Cilantro Lime Rice

Chipotle is a go-to place for burritos when my partner and I don't feel like cooking. I decided to try making rice like theirs at home for a Mexican style meal.

Verdict: It's not *exactly* like Chipotle's, but it's tasty! I would definitely make it again.

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RECIPE: Chipotle Style Cilantro-Lime Rice (Epicurious)

Roasted Yams and Chickpeas with Yogurt

I saw this recipe scroll by on the Smitten Kitchen Instagram and noticed that I had everything to make it, so I decided to give it a try.

Verdict: It felt like sort of a lot of work with the sweet potatoes, and the honey burned a little bit, but it tasted really good. The balance of different flavors and textures was nice. I would consider making it again.

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RECIPE: Roasted Yams and Chickpeas with Yogurt (Smitten Kitchen)

Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake

Something about this sounded really good to me when it scrolled by on the Smitten Kitchen Instagram, so I made a trip to the store to get the ingredients.

Verdict: I love it, and so does my partner! It's not difficult to make and is pretty simple and satisfying to make, with a healthy ratio of vegetables to other ingredients.

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RECIPE: Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake (Smitten Kitchen)

Candy Apples

Candy apples were something I never had until I was an adult, but heard about from old cartoons. Caramel covered apples are more common where I live, but no bright red candy apples. Until I made them for myself for Halloween in maybe 2008 or 2010. I really enjoyed them. Fast forward to 2020, where I was looking for ~a e s t h e t i c~ treats to make myself for a Halloween tea party, and decided I wanted to make these again.

Please, please cut them before you try to eat them or you'll have a bad time.

Notes:

• Use smaller apples because they'll be easier to handle and coat.
• I used Honeycrisp apples because I like how they taste fresh. Any apple you like to eat fresh that's more on the sour side will work great.
  
• If you can get freshly picked apples from your local orchard or farm market for this, I highly recommend it. You will definitely be able to taste the difference.
  
• Try not to have too much candy coating pool on the bottom, because it's hard and difficult to bite through.
  
• These are best consumed the day they are made, or possibly the next day. They do not keep well.
  
• To eat them, DO NOT try to eat them by biting into the side of a whole one. Cut them into pieces with a knife first.
  

Verdict: I remember these being way more delicious the first time I made them. Maybe I have grown out of them but honestly, I think I'd rather just have a plain apple. They're pretty and look impressive, and are an iconic traditional Halloween treat, but from now on I think I'll stick to other apple desserts I know I like better. But if you like hard candy and sugary treats, or are just nostalgic for an old fashioned treat, these will do the trick nicely.

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RECIPE: Candy Apples (Just a Taste)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

I wanted a Halloween-y dessert with pumpkin, and also brownies, and was inspired by a friend's post of pumpkin cheesecake bars decorated with chocolate. Why not make both? At the SAME TIME?

Notes:

• I doubled the recipe and made it in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
  
• I reduced the sugar in the brownie part significantly, from 1 1/4 cups to 3/4 cup because it seemed like a LOT for an 8x8 pan, and I wanted the brownie part to taste like chocolate and not just sugar.
• I omitted the cinnamon from the brownie portion because I don't like the combination of cinnamon and chocolate.
• These freeze really well!
  

Verdict: I thought these looked really pretty and tasted fine (so glad I reduced the sugar!) but I just don't think pumpkin + chocolate is my thing. I would make them if someone asked me to, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to make them again.

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RECIPE: Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies (The Recipe Critic)

Kabocha Squash Soup

Every time I make this soup I end up making it a different way because I can't remember which recipe I used. This time I went with the one from Just One Cookbook because I have liked pretty much every recipe of theirs that I've tried.

Notes:

• I felt like removing and roasting the seeds from the squash to garnish the soup. Remove as much of the pulp as you can from them (some rinses in water and rubbing with dry paper towels seems to help), then place on a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle salt on top, and roast for about 25-30 minutes, stirring once midway through cooking.
• You can make this soup vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
  

Verdict: While this was good, I think I prefer squash soup without milk and cream. The texture of kabocha/buttercup squash works nicely to make a creamy textured soup all on its own. That said, I do like the really clean and simple flavor. Leave it to a Japanese style recipe for that :)

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RECIPE: Kabocha Squash Soup

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Cookie Crumbles

I dreamed up this cake for my partner's birthday. He is a peanut butter fiend and I have made peanut butter cakes for him in the past, but this time I wanted to pair it with chocolate. I packaged up a bunch of the slices and delivered them to all of the band members and their partners so they could celebrate with us in some way.

I have made two of the components of this cake before, but I really liked the look of this cake from Sweetest Menu and decided to riff on that.

Notes:

• I added a pinch of salt to the cookie crumble mixture before baking it.

Verdict: The layers kind of came apart as it was cut (because the cookie crumbles were dry and I didn't use a lot of frosting because I think I might have needed more), and I'd like to make the cake part a bit less dry next time. It could have been the peanut butter I used. But it was very peanut buttery, and not too sweet. And this frosting is still A+ incredible.

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RECIPES:
Cake: Peanut Butter Cake (from Sally's Baking Addiction, doubled)
Frosting: Peanut Butter Frosting (from Eat, Live, Run)
Cookie crumbles: Chocolate Cookie Crumbs (Sweetest Menu)