Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup.

I know that it isn't September yet and I am enjoying every ounce of summer that's left, buuuut I'm also looking forward to fall. I love fall in Wisconsin. Love, love, love it! So, when one of my besties saw a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Syrup that claimed to be better than the ones you can buy at chain coffee shops I jumped at the opportunity to indulge in a little autumn ahead of schedule!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup.
(Adapted from Cooking Like a Champion)
1 1/2 cups water
 1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree

Dissolve sugar in water in a small pan over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and allow to cook for about 7 minutes. Stir frequently and do not boil. Remove from stove, pour into bottle and store in the refrigerator.

To make a latte, use about 2 tablespoons of syrup for each shot of espresso. And if you do not have an espresso machine or are looking for a speedy alternative…you could use instant coffee and use 2 tablespoons of syrup for each heaping tablespoon of instant coffee. Add hot, frothed, or cold milk/ice and you’ll have yourself a delicious hot or ice latte.

Happy latte making!! And, yes, I’m off to make myself one right now…

Nutella Brownies with Cheesecake Topping.

Nutella.  I almost guarantee that a.) you've never heard of it or b.) you've heard of it and love it.  True?

Let me clear the air though...  I do not fall into either of these categories.  I've know about Nutella and purchased it on occasion for many years.  But guess what - I don't love it.  (Gasp!)  It's true.  I like it just fine, but it is hardly anything that I would gush about.  (At least until this recipe).

My mom on the other hand...she loves it!  Recently she saw an ice cream recipe and asked if we could make it for her since she does not have an ice cream maker.  We agreed.  When my husband (previously falling to the "a" category above) went about making the ice cream, he too, fell in love with Nutella (category "b").  And now my husband can't get enough Nutella.

This is where the Nutella Brownies with Cheesecake Topping come into play.  I set out to find deliciousness involving Nutella.  And I found it.  These brownies have leaning towards the Nutella lover side of things.

Nutella Brownies with Cheesecake Topping.

(Recipe from Babble via Pinterest; Method Adapted by Me)

Brownie:
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cocoa powder
1/2 cup nutella
1/3 cup flour

Cheesecake Topping:
8 ounce cream cheese
1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

Beat all of the brownie ingredients together.  Pour evenly into a greased 9x13 baking pan.  Using the same bowl, beat all of the cheesecake ingredients.  Carefully pour and evenly spread the cheesecake mixture over the brownie mixture.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.  This is necessary for the cheesecake to set.  Once cool: enjoy!!  Refrigerate any uneven brownies.

Sounds heavenly, right?  They are.  Oh, and did you notice how simple the recipe is?  And how few dishes will need to be washed?  I LOVE this recipe!

S'Mores Pie.

I must prefix this post with a warning.  This pie is dangerous.  Maybe even lethal.  That is, if you are: trying to lose weight, trying not to eat sweets, home alone for any extended period of time...the list goes on and on.

That being said, make this pie!!

You may remember my love of all things s'mores with the exception of a "true" s'more.  Add this to the list!  This dessert is similar to the s'mores cookie bars, but in the shape of a pie.  Genius!  (As is pinterest which led me to this gold mine!

S'mores Pie.
(Recipe Adapted from Cookies & Cups)


Crust:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Beat butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla beating until combined.  Slowly add in dry ingredients - beating  until combined.  Press half of the crust into the bottom and sides of a greased 9-inch pie plate.  Save remaining crust for the top.

Filling:
1 container marshmallow creme (7 ounce)
5 Hershey's chocolate bars (broken into small pieces)

Evenly spread marshmallow creme on top of the pie crust.  Top with chocolate pieces.  Pat top crust into sections covering the top of the pie and pressing any seams together as you go.  Bake for 20 minutes in a oven heated to 350 degrees.

Allow to cool and serve!

Really, I can't imagine a more tasty pie.  I just can't decide if I prefer the pie room temperature or before the pie has cooled completely and the chocolate is still a little melty....

Mmmmm.

Quick Zucchini Quiche.

I know that I already have several zucchini/egg type dishes posted, but this one is too good not to add to the collection.  Besides that, my husband planted to me 4 zucchini hills that are about to explode with zucchini.  Before long every meal we eat will contain zucchini or have it served as a side dish or dessert.  And guess what: I'm excited!

This dish came about because I had a pre-baked pie crust sitting around from a pie-making session a while ago.  I was tired of moving the crust from one spot to another.  It was time to use it!  I also had zucchini in the fridge that was reaching it's use it or lose it point.  This also needed to come together fairly quickly as I was making it into between morning chores and nap time.

