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Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark
Of all the classic candy combinations, chocolate and peanut butter may be my favorite, and I judge this by how often I swipe a piece of this bark when it’s out on my counter. I also judge it by how often I taste the ingredients while I’m making it. If tending a pool of glossy melted chocolate is not for you, then you might not find any enjoyment in whipping up this recipe. Otherwise, swirling these companions together could become one of your favorite candy making (and sampling) activities too. Ingredients 8 ounces chopped dark chocolate (semi-sweet or bittersweet) ⅓ cup peanut butter chips ¼ cup natural creamy peanut butter…
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Halloween Party Ideas
For most of my life, I’ve lived at least slightly in fear of Halloween, but now I welcome it as a chance to indulge in the non-spooky side of the holiday, meaning candy, fall food, and pumpkins. In preschool I was so terrified of the boys wearing scary masks that my teacher made them remove the plastic disguises to prove their identities. Now I live in fear of a loved one hiring a scary clown to deliver doughnuts to my front door. Whether you celebrate Halloween as a more sparkly Thanksgiving, like I do, or you look forward to binging on horror movies, the tips on the list will help…
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Pumpkin Butter Dessert Wontons
Even though the weather may let us go pumpkin picking in our shorts, we are squarely in autumn, and menus everywhere are celebrating the season with pumpkin spice items ranging from chai to doughnuts. At home, the menu has become pretty pumpkin-filled as well. This weekend I used homemade pumpkin butter to make dessert wontons that turned out so deliciously I just had to share them with you Quite a few of my loved ones look forward to pumpkin dishes but pass on ones with a heavy dose of pie spices, so I tend to use just enough to bring out the natural flavor of the star ingredient. Adding some…
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Chicken Meatballs with Wilted Greens and Bacon
Whether you grew up eating Italian meatballs simmered in a slow-cooked tomato sauce or the smaller Swedish style ones served with a rich gravy, you know how perfectly those dishes warm us from the inside out. These baked chicken meatballs with wilted greens and bacon are equally warming. I would say they are closer to Italian style with their ample amounts of garlic, Parmesan cheese, and parsley, a trinity certainly deserving of a name in the same way that carrot, onion, and celery collectively earned the term mirepoix. Made with ground chicken, baked, then tossed with wilted greens and crispy bits of bacon, these meatballs are best served with a…
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Maple Pumpkin Crumble
Satisfy your autumn cravings with a new take on the seasonal fruit crumble. The crumb layer that tops this maple pumpkin dessert is tasty, generous, and made without a bit of butter. As for the filling, it’s sweetened only with maple syrup and much lighter than a traditional pumpkin filling. If you’re like me and enjoy sweets on the regular, seasonal crumbles are probably high on your list of go-to desserts. From time to time, they need a little shake up though. That’s where the olive oil based crumb and lighter approach to pumpkin come into play. As you know from my chocolate chip olive oil muffins and some dessert…
