Brie-Stuffed Pumpkin Garlic Rolls

Finally got a chance to make the last dish for our Thanksgiving Brunch special. So far, we've served up Soft-Boiled Eggs atop Spinach Toast, a Bittersweet Pumpkin Pie, and Maple Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. There were a lot of directions I wanted to go with another selection, but I simply couldn't choose between sweet + savory.

So I settled on these guys.

This recipe is incredibly easy to make. So much so, you'll want to eat them again and again. If you've been reading for a long while (in which case, I'm thankful for you!), you've already got the basics down. You can even mix your dough together today, let rise, and refrigerate for use tomorrow.

Get going!

:: Make up a batch of Pumpkin Garlic Knots dough + let rise for 2 hours.
:: Then consult the Pumpkin Pesto Rolls post for some method illustrations.

The real difference with these rolls versus the others is the filling.

Check it out:


BRIE-STUFFED PUMPKIN GARLIC ROLLS

You'll need . . . 

• 1 wedge buttery brie, cut rind off + chop
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup 
• 1 handful baby kale or spinach, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Jam for topping

Method . . .

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin, like this one.
• Once you've chopped the garlic and kale, just toss everything into a bowl and mix by hand until well incorporated.
• Then roll your dough atop a floured work surface into a long log. Divide into 12 equal portioned pieces of dough.
• Take each piece and roll out into an oval-ish shape, spread your cheese mixture inside, then roll and place in your muffin tin.
• Continue with all remaining pieces of dough and until you run out of brie mixture.
• Then bake in the oven for 15 to 17 minutes. Until golden brown and bubbling. Let cool before eating.

We then topped ours with some delicious Hot Pepper Raspberry Preserves. You can eat them however you like. But consider this your alternative to boring stuffing. Or just eat them whenever. I mean, these rolls are quite literally stuffing, so we have you covered in that regard!

I wish you luck with all your final shopping trips + tweaks with recipes for the big day tomorrow. I'd love to know what's on your menu this year. As well as if you celebrate with traditional Thanksgiving dinner or do something a little different like brunch.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Maple Roasted Fingerlings

I don't think the holidays are a time to show off cooking skills. To spend hours toiling away in the kitchen, stressing over getting everything just so. I'd much rather be sleeping in . . . or eating . . . or chatting with family . . . or running the annual 8K on Thanksgiving day.

So, this side is one of those dishes you can just throw together and sort of forget about -- at least for the most part. It's simple, that's for sure, but it's got some flair all its own!

MAPLE ROASTED FINGERLINGS

What you'll need . . . 

• 2 pounds fingerling potatoes (other thin-skinned would work, too)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Dash (or 7) smoked paprika 
• 1 teaspoon dry basil or rosemary

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. And I'd recommend using a rectangular baking dish (preferably glass).
2. Scrub potatoes until clean + place in your baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, maple syrup, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and basil/rosemary (I'd recommend the latter, but I was out!).
3. Dribble mixture over potatoes and toss until well coated. 
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then mix around and return to oven. Repeat until you've baked potatoes 45 minutes to 1 hour. Until browned, but not dried out on the inside.
5. Let cool slightly before serving, and feel free to ladle any of the extra maple mixture on top.

So far, Thanksgiving Brunch is looking pretty tasty -- no? Between soft boiled eggs atop spinach toast, Bittersweet Pumpkin Pie, and now these taters, I think we're off to a good start. But just wait till you see what I have in store for you next!

What way do you lean at brunch -- savory or sweet?

I'd have to say (and I know this seems like cheating), I like a good mix between the two. One of my all-time favorite recipes has got to be Basil Pesto French Toast.

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Brunch Sandwich

If I ever open a restaurant, it will be called Brunch.

And I will serve only brunch.

And this sandwich will be the signature item on the menu.

It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is.

