When you think of baking with pumpkin, the first dish that comes to mind is probably pumpkin pie. as delicious as pumpkin pie is, pumpkin puree is a versatile ingredient that can – and should – show up in many other bakes in your kitchen during the fall and winter holiday season. This Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel is a cake that is perfect for serving up at holiday brunches and can also serve as a wonderful alternative to pie after a holiday meal. The coffee cake is a moist pumpkin cake topped with a delicious spicy-sweet streusel that is packed with toasty pecans.

The cake itself is simple to put together. It contains pumpkin puree – and canned pumpkin is just fine in this case – along with a generous helping of pumpkin pie spices. The spices, of course, get their name because they’re frequently found in pumpkin pie and other desserts. They include cinnamon, ginger and cloves – all of which compliment the natural sweetness of the pumpkin puree. The cake also contains buttermilk, which helps to ensure you get a moist and tender cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, sour cream makes an excellent substitution.

The streusel for this cake is rich with brown sugar and warm pumpkin pie spices. It will sink down a bit into the top of the cake after it comes out of the oven, due to the sugar melting slightly, so don’t be alarmed if that happens. The cake itself is also not overly sweet, so the crisp, spicy brown sugar topping makes for a nice contrast. The streusel also contains chopped pecans, which add a little bit of extra texture to this bake. If you’re not a pecan fan, you can use walnuts or hazelnuts. Since the baking time is relatively long, you don’t need to use toasted nuts in this recipe, as they will toast up nicely in the oven.

The cake is ready to eat as soon as it has cooled, but it will keep for at least 2-3 days after baking if stored in an airtight container. Feel free to microwave a slice for a few seconds before serving, too, to recreate that just-baked warmth!

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Streusel
Topping
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 10-inch round tube pan.
Prepare the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt and spices. Cut butter into small chunks and rub into sugar mixture with your fingertips, making sure no pieces larger than a pea remain. Mixture should be crumbly, with some small pieces of butter visible.
Stir in nuts. Set aside.
Prepare the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, blend in half of the flour mixture, followed by the pumpkin puree and buttermilk. Blend in remaining flour mixture, stirring only until the batter just comes together and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread into a even layer.
Using your hands to squeeze the topping mixture into clumps (grab handfuls and squeeze to form clumps of streusel), sprinkle batter evenly with the topping mixture.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack before slicing.

Serves 10-12

The post Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel appeared first on Baking Bites.

In addition to being the first day of the month, it’s also the first day of Advent. I grew up observing the Advent season at home. My holiday celebration is different now that I’m older and on my own, but I do still try to keep Advent in my heart and soul throughout December, regardless of how busy the month tends to be. Last year, I was too distracted with my internship to really feel the coming of Christmas, but I think it’ll be different this year.

I was happy to stumble on this thoughtful essay about the Advent season in the New York Times today. The author, an Anglican priest, offers the reminder that, according to the church calendar, Advent isn’t a celebration of Christmas. That celebration begins on Christmas day. Advent is about readying ourselves for Christmas, and that readiness includes recognition of our own hunger and yearning for completeness.

The author, Tish Harrison Warren, writes,

For Christians, Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth — that light has come into darkness and, as the Gospel of John says, “the darkness could not overcome it.” But Advent bids us first to pause and to look, with complete honesty, at that darkness.

To practice Advent is to lean into an almost cosmic ache: our deep, wordless desire for things to be made right and the incompleteness we find in the meantime. We dwell in a world still racked with conflict, violence, suffering, darkness. Advent holds space for our grief, and it reminds us that all of us, in one way or another, are not only wounded by the evil in the world but are also wielders of it, contributing our own moments of unkindness or impatience or selfishness.

While I don’t experience faith in the same way that Warren does, I was touched by her description of the human ache for “things to be made right.” Suffering and darkness are part of our world and our experience of it; they’re part of what give meaning and existence to joy.

During the holidays, it’s difficult not to feel pressured to be celebratory all the time; as Warren points out, this pressure may be part of what contributes to the “holiday blues” that so many people feel when their emotions don’t align with expectations of seasonal cheer.

In Warren’s opinion, though, acknowledgment of suffering can be a part of the Advent season:

We need communal rhythms that make deliberate space for both grief and joy . . . Abstaining, for a moment, from the clamor of compulsive jollification, and instead leaning into the reality of human tragedy and of my own need and brokenness, allows my experience of glory at Christmastime to feel not only more emotionally sustainable but also more vivid, vital and cherished.

This resonated with me, and it actually aligned with what I’d been feeling on Thanksgiving this past week.

