A couple years ago we wrote about a great cause called Drop In & Decorate where bakers and non-bakers alike get together to decorate cookies for donation. Already in its eighth year, this tax-exempt nonprofit organization founded by food writer Lydia Walshin of The Perfect Pantry is still going strong. And this year, they have added an extra incentive!

But who better to tell you about the event than the founder herself? Take it away Lydia…

The idea behind Drop In & Decorate is simple: bake some cookies; gather a group of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, your worship group or book group to decorate the cookies together; donate the cookies to a nonprofit agency serving basic human needs in your own community. It’s a simple idea in a complicated world, and  something anyone can do.

If you’d like to host your own Drop In & Decorate® event, Pillsbury and Wilton would like to help. Pillsbury has donated 50 VIP coupons, worth $3.00 each, off any Pillsbury product — including sugar cookie mix, icing and flour — to be distributed, first come, first served, while supply lasts, to anyone who plans to host a Drop In & Decorate event (max. 5 coupons per person). And we’ll include a Comfort Grip cookie cutter, donated by Wilton, while supplies last.

Write to lydia AT ninecooks DOT com for more info on how to get your free coupons and cookie cutters.

That’s great! And with National Cookie Day coming up on December 4th, there is almost no reason not to host one of these great parties! Should supplies be limited, here are some cookie recipes to make from scratch. Keep in mind all the ingredients you buy are tax exempt if you donate your cookies!

This week’s word is: brioche (noun). Pronounced: brē-ˈōsh

Please choose the most appropriate definition for brioche:

a.) A light slightly sweet French bread made with a rich yeast dough.
b.) An egg-rich yeast-leavened bread that is usually braided or twisted before baking and is traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and holidays
c.) A brown crust formed on food that has been cooked au gratin; also : a dish so cooked
d.) A flaky confection of crushed sesame seeds in a base of syrup (as of honey)

BONUS: Every week I choose definitions that resemble other foodie vocab words - choose the right answer and then identify  what the other choices are describing in the comments and get extra credit!

The correct answer is…

a.) A light slightly sweet French bread made with a rich yeast dough.

The brioche pictured above comes from Dessert First blog and depicts how brioche breads are often made its in their own individual brioche tins.

Brioche breads resemble bread but taste more like a pastry as they’re very sweet in nature.  Core ingredients for this yeasty bread include: flour, eggs, butter, sugar, milk, yeast and salt. Supposedly this  type of dough has been baked for over 5 centuries, dating back to Roman origin but most popular in France.

That’s why whether you’ve got individual brioches or full brioche loaves on your hands, they make great rich dishes like French Toast Casserole or even cinnamon rolls!

What do you make with brioche? Share your recipe here!

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

* 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
* 3/4 C. firmly packed light brown sugar
* 1 loaf brioche or challah bread or other sweet bread, sliced into 1 1/2 inch slices
* 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 C. whole milk
* 1 Tbs. homemade or pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
* Dash freshly grated nutmeg
* Pinch of sea salt
* 3/4 C. chopped pecans
* Confectioners’ sugar for accompaniment
* Pure maple syrup

Directions

Combine the melted butter and sugar in the evenly on the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the bread slices on top, squeezing them in place so that they fit snugly in the casserole. Whisk the eggs, add all the remaining ingredients except the pecans. Pour over the bread, letting it soak in. Top with pecans and cover with plastic wrap. (The casserole will not look real moist, don’t worry I promise it will be so moist when you eat it.)

Keep refrigerated for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours to set. Set out at room temperature for 20 minutes before popping into a hot oven set to 350 degrees. Bake until lightly browned and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and slightly cool if you can wait a few minutes. Serve this dish hot out of the oven or warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar and pure maple syrup.

