Fall Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

It's almost that time of year.  It starts with Thanksgiving. When you eat an entire dish of green bean casserole. And that's just like an appetizer because then you eat the full turkey dinner too. Mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries. And don't forget that huge slice of pumpkin pie with something like an entire container of cool whip on it.

But it doesn't stop there. Because Thanksgiving is just the beginning. Then there's all of the holiday treats that always immediately follow Thanksgiving. Cookies, fudge, chocolate covered everything, breads, pies, and lordknowswhatelse. And this of course is all building up to another huge dinner where you eat an entire dish of green bean casserole.

So before all of this caloric craziness, I'm sharing a salad with you. I made this salad to go with some steak and potatoes, but it could just as easily be a main dish salad, especially if you throw a little leftover Thanksgiving turkey on it!

Fall Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Ingredients

All of the ingredients listed are very rough estimates in terms of how much I used. I make salads like I make pizza.  I just pile ingredients on until it looks right.  The vinaigrette ingredients are exact though.

Salad

•  6 cups lettuce, any kind you like (I used a combination of Romaine and Iceberg because it's what I had on hand)
• 1/2 medium apple, chopped
• 1/2 medium Bosc pear, chopped
• 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Apple Cider Vinaigrette 

• 1/2 cup Apple Cider
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt To Taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)

I did not use all of this vinaigrette on the salad I made. Feel free to use as much or as little as you want!

Sweet Potato Rolls

Oh. My. Carbs.

I made these on Sunday. By Monday night I had eaten five of these. Five. Not five small rolls. Five large, carb loaded rolls. They. Are. To. Die. For.

I first saw this recipe last year on one of my favorite recipe blogs [her post of the recipe].  I was immediately intrigued by the recipe, but am not at all a fan of sweet potatoes. But, after my sweet potato pancake experience, I was more than ready to try out this recipe.

I am dying over these rolls. I need more. I'm like a sweet potato roll addict.

And it's no accident that I'm giving you this recipe a week before Thanksgiving.  Your Thanksgiving meal deserves these rolls.  Although, then you'll have to share them....

Sweet Potato Rolls

Ingredients

• 12 oz sweet potato [I bought thelargestsweetpotatoever and it was just enough]
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for workspace
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1.  Peel sweet potato(es), chop into chunks and place in a large pot with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and mash.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine water, yeast, 2 tablespoons honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon and let sit until foamy.
3. Once foamy, add potatoes, remaining honey, 4 tablespoons melted butter, buttermilk, and salt. Mix with spoon. Attach mixer bowl to electric mixer and attach dough hook. Gradually add flour with the mixer on low until sticky dough forms. Increase speed and continue dough hook until a ball forms (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Brush a large bowl with the remaining melted butter. Place dough in bowl and cover with clean towel. Let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours.
5. Using a bit of flour, knead the dough until silky. Then, divide into two equal halves. Roll each half into a long rope and cut off 12-16 pieces of dough (I did 12 pieces).  Place them in a greased baking dish (you may need more than one). Cover the baking dish with a towel again and let sit in a warm place to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush rolls with the beaten egg, then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown.

Seriously. I need more.

Creamy Crock Pot Tortellini Soup

I'm all about honesty. So I'm gonna be honest with you. The soup in these pictures is cold. By the time it was ready the night we had it for supper, it was soooo dark out.  There was no way I was going to get good pictures of it.  But it was sooooo yummy and I absolutely had to share it.  So I took pictures of cold, left over soup the next day. I didn't have to tell you this. You probably wouldn't have had a clue.

But then I was putting this together and Mr. Domestic kept saying, "That soup looks cold."  I told him about the cold soup photos, so he just had to pick on me. But it made me feel the need to tell you about the cold soup.

But this soup was just plain yummy and easy and so you had to know about it. I put this together over my lunch break and it was ready for dinner.  Can't beat that.  I love pretty much anything with tortellini, so I could also be biased.

Creamy Crock Pot Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

• 1 envelope Alfredo sauce mix (1.5 to 2 oz)
• 4 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 8-10 oz frozen or dry cheese tortellini
• 12 oz can evaporated milk
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Ground black pepper and shredded Parmesan cheese to garnish

Directions

1. Brown Italian sausage in a large pan over medium high heat.  Drain and set aside.
2. Sprinkle Alfredo sauce mix in large crock pot. Gradually add water, mixing to combine sauce mix until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, garlic, basil, minced onion, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper.
3. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
4. Stir in tortellini. Cover and cook for additional 30 minutes to an hour (depending on heat setting).
5. When tortellini are cooked through, add evaporated milk and spinach. Serve immediately. Top with ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese if desired.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I'm a pretty big fan of pancakes. I'm also a pretty big fan of pumpkin. These are pumpkin pancakes. They're super yummy. You should make them for breakfast. Or dinner. I'm all about breakfast for dinner.

These really started when I tried Sweet Potato Pancakes at a local breakfast place. I HATE sweet potatoes. I think they're disgusting. But something about sweet potato in pancake told me I might like it. And I loved it. So when I had some leftover canned pumpkin and a perfect morning for pancakes I thought, why not? The pumpkin flavor doesn't hit you over the head, but I like that.  It's subtle, but definitely there.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.  Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix until well incorporated.
2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Spray with cooking spray. Pour desired amount of pancake mix into pan, depending on the size of pancake you want (I used a 1/4 measuring cup). This batter is a little thicker than most pancake batters, so you might need to spread it out a little yourself.
3. Heat pancake on first side until top starts to bubble and puff.  Again, this batter is thicker than your typical pancake batter, so it does not get all of those crazy bubbles like you may be used to.  I flipped mine when the edges seemed solid.
4. Cook on opposite side until golden brown.
5. Serve with butter, syrup, and tall glass of milk.

Mmmmmmmm syrup.

Candy Bar Cheesecakes

I'm sure you've seen these recipes out there.  The ones that give you things to make with your "leftover Halloween candy."  This is not one of those recipes. This is a recipe for what to do with your kid's Halloween candy or the Halloween candy you're going to buy because it's on clearance now that Halloween is over.

If you have leftover Halloween candy one of two things is true:

1. You were stingy with your Halloween candy.  You were "that house" that only gave out one miniature sized candy bar to each trick-or-treater.  That's barely a step above the dentist down the street who gives out dental floss.
2. You didn't eat enough Halloween candy yourself.

Whatever the case may be, I don't believe in the concept of leftover Halloween candy. So this is a recipe for clearance Halloween candy or the Halloween candy I know you already stole out of child's candy bag.

Candy Bar Cheesecakes

Ingredients

• (2) 8oz packages cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped chocolate candies, plus extra for topping
• 1 cup crushed Oreos
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with baking cups.
2. Crush Oreos and mix with melted butter.
3. 
Press one  tablespoon of Oreo crumbs into each baking cup.
4. Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream. Add in eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.
5. 
Fold in chopped candy.
6. 
Fill baking cups and bake for 22-24 minutes.
7. Top with extra chopped candies. Let cool for at least 5 minutes in pan. Then, transfer to refrigerator to cool completely. Best served cold.

I made my cheesecakes with my personal candy bar favorite, Kit Kat bars.