Today I’d like to continue sharing my October Eats and Sweets them going by bringing you another warm comforting dinner as well as a seasonal favorite treat. Both of these are sure to please any group!
First off, my dinner is my husbands FAVORITE soup. It is the only soup he requests all fall/winter long. Many of you have had it at a little Italian chain called the Olive Garden (heard of it? 🙂 Make it at home…it is super simple and delicious!
Zuppa Toscana
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.
Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low.
Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Recipe Source: Annie’s Eats.
I have a problem. This is the 4th pumpkin recipe I have made in only 2 weeks. And October has only begun! These cookies are absolutely tasty…no other way to describe it! Moist, a little crunch from the toffee bits, and the salted caramel…come on, how could you not like these!
Pumpkin Toffee Cookies with Salted Caramel Glaze
yield: 24-36 cookies, depending on the size 🙂
3 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Heath Toffee Bits or chopped Heath candy bars
For the Salted Caramel Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (see below)
2 tablespoons milk
Caramel Sauce:
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the Heath Toffee Bits.
Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Place cookies about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
While the cookies are cooling, make the salted caramel glaze. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, salted caramel sauce, and milk. Whisk until smooth. When the cookies are cool, drizzle salted caramel glaze over the tops.
Note-for the glaze, you might need to add more powdered sugar or milk, depending on the thickness of your salted caramel sauce. Just whisk ingredients together until you reach desired consistency. If you use our salted caramel recipe sauce, you will end up with about 2 cups of salted caramel sauce. Store the leftover sauce in the refrigerator.
Recipe Source: Two Peas and Their Pod
Do you love pumpkin like I do?! What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?
britni