pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin!

i love autumn for a lot of reasons, but especially for the yummy sweets we get to bake!  pumpkin is one of my favorite things.  so i have been trying out some recipes that i found on pinterest.

PUMPKIN BROWNIES!

click above link for source and recipe

CINNAMON ROLL PUMPKIN VANILLA SHEET CAKE!

click above link for source and recipe

so i made them to take over to our friends house for the duck game.  they were both huge hits!  i didn't have the milk chocolate chips for the brownies, so i used white chocolate... EXCELLENT CHOICE. they were so good.

but what i really want you to try is the pumpkin vanilla sheet cake.  holy doodle! i will most definitely be making that again.  everyone LOVED them and just raved about them  you need to try them this holiday while pumpkin is in season!

 mine doesn't look nearly as good, but it definitely tastes even better than she leads on.  

i made the brownies and the cake at the same time because i had pumpkin left over and they bake at the same temperature.  let me know if you try them out!

freezing soup

remember when i blogged about the cauliflower soup?  I told about the idea i found on pinterest.  I wanted to try it out... and boy did I ever try it out.  I've been making a huge batch of soup every week and freezing some of the left overs. i originally thought you needed a silicon muffin tin, because that's what pinterest said.  but you don't!

 here is my frozen soup, i know this picture isn't very pretty, sorry i didn't have time to figure something eye catching out.  so you freeze your soup.  then you put a strainer in the sink to catch the soup pucks, turn over the frozen muffin tin and just run hot water over it.  it is super fast so the soup doesn't unfreeze and it's super easy.  then bag up the frozen pucks of soup, label and freeze.  it's a wonderful thing, i tell ya!

and i've been eating these delicious soups almost everyday for lunch.  they are so quick and easy to grab and fix.  i've been packing them for work as well.  so great!  i highly recommend it!

Peru

So I am raising support for a mission trip to PERU!  I am so excited about it!  I am doing all kinds of fundraisers with my church here in Eugene.  We are having a huge auction on December 3rd and we're hoping to raise enough support for all of us going.  So let me know if you want to donate anything to the auction!  


It is a 2 week trip to Cusco, Peru with extreme nazarene.  We will be doing a lot on this project.  It is an official Jesus film project, we will be building a chapel, and it's a medical mission trip!  i'm excited about the medical part.  i've never witnessed healthcare in an underprivileged area.


one of the ways we're raising support is by selling pastries at our cafe on sunday mornings.  so i made some pumpkin whoopie pies.  they are a recipe from my mother-in-law.  they are soooo yummy.  and not hard to make.  

yummm.

Recipe

(makes about 3 dozen)

preheat oven to 350

cookie part

-2egg yoke

-2 c. brown sugar

-1 c. oil

-2 c. pumpkin

-1 tsp vanilla

(beat together those 3 ingredients)

then combine dry ingredients in another bowl, then add them to above.

- 1 tsp cloves

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp salt (can leave this out)

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp baking powder

-3 c. flour 

bake at 350 for 10 minutes

allow to cool and put cookies together with icing.

icing part

-3/4 c. butter

-3 c. powdered sugar

-14 oz of marshmallow cream (comes in jars in baking section)

If you'd like to support me on this trip I'd really appreciate it!  I have quite a way to go.  Of course, prayers are always appreciated.

cauliflower soup

my oh my.  i found this recipe on pinterest.  it is sooooooooooooooo freaking delicious i can't get over it.  i substituted a couple ingredients (like veggie stock instead of chicken stock because i don't love chicken - i also don't have half and half so i just didn't use it).  here is the recipe.  she has about 8 other soups on her website that i want to try.  it's fall and the beginning of soup season!  i've also been kind of sick with a cold, so this will be nice to eat over the next few days.

recipe - and she has some hilarious comments in her recipe. i think i'll add kale or spinach in next time.

i also just let mine sit in the crockpot for a bit instead of cooking it on the stove for 20 minutes.  just because i made it before noon.  all of the flavors blended and oh. my. goodness.  it's so good!  the consistency of the soup isn't super thick either (much thinner than panera's broccoli cheddar soup) which i am very happy about!

