I recently had a baby, he’s a little over three months old. Before I got pregnant, I was a frozen foods, go out to eat morning, noon & night kind of gal. I had kitchen gear, but had no idea what half of it did, or what to even make with it, needless to say, most of it collected dust. About 4 months into my pregnancy, I became OBSESSED with baking! No joke. I made something new about 4 times a week if not more. They always say your partner will gain weight with you while you’re pregnant, well, he certainly did, and not just because I was pregnant, but my oh my were these dessert’s delish! I’m not talking Betty Crocker or Pillsbury here, I’m talking from scratch, 4 layer cakes, freshly made butter cream frosting’s, decorated and made pretty. I started to Google every possible baking recipe I could find, and no matter how challenging, I wanted it!
After we had our little man, Aiden 🙂 We decided it would be best for all three of us if I stayed home, along with that lovely capability I promised to be a Domestic Goddess! I became in LOVE with cooking! Instantly I wanted a whole new kitchen, you know the fancy ones with everything you could ever need, like you see on HGTV! Every store we went to, (even online shopping) I just “had to have” this new cooking tool. I’ve really started to build up my kitchen, but I believe I still have a way to go! Just yesterday I finally upgraded my cheese grater, my new one will be here tomorrow, and I can’t wait! (A year ago, who would have thought a cheese grater would make me so happy?!) I’m still on the hunt for a great grill pan..we LOOVE to grill, but we live in Maine, and winters are brutal, nobody wants to be outside warming up charcoal to grill up two burgers or a piece of chicken..hence my crazy search for a perfect grill pan. I’ll find one!
I’ve been contemplating starting a blog for a couple of weeks now, but in the last 48 hours became infatuated with the idea. So much so, that at 4 o’clock this morning when my little guy woke up to eat, I couldn’t stop researching! I was up trying to figure out where to begin, what I should call it, wondering if people would even read it?! :O I decided I wanted to do it regardless, because cooking & baking is what I love to spend my time doing!And so here we are!
Going to the grocery store makes me feel like I’m going shopping for a new pair of shoes, or baby clothe’s (which I am now captivated by–they’re just so small & cute!) I’ve always been a clothes & shoes shopper, I could shop til I dropped..literally, I used to dread the grocery store…I couldn’t find things, I didn’t know what to buy, it was always cold, the long lines, the 20 varieties of one item, now its like a game & I love being there!
I will do my best to bring you new and exciting recipes! Never anything with an insane amount of ingredients, (I always hated that) I will show you things that are quick, and meals that may take some time, but will always be worth it in the end! I’ll link you to other wonderful blogs & recipes that I find! If you’ve never cooked before, I hope this helps change your mind-it’s so worth it. If you’re a pro already in the kitchen, I hope at some point I can give you something new!
Being that Fall is just a week ago, (Can you believe it!?) I’ll start off with a delicious pumpkin shake! You must love pumpkin to like this! It’s easy and delicious either nice and hot or cold! We’ve been making it in my family for as long as I can remember!
You can use either freshly carved up pumpkin, (which is best!) cooked & drained, or pumpkin right from a can!
In a blender:
3-4 cups of pumpkin (about halfway up the blender)
1 can (12 oz.) Evaporated milk
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp. Pumpkin Spice (or to flavor)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup brown sugar (add more if you like it sweeter)
Everybody’s taste buds are different, if you like it sweeter add more brown sugar, if you want more cinnamon or nutmeg, go for it! Mine changes all the time depending on who is going to be drinking it! If you make too much to drink at once, store it in the fridge. It will last a few days! I hope you enjoy it & I hope you come back to see what else I’ve got! Have a wonderful weekend!