Disgusting. Delicious. Finger Cookies!

Always a Halloween party favorite, finger cookies are gruesome fun, easy to make--and they taste great too! I've seen both sweet and savory versions of the "finger," but the recipe I use I found in Rachael Ray's October 2011 issue. Unbelievably simple considering how great they turn out.

Severed Finger Cookies

Makes: 50  Prep: 40 min (plus chilling) Bake: 25 min

1 c.  unsalted butter, at room temperature (I use whatever butter I have in the fridge + nuke to soften)

1 c.  confectioners' sugar

1 egg

1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract

2 3/4 c.  flour

1 tsp.  baking powder

1 tsp.  salt

1/2 c.  sliced almonds

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla, then mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   
                      
   
2. Preheat oven to 325 F. Using your hands and working quickly, roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a finger shape. Place the fingers about 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Stick a sliced almond on 1 end of each for the fingernails. Use a table knife to make three crosswise knuckle marks in the middle of each cookie. Bake until lightly golden 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
   
                      
   
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook the jam over low heat until it reaches a saucy consistency. Once liquified, remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl; dip the "severed" end of each cookie into the sauce.

Somehow, I completely forgot to take a photo of the finished project... But here's what last year's batch looked like:

(This year's fingers were better...)

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Candy Corn Cupcakes

I first saw the idea for a candy corn cake on Pinterest, and while it was a cute idea, I wasn't immediately compelled to replicate it. However, I thought I could adapt the idea to create a great easy way to make cupcakes for my Halloween party. They wouldn't be labor-intensive, but would have a nice finished look. The outcome wasn't perfect, but it didn't disappoint either! 

Here's how I made them:

Apple-Cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup: A perfect dish for these brisk autumn nights!

During my hunt for healthy, yet hearty, foods that would also expand my taste palate, I came across a few tasty looking recipes for butternut squash soup. I narrowed it down to one on the sweeter side, provided by Pillsbury. I followed the recipe as closely as possible--since my two "medium" squashes produced a little more than 8 cups of flesh, I upped the apple quantity a little as well. It's delicious! And my boyfriend is already on his third helping. Yes, THIRD.

Apple-Cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup

source: Pillsbury.com

Ingredients 

8 cups cubed seeded peeled butternut squash (2 medium)*
1 large apple, peeled, chopped
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups (Fat Free & Low Sodium) chicken broth
3/4 (1%) cup milk
1 container (6 oz) Greek Fat Free plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1. In Dutch oven, mix squash, apple, onion, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and pepper. Add broth. Cover; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer about 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

1. In blender or food processor, place one-third of mixture. Cover; blend until smooth. Repeat twice to use up remaining soup. Return to Dutch oven, stir in milk and yogurt. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until heated through. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chives.

Expert Tips: When selecting butternut squash, look for those that have hard, tough rinds and are heavy for their size. Peeling the squash will be easier if you first microwave it on High for 3 minutes.Purchase already peeled and cut-up squash if available at your grocery store. If you’re cutting it yourself, a good, swivel-headed vegetable peeler is the tool of choice to make quick work of peeling the squash.

My nutritional info is quite different from the website, perhaps because my batch was slightly larger.

Serving: 1 cup Calories per serving: 106 Total Fat: .03g Cholesterol: 2mg Sodium: 299mg Potassium: 495mg Total Carbs: 25g Fiber: 3.5g Sugars: 10.3g Protein: 3.7g

Vitamin A: 265% Vitamin C: 50% Calcium: 11% Iron: 5.5%

*If you live near a Trader Joe's, check it out for squash. It's the cheapest and best quality squash in the area! (Including a local orchard. I love supporting them, but the price was way too high in comparison this time.)

Long Trail Pumpkin Ales: a long trip and a short sip later...

Two weeks ago, I visited my beautiful cousin in Rutland, VT for her wedding. Instead of taking the awfully boring ride back on the train, I met up with boyfriend and we made a mini road trip out of the return home.

Our first stop--hardly half an hour from where I had stayed--was Long Trail Brewery.

Similar to Iron Hill Brewery, which is local to me, Long Trail is both a brewing company and a restaurant. So we stayed for lunch--and it was probably the best decision of the whole trip.

The food was OUTSTANDING! I started with their signature Long Trail Cheddar Ale Soup followed by the Long Trail Bratwurst. (No, not everything on the menu starts with "Long Trail.") I've had PA Dutch sleeved meat--I've even had my share in Germany--but this was the best. To be completely fair, my taste palate has greatly expanded since my previous sleeved meat tastings... Nonetheless, the "cooked onions & maple mustard" are surely what set it over the top.

To accompany my meal, I ordered a pint of Long Trail's Imperial Pumpkin from their Brewmaster Series of ales.

