Sometimes all you are looking for a dish that is simple, satisfying, and easy on your wallet. This dish is all of that and more, and is the first time that I have attempted a lentil soup in the kitchen. In fact, it is among the first times that I have ever eaten lentil anything in our house! The results were nothing short of fabulous and a batch of this soup yielded a week’s worth of delicious lunches just for me. My kids are still stuck on my Pesto Chicken Tortellini Soup as their weekly soup favorite, but this one was perfect for my lunch and helped keep me full until the dinner hour.

If you haven’t cooked with lentils before, you should really give them a try! Unlike dried beans, lentils do not require any pre-soaking overnight prior to being cooked. Instead, most cooks recommend that you first pick over these legumes, and remove any that look broken or damaged. A quick rinse after you have picked out the damaged lentils, and you are ready to go. The ease and minimal prep time for cooking these is why lentils are a wonderful and easy addition to any soup!

Served with this hearty soup is a batch of my whole wheat bread whipped up in my bread machine. This bread is a denser loaf than the white bread, but I have found that whole wheat white flour is a great way to get the heartiness while giving the texture of the bread more of a white texture than a heavy whole wheat. You can find whole wheat white flour in the baking aisle of your supermarket. It is a great way to ease your family into the world of whole grains and yields a loaf that tastes a little more white than whole wheat.   This bread is so yummy, smeared with a little butter or honey, and even has a great texture and flavor the second day. That is…if you actually have any leftover!

Lentil Soup (Adapted from AllRecipes)

3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4  carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry lentils
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
4 cups water
1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots, and celery; cook and stir tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in lentils, add water and broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.

Low-Fat Whole Wheat Bread Machine Bread (Adapted from Food.com)

1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white bread flour (You can substitute the white & whole wheat flours with just 4 cups of whole wheat white flour, if you would prefer)
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in the order given, or according to your machine instructions. Set on whole wheat or basic cycle.

Anyone who has visited our recipes section of the site and blog knows that I am not much of a convenience food cook. I prefer to make as much as I can from scratch, but still love to showcase quick and simple dinners that can be pulled together for busy weeknight suppers. That being said, isn’t it great to have a few shortcuts when it comes to the evening dinner that can make the process a little easier for your family?

One thing I love to make for a busy week or as a simple supper for family entertaining is my Baked Ziti. Instead of doing my traditional ground turkey sausage in the sauce, I opted to buy a package of meatballs from the frozen section of the store. Using these made the dish come together just a tiny bit easier and it was a fun new addition to our traditional ziti that the whole family loved. This small switch saved me a little bit of time and it created a heartier stick-to-your-ribs deliciousness that our entire family loved.

A package of frozen meatballs can be a wonderful addition to your freezer to be able to whip together a quick meal for those nights where you just don’t feel like cooking. I love to make my homemade spaghetti sauce for a special Sunday dinner, but whose to say those meatballs have to be made from scratch? Bread machine hamburger buns can be shaped into hoagie rolls and filled with meatballs that have simmered in jarred sauce for a semi-homemade dinner treat, sprinkled with a little grated mozzarella cheese. These meatballs can be incorporated beautifully into this or any other pasta dish of your choice for a night of entertaining. The truth is, sometimes it is just nice to know that half of the work is done for you.

I hope you can add a little of this to your weekly planner, to share with a friend in need, or as a simple solution to weeknight entertaining!

Classic Baked Ziti With Turkey Meatballs

1 package frozen turkey meatballs, thawed (I bought the Fit & Active brand at Aldi and they were delicious)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32 ounce) jar meatless sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta, cooked & drained
2 (8 ounce) cups shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook garlic in olive oil over medium heat for one minute. Stir in spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, & oregano. Add thawed meatballs to the sauce.  Reduce heat & simmer for ten minutes. Stir one cup of the sauce into the cooked ziti noodles. Spoon half of the ziti mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1.5 cups mozzarella or Italian cheese blend cheese & a 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Top with two cups sauce, then remaining ziti mixture & remaining sauce. Cover & bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella & Parmesan cheese. Return to oven & bake uncovered for ten minutes or until heated through.

What is one item you like to keep on hand in your pantry or freezer for a quick meal? Feel free to share your links and recipe ideas!

If you have read the site for any length of time, you will know that this family is nuts about pumpkin. Today I wanted to showcase eight different ways you can use those cans of pumpkin in your kitchen and none of them happen to be pumpkin pie… at least not this week! There really are so many sweet and savory dishes that can be made from canned pumpkin and these happen to be eight of my delicious ideas for making pumpkin work for you this year!

Want to wow your company? Serve this with a loaf of fancy artisan bread and end the meal with a delicious apple crisp. It will be like you are literally eating the season of fall right off of your plate.

If you are worried about how your family will react to pumpkin pasta, scale the pumpkin back. You can do between 2/3-2 cups of pasta, depending on your personal taste. Start with a little and ease your family into the two cup ratio.

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound package of Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage (removed from its casing)
2/3 cup to 2 cups pumpkin puree (depending on your personal taste)
1 can chicken broth
¼ cup half & half
½ cup sour cream (low-fat or fat free)
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
1 tsp sage
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
¼ cup Romano Cheese, shredded
1 pound penne or rotini pasta

In a large skillet sauté the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking the meat up with your spoon as you cook it. Remove turkey sausage and garlic from the skillet. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and deglaze the pan using a wire whisk, to bring up all of the flavors stuck to the pan. Whisk in the half and half, sour cream, pumpkin, and seasonings. Simmer for ten minutes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain pasta and stir into the pumpkin mixture along with the turkey sausage, simmering for another three minutes or until the sauce thickens and hugs the pasta. Stir in parsley and garnish with Romano and more parsley.

Side Note- If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little addition of chicken broth until you get it to the right consistency.

Pumpkin waffles are a special tradition that are enjoyed after a day of pumpkin picking at the pumpkin patch. These are truly my favorite waffles of all the different variations we make and a fantastic way to use those cans of pumpkin in your pantry!

Deliciously Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 2/3 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. In a second bowl, add eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, and butter; beat well. Gently fold in the flour mixture. Spoon in about 3/4 cup of batter into the waffle iron. Cook each waffle for 4-5 minutes. This recipe makes approximately 5 waffles on my waffle iron.

Additional Notes- I double this recipe to make an extra batch to freeze or when entertaining. Make sure to spray your waffle iron well with nonstick spray or these will stick to the waffle iron and make a big mess. Also, be sure to leave these on at least four to five minutes. If you try to take them off sooner than that, they will not taste as good or set up as nicely.

Our gingerbread waffles incorporate all of the holiday flavors I love- molasses, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, pumpkin, and nutmeg. What more can I say? The only downfall to this recipe… you can’t eat just one!

Step out of the box and have a little gingerbread before Christmas and find yet another way to use some of that delicious pumpkin!

Gingerbread Waffles (courtesy of 30 Minute Meals)

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron
Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table

Preheat waffles iron. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not over stir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. Serve with toppings of choice.

These pumpkin pancakes are truly light and fluffy with just the perfect balance of pumpkin and spices. I have never experienced a more perfect pancake and a drizzle of syrup with butter makes these a delicious morning treat on a cool autumn day.

Light & Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch clove
1 1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and egg. Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Spray or grease a skillet and heat over medium heat: pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side. This recipe makes six 6-inch pancakes.

Side Note- This can easily be doubled and frozen or stored in the refrigerator for a great breakfast later in the week.

A first time canning experience led to one of my favorite hostess gifts of all time- a delicious Pumpkin Butter perfect for spreading on dinner rolls! You can triple your batch and let it cook in the slow cooker for six hours to make a larger quantity without a lot of effort. Keep this recipe in mind when creating those holiday gifts!

Pumpkin Butter

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Transfer to sterile containers and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins are my family’s favorite side dish if it fall or the dead of summer. I try to make sure to stockpile pumpkin for just this reason and you might be doing the same after making a batch of these for your family! Best served at room temperature, they are deliciously moist and a fantastic side accompaniment to any meal!

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk (I substituted with regular milk and a teaspoon of vinegar to sour)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, room
2 tablespoons honey
Sugar for sprinkling (I used the raw sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. In a bowl, toss together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In another mixing bowl, mix with a wooden spoon, the pumpkin puree, sour cream or buttermilk , butter, eggs and honey, until well combined. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture just until combined. Transfer to the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle with a little sugar (I used raw sugar) on top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until edges just begin to color. Cool to room temperature. Makes approximately 12-13 muffins.

(Photo Source:Dalboz17)

Love those fancy pumpkin spice lattes at your favorite coffee shop, but don’t love the price? Put leftover cans of pumpkin to good use and create a coffee house worthy drink right in the comfort of your own home!

Amy’s Version of Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte

2 cups milk
1 cup very strong coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons sugar (or one packet of Splenda)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (plus extra for dusting)
2 heaping spoonfuls of pumpkin

Pour all of the ingredients into a pot and heat over medium-high heat until the coffee is steaming hot. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream & cinnamon. Enjoy!

If there is any recipe from my recipe collection that I plan to hand down to my children, this would be the recipe that I hope to share with them. This pumpkin bread is a cinch to pull together, is made from entirely pantry ingredients, and is an elegant gift for the holidays. I hope you love it half as much as I do and can share a loaf with your family this fall!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9×5×3-inch loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts, if desired.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.

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Fresh Pumpkin Puree? Why not!

Did you know that you can make your own pumpkin puree? It is very easy and a great way to get your money back on the pumpkins you bought!

