These no-bake chocolate pistachio bars are everything you could want in a dessert that is both indulgent yet wholesome. They have a rich chocolatey base, a velvety cashew-chocolate filling and a crunchy pistachio praline topping. The perfect combination of creamy, crunchy, sweet and nutty. Best of all - there is no oven needed!

Whether you are craving a healthier treat, preparing a make-ahead dessert for guests or just craving something creamy, these pistachio chocolate bars will steal the show every time!

Why you will love these bars

• No baking needed: a little blending, a little layering, chill and enjoy!
• Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan: perfect for a wide range of dietary needs
• Healthy-ish, but indulgent: made with real ingredients like dates, coconut milk and cacao.
• Great for meal prep: these bars keep well in the fridge or freezer

Chocolate Pistachio Bars Ingredients

• pitted dates - use medjool dates if you can. Make sure your dates are still sticky and not old. If they feel a little dry, you can soak them in some water to rehydrate them.
• walnuts - you can substitute pecans if you prefer.
• shredded coconut - unsweetened
• cacao powder - you can substitute cocoa powder, but cacao is better
• raw cashews - soaked for at least a few hours or overnight
• canned coconut milk - when measuring it, scoop the solids out first and then fill the rest of your measuring cup with the liquid.
• coconut oil
• shelled and peeled pistachios
• brown sugar - or any sugar you prefer.
• vanilla extract, salt, water

Watch how to make it

Recipe Tips and Variations

• Make it nut-free: swap walnuts for sunflower seeds in the base and use sunflower butter instead of cashews (texture will vary slightly)
• No stevia?: substitute maple syrup, agave or honey (if you aren't vegan)
• Coconut-free option: use almond or oat milk in place of coconut milk (although the filling may be less creamy)
• different toppings: not in the mood to make the praline pistachios? Use crushed roasted pistachios, a drizzle of chocolate ganache or even crushed Oreos!

How to store

• Fridge: place squares in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days
• Freezer: wrap bars individually and freeze for up to 1 month. Let thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving.

More delicious chocolate recipes

• No Bake Chocolate Granola Bars - chewy and sweet with a bit of crunch and a touch of peanut butter
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins - a great way to sneak in extra vegetables as well as use the zucchini in your garden. Moist and delicious!
• Baked S'Mores Cups - you don't need a campfire to have these - they bake up right in your oven!

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No Bake Chocolate Pistachio Bars (Vegan)

Indulge in a delicious and healthy treat with these no bake chocolate pistachio bars, made with dates for natural sweetness. A vegan and gluten-free dessert or snack!

Course Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Chilling Tine 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Equipment

• parchment paper
• Ninja Smoothie Blender
• Food processor

Ingredients

Base

• ½ cup pitted dates (packed)
• 1 cup walnuts
• ⅓ cup shreddded coconut unsweetened
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder

Filling

• 2 cups raw cashews soaked
• 1 cup coconut milk canned
• 1 teaspoon liquid stevia
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoon cacao powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup coconut oil melted

Pistachio Topping

• ⅔ cup pistachios shelled
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

Make the Base

• Add walnuts to a food processor and pulse until finely ground
• Add pitted dates, cacao powder and shredded coconut. Pulse again until the mixture sticks together. It should be slightly crumbly, but sticky. (Tip: if it is too dry, add a teaspoon of water and pulse again)
• Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan evenly, using the back of a spoon or your fingers.

Make the chocolate cashew filling

• Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a high-speed blender or food processor.
• Add coconut milk, stevia, vanilla extract, salt, cacao powder and melted coconut oil.
• Blend until completely smooth. The texture should be silky and thick. (Note: if you are using a food processor, you may need to pause and scrape down the sides a few times)
• Pour the chocolate filling over the prepared base and smooth out with a spatula in to an even layer.
• Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until fully set. For quicker results, chill in the freezer for 1 hour, then move to the fridge.

Make the Pistachio Praline Topping

• While the bars are setting, prepare your praline topping.
• Spread the pistachios over a lined tray or silicone baking mat.
• In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and water. Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble and turns amber in color - about 7-10 minutes. (Don't stir once it starts bubbling or the sugar may crystalize. Just swirl the pan gently)
• Quickly pour the hot caramel over the pistachios, coating them well. Let cool to room temperature and harden (about 20-30 minutes)
• Once set, break in to chunks and pulse in the food processor until you reach your desired texture - chunky or fine.
• Cut the chocolate pistachio bars in to squares and sprinkle the pistachio pieces on them before serving

Video

I have lived in the Philadelphia area for more than 45 years. I grew up on philly soft pretzels and remember that, growing up, there were guys who would stand in the median strips on major roads selling soft pretzels in brown paper bags for just $1 per bag of 3 pretzels.

This was long before there were Philly Pretzel Factory stores dotting the landscape of the East coast. Back in my childhood, the guys hawking pretzels in the street were at the Federal Pretzel Baking company at 4:00am to pick up pretzels. They would bag them and then stand out on the street all day selling them! Gotta love that entrepreneurial spirit!

Ingredients

The ingredients couldn't be simpler. As long as you have active dry yeast in the house you likely already have everything you need!

You will need:

• all-purpose flour
• active dry yeast
• sugar
• butter
• 1 egg
• salt
• baking soda (for the water bath)

Instructions

Scroll down to the recipe for more complete instructions!

Combine the yeast, sugar, water and salt and set aside until it bubbles.

Add the rest of the ingredients and knead with a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment (or your hands)

After the dough has rested, divide in to 8 portions and form in the shape of a pretzel.

Place in a baking soda bath for 1 minute prior to baking.

Tips for the best pretzels

This recipe is made easier if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, but you can always mix it the old-fashioned way and mix it by hand.

Add the baking soda to the water bath before you start heating it.  Trust me on this - if you add baking soda to boiling water, it will bubble up and over the pot and you will have a mess!

Do not skip the water bath part of making them.  It is an important step to get them to "puff up" and to help create a crispy crust when they bake.

If you do decide to skip the water bath your pretzels will have the consistency of something between a pretzel and a bagel - a "pragel" if you will!

Serving suggestions (Philly-style)

If you want to eat your Philadelphia soft pretzels like a true Philly native:

• Mustard is the only acceptable condiment for them...preferably the cheapest yellow mustard that you can find! Spicy brown mustard is fine Cheese sauce MIGHT be acceptable in some cases, so long as it is melted Cheez Wiz (the ONLY time that I will eat that stuff).
• You must eat them "from the outside in". That means that you eat the outer loops first, then save the "inside knot" for last.  The soft doughy texture of the knot is your reward.  
• It is perfectly acceptable to slice your soft pretzel in half horizontally and make it in to a "sandwich bread". This is especially good for grilled ham & cheese sandwiches (just make sure that you use mustard, not mayonnaise)

Other serving suggestions:

Many people like a good beer cheese dip, just like they are serving at many pubs and chain restaurants these days.

Mix softened butter with brown sugar (to taste) for a sweeter dip. You will even find some bakeries will offer buttercream frosting for dipping.

Variations

• Instead of the traditional pretzel shape, make pretzel rolls or cut in to pretzel nuggets.
• Make a pretzel dog. Made rods of dough and wrap them around a hot dog or sausages. Note: place the pretzels in the water bath AFTER you have wrapped the hot dogs.
• For more flavor add your favorite herbs or even some cheddar cheese and diced (drained) jalapenos to the dough.
• For a sweeter treat, skip the kosher salt and immediately toss the baked pretzels in some melted butter and then a cinnamon sugar mixture (this works best with you cut the dough in to nuggets)

So as you can see, I am serious about my soft pretzels!  Finding a homemade soft pretzel recipe is not as easy as it seems.  Sure there are a bunch of recipes out there, but I wanted one that be really close to one made by a Philly Soft Pretzel bakery...and I think this is it!

