many options, really!

Yesterday afternoon I asked our followers on Twitter for suggestions for light recipes and I got a bunch of great ideas, so if they turn out to be blog-worthy, I’m going to be posting about them, too! What’s your favorite dish to make in the summer if your appetite is lacking? A girl’s gotta eat and I need all the help I can get

[Chels]