.pumpkin pizza.

Yes, you read that correctly! I found a recipe that combines 2 of my favorite things, pumpkin and pizza.   I came across this recipe on pinterest one day during lunch at work; I decided right then and there that we were going to make this pizza this weekend. It definitely did not disappoint! We used pre-made whole wheat dough from Wegman's, but I am sure the dough in the recipe is great as well! I would recommend making only 1/2 of the sauce recipe and using 3/4 lb sausage.....otherwise, the recipe could probably be used to make 2 large pizzas. We also used fresh mozzarella instead of the shredded fontina because we LOVE mozz!

Yummy pumpkin....

.fall.

Though this weekend does not feel like fall (it is 90 degrees here in Virginia), I am so excited that it is October! I enjoy ushering in fall with many delicious dishes. As the weather gets cooler, I begin to crave apples, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and soup!

I made my first batch of pumpkin bread several weeks ago and it was amazing! It was deemed "healthy and delicious" and it definitely was. You can find the recipe here. The recipe has greek yogurt and applesauce in it to substitute for some of the oil which helps cut the fat but keeps the bread very moist. It was soo yummy!!

One of my co-workers and her families went apple picking last weekend and picked WAAY too many apples.....so she shared with us at work! I used several to make an apple crisp this weekend. It is a recipe that I found on Cooking Light and can be found here. I enjoy the crisp part a whole lot so I cut up fewer apples so there was a greater ratio of crisp.....it was sooo good!

Mmmm, fall..... :)

.more pizza.

Have I written about how much we LOVE to make pizza?!? Well, we make homemade pizza several times a month and enjoy experimenting with different topping combinations. We also enjoy making our own pizza dough (I know I have written about that before!) but have also discovered that Wegman's has delicious pre-made pizza dough and sauce. A wonderful time-saving way to still make awesome homemade pizza.

We also discovered that fresh mozzarella makes all the difference and will probably rarely use shredded cheese for pizzas!

Our latest creations included a ham, sausage, and fresh mozzarella pizza and a homemade pesto, sausage, and fresh mozzarella pizza. They were both delicious!!! (as is evident by the half-eaten picture I got of Taylor's pizza....)

Up next, sausage, pumpkin, and sage pizza.....mmm....

.inspired cooking.

I ran across this book when browsing at Anthropologie last weekend. (Please excuse the HORRIBLE picture....) I really wanted to buy it but resisted because I own SOO many cookbooks, some of which I rarely use!

However, after thumbing through the book, I discovered that the author also has a cooking blog. Click here to see recipes from this Sydney, Australia born food writer.



Enjoy, and eat, drink, and be merry!!! :)

.pancakes.

Breakfast is probably one of my favorite meals, with dessert being the first! ;)

There is a wonderful, old diner near our house that we enjoy visiting. It is a tiny place run by a Greek family. The neon signs on the outside advertise "Good Food. Air Cond." so you know it is a good place! Click here for more information on the 2400 Diner.

Among other morning favorites, the pancakes at 2400 are the best! They are HUGE, plate sized, and delicious. Taylor enjoys them with butter only but I prefer a little maple syrup. They sure are delicious!

The ham and hashbrowns are awesome too....

.pizza.

One of our favorite mediums for cooking creativity is through making yeasty pizza dough and imagining different combinations of toppings to put on it to make it a delicious pizza! Pizza is probably Taylor's favorite food and I definitely enjoy creating new concoctions!

The most recent foray into pizza-making was inspired by an amazing looking picture and recipe in the August 2013 version of Cooking Light. The original recipe can be found here. Our version turned out to look even better than the magazine version. Using fresh basil from our garden, fresh heirloom tomatoes from the local farmer's market, and fresh sliced mozzarella, our pizza tasted amazing too!

Our favorite pizza dough recipe is from Guy Fieri's cookbook. You can also find it online here. This version is made with all purpose flour only but can also be adapted to use whole wheat flour. The wheat flour can make the crust very dense and heavy so you may want to experiment with the ratios of flours to get just the right amount!

For some reason, this was the first time that we placed our pizza stone in the oven to preheat before spreading the dough onto the stone and baking the pizza. Let me just say, this made all the difference! We will no longer do it any other way. The preheated pizza stone created a nice crispy crust on the outside of the dough but allowed the inside to remain soft while cooking quickly.





Can't wait to make our next pizza....

.cake.

I recently finished reading a great book called "Cereal for Dinner, Cake for Dessert". It is written by a mother of a child with Williams Syndrome and was given to me by one of my patients who has Williams Syndrome. The book was not about WS at all but you can click here to learn more. Instead, it wove the tale of a CEO, wife, and mother to 3 young children who explores the concepts of doing good though baking delicious cakes. She, in turn, finds out who she is, what she wants in her life, and imparts important lessons about doing good on her young daughters. To learn more about her book, read her blog, or explore her recipes, click here.

Her cake-baking escapades inspired me to tackle my own cake-baking adventure. I have not baked a layer cake in quite some time, cupcakes have been my preferred type of cake lately. However, I set out to create a delicious fluffy, white cake, similar the ones she created in her book. And, I definitely succeeded. I used a Duncan Hines white cake mix and added a splash of almond flavoring to the batter. Then, I crafted homemade buttercream frosting from my Mom's special recipe. The icing on the cake (pun-intended) was that I added about 2 teaspoons of almond flavoring to the frosting. OH MY GOODNESS, it was amazing!!! Please enjoy....

And now my mouth is watering....

.breakfast.

Taylor and I always enjoy experimenting with new breakfast dishes. Nothing compares to old-fashioned diner breakfasts (more on that later) but we have whipped up some pretty delicious delights! Our most recent foray included eggs, pastrami, dill, scallions, and mustard. This omelet turned out to be delicious and could definitely be eaten as a brunch or light lunch item. The fresh peaches were just the icing on the cake! :)

We also had the opportunity to have a wonderful breakfast with family while we were visiting Murfreesboro, TN recently. The City Cafe has been around for 113 years and has all the charm to go with it! With large portions (dinner plate-sized pancakes), enough ham for a feast (12" long pieces), and a line out the door, this place will probably be around for a few more years. 

Now I'd like some pancakes....

.butter.

I love butter. It makes pretty much anything taste amazing! However, this post is not actually about real butter. It is about a delicious meal that my husband, Taylor, and I just finished scarfing down. This recipe was awesome and really quick and easy to make. Taylor proclaimed (multiple times) that the steak "tasted like butter" and the polenta is creamy enough that it is a good substitute for mashed potatoes. That is one of the highest compliments from him. And now a picture to get your tastebuds excited....

Mmmm.....

.fresh starts.

A whole lot has happened in my life since I last blogged....Taylor and I got married May 2012, honeymooned in London and Paris, moved into a cute little house in downtown, and Taylor passed his boards and started a new job. He has since quit that job and is looking forward to starting with a new company soon!

We have had many culinary adventures in the last year+. From sampling local pub fare in London to croissants in Paris to sampling new dishes at our favorite local restaurants. We have also created many delicious dishes together....it is fun and exciting to watch Taylor's pallet and skills develop. 

I am excited to be back. My drive to write and blog again has returned; it is fun to document many of our cooking successes (and failures). Who knows what we will be eating next....