Soft Sugar Cookies with Frosting

I'll admit it. I'm a total sucker for those grocery store sugar cookies in the plastic container with different colored frosting for every imaginable holiday. Orange and black for Halloween? Yum. Red, white, and blue for Fourth of July? Don't mind if I do. Pink, white, and red for Valentine's Day? Do you even have to ask? Loaded with preservatives and artificial ingredients though, I'm sure they're not the greatest food in the world health-wise. And while I'm sure the home-made version isn't toooo much better for you, at least they are slightly more natural? Maybe? At least that's what I'm telling myself.

These cookies totally live up to their name is softness. They have a rich buttery taste, and are completely satisfying. And with the endless combinations of frosting and sprinkle colors, they can truly work for any holiday!

Soft Sugar Cookies with Frosting
Makes 24 cookies

For the cookies:
4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 teaspoons of salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 large eggs
5 teaspoons of vanilla extract

For the frosting:
4 cups of powdered sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract
5 Tablespoons of milk (and more, if needed)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Turn the mixer to low, and add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Place dough in non-metal bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for one hour. (I had some straggler dry ingredients at the bowl when I was done, if you do- don't mix them in with the dough.)

After the dough has chilled, scoop a heaping Tablespoon of dough into your hands and roll it into a ball. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and flatten the ball slightly with the bottom of a glass.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies 2-3 inches apart. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. You don't want to even let them get to a golden brown- and if so, just slightly. Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, place the confectioners sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and beat until smooth. Whisk in additional milk if icing is too thick, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Color frosting with gel food coloring, and frost cookies. Top with sprinkles, and store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Adapted from Annie's Eats, original recipe here.

Pumpkin Cream Sauce with Sage

I love pumpkin in all of its forms- I love it in sweet desserts, I love it savory dishes, I love it in hearty breakfasts. I haven't exactly kept this love of pumpkin I have a secret. And likewise, I can't keep this sauce a secret. I was totally surprised by this one; I threw it together as a one of those "I have these ingredients on hand- it sounds like they could go together- I hope dinner ends up edible" dishes. Oh man, was it edible. I may or may not have eaten the extra sauce up with a spoon.

I've had sauces like this in restaurants, and hoped I could recreate something similar. It has a rich, slightly sweet flavor, and was so good over a mushroom ravioli. We also had it over gnocchi, sausage ravioli, mushroom fettuccine (yes, we had it that many times- it's a great way to use up leftover pumpkin), but the winner was the mushroom ravioli. I'm sure we'll be trying it many other ways as well!

Pumpkin Cream Sauce with Sage

3 heaping Tablespoons of pumpkin puree
1/4 cup of heavy cream (or half and half if you want to keep it lighter)
1 Tablespoon of chopped sage leaves
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
dash of black pepper

1/4 cup of fresh shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions: Heat pumpkin, cream, sage, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine, and bring to a slight simmer. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Continue to stir, as the cheese melts and sauce thickens. Serve over pasta or ravioli, and garnish with a bit of shaved Parmesan. Enjoy!

A Little Domestic Bliss original ;)

Indian Spiced Roasted Squash Soup

I don't think there is anything more comforting than a warm bowl of soup on a cold day. We have been having a freak warm streak lately, but it has finally cooled down enough to properly savor a nice warm bowl. I have been trying to find some different versions- a bit of a twist if you will- on the classic recipes. And since I am still buying squash after squash like it's going out of style, this Indian-spiced roasted squash soup recipe I saw in Cooking Light was perfect!

This is not the greatest picture- soups are so difficult to get a good shot of- but it is definitely better than this picture looks! It had just the perfect amount of spiciness, and the sweet yogurt garnish balanced that perfectly. It is definitely a new twist on an old standby.

Indian Spiced Roasted Squash Soup

1 yellow onion, chopped
8 ounces of carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 medium acorn squash, quartered
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
dash of black pepper

32 ounces of vegetable broth
1 teaspoon of curry powder
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt

6 Tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt

Click to see saving

4 Tablespoons of honey

Directions: Preheat oven to 450. Place the onion, carrots, garlic cloves, butternut squash, and acorn squash on an olive oil-greased jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Put the vegetable mixture into a large stock pot on the stove.  Add the vegetable broth, curry powder, garam masala, cayenne pepper, and salt. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Combine the Greek yogurt and honey, and stir until smooth. Drizzle over soup and serve. Enjoy!

Adapted from Cooking Light, original recipe here.

Hot Artichoke Dip

I think I found my go-to hot dip recipe.

Last week, one of my co-workers held a vinatge/craft open-house at her place. She does truly amazing things with found materials and vintage "junk." There were cake stands and platters made with vintage plates glued to old candlesticks, wine bottle stoppers made from antique doorknobs and faucet hardware, and rings made from vintage earrings and brooches. Everything was gorgeous! I ended up buying this ring, I absolutely love the colors.

But what does this have to do with dip? Nothing, really, except that she served a dip very similar to this one! I loved it, may have eaten too much of it, and immediately put it on the list of appetizers to bring to Thanksgiving at the in-laws'.

