Have I ever told you how much I love Kristan at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen? She is an amazing baker and blogger, and it seems like so often we are on the same page on flavors. She recently posted a recipe for an Apple Cider Spice Cake, the flavors of which, just spoke to me. 😉 Since it’s October, we’ve all been craving Fall flavors. My son’s birthday is in October, and he told me yesterday that means that he craves pumpkin year round, but the craving intensifies in October and November. To satisfy that craving, I made him pumpkin pies for his birthday. But since he also needs…

When fall rolls around, I start thinking about cooler weather and soup. Since I live in the desert southwest, though, soup weather generally doesn’t come around until the end of October. This year, though, we’ve had an abundance of rain and cooler weather, which, by the way, is making me question exactly how global warming works. Anyway – fall packs are on the offerings for Bountiful Baskets, and some great pumpkins have been included in the packs. This is exciting to me, because when I look at pumpkins, I see food (not really a Halloween type of girl, here). And soup is at the top of my list! First stop…

Many people look at a pumpkin and think “Jack-O-Lantern”. That’s fine, especially if you’re crazy about Halloween. But when I look at a pumpkin, I think “Food!”, and when my son looks at a pumpkin, he thinks “PIE!!!” I started cooking and pureeing my own pumpkins years ago, and I actually prefer it to canned pumpkin (although that will work in a pinch). I roast up my pumpkins, pretty much as shown in the video from Heartland Trails shown below, and I freeze it in 2-cup increments. That works out to be about the same amount of pumpkin found in the small can at the local supermarket. The basic directions:…

Pesto is one of my favorite things to eat. There is just something so refreshing about it. However, I do NOT have a green thumb, and I can’t grow basil for anything. And basil is super expensive at my local grocery store – when they even have it. What’s a girl to do? Punt. That’s what. I’ve gotten some inspiration from Kimberly over at Poor Girl Eats Well. She’s really made an effort to show how you can get the most out of what you buy or get. And her recipe for Scallion Pesto is absolutely amazing. This is NOT a recipe for Scallion Pesto. 😉 What it is, though,…