Boxing, Baking and Relaxing – Another Weekend in CLE

November 16, 2015November 15, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Well, we finally had a weekend back in CLE. And it was great. Don’t get me wrong – I love traveling and loved spending time in Dallas and New Orleans, but but it was great to have some time to hang out and enjoy the gorgeous fall Cleveland weather, be somewhat productive and also chill with friends.

Friday night, B and I attended the Cleveland Boxing Invitational. B’s on the Associate Board of the Cleveland Sports Commission and this is one of their big fundraisers of the year. I’m not a huge boxing fan, but it’s a cool event and really fun to see Tower City all decked out with a boxing ring, tables, etc.

B and I at the event

Check it out – it’s usually a mall but they decked it out with a boxing ring

Saturday, Nicole and I had a lady date planned. We didn’t get nearly as much done as we had wanted to, but we did end up meeting for a run. I got in 6 slow miles – it was chilly out!

Running selfie

And then we spent the afternoon baking some pumpkin cookies and bars. Yup, still not over pumpkin baking!

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Then it was time for Ladies Craft Beer Society. This month was pumpkin beers and we made mugs and tea. Pretty much the perfect fall craft!

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Sunday morning I had plans to relax, but with the weather being 63 degrees, I knew I had to get out and at least go for a run / walk. It was too nice not to go out!

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I also got to wear my new running skirt, which I hadn’t gotten to do since it got cool.

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I didn’t do much during the day. I managed to do some meal prep, make some fudge and watch some girly stuff on TV.

a few days of lunches

fudge!

I watched some episodes of a pretty awesome show – Catastrophe. Have you seen it? I blew threw 5 episodes (they’re only 20ish min) in 2 days.

And that was about it! A pretty good weekend if you ask me.

Some questions for you:

I need some good chick flicks/TV shows to watch on Netflix/Amazon. Any recommendations? my bff Jane recommended Catastrophe and it was great. What else?
Are you still eating pumpkin flavored things? Or are you over pumpkin yet?
Do you like boxing?

Linking up with Her Heartland Soul for this weekend update post.

Meatless Monday: Pumpkin Black Bean Burgers

November 24, 2014November 16, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

I somehow missed most of the pumpkin baking season this year. Between work, traveling and who knows what happened, I barely baked with pumpkin this year. Which means that I still have one large jar of pumpkin puree in my pantry just begging to be used. Seriously, its TALKING to me, guys. Yes, I have a problem.

So, I used half of the giant can to make this amazing pumpkin bread. But I still have some left. Instead of immediately baking with it – I decided to try something not-so-sweet based on what I had in my pantry. I didn’t tell B these had pumpkin in them until after he tried (and enjoyed) them – so that should tell you something. Success? Yes!

pumpkin black bean burgers i crashed the web

Pumpkin Black Bean Burgers

Here’s what you need:

1/2 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c. cooked grain of your choice – e.g. rice, quinoa, freekeh, etc. I used freekeh which has a similar texture to rice but more whole grain, protein and fiber
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 c. black beans)
1 green onion, diced
1 diced carrot
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tablespoon ground flax seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin

Here’s what you do:

Saute the diced carrot and green onion in olive oil until softened.
Divide the rinsed and drained canned beans in half. Mash half of them with a fork – not so they become a paste but enough so that they become mushy.
Put it all together! Mix together pumpkin, cooked freekeh (or quinoa or rice), whole beans and mushy beans, cooked veggies and flax seed. Combine until everything is evenly distributed.
Add spices (cumin, garlic powder and chili powder) and continue to mix well.
Create 4-5 patties, about 1/3 – 1/2 cup in size and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. This will help the patties harden somewhat so they keep their shape while cooking.
When hardened, cook the patties! I put them on a pan sprayed with Pam and cooked on medium until each side was somewhat browned.
Enjoy! I like mine with avocado on top of a salad.

pumpkin black bean burgers i crashed the web

Some questions for you:

What’s your favorite way to use pumpkin? Do you have any savory recipes to share? Please? 🙂
Do you like veggie burgers?
Have you tried freekeh yet? If you’re looking for inspiration, I have a few recipes to share here and here.

Pumpkin Chip Snickerdoodles

October 30, 2014October 26, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

I love baking with pumpkin. Surprise right? But something happened this year. Perhaps our fall foliage vacation? Perhaps life got busy? Who knows – but this is (gasp) my first pumpkin recipe this fall. Shocking, I know – usually by this time of year I’ve made some pumpkin blondies, pumpkin granola, pumpkin biscotti and/or some sort of pumpkin scone. Oh well. Guess I have some catching up to do!

