Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes

I'm recovering today from a wonderful surprise baby shower yesterday. I cannot wait to recap for you as soon as it all soaks in and I can go through all of the photos. I am overwhelmed by how many friends & family came to celebrate and am so lucky to have the best mom, dad, sisters, in-laws (mom, dad, brother & sister-in-law!) and husband ever who put together this amazing party.

While I'm still floating on cloud 9, I'm also excited for a shortened week in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday. I have grand plans for cooking and baking for multiple Thanksgiving celebrations, but we'll see how long my feet and back hold up :) 

Meanwhile, after doing extensive research on what to make for Thanksgiving, I'm so glad that I found Thrifty Veggie Mama's maple glazed sweet potatoes as part of this month's Secret Recipe Club since it's a simple, healthy yet seemingly decadent side dish that's worthy of this year's Thanksgiving table.

I really loved searching around Jamie's blog for a recipe to make. One looked better than the next! Jamie has a beautiful family and made the decision for them to go vegetarian two years ago. I promise you, her recipes are all so gorgeous that you won't even give meat a second thought.

I truly loved this recipe. It was so simple and SO.DELICIOUS. I'm notorious for loving my sweet potatoes to be sweet...despite Shaun's best efforts to convince me otherwise. This recipe is fantastic because it's healthier yet feels like a real treat! The result of roasting these taters in maple syrup, cider vinegar and cinnamon was a soft sweet potato with a light gooey glaze...could they look any prettier?!

Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes

*Adapted from Thrifty Veggie Mama

**Note: I halved Jamie's recipe since it was just for Shaun and me! For a bigger portion, double this recipe, or head over to her site for the original recipe!

1/3 C maple syrup

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut bite size chunks

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together the syrup, vinegar, oil, water and cinnamon. Pour over the sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Spread into 9-inch square pan and cover with foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the syrup mixture is gooey and bubbly, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately and try not to consumer entire pan in one sitting.

Easier said than done, in my opinion.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and consider it for your Thanksgiving tables! I'll be eating some for lunch today as a nice little treat :)

Apple Sharlotka (or Apple Upside Down Cake...You're Welcome)

Last night I had some weird dreams.

I have heard that pregnant women get unusually bizarre dreams, but to be honest, I typically sleep like the dead and so I {foolishly} didn't really think that would happen to me.

Last night I dreamed that I gave birth in a pitch-black hospital room with just a nurse with me (no Shaun, no other family members), and I waited a full 12 hours before calling anyone (including my husband) to tell them the news. Then I left the hospital to walk down the street for a pumpkin spice latte. I should mention that was without the baby in tow.

So yeah. I was a little freaked out.

You know, if you consider that kind of thing weird.

Maybe American Horror Story is just too much for me to handle this season? I think I was having a flashback to season 1.

Anyway.

I woke up to a sun-shining, gorgeous fall day and I was craving something sweet for breakfast...namely this A-mazing apple upside down cake that I just can't get out of my head.

You see, I made this cake a few weeks ago when I received my Secret Recipe Club assignment for October. When I wandered over to simply.food to pick out a recipe, one dish sounded more exotic and more delicious than the next. Since I was going through my crazy apple phase earlier this month, when I stumbled upon the Apple Sharlotka (or Russian Apple Cake...or Apple Upside Down Cake!!!), I knew it was written in the stars.

What, you've never met your destiny with a baked good before?

This cake was so so good. Is it too bold to say that it's one of my favorite recipes ever?

Because it really is. Not only for the taste, but for how easy this cake was. It came together in a snap. Glorious, sugar-coated apples atop a moist, cinnamony cake and doused with a healthy helping of powdered sugar for good measure...there's not much better in life than that my friends.

Apple Sharlotka (Apple Upside Down Cake)

*Adapted from simply.food

1 large granny smith apple, peeled and cored (but not chopped!)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 C self-rising flour

1 C granulated sugar

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened + more for greasing pan

4 Tbsp canola oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the apple and remove the core; but keep apple in tact. Slice the apple into thin rings and place in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and set aside.

Grease a 9-inch round baking pan with butter and set aside.

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream together the butter, granulated sugar and oil. Mix in the vanilla and eggs until completely combined.

Stir in the flour and cinnamon until just combined.

Lay the apple rings on the bottom of the baking pan. Top with brown sugar. Pour cake batter over the apples and smooth with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges of the pan and flip out onto a wire rack or cutting board to continue cooling. The carmelized apples should be on top, looking regal and heavenly. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

*Note: I pour a tablespoon of confectioners sugar into a sieve and use that to prettily sprinkle the sugar over the cake. It looks like snow :)

 Slice it up.

Eat lots. 

Maybe share with a friend. Or keep it for yourself. I won't tell.

I'll be thinking of this cake all day.

And tonight, let's all pray for good and happy dreams. Like apple upside down cake and Adam Levine (with both arms attached).

Pumpkin Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

It seems as though everything in the blogosphere is proclaiming "Hooray for Fall! My life is now complete!" And "Yay apples! And pumpkin spice everything!"

Admittedly I am totally one of those people.

I love cozy sweaters, boots and lattes. I love apple pie and apple cupcakes with cinnamon frosting.

I could live on pumpkin bread, pumpkin oats, pumpkin pie and now these pumpkin bars with maple cream cheese frosting.

When I received Life's Simple Measures as my blog this month for the Secret Recipe Club, I was so smitten because many of Jess' recipes are delicious baked goodies and treats. She has so many creative recipes that I found it very difficult to choose just one! Oh and did I mention that she also has 3 dogs? Because that's sort of a life dream of mine :) I was even more excited because Jess has lots of fallish recipes that I couldn't wait to try since this whole autumn obsession has kicked in.

Each month, The Secret Recipe Club, run by the lovely April, pairs a blogger with another blog. The blogger then chooses one recipe to cook or bake and reveals it as a surprise on a designated day. I like. A special thanks also to Debbi @ Debbi Does Dinner Healthy for playing hostess in Group C!

When I saw Jess' recipe for pumpkin bars, I knew it was meant to be. These bars were seriously so easy to make. I also had all of the ingredients on hand, which made this a no brainer. Fueled by lots and lots of pumpkin, these were incredibly moist bars. Topped with cream cheese frosting infused with maple syrup (or extract...I only had syrup on hand), these bars were sweet and the perfect way to usher in my favorite season.

Pumpkin Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Bars:

1 (29 oz.) can pumpkin puree

3/4 C canola oil

3 large eggs

1 2/3 C sugar

2 C all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 C powdered sugar

1/2 C unsalted butter, softened

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 tsp maple extract or 3+ Tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat together the pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. 

Gradually incorporate the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix on low until completely combined. Pour into a greased 9x13" baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Once cooled, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and beat until completely combined and fluffy. Add maple syrup or extract (note: the maple syrup is not a strong flavor here, but it was all I had on hand). Spread frosting over bars, cut and serve.

Eat many.

I did. Don't tell anyone though. The rest of these are going to our building concierge to enjoy :)

Hope you enjoy this recipe and that your Monday is off to a wonderful start!