Vegetarian Pizza Monkey Bread

When I was searching for a third dish to make for our friends this past Saturday, I immediately thought of my friend Elina's blog post about Pizza Monkey Bread.  I adapted the recipe by replacing the pepperoni with chopped basil to make this a vegetarian-friendly dish for our friends.

First, I gathered my ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds pizza dough (I used pre-made dough from Whole Foods when I discovered too late that I had thrown out my frozen pizza dough when we lost power during the storm last month)
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
• Handful of basil, chopped
• 2-3 cups of marinara sauce, warmed, for serving

We got to working prepping our ingredients.  First, I let the pizza dough rest on a cutting board.

Meanwhile, Bret cut the mozzarella cheese into cubes.

I thinly sliced the garlic and chopped up the basil.

I then warmed the garlic and butter over medium heat until the garlic began to brown.  I poured the garlic butter into a bowl and let it sit.

The next steps were easy.  I lightly brushed the inside of a bundt pan with garlic butter. (Thanks Mom for letting me borrow the bundt pan!)  Bret and I then had fun putting the monkey bread together.  We took off chunks of dough (probably the size of two large marble-sized balls) and flattened them.  We stuffed the dough with chopped basil and a cube of mozzarella cheese.  We wrapped the dough up into a bowl and pinched the edges tightly to seal.  The final step was to brush the dough ball with garlic bread before putting it in the bundt pan. 

The basil stuck to our hands and the dough a bit because of the garlic butter but I thought this made the monkey bread look more colorful.  I let the monkey bread dough rest for about an hour before baking it at 400 degrees for thirty-five minutes.  I only let the dough rest for so long to time it with the arrival of our guests.

When I took it out, the monkey bread looked fabulous!  Some of the balls had opened up a little bit for some beautiful baked cheese bits.  I let the monkey bread rest in the bundt pan for about ten minutes before flipping it onto a platter.

The monkey bread was a big hit!  Everyone kept going back for more and it was so fun to pull pieces of the monkey bread and dip it into the marinara sauce.  This was so easy to make and I can't wait to make this again!

What are some of your fun and favorite appetizer dishes?

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I have to thank Mary Crehan one of my fabulous Willow House hostesses for this recipe.  I tasted it at her party a couple of weeks ago and knew I had to make it.  It tastes delicious when it's warm right from the oven and is even great cold or room temperature.  I had some for breakfast the next day with a drizzle of agave syrup. I'm considering replacing my Baked French Toast with this dish for my cookie exchange. What do you think?

I didn't make any changes to this recipe besides adding some cinnamon and nutmeg and used 2 cups half and half and 2 cups whole milk.  Any combination of heavy cream, half and half and whole milk will work just like it does for the french toast. The bread pudding isn't overly sweet but some of my family felt that a dusting of powdered sugar would really complete this dish.  I did notice that it was an option but to be honest on Thanksgiving I was just too busy to pull out the shaker and fill with powdered sugar.  Next time I'll do that.  After speaking with Mary she mentioned that when making this the second time she sliced the bread instead of cubing it and it held it's shape better.  So I guess you can do it either way. 

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
1 loaf of challah bread, cut into cubes (or slices)
1 small can of pumpkin puree
2 cups of half and half
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup sugar
sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg, to taste
6 eggs, beaten
powdered sugar, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place cubed bread on a baking sheet and bake until toasted and browned (10-15 mins).  Combine half and half, milk and sugar, add pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Transfer bread cubes to a 9x13x2 casserole dish and cover with milk mixture.  Toss all the bread to coat.  Wrap with plastic wrap and allow bread to absorb milk in the refrigerator overnight.  The next day bake in a 375 degree oven for about 1 hour or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve warm, room temperature or cold. 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta

Nick was in charge of making dinner last week, which is great for two reasons: 1) I can relax, watch TV and blog a bit, and 2) he is a good cook!  Nick wanted to capitalize on the available fall flavors, and after a bit of searching came across an Autumn Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage that sounded delicious.  So, while I was lounging, Nick got to work!

Dinner is Served!

The Necessities...

• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage link (out of the casing)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 -6 sprigs fresh sage, chiffonade
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb penne (with ridges) 
• grated Parmesan cheese

To begin, Nick removed the sausage from its casing and put it in a skillet over medium to hot heat.  Once it was fully cooked, he removed it from the heat and put it on a plate lined with paper towels, which allowed some of the fat to drain.

Cooking the sausage...

While the sausage was cooking, Nick chopped up the onion and sage.

All Chopped Up

Nick tossed the onions, garlic and some olive oil into the skillet with the small amount of sausage fat that remained and let it cook up until it was tender - about 3-5 minutes.

