Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

I'm a big comfort food fan. Anything cheesy, creamy, ooey and gooey... I'm there! 

(Sorry for the bad quality, this is the cold leftovers we had. I was too busy eating it to take a fresh picture)

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

Pumpkin season is just great! My mother made pumpkin mac and cheese (post coming soon) and pumpkin frozen yogurt! Both are absolutely amazing so I had to let her let me post the recipes for you guys.

(Sorry for the picture not being all fancy, but trust me it's delicious)

Austin/Boston food blogger swap!

I've always wanted a pen pal. I've never had too many friends and the thought of writing to someone in a far off land always appealed to me. Why did I never do it? Partially laziness. I didn't know how to find a pen pal. 

Now this isn't really a pen pal thing, but it's kind of close, so I was very excited to be a part of it. 

And how cool is it that my Boston partner is awesome? 

Butterbeer Cupcakes

I have a confession... don't judge... I'm a big Harry Potter fan. Like i've read all the books, own all the movies and have watched them many of times. They're the movies I turn to when i'm homesick. They just make it feel like home. 

I watch them any time of year, but I especially get in the mood to watch them during the holidays. Once October gets here either the movie is in, or it's a Harry Potter movie weekend on ABC Family. 

So why have I not made any Harry Potter recipes before? I have no idea, but here is my first and i'm so excited about them! 

Butterbeer Cupcakes! 

Brown Sugar Walnut Cake

Stressed spelled backwards spells desserts... Maybe that's why i've been baking up a storm lately? Psh, what am I saying? I know that's partly why i've been baking so much. Well that and I have a little obsession with sweet stuff...

No wonder why my jeans fit tighter...

Ricotta Ravioli in Brown Butter Garlic Sauce

 One of my favorite movies has to be Julie and Juliet. Amy Adams is just so adorable and cute in it! Of course she always is in any movie she's in, but Julie and Julia is just especially great. Any movie having to do with food, and one of the food queens herself Julia Child, is obviously going to be amazing. 

One of my favorite parts is when she talks about butter. 

"Is there anything better than butter? Think it over, any time you taste something that's delicious beyond imagining and you say 'what's in this?' the answer is always going to be butter. The day there is a meteorite rushing toward Earth and we have thirty days to live, I am going to spend it eating butter. Here is my final word on the subject, you can never have too much butter."

That quote right there sums it up! Butter is amazing. I mean just look at this amazingness going on here; butter, onions, and garlic... Nothing is better. Period. End of story.

Now to brown butter is even better! This recipe is so simple and can be made even simpler by using pre-made ravioli. 

Ricotta Ravioli in Brown Butter Sauce

Pasta Dough

3 cups flour

4 eggs

Directions

Make a well with the flour on your counter, then break the eggs into the middle. With a fork slowly start beating the eggs and incorporating the flour until the dough gets too thick to use the fork. Then begin kneading with hands. Wrap with seran wrap and let sit at least 30 minutes.

Ricotta Filling

16 ounces ricotta

Garlic salt

Parmesan (grated)

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together with a fork in a small bowl.

Assemble Ravioli

After dough has sit, roll out strips about 2 inches thick through a pasta roller. Use an ice cube tray to help you get even squares and equal sized raviolis. Pleace the dough over the tray and push filling into the holes. Cover with another length of dough and cut in squares with a pizza cutter. Use a fork to seal all the edges. 

Salt a big pot of boiling water and cook ravioli for about 5-8 minutes. Once the ravioli is done, transfer to pan with sauce.

Brown Butter Sauce

3 tbls butter

1 yellow onion (chopped)

2 cloves garic (minced)

1 tbls mascarpone cheese

1tbls flour

1/2 cup smoked gouda cheese (grated)

Directions

Melt butter in a large sauce pan and add onions. Cook stirring occasionally until the onions get translucent. Add in garlic and continue cooking for several more minutes. Add mascarpone and stir until melted then add in flour to thicken. Continue cooking mixture until it just starts turning brown and fragrant. 

Once sauce is done add the ravioli and immediately add cheese and stir, carefully so as not to break the ravioli.

Peanut Butter Cup Sprinkled Brownies

Is anyone else loving this weather? This morning I woke up to go to class and it was in the 50's! It's actually cold enough to have wear jackets and jeans!

This is part of why fall is my favorite time of the year. The cold weather, football games, hoodies, holidays, and pumpkin everything! Especially Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte... Mmmm... late night Starbucks run anyone?

Anyway, a friend of mine asked me to make him some brownies that he'd seen a picture of on facebook. He actually offered to pay me for the price of ingredients plus an extra $10! This is the first of my customers for my business! How exciting!

I don't usually use recipes from brand names, usually because I don't like using brand name mixes, I like homemade everything, but since he specifically wanted this recipe I allowed it. It was homemade too, except for the peanut butter cups, but it was absolutely delicious! He shared some with me and some co-workers, oh so sweet of him!

They came out so beautifully, and the peanut butter swirls remind me of maple leaves, which of course makes me think of fall, which is partly why i'm posting this now!

Fall is in the air and so is the smell of pumpkin! Which reminds me, Starbucks anyone?

Here is the link for the recipe if anyone wishes to try this deliciousness for themselves!