Soft Baked Pumpkin Cookies

My first post when I started my blog almost a year ago was my Roasted Pumpkin Puree. That was the first year we had gone pumpkin picking and the first time I ever tackled a whole pumpkin! Well, my love for pumpkin has grown since then! 

This year I wanted to try a new recipe from the pumpkins we've picked. These soft baked pumpkin cookies melt in your mouth with their great pumpkin flavor and warm spices topped with a sweet vanilla glaze.

What you will need:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda 
1 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 
1/2 tsp. salt  
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze (recipe follows) 

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  

Beat sugar and butter together in you mixer until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt while the mixture is on low speed. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. 

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For glaze: 
Combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies and allow glaze to set up before putting them away.

Enjoy!

 

DIY Coffee Sugar Scrub

I’m a huge fan of coffee, especially my new found love of cold-brewed coffee. After cold brewing, I am left with a ton of coffee grounds after. I wanted to find a way to re-purpose my leftover coffee grounds. I was researching ways in which to use them and stumbled upon a great scrub idea from The Kitchen on the Food Network.
Coffee, and caffeine in general, do amazing things for the body. Coffee intake has been studied on its affects, and drinking coffee helps prevent certain types of cancer! It is also an antioxidant. The grounds, when used as a scrub, are excellent exfoliates. They diminish the appearance of cellulite and tighten and tone your skin. Plus, you get to smell like coffee after! I love the smell of coffee.

What you will need:
3 TBSP coffee grounds
1 TBSP sugar (any one will do, I used brown sugar)
2 TBSP olive oil (or coconut oil)
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Mix up all of the ingredients in a jar or some sort of seal-able container.
It will last up to 2 months in a sealed container. 

Enjoy!

How To Make Cold Brewed Iced Coffee

No morning is complete without my coffee fix! No matter what season, my coffee of choice is always over ice! I grew up in a coffee family {maybe that’s why I’m on the shorter side!} Coffee is connected to so many moments in my life: the smell of coffee at family breakfasts on the weekend, hanging out at Starbucks with friends, midday iced coffee with my mom and sister, and finally getting my husband to share my love of coffee with me. 

However, when I try to make my own iced coffee from hot brewed coffee, it never tastes quite as good as the iced coffee I get at Starbucks or any other good coffee shop. Hot brewed coffee over ice always tastes watered-down and slightly burnt. 

I think I have found the answer to my problems. I am going to share my secret, an at-home cold brewed iced coffee that is bold and flavorful. 

First, you need to choose a coffee. You want to use a good quality coffee, as the taste will really come through. I used one of my favorites, Starbucks Dark French Roast. 

Once you have course ground your beans, {if you are starting from whole coffee beans like I am} measure out how much coffee you will need and pour it into you container. I used a mason jar since it closes airtight. You are going to want 4 ounces {1/2 cup} for every 1 quart {32 ounces} of water. 

Pour in your filtered or spring water. 

Give the coffee mixture a good stir to combine everything. 

Screw the cover back on to your mason jar. You want it to be air tight, if using a container without a lid cover with saran wrap. Let the coffee sit for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. 

After 12 hours it's time to strain the coffee grounds out. {If you let the coffee sit longer, the final result will be more bitter and bold.} You can use a cheese cloth or a fine strainer like I did to strain the coffee. 

To strain, place your strainer over a bowl or a pitcher and pour the coffee mixture through. The cold brewed coffee will filter through and the coffee grounds will stay in the strainer. 

The cold brewed coffee will last in a sealed container in your fridge for up to a week!

Save those coffee beans!  I have an easy DIY coffee sugar scrubyou can make with them later in the week! 

Now it's time to pour some of your cold brew over ice.

Tip: Make some coffee iced cubes so your coffee never gets watered down! 

You can drink it black, as cold brewed coffee is naturally sweeter than hot brewed coffee, it will naturally taste sweet. 

Or, add some milk and sugar for even more decadence.

Enjoy!

Easy Summer Iced Tea

 Happy 4th of July!  So happy that there are blue skies and no more humidity today for the holiday!  4th of July is like the unofficial start of summer for me, and nothing says summer like a cold glass of iced tea!

What you will need:
4 tablespoons of your favorite tea 
3 cups of boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
Cheesecloth
String

Measure out 3 cups of water, I used a mason jar since it fit perfectly, and microwave for 3-4 minutes until bubbling.

While the water is coming to a boil, you want to prepare your tea bag.  Cut a square of cheesecloth and place your tea in the center. Then, bring up the corners of the cheesecloth and gather together.  Secure your tea pouch with a long piece of string. {your want it long enough to hang out of your mason jar}

Measure out a 1/2 cup of sugar.

 Once the water has come to a boil, add the sugar and stir.  Then place your tea pouch into the jar, leaving the string hanging out, and seal the jar.  Let the tea steep for 2-3 hours.

 When the time is up, the tea will look nice and dark.  This tea will be very concentrated, perfect for a tall glass of ice on a hot summer day.

I removed the tea pouch and transferred my iced tea to a glass bottle. {totally not necessary but I think it pours better}

Enjoy!

 What is your go-to summer drink?

 

Where I'm From Swap Reveal

I participated in the Where I'm From swap hosted by Kallie from But first, coffee blog. 
I was paired with Rachel, her blog is The Rachel Emily Blog. Rachel is from Indiana.  We both like to cook {and eat!} and love the scent of vanilla and cinnamon!
My swap box from Rachel:

1. Vanilla scented candle 
2. Grippies potato chips
3. Local butter cookies {it looks like my post man got to it first!}
4. Ski soda
5. HGTV Magazine {I love DIY}

 

Easy Summer Potato Salad

As summer is fast approaching, I wanted to come up with a new spin on the old potato salad classic.  I love potato salad, but the mayonnaise can sometimes be a bit much.  I don't usually eat potato salad, as I feel like the mayo makes it seem a little fattening and indulging. That is where my summer potato salad comes in.  Instead of mayonnaise, I used apple cider vinegar and spices in order to coat the potatoes.  As the potato salad sits with it's coating, the creaminess of the baked potatoes give the salad a great texture. 

This recipe is perfect for a barbecue, which I used for my Memorial Day barbecue along with my Touchdown Football Cookies turned patriotic red,white, and blue.

 

What you will need:
1 lb. Idaho potatoes {or red bliss if you're feeling fancy} 
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 bell pepper
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP. sugar 
1 1/2 tsp. whole-grain mustard
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 slices of bologna {optional}

 Cut up the potatoes into small cubes. 

In a large pot, add the potatoes, garlic, a nice pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper and water to just cover. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender all the way through, about 15 minutes. 

Drain in a colander and rest the colander over the top of the empty pot to allow the heat to dry the potatoes. Once cool enough to handle but still warm, add to a large mixing bowl. 

If using a gas stove, place the pepper directly over a medium flame and allow to char on one side, then rotate until the entire pepper is black and charred. If you don't have a gas stove, roast the pepper on a baking sheet under the broiler or at the highest temperature of your oven. Carefully watch to rotate the pepper and char on all sides. Remove and wrap tightly in saran wrap, allowing it to steam for 5 minutes to loosen the skin. Once cool enough to handle, remove the seeds and charred skin and chop the pepper. Set aside. 

In a large pan on medium heat, add the bologna and cook, stirring, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar, mustard, paprika, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper to the hot pan. Cook at a rolling simmer until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 2 minutes. 

 Add to the potatoes and toss until they soak up the vinegar mixture. 

Cut the parsley and scallions and toss into the salad along with the pepper. 

Pour into a serving bowl and serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!