The Feastie Blog

Today is the last day to enter our first ever Feastie Friday giveaway - make sure you enter to win that Calphalon panini grill! All entries must be in by 5pm EST today. A winner will be chosen at random and contacted, and we'll post the results here at Feastie. In the meantime, I've got some yummy Thanksgiving-inspired recipes to share.  

Being a CA transplant in the DC area, I try to appreciate every second of the fall season. First of all because we don't really have seasons where I grew up, and secondly because it's one of the most beautiful times of year in the Midatlantic. So I'm enjoying all of the traditional fall activities around here, as well as the seasonal food. Especially the food. I had my first apple cider donut recently at Butler's Orchard, and wow. I had no idea - I mean, I like donuts as much as the next person, but I don't eat them very often, so I had no idea what I was missing. It was SO. GOOD. The cup of hot spiced apple cider didn't hurt, either. I wasn't planning on attempting to replicate that donut at home, but when I came across this recipe for baked apple cider doughnuts at The Kitchn, I figured I'd give them a try - I know donuts are fried, not baked, but really, how can these possibly be anything but delicious? Since I don't have a donut pan I made "donut holes" instead - mini muffins. They're so good - and a bit healthier than the fried variety - you've got to make these.  

If you guys like this recipe, try my baked pumpkin spice donut holes - very similar but with a bit of a pumpkin pie feel! 

In an effort to make Thanksgiving just a little healthier (but just as delicious) this year, I decided to participate in the Healthy Thanksgiving Challenge at What Would Cathy Eat?. I'm contributing these delicious oatmeal pumpkin spice cookies that I adapted from Emily's brilliant recipe at The Daily Garnish. I changed a few things to accommodate what I had on hand, and also to incorporate chocolate in some way, as my husband thinks everything is better with chocolate (and many would agree). I ended up with some of the most delicious oatmeal cookies I've ever had - and at under 100 calories a piece, they're a sweet yet healthy holiday indulgence that you can feel good about eating. The combination of spices and pumpkin make these cookies perfect for fall - all you need is a cup of hot cider and you're good to go.

I've already raved about the Calphalon panini press we're giving away, so I wanted to share another panini recipe with you - heirloom tomato, fresh mozzarella, garlic aioli, and fresh spinach on ciabatta. It's simple, tasty, and easy to make. 

Panini presses aren't just for sandwiches - you can make a Thanksgiving dinner on this awesome appliance! Well maybe not the whole dinner (I'd like to see someone make gravy on there) - but you can make turkey thighs - no joke! And think of all the incredible Thanksgiving leftover panini possibilities - endless. 

Feastie is giving away a Calphalon Panini Grill to one of our lucky readers. It fits two panini sandwiches or 4 hamburger patties or chicken breasts and has an adjustable temperature range of 150 to 450 F. Did I mention it also cooks turkey thighs? And salmon, and vegetables, and grilled pizza - this is an incredibly fun and versatile appliance.

I tried one out this past weekend and had a lot of fun making delicious and creative sandwiches, which I then cut up into little pieces for a panini party - great for cooking for a crowd! My favorites of the evening were goat cheese and caramelized onion with garlic aioli and an heirloom tomato, fresh mozzarella, spinach, and garlic aioli panini - I've included my original recipes below for your grilling pleasure.

You've probably already caught on to the fact that I love a good casserole. I'll spend upwards of 2 hours in the kitchen on Monday if it means I don't have to cook again until Thursday - as much as I love to cook and bake, sometimes life gets busy and "leftovers" is the magic word. But what I really love are healthier versions of my favorite comfort food casseroles - lasagna, macaroni & cheese, and in this case, eggplant parmesan. Because there's no frying here. That's where this delicious recipe for baked eggplant parmesan comes from - my desire to indulge in yummy Italian food with less guilt. I've kind of thrown together a bunch of different recipes and come up with my own, so this recipe is the result of trying many, many recipes and swirling the best aspects of all of them into one awesome dish. I swear you won't miss the grease - I pinky swear that I actually prefer this healthier baked eggplant parmesan to the traditional fried version. 

Every fall I get really excited about squash and pumpkin - pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, roasted squash, squash muffins - luckily those gourds are extremely nutritious! So combining one of my favorite fall veggies (okay so squash is technically a fruit, but I digress) with a favorite comfort food seems like the ideal plan. I've waxed poetic about macaroni and cheese quite a few times on this blog, but I haven't really made it since last spring, when I mentioned it in one of my very first blog posts. So this is the first full-blown recipe review for my favorite healthy interpretation of mac & cheese. This recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe, but I've changed a few components and made the dish vegetarian. This mac & cheese is so good - you'd never know there was a whole squash hiding out in the cheesy pasta. In fact I'm betting that if you didn't tell people it was in there, they wouldn't realize it! The squash stands in for the usual fatty cheese sauce made of milk, butter, flour, and cheese - there's still cheese in this recipe (and plenty of it), but it's significantly healthier than your average cheesy pasta dish. Creamy and cheesy with a crunchy top - just the way I like it. 

Halloween ushers in one of my favorite times of the year - early fall - and all the delicious food that comes with it. Cinnamon, pumpkin, ginger, nutmeg - just smelling them makes you think of fall. And while I love Halloween candy as much as the next person (Butterfingers and Almond Joy, please), fall-inspired homemade treats add a little something special to the holiday. I've rounded up my top 5 homemade Halloween treats for you to make at home - fun, sweet, playful, and a few are even sophisticated enough for an elegant party. And I promise you that your kitchen (and your house, if it's as small as mine) will smell amazing when you whip these up - all you need now is a jack-o-lantern! 

picture from Kirbie's Cravings

These cupcakes are utterly adorable with their spooky ghost meringues on top, but the cupcakes themselves sound delicious as well - pumpkin and chocolate really do love each other. 

When you suggest oatmeal for breakfast, people don't usually get too enthused. Far too often oatmeal can be a gluey, starchy, tasteless mess that you choke down because, well, it's good for you, right? And it is good for you, but it can also be delicious. So delicious that people will get enthused. That's where this blueberry baked oatmeal comes in - it's warm and sweet and has a great texture - it's difficult to describe, so I suggest you just go ahead, make it, and taste for yourself. 

It's pretty much a sure bet that if you look to Smitten Kitchen for recipes, you won't be disappointed. I've turned to Smitten Kitchen time and time again when I needed an impressive dessert or help with something in particular - her challah tutorial coached me through my first challah experience. So when I tried the Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake I wasn't surprised that it was delicious. And adaptable - I've made a few changes to make the cake a teensy bit healthier. That way I can eat more of it. 

Enchiladas are definitely one of my favorite Mexican food indulgences - tortillas stuffed with cheese, smothered in enchilada sauce and more cheese, served with beans and rice - delicious. But they're a major salt/fat bomb - a rare indulgence. This version of veggie enchiladas adapted from Annie's Eats is just as delicious, but healthy, full of veggies, and easy enough to adapt to your dietary needs and tastes. The smaller you dice the veggies, the less conspicuous they are - perfect if you need to hide some veggies in a meal for picky eaters.