Tag: fall

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Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad

shredded brussels sprouts salad

Fresh, savory, crunchy, and crispy. Isn’t that just what you want in a salad?

I discovered this easy, no-cook brussels sprouts salad via Iowa Girl Eats and just had to try it. It took me 26 years before I took my first bite of brussels sprouts and since then I have been addicted ever since. My first time to try them was at the A&M vs. Arkansas game at Jerry World (The Dallas Cowboy’s AT&T Stadium in Arlington) last October 2014. The food at Jerry World was amazing, but so was the stadium, so I guess I shouldn’t be shocked. 🙂

Since then, I usually roast my brussels sprouts in a 400 degree F oven drizzled with garlic olive oil, salt and pepper for about 30 minutes.

So when I saw a salad where you didn’t have to cook the brussels sprouts, I was intrigued!

shredded brussels sprouts salad

I typically HATE with a capital “H” raw vegetables. Carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, you name it… I don’t like it raw. You take those same veggies and pop them in the oven and give them a little roast, or sautĂ© them in a little olive oil, and you’d think they turned into candy. I love them!

I guess we all have our quirks, but this salad is the exception. The brussels sprouts are uncooked, washed, and shredded, and tossed together with feta, pecans, olive oil, shallots, craisins, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and a little bit of dijon mustard. The combination is just perfect.

I actually made this salad the day after Thanksgiving. Had I known it was this easy to make, I would have made it for everyone else to try. Well, there’s always Christmas dinner!

cousins
Cousin love at their great grandparent’s house for Thanksgiving.
cousins
Aren’t they just the cutest?

Enjoy!

Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Source: Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Ingredients
  • FOR THE SALAD
  • 12 oz brussels sprouts, tough outer leaves pulled away
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese
  • 1 pear, chopped
  • 2 jumbo shallots, thinly sliced
  • 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • FOR THE MAPLE-BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Using a very sharp knife, thinly shred brussels sprouts while holding onto the core end then discarded cores and add shredded sprouts to a large bowl with dried cranberries, pecans, feta, and chopped pears. Set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shallots then fry until light golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Scoop onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain then repeat with remaining shallots. Sprinkle with salt and let cool slightly.
  3. Add ingredients for Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette together in a jar then shake to combine. Pour over salad then toss to coat. Add fried shallots then toss to combine, and then serve.

 

Toffee Pumpkin Cheesecake and Halloween

toffee pumpkin cheesecake

This past weekend Harper, my mom, and her friend Jenni and I took a trip to Houston. Mom and Jenni visited the Houston Quilt Show and pretty much shopped till they dropped!

While Mom and Jenni had a fun girls quilting trip, Harper and I decided to hang out with my Aunt Jolene and her daughter Robin, and Robin’s girls Sarah and Madeline. Even though we were in Houston for just one full day, we had a blast and ate LOTS OF FOOD!

A lot of the recipes on this blog are actually from Aunt Jolene. She is one of the best cooks, if not THE BEST cook I know. In addition to looking forward to catching up with Jolene, I look forward to the homemade food she has prepared. This trip we had:

  • Breakfast: Cream of wheat, chili cheese egg casserole, bacon, toast, and fruit
  • Lunch: Tuna salad sandwich, chips, fruit, and Guess Again Cookies (I’ll blog soon! They have Rice Krispies cereal, coconut and oats in them. Yum!)
  • Dinner: Chicken spaghetti, salad, french bread, and this toffee-pumpkin cheesecake
  • Snacks: Sarah’s pumpkin muffins (I’ll blog soon!)

Wednesday night was the Republican debate,  Jolene had a neighbor named Jim over to watch the it since his television was broken.

It’s kind of a funny sight, looking back…. all four of us (Jim, Jolene, James – an uncle who was in Houston for work, and I) curled on the couch watching the Republican debate with big slices of cheesecake perched on our laps.

toffee pumpkin cheesecake

The cheesecake was amazing! I thought I would be good and not eat the whole slice, but my stomach trumped my brain and said I should finish it. I regretted that afterwards and had trouble falling asleep I was so stuffed, but it was definitely worth it!!

With cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, toffee bits, canned pumpkin and cream cheese, you can’t go wrong with this decadently delicious fall dessert. Don’t forget to garnish the cheesecake with whipped cream, toffee bits, and caramel topping for “icing on the cake”.  It was almost too good to eat. ALMOST…. 🙂

toffee pumpkin cheesecake

The Houston trip was short-lived and we were back in Dallas by Friday evening and ready to trick-or-treat and watch A&M football that next day.

Halloween was a treat as the Aggies pulled out a win against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and Harper went trick-or-treating for the first time.

She was a bumble bee! Buzzzzzzzz!!!!!!

bumble bee Halloween costume
Where’s the candy?

At one year old, Harper is fearless. Not once did she cry, get scared or fuss. I actually nearly jumped out of my skin when we knocked on a neighbor’s house that had motion-sensored scary music and a fake black snake. Harper – nothing phased her!

She had a blast looking at all the other kids in their costumes, and enjoyed knocking on doors and picking out candy. When given the option of which candy she wanted, Harper choose a Reese’s Pieces and a Kit-Kat. I think she liked the bright redish/orange colors from the wrappers.

Even though we all love M&Ms, Snickers, and Hershey’s, why does the packaging have to be dark brown? Such an ugly color, and if you are trying to appeal to a one-year-old, they have their sights on the brightly packaged candies. FYI – to all the candy makers. 🙂

bumble bee Halloween costume
Trick or Treat!

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween. Enjoy!

Toffee Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (32 squares)
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 5 eggs, divided
  • 8 oz. bag toffee baking bits, divided
  • 15 oz. can pumpkin
  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • caramel topping, heated
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Combine crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Press mixture in the bottom of a greased 9″ springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
  3. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs. Stir in 1 cup toffee bits. Spread over crust.
  4. Combine pumpkin, whipping cream, 2/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, salt and remaining 3 eggs in a large bowl until blended. Slowly and carefully spoon over cheesecake layer.
  5. Bake 2 hours, or until edge of cheesecake is set at least 2 inches from edge of pan but center still jiggles slightly when moved. Turn off oven; open oven door at least 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes. Run spatula around edge of pan; remove side of pan.
  6. Dollop servings with whipped topping. Drizzle with caramel topping; garnish with remaining toffee bits.

 

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble

sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble

There’s just something wrong with the idea of it being 97 degrees outside in the middle of October!  How the temperature can go from the 60s to the 90s in one day blows my mind, but then again we live in Texas!!

You’d never know it, but Halloween is almost here, which means Thanksgiving is just around the corner. October is a big month for our family as Harper is about to turn one year old!! It’s crazy how fast the time goes.

I saw this recipe a few weeks ago from Pinch of Yum for a super easy sweet potato casserole and thought I’d give it a try before the big turkey day. Turns out, it was super easy just as described, and Matt and I both enjoyed it. The pecan crumble topping is buttery, sweet and crumbly, and is a perfect addition to the sweet potatoes baked underneath.

This casserole kind of tastes like a sweet potato pie without the crust. Perfect for Matt since he doesn’t eat the crust of a pie. He is weird. 🙂

sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble
Combine mashed sweet potatoes, milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs and salt, and pour into a cast iron skillet.
sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble
Combine butter, brown sugar, flour, and pecan pieces to form a crumble.
sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble
Sprinkle pecan crumble over sweet potato mixture.
sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes.

sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble

Easy recipes are everyones favorite. Whether you’re working, taking care of kids, or just don’t want to be in the kitchen all day, this recipe is for you. I prepped this casserole during Harper’s nap time, then took her to the park where she played until 5 pm, and then had dinner (including this sweet potato casserole) served promptly at 6 pm.

Now that’s what I call efficient!

baby
Harper’s first trip to the playground. The wood chips were the best part!

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Source: Pinch of Yum
Ingredients
  • FOR THE SWEET POTATOES
  • 3 cups (1 29-oz can) sweet potatoes, drained
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • salt to taste
  • FOR THE TOPPING
  • 5 Tbsp. melted butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup pecan pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mash the sweet potatoes and add the melted butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, beaten eggs, and pinch of salt. Stir until incorporated. Pour into a shallow baking dish or cast iron skillet.
  2. Combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, and pecan pieces in a small bowl, using your fingers to create moist crumbs. Sprinkle generously over the casserole.
  3. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and the top is golden brown. Let stand and allow the mixture to cool and solidify a bit before serving.