October Goods: Better Late than Never

Morning, kittens. : )

It seems that lately I've been getting distracted by shiny things (or people... or a person... shut uuuup). And in the midst of that, I realized that I missed giving you a few things. So here they are, in no particular order.

1. Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread from Cooking Light


I made this pumpkin bread, ate a bit, shared a bit, and French toasted the rest. No complaints here...

In the interest of full disclosure, I skipped the pecan topping (a good choice since I ended up serving it to someone with a nut allergy) and subbed whole wheat flour for some of the AP.

2. Potato Soup


I love soups, but only on certain days. Well... those days come more often once fall sets in. On this particular night, I made a rich, cheesy, sour cream potato soup that ended up reminding me of my grandma's mashed potatoes. Mmmm... I really wish I'd written down the recipe.

3. Pumpkin Beer Cupcakes with Alicia's Halloween Decorations


Adorable, no?! I followed The Bitchin Kitchen's recipe for Pumpkin Beer Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting exactly. Well... that was the intent, at least. As it happened, I halved the recipe without incident... until it came time to add the pumpkin ale... at that point I forgot I was halving and added the full amount of pumpkin ale. But... ya know... it didn't hurt anything. My snafu resulted in a light, almost sponge-like cake.

While I baked and iced, Alicia made these cute cleavers, tombstones, pumpkins and undead hands out of gum paste she died, sculpted, and painted. Another fab collaboration, if you ask me.

4. Chicken Soup for a Sickie


Mmmhmm... another of those soup days. This one was necessitated by two things: a sore throat and a lot of leftovers. A creamy chicken and rice soup was just what I needed and the leftovers from the leftovers kept me happy for a next couple of days. Again... recipe... I don't have one for ya.


Sooo... now that we're both caught up... let's November together, yes?

(Non-Potato) Fries of Goodness

Sometimes a crunchy, salt, soft-on-the-inside fry needs to happen.

And personally, when I decide that this fry business needs to happen, it's more about crunchy, tasty bit than it is about the actual potato. Knowing this... I stepped out the other night and made some fries of a... leftover... yellow bell pepper.



I know, I know. It's brilliant.

Anyway... another thing that sometimes happens (but not too often) is me watching a full episode of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals. This 3 step batter came from Ms. Ray.

Do I remember what she was battering or what she called this batter? Not at all.

Do I remember what else she was making in that episode? Nope.

Do I have a recipe for you? Again... no.

I'm sorry. I know that's kinda rude. But! The silver lining in this situation is that... well... last week I made and enjoyed some ridiculously good bell pepper fries. Feeling better yet? : )

Alright... If you're the adventurous, make-it-up-as-you-go type (like I am), then perhaps this will be enough to get you going:

Bowl 1: flour
Bowl 2: egg
Bowl 3: seasoned bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

Oh... and it probably goes without saying, but these fries are baked, not fried.

So... go make fries of something awkward and let me know how it goes. Until I hear from you, I'll just be hanging out over here. Not watching Rachael Ray.