Apple Tart

Perfect Pairing:  Ice Cream

I have been a married woman for 6 whole months!  Time is just flying by, and we are having such a great time.   A few random thoughts after 6 months…..

• We love Monday nights.  I teach Zumba on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and Thursday is our regular pre-weekend date night, so Monday nights tend to be a home cooked meal and some quality couch/DVR/football time.  I never thought I would love Mondays so much.
• It is super weird having someone pay all of your bills after being on your own for a decade.
• We need more closet space.
• Chris loves my cat, Molly.  This might not seem like a big deal, but it is a really big deal.  On National Cat Day (there is a day for everything) Chris posted this on Facebook.  She is officially no longer MY cat, and is OUR cat.

• We need more closet space.

In honor of six months, here is the video of my amazing husband surprising me at our reception with a dance routine.  He’s my favorite.

Thanksgiving!! Every food blogger’s favorite holiday.  

Of course you have to have pumpkin pie (and pecan pie) on your dessert table, but there is always room for something apple related, right?  

My family loves our shared apple pie recipe, but this apple tart is a fun change.  It is super simple but still really delicious and, dare I say, lighter?  It is like the thin crust version of deep dish pizza, but… pie. 

I used my favorite press, no-mess, pie crust recipe for the base.  It is so simple and honestly better than any roll-out crust I have tried.  

The crust is topped simply with Granny Smith apple slices, sugar, and butter. 

After it is baked the entire dessert is brushed with apricot jam and sprinkled with cinnamon.  The jam is thinned a bit with brandy, or rum, or water if you don’t have those. 

I would most definitely pair this with ice cream.  Fantastic. 

Need some Thanksgiving recipes?  Well, let me help!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Pesto Pizza

Perfect Pairing:  Leftover ingredients

Meet my new favorite pizza. 

So many good things on one crust!!  Admittedly, there is some prep work that goes into this because you are roasting squash and caramelizing onions.  I recommend doing big batches of each, and use them in other dishes.  Allow me to provide some ideas.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash Risotto

Autumn Salad

Kale, Butternut Squash, and Bacon Breakfast Burritos with Spicy Chipotle Sauce

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tahini Salad

Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onion Dip

All Purpose Breakfast Casserole (squash would be delish in this too)

Customizable Bread Bowl Breakfast

I actually made this pizza because I had already planned on making Butternut Squash risotto, so I just roasted extra squash. 

You top premade crust with pesto.  Store-bought is just fine!  I had lots of homemade pesto for this recipe because my mom and I had just made 10+ batches for the freezer.  Her basil plant was legit out of control.  I buy 10 leaves of basil at the grocery store for $2 and she has a forest of the stuff.  I have zero sunshine and the opposite of a green thumb, so no chance of me growing any myself.

A generous layer of caramelized onions.

An adorable photobomber.

A layer of roasted squash.

Top with some cheese...

And bake!

So stinking good, my friends. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Thanksgiving Menu

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grandma Rosie's Applesauce

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Apple Cake with Warm Caramel Sauce

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

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Pumpkin Biscuits with Spicy Honey Butter

Perfect Pairing: Soup

Are you tired of pumpkin recipes yet?  Nah, of course not!!  That is a silly question.  If you like pumpkin recipes you really can’t get enough of them in the fall.

These biscuits are tasty on their own, but they are next level good when combined with spicy honey butter.  The pumpkin flavor is not overpowering, just a nice subtle background flavor.  It also makes them a lovely color!

When I was in college I was lucky enough to go on an incentive trip with my parents to Maui.  My mom extended in Honolulu for some meetings with her team, so I was on my own with my dad and brother.  One of the nights we went to a generic BBQ restaurant in our hotel.  I don’t remember anything other than the cornbread and spicy honey butter.  It was so good.  

That was many years ago and I still remember it fondly.  I recreated it and have used this simple butter recipe many times and it is great with cornbread, biscuits, toast, etc. 

While spilling flour (purposefully) all over your counter and rolling out dough may seem annoying and not worth the work, it is actually pretty cathartic and enjoyable!  This 7-Up biscuit recipe requires flour on your counter, but no rolling pin.  Equally delish!

These biscuits are perfect alongside a bowl of yummy soup on a cool fall day.  We had it with our favorite, Cheeseburger Soup. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pumpkin Cranberry Petite Scones with Orange Glaze

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pork Chops and Apples

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Tortilla Soup

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Buffalo Chicken Bites

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