More  Recipes That Use Brioche:
Lobster Club Sandwiches
Nutella Brioche Bread Pudding
Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
Scrambled Eggs in Baby Brioches with Smoked Salmon and Asparagus
Almond-Crusted Vanilla Cinnamon-Raisin-Swirl French Toast

Previous Foodie Vocab Lessons:
Vichyssoise
Kuchen
Souvlaki
Bergamot
Gnocchi
Bosc
Roux
Ratatouille
Chiffonade
Pappardelle
Ceviche
Clafoutis
Raita
Panna Cotta
Granita
Remoulade
Panzanella
Verrine

Last Week’s Bonus Answers: Did you get them right?

a.) A highly seasoned French fish stew made with at least two kinds of fish = bouillabaise
b.) A soup with French etymology typically made of pureed leeks or onions and potatoes, cream, and chicken stock and usually served cold. This was the correct answer for last week’s vichyssoise.
c.) A spicy soup that is usually made from chopped raw vegetables (as tomato, onion, pepper, and cucumber) and that is served cold = gazpacho
d.) An Italian stew of fish and shellfish cooked usually with tomatoes, wine, spices, and herbs = Cioppino stew

We always associate chicken soup with comfort food and the idea of not feeling well (and rightfully so) but I say we can and should  enjoy a bowl of chicken soup even when we feel great! Take this giant bowl of chicken soup from a restaurant called The Bagel in Skokie, Illinois for instance. Does a person who orders this large of a bowl really not feel well? No, they feel great! That’s because chicken soup tastes great and sometimes a big heaping bowl of the stuff can make a great dinner. Next time my mom makes her dreamy chicken soup, I’m requesting it be served in a large glass bowl like this one.

And you too can make your own giant heaping bowls with these great chicken soup recipes:

Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a fast and easy homemade fix for those cold winter days when you have a craving for some good chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients

* 2 32-oz. containers chicken broth
* 7 C. water
* 8 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
* 4 carrots, sliced
* 4 stalks celery, sliced
* 1 med. onion, chopped
* 15-20 boneless, skinless chicken tenders or 5-7 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* 1 16-oz. pkg. medium egg noodles
* salt and pepper
* 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
* 1 tsp. dried parsley
* 1/2 tsp. dried basil
* 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram

Directions

In large saucepan, boil chicken until no longer pink. While chicken is cooking, cut up carrots, celery and onion. Put in large soup pot. Add thyme, parsley, basil, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Mix together. Cut up chicken and add to pot. Stir. Start to cook on high heat for about 5-10 minutes or until good and warm. Add chicken broth, water and bouillon cubes and stir. Bring to boil and let boil for 10-15 minutes. Add egg noodles and bring back to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until noodles are tender or until ready to serve.

More Just Plain Tasty Chicken Soup Recipes:
Chicken Soup
Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls
Homemade Chicken Soup
Chicken Dumpling Soup
Hearty Chicken Soup
Millie’s Chicken Soup
Lots of Chicken Soup
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
Comfort in a Cup Chicken Soup

We had a lot of fun with this Monthly Mouthful! With the holiday season approaching, tasty pies like apple or pumpkin have a way of stealing our hearts and serenading our taste buds. From pecan to butternut squash, there are just so many kinds of pie that make their way onto the holiday table! But this year we were cruel and asked our favorite food bloggers: “If you had to limit yourself to eating just ONE kind of pie this holiday season, which would it be? ”

And no, this was not an easy question. Many bloggers had a hard time picking just one while other bloggers cheated in my opinion and merged two kind of pies into one ;) But overall, I think everyone was just thankful this was only the Monthly Mouthful and not real life! (Luckily you can still make as many pie recipes as you wish!)

Scroll down for the responses and our fancy “pie” chart! :)

A few years ago my husband convinced me to make a mincemeat pie. My experience with mincemeat had been with canned mincemeat or the traditional meat pie soaked in alcohol, and neither was something I liked. So we agreed to set some ground rules and I began researching minced fruit pies. We fell in love with the pie when it was made and I’ve made this pie every Christmas since. We have even made dessert pizza using this pie filling as a topping, and it was a big hit.

I would choose the Bourbon Pecan Pie, which is a specialty at one of our great Northwest bakeries, Grand Central Baking. This pie is perfect. The sweet, caramel-y taste of the pecan filling is beautifully matched and enhanced with fiery bourbon which bites back just a little bit when you eat it. It’s delicious, warm, and completely decadent.

