Romaine Dream Boats with Toasted Pepitas

I've been roasting squash and sweet potatoes almost daily trying to perfect recipes for Thanksgiving sides, and after eating squash all day I wanted something opposite of roasted root vegetables.I turned around and looked at the groceries waiting to be put away. A head of romaine, some raw pepitas, and a bag of unsweetened cocoa. Romaine! Romaine is crunchy and crispy! So are pepitas! And then, Romaine Dream Boats with Toasted Pepitas were born.

This recipe is so easy to make, its not even funny. You don't even need utensils!! With the Holiday season quickly approaching, this is a great quick and healthy option! It is also really easy to make it look fancy...

Butternut Squash Spread and Toasted Nuts and Seed Sprinkles on Toast

The deep reds, oranges, and golden yellows of the leaves signal the start of the Holiday season and summon the urge to be seek coziness and warm comfort foods, while visions of Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas parties dance in our heads.The time has come, and this year I greet the Holiday season with fresh determination to present our loved ones with flavorful, vegetable based dishes. As I've said before, squash is to Fall as tomatoes are to Summer. Which means I try to fit squash into everything we are eating, from stews, soups, chilis, pastas, salads, you name it.

Autumn Vegetable Salad

I love squash. Squash squash squash. Squash is the tomato of Fall. Don't you think??? Squash is also one of the main ingredients in a dish I recently had at Spoon and Stable. The Autumn Vegetable Salad. Which I haven't stopped thinking about since.

Pictures this: spelt berries, roasted squash, sliced figs, sprinkled with pecans, all on top of a buttermilk ranch drizzle. A pleasant conglomeration of textures and tastes.

Spinach and Chickpea Cazuela

As soon as we got back home from our travels, I hit the kitchen. The first recipe recreation I'd like to share is the Spinach and Chickpea Cazuela we had at Barcelona Wine Bar. With fall just around the corner, this is the PERFECT side to serve as a snack, appetizer, or side dish. It is warm, filling, and the cumin adds a smokey flavor. The roasted garlic and shallot contributes a sweet flavor that definitely plays well with the savory taste of cumin. There are only about nine ingredients involved (not including, water, salt, and pepper!). Most of them are pantry staples, so you probably have them all in your house right now! Except for the cumin seeds, maybe!

No Bake Mocha S'mores Pie

I made two pies to celebrate PI day!

One was a Peanut Butter Banana pie. The recipe comes from Collards & Carbonara - Southern Cooking, Italian Roots, written by the chefs of Hog & Hominy; Michael Hudman and Andy Ticer. IT WAS SO GOOD!! (And so bad, health wise.)

The second one I made, was a Coffee S'mores Pie. DELICIOUS CITY. It should probably be named Mocha S'mores Pie because the blend of coffee and chocolate is more mocha-ey than coffee-ey (pretty sure neither of those are actual words). DELICIOUS CITY. The recipe is very approachable, no baking required. Plus, I got to use my kitchen torch. Win win.

Thanksgiving Leftover Sliders

Obviously, breakfast on Friday was pumpin pie, and then for lunch we had leftovers. Growing up, I loved leftovers on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Everyone loves the first round of leftovers.

Its when day 4 of leftovers comes around that its not as exciting. The turkey is dry. The rolls are rather stale. Someone ate all the marshmallows off of the sweet potato casserole. And I wouldn't touch the green bean casserole with a ten foot pole, no matter how fresh they were.