Let's break it down:

• First you'll need to roast one large portabella per sandwich you intend to make. (You can find some handy instructions in this post all about the merits of mushrooms for runners.)
• You'll need slices of tomato and avocado, too. As well as some cream cheese or Tofutti, which is what we had in the fridge.
• The french toast is just slices of sourdough bread soaked in an egg mixture and then cooked over medium-high heat on both sides until browned.
• = 2 whole eggs + 1 tablespoons Chipotle Vegenaise + 1-3 tablespoons almond milk. Whisked.
• (That should be enough to soak 6 to 8 slices of bread or make 3 to 4 sandwiches.) 

Sandwich assembly is quite easy.

Slice everything up nice + thin, then pile on to your liking.

Fold into a sandwich and cut.

You may remember back in my last waffle post that I had intended to give you a waffle sandwich recipe that was of the savory variety. Well, yes. But I never took photos. Anyway, this is pretty much THAT sandwich.

But there's more sandwich deliciousness where this came from.

Stay tuned . . .

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Sweet Chili Granola

If you haven't read Writing Chapter Three, we've been dealing with some stuff this week. Cranky baby stuff. Like, she skipped two naps today. So, we just got back from a l.o.n.g drive in the country after paying over $4 a gallon in gas, no less -- I'm cheap about car-trips lately -- begging Ada to please, please, please fall asleep. And she did. The minute we pulled into the driveway, she woke up again.

But enough about that. Tomorrow we're running a 15K. Leaving this one at home with grandpa, who assures us he's bringing his patience . . .

Stephen's racing it. I'm treating it as an excuse to run double digits again (with warmup, I'm planning to do 10 total, maybe 11). Thankfully, my rolled ankle is feeling much better. Not perfect. But OK enough to participate.

Recipe time. I think this might be the first time I've ever made granola. I thought I'd make it an interesting batch. The combination of flavors is fun -- it has a kick to it, too.


SWEET CHILI GRANOLA

What you'll need . . .

• 1/4 cup Earth Balance or butter
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (I used Wegmans brand)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 cups rolled oats, uncooked, of course
• 1/2 cup dry roasted almonds, sliced*
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Find a rimmed baking sheet. I imagine you can use a regular sheet, but it'll be hard to stir during the process without dropping oats everywhere.
2. * I highly recommend using dry-roasted almonds. They get super crunchy this way. I just took mine and cut them in half with a knife, ultimately creating lots of crisp pieces.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the Earth Balance and chili sauce over medium heat. Then add the brown sugar and soy sauce.
4. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, almonds, and sesame seeds.
5. Add the cold water to the sugar mixture. Stir well. Then pour onto the dry ingredients. Mix well.
6. Spread mixture over the entire rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven and set timer for 30 minutes.
7. I stirred the granola every five minutes to get everything nice and toasted. Then let cool before eating.

Back to the craziness. Hopefully I won't be logging any more miles after 9PM tonight. So far, so good.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

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Summer Squash Pancakes

Third trimester exhaustion is REAL, people. Granted, it's been a busy few days . . . but I can't seem to keep my eyes open this morning. Dinners have been fast and easy as a result -- more time for napping. Or not.

These summer squash pancakes are made with squash from our garden. They also come together in less than five minutes.

You need not use summer squash if you have another type on hand. Zucchini would work beautifully. Or you could even get exotic with it. Remember the opo squash we bought last year?


It was HUGE!


Anyway, I love making savory pancakes on nights when I just don't have time to whip up a more proper dinner. And it's easy to adapt your favorite breakfast/sweet recipe for this purpose. This one, for example, is a variation on our Wheat and Oats Pancakes.


SAVORY SUMMER SQUASH PANCAKES

What you'll need . . .

• 2/3 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white flour (or you can use all wheat)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon (or more) black pepper
• 1 cup shredded summer squash (rinsed and peeled first)

Method . . .