Quick Zucchini Quiche.
(Recipe by Me)
1 small serving pre-baked pie crust (I had prepared my pie crust in a oven safe deep plate that serves 4)
1 small zucchini (cut into thin slices)
1/4 lb pork sausage
1 tablespoon dried onion (could also cut up a raw onion...I didn't have any in the house at the time)
1/2 small tomato (chopped)
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
salt/pepper to taste
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)

In a medium to large frying pan, cook pork sausage over medium heat.  Add zucchini, onion, tomato and continue cooking.  In a separate bowl beat the egg and milk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into the sausage/zucchini mixture and cook eggs until eggs are about half done.  Transfer sausage/zucchini/egg mixture into pie crust. Top with cheeses and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until eggs set up.  Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and serve.

Again, this was really good and cooking the eggs part way on the stove top cuts down quite a bit on the amount of time it takes to get this on your breakfast table.

Grilled Bread Panzanella.

I'm always looking for ways to enjoy the fresh summer produce from my garden.  I got pretty excited when my friend gave me this recipe because it appeared to be the perfect way to showcase the goods that I work so hard my husband works so hard to plant and weed.  It's true.  Both that this recipe is fabulous and that my husband works hard for us to have an awesome garden.  He is the primary planter, weeder, and tiller.  While I take on most of the harvesting and preserving of the goods.

Back to the recipe - which is becoming my favorite summer meal!  If you don't have your own garden I highly recommend hitting up a local farmer's market.  This dish is that much better with fresh produce.

And if you wonder what "panzanella" is...according to my sources it is a bread salad?  It really doesn't matter what it is...because it's good!

Grilled Bread Panzanella.
(Recipe Adapted from a Friend)
4 slices of bread (this is a great way to use up the stale bread you have laying around)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup onion (sliced into thin rings)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic
3 1/2 cups tomatoes (cut into dice-like pieces)
1 1/2 cup cucumber (cut into dice-like pieces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt/pepper to taste

To grill bread: us half of the oil to brush over bread.  Season bread with salt and pepper.  Grill both sides until browned.  Allow to cool and then dice into cubes.  Toss the other ingredients into a medium size bowl.  Add bread to tomato mixture and serve.  Or, if you aren't sure if all of your panzanella will get used in one serving...keep the bread separate from the tomato mixture and combine as single servings so that you can refrigerate leftovers without having soggy bread.

Coffee Ice Cream.

It's pretty steamy in Wisconsin right now.  Weather.com says 83 degrees at 920pm.  Add some humidity and it's nearly unbearable...at least for those who work in it!  What better way to beat the heat than with homemade ice cream?!

This coffee flavored ice cream is easy to make: it doesn't require cracking eggs or heating anything up.  Plus it doesn't freeze as hard as some other homemade ice creams do.  The coffee flavor was perfect for my liking and I'm not one to have a regular cup of coffee (only like the stuff filled with sugary syrups and milk!!)

Coffee Flavored Ice Cream.
(Recipe Adapted from Food Network)
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 cups heavy whipping cream

Dissolve coffee granules in the milk.  Add all ingredients into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.

In our case, it was the ice cream maker attachment for our Kitchen Aide that I first learned of from Baked Perfection.  It took about 30 minutes for the ice cream to stiffen up.  After that we popped it in the freezer and ate it several days later.  As I mentioned earlier, we liked this recipe as the ice cream did not get rock solid...it was fairly easy to scoop after sitting in the freezer for several days.

If you've never made homemade ice cream before I highly recommend it.  It's a fun (and often easy) way to enjoy a delicious dairy treat!

Strawberry Pie.

Over the weekend Heidi & I headed to Kamenick Farms to pick some strawberries.  The picking was good and the berries even better!


I picked about 25 pounds and had plans for freezer jam and whole frozen strawberries for future use, but how can you pick all those berries and not do anything delicious with them immediately!?  That's when I remembered a pie recipe I had seen on Sing for Your Supper recently.  And how lucky that Amy had just posted a selection of recipes perfect for the holiday weekend and her strawberry pie made the list.

I went to work preparing the pie...as I modified it to fit the ingredients I had on hand and took a quick trip to my parents to pick up a frozen pie crust (you may recall that I am not much for making pie crusts...I'll stick to bread!!)


Strawberry Pie.
(Slightly Adapted from Sing for Your Supper)



1 9-inch pie crust (baked)
2 pounds fresh strawberries (rinsed, hulled, and cut into quarters)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 envelope strawberry flavored powdered jello
2 tablespoons cold water


Crush 3 cups of prepared strawberries in a bowl using a potato masher.  Then place them in a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.  Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and stir occasionally for 7 minutes as the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat.


Soften the jello in the cold water and add to the berry mixture.  Stir until jello is dissolved.  Allow to cool.


Fold remaining strawberries into the cooked berry mixture.  Pour into the prepared pie shell.  Refrigerate until set.  

That's all there is to it!!  And the pie?  Full of strawberry flavor!  This pie went fast at our house.  And I just barely got the pictures taken!  Between my friends below and my husband I couldn't get the pie back to the table fast enough!

Head to your grocery store, farmer's market, garden, or local berry patch before the season is over and make this pie!