Even if this is the only pumpkin cookie recipe I make this year – I’d still declare it a good year. These pumpkin cookies are soft (as a pumpkin cookie should be), have the perfect amount of spice (in the batter and also thanks to the cinnamon-sugar coating – they are snickerdoodles after all!) and the pumpkin spice chips are OH so good. I made a batch and they somehow quickly disappeared … guess I know what to do with the remaining can of pumpkin I have!

Pumpkin Chip Snickerdoodles

Here’s what you need:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin spice chips (I found these beauties at Target)

For rolling: Approximately 1/2 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture (I keep this on hand but if you don’t have it, mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 TBS cinnamon)

Here’s what you do:

Melt the butter in the microwave. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside.
Combine melted butter with granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and pumpkin puree. Mix well so that batter is smooth and no lumps from the sugar remain. Slowly pour wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and mix together by hand with a spatula.
Fold in pumpkin spice morsels.
Cover the dough and chill for at least 20-30 minutes, or overnight. Believe it or not, I made my dough at night and chilled the dough while I slept.
After dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line a cookie baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough into balls, about 1-2 Tablespoons in size. The dough will be sticky! Roll the dough balls into cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look underdone when you take them out of the oven – this is okay! You don’t want a dry pumpkin cookie.
Let cookies cool for at least 15 or so minutes. They taste even better a day (or two) after baking! Mine made about 36 cookies.

Triple Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

October 15, 2013October 14, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

I think I have a pumpkin problem. From baking biscotti, to scones, to cookies, to granola – to just mixing it in plain yogurt and eating it with the pumpkin granola – I’m all over pumpkin this fall. But, the first step to recovery is recognizing you have a problem. And with that, here is my last pumpkin recipe for this season. And don’t worry, it’s a good one – similar to the last pumpkin cookies I made but with some oatmeal and white chips for added texture.

pumpkin triple chip oatmeal cookies - i crashed the web

Triple Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Here’s what you need:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup total three different types of chocolate chips – I actually broke this up into 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chocolate chunks and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips – next time I’ll likely try some mini m&ms or even Candy Corn M&Ms!

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, salt and oats – in a small bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars. Mix well. Add in egg and mix thoroughly.
In a small bowl, combine pumpkin puree with molasses and vanilla. Mix well until completely combined. Once the mixture is a uniform, dark brown color, add to wet ingredients in stand mixture. Note: Don’t want to dirty another bowl? You likely could add all these ingredients to the stand mixer one at a time, but I found it easier to have the molasses and pumpkin mixed together first to ensure they get are thoroughly combined.
Add in dry ingredients with a spatula and mix well, by hand. You may need to stir for 2-4 minutes before mixture is completely combined. Then, add in your your chocolate chips / chunks.
Dough will be sticky! Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet topped with parchment paper.
Cook for 12-14 minutes or until they start to brown.

Enjoy!

pumpkin triple chip oatmeal cookies - icrashedtheweb

Pumpkin Biscotti

October 11, 2013October 8, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Confession: I bought more canned pumpkin. I know, I know – after the cookies, granola and scones you think I’d be done. But I’m only just beginning! I’ve got to fuel my pumpkin addiction.

When I told B I had more pumpkin he literally groaned. When I told him I was thinking of making some pumpkin sheet cake or a pumpkin roll and he seemed less than enthusiastic, I knew I had to stray from my traditional baked goods. And when he asked, “Can you just make something not too sweet that I can have with my morning coffee?” I knew that a pumpkin bundt with cream cheese filling was probably out of the question.

Enter – pumpkin biscotti. I knew they’d be perfect – not just for B (he loved the chocolate pistachio biscotti I made), but also for my parents who would be in town visiting.

And they were. Crunchy but not too hard (pumpkin makes everything somewhat soft), sweet but not too sweet – they were just what the pumpkin doctor ordered … now what to do with the rest of that pumpkin ? 🙂

breakfast - pumpkin biscotti - i crashed the web

Pumpkin Biscotti (modified from here)

Here’s what you need:

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix in cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger until thoroughly combined and somewhat thicker. I used my KitchenAid and let it all mix for about 2-3 minutes.
Add four mixture into pumpkin/egg bowl and mix on low speed until evenly distributed.
Using a spatula or large spoon, add in almonds and white chocolate chips.
Now it’s time to make your logs! Divide dough into quarters. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, shape portions into logs, about 8-10 inches by 2-3 inches.
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or mostly hard. Remove logs to a cooling rack and cool for 3-5 minutes.
Keep the oven on! After the logs are cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board and cut each log into 1/2 inch slices on a diagonal.
Bake the dough again! Take the slices and place with the cut side face down on baking sheet. Bake for 5-8 minutes on each side until hardened. I took mine out after about 15 minutes total (7ish min on each side) because I like my biscotti a little softer.

