PUMPKIN SPICE DONUTS

this weekend was a very pumpkin filled weekend. i fried up these pumpkin spiced donuts, sipped on a pumpkin spice latte & spent a gloomy fall sunday afternoon at the pumpkin patch! i want to tell you ALL about the pumpkin patch, but i will do so in a separate post because it was so much fun that it deserves a post of its own (& because i took a million photos). these are a classic yeast based donut, not the cakey baked style pumpkin donuts i keep seeing online. so if you are like me & would rather a fried over baked donut than i made these for YOU. the donut itself contains pumpkin pie spices & the glaze is made with real pumpkin to get that perfect orange colour. these would be a fun addition to your thanksgiving table or to eat along side some fresh hot apple cider. a special thank you to fig & blue for the recipe help & donut inspiration! you can check out his blog here.

ingredients

for the donut

• 3/4 cup whole milk, warm to touch
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted & cooled
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon all spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• oil, for deep frying

for the glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

• in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment add milk, sugar, salt and yeast. let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast activates.
• once the yeast has activated add shortening, egg and vanilla. mix until the egg has broken up (may have to do this manually with a fork).
• sift in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all spice and ginger. mix until a dough has formed & knead for 6-8 minutes. let dough rest in a greased bowl covered for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
• once the dough has doubled in size, roll out dough to a 1/2 inch thickness & cut into desired doughnut shapes.
• in a cast iron skillet or pot heat two inches of oil between 350 & 375 degrees. drop doughnuts in two to three at a time & fry for 20 seconds on each side.
• remove from oil & transfer to a towel lined baking tray. repeat until you have run out of dough.
• let donuts slightly cool while you make the pumpkin glaze.
• for the glaze whisk sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, milk & vanilla until smooth. if the glaze is too thick, add a touch more milk. if the glaze is too thin add a touch more icing sugar.
• finish off with some fall sprinkles.

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BLACK BEAN TURKEY CHILI

so i told myself my first post of october was going to be pumpkin based (& pretty much every other post after that), but here i am posting a recipe for black bean turkey chili. this is a meal i make all fall & winter long. idk, maybe i wanted to ease you guys into october before i went all pumpkin spice crazy on the blog. i have made this recipe hundreds of times & have subbed in all different sorts of beans. black beans are by far my favourite & even though i love chickpeas, i HATED chili with chickpeas (ugh gross, just gross). i like the small size, plus i prefer my chili not to be overly beany, hense all the vegetables included. this is a super healthy chili thanks to the lean ground turkey. you can of coarse make this with beef, but i don't eat red meat. my sister for the longest time refused to make her chili with ground chicken or turkey claiming it was "weird". kind of like those weirdo's who won't eat a turkey burger. she finally concluded it taste the exact same (actually better) when so many spices are involved anyways & no longer uses beef. if you want to make this a vegetarian chili, swap out the turkey for another can of beans! if you want it spicer, add more chili flakes & cayenee pepper. i am a baby when it comes to spice & this is about all i can handle. enjoy your weekend. i'll be going to toronto's nuit blanche festival tonight followed by the pumpkin patch tomorrow to spend all my life savings on mini pumpkins. insert ALL the excited emoticons here

ingredients

• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 450 grams ground turkey
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 jar strained tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (add more if you like it spicy)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• salt & pepper

directions

• in a large pot, over medium heat add red pepper, green pepper, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper. cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• in a separate frying pan brown your meat. seasoning with olive oil, salt & pepper.
• once meat is fully cooked & vegetables are soft, add the turkey to the pot.
• add the remaining ingredients starting with beans, strained tomatoes, water, chicken stock, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, chili flakes, bay leaf, salt & pepper.
• bring to a boil & then immediately reduce to medium low. cover the pot with the lid & simmer for 1-2 hours.
• remove bay leaf & serve with toppings of your choice! guacamole, sour cream, cheese, corn chips, cilantro.. the possibilities!

like what you see? get it here. wooden spoon | wooden pot scraper | pot | linen | cutting board | knife | oil bottle | measuring spoons | bowls

CHALLAH BREAD PUDDING + VANILLA CREME ANGLAISE

is it too soon for bread pudding? is it more of a winter dish than fall?! whatever. i made a delicious loaf of challah last week & i knew i wanted to make something equally delicious with the left overs. not that there should be left overs when you make a fresh cinnamon roll challah.. but i more so saved it, just so i could make bread pudding. i love bread pudding. partially because bread is my favourite food group & partially because it's such a forgiving dessert, i swear you can throw whatever you want into the mix. i've seen bread pudding made with classic white bread, croissants (yes please), doughnuts (omg yes), assorted pastries & literally any and everything that remotely resembles bread. basically what i am saying is you don't have to use the cinnamon roll challah in the recipe, but i highly recommend it. you can also stir whatever you'd like into the mix; walnuts, pecans, raisins, or even better bourbon soaked raisins. i kept this one simple as i wanted the challah to be the star. it packed enough flavour on it's own & complimented the touch of nutmeg perfectly.

ingredients

for the pudding

• 1 loaf challah bread, chopped into 1 inch cubes (i used my cinnamon roll challah)
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 whole eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sugar (if using regular bread, add an additional 1/4 cup of sugar)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup raisins (optional if you don't hate raisins like i do)

for the vanilla anglaise

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

directions

• for the pudding: preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a large mixing bowl whisk milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla & nutmeg. add the chopped bread & toss to coat. if you are including raisins, add them now. in a greased 9x12 baking dish, evenly disperse the bread mixture & bake for 25-30 minutes. while the pudding is in the oven make the vanilla anglaise.
• for the anglaise: in a sauce pan over medium heat add cream & vanilla. heat until bubbles begin to form along the edges. in a small bowl whisk egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg. add a tablespoon of the hot milk mixture to the bowl to temper it. slowly pour the yolk mixture back into the sauce pan vigorously stirring (you don't want scrambled eggs!). cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon & remove from heat.
• serve bread pudding warm & drizzle generously with the vanilla anglaise sauce.

like what you see? get it here. linens | sweater | gratin dish | mini cocottes