Fall Treats

Little Owl Cupcakes

Fall is by far my favourite season. The crisp air, snuggling under cozy covers, the comfy layers and boots, waking up with a cup of warm coffee and the smell of pumpkin and spice. . . everywhere!

I wanted to spread the fall festive cheer and decided to make some super simple fall treats!



These cute little owls are adorable and so easy to make!

Here's what you'll need!

• Cake mix of your choice (I wanted pumpkin but they were all out so I went with a rich red velvet)
• Frosting of your choice
• Two packages of Oreos
• One bag of Reese's Pieces

How to create these little critters:

• Bake cupcakes according to instructions and let cool
• Put on a thin layer of frosting on all cupcakes
• Split oreos in half and use the side with creme filling for the owl's eyes, push firmly onto top of cupcakes
• Use the brown pieces for eyes and stick in a yellow or orange piece for the beak
• To create the feathered look I filled a sandwich bag with icing and clipped the tip to make a makeshift icing bag. I pipped eyebrows above the eyes and little squiggles in rows below the beaks for the body.
• Let sit, then share and enjoy!

WhOo's Going to Make These Sweet Treats?

Easy Banana Pudding Recipe

Nanny's Banana Pudding Recipe

I can't really believe we're already part way through July, this summer seems to be flying by! Now that the boy and I are mostly settled into our new home (which I'm obsessed with by the way) I thought it was time to bring out one of my family favourite cool treats to enjoy this summer! My grandmother (or Nanny as she is known to me) gave me this recipe, she's been making it my whole life for Christmas time and my father and I's birthdays. It never last long in our family and fights would break out over the coveted last scoop- it's that good. Here's what you'll need:

• One box Vanilla wafers
• One box vanilla pudding (serves 4)
• One can condensed milk (14 oz)
• Cool Whip (12 oz- thawed)
• 3-4 Bananas 
• Lemon juice

1. In a large bowl mix 1 1/2 cups cold water and the condensed milk. Mix well. Then add in the vanilla pudding mix. Mix then chill in fridge for 5 minutes. *Make sure your cool whip is setting out during this time to let it thaw otherwise it'll be harder to mix!

2. While the mixture is chilling, fill a small ramekin with lemon juice. Slice up your bananas (* I suggest getting them right when they are perfectly yellow otherwise they are a bit too mushy- mine were a little ripe but hey, I was set on making this pudding!) Dip your bananas in the lemon juice, coating both sides and place on extra plate to dry, this not only adds a lemony zest to the pudding later but will keep your bananas from going brown.

3. Remove the pudding from the fridge and fold in the cool whip, making sure to mix well and get out any lumps.

4. Scoop 1 cup (or about 1/3) of the pudding mix into a fresh bowl. 

5. Layer vanilla wafers on top, then a layer of bananas (1/2 of your cut slices). Top with another 1/3 of pudding and repeat the layering process again. 

6. Finish with the last 1/3 of pudding and you're finished! Cover and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour before you dig in! 

ENJOY!

Vegetarian Twist on a Classic

An Old English Favourite

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Along with being a Midwest Girl, I'm also an English one. I have dual-citizenship and am very proud of my English roots. Cottage Pie or also known commonly as 'Shepherd's Pie' is an English staple and one of my personal favourites growing up! Once you get the base of the recipe down it's so easy to substitute ingredients and make a million different varieties. Any night we had this as a kid I was always looking forward to it. It's great for a Fall time dinner because it's hearty and warm.

My version of the famous recipe is so veg-heads like myself can enjoy the old classic as well. It's also great to use for a healthier version for those of you watching what you eat or more health conscious, I have cut out all butter!

Here's What You Need:

• 1/2 cup Vegetable Broth (Or you can make your own like I did!)
• 4 Large Whole Potatoes
• 2 tbs Milk
• Olive/Vegetable oil
• 1.5 lbs Pack of Soy or tofu beef or sausage
• 2 cups of your favourite veggies diced. I used corn, carrots, onions, peas and zucchini (*cheap trick: grab a bag of frozen medley and viola!)
• Soy sauce and Teriyaki/Steak sauce or traditional Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, Pepper and any other seasonings of choice
• 9X13 greased pan

Here's What You've Got to Do:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Boil your whole potatoes (peeled or not- your choice!) in a large pot of water
3. Sauté your chopped veggies (you'll want to start with the tougher ones first like carrots) in a dollop of vegetable oil over medium heat. 
4. Mix in the other vegetables half way through cooking, continually stirring
5. Once all your veggies have started to cook mix in the tofu sausage, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of teriyaki sauce (or 1 tbs of worcestershire instead) continuing to stir as it cooks.
6. Once the tofu sausage has began to brown mix in half a cup of vegetable broth and let simmer
7. When your potatoes have finished cooking, start mashing them and add in salt, pepper, and any other seasonings to taste. (*Thyme is a good one) and a touch of milk until the potatoes are of a soft, mashable texture.
8. After you've greased the pan pour in the mixed tofu sausage and veggies, spread to fill the entire bottom of the pan.
9. Next, start putting on the mashed potatoes patting them down with a spoon as you go
10. Once the whole pan is covered with a layer of potatoes create peaks with a fork to insure parts will brown really nicely.
11. Stick in the oven until bubbling and browning (about 45 min) then take out and let cool for 5 minutes
12. Slice, Serve and Enjoy!

Made this veggie Shepherd's Pie for the boy for the first time this month and he loved it. 

It's now his new favourite as well. Try it out!

Yum. Yum. Yum.