It’s officially fall. The air is feeling crisper, the leaves are changing and girls are dusting off their Uggs.

Which means it’s time to bust out those fall recipes and all things pumpkin.

I’m a huge fan of pumpkin bread; it just tastes like fall. This recipe is my absolute favorite - it’s always moist, it’s the perfect combination of spices, and it’s easy enough that I can do it. So get the oven ready, bask in the scent of it, and then dig in.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 (16 ounce) can solid pumpkin Read More »

People seem to always associate sweets with being unhealthy. Of course sweets aren’t GOOD for you, per se, but they can be done better and healthier than you might think. If you eat sweets in moderation and cook them the right way, you’ll be able to have your cake and eat it, too. (No pun intended. Ok. I take it back. The pun was completely intended.)

The next time you want to make something sweet and do it with a relatively healthy twist, consider this recipe for Organic Chocolate Macadamia Bars. Read More »

After one too many plastic cups of Pabst Blue Ribbon, I’ve moved on to wine as my new drink of choice. But, like beer, there are many kinds of bad wine that are too easy to accidentally drink. So what makes a good wine? And what’s the difference between a chardonnay and a Cabernet?

Here’s the rundown on the mot popular kinds of wine and what to drink them with.

Reds

Cabernet Sauvignon is produced mainly in France and California. This red is what’s called “full bodied,” meaning it’s got a rich, strong flavor of dark fruits like black current. The best Cabernets taste a bit earthy and dry and they tend to get better with age, so pick-up a bottle with the earliest date (as in, 2003 rather than 2008).
Pair with red meat, grilled vegetables, or pasta with red sauce.

Merlot is arguably the most popular red wine. Merlot can range from medium to full-bodied and is high in alcohol and low in acidity. Flavors include plum and chocolate (yum!). Grown all over the world, this wine is easy to enjoy.
Pair with pasta with red sauce, beef, or grilled or smoky meats.

Pinot Noir is made from a velvety grape that is one of the hardest to grow, which makes a good pinot great and a bad pinot terrible. A good pinot will be complex, with flavors ranging from black cherries to earthy spices. Pinot Noir grapes traditionally come from Burgundy, France, but are now being perfected in Oregon and California.
Pair with salmon, pasta, or pork. Read More »

Feel that chill in the air? It’s (finally) Fall, and that means we can all put away the iced lattes and curl up in front of an imaginary fireplace with a good book and a hot beverage.

My personal favorite is mulled cider, which is super easy to make and, when you need that extra kick, goes very nicely with a little bit of rum.

Here’s what you need to get started:

A small saucepan
Apple Cider (the dark brown cloudy kind, don’t use apple juice!)
Brown sugar
Allspice
Cloves
Cinnamon sticks
An orange
Cheescloth
Rum (optional)

You can find Allspice, cloves and cinnamon in the spice section of any grocery store—make sure to buy them whole, not ground or powder! Cheesecloth is a bit harder to find—if you’re stuck, just get yourself a small strainer that has very fine holes. Read More »

You’re biting into a big juicy hamburger and what do you crave to go along with it? French Fries? Boring.

You know what would really spice that meal up? Onion rings! Unfortunately, those little rings of fried goodness are not always an option when you’re eating at your favorite hamburger joint. And you cry.

But wipe those tears, sister. Say TTFN to that restaurant and head home to whip up your own tasty onion rings. Why not? They’re delish, easy…and they involve beer! Read More »

When my boyfriend and I split, I went through usual grief: denial, depression, rage. Well, mainly rage. I had all this excess energy bottled up, so I considered my options. I could buy a pint of ice cream and watch every depressing episode of Sex and the City and cry my eyes out, I could go downtown and blow most of my bank account on fabulous shoes, or, I could do something productive like writing my humongous paper. I wound up taking a walk downtown and found a farmers’ market with a huge selection of fall fruit.

I ended up buying 5 pounds of apples.

When I got home, I decided it was time to put all my energy to good use and bake a pie. I turned up loud, energetic music and started up the oven. As a semi-professional cook, making delicious things was always a kind of therapy, and was a way to channel my emotions. I asked one of my male friends if baking a pie was an appropriate response to a breakup, and I was told, “Only if you’re planning on throwing it at his face while it’s still steaming hot.” Aah, right to the point.

So now I present the:

I’m-Too-Good-For-Him-Anyway Apple Pie: Read More »

Can you think of anything that says fall more than pumpkin? I can’t. And if you can, shut up.

Because here, for your reading pleasure, is a delicious recipe for pumpkin pancakes.

Imagine this: It’s Sunday morning and you’re snuggled in to have a nice “me” morning. Sound pretty good? Well, sure. But add pumpkin pancakes–and now you’re in frickin’ heaven.

So, pumpkin pancakes! Enjoy!

Stuff You’ll Need:

1 cup of pumpkin puree
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1 1/2 of milk
2 tbsn vinegar
1/2 tsp of ginger (ground
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of allspice (ground) Read More »

Okay, now that you’re going back to school, it’s time to focus on the most important thing for having a good school day: breakfast.

No, seriously. Breakfast is delicious. I know a lot of college students skip breakfast to save time in the morning (I myself was often guilty of this), but why skip the most awesome meal of the day?

With this easy recipe, you can make 10 banana muffins at once–that’ll get you through 10 days, no muss, no fuss. Plus, you can eat ‘em on the go! And, hey, at least they have bananas.

And if you don’t eat breakfast, you’ll be starving later (low blood sugar, sugar) and quite possibly wolf down everything in sight. Not cute.

So munch away, my collegey friends. Remember, you can’t spell “breakfast” without “eat” (I mean…if you take out some letters in between…whatever, it’s muffins!!). Read More »