Let Them Eat Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread!

It is September, that means fall is coming! So I am celebrating the impending death of all creeping things and the end of my seasonal allergies by baking ALL the pumpkin things! Tonight's dinner was pumpkin pull apart bread with a salted maple glaze. Yes, it is as decadent as it sounds. This one is pretty prep heavy because it is bread instead of using premade dough, but I PROMISE it is worth the time and effort. Seriously, look at all this gooey goodness.

Start by proofing your yeast. Warm water, milk, and sugar help the yeast start the epic journey to making your bread delicious. It is super important to let that yeast get all frothy and happy!

Then comes melted butter, salt, 1 egg (I used a substitute because allergies), pumpkin puree, spices, and half the flour.

Mix it up either with a spoon or the dough hook on a stand mixer. Slowly add the rest of the flour. The dough will come together and clean the sides of the bowl of the stand mixer and if you are using a spoon, you'll need to knead it to get the rest incorporated. Knead it for 5 minutes in the mixer or by hand. Put it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour. Punch it down, break off pieces that are about the size of a tablespoon, roll them in melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and put those beauties in a greased bundt pan. Cover and let it rise for another hour.

Now preheat the oven to 350. Bake the bread for 25 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, flip it onto a plate, and drizzle the salted maple glaze your gorgeous ring of happiness!

Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread with Salted Maple Glaze

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water (no more than 100 degrees)
• 1/4 cup warm milk (no more than 100 degrees)
• 1 1/2 active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, beaten (I used 1 tablespoon flaxmeal and 3 tablespoons water)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 1/3 cups flour

For the coating:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the gaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sea salt (NOT table salt!)

Method

In a stand mixer with a dough hook or a large bowl combine the milk, water, yeast, and sugar. Let it proof for 5-10 minutes and it should look foamy on top. 

Stir in the salt, egg, butter, pumpkin, spices, and about half the flour. With the mixer on, or by hand, add the rest of the flour a little at a time. It should be a little sticky, but not really stick to your hands. Knead it for 5 minutes. Lightly grease a bowl and the dough. Cover and let it rise for 1 hour.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the coating in one bowl and melt the butter in another. Once the hour is up, punch the dough down. Take small pieces, about the size of a tablespoon each, dip them in the butter, then roll them in the sugar mixture. Then they go in the greased bundt pan to rise, covered, for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 and when the hour is up bake the bread for 25 minutes. Let it cool, in the pan, for about 10 minutes. While it is cooling, mix all the glaze ingredients. After the 10 minutes are up, put a plate on top of the pan and then flip the pan over. The bread should come out fairly easily. Drizzle the glaze over the bread and try to keep from burning your tongue because it is way too good to wait for it to cool!

Smoky Cheddar Drop Biscuits

I love a good biscuit, but sometimes they are a huge pain. With all the rolling and cutting, I just don't have the patience for that. The solution: drop biscuits. No rolling, no cutting, just drop them on the pan and go! This recipe was born from a lack of parmesan cheese. I wanted to make biscuits to go with the smoked sausage skillet, but my go to recipe calls for parmesan cheese. Imagine my dismay when there was none in my fridge. Suddenly, my eyes fell on the family pack of cheddar sitting in the bottom drawer. It was like a 2x4 smacked me upside the head and I thought, "SMOKY CHEDDAR BISCUITS!!!" All I had to do was make a couple adjustments and these beauties were born. Light, fluffy, easy, and full of smoky, cheesy flavor.

Pardon the mess, a few things still don't quite have homes. Here are the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 400, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and then start by mixing the cheese and dry ingredients

Then, grate (yes, grate, not cut) the butter. This makes sure that it gets evenly spread and the biscuits have that perfect flakiness

Use a pastry cutter or two forks to incorporate the butter fully. It should look about like this

Finally, add the milk and mix until it is a sticky mess

For some reason, I didn't get pictures of it on the baking sheet before or after baking. Sorry about that. Use two large spoons to dollop about 1/3 cup for each biscuit. Stick those lovely things in the oven for 15-20 minutes and then try to refrain from burning all your taste buds by eating them as soon as they come out of the oven.

Smoky Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika, not regular or it won't have the smoky flavor
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning or oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons or 1/4 pound) salted butter
• 1 cup milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Mix the flour, cheese, paprika, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and italian seasoning in a large bowl
3. Use the small holes of a grater to grate the butter directly into the bowl
4. Combine the butter with the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two forks until it resembles large crumbs
5. Add the milk and stir combine, add more milk if it looks dry
6. Use two large spoons to scoop the dough onto the baking sheet
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the top

Not So Korean Beef

This is a staple recipe in our house. The Hubby loves it, Sprout loves it, Bean is a little less than enthused, but sometimes he eats the meat. Before you ask what makes it Korean, the answer is... not much. I only call it that because the recipe I modified it from calls it that. It is another small list of ingredients meal that packs a lot of flavor. We eat it over rice or quinoa.

I start with a little sesame oil and plenty of garlic.

When the Garlic is softened, but not brown, add the ground beef.

Brown it well and then add frozen (or fresh) veggies of your choice. I used mixed veggies because I had extra from another meal. The sauce ingredients also go in at this point, but I don't have a good picture of that for you.

Let the veggies heat through and you are ready to serve. I like to top mine with green onions, some toasted sesame seeds, and a little sriracha or red pepper flakes.

Not So Korean Beef

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• sesame oil
• 10 oz frozen veggies (or as much fresh as you want)
• 2 (or more) cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated; or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• A splash of fish sauce if you have it (it adds a little extra umami flavor)
• Optional toppings: sesame seeds, green onions, red pepper flakes, etc

Method

1. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add garlic
2. Cook just until softened and add ground beef
3. When the beef is cooked through, add the veggies, brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger
4. Allow the veggies to heat through and it is ready to serve

Sausage and Squash Skillet

I love squash. Summer squash or winter squash, I'll eat it all! My boys? Not so much. The hubby loves spaghetti squash, but that is about it. He'll eat it if it is in front of him, but squash just isn't his thing and that is ok. I figure if I pair it with something he loves, such as sausage, he'll be more willing to chow down. I was certainly right with this recipe. It is the essence of summer to me. Bright veggies and perfectly browned, smoked sausage. Another bonus? It is not a lot of prep or ingredients, which is good for our food budget.

I started by sauteing an onion in some leftover bacon fat.

Next came the sausage, I just did rounds, but you could cut it as small as you like.

Once the sausage started getting lovely and brown, I added the squash, tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings.

I stirred it a few times just to get everything evenly coated and then I just let it cook.

Once the tomatoes release some liquid and the squash is cooked to your liking, it is ready to enjoy with a couple smoky cheddar biscuits (recipe coming soon!) or over pasta!

Pardon the foot photobomb

Smoked Sausage and Squash Skillet

Original recipe at: Yellow Bliss Road

Ingredients:

• 1 package smoked sausage (kielbasa would also work)
• 1 medium zucchini, cut in half rounds
• 1 medium yellow squash, cut in half rounds
• 1 small onion, diced
• olive oil, butter, or bacon fat
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1-3 cloves garlic, minced 
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Add oil, butter, or bacon fat and onions to a 12 inch skillet and allow the onions to soften
2. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned
3. Next comes the squash, tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings
4. Allow the veggies to cook down and soften to your liking
5. Serve with bread, pasta, or rice to sop up the lovely sauce

Chocolate Pumpkin Crap Cookies

Sorry for the hiatus! Moving in with my parents, being away from the Hubby, and then moving up to our new place has kept me mighty busy. I hope this recipe makes up for it! I got the original from a close friend and I upped the ante a little by adding some chocolate to it, because chocolate makes everything better, right? These cookies are everything I want in a cookie. They are soft, moist, and they have pumpkin in them so you can pretend they're healthy!

As with most cookies, start by softening a stick of butter in a mixer or bowl. While waiting for the butter to soften, preheat the oven to 375. Add 1 cup of sugar to the butter and mix until they are well combined.

Add the egg, can of pumpkin, and vanilla and mix until well combined

Next come the dry ingredients, minus the chips

Mix that up and then add the chips

Stir gently, I used a rubber spatula, to incorporate the chips

Use two tablespoons to dollop  the dough onto either a greased cookie sheet or one covered with parchment paper and bake for 12-14 minutes

Look at these beauties. I want to eat all of them right now!

Chocolate Pumpkin Crap Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 bag butterscotch chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Soften butter in a bowl or stand mixer
3. Add sugar and mix until well combined
4. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix again
5. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined (over mixing will make them gummy)
6. Add the butterscotch chips and mix with a spoon or rubber spatula
7. Use two spoons to dollop the dough onto greased or parchment papered cookie sheet
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes