Pumpkin Bars

Too good to pass up.

Bar Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (see below for gluten free options)

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp pumpkin spice

• 2 cups sugar

• 1 cup chopped nuts

• 1 cup oil

• 4 eggs

• 1 16-ounce can of pumpkin

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine all ingredients and mix until blended.

3. Bake in lightly greased 10 x 15 baking sheet for 20 - 25 mins.

Frosting Ingredients

• 3 ounces of cream cheese

• 6 Tbsp margarine

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 Tbsp milk

1. Beat until smooth, more milk may be added if needed.

The recipe is straight from our co-founders’ family cookbook. Mom makes these and they certainly don’t last long as they’re so good. If they do last longer than 10 mins in your kitchen, make sure to refrigerate.

We have made these gluten free by using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free baking flour or Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour.

Apple Cider Margaritas

PHOTO: Erin Lives Whole

Between it getting darker earlier and being knee-deep in football season, you deserve a margarita. These Apple Cider Margs are just the ticket (to paradise).

French Onion Soup

While this recipe is a little bit of a time commitment, it's pretty easy and tastes as good as it smells when you're cooking it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 4 onions, sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 fresh thyme sprigs

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle

• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour (use gluten free flour for gluten free option)

• 8 cups beef broth

• 1 baguette, sliced (use gluten free baguette for gluten free option)

• 1/2 pound grated Gruyere

Instructions

1. Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.

3. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, which could take up to an hour. Stir every once in a while.

4. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

5. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium-low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

6. Add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.

7. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

For the bread:

1. When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

1. Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.

2. Alternative method: Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

The original recipe is from Tyler Florence and as expected, Food Network features a plethora of his amazing recipes and this one.

Buffalo Chicken Smash Burger Taco

PHOTO: Munchin with Maddie

We still love the smash burger taco trend. This week's "Buffalo Chicken Smash Burger Tacos" are perfect for a football watch party or an easy dinner. We’ve tried them, and, dang, they’re good.

Slow Cooker Chili

A twist on your crowd-pleasing favorite slow cooker recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 pound 93/7 ground beef

• 1 pound lean ground turkey

• 12 ounce bottle Spicy V8

• 12 ounce bottle reg V8

• 2 cans black beans 

• 1 can red beans

• 1 can chili beans

• 1 can lime cilantro Rotel

• 1 bunch asparagus finely chopped (optional)

Make separately and dump in when you set to cook:

• 1 Tbsp chili-lime powder

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder 

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions: 

1. Brown ground beef and turkey together with olive oil and salt.

2. When cooked, transfer to a crockpot and add drained beans, Rotel (don’t drain), chopped asparagus (optional), and add V8 to just under the top. The mix of V8 is for your taste—use more spicy if you like spicy, less or none of you don’t.

3. Stir together.

4. Add chili seasoning mix, stir and set on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. 

Eat with Fritos and toppings of your choice!

The recipe is courtesy of Amanda Neely over at CBC Builds. Check out her tips and tricks for interior design.

Chrissy Teigen's Banana Bread Recipe

PHOTO: Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen may be a swimsuit model, but the girl can bake.

PS: Co-Founder Amy loves to make this with gluten-free flour (1:1 ratio) and add in chopped nuts.

PPS: If you don’t want to make this (it’s pretty simple), you can buy the bread mix here.

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Soup

Photo: Paleo MG

Highly recommended and the soon to be the most requested meal in your house.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoon ghee

• 2 cup diced carrots

• 2 cup diced celery

• 1 white onion, minced

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 8 cup cauliflower florets (I used a frozen bag of cauliflower that was defrosted – it cooks quicker and a little better)

• 64-ounce chicken bone broth

• 1 1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (less if you don’t like it as spicy)

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 2 rotisserie chicken, pulled and shredded

• fresh cilantro, for garnish

• chopped green onions, for garnish

• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Ranch, for garnish

Instructions

1. Place ghee in the basin of the instant pot then press the sauté button. Once the ghee begins to melt, add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.

2. Press the keep warm/cancel button, add the cauliflower, chicken broth, hot sauce and a hefty pinch of both salt and pepper, then secure the lid, close off the pressure valve and press the Soup button. This will cook for 30 minutes once it comes up to pressure. Once the soup is done cooking, you can let it naturally release or do a quick release. Once you remove the lid, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until completely smooth. Taste to see if the soup needs any extra salt or pepper.

The recipe is courtesy of Paleo MG. We’re not trying to claim we came up with it. We’re simply sharing her good work. There are great tips, including how to make a giant batch on the original recipe if you’d like to check that out.

Sheet Pan Jambalaya

PHOTO: Pinch of Yum

After a long day, the last thing you want to do is cook. This recipe is family-friendly, watch party-friendly and chef-friendly (i.e., it’s not labor intensive).