For the last few years, I’ve entered the holidays with a lot of hope and expectation, the desire for the season to brighten things, or to make them right. I didn’t feel this way on Thursday morning, when I woke up. I was glad to have plans with my mom and an opportunity to be especially grateful, which is what the day means to me. But I didn’t have a vision of the day or an idea of how it had to be. And it ended up being one of the nicest holidays that we’ve had in years.

I appreciate the specialness of the holidays; apart from any spiritual connotations, they feel sacred to me, if only because they were a big part of my childhood and continue to be an important ritual for me and my mom.

But I think it’s important to make space for sorrow at this time of year, not in spite of the fact that it invites us to be jubilant but rather because it does. My therapist always gently reminds me that you can’t mute one side of the emotional spectrum without ultimately quieting all of it, and I’ve found this to be true. By acknowledging the sadness in our world and our lives, we make ourselves more able to value and experience sweetness.

I’m entering Advent with a quiet openness, a gentle receptivity to everything. This includes cheer and mirth, but it also includes the whole spectrum of human realness. And I’m remembering to acknowledge the suffering that befalls people and animals everywhere around the world, even as I hope for peace and goodwill for us all.

Happy December, friends. Here are some recipes and reads.

Recipes

I’m sorry I didn’t stumble on these scalloped potatoes in time for Thanksgiving!

A beautiful, festive wild rice salad.

Quite possibly the most authentic and appetizing vegan carbonara recipe I’ve found.

Allie’s lentil and rice stuffed squash is simple, yet so perfect for a holiday centerpiece.

I adore bulgur, and this golden hued stew is on my list of recipes to try!

Reads

1. My heart was warmed by Erin McDowell’s reminiscences of baking pie with her Grandmother. Whether you love rolling pie crust or not, it’s a lovely tribute to the consolations of being in the kitchen.

2. This isn’t a new video, but it reminded me of how mighty plants are!

3. Distressingly, US life expectancy is declining because of more deaths among middle aged Americans. The article cites the opioid epidemic as a major factor, but heart disease is another. This makes me hope that plant-based eating trends, which may aid in prevention, continue to grow.

4. I love this story of camaraderie and breaking bread in my hometown. (And on the subway, no less.)

5. And finally, Tish Harrison Warren’s meditations on the Advent season.

This week, a holiday-friendly, winter-ready comfort food recipe. Till soon,

xo

The post Weekend Reading, 12.1.19 appeared first on The Full Helping.

Is there any food that isn’t good when drenched in garlic butter? It’s the easiest, most fool-proof way to make something insanely delish. So, because it’s the week after Thanksgiving and I don’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, I whipped up these quick Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs. They only require about five minutes of prep, about 30 minutes in the oven, and then they’re ready to eat!

Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs

What to Serve with Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs

First things first, you’ll have a lot of delicious lemony garlic butter in the bottom of your baking dish, so you definitely want to serve this chicken with something to soak it up, or spoon it over. Today I served mine with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and some simple steamed green beans, both of which benefited from a generous drizzle. Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes would also be awesome, as would some Homemade No Knead Bread, or even just a bed of rice.

Can You Make This With Chicken Breast?

The cooking times and temperatures listed below are specific to boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If you prefer boneless chicken breast, I suggest following the instructions in my Garlic Herb Baked Chicken Breast recipe. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs will require a longer cooking time, but unfortunately I have not tested this with that type of chicken so I don’t know the exact time needed.

For the Best Results, Use a Meat Thermometer

Ovens can vary, baking dishes can vary, the size of chicken thighs can vary. All of these factors can affect baking time, which is why it’s so important to have a meat thermometer. The digital meat thermometer (affiliate link) I use is extremely affordable and let’s me know without a doubt whether my meat is cooked to a safe temperature, and whether I’m in danger of overcooking my meat. ;) 

Scroll down for the step by step photos!

 

How to Make Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs – Step by Step Photos

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Add 4 Tbsp butter to a bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds or until the butter is melted. Add 4 minced cloves of garlic, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp salt, some freshly cracked pepper (about ⅛ tsp), and 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley.

Stir the garlic butter ingredients to combine.

Place five boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a baking dish, then spoon the garlic butter mixture over top. Use the back of the spoon to spread the garlic butter over the surface of the chicken thighs.

Slice a lemon into half-rounds then scatter the lemon pieces in the baking dish with the garlic butter coated chicken.

Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ºF. Use a spoon to drizzle the juices from the baking dish over the chicken pieces, then top with another tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley just before serving.

