Recipe: Roasted Delicata Squash Salad

One of my favorite weeks of the year is here! Over the past few years, Thanksgiving has become one of my very favorite holidays. And not just because I get to do a whole lot of eating. 

The entire week of Thanksgiving is filled with gratitude. Knowing I get to spend a few days home with my family, seeing old friends, cooking and spending time together makes my heart so happy. It makes me feel grateful for everything I have - a job I love that challenges me daily, a loving rescue pup, supportive boyfriend, wonderful family and upcoming holiday season filled with love, joy and cheer. 

Plus, having two days off work to spend eating lots and lots of yummy food isn't half bad either.

Last year, I finally made the "cook's" cut, and was asked to bring food to our Thanksgiving last year. After a very bold but smashing success with this sweet potato salad with pomegranate, I passed the test and am on the slate for cooking food from here on out.

My niche is definitely squash and pomegranates, because I am making an almost identical recipe this year. I got the A-OK from Grandma, so we're good to go!

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad 

Recipe modified from Radiant Rachels 

Serves 2 as a main dish, serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

Farro:

3 cups instant farro (2 packages)

Delicata Squash:

1 squash

2 tsp coconut oil

2 tsp maple syrup

Salt and pepper to taste

Kale:

5-6 leaves kale, chopped

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp chopped garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs maple syrup

2 tbs lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:

Pomegranate seeds

Directions:

1.) Set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2.) Slice delicata squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Slice the squash into half rings (1/4 inch thick). Mix coconut oil, maple syrup and salt and pepper and coat the squash. Cook on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip squash and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

3.) While the squash is cooking, sauté coconut oil and garlic. After 2-3 minutes, add kale and cook until kale is wilted.

4.) Cook farro per packet directions in microwave (this should take 4-5 minutes total). If cooking traditional farro, cook per packet directions using vegetable broth and water.

5.) Mix dressing ingredients in a separate bowl.

6.) Once squash, kale and farro is cooked, combine in a bowl and dress with dressing. Add the pomegranate seeds and enjoy.

|| Photos are property of Mountain Shadow Morning. Must give credit. || 

Recipe: Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats

After a busy week, I spent the other night in the kitchen making dinner, nesting and relaxing. Camp has been a trooper and looked cuter than ever, so I decided to whip up some homemade dog treats for him. I don't do it too often, so I think I'm still a sane and totally cool dog mom (not a crazy one). Right?

Camp's a picky pup when it comes to treats, but he loved these (he picked three up off the cooled cookie sheet while we were taking photos!) They were so easy and fast to make, I can't imagine it will be long before we make these again. A happy pup makes me a happy girl!

And on that note...Camp turns TWO today! I can't wait to celebrate.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats

Recipe modified from Damn Delicious

Ingredients:

Peanut butter: 1/4 cup

Canned pumpkin: 1 cups

Eggs: 2

Whole wheat flour: 2-3 cups (depending on consistency)

Directions:

1 Heat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, and mix until smooth.

3. Roll out the dough on a flat surface using additional flour and a rolling pin. Use a cookie cutter (dog bone and heart shaped are my favorites!) to cut cookies and place them on a nonstick cookie sheet.

4. Bake at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 10-14 minutes, checking consistently.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

6. Feed to your pup!

|| Photos are property of Mountain Shadow Morning. Must give credit. || 

Travel: West Coast Road Trip - Fort Bragg

After a packed day of driving and hiking, we took the following day to leisurely drive to Fort Bragg (not a far drive from Eureka). We slept in, drove down the coast and enjoyed the ride.

Fort Bragg

Our first stop in Fort Bragg was Glass Beach. It was hit and miss for our group -- I really enjoyed it but I know a few others easily could have skipped over it. Compared to what Glass Beach used to be, it's sad now in comparison. Amidst signs urging visitors to not take the glass, people sit on the beach with buckets and scour the shore for sea glass, and take bags home with them. It's likely that there won't be any glass there in the years to come. 

In Fort Bragg, Piaci Pub and Pizzeria is a can't miss. They have great beer on tap and their pizza is drool-worthy. It's a small little pub filled with locals grabbing a beer after work with friends. We ate too much. I loved it. This is seriously one of my favorite pizzas from the trip. 

We booked an AirBNB in Fort Bragg. While the city most definitely isn't a must visit destination, the dunes made it all worth it.

We stayed at Jason's Cabin of the Forest Dunes. Based on his photos, we couldn't not book it. It looks too wildly incredible to not stay there. And goodness are we glad we did. 

The dunes are indescribable, and the pictures don't do them justice. From the edge of Jason's cabin stood an expansive field of dunes with the ocean in the far off distance. We walked for 30 minutes and didn't make it to the ocean, so instead we camped out with some wine, laughter, yoga and good company. An evening I will never forget.

The next day, we woke up and drove our longest stretch of drive to Big Sur. More to come!

November Feel

November is a month where I always feel like hibernating. The temperatures drop, the heat goes on and the snow (usually) starts to fall. And all I want to do is watch it from the cozy, warm inside of our home.

While hibernating is on my mind, this month is a big one for us. I'm leading BootCamp at CorePower, we're heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday and we're house hunting (eek!, more on that later). It'll be a busy month, so I'm looking forward to every cuddle session I can get with that handsome little pup.

November, welcome.

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