Pomegranate Fizzies

You can't have Thanksgiving without a fun and festive drink! And that's just what these Pomegranate Fizzies are. Husband and I made a large batch of this drink last year for Turkey Day and loved them so we are definitely making them again this year! They're simple and perfect for a fall holiday.

• What You'll Need
• 1/2 cup POM juice
• 1 cup Sprite
• Pomegranate arils 
• Mint leaves
• Ice

• What You'll Do
• Combine the POM juice, Sprite, and ice in a glass. Stir well. 
• If using a whole pomegranate, cut it and scoop out the arils. You can also buy arils in a cup in the produce section at the grocery store.
• Top with pomegranate arils and mint leaves.

*This recipe is for a single serving. You can make a large batch following these ratios. 

White Chocolate Cran-Apple Bars

I have the biggest sweet tooth and would fully agree that sweets and desserts are an important part of any day. With Thanksgiving on the brain, I'm sharing a recipe for White Chocolate Cran-Apple Bars that will knock your socks off. I think cranberry is good in just about anything and it's phenomenal in these fall bars! 

• What You'll Need
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 block cream cheese
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 TSP vanilla
• 1 can Ocean Spray whole cranberries
• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 2 TSP sugar

• What You'll Do
• In a food processor, purée the can of whole cranberries. Then add the peeled and sliced apple. Purée again, until smooth. Next add the two teaspoons of sugar. Purée and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, and brown sugar. Cut butter into chuncks and add to the flour mixture. Using your hands or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the mixture until it is crumbly. 
• Next stir in the white chocolate chips. 
• Measure out 2 1/2 cups of this flour mixture and set aside.
• Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 pan, pressing firmly with your fingers.
• In a separate bowl, whip (I used a hand mixer) together the cream cheese until creamy. Then add the condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Mix again. Pour the mixture over the crust.
• Spoon the cran-apple purée over the condensed milk layer, and spread it out evenly. 
• Sprinkle the reserved flour mixture/crumble on top. 
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center is set. 
• Serve hot or let cool completely and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

Chicken Sausage & Potato Skillet

This is a new recipe that I LOVE! It's simple, doesn't call for too many ingredients, and fills you up. It's perfectly fall and makes for a great, cozy meal. I think this is one of those dishes that everyone would love, yes even kids! Try it out and leave me a comment on how it turned out! Bon appétit! 

• What You'll Need
• 2 lb chicken sausage
• 3 bacon strips
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/4 of a medium onion
• 1/2 lb red potatoes
• 1 TSP Dijon mustard
• 1 TSP brown sugar
• 1 TSP apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 TBSP water
• Salt and Pepper to taste

• What You'll Do
• In a skillet, cook the bacon. Once fully cooked, remove from the pan and crumble. 
• Drain all but 1 teaspoon of bacon, then add the diced onions to it, cooking until translucent.
• Boil the diced potatoes in a pot until tender. 
• While the onion and potatoes are cooking, slice the chicken sausage into quarter inch pieces. Add them to the skillet when the onions look translucent.
• Once the potatoes have cooked, drain them, and add them to the skillet. 
• Next add the Dijon mustard, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and water. Stir well and cook over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Then add the baby spinach leaves (without the stems) and the crumbled bacon. Once the spinach has wilted, you may remove the skillet from the heat and serve. 

Butternut Squash & Bacon Pasta

It's November and the temperatures are getting even chillier, fireplaces are being turned on, and light summer meals are being replaced with heavier comfort foods. I am a huge fan of comfort foods and love a cozy meal almost always. Today I'm sharing a very fall recipe that is sure to make you feel cozy as you gobble it up!

• What You'll Need
• 1 butternut squash (3 cups worth of peeled and cubed pieces)
• 1/2 TSP dried rosemary
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 4 slices of bacon
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• Quarter of a medium onion
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk, warmed
• Dash of nutmeg
• 8 oz penne pasta
• 3/4 cup provolone, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

• What You'll Do
• Preheat the oven to 425°. 
• Peel, de-seed, and dice the butternut squash until you have 3 cups worth. In a bowl toss it with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Then spread it out on an aluminum-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Meanwhile, cook the penne pasta as directed on the box. Drain and set aside.
• Cook the bacon in a skillet, draining all but half of a tablespoon of the grease. Leave the 1/2 tablespoon of grease in the skillet. Crumble the bacon when it has cooled.
• Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon grease until tender.
• Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Then slowly add the warmed milk, little by little. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened. Season with a dash of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
• In a large bowl, toss the pasta, roasted butternut squash, and 3/4 of the crumbled bacon together. Then add the sauce, provolone and Parmesan (reserving some cheese to sprinkle on top).  Stir all together well.
• Put in a lightly greased cooking dish (I used a 9/13 dish). Top with the remaining bacon and cheese.
• Bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until golden and bubbling. 