1. Whisk together the flours and baking powder. Add in the egg and almond milk. Mix well.
2. Fold in the summer squash shreds and black pepper.
3. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Grease a bit with some olive oil.
4. Drop half cup to three-quarters cup amounts of batter on the pan. Cook on each side until browned.
5. Top with cheddar cheese, sauteed onions, or savory jelly. Blame pregnancy, but I even added a little maple syrup!
6. You'll also notice that we added some tomato slices -- also from the garden -- during the cooking process.

WHY NOT TRY . . .


Leafy Green Pancakes


Corn Pancakes and Pan-Browned Brussels Sprouts

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Savory Corn Pancakes and Pan-Browned Brussles Sprouts

This weekend was good. Restful and free from scheduling -- thank goodness! Friday night, we had planned to head downtown for the monthly arts fest -- but at the last minute, our inner homebodies swayed us in another direction. You see, we only have one TV. We've always thought it was enough (and still do, really). But lately, we've been wanting one in the bedroom. Or just upstairs so we can enjoy different programs at the same time (we often don't agree on what to watch). I, for example, want to view yoga DVDs while Stephen wants to watch Shark Week. So, we caved and bought a nice, sleek 26-incher.

And from THAT, we decided to also move around our bedroom furniture. I didn't get great photos because we also want to paint and finish several other things in this room. But it went from this layout . . .


To this . . .


Yeah. The house is a constant project. If you'd like to see more of our humble abode, just head over to our house tour.

Saturday, we woke early and headed out on mid-length runs -- mine was an 8-miler, Stephen's was a 9. Great day for a run, too. The temps were in the upper 60s with pretty much zero humidity. A marathon training girl could get used to it! Unfortunately, though, it looks like summer is back today. It's already steamy. Anyway, my favorite part of Saturday was the afternoon/evening. We trekked to Ithaca to visit some of our best friends.


I even took my first set of maternity photos! They turned out beautifully :)


Sunday I was "supposed" to run 19 miles. However, I decided that the plan I am following is too advanced. I have officially dropped down to the same plan I did last year (Hal Higdon's Intermediate I). I gave myself a day off from running because I'm already caught up with my long runs according to that plan. Instead, I biked 25 miles around my neighborhood. It was fun to change things up a bit.

And now, the recipe I promised you on Friday!


Savory Corn Pancakes and Pan-Browned Brussles Sprouts

What you'll need . . .

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 15-ounce can of corn kernels, low or no sodium
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal
• 2 eggs (we used Bob's Red Mill replacer equivalent, follow package instructions)
• 1 egg yolk (we added two tablespoons water)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Method . . .

1. Whisk together the flour and cornmeal in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, blend a little more than half the can of corn kernels and the almond milk. Pulse until smooth.
3. Beat in eggs and yolks (or replacer and water).
4. Pour wet ingredients into the dry. Stir until just combined.
5. Fold in scallions and rest of corn kernels. Add pepper.
6. Heat skillet, add some oil, and cook as you would for normal pancakes.
7. We topped ours with melted brie and raspberry jam. Just sayin' :)

To make the Brussels sprouts, all you need to do is cut fresh ones in half. Also cut half a medium onion into slices (and set aside). Steam the Brussels sprouts on the stove or in your microwave. Then, in a pan over medium-high heat, pour in a bit of olive oil and add the onions and cook until glassy. Add in the Brussels sprouts and turn up the heat a bit. Add in a splash (1 teaspoon) of lemon juice and salt, pepper, and garlic powder (to taste). Continue cooking until browned.


Other Monday morning stuff:

• This week is our Healthy Living Celebration! We're super excited because we've received TONS of stories from readers about what inspired them to get up off the couch and live the healthy life. Check back for some major inspiration starting this afternoon.
• If you haven't yet, enter our SHUTTERBUG GIVEAWAY for your chance to win a pretty trivet.
• We posted yesterday -- and we usually don't post on weekends. Check out Exercise: What's Too Much? if you missed it!

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