Click here to learn more about Imperial Pumpkin

The Imperial Pumpkin is an English Strong Ale with an ABV of 8%. While not strong on pumpkin flavor, I really enjoyed this beer! It had all the right spices and tipped more towards the malty end rather than hoppy. According to Long Trail's site, Imperial Pumpkin was brewed with 2-Row, Wheat, Caramel 80L, and Caramunich malts with Nugget, Mt. Hood and Willamette hops. (I feel like I'm in Pineapple Express...) Their description:

Long Trail Imperial Pumpkin Ale is the latest introduction  to the Long Trail Brewmaster Series. This limited release seasonal treat is small batch brewed with pumpkins, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves with increased malts and a touch of bitterness for the perfect balance.

Well balanced, indeed. Nice job, Long Trail!

After our meal, we wondered around a bit and headed up to the indoor viewing balcony to see the vats. It was nice, but certainly not worthy of the term "tour" they throw around on the website, even if prefaced with "self-guided." They did have a pretty sweet (giant) graphic hanging in the restaurant, though, that talked about their brewing process:

A few days later, while at home, I remembered that I picked up a bottle of Long Trail's Pumpkin Ale prior to my trip and had it sitting in my fridge! Cracked it open. Poured in my branded Long Trail glass that I purchased at the brewery. Took a sip. Took another sip. One more. Dumped it. Maybe it had just been sitting too long... Ultimately, not my thang. It drank more like a light beer, which I am not at all fond of. I decided it wasn't worth the calorie intake. Ah, well. Their Imperial Pumpkin was certainly winner in my book, if that helps.

Single Serve Pumpkin Oatmeal

Listen, I'm not a big oatmeal girl. But I'm willing to get into it for the sake of my health. It gets hard, though, finding a recipe without loosing the healthy aspect of the meal.

This recipe, originally from About.com, fed a family of four. Which not only doesn't exist in this house, but I cook just for this girl. So I took this Pinterest find and adapted it for one.

Pumpkin Oatmeal
adapted from a recipe by Fiona Haynes, About.com 

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

1/2 c. Oats

3/4 c. Low fat or Nonfat Milk (I used 1%)

2 tbsp. Pumpkin Puree

10 g. Raisins Don't hate me because I weigh my food.

1 pinch Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 smidgeon Ground Cinnamon

Or do what I did: just sprinkle that shit on top until you're satisfied.

*Also, brown sugar OR sugar-free syrup if needed. I needed a little towards the end.

Directions

Place oatmeal in a microwave safe bowl and stir in milk. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BOWL! I'm not kidding. My oats erupted all over my microwave plate. Which reminds me... I forgot to clean that up. Oops!

After you scrape your oats and milk back into your bowl, stir in the pumpkin puree and spices. Nuke it again for another 40 seconds. (It's totally safe this time.) Once done, stir in the raisons. Add sweetener if you'd like, and EAT THAT SHIT UP. Or struggle through the foreign texture that is oatmeal as I did.

About halfway thru, I added a tiny bit of sugar-free syrup. Made it better without adding nearly any calories, but it's really the mush part that gets me. Perhaps next time I'll add a little bit of chopped pecans on top. Mmm...

My nutrition calculations:

Per recipe/serving : Calories: 275.8, Total Fat: 5g (Sat: 1.6g, Trans: 0g), Cholesterol: 7.5mg, Sodium: 101.3mg, Potassium: 379mg, Total Carbs: 47g (Fiber: 6g, Sugars: 18.3g), Protein: 11.8g

Vitamin A: 82.5%, Vitamin C: 3.6%, Calcium: 24%, Iron: 12.1%

Have any good, healthy oatmeal recipes? Let me know!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

(source: Mother Thyme)

1 ½ c. white whole wheat flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 c. milk (I used 1%)

1 c. pumpin puree

1 large egg, lightly beaten (I totally forgot to beat it lightly... Don't think it mattered much.)

2 tbsp. butter, melted

I threw all the above into a quart-sized measuring cup--easy to pour from and store leftover batter in with less clean up!

Since I'm on a healthy kick now, I measured out all of the ingredients and decided the recipe would make 4 Jenn-sized servings.

Using a 3/4 cup of batter for a serving, scoop two spoonfuls per pancake onto a griddle pan over medium heat. Since the batter is on the thicker side, use the spoon to spread out the pancake a bit. Mine were probably about 6 inces in diameter. 

Unlike your run-of-the-mill flapjack, these pancakes will not bubble all over producing your usual tell-tale tiny batter wholes. Instead, you may see one or two little guys. Use your best judgement and flip when you think they're good and ready. Does not take long!

I ate mine with a bit of buttery spread and sugar-free syrup, which only added on an extra 40 calories to my pancake serving!

Here is the nutritional information for the pancakes: