Tag Archives: fall

The Enigma of the Brussels Sprout

November 15, 2009

Filed Under : EAT - RECIPES

brussels sprouts

I apologize for not writing about food in a long time. I guess I just haven’t been hungry lately! That’s a lie. Anyways, I’m going to recommence my food conversation by examining the brussels sprout. What the hell is it? I’m not totally sure but the closest thing I can compare it to is a miniature-sized cabbage. If you know me at all, then you are fully aware of the fact that I love anything miniature – mini water bottles, mini ketchup bottles, mini cupcakes, etc. And therefore, I loved the brussels sprout before even trying it.

Brussels sprouts are pretty common in fall cooking, especially Thanksgiving, but for some reason, Sir Sprout and I have never crossed paths until a few weeks ago. I wasn’t surprised when we became fast friends because the taste reminded me so much of bok choy, which is one of my favorites. And they are so adorable so that’s always a plus in my book. After much deliberation and consideration, my mother and I decided to add brussels sprouts to our Thanksgiving menu.

Now you might think this is no big deal but we take our Thanksgiving menu very seriously so this was quite the decision. We do the holiday right or we don’t do it at ALL! So after sorting through every single food website and November cooking magazine, we decided upon the Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Caramelized Shallots from Williams-Sonomas’ Thanksgiving pamphlet. Welcome, dearest brussels sprout, to our holiday menu.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 31, 2009

Filed Under : EAT - RECIPES

IMG_2919 Every fall, I love to bake anything that has a little pumpkin essence in it. This year, I decided on these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies that I found on foodnetwork.com. After reading the reviews on the website, a lot of people said they turned out more like mini cakes or muffin tops. That got me pretty excited because there’s nothing I love more than a little muffin top (except over skinny jeans).

If you look at the recipe, you’ll see that it requires about 39 pounds of butter. I wasn’t really feeling that butter content so I swapped it with applesauce – 1 cup of applesauce equals 1 stick of butter. It’s a simple trick that I learned. Sometimes it jives perfectly with a cookie recipe and sometimes it doesn’t – it’s worth the gamble though.

I also doubled the pumpkin and added a little more of each spice (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger). The cookies turned out cakey and delicious. They remind me of little pancakes. I almost want to pour syrup over them but that might be going overboard a little. You can really taste the pumpkin spice flavor in the cookie. Mission accomplished. And of course you can never go wrong with choc chips. I’m currently enjoying my cookies with a chai latte and a little Taylor Swift. Happy Halloween!