More recipes for game day

Scroll down for the recipe - and let me know how you like them!

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Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe

Finding a homemade soft pretzel recipe is not as easy as it seems. Sure there are a bunch of recipes out there, but I wanted one that be really close to a Philly Soft Pretzel…and I think this is it!

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8

Author Mindi

Ingredients

For The Pretzels

• 1 ½ cup Warm Water
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 ½ teaspoon or 1 pk Active Dry Yeast
• 4 cups Flour
• 2 oz melted Butter

For The Water Bath

• 10 cups water
• ⅔ cup baking soda

Other Ingredients:

• Egg Wash: 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Kosher Salt for topping

Instructions

Make The Dough

• Combine water, sugar and salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Let sit for about 5 minutes or until it starts to foam.
• Attach dough hook to your mixer. Add the flour and butter and mix on low speed until combined.
• Increase speed on mixer to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl (about 5 minutes).
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with towel and sit in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Assemble and Cook The Pretzels

• Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large pot
• Preheat the oven to 450.
• Line 2 baking sheets pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray or brush with vegetable oil.
• Lightly oil a cutting board and turn out the dough
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
• Roll out each piece of dough into a 2 foot rope.
• Flip ends of the rope across each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the baking sheets.
• When water is boiling, place pretzels (1 at a time) in to the boiling water for about 30 seconds.
• Remove pretzel from the water and place back on the baking sheet
• Brush the top of each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with the Kosher salt.
• Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
• Transfer to a cooling rack.

Video

More baking recipes

Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe

This keto bagels recipe makes the best gluten-free low carb bagels! They are chewy, dense, delicious, easy to make, and are ready in less than an hour! There is no yeast and no boiling needed.

We've gone through a bunch of changes in my house since my boys left for college. First my daughter became a vegetarian. Then she was trying to watch her carbohydrates (because when she first gave up meat, she was eating nothing but pasta and she gained a few pounds). Now she is trying to follow a keto diet.

The problem is, she absolutely loves bagels...bagels with cream cheese, bagels with butter and cinnamon, using a bagel to make a sandwich...you name it! There is a store near us that DOES sell ketogenic bagels however they want about $1.50 each for them and there was no way I way paying that!

The Ingredients

The ingredients for this keto bagels recipe are pretty simple and chances are that you already have everything you need in your kitchen!

• almond flour
• eggs (at room temperature)
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• olive oil
• apple cider vinegar
• baking powder
• salt
• oregano
• your choice of your favorite bagel topping: cheddar cheese, poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, onion flakes, etc

What do keto bagels taste like?

Despite this keto bagel recipe being mostly made with almond flour and cheese, the finished bagels will taste nothing like almonds or cheese.

You should find that the texture and flavor should be very similar to the type of bagel that you buy in the bread aisle of the grocery store. They won't have the crispy outer crust that a "true" New York-style bagel has, but if you toast them, they will have plenty of crunch.

Fathead Dough vs Cheese Dough

I call this dough a "cheese dough" because I had never even heard of Fathead Dough until after I made this keto bagel recipe! I now know that Fathead Dough is a "staple" of keto recipes. This recipe is a tweak of something my daughter found on TikTok!

From everything I learned since my daughter went Keto, the entire purpose of the cream cheese (or butter) in Fathead Dough is because is helps the cheese mixture become creamy.

I found that it was plenty creamy with olive oil!

Going forward, I will probably make more with Fathead Dough...but for now, this keto bagel recipe just works!

Almond Flour or Coconut Flour?

We used almond flour for his recipe because that is what we had in the kitchen. I know that many people prefer coconut flour.

If you choose to use coconut flour, you will need to reduce the amount of flour as coconut flour tends to absorb more moisture. Coconut flour also tends to make a slightly sweeter dough.

Tips for making the dough

You can either melt the mozzarella in a non-stick saucepan on the stove, or in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave.

If you don't have a food processor then you can can use a high-powered blender or a stand mixer. Just make sure to pulse (or mix) until the batter is very smooth!

I put oregano in the dough because I love oregano...but you can easily substitute your favorite spice. Onion powder or garlic powder would be a nice substitute. My daughter once added chia seeds because she wanted to up the fiber!

Topping Suggestions

I chose cheddar cheese because that is what we were on the mood for that day. You can substitute everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, etc. It's all up to you!

Storing and reheating

Store in a Ziploc bag for 3-4 days.

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Easy Keto Bagels Recipe

This keto bagels recipe makes the best gluten-free low carb bagels! They are chewy, delicious, easy to make, and are ready in less than an hour!

Course Breads, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Equipment

• Food processor
• parchment paper

Ingredients

For the bagels

• 2 ⅓ cup Almond flour
• 3 eggs room temperature
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 9 oz mozzarella cheese shredded or cubed
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano optional

For the topping

• 1 egg yolk room temperature
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese optional
• 3 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning optional
• 3 tablespoon sesame seeds, poppy seeds or dried onion flakes optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Make the bagels

• Beat the 3 eggs in a medium bowl with the vinegar, garlic powder, baking powder, oregano and salt
  3 eggs, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• In a small non-stick saucepan or skillet, combine the mozzarella and olive oil. Heat over medium heat until the cheese is melted. (you can also do this in a bowl in a microwave). Allow to cool slightly.
  1 tablespoon olive oil, 9 oz mozzarella cheese
• Add the egg mixture and the melted cheese to a food processor or high powered blender. Pulse until you have a smooth batter.
• Transfer egg/cheese batter to a medium bowl and add the almond flour. Gently stir until it forms a soft dough. The dough will be slightly sticky, but shouldn't be too wet.
• Test the dough by taking some and forming a ball with it. If the ball won't keep it's shape, return the ball to the bowl and add more almond flour, a tablespoon at a time, until you are able to form a stable ball ** NOTE: you don't want a "dry and firm" ball..just one that doesn't immediately collapse! **
• Divide the dough in to 6 equal portions.
• Form the bagels by rolling each piece in to a ball, then press to slightly flatten it. Use your finger to poke a hole in the middle of the dough
• Set the bagel on the prepared baking sheet.
• Beat the egg yolk and brush the tops of the bagel with the yolk
• Sprinkle tops with cheddar cheese, poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning, onion flakes or topping of your choice.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a plate.

Storage

• Bagels will keep for up to 3 days in a Ziploc bag.

Video

Notes

About the mozzarella cheese: 9 oz of mozzarella cheese is slightly more than ½ cup. When I was making these keto bagels, ½ cup of cheese was too little, and ⅔ of a cup was too much. If you don't have a food scale, just slightly overfill a ½ cup measuring cup with the cheese!

Storing leftovers: these keto bagels will keep in a Ziploc bag for about 2-3 days on the counter or up to a week in the fridge

Reheating: after a day or two, the bagels will be less soft. Simply reheat them in a microwave or toaster

This Guinness Beef Stew recipe is so hearty and comforting on a cold winter's day. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any day of the year!

Beef stew is a regular dinner in our home because it is just so filling and hearty, especially on a cold winter's day. I usually stick to my regular crockpot beef stew recipe, but at this time of year, my husband will have Guinness in the house and I will grab a bottle to make this Guinness Beef Stew.

Why Guinness?

Guinness is a dark colored rich Irish beer that will give this Irish Beef Stew an amazing depth of flavor. Your finished stew won't taste like beer and there is really no substitution for it if you want a traditional Irish stew. Guinness gives this beef stew a much earthier flavor and more depth to the stew.

What to Serve With Irish Stew

I usually like to whip up a loaf of my homemade beer bread whenever I am making soup, but for this one, I usually stick to making a loaf of my homemade Irish Soda Bread (although honestly, my children prefer the beer bread!).

Anyway - to make this Guinness Beef Stew, you will need at least 4 hours and the following:

• 1 ½ lb Beef Chuck cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
• ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 teaspoon minced Garlic
• 3 cup Beef Broth or Stock
• 1 bottle Guinness Extra Stout
• ½ can Tomato Paste
• 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• ¼ teaspoon dried Thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 pounds small Red Potatoes, quartered
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 lb Carrots, chopped

Making it is pretty easy!

After dredging the beef in the flour, salt & pepper, brown it (in small batches) and set aside. Add the onion to your pan and saute until browned. Add the Guinness & garlic to your dutch oven and use a spatula to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the browned beef to the dutch oven along with the leftover dredging flour and bring to a simmer.

Add the remaining ingredients (except the carrots and potatoes) to the dutch oven, stir well and place in the oven for 2 hours. After an hour, add the carrots. An hour after that, add the potatoes. Serve and enjoy!

Scroll down for the complete directions!

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Guinness Beef Stew Recipe

This Guinness Beef Stew recipe is so hearty and comforting on a cold winter's day. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any day of the year!

Course Soup

Cuisine Irish

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Mindi

Equipment

• Dutch Oven
• Silicone Pot Holders
• Bamboo Utensils

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb Beef Chuck cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
• ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 teaspoon minced Garlic
• 3 cup Beef Broth or Stock
• 1 bottle Guinness Extra Stout
• ½ can Tomato Paste
• 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• ¼ teaspoon dried Thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 pounds small Red Potatoes quartered
• 1 Onion chopped
• 1 lb Carrots chopped
• 1 Bay Leaf

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat.
• Mix together flour salt and pepper.
• Dredge meat in the flour mixture in small batches and brown in the oil.
• Remove the browned beef and set aside.
• Add the onion to the pan and cook until golden (about 5 minutes).
• Add Guinness and garlic and scrape the browned bits from bottom of pan.
• Add the browned beef and the remainder of dredging flour to the dutch oven and bring to a simmer.
• Add in the beef stock, tomato paste, brown sugar, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well to combine.
• Place the lid on the dutch oven and place in the oven for about 2 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
• Add in the carrots and return to the oven for 1 hour.
• Add in the potatoes and return to oven for 1 hour or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Guinness Beef Stew Recipe

If you are still looking for a recipe for your next party, these bacon-wrapped smokies with a brown sugar glaze are just about one of the easiest things that you can make....and will probably be one of the first to be gobbled up by your guests! The brown sugar glaze is the perfect complement to the saltiness of the bacon and the savory smoky sausage!

I started making these about 13 years ago and now, every time we have a party, people expect them because they are just that darn good! It's not really am imposition...a batch costs me about $10 to make (less if I can get the bacon or smokies on sale by following the sales at the grocery stores. Both freeze beautifully until you are ready to use them!)

Making them is easy....you can even assemble them in advance and pop them in the oven 15 minutes before you are ready to serve (they really are best served hot!).

Oh - one last thing - you can use "regular" brown sugar, but I really like to use my homemade brown sugar (and add a little extra molasses so that it is sort of "between" light brown sugar and dark brown sugar.  I don't know- ever since I started making it myself (usually fresh, for each recipe), I just prefer making brown sugar myself (although feel free to not be as nutso as I am!).

Things you'll need for this recipe

• 1 pkg (16 oz) Lit'l Smokies (I use Hillshire Farms)
• 1 pkg (12 oz) thick cut bacon
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• cookie sheets
• toothpicks
• aluminum foil or parchment paper

Preparation & Cooking

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper (this will make clean-up MUCH easier)
3. Cut each bacon slice in to 3 or 4 pieces.
4. Wrap each bacon piece around a sausage allowing for a slight overlap - don't wrap them too tight).
5. Secure with a toothpick and place in a single layer on a foil-lined baking dish or sheet. Repeat with the rest of the bacon & sausages.
6. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the sausages
7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the bacon is browned and the sugar is melted.

Serve

I usually just pile them on I don't think that these really need any dipping sauce, but I usually serve them with a small bowl of ketchup or mustard or even my homemade bbq sauce!

Enjoy!

Can you make bacon wrapped smokies ahead of time? Freeze them?

YES! Because both the bacon and the Lil'Smokies are either fully cooked or cured (unless you buy uncured bacon), you can assemble them and store them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them!

If you hit a good sale on both, you can assemble them and and freeze them uncooked until you are ready to cook (as long as neither the smokies or the bacon was previously frozen). Just pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw before you bake!

How to reheat bacon wrapped smokies

In the unlikely event that you have any leftovers, just store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. To reheat, place them on a foil-lined baking sheet at 350F for about 10 minutes (microwaving them to reheat them will make the bacon soggy)

More Appetizer recipes

• Dip for Doritos Recipe
• Pepperoni Pizza Crescent Rolls
• Bacon Cheeseburger Pockets
• Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

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Bacon Wrapped Smokies with Brown Sugar Glaze

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon wrapped smokies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Mindi

Equipment

• parchment paper
• Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients

• 16 oz Little Smokies (I use Hillshire Farms)
• 12 oz thick-cut bacon
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Line a baking sheet with foil (this will make clean-up MUCH easier)
• Cut each bacon slice in to 3 or 4 pieces.
• Wrap each bacon piece around a sausage allowing for a slight overlap – don’t wrap them too tight).
• Secure with a toothpick and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the bacon & sausages.
• Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the sausages
• Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until the bacon is browned and the sugar is melted.
• Serve immediately

Bacon Wrapped Smokies with a Brown Sugar Glaze

Getting my children (and my husband, if I am being honest) is always a challenge. While they are all getting better (my husband wouldn't even eat a salad when I met him), they still resist.

They would eat almost anything if I smothered it in cheese, but I am looking for a more healthy side dish - but one that still has plenty of flavor...and this easy Ratatouille recipe is just that!

There are so many different versions of ratatouille. This recipe uses more zucchini and squash and less eggplant, which is the way we prefer it. That being said, you can adapt it to your tastes and add or remove whatever veggies you want.

You can eat this as a side dish or serve it as a sauce over fish, grilled meat, eggs or polenta. It's also delicious as a bruschetta served with toasted Italian bread. You can also make this a meal by tossing it with cooked pasta and some Parmesan cheese!

For the absolute best ratatouille, transfer it to a covered container and refrigerate overnight. It's so much better the next day after the flavors have had time to blend. If you don't want to make it in advance, make more than you will need for dinner and you can look forward to some amazing leftovers!

The vegetables should be added in the order written in the recipe. Don't think you can throw them all in the pan at once and have the same results. It doesn't work.

Additionally, don't rush this. The vegetables aren't meant to be browned, so you'll need to adjust your heat accordingly. Ratatouille is like a ragu and should have some liquid at the bottom. You don't want that to cook out which can happen if your heat is too high.

Lastly, use good vegetables. This is especially true for your tomatoes. I used tomatoes ground by a local farmer, which are full of juice, sweet and delicious. If you cannot get good tomatoes, you can use high-quality canned plum tomatoes. You won't need all the juice though, so strain that out and put a new refrigerator for another recipe or freeze it

Enjoy!

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Easy Ratatouille Recipe | A Healthy Side Dish!

This easy ratatouille recipe is packed with flavor and makes a great side dish...or sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on it and it can be a dinner by itself!

Author Mindi

Equipment

• 9 x 13 baking dish
• Chef's Knife
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper diced
• 1 orange bell pepper diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 zucchini squash diced
• 1 yellow squash diced
• 1 small eggplant cubed with skin on
• 1 large ripe tomato diced (with juice)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Cube the eggplant and add it to a colander sitting in the sink. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over it, toss and allow it to sit while you chop the vegetables. Salting the eggplant draws out the water and firm it up, which helps it not be as mushy.
• Add the olive oil to a large (wide) pan and turn the heat on medium.
• When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for five minutes.
• Add all of the peppers and cook for three minutes.
• Add the zucchini, yellow squash, garlic and spices and cook for three minutes.
• Add the eggplant and tomatoes and cook for two minutes, uncovered.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and cook for five to seven minutes, stirring frequently. You want the vegetables cooked through but not mushy.
• Turn off the heat and add the fresh parsley.
• Stir to combine and taste to adjust the seasonings.

Easy Ratatouille Recipe

I've mentioned before that I have a sort of Love-Hate relationship with mushrooms. I can stand eating raw mushrooms, but I do like them when they are cooked properly, as does my husband (like with my pork chops with creamy dijon mushroom sauce).

While I much prefer a crab stuffed mushroom, my husband doesn't like fish or shellfish and I wanted something that he would eat - so we went with these sausage stuffed mushrooms!

Stuffed mushrooms seem fancy, but they're one of the easiest appetizers you can make, and the variations are endless! You can add pancetta, olives, and any kind of cheese you like. You could also make them can make them completely vegetarian if you prefer.

For this recipe, we use ricotta for an extra creamy, delicious filling. And the Italian sausage gives these tons of flavor and texture.

All mushrooms are different in size, so you may have a little too much or a little too little filling. I suggest starting with one tablespoon per mushroom as instructed in the recipe, and then going back around and distributing any extra as needed.

Since there are no breadcrumbs in this, they are low-carb and gluten-free. That said, you could sprinkle some seasoned breadcrumbs over them before baking if you wanted an extra crispy top.

We used full-fat Italian sausage which released enough fat to cook the mushrooms stems, onions, and garlic. If you use a low-fat sausage, you may need to add some olive oil.

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Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms with Ricotta Cheese

Whether you serve them as an appetizer or as a main meal, these sausage stuffed mushrooms are sure to be a hit! Ricotta gives the filling added creaminess!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Mindi

Ingredients

• 16 baby bella mushrooms
• 2 links Italian sausage
• ½ cup finely diced onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• ⅔ cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F
• To prep the mushrooms, clean them with a damp washcloth and remove the stems.
• Finely chop the mushroom stems and set them aside.

Prepare The Filling

• Add the Italian sausage to a skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. As the sausage cooks, use a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces.
• Add the chopped mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the sausage. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for five minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl too cool.
• When the mixture has cooled for about 10 minutes, add the egg yolk, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Assemble the Dish and Bake

• Add a tablespoon of the filling to each mushroom, and then evenly distribute any leftover filling between them.
• Place the mushrooms on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
• Allow the mushrooms too cool for a few minutes before serving.
• To serve, arrange them on a platter and sprinkle some sliced fresh basil on top.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms with Ricotta Cheese

I have a family full of picky eaters, but there is one thing that we can all agree on - we all love pizza (really - who doesn't?). We probably make homemade pizza about every 10 days.

Whenever I make my homemade pizza dough recipe, I always make a double or triple batch and just freeze few extra dough balls. I grabbed one out of the freezer the other night, let it thaw/rise overnight and decided to make a breakfast pizza...and my husband is asking when when I am going to make it again.

The beauty of a breakfast pizza is that, like regular pizza, you can pretty much put anything you want on it....but I wanted something a little more interesting than just throwing scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese on top of a pizza crust!

I always use a pizza stone when I am making pizza to ensure that the entire bottom crust cooks completely and starts to get nice & crispy. I like to start my crust on the bottom rack of the oven to ensure the bottom gets nice and crisp. After five minutes I move the pizza up to the middle rack.

To scramble the eggs, crack them into a bowl and whisk them until frothy. Add them to a pan coated with a little nonstick cooking spray and cook them until just cooked through. I don't add anything to the eggs (except maybe a little salt & pepper), because the added moisture of milk or half and half that people usually add to scrambled eggs can make the pizza crust too wet.

For added flavor, I use a mix of three different kinds of cheddar, but you can use any kind of cheese you want.

When my favorite brand of all-natural breakfast sausage goes on sale, I buy extra to cook up and keep in the freezer for quick meals like this. Cooked sausage thaws very quickly! If you're using raw sausage, just increase the cooking time a little to make sure it's fully cooked.

Using a premade pizza crust makes this even quicker, but of course you can use any crust you want. They even have varieties that are fully cooked. Whatever kind you use, you'll just want to follow the cooking temperature and time given on the package or in your recipe.

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Breakfast Pizza with Sausage and Spinach

This breakfast pizza is a nice change from your regular breakfast routine. Sausage, spinach and spices ensure that each bite is packed with flavor!

Course Breakfast

Keyword breakfast pizza

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Mindi

Equipment

• Round Pizza Stone
• parchment paper
• Parchment Paper Circles

Ingredients

• 1 11- ounce uncooked pizza crust store-bought, or you can use my homemade pizza dough recipe
• 1 cup ground breakfast sausage cooked
• ¼ cup onion diced
• 4 large eggs scrambled
• 5 ounces fresh spinach leaves
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 plum tomato thinly sliced
• 1 green onion thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter melted
• ¼ teaspoon basil
• ¼ teaspoon oregano
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°.
• Add the cooked sausage and the onion to a pan over medium heat and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion is softened.
• Add the spinach leaves and toss until they are wilted, about one minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Spray a 12" round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and stretch the crust to fit. I like to roll the edges to give it more of a crust.
• Add the melted butter, basil, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Brush the butter mixture around the edges of the crust.
• Add half of each kind of cheese to the bottom of the crust, followed by the sausage and spinach mixture.
• Next add the eggs making sure to evenly spread them out.
• Lastly, add a few thin slices of tomato and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
• Bake until your pizza crust is nice and brown on the bottom and around the edges, about 12 minutes
• Serve with sliced green onion and a little extra Parmesan sprinkled on top, if desired.

Breakfast Pizza with Sausage and Spinach

Oh - if your family likes creamy pasta sauces (and who doesn't?), they are going to love this vodka sauce recipe!  Yes - that is right - I am telling you to give something called "vodka sauce" to your children!

The reason I am telling you to give your children something with vodka in it?

Because the vodka is used to deglaze your pan at one point and most (if not all) of the alcohol is cooked out of the vodka, leaving just the flavor.  That being said, if you don't keep vodka in the home, you only need 2 ounces, so you could just buy 2 of those little "airplane bottles" and have enough...I think you are going to love this vodka sauce recipe enough that you might start keeping vodka in the house just for this!

But enough about the vodka - if you don't want to use it, use an equal amount of water or wine to deglaze.  The flavor will be slightly different, but it will be just as delicious!

I've been making this vodka sauce recipe for years - it is a tweak of a recipe that I saw Giada Di Laurentis make on her show (back when I had time to watch cooking shows).  I have made it so many times, changing it a little each time, but this last time, it turned out better than ever and there were NO leftovers.  I finally decided it was time to sit down and write it out!

As always, I actually use about twice the garlic than I list in this recipe - but my family is a family of garlic-lovers.  I suggest starting with the amount of garlic that I list - and gradually increasing (or decreasing) the amount to suit the tastes of your family.

Oh - and please, please, PLEASE - for the love of all that is Good and Holy - do NOT use dried basil in this recipe. Fresh basil gives this vodka sauce recipe so much flavor! And before you say "do you know how expensive fresh basil is in the supermarket?" - let me tell you that you could be saving a ton of money by growing your own container herb garden - even in your kitchen (or wherever in your house gets the most sun), even in the winter!

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Penne with Chicken and Vodka Sauce Recipe

This vodka sauce recipe is sure to be a hit with your family! I usually pair it with chicken and penne, but it is equally delicious if you use shrimp or scallops!

