This fettuccine recipe is loaded with fresh herbs and vegetables, including the fall flavor of butternut squash. If you’re lucky enough, you might still have some of these ingredients growing in your garden.

I love food with lots of color, and flavor, this recipe definitely delivers (with a little bit of heat added in).

Autumn Harvest Fettuccine

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces, about 4 cups
• 1 leek, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 pound green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons original Tabasco® brand pepper sauce, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 8 ounces fettuccine pasta
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or basil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450º F.

Toss butternut squash, leek, red bell pepper, green beans, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large roasting pan. Roast until vegetables are browned and tender, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook fettuccine as package directs.

Toss roasted vegetables with fettuccine, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and parsley in large bowl.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Courtesy of  Tobasco

Post from: Blisstree

Autumn Harvest Fettuccine

It turned out delicious so I thought I’d share the recipe here. We topped the pumpkin pie with some TruWhip, which I’ll be back with a review of in the next day or so.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

• 3 cups cooked pumpkin
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 eggs (slightly beaten)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients together well. Spray 2 pie pans with no stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425`F, then pour the pumpkin pie mixture into the pie pans. Bake at 425′F for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 325′F and bake the pie for another 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Post from: Blisstree

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Fall Fruit Salad

• 4 medium apples(peeled, cored, and chopped)
• 1 cup grapes (cut in half)
• 1/3 cup chopped walnut pieces
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and fold them together. The walnuts add a nice crunch, but you could also add a little granola right before you served it for a little extra crunch (or substitute granola for the walnuts if you’re not a walnut fan). Serve it up in little fruit cups, makes about 4 servings.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Post from: Blisstree

An Easy Fall Fruit Salad

I usually use the smaller pie pumpkins because they  have a better consistency and flavor than larger pumpkins do. I cut the pumpkins in half, and scraped out all the seeds and the pulp. An ice cream scoop, or a large spoon work great for scooping out the pumpkin guts.

Don’t throw out the seeds, save them and you can have roasted pumpkin seeds, or try this recipe for roasted garlic pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are loaded with vitamins, and healthy fats.

Once you have all the stringy middle out of the pumpkin, lay the halves face down on a baking dish, and add about an inch of water to the bottom of the dish to keep the pumpkin from drying out.

Preheat your oven to 350`F, then bake the pumpkin for about an hour. When the pumpkin is soft, and gives to your touch it is done. Depending on the size of your pumpkin, it may take a little longer than an hour.

Let the pumpkin cool, then remove the peel and puree the pulp to add to all your pumpkin recipes. You can also freeze it in freezer bags to use later.

I’ll be back with some pumpkin recipes to use up your pumpkin. Now I just need to decide what I’m going to make. Maybe some pumpkin butter, pumpkin custard, pumpkin cheesecake, or some pumpkin muffins. Hmmm.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Post from: Blisstree

How To Bake A Pumpkin

*Clean out your freezer. If you are like me, your freezer is full of useless items like bags of icy bread slices, unfinished bags of chicken nuggets, raviolis, etc. Take a look at the items and if you can use them, do so, but if they are past their prime, toss them. Very soon you are going to need extra room in the freezer.

*Clean out your cupboards. You are going to need room to stash non-perishables that you find on sale.  Pick up extras of seasonal items like pumpkin or yams for later in the year. 

*Plan ahead….. to a point. Make a list of dishes that you plan to make for holiday meals, including snacks, sides, and main dishes. This will be your “guide.” If you allow for flexibility, you can change your menu if you find a great buy on another food item.

*Scan your ads and when something comes up, like a great buy on turkeys (my local Safeway does this every year), pick one up and stash it in that clean freezer. Some years we have a turkey for both the Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday. When I do that, I buy two seperate turkeys and stash them both in there. I’m lucky in that I don’t need a huge turkey, so I can fit two, at least temporarily.

*Go to the websites of your local supermarkets and sign up for their newsletters. Many of them offer special coupons that are not available in the store.

*If your local supermarket offers a magazine, pick one up. I shop at Raleys in Northern California and the Raleys magazine full of recipes that feature products that are currently on sale in the store. In addition, the recipes are great.

*Sometimes you can find better buys on items like canned pumpkin, canned vegetables, or canned milk at a drug or discount store. Stores like CVS have a smaller selection of grocery items to chose from, but those that they do have are usually great buys. Sign up for the store’s newsletter for additional savings.

Image credit: Sxc.hu

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Pre-Plan For Holiday Savings

I did some research and here are some Halloween events for singles around the U.S.  I hope you find something fun near you.

*Halloween Party Extravaganza for Singles (Couples welcome, too)
When: Friday, October 23, 2009 8pm-12am
Where: Hilton Concord Hotel, 1970 Diamond Blvd., Concord, CA
Click here to find ticket information

*Halloween 2009 Singles Party
When: Halloween, October 31, 2009 starts at 9pm
Where: The Watering Hole, 106 East 19th, New York, NY
Click here for more information

*Singles Halloween Dance
When: Halloween, October 31, 2009, starts at 8pm
Where: Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort, 5401 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ
Click here for more information

*40+ Singles Halloween Friday Happy Hour
When: October 30, 2009, 6-8pm
Where: Proof Nite Club, 7800 East Hampden Avenue, Denver, CO
Click here for more information

*Spooky Singles Halloween Party
When: Halloween, October 31, 2009, 7-10pm
For more information about this event, take a look at the Saint Louis Singles Meetup Group website.

Image credit: Sexy Costumes.com

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Halloween Fun For Singles

My favorite way to eat popcorn is with a combination of popcorn salt (it’s a smaller granule than traditional, so it sticks better) and brewers yeast. I spray the popped corn with cooking spray and that helps the salt and brewers yeast to stick.

Another of my specialities is caramel corn, but I only make it a few times a year. It’s so sweet that  a little bit goes a long way. Click here for popcorn recipes including Italian Cheese, Spicy Popcorn Southwest Style, Garlic Cheese, and Popcorn Balls.

If you are looking for a cheaper, healthier way to make Microwave popcorn, then try the recipe below. It uses no oil. A cup of air-popped corn is about 31 calories. Oil-popped is a bit more at 55. Did you know that it’s believed that popcorn originated in Mexico and was introduced to the colonists at the first Thanksgving feast?  They ate it with milk and sugar, like cereal.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

*1 brown paper lunch-size bag
*1/3 cup popcorn kernels

1. Pour the corn into the bag, then fold it down about 3 times – small, tight folds.
2. Set your microwave for 4 minutes at high.
3. Listen carefully and when the popping slows to about 5 seconds between pops, remove from oven.
4. Open immediately, keeping the bag pointed away from your face.

Image credit: Sxc.hu

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National Popcorn Poppin’ Month

Some of my favorite fall foods that are loaded with vitamin A include:

• Pumpkin is one of falls favorite flavors, and it’s loaded with vitamin A
• Fall squash like acorn, and butternut have their fair share of vitamin A. Bake some, or mash some and enjoy the flavors.
• Sweet potatoes are another fall favorite. My aunt makes the most fabulous sweet potato casserole every Thanksgiving. I look forward to it every year.
• Fall is also a great time for soups and stews loaded with carrots and other yummy vegetables.

What’s your favorite fall food?

Pumpkin Image (c) L Gerlach

Post from: Blisstree

Fall Foods Are Full of Vitamin A

Last year I brined a turkey. I kept hearing about the process on the The Food Network (Yes, I know I always mention The Food Network. Yes, I do watch it that much. It’s like my kids and Spongebob). The brine is supposed to yield a moister bird. It’s a scientific process wherein the salt causes the muscle cells of the turkey to absorb water through osmosis. This hydrates the bird and denaturing seals that moisture into the meat when it’s cooked.

My biggest concern before brining, was how to keep my kitchen from being flooded with nasty-salty turkey water. It never happened. I filled the bottom of my cooler with ice, then put it on top of two thick beach towels in case it leaked.

I cleaned my turkey and placed it in a cooking bag, that I placed on top of the ice in the cooler. I mixed my brine, cooled it, then poured it over the turkey. I sealed the bag completely, then put another bag over it, sealed well. I poured more ice over the top of the turkey. I closed the lid and went to bed.

In the morning, I turned the turkey bag over, added more ice, and left for a turkey trot-type event with my youngest. When we got home, I rinsed the turkey completely and got it ready for the oven. I threw the bags away and cleaned my cooler out. The whole process was pretty easy and everyone loved the results.

If you are interested in giving a brine a try here are a couple brine recipes:

*Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey
*Advice from the folks at Foster Farms

Here’s a peek at Alton’s brining advice in action.

Image credit: Sxc.hu

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Thanksgiving: How About A Brine?

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love to decorate. I decorate my home, the window in my home and I mean all of the window in my home, and I love autumn. The only time of year I like more than autumn is Christmas. Anyway, I have a very simple project for you that when completed looks absolutely beautiful. You can use this anywhere in your home to brighten up any space.

Image: Kathy Zengolewicz

Here is what you will need:

• A 20 inch carvable artificial pumpkin (you can use a real pumpkin if you would like)
• Craft foam
• An assortment of fall sprays (flowers or small ornaments)
• 2 Fall floral picks
• A hot glue gun and glue stick
• A pair of wire cutters
• A sharp knife (I use an xacto knife)

Now you are ready to get started. First, cut a hole around the stem of the pumpkin about 5 inches in diameter. You can cut the hole in the very top of the pumpkin or you can cut the hole closer to the face of the pumpkin, that’s what I did in with mine. When you cut it closer to the face (front) of the pumpkin, it is a lot easier to get the full effect of the flowers. Fill the inside of the pumpkin with craft foam. Make the foam fit tightly so that the items don’t shift when you lift or move your pumpkin. There is a styrofoam glue that you can use to glue the styrofoam to the pumpkin, but I don’t think it is necessary to do that unless you will be moving it around once you have it all put together.

Place two fall sprays, one on each side of the opening, bend them downward over the sides of the opening. Place the largest spray in the center and work around it to fill in the spaces with picks and sprays. Fix your arrangement any way that pleases you.

That is all there is to it. You now have a beautiful fall floral arrangement that you can use any way that you choose. You can also use it for a centerpiece for your dining table. Enjoy!

Kathy Zengolewicz is an author, ghostwriter, editor and proofreader. To learn more about Kathy and her services, visit her website at kathyzengolewicz.com.

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How to Create a Fall Floral Arrangement