That’s an easy one. Apple. And it has to be made with Macintosh apples–that complex and tangy breed of apple that make a pie really sing out without making it too over-the-top sweet. I could eat this pie every day for the entire holiday season and I’d still ask for more! Here’s our homemade apple pie recipe that’s done us right for more than a decade.

This time of year it’s probably my Dark Chocolate & Candied Orange Tart (my own creation) or the Normandy Apple Tart from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home To Yours.

We included the apple tart as an apple pie in the graphic!

Apple pie is, for me, the one and only true pie. It has to be just a little bit warm, and the filling has to be just a little bit runny so that it soaks the bottom crust (which is the best part). I didn’t learn to make pie until I was in my 30s, because my family was not a pie family. Apple pie was the first kind I learned to make. Ironically, I live in a part of Rhode Island called Apple Valley, because it was once all orchard land. I’ve posted my favorite old-fashioned apple pie recipe, made with — gasp! — storebought crust.

A family saying of ours is “Everyone loves pie.” But if you knew my family, you’d soon see that we all have different ideas of the ideal pie. My kids love fruit pies. I love key lime pie. And my husband, while he prefers cream pies, hasn’t met a pie he didn’t like.

When it comes to the holiday season, we have to have pumpkin pie, of course, and over the years the kids have learned to tolerate it because all the adults insist on having it. However, I wish I could serve a pecan pie too, but due to my daughter’s nut allergies, I can’t. So if I had to limit myself to eating just ONE kind of pie this holiday season, just for me I’d choose this Pecan Pumpkin Pie since it’s the best of my two holiday favorites.

I’ve never celebrated Thanksgiving before as I live in Australia. This year I’ll be in San Fransisco so I’m very excited about it! Being an Aussie, my favourite type of pie is meat with tomato sauce. Although I’ve made good pork and apricot pies before. I’m really looking forward to eating pumpkin and pecan pies in America. Anyone want to invite me around? :)

Enjoy Thanksgiving Christie! - Hillary

To be honest, I’m not a big pie person. Even before I discovered my gluten issue, I preferred cake or cookies. However, I’ve just posted about a scrumptious pumpkin custard, Thai style. The custard is flavored with pandanus, then stuffed inside the pumpkins and steamed over a charcoal grill. Sounds festive, no?

If custard isn’t your thing, let me point you toward Karina’s Kitchen for the most fabulous flourless chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever encountered. Beats holiday pie anytime.

If I had to limit myself to just one kind of pie this holiday season (though please, please don’t make me!) it would have to be the caramel apple cheesecake pie I just discovered recently. I think this is the perfect choice because it is a kind of hybrid of apple pie, cheesecake and pecan pie all rolled into one phenomenal dessert. That way, I don’t really have to make a decision and can enjoy all three at once!

Since my plate is almost always filled with “a sliver of each,” this is a difficult question for me! But, I suppose if I could truly choose just one, it would be pumpkin pie with pecan crumble topping. I have not settled on my own favorite/perfect recipe enough to post one. If someone has a suggestion… please share!

Caroline , check out this Pecan Glazed Pumpkin Pie or some of the recipes in this post!  - Hillary :)

In college in western Pennsylvania, we frequented a restaurant called Rachel’s Roadhouse and gorged ourselves on home-made soft pretzels with cheese and the most delicious, fluffy, oatmeal-y peanut butter pie I’ve ever eaten (to this day). This pie was about a mile high, sitting atop a crumbly, sweet oatmeal crust. It was dripping with home-made whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The filling was fluffy, but had enough heft to let you know that your hips were going to regret this later!

I could eat that pie every day of my life. And, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go book a flight to Pittsburgh!

If I had to limit myself to one pie, I’d probably cheat and layer two pies together: Pumpkin and Pecan. Think it can’t be done? Think again! Pumpkin-Pecan Pie w/ Whiskey Butter Sauce is one of my favorite pie recipes and I suggest you try it. Something I like to do is replace the “bourbon whiskey” with “Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur,” a liqueur made from whiskey and honey.

Being from the South, no holiday was complete without a sweet potato pie. My grandmother made an amazing version with a pecan topping. My grandmother’s best friend had pecan trees on his land in Valdosta, so she always got her pecans from him. I remember as a child picking pecans with the family for our Thanksgiving dessert. So for me, this sweet potato pie isn’t just about taste; it’s about bringing back fond childhood memories.

If I could only eat one pie this season, it would be pumpkin pie. The warm pumpkin filling with the flaky crust is irresistible for the holidays. I like to lighten up the pumpkin filling by using half brown sugar and half sugar substitute. Then I add pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and nutmeg to the pumpkin puree. Fill up a pastry crust with the delicious filling and bake in a 400 degree oven. Licking allowed! Here is a recipe for another healthy pumpkin treat: Pumpkin Walnut Bars. These little bites of heaven are so guiltless that you might want to eat the entire batch!

If I were to limit myself to just ONE kind of pie this holiday season it would be…Lemon Meringue Pie.

Apple, of course!! I baked my first Thanksgiving pies at age 16 — and still remember that my Uncle Marv raved and raved and raved. Who wouldn’t keep making pies with that kind of attention? Then a few years ago, I lost my pastry moxie. I tried one technique and one recipe after another, consistently putting out tough and tasteless crusts. But then — I consulted someone I now call The Pastry Whisperer, I rediscovered my inner pastry chef and now the recipe and tips and techniques teach others!

Flaky Tender Pie Crust

Pie Tips & Photo Illustrations

Only one kind of pie this holiday season?? That’s an easy choice for me. This holiday season it would definitely be pumpkin pie. I just discovered a couple years ago that I actually like pumpkin pie, and now its one of the reasons I look forward to the holidays. I’ve been craving pumpkin pie since July! However, in central Mexico its hard enough to find pumpkins after October, and there is definitely no way you would ever find a can of pumpkin pie filling. In early October I bought a small pumpkin and made a puree and froze it. But there are so many pumpkin recipes that I’ve been trying, that my few precious cups of puree are disappearing. Luckily, my boyfriend left for a business trip to Houston this morning and I printed him a list of some foods I wanted him to bring back: lemon juice, cherry poptarts, crunchy peanut butter….and at the very top in big, bold letters…2 cans of libby’s 100 % pumpkin.

With so many health issues bombarding us from all sides, we start feeling guilty eating traditional foods which we grew up with. And I know many who eat like a minuscule amount and don’t really get into the spirit of the holiday season. So how can we have the pie and eat it too? Simple. Add nutrition and lower fat to our best loved holiday recipes which not only taste great but help to keep our body and soul uplifted. What else represents the holiday mood than Pumpkin Pie? And my wholegrain Pumpkin Pie is the answer :)

How could we not make a pie chart when the theme is pie?

Notes: All pumpkin pecan pies were included in the pumpkin category, and all pies that contained apple were included in the apple category.

As always, thanks to everyone who participated! If you were not contacted for this month’s Monthly Mouthful and would like to be included in future Monthly Mouthfuls, please e-mail us at chewonthatblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Post your own favorite pies in the comments section below!

To see a list of all Monthly Mouthful questions, click here.

More Pie Recipes:
Pumpkin Pie with Dark Chocolate Frosting
Lemon Pie
Apple Pie
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Mousse Pie
Pecan Glazed Pumpkin Pie
Fudge Pie
Peanut Butter Pie
Pumpkin Ginger Pie With Golden Marshmallow Topping
Sweet Potato Pie With Gingersnap Streusel

November 3rd is actually Sandwich Day in honor of the 4th  Earl of Sandwich’s birthday (Who comes up with this stuff?) But regardless of the holiday’s origin, we thought a list of budget friendly sandwich recipes would always be welcome! From a tasty pizza sandwich to a low cost egg salad, check out these great lunch ideas after the jump and starting saving some major lunchtime expenses!

See the whole list here!

