Grown Up Grilled Cheese

Apple and brie sandwiched together on some toasty bread, need I say more?  Well... I'll say just a bit more. :)

I got the idea, as usual, off Pinterest.  And it looked so tasty, I just had to try it.  I decided to nix the apple butter from the original post and instead just layered brie with apple in the sandwich.  I used three layers total (brie, apple, brie) and buttered the outsides of the bread.

A few minutes on the griddle and our sandwiches were done- yum!  We just used the bread we had in the house, but I think it would be really delicious with some fresh crusty bread.  Mmmm....

Brussel Sprouts

At a recent wedding, I ate some amazing brussel sprouts!  They were caramelized with walnuts and gorgonzola cheese.  They were so yummy that I decided to try my own version of them last night.

I roasted the brussel sprouts:

Toss them in olive oil and cut little tiny crosses in the stalk so that the heat reaches the core

And I toasted the walnuts:

I sauteed them to achieve the same effect, just until the nutty scent was released

Once they were both done, I tossed them together and topped with gorgonzola

If you're wanting to try this recipe, I would do a few things differently.  First, I would cut the brussel sprouts in half before cooking.  Second, I think I would opt for steaming the brussel sprouts first so they're nice and tender, then finish them off in the oven.  All in all, it's a tasty combination!

Bacon and Squash Pasta

Have I mentioned how much I love fall food? ;)  Well, the other night I decided to rev up our spaghetti with a fall favorite: butternut squash.  And since everything is better with bacon, I added that in as well!  This was a delicious dinner and it's really easy to make.

What you'll need for two hungry people:
Spaghetti (about half of one box... maybe a little more)
1/2 of a large butternut squash, chopped into small pieces
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
olive oil

Combine the bacon, squash, and onion in a pan and toss with olive oil.

Roast until the veggies are tender and the bacon is a little crispy. (about 20-30 minutes at 400)

While the vegetables and bacon are roasting, make the pasta.  I used spaghetti, but you could really use whatever pasta you'd like.  Drain the pasta and set aside.  Once the food is roasted, add the pasta back into the pot and toss with the roasted vegetables and bacon.  And of course, add some fresh parmesan to top off the dish.  Delish!

Mumpkins!

Pumpkins covered in mums!  Not only is it a super fun word to say, but it's an adorable project.  Oh my goodness, this project is so cute and super easy- I just had to share it

I found the idea for this in Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine.  John's parents were hosting a fall get-together and I thought it would be the perfect thing to bring.  The supplies you will need:

A Pumpkin
Mums (the bigger the pumpkin, the more mums you'll need)
An awl (or screwdriver)
Scissors
Directions
Pumpkin Spice Latte :)

Poke holes all around the pumpkin, about 1/2 inch to 1 inch apart.  You might want to have a paper towel handy to wipe up any pumpkin juice.

This part take a loooong time

 Then, you cut the blooms to around 2 inches and stick them in the holes.

It really is that simple!  And the great thing about this is that the moisture in the pumpkin will keep the flowers looking good for several days!

This is a great project to bring over to a host, a fun and festive centerpiece, or would even make a welcoming decoration sitting on your front steps.

Root Vegetable Pot Pie

This is a recipe I adopted and altered from Williams Sonoma's One Pot cookbook.  If you want to make my version of it, you will need:

2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1 sweet yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks
one tube of refrigerated, ready to bake biscuits
*for the sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup white wine
2 and 1/2 half cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon thyme leaves

This recipe was pretty easy to make.  Toss the vegetables in olive oil and roast until tender, about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. 

While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce.  To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Then add in the white wine and vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil and add in the thyme leaves.

Once the veggies are tender, pull them out of the oven, dump them into the casserole dish, and top with the sauce.  Mix the sauce and veggies and then top with the ready-made biscuits. 

Pop the casserole dish back into the oven, reducing the temperature to 350, and bake until the biscuits are brown.

The results were pretty good.  I really liked the biscuit topping, but I think next time I'll buy two tubes and really pack the biscuits in.  Overall, though, it was a really yummy supper.  One great thing is that any root vegetables can be substituted into the recipe.  I'm definitely going to be trying some more combinations!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

My appreciation of autumn comfort food continues with a dinner I made recently: stuffed acorn squash.  I found the inspiration for stuffed acorn squash here, but make some adjustments for our own dinner.  Here is what you will need to make the recipe:

1 acorn squash (this was plenty split between John and me)
1 yellow squash, cubed
about 1/2 pound ground turkey, browned and seasoned with your favorite herbs
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 cup white rice (I had planned on using wild rice, but I didn't cook it right so I used some leftover Chinese food instead!)
1 slice of bacon, cooked and crumbled
and bread crumbs

Grease a pan, cut the squash in half, scoop the seeds out, and bake face down until tender (about 45 minutes at 350 degrees, but I think we have a "cold oven").

Meanwhile, brown and season the turkey.  Once the turkey is browned, combine all the ingredients in the pan and saute for about 15 minutes, until the yellow squash and carrots are tender.

Once the acorn squash is tender, pull it out and stuff it.  Add the bread crumbs on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes.  Easy peasy!  John and I both cleaned our plates.

DIY Drop Earrings

I have some pretty new earrings thanks to a pretty simple project.  If you'd like to make some of your own, here are the supplies you will need:

Gold metallic embroidery floss
Drop earring findings
Assorted beads

Step one: cut a strand of the floss and double it over to form a loop at the top.

Step two: thread the top of the loop through each bead:

Like this, so the loop sticks out the top

Step three: slide the loop onto the earring finding:

Like this!

Step four, slide the beads closer to the earring finding and tie a knot to hold them in place.  The embroidery floss will fray, which gives the bottom of the earrings a fun tassel effect.  You can snip the tassels as long or short as you like.

How easy is that?!  Now, if you don't want to take the time to make these yourself, no worries!  I have two new pairs for sale in my etsy shop :).  For links to them: purple and pink tassel drop earrings and pink and gold tassel drop earrings