Tenderizing the Onions

Some Dry White

Once tender, Nick added the sage and white wine, and allowed the wine to reduce by half.

Getting the white wine saucy!

Once it halved, he added the pumpkin and the stock.

With some pumpkin

When the mixture started to bubble and boil, Nick added the sausage back in, reduced the heat, and added the cream.  Finally he seasoned it with nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes so the flavors could all come together.

Thickening up

All that was left was to toss the pasta into the sauce and serve - oh, and of course top with some grated cheese!

Yum!

This was a delicious dinner that was warm and comforting!  The pumpkin in the dish was flavorful but not overpowering.  The nutmeg and cinnamon really shined through in each bite.  Even better, I did not have to lift a finger to make it, but I promise that I did clean it up.

Pin It

The Rocks of San Sebastian

Travel photography begs us to capture the obvious defining factors of the location, but other times inspiration blossoms in the lesser appreciated landmarks as well. In San Sebastian, the former is most notably the trio of Eduardo Chillida Sculptures while the latter (for me) was the rocks.
Rocks. Really? Well, in Madrid it was the intense graffiti covered facades, in Barcelona the Gaudi architecture - specifically the roof tops, and in San Sebastian, while I took lots of photos overall, the rocks in La Concha Bay and River Urumea stood out in abundance.
The aforementioned sculptures notorious with San Sebastian are called El Peine del Vinto or The Wind Comb.
These contemporary works of art are proudly displayed amidst a rough sea, their natural weathered character blends seamlessly while their dramatic shape is in stark contrast to the landscape. If you ever visit this city, you'll likely want to make the short walk to the end of Paseo de la Concha to check these out! The view and sites along the way are pretty cool, as are the rest of the rocks that surround the coastal shores and stone pathways. A side note to my readers who are not bloggers or who don't use the Google Blogger platform - (otherwise I'm probably stating the obvious) - Did you know you can click on any photograph for a slideshow? Since I tend to incorporate massive amount of photos in one post, if you wanted to be able to scroll in a more orderly fashion, or see the pictures in a larger format, just click on one. :)There's a lot more to love about San Sebastian than its beaches and rugged coastline, particularly the beloved Pintxos, the enticing tapas cuisine of the Basque region. A mouthwatering food post is in the works....

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal With Greek Yogurt

When it comes to breakfast, I'm most likely to get excited about egg dishes, like eggs Benedict, interesting takes on eggs Benedict, veggie-laden omelets, and egg sandwiches on soft rolls. I rarely get excited about things like oatmeal. And I won't even claim that this particular oatmeal recipe is going on my favorite breakfast dishes list. But I will say that it is flavorful, warming, and filling -- and that's just what I need in the morning before embarking on my 45-minute-plus walk/T-ride to work.

I'd been eating toast with avocado slices or bagels with cream cheese until I made this oatmeal. My other breakfasts would have my stomach grumbling shortly after I arrived at work, but the oatmeal keeps my stomach quiet until almost 11. That's when I dig into a granola bar, homemade granola, or something similar for my second breakfast. (And usually shortly after that there are tons of tastings in the kitchen -- which equals lots of stuff to keep me full for the rest of the day.)

I first read about this baked oatmeal on The Clean Plate Club and followed Alicia's link back to the kitchn, where I found the original recipe. I modified the recipe slightly, mainly subbing Silk for milk and serving the sweet, spicy oatmeal with tangy Greek yogurt. (The Greek yogurt packs some extra protein.)

The recipe is fairly hands-off, especially for steel-cut oats, which were pretty much my nemesis when I worked at Flour. (I can't tell you how hard it is to bake cupcakes, prepare tarts, and finish cakes while constantly running over to the stove to stir oatmeal.) It requires a little mixing on the stove and then goes in the oven for about a half-hour. After that, you can let it cool, store it in the fridge, and simply microwave a serving each morning.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal With Greek Yogurt (adapted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles via the kitchn)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups Silk Vanilla Soymilk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Greek yogurt
Maple syrup

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Stir in the oats, and fry them, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, until they look and smell toasty.

Create a well in the center of the oats and drop the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the well. Add the pumpkin puree, and fry it in the butter, stirring after about 1 minute.

Stir in sugar and spices, and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until puree darkens sightly.

Stir in soymilk, water, vanilla, and salt.

Cover pot, transfer to oven, and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove pan, uncover carefully, and stir oatmeal. Oatmeal will look loose, but it will thicken as it cools.

Serve warm, or let cool, refrigerate, and reheat in microwave. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.

It's not nearly as good as pumpkin pie, but it does make for a hearty breakfast. And I suppose it's more acceptable to eat oatmeal for breakfast.

After making this baked oatmeal, I am interested in finding other baked oatmeal recipes to simplify my mornings. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!