**This recipe will serve four people**

Brownie & Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Halloween parties are so much fun to put together! Let's be honest, I LOVE putting any party together and will make one up just to throw it. I believe in party themes, and when you're working on a holiday party it's not hard to prep everything according to that holiday. With Halloween, I am looking for original and festive ideas. This is one of those.

Today I am sharing Brownie & Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, a take on a classic. These are the perfect little treats to spruce up the week or serve as a sweet treat for a Halloween party. They're quick and simple too!

• What You'll Need
• 1 box Duncan Hines extra fudge brownie mix
• 1 egg
• 3 TBSP water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (3.4 oz) box pumpkin spice instant pudding 
• Milk

• What You'll Do
• Prepare the pumpkin spice pudding according to the box directions for PIE FILLING (it uses less milk, making thick). Put in the fridge for at least an hour.
• In a bowl, combine the brownie mix, egg, water, and vegetable oil. Mix well.
• On a greased baking sheet, dollop a tablespoon worth of brown mix out, helping to shape it into a disk.
• Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes. You do not want over bake these.
• Let the brownies cool. 
• Put all of the pudding mixture into a baggie, cutting off the tip, then squeezing a helping of pudding on the flat side of the brownie. Top with another brownie, pressing slightly. 
• Store in the refrigerator. 

 For more Halloween recipes, click HERE.

Vanilla Dirt Cake

In honor of Halloween on Friday, I'm sharing Halloween-themed recipes all week long. And I'm throwing it back to childhood with this first one! Who doesn't love some dirt cake?! When I made this sweet treat to share with friends, I took a twist on a classic by turning the top of the dirt cake into a graveyard with the typical gummy worms, and some Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies. Using homemade icing I wrote RIP on each wafter to really complete the Halloween look. If you wanted you could add pumpkin candy instead of worms. 

My favorite way to fix this dessert is with vanilla pudding instead of chocolate. I'm a vanilla girl through and through. But, if you are a double chocolate lover, you can pair your Oreos with chocolate pudding. Swapping it out is simple. 

• What You'll Need
• 1 pack of original Oreos
• 2 (3.4 oz) packages of instant vanilla pudding
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (12 oz) Cool Whip

• What You'll Do
• In a bowl, whisk together the vanilla pudding and milk. Then add 1/4 of the container of cool whip.
• In a separate bowl, whip the powdered sugar, cream cheese, and butter together with a hand mixer. Mix until smooth. Add the remaining 3/4 of the container of cool whip.
• Using a food processor crumble the Oreos into pieces. You don't want crumbs, so make sure not to chop up too much. 
• In a bowl, trifle bowl, or individual cups begin adding the crushed Oreos to make a bottom layer.
• Next layer some pudding mixture, followed by a layer of cream cheese mixture, then more crumbled Oreos. Continue this layering until you get to the top of the bowl. Make sure Oreo is the last layer.
• Then decorate the 'dirt' with worms, pumpkins, and gravestones.

Three-Flavored Baked Pumpkin Seeds

Husband and I have a million and one pumpkins to carve because of my pumpkin frenzy. Okay, more like 6, but that's more pumpkins than I've ever had to carve. And I kind of love it. I also love that we have SO many seeds coming from those pumpkins. Around our house, we like to bake our seeds with different seasonings, trying out new flavors.

So last night I hit the kitchen with our seeds from just one pumpkin. And I opted to make three different flavors: salted, cinnamon sugar, and garlic chili. This recipe is going to be a little different for two reasons. First because there are technically three recipes here instead of the usual one. And secondly because I don't have measurements for these, I went solely on how I thought it would taste and added the seasonings freely. Don't let that deter you though; this is SO easy! 

• What You'll Need
• Fresh pumpkin seeds
• Butter (for this amount of seeds out of a medium pumpkin, I needed a tablespoon worth)
• Salt
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Garlic Salt
• Chili Powder
• Cumin

• What You'll Do
• In a bowl, melt the better. Then toss all of the seeds into the melted butter. Stir, coating all of the seeds well. 
• Then divide the seeds up into three bowls. 
• In the first bowl just salt to taste. Mix well.
• In the second bowl add cinnamon and sugar (more sugar than cinnamon). Mix well.
• In the third bowl add garlic salt, chili powder, a light sprinkling of cumin, and a bit of salt. Mix well.
• On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet lay out the flavored seeds in rows. Making sure the seeds don't lay on top of each other. 
• Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until the seeds become crispy. 

Pumpkin Spice French Toast

And the pumpkin flavor continues with Pumpkin Spice French Toast this morning! This the perfect breakfast food for your weekends. Paired, with some bacon and fresh fruit, you've got fall on a plate. Husband and I enjoyed this meal picnic style by our family room fireplace. No matter where you gobble this up, you're going to love it! The pumpkin isn't overwhelming and all the spices really bring the flavors together! 

• What You'll Need
• Arnold's sourdough bread (or whatever bread you prefer)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 TSP pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 TSP cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• Dash of cloves
• Splash of milk

• What You'll Do
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and splash of milk. 
• Then add the pumpkin puree and spices. Mix well until thoroughly combined.
• Spray a skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. 
• Dip the bread into the egg mixture, flipping to cover both sides.
• Put two pieces of bread on the skillet at a time and cook until the toast as lightly browned.
• Top with butter, powdered sugar, and syrup. 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Puffs

It's Monday, but I've got a little something to perk this day up! We're kicking off a week FULL of pumpkin recipes. Tell me you're not smiling. And I'm starting off with a pumpkin favorite. 

Three ingredients, that's it. These chocolate chip pumpkin puffs are such a simple and fun fall dessert. With a muffin-like texture, they are the perfect combination of chocolate and pumpkin. If you love those two ingredients you're going to love these! 

• What You'll Need
• Duncan Hines Spice Cake
• 1 can Libby's pumpkin puree
• Nestle mini chocolate chips

• What You'll Do
• In a mixing bowl, combine all three ingredients. Mix well, until completely blended. 
• Drop by tablespoon onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet.
• Bake in the oven at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until they look done.

If you're looking for some fun Halloween decoration ideas head over to my lifestyle blog, Hill Collection!! I'm sharing our Halloween décor today, along with DIY tutorials for making Halloween decorations throughout this week!! 

Cream Cheese & Sage Sausage Dip

It's football season, no doubt. And in my house, when we watch football we also snack. It just seems fitting and appropriate, like a mini tailgate in our living room. So this week, for all you football watchers out there, or just those who love to snack, I'm sharing tailgating-inspired recipes. These would also make great options if you're going to a friend's house and want to bring a dish. Plus they're all basic and don't' involve a whole lot of work. That's my kind of food, what about you?

Today I'm sharing a fairly popular recipe, but one that tastes so great, it needs to be shared. I was first introduced to this cream cheese and sage sausage dip during Christmas a few years ago when my cousin, Jessica, whipped some up for pre-dinner snacking. I had forgotten about this dip until a month ago when my friend, Emily, brought it to a football-themed movie night. It's definitely a go-back-for-seconds-and-thirds-kind-of-dip. Plus, it's super simple to make.

So I'm kicking off this Tailgating Themed Week of recipes with a simple and delicious dip that will be sure to win over anyone who takes a bite. 

• What You'll Need
• 1 lb. Jimmy Dean sage sausage
• 1 can mild Rotel
• 2 blocks of cream cheese

• What You'll Do
• Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Drain the grease.
• Then add the sausage to the crock-pot along with the other ingredients.
• Cook on high for one hour, then turn to low and serve with tortilla chips. 

**If you are serving this to a large group, double the recipe, using one can of mild Rotel and one can of spicy Rotel.

White Bean & Chicken Chili

Happy Friday!! It has been an insanely good day so far, and I have to credit that to my latte and the best news I got about a half an hour ago! Daytime Blue Ridge, a local noon television show, is going to be featuring one of my favorite fall recipes on their show during the last week of October!! This news has made my entire day and I can't wait to watch the episode. While I'm not sure of the exact date it will air, you can tune into WSLS-Channel 10 at 12:00 p.m. during that last week of October to catch it!

Now back to recipes! Today I'm sharing last night's dinner and the last of the Feel Good Fall recipes for this week. Yesterday around lunch time I ran home to get this white bean and chicken chili going in the crock-pot. That's the great thing about this recipe, it's quick to assemble and the crock-pot does all the heavy work. Make a batch of sweet, yellow cornbread, dollop some sour cream on top of the chili, sprinkle some cheddar cheese, and you've got a feel good fall meal! It's a good one, I'm telling you! And it's kid approved, just ask my nephews!

• What You'll Need
• 3 chicken breasts
• 3 cans of Great Northern Beans
• 1 can of Cannellini Beans
• 1 small can of chopped green chilies
• 1/2 a medium onion, chopped
• 32 oz can of chicken broth (equal to 4 cups)
• 1 TSP oregano
• 1 TSP ground cumin
• 1 TSP salt
• 1 TSP black pepper
• 1/2 TSP chili powder
• 1/2 TSP garlic salt
• Cornstarch for thickening
• Sour cream for topping
• Cheddar cheese for topping

• What You'll Do
• Dice the chicken and cook through in a skillet on the stove.
• While the chicken is cooking, add all of the beans to the crock-pot, juice included. Then add the chicken broth, chopped green chilies, chopped onion, and all of the spices. Stir well. 
• Once the chicken is completely cooked, add it the crock-pot and stir well.
• Put the crock-pot on high for 5 to 6 hours. 
• When the chili has cooked for at least 5 hours, you can thicken it if so desired, using cornstarch. Follow the direction on the cornstarch container for the amount of cornstarch to water needed. Mix in a separate bowl then slowly add it to the crock-pot and stir. You can make it as thick as you prefer by adding more water/cornstarch mixture until you reach the right thickness.
• Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and cornbread. 

Pumpkin, Gouda, & Sage Sausage Gnocchi

Last night husband and I got adventurous with one of our favorite ingredients, gnocchi. Because it's fall, we wanted to make a seasonal twist using a classic, always-found-in-our-pantry item, and we'd say it was a success. Served with a side salad, this casserole dish was perfect for October and the chilly weather. 

If it looks like something you would be hesitant to try, let me assure you that the pumpkin isn't over-powering, gnocchi is delicious, and there's cheese involved!

• What You'll Need
• 1 box of gnocchi (we used whole wheat, you can use whatever you like)
• 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree 
• 1.5 cups of marinara (you can pick whichever flavor you like; we opted for spicy tomato and basil)
• 1 rolled tube of sage sausge
• 1 cup gouda cheese (crumbled or cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 a medium onion
• 2 TBSP butter 
• 1 TSP dried basil
• 1/4 TSP ground red pepper
• 1/4 TSP salt

• What You'll Do
• In a large saucepan, cook the gnocchi according to the directions on the box. 
• In a small skillet, caramelize the diced onions in the 2 TBSP of butter. Remove from heat once they have browned nicely. 
• In a separate skillet, cook the sausage through. 
• Once the gnocchi is soft and completely cooked, drain and set aside. 
• In the pot the gnocchi boiled in, put in the can of pumpkin puree, marinara, 1/2 a cup of crumbled/chopped gouda, basil, ground red pepper, and salt. Bring to a simmer. 
• Then add the caramelized onion and cooked sausage. Fold in the gnocchi and combine gently until everything is mixed well. 
• Place in a large casserole dish or in individual small ones. Top with the mozzarella and remaining gouda cheese crumbles.
• Cover with tinfoil and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Butternut Squash Soup

You can't have fall without pumpkins, gourds, and squash. You also can't have chilly weather without soup. They're the perfect pair. So today I'm sharing one of the Hills' favorite soups. It's quick, simple, and healthy too **wink, wink**. I hope this piping hot soup warms up your rainy day!

• What You'll Need
• 4 lb. butternut squash
• 32 oz. chicken broth
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk (or two), chopped
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 TSP garlic salt
• Ground pepper & salt to taste

• What You'll Do
• Peel and cube the butternut squash, carrots, and onion. Combine all the vegetables and remaining ingredients and put on medium to high heat.
• Bring to a boil and then simmer with the lid on for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is soft. 
• Then put the stewed vegetables into a blender and blend to a smooth consistency. 
• Top with sour cream and paprika.

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts With Dried Cranberries & Sunflower Seeds

This week is the second of five weeks for themed recipes, all inspired by October. The next five days are all about cozy, feel good fall foods. With rainy weather and low temperatures, these recipes will be a great for warming up your belly. I wanted to kick this week off with a favorite side dish of mine, pan-seared Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries and sunflower seeds.

I fell in love with Brussels sprouts several months back, but felt that they needed a little extra texture and flavor. That's how I decided to add dried cranberries (a favorite of mine) and sunflower seeds. When coming up with new recipes, one of the greatest ways to pick ingredients to add to a basic dish is to start with what's already in your pantry. We keep dried cranberries and sunflower seeds in stock at our house, and turns out they make a great addition to your typical vegetable. 

• What You'll Need
• A bag of fresh Brussels Sprouts (not frozen)
• Dried cranberries
• Sunflower Seeds
• Garlic Salt
• Olive Oil

• What You'll Do
• In a skillet, swirl around about one tablespoon of olive oil. Put on low to medium heat.
• Wash the Brussels sprouts then cut off the end. Next chop them into the bite sizes you prefer. I cut mine twice to get four pieces per Brussels sprout.
• Add them to the skillet along with a sprinkling of garlic salt. Let them cook until they begin to brown. 
• Once the Brussels sprouts are almost done, add the dried cranberries. Add as many as you'd like. Typically, 1/4 cup or less. 
• Then add the sunflower seeds, as many or as little as you'd like. 
• Stir well and add just a dash more of garlic salt if desired. Remove from heat and serve once the cranberries and sunflower seeds have had time to warm.