Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars

September 24, 2018 Amanda Plott

As we’re getting closer and closer to Halloween (my favorite holiday), I’m playing more and more with candies and chocolates of all kinds this year! While I’ve made a few candies in the past, it’s usually something that I try and steer clear of. Why? Well, candy making scares my pants off!

The notion of making candies just sounds overwhelming to me, but in all honesty, these dark chocolate crunch ‘bars’ are sooo easy to make and only require three ingredients to make! That’s right. Only three ingredients and about ten minutes of your time. It doesn’t get much more simple than that when it comes to homemade chocolates, does it?…

Spooky 'Monster' Tacos

September 20, 2018 Amanda Plott

Cooler weather is coming… Halloween is coming! And being as it is my most favorite holiday, I’ve got to have some fun with it. I’ll be honest in saying that these are my standard, average, run-of-the-mill tacos that I make using extra lean ground beef and just a few other notable swaps along the way.

This time of year though? I like to make them a little spooky! With a few dollops of Greek yogurt, plain Jane tacos turn into MONSTER tacos! Mauahahaha. I’m so in love with Halloween that I made these tacos whilst in the middle of a horrible back spasm. Tacos are awesome as they are. But, cute tacos always win.

Healthified Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

September 17, 2018 Amanda Plott

It’s no secret that Halloween my favorite holiday and I always like to do something a little special for it. My little girl is quite a pancake fiend. I would venture guess that she eats pancakes for breakfast just about every other morning. Except for Saturday; that is 'donut' day around here.

At any rate, with all the great pumpkin flavors going around this time of year, I thought it would be a great time to make a healthier pumpkin pancake!

No matter your age or pancake preference, these whole wheat pumpkin pancakes are a great way to start off any Fall morning! They are really easy to mix up and cook. Plus, they taste amazing with just a subtle hint of pumpkin and spice in there…

Dark Chocolate & Pumpkin Swirl Bundt Cake

September 15, 2018 Amanda Plott

We’re finally in the 80’s around here, and I can feel Fall in the air just about. It’s one of my favorite times of year. Halloween is just around the corner and pumpkin spice is featured almost anywhere you look. Bring. It. On. I am so ready to get to use my stove and oven again without having to worry about spending the rest of the day cooling the house back off. The struggle is real, y’all.

Baking is not my favorite thing to do in the kitchen. It scares and intimidates me. And today was one of those reasons why. I turned my back for (what seemed like one second) and I over-beat my batter. Meaning my cake collapsed a bit in the middle. I was frustrated beyond belief with myself, but the family didn’t mind at all. In fact, they all said how good the cake was - even though I was mad at it…

Crock Pot Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal (Instant Pot too!)

September 13, 2018 Amanda Plott

Originally when I made this oatmeal, I had pretty recently posted a Skinny Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal, but these two oatmeals are pretty far apart in the realms of texture and preparation. Plus, I’ve added in new instructions so this oatmeal can be made in an instant pot (pressure cooker) in under thirty minutes!

As usual, I've been running around like a crazy woman and I really needed a pick-me-up this morning to help boost me through the day. Back when I first made this recipe in 2013, my dear little girl had been sick for well over a week and only the day before was diagnosed with both a sinus infection and bacterial pneumonia. That was a tough time!…

Skinny Pumpkin Spice Dark Chocolate Truffles

September 11, 2018 Amanda Plott

Pumpkin spice and everything nice, that’s what these truffles are made out of! These little cuties are surprisingly easy to make and are pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Making candies is sort of one of those kitchen fears of mine that ranks up there even higher than most baking projects! I suppose that’s because candy making and baking are the more scientific limbs of cooking. And I am no scholar.

Even so, I like to push myself to limits and test my skills when I can. Nothing good ever came out of fear of failure! These sweet treats are as simple as candy can be to make, filled with a delicious pumpkin spice cream cheese mixture that everyone can enjoy this fall! (Or any time of year really!)…