Author Mindi

Equipment

• Everyday Pan
• Garlic Press

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 medium shallots minced (about ½ cup)
• 3 medium garlic cloves minced
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast cut in to ¾″ cubes
• 3 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley fresh, minced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt or other coarse salt
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper freshly ground
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 oz vodka
• 12 oz uncooked penne
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 15-20 leaves basil fresh, cut into strips

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet over a medium heat. Add butter, shallots, and chicken. Sauté until shallots are softened and chicken is no longer pink on the outside.
• Add the garlic and continue cooking until shallots start to caramelize, about 2 to 4 minutes.
• Add parsley, sea salt, tomato paste and pepper, and mix to form a paste. Lower the heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Add the vodka. Scrape bottom of pan with a wooden spoon and cook for about 5 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
• When the pasta is cooked, transfer about 1 cup of the cooking water to a heat-proof measuring cup. Set aside. Drain the rest of the pasta.
• Add the cream to the tomato sauce; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes.
• Add pasta to the sauce and mix to coat.
• If the pasta sauce appears too thick, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to “loosen it up” (I usually have to add about ½ cup)
• Top with basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Vodka Sauce Recipe

Oh - you are going to love these sliders at your next party (or just for dinner any night of the week!). Smoked bacon and beef make for an extra-flavorful burger, while a creamy blue cheese sauce is a nice change from your typical condiments and makes for a more indulgent burger.

This made 9 sliders for me, but it may be different for you based on the size of your buns. You could also make burgers. If you choose to do that, thick burgers do not work well with this recipe, because the bacon in the middle will not get cooked. I suggest making two thinner patties that are wider in diameter and stacking them. Thinner patties should cook in about the same time as in this recipe.

The key to a 50/50 burger is grinding the bacon small enough that it can cook through in a relatively short amount of time. I used a food processor to grind mine, but you can also use a knife. Starting with half-frozen bacon works best if you're chopping it by hand.

You are going to want to cook these sliders on a lower heat, so the fat in the bacon has time to cook through and render out. So, don't rush it. Keep these on a medium to medium-high heat so the patty gets cooked all the way through. Don’t worry about them being dry. There's plenty of fat to keep them moist.

Since these are half bacon, a lot of grease is going to collect in the pan as they cook. Use a spoon to scoop it out as needed.

Bacon can be very salty, and all brands are different. Also, the blue cheese is a little salty, so I have never needed to add any salt to this recipe. While we are talking about the bacon, do yourself a favor and use good, quality beef and bacon for this. You only need ½ pound of each, so spend the few extra dollars and get the good stuff!

These are going to shrink up as they cook, so form your raw patties slightly larger than the bottom of your slider bun. This will ensure they're the perfect size once they're cooked.

In my opinion, one of the best flavor combinations in the world is blue cheese and bacon, so the blue cheese sauce really brings these sliders home! And the extra little kick from the hot sauce is a nice surprise. However, if you don't like blue cheese, barbecue sauce would also be great on these!

Toasting the slider buns is optional, but we like the added texture. To do this this, just lay them open-faced on a baking sheet and broil them for 30-60 seconds or until lightly toasted.

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Beef and Bacon Sliders with Blue Cheese Sauce

I don't know which is better - the smoky taste of these beef and bacon burgers or the blue cheese sauce that tops them! Serve them at your next party!

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword beef sliders

Author Mindi

Equipment

• mini prep
• Nonstick skillet, large
• Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients

For the Burgers

• ½ pound smoked bacon ground
• ½ pound lean ground beef
• 9 mini sliders buns toasted

For the Blue Cheese Sauce

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles plus extra for garnish
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce more or less to taste
• 1 green onion finely sliced

Other Stuff

• 1 pkg Hawaiian or Slider Rolls
• 1 head lettuce I prefer iceberg lettuce for these

Instructions

• Mix the ground bacon and beef until they are thoroughly combined.
• Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, form nine small patties.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and arrange the patties in the pan without the sides touching. Using your fingertips, press a small indention in the top of each patty. This will help them stay flat as they cook.
• Cook the patties on medium to medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. If it appears to be cooking too hot, turn the heat down a little. ** See my notes below for more on this.
• When the patties are done, remove them from the pan and let them rest on a paper towel while you make the blue cheese sauce.
• To make the blue cheese sauce, just add the mayonnaise, blue cheese crumbles, hot sauce, and half of the green onion to a small bowl. Stir to combine. I like to use the back of my spoon to break up the blue cheese in the sauce. This helps infuse the blue cheese flavor and breaks up any large chunks. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt, pepper and more hot sauce, if desired. ** See my note below about the salt.
• To assemble the sliders, lay a piece of lettuce on the bottom bun, followed by a beef/bacon patty and then a dollop of sauce. If desired, you can garnish with extra blue cheese crumbles and green onions!

Notes

Bacon can be very salty, and all brands are different. Also, the blue cheese is a little salty, so I have never needed to add any salt to this recipe.

Beef and Bacon Sliders with Blue Cheese Sauce

My children just love when I make them homemade doughnuts.  Like most kids their again, they would eat doughnuts for every meal if I were to let them.  But I don't, so they can't.

But I am not a total meanie so I do let them have doughnuts some of the time, but I want to know what it is them.  That is why I have come up with a bunch of doughnut recipes that my kids love and I can feel better about serving them and this pumpkin cake donuts recipe is the new addition to our lineup at home!

Missed my other doughnut recipes?

• Chocolate Glazed Baked Donut Recipe
• Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes | Easy Donut Recipe
• Homemade Apple Cider Donuts Recipe
• Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Bites Recipe

To make them, you will need:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 ½ cup Sugar
• 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
• 2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 ¾ cups Flour
• 3 tablespoon Cinnamon Sugar

This pumpkin donut recipe uses the same pan that we used with the Chocolate Glazed Baked Donut Recipe. You should be able to find it at AC Moore, Michael's, etc or you can always just grab it on Amazon. The easiest way to fill the cavities of the pan and to not make a mess is to transfer your batter to a gallon-sized zipper bag, cut off a corner of the bag and then "pipe" the batter in to the pan.

As for the cinnamon and sugar on top - that is up to you. I will typically just sprinkle the mixture on top of the donuts (while warm), but if I am feeling extra generous, I will double the amount of cinnamon & sugar topping and actually dip the donuts in the mixture.  You can even sprinkle some on top of the batter before baking and then a little more after they are baked.

These makes my kids REALLY happy!

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Pumpkin Cake Donuts with Cinnamon and Sugar

With the right recipe, baked donuts are so much better than deep fried ones and these pumpkin cake donuts will quickly become your go-to Fall breakfast!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 28 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Mindi

Ingredients

• ½ cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 ½ cup Sugar
• 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
• 2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1¾ cups Flour
• 3 tablespoon Cinnamon Sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Lightly grease doughnut pan.
• Combine the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder. Mix until blended.
• Add in the flour, stirring until blended.
• Use a piping bag or zippered bag to fill each donut shape about ¾ full.
• Bake the doughnuts for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes then use a butter knife to gently loosen each from the pan.
• Transfer to a rack.
• Sprinkle each with cinnamon sugar while still warm.
• Allow to finish cooling on the rack.

Pumpkin cake donuts

Crockpot Italian meatballs are always a big hit in my house and I am constantly trying to come up with new ways to make them. My absolute favorite recipe is my Healthy Turkey Meatballs, but my husband and boys prefer beef and aren't crazy about my adding oats instead of bread crumbs in that recipe.

Likewise, I never really like using bread crumbs when I am making beef meatballs because I feel like the bread crumbs dry them out too much. I have a few friends who suggested that I try using milk-soaked bread as my "binder" (which is what the oats/bread crumbs do) and the result were these delicious and oh-so-moist meatballs!

These crockpot Italian meatballs would be great served over some pasta for dinner, with some provolone cheese on a long roll as a sandwich (try them on game day - and if you have a bunch of people over and have a second slow cooker, serve them right alongside my Crockpot Chicken Tacos or even my Crockpot Cheese Steak Recipe!)

