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Category: fall

dessert,fall,recipes,Thanksgiving

Simple Bourbon Apple Crisp

posted on : October 4, 2019 posted by : Kirsten Bell 4 Comments

This simple bourbon apple crisp is one of my very favorite fall recipes! It’s a tradition in our house to bake some easy fall sweets, turn on a fun Halloween/autumn movie (Hocus Pocus anyone?), and smell the delicious autumn recipe baking while we watch it. Way better than a fall scented candle because your house smells amazing, and you get to eat it! (Not recommended with candles, I’m told.)

simple bourbon apple crisp

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dessert,fall,recipes,Thanksgiving

Quick & Easy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

posted on : September 27, 2019 posted by : Kirsten Bell 3 Comments

The leaves are starting to change colors where we live, and it’s seriously feeling like fall! That makes my heart SO happy – I actually squealed with delight today seeing them and scared Charlotte by accident haha!

If you haven’t noticed, autumn is by far my very favorite season. It’s so cozy, and such a perfect time for fun fall baking recipes, snuggling up and watching movies…I could wax romantic about it all day long!

If you’re looking for a super quick and easy fall baking recipe for this weekend, these pumpkin bars are it! Soft and cakey with just enough spice, these are guaranteed to be gone faster than you may like to admit. I’m such a sucker for pumpkin and chocolate recipes, aren’t you?

These delicious pumpkin bars take 10 minutes max to whip up, and 30 minutes to bake. So in under an hour you could be enjoying scrumptious, gooey, melted chocolatey pumpkin bar goodness. No excuses, just make them! (And if you’re looking for a super delicious cake, check out my Pumpkin Caramel Layer Cake recipe!)

Makes 24 Bars

Ingredients: 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F,. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter, and line it with parchment paper with a small overhang for super easy removal of the bars.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter through pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and combine with a spatula. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the dough into the prepared baking dish, using the spatula to make sure it’s evenly spread. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

fall,recipes,savory

Easy Beef Brisket with Homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce

posted on : September 13, 2019 posted by : Kirsten Bell 0 Comment

Whew, it’s Friday! Has it been a week or what? Well, I have an amazing recipe to share with you today! The most delicious, easy beef brisket recipe plus my super easy homemade Brown Sugar Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. After trying this delicious barbecue sauce, trust me! You will never buy barbecue sauce from the store again! It’s smokey, sweet and savory all at the same time, and so easy to make!

 

easy beef brisket

 

I have to give a quick shout out to my husband. He and I tag teamed these recipes – he put together the brisket and I owned the barbecue sauce. We wanted these recipes to be really easy, and relatively hands-off.

 
 
easy beef brisket

 

Beef brisket reminds me of tailgating at football games, and that’s exactly what I was imagining as we pulled these recipes together! So with that in mind we thought up recipes that could be made in advance, be easily transported, and would taste incredible on a fall day.

 

Easy Beef Brisket & Barbecue Sauce Flavors:

Now let’s talk flavor! Because we all know that good, strong flavor is the cornerstone of both a good brisket and a good barbecue sauce! Since both the brisket and the barbecue sauce feature the same major flavors, (Brown Sugar Bourbon, worcestershire sauce, and garlic) they compliment each other so well. I love that the brisket itself leans toward the savory side, and the sauce slightly favors the sweet side thanks to the molasses and brown sugar. They are such a delicious combination when paired!

 

easy beef brisket

 

One of the flavors I especially want to call out is from the Brown Sugar Bourbon. It is soooo good! I love a splash of it in my coffee on the weekends! You might also remember it from my Pina Colada Cake and Mint Julep Cupcakes. Grab a bottle and cook through all of these recipes with me – more to come! (hint hint, it might involve pumpkin spice!!!)

 

homemade bourbon barbecue sauce

 
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Easy Beef Brisket with Homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce

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  • Author: Kirsten Bell
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 Hours
  • Total Time: 6 Hours and 10 Minutes
  • Yield: 10 Servings
  • Category: Barbecue
  • Method: Barbecue
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Easy and delicious beef brisket and bourbon barcecue sauce. Perfect for tailgates, backyard parties and cook offs!