The Tightwad Gazette recommends not cutting into your pumpkin until after October 30th. Save the cut out portions in your fridge and the day after Halloween, you can begin to process it. Simply cut the flesh away from the skin and dice it, just as you would do with squash. Fill a pot with your cubes and add two inches of water to the bottom. Simmer the pot until the pumpkin is soft. Then all you have to do is run it through your food processor and you can freeze this into two cup portions (the equivalent size of the canned stuff).

Just as a side note, when thawed, the puree will be more watery than the canned version. Just allow the water to drain out and use the pumpkin as usual. For more great pumpkin tips, be sure to visit our “Oh, Glorious Pumpkin,” article for more ideas from selecting the most perfect pumpkin ever to what to do with those delicious pumpkin seeds.

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe? Feel free to share those links and ideas here!

I am trying to make a little something for myself for lunches that I can look forward to midday. It seems that I always have lunches covered in our house for everyone except myself. My summer salad bar has helped a lot throughout the warmer months and now as the weather begins to change, I find myself craving a little hot soup instead.

I love soup that can stick-to-your-ribs not light little broth soups that have no staying power. That is why I was really drawn to this roasted red pepper & black bean soup as a healthy soup alternative that would keep me satisfied throughout the day without needing to add a lot of extra side options.

I decided to try this soup out on my family and it was a total bomb with them except for my son. Did I mention that they ALL hate soup? The fact that I was throwing new flavors into the mix went over not well at all, despite the delicious accompaniment of their favorite pumpkin cornbread muffins. I will be honest that although I can get my family to try a lot, they aren’t always sold on my creations in the kitchen!

Despite the family’s negativity towards this soup, it came out a clear winner for me and will be a new fun addition to my own lunches as a special treat! The spices are perfect in this, the roasted red pepper adds a beautiful color and flavor to the soup, the sour cream adds that perfect balance of creaminess, and the beans add that filling soup combination to help keep you full throughout the day, while the chicken broth makes this soup light enough that even black bean soup haters could learn to love it… well, most black bean soup haters.

The inspiration came from last year’s visit to Sara Lee. It was a delicious soup that Chef Jill had prepared for our visit and I have tweaked it a bit to create the right quantity and texture that I was looking for at home using pantry ingredients! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did…even if it is just a special treat for yourself!

Black Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Soup (adapted from Sara Lee Kitchens/Chef Jill)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 cans of black beans, rinsed
2 jars of roasted red peppers (packed in water), drained
3/4 cups sour cream
3 cups chicken broth (add more if needed to thin)
3 teaspoons oregano
3 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1  teaspoon black pepper

Heat a large, heavy saucepot over medium heat. Add oil and add garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Working in batches, blend until smooth in a blender or food processor. Return to pot. Re-heat. Taste soup and adjust seasonings, if necessary. (Side Note: You can use black beans that you have prepared as well- I love the convenience of the canned beans so that is what I used in this recipe!)

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk (I substituted with regular milk and a teaspoon of vinegar to sour)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, room
2 tablespoons honey
Sugar for sprinkling (I used the raw sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. In a bowl, toss together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In another mixing bowl, mix with a wooden spoon, the pumpkin puree, sour cream or buttermilk , butter, eggs and honey, until well combined. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture just until combined. Transfer to the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle with a little sugar (I used raw sugar) on top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until edges just begin to color. Cool to room temperature. Makes approximately 12-13 muffins.

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Looking for some more inspiration in your soup bowl? Two other soups I am looking forward to enjoying again as the weather cools down are this Italian Veggie Soup and this Tuscan Tomato Soup which is a new favorite in my house!  The soup kitchen is back in full swing again- I hope you will enjoy these new recipes!

Soups on! What is your favorite soup?  Please feel free to share those recipes and links!

I am loving this season of grilling and we have been using our grill almost every day this summer. One thing we are trying to eat more of is seafood.  I have finally converted the shrimp-haters over to the dark side of shrimp loving,  and now I was determined to get our whole family to enjoy salmon.  You see, my husband and I are big fans, but the kids didn’t seem to enjoy this dish as much.

When I ran across this recipe for non-fishy tasting salmon, I decided to give the marinade a try. It is a bonus that we have planted several rosemary plants and I was able to snip a bit off for the meal. Oh, how I love summer and the beautiful benefits of having a small garden!

Ideally, mix and pour the marinade over your fish around lunchtime to give it the best flavor. I continue to be a fan of the stackable disposable containers for marinating the meat and easy transport.

The fish is surprisingly flavorful with a marinade with so few ingredients. The marinade masks the usual fishy taste. The rosemary added a depth of flavor that did not overpower the fish, but only seemed to compliment it beautifully. I added a little squirt of lemon at the end to add another addition of fresh taste and to brighten the flavor of the fish after pulling it off the grill.

The verdict from the entire family was that this was a fish recipe worth repeating…and often!

Balsamic and Rosemary Grilled Salmon (courtesy of AllRecipes.com)

4 (4 ounce) salmon fillets
sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced