Brie-Leek Tartlets

So, the picture of this delicious little appetizer was borrowed from Taste of Home, because my family swiped up and devoured these little tartlets literally before I could retrieve my camera.

I'll keep it simple: MAKE THESE. They are so creamy and delicious and I wish I would have made more than just one batch for my stepmom's birthday dinner last weekend. I could have eaten all 15 of them myself, that's how good they are.


Brie-Leek Tartlets
Source: Taste of Home Magazine, October/November 2008

1 medium leek (white portion only), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Dash salt and white pepper
Dash ground nutmeg
1 package (1.9 ounces) frozen miniature phyllo tart shells
2 ounces Brie or Camembert cheese, rind removed

1. In a small skillet, saute leek and garlic in butter until tender. Add the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

2. Place tart shells on a baking sheet. Slice cheese into 15 pieces; place one piece in each tart shell. Top each with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons leek mixture.

3. Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until heated through. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Drop Cookies

"Now that's a cookie!" were my husband's exact words as he chewed his first bite of the cookies I made last week. I had some pureed pumpkin left over from the pasta I made, so I scoured online recipes trying to find something that sounded good. I came across a recipe on Allrecipes for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that sounded delicious, so I was going to make those, but then I had a brainstorm: What if I used cinnamon chips instead of chocolate chips? The pumpkin-cinnamon culinary combo is second only to chocolate and peanut butter in my book, so I decided to go for it.

These cookies are, hands down, my new favorite fall cookie. I made them twice last week, and both times they were devoured. These are a cake-like drop cookie -- very moist and flavorful. They're addictive, too, so make with caution!


Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Drop Cookies
Source: inspired by this recipe from Allrecipes

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups Hershey's cinnamon chips
1 cup chopped pecans (the original recipe calls for walnuts, but I didn't have any, and I like pecans better with pumpkin anyway)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk and vanilla; beat on medium speed until well mixed.

2. Stir in cinnamon chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.

3. Bake at 375° for 13-14 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Cool for 2 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

French Onion Soup

One of my favorite things to order in restaurants is French onion soup. If it's the soup of the day, it goes right into my belly; I love it so much and could probably eat it once a week for the rest of my life. Last week, I was on vacation and was seriously craving a big bowl of French onion soup. But I spent most of last week in my pajamas, and going out to a restaurant would mean I'd have to get dressed, and I just didn't feel like doing that. A quick check of my pantry revealed that I had all the ingredients on hand to make the soup myself, so I decided to give it a try.

I was very, very pleased with how well this turned out. It was just as good as the soup I've had in restaurants, and better than the soup I've had some places! I would definitely suggest adding this to your menu this fall or winter -- either as a starter course, or as big healthy meal-sized portions (which is how my husband and I ate it).


French Onion Soup
Source: Cassie

6 cups onions, thinly sliced (about 6 medium onions)
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon sugar
2 bay leaves
Dash of dried thyme (a few sprigs of fresh would be better, but I didn't have any on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste (I went pretty heavy on the pepper)
Dash of Worchestershire sauce
6 cups beef stock
Sliced French bread, toasted
Mozzarella, Swiss, or gruyere cheese, shredded (I used mozzarella, but any of these would be good)

1. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium low heat. Add onions, sugar, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized (about 20 minutes).

2. Add Worchestershire sauce and beef stock to pot; bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Discard bay leaves and ladle soup into oven-proof bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of toasted French bread and a sprinkling of cheese. Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pumpkin Pasta

Let me just get this out in the open: I sort of have a love/hate relationship with Rachael Ray. I TiVo 30 Minute Meals and I subscribe to her magazine, but her talk show? It's a little much for me. It's too much...Rachael for me to handle.

I haven't tried too many of her recipes in my own kitchen, and I'm not exactly sure why. They always look and sound good, especially her burgers!

Anyway, I saw this recipe in her magazine, and it looked so delicious and fall-y that I knew I had to try it. I have to say that I wasn't blown away by this, but my husband really liked it. I'm glad I added bacon to it; otherwise, I think it would be way too bland for my tastes. I think some sage would have been good in here, too, but I didn't have any fresh and apparently I'm out of dried. My changes are in purple.


Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Source: Every Day with Rachael Ray, October 2008

1 pound penne pasta
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (omitted)

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.

2. Fry bacon until crisy in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Place on paper towels to drain and discard bacon grease. In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Add the cooking water and toss sauce with pasta. Stir in the parmesan; season with salt and pepper.

3. Top the pasta with the parsley (if using), the bacon and more parmesan.

French Onion Pork Chop Skillet

I'm sort of wondering if I should even post pictures of last night's dinner, because it really wasn't the prettiest meal. I don't want the pictures to keep you from trying this, because seriously: This dinner was probably one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. It was so, so good. It's finally feeling like fall around here, and this was a perfect fall meal: comforting and filling and flavorful. The best thing? My house now smells like caramelized onions, which is one of my favorite smells in the world. Too bad Joe and I ate all of this last night; I'd love to have some for lunch today!

This is a Kraft recipe I received in one of my weekly e-mails. I made a few modifications (the original recipe says to cook the onions in cooking spray -- um, excuse me? Onions must be caramelized in butter, HELLO?), but kept the basic components the same. I highly recommend this one!


French Onion Pork Chop Skillet
Source: slightly adapted from Kraft Foods

4 boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
Salt and pepper to taste
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 package stuffing mix for chicken
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Heat butter in large nonstick skillet medium-high heat. (Add some vegetable oil if the butter starts to brown.) Season chops with salt and pepper. Add chops and onions; cook 10 minutes or until chops are cooked through (160°), stirring onions occasionally and turning chops over after 5 minutes. Transfer chops to plate; keep warm. Continue cooking onions 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

2. Add Worcestershire sauce to skillet; mix well. Reduce heat to low. Return chops to skillet; spoon onion mixture over chops.

3. Mix stuffing mix and hot water. Spoon stuffing mixture around edge of skillet; sprinkle with cheese. Cover. Cook 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.