Don’t waste a drop of that garlic butter from the baking dish! It’s great on the chicken, potatoes, to sop up with bread, or drizzled over your vegetables!

The post Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Frozen Cranberry Velvet Pie is a great dessert to serve during the fall and winter season.

If you’re challenged at baking pie, this frozen cranberry velvet recipe is a good one to try since there is no baking involved at all!  There’s a simple no-bake crust and you just need a hand mixer to combine the filling ingredients. Then it’s stored in your freezer until you serve it. Easy!

How to make Frozen Cranberry Velvet Pie:

The crust is a mix of vanilla wafer crumbs and melted butter. You can crush the cookies in a large zip baggie until they’re fine crumbs, or you can whir them in a food processor instead. Graham crackers may be substituted for the vanilla wafers, if you prefer. And if you’re really feeling like you don’t want to do any work at all on the crust, you can purchase a graham cracker crust already made at the store.

The filling is a combination of cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla and whole berry cranberry sauce. All you have to do is mix the filling ingredients together and spoon it into the pie. This pie recipe couldn’t be any easier to make!

I made seven pies to share with family at our Thanksgiving dinner this year. This one was my absolute favorite! I love that it tastes like cranberry cheesecake pie, and I love that it is kind of a no-fail recipe since there is really no way to mess up this recipe.

My recipe instructs you to take the pie out of the freezer 20 to 30 minutes before serving. I prefer to eat this pie when it’s not totally frozen, so letting it come to room temperature a bit is an easy way to soften it up. You can store it in the refrigerator if you’d like, but it will be quite soft and the slices won’t come out as nicely.

Garnish individual slices with freshly made whipped cream and a little bit of whole berry cranberry sauce to make it pretty.

How to make freshly whipped cream:

Chill your bowl and beaters. This will ensure that your whipped cream will whip up quickly and nicely. Add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to your chilled bowl. Add one tablespoon of powdered sugar. Whip with an electric mixer until the cream is thickened and holds stiff peaks when you drag the beaters through the cream.

I suggest you try this pie for your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday celebrations. Enjoy!

Here are a few more cranberry desserts you might like to try:

• Cranberry Pie
• Apple Cranberry Crisp with Maple Whipped Cream
• Cranberry Bliss Bars
• Almond Cranberry Cake
• Maple Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
• Fresh Cranberry Bars
• Cranberry Butter Cookies with Lemon Glaze
• Cranberry Sauce Cake

 

 

The post Frozen Cranberry Velvet Pie appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

A lighter version of Mexican Chorizo made with ground turkey and a smoky spice blend, perfect for adding to eggs, tacos, and more!

Turkey Chorizo Recipe

I love eating chorizo in Mexican dishes, but since it’s so high in calories and fat, it’s not something I eat often. I was going to sub turkey chorizo for the classic, but I couldn’t find it in the supermarket. So, I decided to make my own lighter version.

(more…)

The post Easy Healthy Turkey Chorizo appeared first on Skinnytaste.

Literally the BEST Chicken Noodle Soup has thick chicken chunks, sliced carrots and celery, wide noodles soaking in a smooth chicken broth filled with flavorful seasonings and cooked to perfection. A warm and comforting soup this winter!

Warm up to this savory soup this winter time. If you love soup here are your classic soup recipes to try Tomato Basil Soup, The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe or Minestrone Soup.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This is literally the BEST chicken noodle soup recipe EVER!

The flavoring is AMAZING and the ingredients are simple.

Colder days are ahead of us and you know a good chicken noodle soup is going to be needed to get you through.

Chunks of chicken, thick slices of vegetables and all the flavor you can imagine with simple and easy ingredients.

This chicken noodle soup recipe is the BEST of the BEST!

Sick days, comforting days and just because days are just what this chicken noodle soup recipe is for.

Warm up with a bowl full and feel the love and comfort in every bite!

You are going to want to double this recipe to have more often then not this winter season.

What you need to make chicken noodle soup

This chicken noodle soup is just what you are needing this winter season.

Loads of flavor, easy to make and simple ingredients!

Who doesn’t love a good chicken noodle soup recipe?!

This is a tried and true soup that will carry on a great tradition and will never let you down.

It is not lacking any flavor and still has simple ingredients that are right in your pantry.

This chicken noodle soup is made with pure love and will comfort your soul, it is that good!

Everything is so simple to throw together and perfect for that left over chicken.

Simply add in a rotisserie chicken, shredded apart or any left over chicken that you may have from leftovers.

It is that easy and so good!