Making them is really easy!

You will need:

• 3 lb Ground Beef
• 8 slices White Bread
• ⅓ cup Milk
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 medium Onion Finely Diced
• 1 tablespoon minced Garlic
• ⅓ cup Grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoon Oregano
• 4 teaspoon Basil
• 1 Egg
• 48 oz Spaghetti Sauce (homemade or jar)

First you are going to shred up 8 or 9 slices of white bread (you can also use wheat bread if you like - I even like using potato bread). Place the bread in a bowl and add about ⅓ cup of milk. Toss the milk with the bread and just let that sit there for a few minutes until most of the milk is absorbed.

Drain the excess milk (but don't squeeze any of the milk out of the bread). Give the egg a quick wisk and add it to the bread along with the onion, garlic, oregano basil and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine well.

This is where you are going to get a little messy. Crumble the beef in to the milk/bread mixture and use your hands to work everything together. Form in to 2" meatballs.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet on high and, in small batches (about 5 at a time) brown the meatballs on all sides.

Transfer the browned meatballs to your slow cooker, add the sauce and cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for 8 hours!

Enjoy!

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Crockpot Italian Meatballs | Perfect For Dinner or Game Day!

These Crockpot Italian Meatballs take just a little bit of prep work to get them ready to throw in your slow cooker. Serve them over pasta, on a long roll as a sandwich or just all by themselves!

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword crockpot italian meatballs

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Mindi

Equipment

• Crockpot - 6 Qt

Ingredients

• 3 lb Ground Beef you can also substitute turkey
• 8 slices White Bread
• ⅓ cup Milk
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 medium Onion Finely Diced
• 1 tablespoon minced Garlic
• ⅓ cup Grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoon Oregano
• 4 teaspoon Basil
• 1 Egg
• 48 oz Spaghetti Sauce use your favorite homemade or store-bought sauce

Instructions

• Tear bread into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
• Add milk and toss to absorb milk, let soak for 5 minutes.
• Drain any excess milk.
• Whisk egg and add to bread.
• Add onion, garlic, oregano, basil and parmesan and mix well.
• Crumble ground beef into mixture.
• Mix with your hands to endure everything is well blended and form into 2″ meatballs.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet and brown meatballs on all sides 5 at a time.
• Transfer browned meatballs to slow cooker.
• Add sauce and cook on High for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

If there is one thing that I look forward to at the end of summer and each Fall, it is the abundance of cheap and flavorful apples.  I stinkin' love apples and eat them all year long.  I will put them in my breakfast apple roll-ups, make a HUGE batch of crockpot applesauce, and will even use apples to sweeten spare ribs!

But once Fall hits, it is time to heat those bad boys up and enjoy them warm (especially with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side) and these homemade apple dumplings are so easy to assemble and bake and will fill your home with the most amazing aroma!

I don't know who came up with the idea of using sodas when it comes to baking, but I love them.  We are generally trying to cut down on sodas in our house (much to may family's chagrin), so I just buy a bottle now when I want to make a recipe like this. I am choosing to believe that all the "bad" stuff gets baked out, leaving just the flavor.

Hennyway - these homemade apple dumplings are sure to be a hit in your house.  The longest step of the process is waiting for the caramel coating to thicken, but even that takes just a few minutes (if you can, heat it in a non-stick saucepan, as that will make clean-up so much easier!)

I used crescent rolls because they are so much easier and are already cut in to the perfect triangles for this recipe. I have also made them in the past using puff pastry. You just need to cut the puff pastry sheets in to triangles yourself. Yeah - I know - #firstworldproblems - right?

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Homemade Apple Dumplings

These homemade apple dumplings are so easy to make and will fill your home with the most amazing aroma. Serve them for breakfast or dessert!

Author Mindi

Ingredients

• 2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 cup butter
• 1 ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 12 oz Mountain Dew
• 2 Granny Smith apples

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Butter a 13x9 inch baking dish.
• Unroll crescent rolls and divide in to triangles
• Peel and core apples. Cut each apple in to 8 wedges
• Roll each apple piece in a crescent roll triangle and place in a prepared dish.
• Melt butter in a saucepan and add sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook on low until thickened.
• Pour over dumplings.
• Carefully, pour the soda into the middle and sides of a pan, avoiding pouring onto rolls.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve and enjoy!

I love all things pumpkin as well as the flavors of Fall. I have a huge arsenal of pumpkin recipes, but aside from my pumpkin Parmesan risotto, I don't have many savory pumpkin recipes and I decided that it was time to change that!

You know that song "Scarborough Fair" by Simon & Garfunkel where they sing about parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme? Well - there were plenty of meanings to that song, but one of them is that the 4 herbs just WORK together and can create something amazing - and that is what I use in this pumpkin alfredo sauce!

A few tips:

Combining the pumpkin puree with the cream is a little tricky because they really don't want to blend and make it easy for you! Because of this, I made the sauce in my 12" All-Clad non-stick skillet and used a rubber scraper to "smush" the pumpkin on the bottom of the pan and quickly stir it in to the cream. It worked well!

As always, I "toned down" the actual amount of garlic that I used, because my family loves garlic. If you love garlic as well, you might want to increase the amount!

You will want to play with the herbs, based on your personal preference. I originally thought 1 teaspoon of Thyme would be enough (and it was certainly tasty with just that amount), but adding another 1 teaspoon of Thyme gave this pumpkin alfredo sauce a much earthier flavor. Start with what I have listed and once the sauce is hot, taste it and add more if you want!

Hope you enjoy!

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Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce with Rosemary and Sage

This pumpkin alfredo sauce recipe is a nice change from all the sweet pumpkin recipes that we usually see. A creamy and delicious way to enjoy pumpkin for dinner!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Mindi

Ingredients

• 12 oz uncooked penne pasta or "stabby pasta" - rotini, rigatoni, etc - of your choice
• 1 15 oz can. pumpkin puree
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 4 cloves, pressed through a garlic press
• ⅔ cup fresh grated Parmesan + additional for garnish
• ⅓ cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon sage
• pinch of white pepper black pepper will also work
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Prepare noodles according to package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup of the cooking water in a heatproof measuring cup. Drain and set aside.
• In a pan large enough to hold the sauce AND the pasta, heat the butter
• Add the garlic and saute until fragrant (about 4 minutes)
• Add the thyme, rosemary and sage and saute for another minute.
• Add the pumpkin puree, cream and salt and pepper.
• Heat, stirring often until the pumpkin has blended in to the cream.
• Continue to heat over medium heat until the sauce just begins to simmer (do not let it boil!)
• (at this point, I tasted it and decided to add more ground thyme - but that is up to you!)
• Add the parsley and Parmesan cheese and stir constantly until well blended.
• Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine.
• If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to "loosen it up" a bit.
• Serve with additional Parmesan cheese for garnish

Weekends in the Fall and part of the Winter are all about football in our house.  Conveniently, the weather is also getting cooler, so it is the same time that we start eating "heartier" meals and snacks.  I mean, nothing against a good carrot stick dipped in hummus....but that isn't exactly "football food"! This dish (as well as my BLT Bruschetta recipe) is certainly "football food"!

I originally was going to call these "Philly Cheesesteak French Bread Pizzas", but I just couldn't bring myself to do it for one important reason - because I use ground beef for this recipe and as any Philadelphian knows - a true Philly Cheesesteak uses thinly-sliced sirloin.

So - Beef French Pizza it was!

But the ground beef was easier and the flavors are still there...so we compromised and called it "Philly-Style Beef"!

