Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

Okay I lied, it's not from scratch. We bought frozen pie crust, but I promise this is still really good. And it's pumpkin pie from a pumpkin - not from a can, so buckle up!

Welcome to installment 3 of Fall Festivity Extravaganzaaaaa! I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan but I have always wanted to make one from scratch, like, with a real pumpkin. And since a couple of my girlfriends are obsessed with fall in the same way I am, they were all about the experience with me. So here goes!

Ingredients: 

• pie crust (again, I bought a frozen one, sorry)
• 2 "pumpkin pie" pumpkins (they will be small and have less ridges, our were labeled "pie pumpkins") 
• 1 1/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1 c. hot water

How To Cook It:

• cut the stem off the pumpkin and then cut it in half and scoop out the innards (our pumpkins also had seeds for roasting so double score!)
• face cut side down on foil lined baking sheets, cover in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours (or until tender)
• let cool
• scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin and mash in a mixer (or hand mixer, or potato masher) until smooth
• drain the mash if it's watery
• in a large bowl combine 1 1/3 c. pumpkin mash and the rest of the ingredients, mix until smooth
• pour mixture into a 9" pie shell
• bake at 375 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes (the center will still be a bit jiggly)
• let cool and serve! 

Closet

Tank Top: American Eagle

Aztec Sweater: Urban Outfitters

Pants: Nordstrom

Boots: Roxy

Necklace: Forever 21

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Like I said, Fall Festivity Extravaganzaaaaa! We went to the pumpkin patch this week and ended up with some awesome pumpkin seed pumpkins! I'm obsessed with pumpkin seeds, I could eat them all day every day. They are amazing. Every fall I usually end up with around 3 pumpkins because of my obsession.... is that weird? Anyway, if you don't know how, here's how to cook them.

Ingredients

• freshly scooped pumpkin seeds
• salt
• gourmet garlic pepper
• cajun spice
• seasoning salt
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

How To Cook It

• scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin (I find it's easiest to do this with my hands, that way you grip the seeds and the stringy guts slide through
• pull any extra guts off the seeds before placing them in the bowl (I don't mind a little bit of gut because when you bake them, this crisps up and I think it tastes good!)
• preheat oven to 350 degrees
• rinse the seeds (optional) again, I like a bit of that pumpkin taste
• now, many sites tell you to pat them dry with paper towels but EVERY time I do that, I get 900 seeds stuck to paper towels and maybe 15 seeds that are ready to go, so I skip this step too
• toss the seeds in olive oil until coated
• season your seeds to taste (again, this is a process you kind of have to perfect yourself; I know people do cinnamon and sugar seeds, crazy spicy seeds, the whole gamut) 
• place seeds on a cookie sheet and spread them as thin as possible
• place in the oven for around 30 minutes but stir every 10 minutes, this prevents sticking and burning
• again, all seeds are different so you kind of just have to trial and error for when they are "done" they will sound dry when you stir them and they are done and they will be crunchy
  
  
  
  

Closet

Ugh. I need a real camera...

Scarf: TJ Maxx

Shirt: Love Culture

Pants: Nordstrom Rack 

Boots: Nordstrom / Steven by Steve Madden

Watch and Bracelet: Charlotte Russe

Homemade Apple Sauce

This post is going to kick off my fall festivity extravaganzaaaaaa!!! No but seriously, I. Love. Fall. ILOVEIT! I love the changing of the leaves, and football season, and pumpkin carving and the smells, and Halloween and everything! It's great, so buckle up!

This weekend a couple girlfriends and I went to a local farm and bought home grown apples. I love farm apples because there's no modifications and they are bigger and juicier and more delicious - and cheaper! I bought 12 mondo sized apples for like 3 bucks! Awesome. We came back to my house, lit a pumpkin spiced candle and settled in for a Halloween movie marathon while the apples cooked.... If you're wondering, we watched Clue, Double Double Toil and Trouble, Casper, and Hocus Pocus (wellll, we didn't watch all of them, we chatted and drank wine while they played in the background).

Here's the recipe for homemade applesauce:

Ingredients:

• 10 large cooking apples
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/2 c. sugar

How To Cook It

• peel and core the apples
• add all ingredients into a crock pot
• cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours

It's that frackin' EASY!! 

Closet

Fall has arrived!

Sweater: Forever 21

Scarf: H&M (Men's section)

Pants: Nordstrom Rack

Boots: Nordstrom 

Chicken Quinoa Soup

It has been pissing rain here the last couple of days! Sorry for the swear but we've had 4 inches in the last 3 days so I stand by it: pissing rain. I don't know about you but when it rains, I prefer a warm soup. Nothing feels better than stripping off sopping wet clothes, putting on your fuzziest slippers, and eating a warm cup of soup.

This is probably one of the first recipes I ever "created". I used to buy those Progresso "chunky" soups or whatever and then I realized how easy and cheap it is to make your own. So I did. And it wasn't rocket science: carrots, celary, chicken, noodles. Bam! But then I discovered how good quinoa is for you and how easy it is to switch that for the nutrition-less noodles. Anyway, enough blabbing. Here's the recipe. 

Sauteing Veggies

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 summer squash, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/2 c. quinoa
• 2 pkgs organic chicken stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• parsley to taste
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Bringing to a boil

 How To Cook It

• in a large stock pot, heat olive oil and saute veggies until tender (about 5 to 10 minutes)
• stir in the paprika and cook for another minute
• carefully add the chicken stock
• add chicken, quinoa, salt, pepper and parsley; bring to a boil
• reduce heat and cover, let simmer for around 30 minutes