1. Peanut Butter and Jelly Roll-Ups - An easy way to cut down carbs and a fun way to serve the good ole’ PB&J.

2. Grilled Cheese Deluxe - A grilled cheese is anything but plain when you use this recipe.

3. Zesty Egg Salad for Two - The perfect amount for a lunch for two.

4. Turkey Apple Melts - This is sweet, cheesy and just down right good. Kids love it!

5. Chicken Salad Wraps - Easy and nutritious lunch  for the carb-counting bunch.

6. Amish Ham Salad - A super easy sandwich spread, also great on crackers for an appetizer.

7. Baked Pizza Sandwich - This hearty sandwich uses a biscuit base and features pizza sauce,  mozzarella, and ground beef.

8. Open-Faced Carrot Salad Sandwich - This crunchy salad-sandwich makes a great, healthy snack.

9. Tuna Melt Wrap - When you have a little time to prep, this is an easy lunch that’s packed with energy to keep you going all day long.

10. Celery Sandwich - This is perfect for dieters & non-dieters alike.

11. Delicious Supper Sandwich - This is an easy-to-make sandwich your family will love for dinner.

12. Dijon Chicken Salad Pitas - This is a pretty, fun quick meal or quick snack. Ready in only about 5 minutes!

13. Bagel Bites - I just started sprouting my own beans and seeds and am having so much fun experimenting with combinations. This simple concoction was gleaned from somewhere online.

See the whole list here!

Not sure what to make for dinner tonight? If you’re a subscriber to the Recipe4Living newsletter, you know that every Sunday we send out a week’s worth of dinner ideas. We’ve got Meatless Mondays, Global Cuisine Tuesdays and more themes for every night of the week so that you’re never strapped for dinner ideas!

Get all of our previous Seven Day Meal Planners right here or get a new one sent to your inbox every Sunday by signing up for the Recipe4Living newsletter!

Here is what this week’s Seven Day Meal Planner looks like:

Monday - Meatless
Veggie Soup
Squash Gnocchi with Marjoram
Peanut Butter Cookies

Tuesday - Global
African Peanut Soup
Crispy Peanut Coconut Chicken
South African Sambal

Wednesday - Healthy
Garlic Chicken
Guiltless Mashed Potatoes
Zesty Green Beans

Thursday - Leftovers
Veggie Burgers (Use up veggies from Monday’s soup or other dishes throughout the week)
Sweet Potato Fries
Squash Corn Bread (Use leftover squash from Monday)

Find out what to serve the rest of the week right here.

Share what you’re making for dinner tonight in the comments!

This week’s word is: vichyssoise (noun). Pronounced: vi-shē-ˈswäz

Please choose the most appropriate definition for vichyssoise:

a.) A highly seasoned French fish stew made with at least two kinds of fish.
b.) A soup with French etymology typically made of pureed leeks or onions and potatoes, cream, and chicken stock and usually served cold.
c.) A spicy soup that is usually made from chopped raw vegetables (as tomato, onion, pepper, and cucumber) and that is served cold.
d.) An Italian stew of fish and shellfish cooked usually with tomatoes, wine, spices, and herbs

BONUS: Every week I choose definitions that resemble other foodie vocab words - choose the right answer and then identify the other descriptions in the comments and get extra credit!

Unsure what the answer is? Check out these recipes for help!

The correct answer is….

b.) A soup with French etymology typically made of pureed leeks or onions and potatoes, cream, and chicken stock and usually served cold.

While vichyssoise almost seems like a product of the Vichy regime, it was actually said to have been created in America by a French chef who worked at the Ritz Carlton in 1917. He then named it after his hometown city of Vichy, France “before Vichy would become the seat of France’s Nazi collaborationist government,” according to TheNibble.com.

Because it’s served cold, vichyssoise actually makes a great summer soup but if the flavors are right, it can be great all year ’round.

Bryan Voltaggio (of Top Chef) made a Sunchoke and Yukon Gold Vichyssoise this season that sounds excellent. Food Rockz Man thinks “vichyssoise is just a fancy name for cold potato and leek  soup” which is probably true but he sure makes a pretty vichyssoise (pictured above). Other mentionable Vichyssoises include one from  Dinner with Julie and Fresh Approach Cooking’s Potato Buttermilk Vichyssoise with Potato Chips.

Vichyssoise Recipes:
Sweet Potato Vichyssoise
Purple Potato Vichyssoise with Creme Fraiche and Chive Flowers

Previous Foodie Vocab Lessons:
Kuchen
Souvlaki
Bergamot
Gnocchi
Bosc
Roux
Ratatouille
Chiffonade
Pappardelle
Ceviche
Clafoutis
Raita
Panna Cotta
Granita
Remoulade
Panzanella
Verrine

Note: We’ll reveal the bonus answers in the next Foodie Vocab! Tune in on Friday!

I hope you had a great breakfast full of oatmeal goodness. If not, there’s always tomorrow because National Oatmeal Day is really just a reminder to eat our oats! They’re good for us! To celebrate, I put together a collection of oatmeal recipes for straight up oatmeal, oatmeal cookies, oatmeal bread and even beauty products we can all make from oatmeal! Enjoy!

Straight Up Oatmeal Recipes:
Maple Oatmeal
Steel Cut Oatmeal
Oatmeal With Date
Peaches and Cream Oatmeal
Swiss Oats (Cold Oatmeal)

Recipes That Use Oatmeal (Cookies, Cakes and Things):
Oatmeal Cherry Toffee Chocolate Cookies
Oatmeal Scotchies
Oatmeal Dinner Rolls
Oatmeal Wheat Bread
Oatmeal Apple Raisin Muffins

Beauty Oatmeal Recipes:
Oatmeal Citrus Scrubbing Grains
Oatmeal Soap Balls
Oatmeal Rose Honey Facial
Oatmeal Honey Scrubbing Cream
Oatmeal Bath Salts

Looking to buy some oatmeal online? Here is a product we recommend:

Steel Cut Oats: $4.10/12-oz bag  or $11.55/ 10-lb. bag

Find more oatmeal recommendations and other ingredients in our Food/Ingredients section ! Make sure to buy the correct type of oats for your recipe!

Visit the Recipe4Living Cooking Store here

As a Chicago resident, I’ve been hearing a lot about Sweet Mandy B’s cupcakes for years.  The name Sweet Mandy B’s dominated just about every Chicago cupcake conversation I’ve ever had. People would tell me:  “You’ve got to try them! They’re the best!” Well I finally made it out there (thanks to a friend who lives RIGHT next door!) and everyone is completely right. As soon as I smelled the sweetness of the air from my friend’s balcony next door, I knew I needed a cupcake, more specifically a red velvet one (for you non Chicagoans - you can try making this recipe at home!)

The place was filled with cupcakes and Halloween cookies and other amazing cookies like peanut butter and sugar and the best chocolate cookie I’ve ever had (I ordered one of those too). They even had mini tubs of their cupcake frosting to take home!

But even hours later, one bite of that red velvet cupcake as I was sold to Sweet Mandy B’s. The moist rich cake topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting could melt my heart and my tastebuds any day. I have now joined the bandwagon of fans.

To replicate this amazing cupcake, try:

Hunks of Burning Love Cupcakes

This recipe is a variation on that old favorite flavor, red velvet cake. To spice the flavor up a bit, ground red pepper, cinnamon and pepper sauce increase the heat level, creating a new sensation.

Note: This (unfortunately) is not Sweet Mandy’s B’s Red Velvet Cupcake recipe.

Ingredients

* Cupcakes:
* 3 eggs, room temperature
* 3/4 C. butter, room temperature
* 3 C. all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
* 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 3/4 tsp. salt
* 2 1/4 C. sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
* 1 Tbs. red food coloring
* 1 1/2 C. buttermilk
* 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
* 1 1/2 tsp. vinegar
*
* Frosting:
* 1/2 C. butter or margarine
* 6 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
* 6 Tbs. buttermilk
* 4 1/2 C. sifted powdered sugar
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1/2-1 tsp. Chipotle-flavored or jalapeno-flavored pepper sauce

Directions

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 28 2-1/2-inch cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. NOTE: If desired, use silicone heart-shaped cupcake liners placed on a rimmed baking sheet, or place regular paper liners in metal heart-shaped cupcake pan.