Hennyway....a few notes about this Cheesy Philly-Style Beef French Bread Pizza:

1. I prefer to use lean ground beef to keep all the flavors in the pan, and it makes it just a little healthier. If you use regular ground beef, I suggest draining it very well before adding the frozen vegetables, so that you don't have as greasy of a pizza. You could also use ground chicken or turkey as well.
2. Using different types of cheese gives this great flavor, but you could really use any kind you like. I also like to go lighter on the cheese, but feel free to add as much as you want.
3. To make this quick and easy, I use a frozen pepper blend, but you could certainly use fresh veggies if you prefer. Mushrooms would also be good in this!
4. I alternate between using a French bread and a Ciabatta bread when I make this. Really - when I am at the bakery counter, it depends on which bread is flatter so that, when the top half is on the baking sheet in the oven, it isn't tilting.

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Cheesy Philly-Style Beef French Bread Pizza | Great Game Day Recipe!

French bread pizzas are the perfect football food and this Cheesy Philly-Style Beef French Bread Pizza is sure to be a hit! Use your imagination and change up the ingredients to suit your tastes.

Author Mindi

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup frozen pepper and onion blend
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 10 " Ciabatta loaf or French Bread
• Italian parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or non-stick cooking paper and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the ground beef, salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.
• Add the frozen peppers and onions and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until all of the moisture has evaporated.
• Remove the meat and vegetable mixture from the pan and add it to a large bowl. Allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add all of the cheese to the meat mixture and stir to combine.
• Slice the bread horizontally and lay both pieces with the cut side up on the baking sheet.
• Spoon the meat mixture on top of the bread, using your hands to mound it evenly and gently press it down.
• Bake for approximately 10 - 15 minutes or until all the cheese has melted and the edges of the bread are slightly browned.
• Allow it to cool for about five minutes before serving.
• Cut into serving size pieces and sprinkle with Italian parsley and extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Cheesy Philly-Style Beef French Bread Pizza | Great Game Day Recipe!

So a few weeks ago I made some homemade strawberry jam and I have to admit, I caught the "jam-making bug". This is what usually happens to me: I don't make any jams or jellies for 2 or 3 years and then all of a sudden I decide to make a batch and then that is all that I want to do for the next month.

This orange marmalade recipe was my 2nd batch that I made that weekend...and it is so easy to make!

I've made marmalade in the past. but it was always such a time-intensive task. It usually took about 45 minutes of boiling the oranges to get the peels soft enough. It was about 80 degrees the day I decided to make the marmalade and I was in no mood to stand over a boiling pot and heat up the house.

Enter my pressure cooker.

With my pressure cooker (I have an Instant Pot), I was able to quickly cook the oranges to perfection in just about 10 minutes. Once the oranges were soft, I simply added the sugar and boiled the marmalade until it reached 222F on a candy thermometer.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy (or, I guess Orange Squeasy)!

For perfectly sliced oranges, I used my mandoline slicer. I just sliced up my oranges, stacked the slices and cut them in to quarters. I swear, it only took about 3 minutes to slice my oranges!

Now - about the seeds. Citrus seeds contain the pectin that allow this orange marmalade recipe to set without having to add additional pectin. Many people will tell you to remove the seeds from the oranges and tie them up in a cheesecloth and float them in the marmalade as it cooks. They tell you this because orange seeds, like all citrus seeds, do contain trace amounts of cyanide, even though they are considered edible.

Well, when you are slicing the oranges with a mandoline slicer, you are slicing the seeds as well...and it can be quite a pain in the butt to try to pick out of the slices...so I don't even bother.

As a general rule, when you make marmalade, you use a 1 to 2 ratio for citrus to sugar.  So if you have 2 pounds of oranges, you will need 4 lbs of sugar.  While I think that is fine for the more sour citrus fruits (like lemon or grapefruit), I tend to cut back on that ratio when I make my orange marmalade recipe....oranges already have so much sweetness in them!

Bottom line?  Have the right amount of sugar available, but you might want to start with less sugar and taste it.  You can always add it all - you can't take it out once you have added all the sugar!

This recipe made 3 pints for me.  I canned them using the water bath canning method, but you can also easily freeze the jars (just make sure you have freezer canning jars)

Anyway...let's get to making some pressure cooker orange marmalade.  Scroll down for the recipe!

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Quick Orange Marmalade Recipe

This orange marmalade recipe is made right in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. It is ready in less than 30 minutes and is so easy to make!

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3 pints

Author Mindi

Equipment

• InstantPot or other pressure cooker
• Mandoline Slicer
• Candy Thermometer
• Kitchen Scale
• Canning Jars

Ingredients

• 2 lbs oranges washed
• 3 - 4 lbs sugar to taste (about 6 ½ to 9 cups)
• 2 c. water or the minimum needed to bring your pressure cooker to pressure

Instructions

• Using a mandoline or sharp knife, thinly slice the oranges. Stack the slices and cut in to quarters.
• Place the orange quarters (along with any juices on the cutting board) in to your pressure cooker
• Add about 2 cups of water (or however much your pressure cooker needs to come to pressure)
• Seal your pressure cooker
• If using an electric pressure cooker: set your pressure cooker to HIGH and to cook or 10 minutes
• If using a manual pressure cooker: turn your stove to HIGH until it reaches pressure. Once it is aat pressure, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes
• When the time is up, open your pressure cooker using the NATURAL RELEASE method.
• Once pressure is released, open your cooker and add the sugar.
• Turn the heat up again and cook and stir until the marmalade reaches 212F with a candy thermometer (it will be thin)
• Let cool about 5 minutes (more if using freezer jars, since they are plastic)
• Using a ladle and a canning funnel, transfer orange marmalade to canning jars
• Preserve your marmalade using the water bath canning method (or freeze)

Quick Orange Marmalade Recipe

So earlier this week, we talked about how to roast butternut squash.  It is so abundant and cheap in the Fall that you would be crazy to not take this time to roast up a bunch and freeze it for later!

One delicious way to use that butternut squash is this creamy Butternut Squash Pasta With Bacon and Sage!  If you're using leftover squash, this recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes. If not, you can peel and cube a butternut squash, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and roast for about 15-20 minutes or until tender.

My children aren't big fans of butternut squash (they are picky eaters), so I kept the squash chunks a little on the large size to make it easier for them to pick some of them out (I did make them eat SOME - we are working on it). Since it's only 12-ounces of pasta and a simple sauce, this served four in my house - with a salad and garlic bread.

As far as which pasta to use, I used Barilla's Collezione Casarecce, and I love it because it is thicker and has more of a bite! Really, you can use any "stabby pasta" (penne, rotini, ziti, etc) that you like. If you prefer rice, you can make this recipe exactly as it’s written but add 3 cups of cooked rice in place of the pasta. Stir to combine and add additional cheese, broth and/or half & half to make it extra creamy!

Just a few strips of bacon gives this a delish smoky, savory flavor, which is a perfect compliment to the sweetness of the squash. Make sure that you are using good bacon for this recipe - I prefer using center-cut thick bacon because it usually has more meat and less fat on it

To slice the sage eaves, stack them up on top of each other and cut lengthiwise into long, thin strips.

If I'm being completely honest, I was out of fresh garlic, which is the only reason it's not pictured. If you love garlic like I do, go ahead and chop up a couple of cloves and add it to the onions about a minute before adding the chicken broth. Or just sprinkle in some garlic powder, which is what should've done 😉

Scroll down for the recipe!

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Butternut Squash Pasta With Bacon and Sage

Taste the flavors of Fall with this creamy pasta dish with butternut squash, sage and bacon. Serve it with some crusty bread and a salad for a complete meal!

