Thanks again to Real Simple, I found this easy recipe in the November 2010 issue. I guess I could make this year round thanks to canned pumpkin puree. Yeah!

What you need

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter at room temperature (personally, I just pop cold butter into the microwave for 10-15 seconds and then slice the butter for the mixer) and some extra for the pan (I never bother with the extra, I just use spray stuff like Pam)
3 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, and extra for the pan
5 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (yes, surprisingly, this does exist)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup whole milk (I used nonfat)
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Gather your ingredients

Heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Butter/spray and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the pumpkin puree, milk, and molasses (the mixture might look very wet and curdled). Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (don’t overmix).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes (mine took 55 minutes). Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cake. Let set before serving.

Look at this beautiful cake. The insides were moist and exactly how I want pumpkin cake to taste. I have to admit I wasn’t a fan of the lemony glaze though. It was a tad too tart. Maybe next time I’ll consider a maple streusel topping.

I stumbled across this awesome recipe from Real Simple in the October 2010 issue, and decided to make it, even though a) I rarely make pork dishes and b) I make lentil dishes even less.

What you’ll need:

1 cup green lentils, rinsed
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 red apple, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (also known as Italian parsley)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil (I used extra virgin, or EVOO as Rachael Ray says)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1 1 1/4 pound pork tenderloin (I purchased thinly sliced ones, instead of an entire tenderloin)

Gather your ingredients:

Meanwhile, heat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit, then get started on your lentils. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.

Add the lentils and 1 teaspoon, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 20-30 minutes. I should warn you I went the full 30 minutes but I feel like I should have cooked them a tad longer, they didn’t seem as tender as they could have been. Maybe because I made them in a cast iron dutch oven? Drain and rinse afterward with cool water to cool. In a medium bowl, toss with the apple, celery, parsley, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 3-4 minutes (since these are thin slices). If you’re using the entire tenderloin, brown for 6-8 minutes per side. Transfer to the oven and roast until the pork is cooked through, 10-12 minutes, basting with the balsalmic glaze twice during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Let rest before slicing. Serve with lentils and any pan drippings.

**For those of you who don’t have an ovenproof skillet (like me), I found it fine to just add the pork to a baking sheet that’s been pretty oiled to prevent sticking.

This dish was incredibly simple, the glaze and pork were delicious, and I loved the refreshing flavor of the slightly tart lentils.

What you need:

16 buttery crackers like Ritz, crushed (about 3/4 cup)
6 oz Sharp Cheddar, grated
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp of Kosher salt
1/4 tsp of black pepper
4 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tbsp of unsalted butter, melted
Wild rice pilaf with steamed green beans (optional, and I used brown rice pilaf with diced carrots and peas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Afterward, combine the crackers, cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Dip the chicken in the butter, then in the cracker mixture, making sure to coat well, and then place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle any remaining cracker mixture on the chicken, and drizzle any of the remaining butter. Bake until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes (for me it took about 35 minutes). Serve with the pilaf and rice if any.

Here’s a relatively simple dessert recipe that you can use for when you want something sweet that is low commitment. I found it in Real Simple’s Sept 2010 issue.

All you need? 6 cups of cornflakes, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 10 oz package of marshmallows, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

To get started, just spray the bottom of your 8 inch square baking pan with some Pam or equivalent, and then line with wax paper or parchment with an overhang on two sides for easy lift out later.

Then in a saucepan you want to melt the 2 tbsp of butter with the entire bag of marshmallows on medium heat, stirring until everything is melted.

After all is melted, mix in the cornflakes and cinnamon. Then press the mixture into the square pan evenly. After that, just let it cool completely, lift out, and then cut into squares to enjoy!

Yumsugar is a great website for finding recipes, because they pick and choose interesting ones to present. Granted, it’s probably one giant affiliate scheme but hey, if it means I don’t have to troll the nets, it works for me! Yumsugar linked to this Martha Stewart recipe for blackberry crumb bars. I only had one container of blackberries, so I decided to use 2 cups of frozen blueberries instead of the blackberries and the whole thing turned out marvelous. I should warn you, the recipe says 16 servings, but they are TINY.

Gather your ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, and 1/2 cup (1 stick), room temperature, plus more for pan **Instead of using butter for the pan, I used nonstick baking spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 containers (5 ounces each) blackberries **I used 2 cups frozen blueberries

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter and flour paper, tapping out excess. **I didn’t use any parchment paper, no problem, I just left the bars in the glass baking dish I used
2. Make topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; add 1 cup flour, and mix with a fork until large moist crumbs form. Refrigerate topping until ready to use.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly in pan; sprinkle with blackberries, then chilled topping.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares. To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.

The bars were moist, the berries sweet and delicious, and the crumble top perfect. Let’s just say I ate half of the bars before stopping myself.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 12 oz package of small peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped (I used Reese’s)

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2) Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3) Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Slowly add in flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in peanut butter cups.
4) Drop tablespoon sized mounts of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake until light brown around edges, 12-15 minutes (in my case, took 9-10 minutes). Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

The cookies are slightly chewy, slightly crispy, and have a great junky peanut butter cup flavor.

2 cups gemelli, cooked per package instructions (I used farfalle, you can use any short pasta), and rinsed with cold water
2 cups chopped spinach
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into small pieces
2 oz salami, cut into small pieces

Toss all together, and drizzle with salad dressing below:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Whisk together four ingredients above. The salad is easy, refreshing, and tastes ‘healthy’.

Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
2 cups fresh blueberries
Pure maple syrup

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 250°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients. Fold in berries. Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until brown, brushing griddle with more butter as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with maple syrup.

As I prepped, I thought, okay, I can do this. Secretly, I’m terrified of pancakes. I’ve only made them once or twice, and honestly, I can’t remember what happened to them.

So far so good.

Even more hope!

And..fail.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups of dry rotini
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic
4 oz of sliced mushrooms
1 14.5 oz can of creamed corn
6 oz of cooked/smoked turkey meat (any part of a turkey, really)
2 cups of spinach
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil a large pot of water and cook the rotini as instructed, usually 8 minutes for al dente. When done, drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, spray non stick cooking oil or heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Then add mushrooms and saute for another minute. Add the creamed corn, turkey, and spinach. Mix the ingredients together and cook for about two minutes. Toss in the pasta and mix together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cook until spinach is soft, then serve.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
1 cup applesauce
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (3.4 ounce) package of instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 2 (9×5 inch) loaf pans. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Use half of this and dust over loaf pans.
2. In a large non metal bowl, combine the Amish bread starter with applesauce, milk, eggs, flour, pudding mix, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle top with remaining sugar/cinnamon mix.
3. Bake for one hour. Remove from oven and cool in loaf pans for about 10-15 minutes until the bread is cool enough to separate from the pan.