It was a huge hit at Thanksgiving- totally comforting and delicious. I almost felt bad accepting the compliments, it was too easy as well!

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
dash of black pepper

2 cans of artichoke hearts, roughly chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor, mix the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, green onions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until well combined. In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise mixture together with the chopped artichokes. Stir to combine well.

Spread dip into a 9 x 13 glass pan, and bake for 30 minutes, or until top is slightly golden brown. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, and serve hot with crackers or crostini. Enjoy!

(I kept it warm throughout the afternoon in a mini crockpot, but it is just as good at room temperature!)

Adapted from allrecipes.com, original recipe here.

Pumpkin Chili and October Snow

It snowed yesterday. Not much snow, just a dusting really- maybe a whole inch in the places it actually stuck to the ground. But the amount wasn't the crazy part. The crazy part is that it's still October! It just does not snow around here that early. I remember going up to my great-aunt's house (at a higher elevation) for Thanksgiving when I was little and being amazed that they had snow on the ground already- at the end of November! So having snow here a whole month earlier than that is pretty darn crazy!

I wasn't complaining though- a cold snowy day definitely provided the opportunity I was waiting for to make a batch of pumpkin chili I had my eye on. I am so glad I did, it was absolutely perfect for a blustery day :)

It wasn't very different from regular chili- the pumpkin taste isn't extremely strong. If you didn't know it was in there, you probably wouldn't be able to pick it up. But the pumpkin did provide a rich and just slightly sweet flavor that added a great "je ne sais quois" to the chili. And as most crock-pot dinners are, this is completely easy to prepare and smells amazing all day!

Pumpkin Chili

2 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red (or yellow) bell pepper, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs. of ground turkey
1 (28 oz.) can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14.5 oz) can (or 2 cups) of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can (or 2 cups) of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of frozen corn
1 (14.5 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 Tablespoons of chili powder
1/2 Tablespoon of cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
fresh cilantro
Cheddar cheese, shredded
sour cream

Directions: Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, green bell pepper, red (or yellow) bell pepper, and garlic until tender, about 8 minutes. When they're done, transfer them to a slow cooker.

Using the same skillet, still over medium high heat, add the other Tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is heated, add the ground turkey, and stirring often to crumble, brown it for about 10 minutes. When it's done, transfer the turkey into slow cooker.

Add the tomatoes, beans, corn, and pumpkin, stir to combine. Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and stir to mix spices in. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. Serve with shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

Adapted from What's Cookin', Chicago? original recipe here.

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash

H and I have been eating a lot of acorn squash lately. We've received a lot of them from the CSA, and they have been tempting me in grocery store as well. I usually roast them with a bit of butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and brown sugar- which are delicious, but are getting a bit boring! So when I saw this recipe for a Moroccan-style stuffed acorn squash, it immediately went on the menu. It definitely sounded like a different and delicious thing to do with acorn squash!

We only used one acorn squash, rather than the two the recipe called for, so it definitely made more stuffing than needed, but it was great leftovers for lunch the next day. It is tasty, filling, healthy and easy to make. What else could you ask for?

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 acorn squashes, halved and seeded
2 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 (15 oz.) can (or about 2 cups) of garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups of uncooked couscous

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Rub one Tablespoon of olive oil on insides of squash and season with salt and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, flesh side up. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until mostly soft.

When there is about 15 minutes left on the squash, heat the other Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook for about 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans, raisins, cumin, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Pour the vegetable broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover, and turn off the heat. 

Allow couscous to sit for about 5 minutes to absorb liquid. Remove cover, fluff with a fork, and stuff squash halves with the couscous. Place in the oven for about 10 minutes, to get a slight crisp on top. Enjoy!

Adapted from allrceipes.com, original recipe here.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

I came across this recipe when I was looking for something different to do with tortillas. I was hoping for a roasted vegetable enchilada, but was intrigued (and a bit skeptical!) by this one. The only way to find out for sure though, is to try it of course!

The flavor was complex and interesting: it had the sweet from the sweet potato, the savory from the tomatoes, and the spicy from the poblano. They all blended together really well and it was a tasty, filling, and very healthy meal!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

2 large sweet potatoes
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (14.5 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tablespoon of chili powder
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups of salsa
8 large flour tortillas
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1/3 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions: Preheat oven to 425. Wrap the sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and roast for about an hour, or until soft when poked with a fork. Unwrap, cut in half, and set aside.

Turn oven down to 350. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add minced garlic and chopped poblano, stirring frequently until fragrant. Add black beans, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Scoop out cooked sweet potatoes, add them to the skillet, and simmer mixture 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Spread enough salsa on the bottom of a 9x13" pan to cover. Place tortilla on a flat surface, fill with sweet potato mixture, and roll tightly. Place the enchilada in the pan. Continue with each tortilla shell, until all are filled. If there is any filling left over, spoon it on top of the enchiladas, then top with remaining salsa and sprinkle with onion and shredded cheddar.

Bake until casserole is hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Adapted from Care2/Greenliving, original recipe here.