Sweet Potato Pie #secretrecipeclub #srcholidaytreats

Oh my goodness! Can you believe it will be December tomorrow?  I just cannot get over how fast time is flying by. This year in particular seems to have disappeared before my eyes.  Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it is time for all things Christmas, including my personal favorite, the season of baking. 

I have all sorts of favorite treats that are a must each holiday season. I make them every year, sometimes twice. Of course each year I have to try a few new treats as well. Thus I jumped at the chance when the Secret Recipe Club decided to do an extra post this month of #srcholidaytreats

With the themed reveal post I got matched up Sue at A Palatable Pastime. Sue is normally part of my Group D for Secret Recipe Club but we haven't had each other yet. I would be lucky to get paired with her as there are tons of recipes on her site and they all look so good. My mouth was watering over all of her Thanksgiving recipe posts this year. Hello side dishes!!

I was on the hunt for cookies when I spied her Sweet Potato Pie. I couldn't resist. I love sweet potatoes and sweet potato pie has been on my to do list for years. This was the perfect time to whip one up. The recipe was super simple to up together, the longest part was cooking up the sweet potatoes. The pie came out delicious of all things cinnamon and spice and was creamy thanks to the addition of evaporated milk. I probably cannot convince the family to replace our pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving tradition with this one but I know it will be making an appearance again. 

Now if the sweet potato pie didn't do it for you, there are always her cookies. Here is her Pinterest cookie page.  So many yummy options; I want to make these Almond Toffee Sandies too. 

Sweet Potato Pie

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: bake dessert sweet potato Thanksgiving Christmas pie fall

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Ingredients (serves 8)

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large organic pastured eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups baked mashed sweet potatoes
• 12 fluid ounces evaporated milk
• 1 unbaked pie crust

Instructions

Prepare sweet potatoes ahead: bake at 375º F for 75 minutes wrapped in foil, then allow to cool, peel, and mash with a potato masher or fork.

Preheat oven to 425ºF. with an oven-proof glass baking dish or pie pan or ramekin with water on a shelf lower than where you will put the pie.

Fit pie crust into a deep dish glass pie plate and flute edges.

Whisk together the sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Whisk in the beaten eggs and mashed sweet potatoes.

Gradually stir in the evaporated milk until filling is smooth.

Place pie plate on a baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350ºF and continue baking for another 40-50 minutes or until a knife can be slipped in and out of the pie center without wet filling clinging to it.

Cool pie completely before slicing and serving.

Serve with whipped cream as desired; refrigerate unused pie portions, covered with plastic wrap.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Mozzarella Cheese Cutlets #secretrecipeclub

This weekend was wonderful. It has been a really long time since we didn't have a list of to dos for the house, or people visiting. We enjoy our house projects and all of our visitors but I almost forgot what it was like to just be and enjoy "us". 

One of the things we do so well together is cook and this weekend we did just that. It was a bit more complicated with the baby around but she was our little helper in the kitchen. Our joint effort were these mozzarella cheese cutlets for this month's Secret Recipe Club posting. The recipe came from Shirley at Enriching your Kid.

I was tempted by the banana Nutella bread pudding but when I mentioned fried cheese to my husband there was no turning back. Shirley has tons very flavorful recipes as well as baby recipes. I am just waiting for Miss O to be able to eat more foods, and not mush.

We followed the recipe exactly minus a little cumin. Mr. J is not a huge fan of cumin. We knocked the amount to 1/2 tsp. We also made this a full meal by adding a fried egg. The mozzarella cutlets with the egg and pasta sauce totally hit the spot. It was warm and gooey with the cheese and egg yolk.  We were filled up so much at lunch we skipped dinner. Well, almost, I did have a few snacks later in the evening. 

We decided shortly after finishing our meal that this recipe should be adding to our regular rotation. It was a great first start in getting back into our kitchen groove.

Mozzarella Cheese Cutlets

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: fry appetizer cheese

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Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp grated mozzarella cheese
• 3 potatoes
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• salt to taste
• bread crumbs to cover cutlets
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Wash clean the potatoes and peel. Cut them into quarters and boil until soft, about 15 minutes.

Cool the potatoes enough to handle and mash with a fork or potato masher.

Add the grated mozzarella cheese, herbs and salt. Mix well until combined.

Roll into balls and form into cutlets or round patties.

Roll the cutlets into the semolina or bread crumbs and press it in.

Heat a medium skillet with a small amount of vegetable oil (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Fry each of the patties until brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Serve hot with red tomato sauce if desired.

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Chewy Butterfinger Chocolate Chip Cookies #thebookclubcookbookCC

One of the things I miss the most since Miss O was born is my ability to put my feet up and read.  When I was traveling a lot with work I had a lot of time to read on my flights and layovers. I also would take time on the weekends and snuggle up on the couch to engage myself in a new world through a wide variety of genres. Having a baby means almost no free time. Or at least my priorities have changed a bit. My free time is now spent playing and snuggling a baby. I miss reading but for the time being I am OK with my limited book time. 

That doesn't mean however that I cannot enjoy a good book. As part of my monthly Book Club Cook Book contribution this month I dove into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Erin of The Spiffy Cookie, hosted this month and I could not have been more pleased with her pick. If you are interested in joining see this post from Camilla, our leader.  There is a giveaway at the bottom of this post for The Book Club Cook Book so keep reading. 

