happy halloween...

Happy Halloween, y'all! One of my very favorite holidays is here.  I have a werewolf and unicorn that are quite excited as well!! This weekend I had big plans of a low key and happy family weekend.  Bubba's baseball tournament was cancelled due to weather and we had no commitments on Saturday, outside of a cookout at my mother-in-law's...so we were prepped for an awesome weekend...

Trip to the pumpkin patch...

My parents came to town for a long weekend to hangout with the grandkids on fall break.  They have been spoiled rotten the entire time and hubs and I have been spoiled by some ridiculously good cookin' by my mama.  One of my very favorite parts of their visit was visiting a pumpkin farm up in north Georgia, called Burt's Pumpkin Farm.

I am not ashamed...

I know I am probably the O N L Y one out there right now who is comfortable saying this, but....

Bourbon-Vanilla Pumpkin Tart

Traditional pumpkin pie can get kind of boring.  It is a delicious pie, but sometimes you need to jazz things up a bit.  This Bourbon-Vanilla Pumpkin Tart is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving and will be the star of the sweets table.  Even family members that do not care for pumpkin pie will rave about this tart.  I need to also mention how easy it is to prepare...It is near foolproof!

INGREDIENTS

Tart Filling
8 oz Reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 C Sugar (Or Stevia)
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1, 15 oz Can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just pumpkin)
2 Eggs
3 Tablespoon Bourbon
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
pinch of salt

Crust
1 Sleeve cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
2 Tablespoons pecans, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Topping
1 and 1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Maple Extract
2 Tablespoons Confectioner's Sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Prepare crust by putting the graham crackers and pecans into food processor and pulse until fine crumbs.  Add in melted butter and pulse until combined.  Pour into tart pan and begin pressing into form.  Bake for 8 minutes, then set aside.

3. Prepare filling by creaming the cream cheese and both sugars together with mixer.  Beat until smooth, then add the pumpkin and eggs.  Add Bourbon and remaining 5 ingredients and mix until well combined.  Pour pumpkin filling into tart pan and spread out evenly.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  Your tart should not jiggle in the middle when sides are tapped if done after 40 minutes.  Let tart cool on wire rack completely before placing in the fridge for 3 hours.

*It is important that you use good quality bourbon and vanilla to give the tart the proper depth of flavor.

4. When ready to serve combine whipping cream, maple extract and sugar and beat on high until stiff peaks form.  Carefully scoop whipped cream and pile on top of tart.  Spread gently to cover most of tart, leaving a ring of exposed pumpkin around the outside so people know what kind of tart it is.

This tart comes off very high-falutin' and fancy, yet it is super simple.  I am not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best desserts I have ever put in my mouth.  I really hope y'all try this recipe!!

*Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon & Apples

Fall brings out the chef in me.  I love warm and cozy meals, especially if they are easy one-pot meals. This soup is creamy, hearty and decadent..oh did I mention it is semi-healthy...minus the bacon?  You have got to make this soon!  It would be a perfect dish for after the pumpkin patch.  You can chop everything up ahead of time (except for the sage, which has a tendency to turn black around the edges once cut).

I got the idea to make this soup from a Food Network Magazine a couple of years ago.  They had an insert in the mag on 50 ways to use canned pumpkin.  In there was a recipe for pumpkin soup with apples and bacon.  I am not the biggest fan of canned pumpkin unless its being used in desserts, so I decided to swap the squash.

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| INGREDIENTS |

2 Medium Butternut Squash, diced into half inch pieces (roughly 5 cups).

2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cut into half inch pieces 

(chopped up apples and squash ahead of time, squeezed lemon on them to prevent oxidation)

1 pkg Center Cut Bacon, chopped **

6 C Low-sodium Chicken Broth

2 C Fat-Free Half & Half

1 T finely chopped fresh Sage

1/8 t Cinnamon

Salt and Pepper to taste

| METHOD |

1. In a stock-pot, stainless preferably, cook your bacon until dark brown and crunchy.  Place on paper towels to drain.  You want to have the browned bits on the bottom of the pan to flavor the soup, which is why it is preferable to have stainless.

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2. Remove a little over half of the bacon fat from the pot, leaving enough to saute squash.  Add the squash and cook on medium-high heat for ten minutes.  Do not stir too often, you want to squash to brown a little.