i also saw this smart idea: Make large batches of soup then freeze in silicone muffin molds. Pop 'em out and freeze. Just reheat 2-3 pucks in a mug for a quick dinner. Perfect for the upcoming fall/winter season! BRILLIANT!

one last recipe that i found on pinterest.  here is the photo and recipe from pinterest.  i didn't take a picture of what i made, but it did not look at yummy as this looks.  it didn't stick together as well as this picture.  but it was really freaking delicious!!!  i also added quite a bit of spinach in (like 1/2 - 3/4 of the frozen bag).  just because i add spinach in wherever i can since you can't really taste it anyway and it's so darn healthy.

upside down potato onion tart recipe

let me know if you try these out!  i highly recommend them!

rosemary yams

so here is a recipe that i make at least every other week.  just because it is soo good and healthy and you can do like a billion things with them.

drizzle a little olive oil in your pan, cut your sweet potato or yam into cubes and sprinkle with rosemary and let cook until tender.  so simple and sooo good.  they are delicious plain 

and they are PHENOMENAL with sauteed onions and mushrooms over spinach.  just plain, no dressing.  seriously, try it!

really they are good over any salad. let me know what you think!

home made butterfingers.

i found this delicious and super easy recipe on pinterest and just had to share because it is sooo stinkin easy to make.  let's just start off by saying that it's incredibly sugary and unhealthy, but it's delectable!


here is the actual recipe and instructions.  the ingredients include a jar of peanut butter, a bag of candy corn and chocolate to melt!

you basically just warm up the candycorn over the stove or in a microwave and stir in the peanut butter.  let it set in an 8X8 pan and cool (i put mine in the fridge).  the hardest part was cutting them into squares.  and i'm too lazy to actually dip them in chocolate, so i just drizzled the chocolate on top.  paul said, "these really taste like a butterfinger!  how did you do this?"  hahaha.

lavender

i bought some lavender from our farmer's market.  it made my whole week.  it smells soooo nice.  it's really sweet and subtle when you pass by it.  not like the super strong scent of something from bath and body works.

the next time i go to the farmer's maket here, i'll take my camera so i can show you :)  they have everything you can buy in a grocery store.  there are 4 local organic farms that sell every kind of produce you can think of.  you can buy local cheese, honey, grass fed beef, free range chicken, and milk.  it's awesome!  the farmer's market is 3 days a week and during the saturday market there are about 100 or more different craft and local trade booths.  i wish you could come with me next saturday.

vegan in eugene

is so much easier than in PA!  it's wonderful!  the first night we were here we ate at this restaurant called cafe yumm and paul asked for his food without cheese and sour cream.... we didn't get any strange looks and the lady actually replied, oh, would you like our dairy free option?  how sweet is that?!

last night we had dinner at a restaurant called 'the pizza research institute'.  we chose a mouth watering vegan pizza with asparagus, spinach and fresh tomatoes.  they had a vegan sauce choice, and let me just tell you... A-MAZ-ING.  it was this garlicy creamy sauce. yummmm. 

picture taken with cell phone... it actually looked way better than this.

well, we don't technically have internet, someone around our complex doesn't have a password on their wifi, so we're borrowing it until we get ours.  so hopefully i can post more again soon :)

Taters

so can i just tell you about one of my most favorite foods right now?  honey chili potatoes.  yum!  they are sooo good by themselves and they especially give a plate of veggies a yummy boost.  

(i leave the potatoes warm on top of the salad and usually use a tiny bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar as dressing)

if you know me, you know that i absolutely can't stand anything even remotely spicy.  they aren't spicy.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  

1. wash some red taters, then cut them into wedges.

2. put them in an old baking pan.  

3. Sprinkle garlic powder and chili powder all over potatoes

4. drizzle honey over potatoes.