Author Mindi

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups roasted butternut squash cubed
• 12 ounces pasta
• 4 slices thick good quality bacon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup onion diced
• ½ cup half & half
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• 8 sage leaves cut into thin strips
• 4 chives thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it's just crisp.
• Drain off the bacon grease and return the bacon to the pan.
• Add the olive oil and onion to the pan and cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are soft.
• Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, thyme and sage and bring to a simmer.
• Turn the heat down to low and add the half & half, chives and ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Stir again to combine.
• Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to your liking.
• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and gently toss to combine so you don't break the squash up too much. As you're tossing the pasta, add the remaining Parmesan cheese a little at a time until it's all incorporated.
• Taste one last time for seasoning and adjust to your liking.
• Serve immediately with extra Parmesan, if desired

Oh - if you are a fan of pumpkin, you are just going to love this pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting. We are huge pumpkin fanatics in this house and my default recipe to satisfy my family's pumpkin cravings is my easy pumpkin muffin recipe, but this is absolutely their new favorite.

As for me?  I go in to "pumpkin overload" by having a piece of this pumpkin spice cake along with a cup of my copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe!

A slightly dense cake is lightened up with a creamy and delicious cream cheese frosting. Even though my family generally doesn't like cream cheese, but by mixing in some butter (NOT margarine), the taste of the cream cheese is somewhat "diluted".

One thing I love about this recipe is that it freezes just beautifully. If you make the recipe exactly, you will end up with quite a bit of pumpkin spice cake, and you can easily freeze any leftovers (yes - even after frosting it). To do this, simply cut any leftover cake in to squares and place them on a cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer and freeze until firm. After that, all you need to do it wrap each piece of cake individually in plastic wrap!

Although the original recipe calls for making these in a Big Sheet jelly roll pan, I wanted a slightly thicker cake, so I used my largest Pyrex baking dish. To ensure even baking (and to make clean-up about 10 times easier), I lined the pan with aluminum foil (and sprayed the foil with non-stick baking spray) and added about 10 minutes to the baking time.

Even with the extra baking time, it still came out completely moist - just keep an eye on it for the last 10 minutes of baking. When an inserted knife comes out completely clean - it's ready!

Make sure that you let the cake cool completely in the pan before removing it and frosting it. If you used foil to line your pan, you should just be able to slide the cake out and let it sit for a few minutes before frosting it.

Seriously - you are just going to love this pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting - would love to hear how it turns out for you!

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Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A slightly dense cake is lightened up with a delicious cream cheese frosting. this pumpkin spice cake with a cream cheese frosting is sure to be a hit!

Author Mindi

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Spice Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 15 oz can solid pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie filling
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• OPTIONAL: 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

For the Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese "full-fat" is best
• 4 tablespoon butter softened
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 - 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 - 4 tablespoon milk

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350F
• Line a jelly roll pan or large baking dish with aluminum foil. Spray foil with baking spray.
• Beat sugar, eggs, pumpkin and oil together until completely combined.
• Add remaining ingredients (except nuts) and mix well. Fold in nuts (optional)
• Pour batter in prepared pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely before frosting and cutting in to squares

To Make The Frosting

• Beat together butter, cream cheese and vanilla until completely smooth.
• Add 3 cups of the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition.
• If you want a slightly sweeter frosting, add the last ½ cup of sugar.
• Add 2 tablespoon milk and beat well until the frosting is light and fluffy, adding additional milk if needed.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I never used to like mushrooms and would refuse to eat them. I liked the flavor of mushrooms but never the texture, especially raw mushrooms (in case you never noticed, there are only a few recipes on this site that include mushrooms).

Over the years, I have "trained" my brain to enjoy cooked mushrooms (and I even make my own homemade cream of mushroom soup recipe) and I am so glad that I did....because this pork chops recipe wouldn't be nearly as good without the mushrooms!

We eat this with rice, but it would also be delicious over orzo, mashed potatoes or even egg noodles.  I have also substituted in boneless skinless chicken breasts a few times and it turned out fabulous!.

This has a mild Dijon flavor because I like mustard a whole lot more than my husband does, but you can add more to suit your taste (If I was making it just for myself, I would probably double the amount of mustard!).

If you don't want to go through the work of cutting your own pork chops from a pork loin, you can always go ahead and use pork chops from the meat section of your supermarket.  Just make sure that they are the thin-cut ones (about ½" thick) or you will need to adjust the cooking times.  I used a small pork loin, trimmed of all visible fat and silver skin, which made 8 ½" chops. If yours makes a coupe of chops more or less, you can leave the recipe as-is. If it makes several more, you'll want to add more broth and half-and-half, so you have enough sauce.

Pork loin can be dry when it's overcooked, so you either have to cook it until it's just done or let it cook long enough to get tender. Be sure to allow this to simmer for the full 30 minutes, so the pork isn't dry.

Once you've added the half-and-half, be sure to not the sauce boil or it can separate.

When we have leftovers, I shred up the pork into the sauce and add sour cream. Then I mix the whole thing with cooked egg noodles for a something that resembles a stroganoff

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Pork Chops With A Creamy Dijon Mushroom Sauce

A creamy dijon and mushroom sauce make this my absolute favorite pork chops recipe! Simple to make and you can even substitute chicken for the pork!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Author Mindi

Ingredients

• 1 small pork loin cut into ½" chops
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 12 ounces baby Bella mushrooms sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ⅓ cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large, wide skillet.
• Sprinkle the salt and pepper on both sides of the pork chops and lay them in the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until nicely brown.
• Add the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and seasonings all around the pork.
• Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and gently simmer for 30 minutes.
• Pour the half-and-half into a small bowl and whisk in the Dijon mustard.
• Push the pork and mushrooms to the side of the pan, so the liquid accumulates in the center.
• Turn the heat down to low and drizzle the half-and-half/mustard mixture into the center of the pan, stirring to combine.
• Arrange all the ingredients evenly around the pan again and sprinkle in a little fresh parsley, if desired.
• Let this cook over low heat for about five more minutes, just to heat it through and allow the flavors to blend.
• Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking before serving.

Creamy Dijon Mushroom Sauce and Pork Chops Recipe

Apple Cider Donuts Recipe

One thing that I love about Fall is visiting the apple orchard or the pumpkin patch with my children. They are starting to think that they are too old for it these days, but we have always loved going on a hayride, the corn mazes and even to the pumpkin patch to pick our own pumpkins.

Every time we go, we always end our trip the same way....with a steaming cup of hot apple cider or hot chocolate and some apple cider donuts. It's usually fairly chilly when we make this family outing, so this is the perfect way to warm up before getting in the car and heading home.

I know that for many people, an apple cider donut has more of a cake texture as opposed to the yeast donut in this recipe, but I have actually purchased them made both ways and I much prefer the lighter texture of the "yeast donut" version of an apple cider donuts recipe. With this recipe, you have all of the flavor of the traditional version, but none of the "heaviness" of the old-fashioned recipe (then again, I have never been a fan of the "cake donuts", so I may be a little biased!

These are going to taste best if you serve them fairly quickly after you make them. You do need to let them cool for a few minutes before you put the glaze on them, but I would plan to serve them within a few minutes of glazing them. They won't taste "bad" if you wait an hour or two to serve them, but they won't taste as good!

Oh - and if apple cider donuts aren't your "thing" - make sure to try my baked chocolate glazed donuts recipe or even my easy cinnamon rolls!

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Homemade Apple Cider Donuts Recipe

These homemade apple cider donuts are so easy to make and absolutely delicious. Serve them while still warm for the best results!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Mindi

Ingredients

• 1 can Pillsbury Grands Biscuits
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 3 tablespoon Apple Cider
• ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 cup Sugar
• Vegetable Oil for frying

Instructions

• In a heavy pot or a deep fat fryer, heat oil over medium heat to about 350.
• Combine cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar in a shallow bowl and mix well.
• In another bowl, beat powdered sugar and apple cider with whisk until smooth.
• Separate dough into 8 biscuits.
• Using small cutter, cut hole in center of each (you can use the cut-out parts to make donut holes, if you want)
• Place biscuits in hot oil and fry each side until golden brown.
• Remove from oil, dust in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on cooling rack.
• Drizzle each donut with glaze.