3. Once the squash has began to soften, add apples, sage, cinnamon and saute for another 5 minutes.

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4. Add chicken broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer.  Cook for around 10 minutes or until squash and apples are extremely soft.

5. Remove from heat, ladle a cup of squash soup mixture into the half & half to temper it.  This will help keep it from curdling.  Once tempered pour back into the pot and stir.

6. Add half of the cooked bacon back to the pot, reserving the other half for garnish.

7. Using an immersion stick blender, blend the soup until very smooth.

8. Serve in crisp white bowls and top with additional bacon, apples and sage.

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This dish is such a satisfying fall soup that is hearty without being too heavy. It would make a great appetizer soup too!  The recipe ended up making roughly 7 large servings...or in our case 4 servings with 4 small seconds!

Fizzy Fall Cider

   

    One of the things I try to do, when drinking alcohol, is mix it with a calorie free mixer.  Most of the time I use La Croix sparkling water as there is no sugar (no artificial sweeteners either), sodium or calories.  In the summer I stick to white wine spritzers using Sauvignon Blanc and La Croix.  It is delicious, light and refreshing.   It can be hard to find an alcoholic beverage that screams fall while cutting back on the calories. During this season I love a good pumpkin beer or bourbon.  They are warm and toasty in flavor.  I also really love hard apple cider, but the calories are INSANE!  So I came up with a Fizzy Cider that is sure to please while keeping some calories in check.  

    Ingredients:   Stella Artois Cidre Perrier A dash of Apple Pie Spice Pretty straw, not optional!     Method   So there is no exact method.  You want to try and do equal parts cider and sparkling water.  You will need to taste test for the amount of spice that is good for you.  I also know this drink would be amazing with a cinnamon stick in it.   I hope y'all try this ASAP.  It is such a refreshing drink full of fall flavor!

The Perfect Fall Movie Night

Happy Friday, Y'all!    We have been so busy with moving and getting situated in our new home that I have barely had time to rejoice about the fact that we are now in my FAVORITE season of the year!  Last week, I wrote about my bucket list of things I want to do this fall. It included watching Charlie Brown.  So today, in honor of the weekend ahead, I have put together the components to a great Fall Movie Night!

1. Movies

In order to have a movie night, a movie has to be selected...or two or three!  Some of my favorites are below.

I also really enjoy the Harry Potter series, Coraline and Hotel Transylvania.  As you can tell, my taste is tame.  I do not care for super dark stuff.  I prefer jack-o-lanterns, some ghosts and witches.  

2.  Food

Of course food is important for fall movie night.  I love roasted pumpkin seeds and popcorn balls.  8 times out of 10 there has to be pumpkin involved for Fall Movie Night.  Check out my Pinterest board below for ideas.

Follow Red Velvet Rooster's board Fall Foods on Pinterest.

3. Drinks

Halloween is such a great time of year for drinks that have nothing to do with Coca-Cola, Tea or water.  This is the time of year to get festive with the drinks.  Have something special for the little ones like Wassail.  My favorite drink at fall/winter family gatherings growing up was Wassail. It is a super festive, non-alcoholic, drink. My Aunt Charlotte made the best Wassail.  Don't know what Wassail is?  Check out some of the recipes below.  It is delicious and your kids will love it!


Follow Red Velvet Rooster's board Fall Drinks on Pinterest.

Of course you can't forget about the adults in the room.  Make some Mulled Wine or spike a glass of Wassail with some good Bourbon. 


4. Activities

While it is movie night, if there are toddlers involved, you may need to have an activity or two up your sleeve to get them through the entire movie.  My son loves to carve pumpkins.  While carving pumpkins is mostly and outdoor activity as it gets messy, you can always lay down newspapers on the floor and table to protect the area so that you can carve while you eat, drink and watch movies!

Follow Red Velvet Rooster's board Fall Activities on Pinterest.

5. Ambiance

Half of the fun of fall and Halloween comes from the festive atmosphere.  Crisp cooler weather helps, but some decor and some warm, cinnamon smells will send it over the top!  My mantel is clearly lacking in decor, but I still made sure a pumpkin and a banner got up there while we get completely moved into our new house.

To see the decor ideas I want to try in order to make a more festive fireplace and home, check out my Fall Decor board!!


Follow Red Velvet Rooster's board Fall Decor on Pinterest.

Happy Fall, y'all!  Take some time for a festive night in with the fam.  The memories made are worth 100 piles of laundry any day!