roasted pumpkin seeds

The perfect post-carving snack!

Wash & dry pumpkin seeds. Spread out on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350*.

Take out of the oven and pour 1/4 cup veg oil over the seeds to lightly coat.

Then mix in toppings. Last year we tried garlic salt plus cayenne pepper. This year we used cinnamon and sugar. Mix in about 2 tsp. of whatever type of toppings you choose.

Once you've mixed in the toppings, spread back out on the cookie sheet and bake at 300*. My recipe said 30 minutes but I took them out after 15 and that seemed plenty (last year I burned them).

Delish. (Note: these are pretty high-calorie. But healthy, so long as you don't smother them in sugar, I guess!)

stuffed turkey burgers

We made these last night & they were fantastic. Thanks to my friend Lindsey for linking to the recipe. They would be great with green chile, too!

Stuffed Turkey Burgers
{recipe from Food Network}

• 1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey breast
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
  
• Freshly ground black pepper

Divide turkey into 4 equal sized rounds. Make 2 equal sized patties out of each round so you have 8 patties total. Sprinkle 4 of the patties with 2 tablespoons red peppers and cheese, and top with remaining patties, working the turkey around the edges to seal burgers closed. Season with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Grill or broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

chocolate peanut butter cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

{recipe from Joy the Baker}

makes 24 cupcakes

• 2 1/4 cups organic* all-purpose flour
• 2 cups organic cane sugar
• 1 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup organic canola oil
• 2 teaspoons organic white vinegar
• 2 cups cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla extract and vinegar. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients being careful not to overmix. The mixture will be quite wet, but that’s ok. Pour the batter until the cups are two thirds full and place in the oven for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cup comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack until completely cool before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

enough to frost 24 cupcakes

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on your desired consistency)
• 1 tablespoon milk (or water will do too)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy and virtually no butter lumps remain. Scrape down the bowl. Add three cups of powdered sugar and beat on low for 1 minute. Add milk and beat on medium high for 1 minute. Add the remaining cup of powdered sugar if you’d like your frosting a bit thicker. Slather frosting onto cooled cupcakes and top with coarsely chopped peanut butter cups.

* Note: I didn't use organic everything, but they were still good. ;)

norwegian almond bread

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup melted margarine

Beat sugar, egg, extract, and milk, add flour and baking powder, finally add margarine. Pour into bundt cake pan sprayed with cooking spray (or specialized Scandinavian cake pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Edges must be golden brown. Cool in pan before removing. Bread will break if removed too soon. Sprinkle with confectionary sugar. Cool cake in pan before removing as it can break apart.

Variation: before pouring batter into pan, sprinkle sliced almonds on the bottom.