• Olive oil: great for sautéing your vegetables and making sure they don’t stick.
• Carrots: sliced up as thick as you prefer.
• Celery: diced up as thick as you like.
• Onion: sliced and diced into cubes.
• Garlic: added flavoring.
• Thyme: seasoning for taste and flavor.
• Salt and pepper: just a pinch!
• Chicken broth: adds a great flavorful base.
• Egg noodles: thick and soaks up the broth when eating.
• Chicken: leftover, cooked and shredded prior to making this recipe.
• Parsley: flavorful seasoning.

How do you make chicken noodle soup

Chicken noodle soup comes together quickly and effortlessly with these few steps.

Simply sauté your vegetables, add in broth and noodles then simmer with your leftover chicken- it is that simple!

You will have a quick and easy dinner within 20 minutes. It is quick, easy and comforting.

Add some crackers, a side of bread or simply eat it plain and enjoy the warmth from your chicken noodle soup.

It is the BEST of the BEST!

• Sauté vegetables and seasonings: In a large pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil, carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté until tender 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper and sauté for 1 minute more.
• Add broth and noodles: Pour in the chicken broth and egg noodles and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce to a simmer and let the noodles cook until al dente for about 10 minutes.
• Add chicken and simmer until ready to serve: Add in the chicken, and fresh parsley right before serving and continue to simmer until the chicken is heated throughout. Salt and pepper additionally to taste.

Variations of chicken noodle soup

I love my chicken noodle soup simple and complete with just a few ingredients and all the flavoring.

Here are more adventurous ways of making chicken noodle soup recipe.

Substitute or add in to make this chicken noodle soup recipe your own.

• Oil: instead of oil you can use butter to sauté the vegetables.
• Vegetables: spinach, green beans, peas, zucchini, canned tomatoes, corn or even potatoes are some things to try.
• Seasoning: try adding or substituting any herbs to fresh or dry.
• Meat: leftover meat is always best and trying turkey, variations of chicken or shredded ham are always great.
• Broth: switch out your chicken broth for turkey broth or bone broth for different variations.
• Noodles: tortellini, bowtie pasta, small shell pasta or even spaghetti noodles are great to have if you don’t have egg noodles on hand.

Tips for chicken noodle soup

This chicken noodle soup recipe is simple and easy to make.

You will have your family and friends asking for more.

It is one of the BEST chicken noodle soup recipes out there.

And the what is even better is how quick and easy it all comes together and tastes AMAZING!

With these simple to use tips you will have one amazing chicken noodle soup!

• To plan ahead, cut up your vegetables the night before or morning of before cooking. That way it just takes minutes to put everything in the pot.
• Avoid your vegetables from getting soft and mushy by cutting them larger if you plan to simmer or use a slow cooker.
• Use a slow cooker for cooking your chicken noodle soup. Follow the recipe just leave out your noodles until ready to serve.
• To thicken you soup, add a starch like flour or cornstarch. In a bowl add about one tablespoon mixed with water then continue to add more depending on the thickness and consistency you are looking for.
• If you plan to thicken your soup don’t add the flour or cornstarch directly into the soup. It will clump up and be not work.
• As your noodles sit in the broth it will continue to absorb the broth and you will need to add more when warming up again.

Storing chicken noodle soup

I love to double my chicken noodle soup recipe to have for now and then storing in the freezer.

It makes it perfect to warm up on the cold winter days or when I know someone is not feeling well.

There is something about a warm, comforting chicken noodle soup in a bowl.

This winter you will not want to skip out on the BEST, tried and true, chicken noodle soup recipe.

It will be the one soup everyone is raving about this winter season!

• Storing chicken noodle soup: follow the recipe and let cool completely. Once your chicken noodle soup is cooled, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. When reheating you may need to add in more broth.
• Can you make chicken noodle soup ahead of time? Yes! I love this recipe for that. Simply make and cook your chicken noodle soup. I like to leave out the noodles if I know I am making ahead of time. I even chop my vegetables thicken so they won’t be mushy or too soft while cooking for a longer period of time. This is a great way to make it in a slow cooker too.
• Can you freeze chicken noodle soup? Yes, this chicken noodle soup will freeze well. Follow the directions making the chicken noodle soup except skip adding in the noodles. Allow the chicken noodle soup to cool completely. Place in a ziplock bag and lay flat in the freezer. When ready to warm up, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then reheat on the stove or in the microwave and add in the noodles at this time. This will last in the freezer for about one month.

More soup recipes

• Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup
• Ham and Bean Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Beef Barley Soup
• Creamy Chicken Broccoli Soup