5. drizzle olive oil over taters. (original recipe calls for a stick of butter, but drizzling olive oil is wayyy healthier and tastes better in my opinion)

mix in pan, this way the olive oil coats the pan a bit and it doesn't stick as badly.  

bake 25-30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes or so.  

if you need exact measurements of the ingredients, contact me and i'll make something up for you.  but seriously these are soooo GOOD!  thanks for the recipe mom!

YUM!

pizza crust

paul and i eat pizza (home made of course) about once a week.  it's a super easy way to get vegetables in. our favorite veggies to put on top are spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, and sauteed onions and musrooms. yummm.  sometimes we use pesto sauce and sometimes we do a tiny bit of red sauce since i don't love red sauce.  i do recommend Muir Glen sauce, however.  that's what we used on the E2 diet.  yummy.  so we've been using naan bread as the crust.  i have been flirting with the idea of making my own crust, but it was just so intimidating.  well i found an awesome crust recipe that is soooo EASY and QUICK!  it has worked every time.  i am still looking for a vegan recipe or all whole wheat recipe.  but here is what i have for now.


Pizza Crust Ingredients
-1 cup warm water
-1 TBSP sugar
-2 & 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
-3 TBSP olive oil
-1 tsp sea salt
-1 & 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
-1 cup whole wheat flour


(the recipe actually called for 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour.  this is not necessary, i use the whole wheat)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees


1. Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved.  add olive oil and salt. then stir in flour until well blended.  let dough rest for 10 minutes. (i set the bowl on top of the stove while it's preheating with a towel over it).


2. Pat dough into pan or on to a pizza stone (i use a stone).  if desired add basil, thyme or other seasoning to crust.  top pizza and cook 15-20 minutes.


*I first put a little bit of garlic powder and a tiny bit of seasalt on the stone before i spread the dough onto the stone.  I then brush with a little bit of olive oil on top of the crust after patting it onto the stone and cook in oven for 3 minutes.  I take the dough back out of the oven and top with my veggies and then cook for 15-20 mins.

before 10 minute rest. (just after mixing)

just before 3 minutes in oven

Final product.  my side has the cheese.  paul's side has the nutritional yeast.  haha.  it's yummy both ways if you ask me.

seriously, it's sooo easy and you know what is in your dough.  less processed.  let me know how you like it!

Forks Over Knives

is a movie that you all NEED to watch!  We have been showing it at our community Engine 2 events.  Engine 2 is a plant based lifestyle in which you cut out all dairy.  In the article I'm about to share with you, it mentions Dr. Esselstyn, a cardiologist from Cleveland Clinic.  He has about 20 years of research in which he wrote a book about reversing heart disease.

YEP!  completely reverse severe heart disease.  His book takes a group of people... i think it was like 16 people or so who were basically told by their doctors that no more could be done for them and they were going to die.  Together the group had a copious amount of heart surgeries, attacks and were each on over 7 or so medications.  Sorry to be so vague, if you look it up, you can get the facts.  Well all but one person's heart disease was completely reversed and they are still alive today.  The one person who died was the one person who dropped out of the study.

The answer to the problem: PLANTS! yep, all plants and no dairy, meat, nothing, processed food or sugar.  It's possible, I've done the diet 100% twice.  In the meantime, Paul and I stick to about 90% plant strong.  We had shrimp in our stir fry last night.  My biggest weakness is the sweets! Anyone have any suggestions on how to never have sweets again stay away from sweets?!!?  It would make my life a lot easirt!  The E2 book does have a killer all plant based brownie recipe... i like to call them molten lava chocolate brownies.... mmm.... my mouth waters just thinking about them.  That's my go to sweet when I'm being healthy. haha!

So there is a documentary coming out called 'Forks Over Knives' and it's superb!  You all need to watch it.  Click HERE to read this article on from CNN about the movie.  Let me know what you think after you watch it.

