Jack-O-Peppers

Did you know that jack-o-lanterns were originally made out of all sorts of vegetables? It's been said that today's North American jack-o-lanterns could have been derived from how the Irish carved lanterns out of beets, turnips, and other veggies to guide evil spirits away on All Hallow's Eve.

I'd like to say that this is why I made these Jack-O-Peppers for dinner tonight, but I actually just saw a few fun versions on good old Pinterest and had to make up a few myself. Who knew they'd be so easy and fun?!

Boo Cakes

I'm not going to pretend that these are the most beautiful cupcakes I've ever made. I know I should have piled the frosting higher so they looks more like ghosts, but I am more a cake girl than a frosting girl, so they stayed short. But looks aside, these Boo Cakes are really fun for Halloween and tasted great. 

If you want to put extra frosting on your cakes to make them more ghost-like, just double up the frosting recipe and do it! I'd love to see a picture of them looking almost too delicious to eat! 

Read on for my delicious Seven Minute Frosting recipe to top delicious Boo Cakes!

Alien Spaghetti

Today's recipe is absolutely one of the most fun and easy recipes I've ever made. And that's not a sentence I'm saying lightly. These were leftovers I was proud to show off in the lunch room the next day. I was proud to share such a fun recipe with anyone that asked about it and was excited to be able to remember the few short steps it took to make the dish come alive.

The fact that it's perfect for sharing in October is a big bonus. The dish is a healthier version of one from Clotilde Dusoulier's The French Market Cookbook and it's shocking pink colour makes it perfect for remembering that October is breast cancer awareness month. Plus it reminds me of Alien Spaghetti and that makes it perfect for Halloween too! :)

Monster Mash

Is it just me or does everyone want to start bobbing their head, dancing about, and smile when they hear the words to the "Monster Mash"? I don't think of myself as a great singer, or even a not bad singer, but I can't even help but to start singing along when I hear that song.

At least Halloween is supposed to be scary, right?

To get in the Halloween spirit this year, I'll be sharing fun Halloween themed dishes in each post from now until the Big Day. The first one is my version of Life Made Delicious' Spooky Shepherd's Pie.  Life Made Delicious' version is perfect for a family that loves ground beef and my version is a great option of a vegetarian family. Other than that, the main difference is that ghosts haunt Life Made Delicious' version and green monsters are mashing on top of mine.

Crazy Ingredient Challenge - Broccoli and Pumpkin Puree

I really enjoyed this month's Crazy Ingredient Challenge and didn't really think that our pairing was too difficult. Chocolate and cauliflower - that was weird but I didn't really embrace the challenge with my Spicy Chocolate Dusted Cauliflower. Caramel and avocados was tough too but I think my Creamy Avocado Salad with Caramel Almonds turned out great. And I barely made tomatoes and coconut work with my Tomato Soup Cupcakes and Caramel Frosting. But pumpkin purée and broccoli - I paired those veggies together in a flash and made a delicious dinner too! 

I suppose it helped that I love eating both those veggies. And it probably also helped because I like to think my Thai curries are one of my best dishes. Read on to see if you agree!

Awesome Veggie Sandwich Encore

The other day I shared a yummy sandwich with you and it got me thinking that the world needs more vegetarian sandwiches. So what could I do but create another amazingly yummy veggie sandwich. This one is filled to the brim with fresh flavours that I think you might normally associate with a farmer's market, so that's what I'm calling it - The Farmer's Market Sandwich. 

Now who wouldn't want a sandwich like this? 

Mediterranean Veggie Sandwiches

After a big Thanksgiving meal, the last thing I'm interested in is figuring out what to cook next. I prefer to use up leftovers and make a sandwich. If you made a turkey, I know you'll be making a turkey sandwich. But the question is if you'll be adding cranberry sauce and dressing like I use to do. 

If you didn't make a turkey, or have already run out of leftovers, that's where things might get a little trickier. Never fear because my yummy Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich is here! It's full of awesome veggies, flavour, and my favourite mushroom pâté. It's perfect for a no thinking, yummy meal. And if you made the pâté to serve as an appetizer yesterday, it's even more perfect! 

One Dish Veggie Thanksgiving

Since this Thanksgiving I won't be serving a turkey, I've been experimenting with lots of veggie friendly options for the big day. I have looked at tofurkey and quite honestly, I'm not impressed. They look a little grey and unappetizing. Instead I'm going the veggie side dish route and lots of them! 

Side dishes have always been my favourite Thanksgiving food anyway, so why not just enjoy lots of yummy sides? I'll make sure that there's some protein in there, but it won't be the star on the plate. It might be a mix of beans in a yummy filling served in a squash instead. 

Here's one of my first 2013 Thanksgiving experiments. This dish is almost exactly out of a recipe from last month's Canadian Living magazine. I just swapped their rapini for broccoli because I love broccoli and changed the dressing a little too. I think it turned out great!  

Sweet Turk-tato

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!  I know most of you are enjoying turkey this weekend, but this short and sweet post is a smile for those of you that are choosing to enjoy something other than turkey. It's a sweet turk-tato! Or in other words, a sweet potato shaped like a turkey.

Can you believe my mom actually found this sweet potato for me? I almost couldn't believe it, but I'm happy she did. :)

Now I can't wait to hear what it's like when it's roasted and carved up!

Kitchen Sink Soup

I know I am ready for winter when I start filling my grocery cart and fridge with more food than I can possibly eat in one week. I just see yummy looking ingredients, detour from my carefully planned list, and fill up my grocery cart. Doing may make me seem like part squirrel, but it also has helped me to come up with really yummy recipes. 

Today's recipe is compliments of my having binge bought far too much kale, leeks, and carrots at the farmers market and from having stock piled too many dried beans in my cupboards. And I'm happy it happened because this soup was delicious! 

Preserving Summer

October's Canadian Food Experience Project challenged everyone to preserve something. I wondered about trying my hand at preserving beets, but thought that seemed like an unwanted opportunity to cover myself in pink stains.

Instead I decided to try preserving lemon. I love the flavour of preserved lemon and have always wondered if it would be easy to do myself or if I should leave preserved lemons to the professionals and buy them already made.

Well I'm pleased to share that it's an easy process. The only thing you really need, besides lemons of course, is time and patience. These suckers take about three weeks to preserve. But in three weeks time, get ready for yummy Moroccan flavoured dishes because I'll be sharing them like crazy!

BrOc-tober Soup

It's October and time to start enjoying soups again. But to be completely honest with you, I made this soup on a chilly day in summer and saved sharing it with you until now because soups just seem more fall than summer. Plus calling this post BrOc-tober Soup was just too fun to pass up!

Although I change almost all recipes to make them my own, this soup recipe originally came from Martha Stewart's Meatless. I love that there's a can of protein filled beans in it to make it both creamy and filling. I would never have thought to use puréed beans in a broccoli soup, but now I know I'll do it again and again. 

Read on for the recipe!

Mexican Green Goddess Dressing

Farmer's Markets are getting a little sad now. Oh there are still lots of delicious squashes, beets, and carrots, but the warm ripe tomatoes and happy little bundles of herbs are really thin these days. So, in honour of the warm summer days we've enjoyed, I'm giving a summer salad one last hurrah.

This weekend, when I'm planning for Thanksgiving, I'll start enjoying thoughts of roasted root veggies more. Today, I'll be enjoying a cerveza with my Mexican Green Goddess Salad! 

Read on for the chasing the soon-to-be-winter blues away recipe!