gimme some oven

‘Tis the sesason for everything pumpkin…and pumpkin pie spice!

I don’t know about you, but my little spice jars seems to empty out way too soon around the holidays.  But not to fear!!!  Making pumpkin pie spice “homemade” is ridiculously easy.  Just measure out five spices and combine.  The end.  :)

The other nice thing is that its name is completely misleading.  Well, you can make a fabulous pumpkin pie with it.  But this spice combination is perfect for many other uses!  From oatmeal (and oatmeal cookies!), to pumpkin seeds, to soups, to lattes, to pancakes, to roasted vegetables, to popcorn, and even to mixing it into your whipped cream, this spice can go way beyond its namesake.  It also makes a great Christmas present for foodies.

So whip up a batch for the holiday season, and have fun experimenting with it as well!

see recipe for how to: make pumpkin pie spice

What to do with leftover cake, brownies, cookies, fruit, or candy bars?

Make a trifle!

Seriously, trifles are a baker’s best-kept secret.  They are easy, fast, delicious, and they a great way to use up any of your sweet leftovers.  Just chop/tear/cut your main ingredient into bite-sized pieces, and then layer it in a trifle dish (or multiple smaller trifle dishes or glasses) with other complementary ingredients, and voila!  Trifles are so simple, and I guarantee that your friends and family will have no idea this might be your starring dessert’s second appearance.  ;)

For the trifle pictured above, I layered angel food cake, fresh fruit (pineapple, peaches and strawberries) and bourbon whipped cream.  Read on for more trifle tips and ingredient suggestions.  And then would love to hear — what are your favorite trifle combinations?

see recipe for how to: make an easy trifle

Leftover bread?

Make croutons!!!

Seriously — homemade croutons are super-easy to make, and they are  oh-so-tastier than anything you buy at the store.  You also don’t have to worry about preservatives or suspicious-sounding ingredients.  But the best part is that you get to choose your own breads, oils and seasonings!

I’ve included a bunch of ingredient ideas and variations on the recipe below.  But the bottom line is that this is a total “method” — just use whatever ingredients you have on hand.  Your salads, stuffings, and soups will thank you.  :)

see recipe for how to: make homemade croutons

Ok, some of you longtime readers know that I like to craft as much as I like to cook.  So thought I’d share a random idea I had for easy placeholders (or food labels!) for my annual Christmas party this past weekend!

Call me Martha, but I always love making little labels for the various dishes I make whenever I host anything buffet-style.  Since I happened to have a few gumdrops leftover (from making a wreath similar to this cute one), I thought it would be fun to put them to use for some Christmas-themed placeholders!

So behold, my little creation was born.  All in all they took about 10 minutes to make, used only two ingredients and a handful of common supplies, and were commented on again and again by all of my friends!  So thought I’d at least offer a quick “how-to” on here for anyone else who might be looking for a fun and very inexpensive project for your holiday parties.  Enjoy!

see recipe for how to: make gumdrop placeholders

I’m pretty sure I could live on sushi.  Seriously.  Love-love-LOVE it!  :-)

But as much as I enjoy hitting up our local sushi happy hours with friends, the sushi love is not always the easiest on the budget.  :S  So this year, I’ve made it my goal to learn to make really good sushi at home.  And I’m happy to say – mission accomplished!!!

Now before you raise those skeptical eyebrows, hear me out.  It it way simpler than you think!  Granted, it takes a little time to prep the ingredients.  (But this goes way faster if you have an extra set of hands!)  And if you’re wanting to use raw fish, it’s essential that you pay a few extra dollars to be sure that it’s “sushi-grade”.  But the assembly process is totally easy, and you can have the flexibility of mixing and matching whatever ingredients you love!!  AND…the final cost is considerably more affordable than eating out.  Cheers to that.

So if you’ve never tried making sushi at home, grab some friends, your chopsticks, your favorite ingredients, and really — give it a go!!!  I think you’ll be completely surprised at how much fun, and just how completely delicious (and addictive!) sushi can be homemade!  :-)

see recipe for how to: make sushi at home

Mangoes are hands-down my favorite fruit.  But I have to admit — for many years, I had absolutely NO idea how to (safely and beautifully!) peel and cut them.

The story was always the same.  I would bring a mango home, super-excited to enjoy that unique, wonderfully sweet flavor.  But after just a few seconds of cutting, I would have my hands completely covered and dripping with mango juice, trying desperately to hold onto a slippery-slidy mango pulp, and not slip and cut my fingers instead of the pulp!

Needless to say…I needed an intervention.  :)

Thankfully, a few years ago, a friend graciously gave me this lesson.  So for anyone else who’s in that boat, I thought I’d make a quick tutorial to humbly pass along to you.  I’ve also included some info on how to select a ripe mango, or ripen one at home.

Bottom line…cutting a mango correctly was much easier than I knew.  And 100% worth it.  So give it a try!!!

see recipe for how to: select, peel and dice a mango

I’m always a little surprised at how impressed people seem when I make homemade whipped cream to go on a dessert, or crepes, or whatever the occasion may be.  Mainly because….it really is SO easy!!  I love whipping it up because the texture and taste are miles above the Cool Whip or whatever you can buy at the store.  And actually, the carton of cream it takes to make it is usually cheaper than the pre-made stuff – go figure!

So for anyone who has never tried making homemade whipped cream, here’s a quick how-to.  Grab your mixer (or your trusty whisk), a carton of cream, a teaspoon or two of sugar and vanilla…and in 5 minutes, you can be enjoying your own fresh, homemade whipped cream.  YUM.

Enjoy!!!

see recipe for how to: make whipped cream

If you….

1. Love recipes that only take about 3 minutes of total prep time…
2. Love all things coconut
3. Don’t love all things coconut (like me…but I love this milk!)
4. Love milk
5. But maybe don’t like or can’t drink regular milk for various reasons
6. Are a Vegan
7. Don’t like paying for overpriced coconut milk in the stores
8. Like being able to control the type/amount of sweetener in your coconut milk
9. Have yet to ever experience the sweet, creamy, rich goodness of coconut milk…….

Then this recipe is for you!!!!!

Truly, it’s so fast, and so simple, so cheap, and so delicious that there’s no reason NOT to try it.  :)  It’s full of great nutrients, and can be used a zillion ways.  (I’ve included a short list below of some possible uses, both in and out of the kitchen.)  So grab a bag of coconut, and give it a try!  I really think you’ll love it!

see recipe for how to: make coconut milk