In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, red pepper, cinnamon and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium-high 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. One at a time, add eggs; beat on medium after each. Beat in food coloring on low.Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture; beat on low to medium speed after each just until combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter; beat just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared pans, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 15-17 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely before frosting cupcakes.

Frosting: In a medium saucepan stir together butter or margarine, unsweetened cocoa powder and buttermilk. Cook and stir until boiling; remove from heat. Beat in sifted powdered sugar, vanilla and pepper sauce to taste with an electric mixer on low speed until blended.

Decorating Note: You can melt white chocolate chips with a touch of red food coloring and drizzle a heart on top of each cupcake. For a more grown-up taste, you could replace one or two tablespoons of the buttermilk with orange-flavored liqueur or cinnamon schnapps in both the batter and frosting.

More Cupcake Recipes:
Banana Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting
S’More Cupcakes
Mini Key Lime Cupcakes
Apple Crisp Cupcakes
Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

]]> http://www.chewonthatblog.com/2009/10/28/sweet-mandy-bs/feed/ http://www.chewonthatblog.com/2009/10/28/sweet-mandy-bs/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChewOnThat/~3/9TjRVftKQb8/ http://www.chewonthatblog.com/2009/10/27/butternut-squash-pie/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:10:35 +0000 Hillary http://www.chewonthatblog.com/?p=3352

I know we’re a little pie crazy here at Chew on That but the bounty of the fall season just lends itself to great pie! From apples to pumpkins, just about any ingredient that’s popular in the fall can make a great pie or tart. But one vegetable that sometimes gets overlooked in the way of pie is butternut squash pie.  Shoved aside by the popularity of other pies, I forgot just how great butternut squash pie can be. It’s a good thing my friend served this at a dinner she invited me to or else I’d still be living without this great pie.

My friend invited a bunch of us over for a great fall dinner: chicken with broccoli, a pasta side dish, apple crisp for dessert and most importantly: butternut squash pie. It was meant for a side dish but after scarfing up my original piece, I had some with dessert too. I demanded the recipe and went to the store to buy some butternut squash next day, it was that good.

I thought maybe if I made the pie now I could test it out for Thanksgiving. After rave reviews it passed the test, I’m just still not sure whether we’re serving it as a side or dessert. But you don’t have to save it for Thanksgiving, with a bounty of squash in season, you can make it all season long!

I did however make one tweak to the recipe. Much like this cake, one of the secret ingredients I added is vanilla soy milk (thanks to my sister in law!) The original recipe called for non-dairy creamer but we substitute soy milk to get rid of those partially hydrogenated oils and therefore make a pie that’s trans fat free! Click here for more information on trans fats.

The Best Butternut Squash Pie

This delicious butternut squash pie takes advantage of fall produce to make a rich and velvety pie! Serve as a side dish or even for dessert! This recipe is also non-dairy.

Ingredients

* 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into small pieces
* 1/2 C. flour
* 1/2 C. sugar
* 1/2 stick pareve margarine
* 2 eggs
* 2/3 C. vanilla soy milk
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 1 graham cracker pie crust

Directions

Boil squash in pot with water until soft (and you can easily pierce with a fork), about 8-10 minutes. In a bowl, mix together: flour, sugar, margarine, eggs, soy milk and vanilla. Pour into blender with cooked squash and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into graham cracker pie crust. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Bake at 350 degrees until firm, about 1 hour.

More Butternut Squash Recipes:
Twisted Sweet Potato Pie (Uses Butternut Squash)
Butternut Squash Risotto with Saffron and Sage
Butternut Squash with Apple Soup
Savory Butternut Squash
Butternut Squash Bread

To learn all about butternut squash and other squash varieties such as acorn, buttercup and even pumpkin, check out our article entitled “Ingredient Profile: Get Your Squash On!”