Ingredients

Easy Beef Brisket: 
5 lb Beef Brisket
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1 Cup Worcestershire
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar Bourbon
Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce: 
1/2 Onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup Molasses
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Dijion Mustard
1 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/8 teaspoon Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Instructions

Combine all of the brisket ingredients, paprika through Brown Sugar Bourbon, in a small bowl. Rub onto both sides of the brisket. Wrap the brisket and refrigerate overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce below!
Preheat the oven to 260 degrees F. Place the meat on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up. Pour excess juices/liquids into pan. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours per pound of meat. Flip the meat over once, about halfway through cook time. The meat is done cooking when it has reached 180 degrees F, as measured by a meat thermometer. Wrap the meat in foil, turn the oven off, and then place the foiled brisket back into the now off oven for at least an hour.
Serve hot, with the Brown Sugar Bourbon Barbecue Sauce below!
Barbecue Sauce:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, simmer together the onion, garlic, and Brown Sugar Bourbon for about 10 minutes or until the onion because translucent.
Add the remaining ingredients, ketchup through brown sugar to the saucepan. Stir well to combine, and then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate overnight. The flavors will continue to come together as it sits, so it will taste even better the next day!
If you prefer a chunky barbecue sauce (like me!), serve as is. If you prefer a smooth sauce, run the sauce through fine mesh sieve.
Serve with the above brisket recipe, chicken, fries – this sauce will taste amazing with pretty much anything!
drinks,fall,recipes,Thanksgiving

Warm & Creamy Pumpkin White Russians

posted on : November 7, 2018 posted by : Kirsten Bell 1 Comment

We’re already a week into November (what!) and Thanksgiving is just two short weeks away! I’ve been working away at holiday recipes, and am so excited to share these pumpkin white russians with you today! They’re creamy, pumpkin spicy, with just a hint of coffee from the Kahlua! Basically a spiked pumpkin spice latte – I mean what can be wrong about that??

In our family we like to take our time on Thanksgiving, enjoying conversation and catching up with each other for a while before actually sitting down for dinner. When I started working on this holiday cocktail, I was imagining how delicious these would taste while we nibble on some appetizers like these mini savory apple pies that I shared last week!

Ingredients:

(Makes one drink)

2 oz Vodka
1 oz Kahlua or Baileys
1 oz heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice (with any leftovers you can make pumpkin spice latte cupcakes!)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker half full of ice, and shake well to combine. Serve over ice, and garnish with a little more pumpkin spice or cardamom if you’d like!

 

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fall,holidays,recipes,savory,Thanksgiving

The Most Delicious Holiday Appetizer: Mini Savory Apple Pies

posted on : October 30, 2018 posted by : Kirsten Bell 1 Comment

What’s the only thing better than a delicious sweet apple pie? A savory one! After our apple picking adventure this fall, I was on a mission to think of all the best apple recipes, and I think this one might be my favorite. These mini apple pies are full of sizzling bacon, crisp apples and aromatic herbs, enclosed in a delicious buttery crust. Perfect for a fall brunch or holiday appetizer! 

These mini savory apple pies are really easy to make, and can be made ahead of time and warmed up when you’re ready to enjoy them! I’m serving these as an appetizer for thanksgiving, and I love that they can be done before so I can spend more time with my family.

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into 1 Tbs pieces
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water

Filling Ingredients:

Six strips of bacon
One apple (I prefer tart granny smiths)
One small onion, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

To make the crust, add the flour, salt and butter to your food processor, and pulse until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Add the ice water little by little, just until the dough forms a mass on the food processor blade. I usually only use about 1/8 cup. Divide the two into two pieces, form each piece into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and let cool in the fridge for 1-2 hours. It can stay in the fridge longer, just take it out about 15 minutes before rolling if it’s been in there a while.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees f. Lightly dust a clean, dry work surface with flour, and turn your chilled dough onto it. Sprinkle a little flour onto the dough and your rolling pin, and roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. (This rolling pin is amazing, because you don’t have to guess at the thickness! It rolls your dough evenly to the specified measurement every time!). Using a biscuit cutter or small bowl, cut 4 inch circles out the dough. Lightly press each circle into the well of a standard muffin tin. Bake for 10 minutes at 425. Let cool, and reduce the temperature to 350.

To make the crust, start by frying the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a plate, and add the remaining ingredients, apple through black pepper. Cook in the bacon grease over medium-low heat, for about 5-10 minutes or when the onion starts to become soft and translucent. Then it’s time to stuff our crusts! Press the apple filling into each crust, making sure to get them as full as you can. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. You’ll know they’re done when the crust is lightly golden brown.

If you’re making these ahead of time, they’re easy to reheat! Put in the oven at 250 for 20 minutes, and they’ll be heated through!

For more autumn inspiration, check out my fall fashion posts here, here and here, and my pumpkin spice latte cupcake recipe here!

This Celebrated Life