Celebrate The Season

Decorating for the fall season is my absolute favorite.  Pumpkins and gourds always stay out until Thanksgiving, and fall scented candles burn well into December in our household.  

This year, I'm sort of starting from scratch with the fall decor.  Back in June, when we were moving into our new condo, my husband "accidentally" threw away a huge plastic bin that contained the majority of my fall decor.  Yeah.....insert major eye rolling emoji there.  Lucky for him {or perhaps, unlucky for him!}, I'm pretty darn good at online shopping, and have been scouring the depths of the net in search of what our new place needs.  

Here's what I've bought so far, plus a few other items that have been on my radar.

Shop These Items:

The coziest cable throw blanket {under $100 here} //  I have a standing tradition of buying olive leaf wreaths during the holidays, and have my eye on this dried olive + eucalyptus beauty {reasonably priced here} //  I recently bought my first "crackle sound" candle, and I love the soothing sound that it produces - it's like a wood burning fire! {the scent that I bought is amazing for fall, get it here} //  Marble + copper is a huge trend that I'm seeing everywhere for Thanksgiving, and this stunning wine chiller needs to make its way into my kitchen asap {available here} //  How perfect are these "thankful" stemless wine glasses?  Even though they are back ordered, I just placed an order for a set of 8 of as they should arrive in early November {on sale! here} //  Want a collection of fresh miniature pumpkins & gourds to arrive at your door in an adorable wooden crate?  Such a cute and easy way to add small touches to your mantel or tabletop display! {available in 3 color coordinating colors hues here} //  Brass accents are another easy way to add in elements of the fall season.  These brass lanterns would be gorgeous when paired with a rich berry colored pillar candle {found here} //  I prefer the quality of Staub cocottes over Le Creuset, and this pumpkin cocotte is absolutely gorgeous in person.  I bought it 2 years ago, and I look forward to pulling it out every year.  Definitely an investment piece that you'll own for years to come {now available in 3 colors! here}


Happy shopping! xx

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes

These delicious pancakes have quickly become a favorite weekend breakfast staple in our house.  They're fluffy, delicious, and contain the perfect balance of sweet and spicy warmth.  And lets be completely honest.  Who isn't obsessed with pumpkin spice everything this time of year?  

They also freeze really well so any leftovers can easily be reheated for a quick weekday breakfast.  Just separate them by sheets of parchment paper, and place in a large ziploc bag prior to freezing.  When you're ready to use, pop them in the toaster to de-thaw, and enjoy! 

Ingredients


1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. sugar {or sugar substitute}
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup pumpkin purée {not pumpkin pie mix}
Canola oil


Directions


In a large bowl, whisk the milk with the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla.  Pour in both of the flours, the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, all spice, and salt.  Stir to combine.  Next, stir in the pumpkin, making sure the pancake mixture is well combined with minimal lumps.

Heat a nonstick skillet {or griddle if you have one} on medium low heat.  Grease the skillet with the canola oil.  Depending on how large you would like your pancakes {I use 1/4 cup size}, drop the pancake batter into the skillet in rounds.  Cook for around 3-4 minutes, until the pancakes are fluffy, and the edges are firm.  Flip them, and cook for about 3 more minutes until thoroughly cooked and golden brown.

Thanks so much for reading! xx

Butternut Squash Risotto {Baby Friendly!}

Hi, friends!  I posted a short version of this recipe last night on snap chat {username: andy-adler}, and there was a lot of interest to post a full version so I thought that I would share it.  This is actually a recipe that I posted on here almost 2 years ago.  I dug it out of the archives, and have made some minor tweaks to it over the past couple of years, but the cooking process is exactly the same.

This recipe is also extremely baby friendly.  Isla absolutely loves risotto.  She loves the creamy consistency of risotto, so I make a big pot of it about once a week for her, and always grate up {read: sneak in!} seasonal veggies into the mixture.  

Once the weather starts to cool down, and butternut squash becomes readily available, I LOVE to play around with different ways to prepare the sweet tasting squash.  One of my favorite ways is to roast it in the oven, and add it into risotto.  Risotto is one of my staple recipes that I've really mastered and the addition of the sweet & nutty flavored butternut squash combined with the creamy risotto really embodies cold weather comfort food.

Tackling a butternut squash for the first time can be a little intimidating and most of the time I seek out squash that has already been prepped & cut into small chunks from the produce department at Whole Foods {out of pure laziness}.  If you're unsure about peeling & cutting up your squash, here's a good link that shows you exactly how to do it!

This recipe is excellent served on it's own, or makes a great side dish to chicken or fish.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

Ingredients

3 cups prepped butternut squash, cut into small chunks
Olive oil
Salt & fresh ground black pepper

Garlic powder
32 oz low sodium chicken broth
1 large shallot, minced 
1 cup arborio rice 
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired 


Directions

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place squash in a medium bowl, drizzle with olive oil {enough to thoroughly coat it}, and heavily season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of garlic powder.  Toss to coat.  Spread out squash on a baking sheet and bake for around 15-20 minutes, turning twice throughout the duration of cooking.  You want the squash to be soft, and lightly browned up for extra flavor.  Remove from oven and set aside.

While the squash is baking, heat chicken broth in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Once heated, reduce heat to the lowest setting to remain warm but not at a state of simmer.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.  Add in shallot and saute until fragrant, around 1 minute.  Add in dry rice, and stir constantly, ensuring that each grain is coated in the olive oil.  The rice will begin to "toast" up, and once you begin to smell the rice after a couple of minutes, it's time to move onto the next step.

Pour in 1 and 1/2 cup of the warmed chicken broth, and about half of the cooked butternut squash, stirring and pressing down on the butternut squash with the back of a large spoon to "smash" it down so that it can easily blend into the risotto.  Reduce heat to medium low.

Constantly stir the rice until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed and when the pan starts looking & feeling dry again, add in another 1/2 cup of broth.  Continue this stirring/adding broth process until you have transferred all 32 ounces of the broth to the rice pan, and the rice is "al dente", around 30 minutes total cooking. 

Next, add in the last half of your cooked butternut squash into the rice mixture.  Don't mash this batch of squash down {you'll want larger chunks to stay intact for texture}.  Stir well to incorporate.

Add in cheese, if desired, and divide evenly among plates.  

Thanks for reading.  Have a great weekend! xx