crockpot cheesesteak chicken

Does anyone else feel like Halloween should have already come and gone? My Facebook feed has been full of Halloween costume pics for days now. My Halloween candy bowl has been stocked and tempting me since last Saturday. And Halloween is still not here. Halloween is officially the holiday that just won't quit. Let's get the show on the road already, Halloween. You're overstaying your welcome and I'm hankering for some serious holidays. Give me some Thanksgiving and Christmas already.

On second thought, maybe I'm just bitter. I'm too old for the slutty costume phase and too young to have kids to torture with adorable costumes. What's a girl to do?

I suppose I'll just put on my favorite costume (read: sweatpants and warm socks!) and pass out candy to the lil' trick-or-treaters from the comfort of my own warm and cozy home. Actually, on second thought, I think I may be winning Halloween after all. Now I just need to make these crockpot cheesesteak chicken sandwiches and I'll be golden.

crockpot cheesesteak chicken

ingredients:
2 green peppers, sliced
2 sweet onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
6 ounces of your favorite beer (1/2 of a bottle)
8 ounces freshly grated white cheddar cheese
buns, for serving

directions:
Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne.

In the bottom of your crockpot, layer peppers and onions. Add garlic evenly over top. Place chicken on top and then pour in beer. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low. About 15 minutes before serving, completely shred chicken using two forks and toss thoroughly to coat. Keep mixing and tossing to combine the chicken, peppers and onions. Most of the liquid should become absorbed. If you have extra liquid (I did), feel free to pour it off.

Stir in the grated cheese then turn your crockpot to the "warm" setting (or simply turn it off and keep it covered) and cover for 5 minutes. Spoon onto buns and serve.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Source: slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

spiced sweet rolls

Question: You know what's better than a cinnamon roll? Answer: A cinnamon, ginger, clove, black pepper roll. That's right. We're using ALL OF THE SPICES! You get a spice! You get a spice! Everybody gets a spice!

My apologies for the Oprah-esque outburst but I'm slightly jazzy about these pastries, if you couldn't tell.

Sure, from the outside this pan of sweet rolls appears to be your typical, run-of-the-mill cinnamon roll situation. But don't be fooled. These puppies have spices stuffed into every possible nook and cranny. The dough is laced with cinnamon and cloves. The filling is made up of four different spices and studded with candied ginger. And even the icing is infused with cinnamon and cloves.

Think of these as cinnamon rolls on steroids. The kind of recipe that will make your house smell like heaven...if heaven is a spice shop, which is entirely possible.

spiced sweet rolls

for the dough:

2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 package active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups (plus 1/2 cup extra, separated) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (heaping) baking powder
1/2 tsp (scant) baking soda
1 tsp (heaping) salt
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves

for the filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

for the icing:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
a dash of cinnamon and cloves

directions:
Make the dough: Heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm, approximately 30-45 minutes. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.

Add 4 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. (I usually put my dough in the oven, set over a pan of hot water.) After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (The dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)

To assemble the rolls, remove dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.

Make the filling: Combine the sugar, brown sugar, candied ginger, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Stir in the maple syrup. The filling will be slightly moist and crunchy. Set aside.

Brush the top of the dough with half of the melted butter. Pour all of the filling onto the dough. Spread evenly, leaving a 1-inch boarder at one of the short edges of the dough so the roll can be properly sealed. Lightly press the filling into the dough.

Beginning at the long side farthest from you, roll the dough in a long roll toward you; being careful to keep it tucked tightly. Pinch edge to seal. Cut rolls into 1 to 1 1/2 inch rolls and place into a buttered 9x13" pan or two 9" round pans. Allow to rise for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Once rolls have risen, drizzle with remaining butter and bake for 25-35 minutes, until rolls are golden at the edges and the filling looks bubbly.

Make the icing: While the rolls are baking, whisk together the sugar, spices and cream in a small bowl until smooth.

Transfer the pan of cinnamon rolls to a cooling rack. Let cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle the icing over the rolls. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12-16 rolls

Sources: dough adapted from Pioneer Woman, concept adapted from Joy the Baker

pumpkin blondies

Are you still with me? I've been gone for a hot minute and I'm the sorriest. You know the drill: life is busy...yadda yadda...so many things on my plate...blah blah blah...whatever. It's been a whirlwind of a year but I'm back! And I come bearing blondies that are seasonally appropriate, no less!

Confession: I actually made these last fall. Yes, that's right, I've been sitting on this recipe for no less than one full year. Here's the thing. I made these last fall and they were a huuuuge hit but I didn't necessarily like the photo above so I just put it off posting the recipe thinking I would make them again and take better photos. And then life got crazy and I just never got around to repeating this recipe and then all of a sudden pumpkin season was officially over. Tragic.

So, today, despite the horrid yellow-ish photo above, I offer you pumpkin blondies. I don't expect the picture to pull you in. But here's what should: pumpkin, spices, butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips, pecans. Need I say more? It's like every cliche fall ingredient jammed into one pan.

I made these for a work meeting and the guests not only took containers of blondies home with them...they emailed the next morning to tell me how great they were for breakfast with a big mug of coffee. I'd call that a win. :)

pumpkin blondies

ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup cinnamon chips
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, with enough to hang over the sides; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and both sugars until completely smooth and no lumps remain. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk to incorporate, making sure the egg has been completely mixed in. Add the pumpkin and again whisk to fully incorporate. Add the flour mixture to the batter and, using a rubber spatula, fold the mixtur until combined and no pockets of flour remain. Fold in the butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips and pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.

Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, then use the parchment handles to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Yield: 24 bars

Source: slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker