Have you heard? It’s Thursday. Here are some links for you!
Hold onto your gourds, folks, because it’s that time again – the #VirtualPumpkinParty is here!
Thanks to the lovely Sarah of Cake Over Steak, you’ll find the internet absolutely stuffed with pumpkin recipes today. Stuffed! Just TRY to get more autumnal up in here, okay?
Last year, I brought this Pumpkin Chocolate Icebox Cake to the party, and in keeping with weirdly chilly and maybe-not-so-seasonal pumpkin desserts, this year I landed on these creamy Pumpkin Pie Popsicles.
I got an itch to make these after I had a phenomenally good pumpkin popsicle at a place called Seattle Pops (if you live here, run don’t walk to the shop in Wallingford – not only are the popsicles baller but they’ll dip any pop in chocolate if you ask, just saying). I usually go for the creamy kona coffee popsicle, and Calder enjoys the chocolate banana, but on our last visit we were convinced to try the pumpkin flavor, and HOLY. POPS. It was sweet and lush, truly like a slice of whipped-cream-topped pumpkin pie in popsicle form.
This is my version.
Happy pumpkin season, everyone! (To see allllll the pumpkin deliciousness, click here).
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It’s Thursday again, and I’m in NYC! If you’re here too, come by Bloomingdale’s 59th street tonight between 6-8pm (up on the 8th floor, in housewares) — I’ll be signing books and sampling nibbles from One Pan & Done. I’d love to see you there!
Here, some links for your weekend:
Welcome to Thursday! One housekeeping note — I’m coming for you, New York City! I’ll be signing copies of my book One Pan & Done at an event at Bloomingdales one week from today. That’s Thursday, October 19th! More details to come, but if you’re in the area and want to come chat about sheet pans, Dutch ovens, Truffle Mushroom Lasagna, and/or skillet cookies, I’d love to see you!
In the meantime, here are some links for you this week:
I’m on a muffin bender, and my toddler is VERY happy about it. First was the classic blueberry sort, then I turned Deb’s famous double chocolate banana bread into muffins (holy Popes, Deb!) (Also friends, let me know if you want me to post that recipe here, I will gladly oblige), and then I made these muffins three Friday nights in a row. (On a related note, I may have to get out more.)
I’ve convinced Calder that they’re a treat (chocolate chips help with this illusion, and the enthusiasm with which he asks for a “teat!” these days is both heart warming and slightly terrifying), but the truth is that these little cakes, packed with protein and whole grains (and only a small amount of processed sugar – fresh bananas and applesauce bring plenty of natural sweetness), feel perfectly appropriate for daily toddler consumption.
With my ever-growing mountain of muffins on hand (I find they do pretty well in the freezer, then either briefly microwaved or just left out at room temp to thaw), I’ve taken to doling them out as a post-Sunday-soccer practice “teat” (I have to say that I use the word “soccer” pretty loosely here — a bunch of 18-month-olds chasing bubbles around with orange cones might not fulfill the actual definition), as a welcome afternoon pick-me-up at the playground, or just as part of a “special” weekday breakfast.
If you have kids (or, you know, not) and are looking to get on the muffin train, look no further! These have it all. Bananas, applesauce, Greek yogurt! Oats, whole wheat and buckwheat flours! And some mini chocolate chips for good measure. “Teats” for everyone!
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Hey, Thursday people. Links for you!
Now that the first week of fall is officially under our (cozy-sweater-and-boot-clad, pumpkin-spiced-everything) belts, I’m declaring it time for SOUP.
You know a good soup day when you see one — grey and a little blustery, maybe some damp chill settling in around midday (hey, Seattle, I see you). Or maybe it’s clear and crunchy, with a pushy sort of wind that makes its way into your ears and leaves your nose good and pink? SOUP DAY.
My brother-in-law doesn’t consider soup to be a real meal, which leads me to believe that either A: he is a real spoilsport, or B: he’s just never had a good bowl of soup. Or bisque or chowder or stew, for that matter. My brother-in-law is pretty fun, in general, so I’m going with B. Maybe he’s never made his own chicken stock. Have you?
Making your own chicken stock is the kind of thing that sounds like a big deal, but in reality is absolutely not. It’s actually on the simpler side of things, cooking-wise, and really takes your soup game to a new level. I’m certainly not against a store-bought box of the stuff, but when I have the time and wherewithal, I love to make my own.
I like to take my time and make a day of it — there’s lots of hands-off time in stock-making, so it doesn’t really take up the whole day. I buy a good chicken, raid the fridge for some veggie odds and ends, cover it all with water and then let the stove do the work. After a few (again, very hands-off) hours, I’ve got a nicely poached chicken (with meat that I use for salads, tacos, chili, etc. etc. etc.) and a beautiful, rich broth to store in the freezer for months of soup to come.
It’s a very autumnal thing to do, come to think of it. So what do you say? Shall we make some stock? Let soup season begin!
(Consider this part 3 of my seasonal “Whole Bird Cooking” series! In case you missed them, here are parts 1 and 2).
In partnership with Draper Valley Farms. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Dunk & Crumble!…
I spent the better part of this week recovering from a gnarly stomach bug, but I’m finally on the mend. Thanks to Thursdays! Here, some links for you:
Hi! How’s your week going? I’m fighting some kind of cold situation so that 👆🏼 is on my to make list. Some Thursday links for you:
At the beginning of September, as backpacks are filled and schedules are… filled (I excel at writing), everyone loves a good list. I know I do.
As such, I herby present you with my (highly scientific, expertly curated) list of:
Things That Aren’t Actually So Bad About Summer Ending:
Number nine is taking center stage in my house this week. There are still a few (a very few, maybe) good fresh blueberries to be found around these parts, but I also just unearthed a giant bag of frozen berries from earlier this summer (score!), and as such, some fresh, tender-crumbed muffins sounded like just the thing.
These are fluffy and dense with berries, with just a small hit of lemon zest throughout. The tops are wonderfully sugar-crunch-capped, so particularly healthy they are probably not, but particularly delicious? You bet.
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