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…

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!)…

Skinny Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Dip

September 9, 2018 Amanda Plott

Sometimes, you just feel like having snacks and appetizer style things for dinner. Or maybe that's just me and my family? This weekend has been a rainy one, and I'm not about to complain about that. We've been needing the rain and the cool off from the blaring Texas sun. Even so! With being stuck indoors and games and movies being the fun of the weekend, I thought it would be perfect for an appetizer night.

For whatever reason, rain always leaves me craving Mexican food. Namely enchiladas. That's why I went with this Skinny Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Dip as part of our rainy day spread. This dip tastes just like those famous cream cheese chiclen enchladas that we all know and love. The only difference is that this dip is guilt-free!

Southwest Couscous Salad

September 7, 2018 Amanda Plott

I love couscous. I love it in traditional form and I love it Israeli style too. What's the difference though? Traditional couscous is smaller grained and the Israeli one is more of a 'pearl' couscous. Small little beads of 'pasta' that are extremely versatile and can be amazingly delicious!

The lunchtime struggle is real, and I know it is. I've found that if I don't have something prepared ahead of time for lunch, that I'll often go without or end up eating a less than stellar choice. With couscous being one of my favorite things, and pasta salad on the mind, I thought it would be a great time to make a couscous 'pasta' salad!…

Strawberries & Cream Monkey Bread

September 3, 2018 Amanda Plott

What a weekend! It was a mix of fun, excitement, and even some drama - to say the least. While my house was a little more than full, It was FULL of people that I love and adore. And when I love and adore you, I feed you. That's why I decided to press on with making this Strawberries & Cream Monkey Bread for breakfast one morning.

I based this monkey bread off of one that I had made before, with just a few simple adjustments to use up the last bits of fresh strawberries in the season. To say that this sweet treat is delicious, would be a sad understatement! It's loaded with strawberries and sweet ooey-gooey goodness among every nook and cranny…

'Nut & Seed' Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola

August 31, 2018 Amanda Plott

It's been a hot minute since I made up a batch of homemade granola, mostly because it's just been way too hot here to even think about turning the oven on. But, sometimes... it's just worth it. And this morning? It was just that - totally worth it! With pumpkin spice season on the horizon, I thought there was no better time than now to tempt the cooler weather in with another pumpkin inspired treat!

I based this grain-free granola off of one that I made a while back. The main differences would be the spice used in it and the seeds that I chose to include. Since we're going with the Fall theme, I decided to use pumpkin seeds. Two kinds of pumpkin seeds, that is. I picked up a raw one to roast with the granola, and a lightly salted roasted seed called 'snow white' pumpkin seeds to add in at the end…