After you learn all of the health benefits, it's really not that crazy to be plant strong!

coffee

we draw names for christmas gifts on paul's side of the family.  i drew my brother-in-law, ryan.  ironically, he also drew my name!  what's sweet about my brother-in-law being a national barista is that i get to drink AMAZING coffee.

this is ryan with a mustache

a brief history:

i used to HATE coffee.  i couldn't even have coffee ice cream or anything that even remotely had a coffee ingredient. all of my friends at olivet (and basically all of paul's family) always talked about coffee... we hung out in a coffee shop all day and everyone drank. coffee.  i, of course, was an Earl Grey drinker.  i finally became jealous of the community and connection that coffee was bringing everyone around me.  so i told ryan about my desire to become, well, a coffee addict just a 'social drinker'.  ryan's response:  a 2 week challenge of drinking a cup of joe a day - BLACK!  me, being the competitive person i am, and really wanting to enjoy the communion that coffee brings, took on the challenge.  the first couple of days were torture pretty bad.  then slowly, i really started to enjoy the taste.  by the end of the 2nd week, i fell in LOVE.  it became more than just a social drink, but a yummy wonderful treat! 

so my barista brother-in-law got me the most AWESOME chrismas gift. ever.  ryan has a coffee shop up in grand rapids, MI called madcap coffee.  visit it here.  

they make all of their coffee on a brew bar.  here is a pic that i took over break, it's not as artsy as this one, but just so you get the idea:

so the 'paul dawson' family's new obsession is mastering the hario.  it just tastes soooo good!  it's definitely not as good as a cup straight from the madcap bar, but it's wayyy better than the plain coffee pot.  just appreciate the beauty with me...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

cushion recover

just a quick post of what i've been up to lately...

i recovered some cushions for my patio (or front porch) furniture

BEFORE:

and after....

sorry, des really wants to be a doggie model so he has to be in every picture.  he just got his nails cut because he is a demon when we try to cut his nails a pedicure today.

i think i need some mums.

Paul and I are vegan... well a lot stricter than vegan (engine 2 diet) again for the next 28 days. Check out the diet here.  In July, Paul's cholesterol went from 136 down to 83 in 28 days!!  Anyway... i'm in the middle of making some yummmy nutrient and iron rich KALE chips.... Two blue lemons is where we found the recipe.  they have some really good recipes...

anyway... the recipe is a cinch... a bundle of kale, a TBSP of olive oil and some sesame seeds

(before the oven)

Put them in the oven at 250 for an hour.  and voa la!  a super healthy snack.. you could even have some hummus (for more protein and more iron) and some red peppers (some vitamin C to enhance the absorption of the iron).   yummmy.

cereal

ezekiel 4:9 cereal!  it is seriously the BEST cereal in the world.  AND it is super healthy! Just read the product description in how they open up their grains to make the cereal... not really processed at all.

and i kid you not when i say that it is sooo filling!  this stuff fills you up for hours on end.  the only 2 flavors we've tried are cinnamon raisin and almond.  both are delicious... but cinnamon raisin is my favorite.

and now i'm off to class... it is going to be a loooong day.  big test tomorrow only after 3 days of learning a chapter and a half.  our professor expects us to pull all nighters....

so i'm living off of madcap coffee.  it's the best coffee in the world.  i'd highly recommend it.  you can order it HERE.

so i drink coffee and hold my eyes open.  this is me this morning.  i look exhausted, huh?

ciao!

brownies

i should be doing organic chemistry homework right now... but instead i am cooking organically (haha-bad joke) really had to share this recipe with you!

finally a healthy brownie recipe-100% whole wheat!  this is for you amanda, amy, and momma!

here is the recipe:

DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES (makes about 20 brownies)

-1/2 cup light brown sugar,packed

-1/2 cup raw sugar (this is different from regular sugar)

-l cup unsweetened applesauce

-1 TBSP Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water (we used 1 TBSP ground flaxseed mixed w/ 1/4 cup water because our grocery doesn't have any egg replacements)

-1/2 cup + 2 TBSPs soy milk

-1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

-1 & 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

-1 & 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

-3/4 cup cocoa powder

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp sea salt

-1 & 1/2 cups (diary free) 60% chocolate chips or chunks (we used ghirardelli 60% we found in baking aisle @ grocery)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

combine sugars and applesauce with a mixer

beat in egg replacement, soy milk, canilla, and vinegar.

in a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.

gradually add dry ingredients to batter while mixing.

spray 9X13 inch baking dish and bake for 16-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  (i had to bake mine for like 22 minutes)

the batter really rises... it is almost like cake.  paul said it is like that molten lava cake.  

NOW JUST REMEMBER PORTION SIZE!  ONLY HAVE ONE A DAY--- IF THAT!  

and here is a quick peek at what paul and i had for dinner:

pad thai (rice noodles, broccoli, chic peas, red & green peppers, white onion, minced garlic, chives and cilantro-ask for the recipe if you want it!)

back to o-chem. 

love,

ky

vegan

Engine 2 is the name of the diet that we are currently following, as Paul and i are a part of a pilot study for the local doctors in our area.  There are are group of 18 people who are doing the diet with us.  it is a 28 day diet that is supposed to lower your cholesterol.  (shockingly, paul's cholesterol was slightly elevated... so it puts being healthy more into perspective for us). It's pretty strict.  No sugar, butter, eggs, milk, meat... etc. Most of the items we buy are basic veggies or items from the grocery that have only like 5 ingredients.  There are plenty  more facts I could give you.... if you want to know, just ask or google it!

It's really not been too bad.  I've actually really enjoyed it.  The hardest part is not eating sweets... because I LOVE sweets!  That is my biggest downfall.  So instead I of course have been grabbing fruit.  But today I made my first desert.  It was a blueberry cobbler... No added sugar. Made with only whole wheat flour. Only 3  tablespoons of molasses. not bad, eh? it's super healthy-- you get a serving of fruit & a whole grain!

yummmy!

and for dinner we had this delicious quinoa salad with some fresh veggies we got at the farmer's market today.

mmmm.  it tasted even better than the cobbler did... of course, because paul made it!  haha!  he is a much better cook than i. but i did cut the tomatoes!

 feel free to ask for the recipe, i'd write it, but then this post would be incredibly LOOOONGer than it already is.

We plan to stick to this diet for the most part after the 28 days... maybe add meat in like twice a week or so.  although I really do love soy milk and other soy products, but because of how controversial it is when you have too much in your diet (thyroid problems), we'll probably switch back to regular milk.

  i'll keep you posted about the diet.  but unfortunately, i start organic chemistry 2 on monday and it lasts for 5 weeks.. so i'll be super busy again.

now i have cuddle time with my roomie :)

if you give a church friend a cookie...

you have to make them for every gathering. and today we have a young adults bbq... so here they are.   i will admit, they are the best cookies ever!  they are my mother-in-law's recipe.  they are the most moist cookies you'll ever have.... the big secret.... VANILLA PUDDING and white and milk chocolate chips! YUM!

this recipe seriously makes a MILLION cookies, so if you're only cooking for two, i would half the recipe.  but it is a must try recipe. if you make them, let me know what you think!

Cyndi's Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

-2 cups margarine/butter, softened

-4 eggs

-1/2 cup sugar

-1.5 cups brown sugar

-2 teaspoonfuls vanilla

-4.5 cups flour

-2 tsp. baking soda

-2 small packages (or 1 large package) of instant vanilla pudding

-4 cups chocolate chips (1pkg chocolate chips, 1 package of white chocolate chips)

Cream margarine, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Mix in pudding and dry ingredients.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes

talking about cookies leads me to milk... which leads me to a funny story from today.  paul and i went to the farmer's market, then hit up the grocery together.  when we got home we stuffed our arms full of groceries hoping to make only 1 trip.  that was a bad idea.  paul went to open the front door and dropped the milk!  so there was a big crack in the jug and this is what we came up with for a container.. who wants to waste milk??

hahahah!  it kind of reminds me of the old days when they had the glass bottles and the milk men.  man, i wish we still had that...  we wouldn't have to worry about all of the BPA toxins.  but now our problem is that the gold handle isn't tight enough on the jar, and i think it is leaking MILK... i have to go break the news to my hubby :)

o the life of a newlywed.  i love it!