This is my second time reading this book but the first time was way long ago, dare I even say when I was in high school. Before I even opened the pages I was pretty sure I wanted to make ButterBeer. Turns out though that this doesn't come up in the series till much later. The other thing I kept turning to was the scene in the movie right before the troll storms the castle. The characters are feasting in this marvelous hall with all sorts of goodies floating around. As I was reading the book and thinking of a potential recipe, this imagine was stuck in my mind. I think of it as the most massive and decadent Thanksgiving feast. It may have been because we had just celebrated Halloween but my massive and decadent feast turned into very indulgent cookies. Cookies which included rice crispy cereal, Butterfinger candy and chocolate chips. Did I mention these cookies were gigantic? 

I believe my Chewy Butterfinger Chocolate Chip Cookies would fit right in with the desserts offered at Hogwarts.

Chewy Butterfinger Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

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Ingredients (makes large 15 cookies)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 ¼ cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped Butterfinger candy bars

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy, about two minutes. On low, add in egg and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients until mixed together.

Fold in the oats, cereal, chocolate chips, and Butterfinger pieces by hand. Don’t over mix.

Scoop dough into balls, about a tablespoon each, and place on prepared baking sheet. 

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are slightly brown, the centers should still be soft.

Allow cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet. Move cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely.

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And be sure to check out some of the other bloggers joining in on the fun. 

A Day in the Life on the Farm      

Adventures in All Things Food    

Cheese Curd In Paradise               

Culinary Adventures with Camilla             

Life on Food       

Mostly Food and Crafts 

The Pajama Chef              

The Spiffy Cookie             

Things I Make (for Dinner)           

Tortillas and Honey         

ZooeySuff   

You can follow along with the hashtag #thebookclubcookbookCC on social media or check out the group Pinterest board. Find out how you can join along with us below.

Giveaway

This month Erin at The Spiffy Cookie, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from November 1st till November 30th at 4 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

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*Disclosure: Erin received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Banana, Blueberry, Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

Have I mentioned lately that life has been hectic. Mornings are particularly rough because I never have any idea on when Olivia is going to wake up. She is a good sleeper but in the  mornings she can wake up anytime starting around 5:30 am. This means breakfast is coordinated with showers, feedings and changes all before 7 am. I am still a fan of my smoothies. And they are a pretty quick grab and go breakfast but they still require some amount of prep and clean up. Baked oatmeal however can be made on the weekend, portioned out in advance and heated up in no time. Now that it is colder in the mornings baked oatmeal is quickly finding a special place in my heart. 

This version has fruit and chocolate. The perfect combination to get me going in the morning. And those bananas...well I think they are gosh darn pretty. If you need some motivation or help in the morning getting your breakfast jive on, this is the recipe for you.

Banana Blueberry Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast chocolate oatmeal

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Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups milk
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish (or 8-inch by 8-inch square baking dish) with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, half the walnuts, half the blueberries and half the chocolate.

Add to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining blueberries, walnuts and chocolate on top of the oats. Then, scatter the banana slices on top.

In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract. Then, pour over oats and fruit. Gently shimmy and shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.

Bake oatmeal for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the milk mixture has set.

Serve warm.

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Thanksgiving Day Dishes Round Up

Sorry I have been out of commission for so long. In a way I miss blogging but in a way I don't. Life is busy. It's been full. Yes it is not always easy but I, we, are loving every bit of it. I was fortunate to have my whole family visit our house last week for the whole week. My brother lives overseas so it is not so often that we can all get together. The week was hectic to say the least. 6 adults and 3 kiddos under 3 is a lot. Add in jet lag and colds aplenty and you can begin to see what kind of week we had. I wouldn't take it back the for the world. 

Since we were all together we did a mini Thanksgiving feast early. I didn't take a single picture or plan to blog about any dish. It was a good thing to just sit and enjoy the chaos. 

But Thanksgiving is right around the corner. And I do feel a bit obligated to share some of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes. If you need a bit of inspiration this year hopefully this list will help. 

Sides
Brussels Sprouts with Honey Vinaigrette 
Brussels Sprouts au Gratin
Fancy Green Bean Almond Saute
Cranberry Chutney
Apple Cranberry Sauce
Honey Roasted Carrots
Potato Gratin
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Stuffing with Sausage
Sweet Potato Cobbler

Desserts
Cranberry Cobbler
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Cranberry Orange Sweet Buns

Bread
Pretzel Rolls
Anadama Bread
Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Pumpkin Round Up

It is November and I haven't made one pumpkin recipe yet. I haven't done a lot of baking in general lately for many reasons but oh man I need to get on the pumpkin train soon. Before I know it Thanksgiving will be here and focus will switch to everything cookies. Ahh! 

In the meantime I am going to feast my eyes on some past pumpkin successes to inspire me to get into the kitchen.

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin Spiced Latte Smoothie 
Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Toffee Cookies
Cinnamon Oat Streusel Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Waffles
Pumpkin Banana Ice Cream 

Pumpkin Carrot Bars
Pumpkin Bread
Nutella Filled Pumpkin Muffins
Baked Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts 
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?