Enjoy! They make a great breakfast addition or snack. Or dessert before your half marathon (yes I had 1-2 before our half marathon last week).

pumpkin white chip biscotti | i crashed the web

Pumpkin Granola! [yes, this happened]

October 7, 2013October 4, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

As you may know, I looooove granola. I grew up eating my mom’s homemade granola and have been looking for an excuse to make a new version.

Well, I was talking with my brother recently and he mentioned that if I wanted to send him a package (which I do on occasion – usually with baked goods), to send him granola. Challenge accepted! And of course, since pumpkin season is here (as if you haven’t realized that from my plethora of pumpkin recipes), I decided to try to make some pumpkin granola to send him.

Warning – this stuff is really good if you like granola. And pumpkin. So good that my brother only got a small baggie (sorry, Greg, I promise you more if you visit!). But it’s also SO easy that you can make it and share it with friends! And really, this recipe is not much different from the original granola recipe – just has some more spices and of course, pumpkin!

Pumpkin Granola

Here’s what you need:

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats, or organic oats (I used the amazing oats we got in our CSA)
1/2 cup flaxseed
1 cup your favorite dried fruit (you can use any combination of dried fruit – as usual, I used dried blueberries, dried cranberries and dried cherries)
1 cup your favorite nut, loosely chopped (I used almonds and cashews – but I imagine pumpkin seeds would work really well this time!)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
3/4 – 1 cup maple syrup (I used about 1 c. of what we had on hand which was pure maple syrup from Canada!)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine oats, flaxseed, nuts, dried fruit in a large boil.
In a smaller bowl, combine brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup and pumpkin. Combine until well mixed.
Add brown sugar-pumpkin mixture to oat mixture. Mix well until oats, nuts, etc. are well and evenly coated.
Pour out onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 40 minutes, checking and stirring at about 15-20 minutes and again at 30ish minutes. Careful not to let it burn!
Let cool and enjoy!

Nuts and dried fruit. Yum!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 3, 2013October 2, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Yes, I’m sharing more pumpkin recipes. Give me a break – pumpkin season comes only once a year and I can’t help but take advantage of it as much as I can!

I’m always a fan of pumpkin cookies. The pumpkin blondies I made last year were my favorite, but the soft pumpkin cream cheese cookies are another great choice when looking for a crowd pleaser. Who wouldn’t like soft pumpkin cookies with a cream cheese glaze?

Ok, not everyone likes soft pumpkin cookies. Did you know that there are even people who (gasp) don’t like pumpkin? I know, right? Anyway, my mom does like pumpkin but she is not a huge fan of soft pumpkin cookies. She likes pumpkin bread but when it comes to pumpkin cookies – or cookies in general – she prefers more crispy, less cake-like cookies. Which is why I decided to try to find a pumpkin cookie recipe that would satisfy that need. I sought a chocolate chip cookie recipe that would work with pumpkin – and this is it! I took aspects from a few recipes (including this recipe from one of my favorite bloggers, Picky Palate, and this one from the Food Network) to get this just perfect, and here it is.

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - i crashed the web

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s what you need:

8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
1½ tablespoons molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups chocolate chips or about one 11.5 oz bag (I didn’t try but I bet these would be delicious with white chips as well! Or even mini chips)

Here is what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cook spray.
Combine butter and sugars in stand mixer, beating until light and fluffy.
Add molasses, pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Beat until combined and smooth.
Add most of dry ingredients – starting with flour and baking soda, and then add in cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop dough by about tablespoon sized dallops onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until baked through and starting to crisp up.
Cool for a few minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack.

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - i crashed the web

Fall Baking Wishlist – Pumpkin Edition

September 30, 2013September 29, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Don’t tell anyone – but fall is NOT my favorite season. I know, I know — I’m in the minority – most folks I talk to who live in Cleveland or on the East Coast LOVE fall. Sweaters, boots, cooler weather, the works – but to be honest, fall for me just makes me start to think about winter, which I do NOT love, and I really just love spring and summer.

Phew. Not that that confession is off my chest – I do want to share that I LOVE fall baking. And I love everything about pumpkin in the fall! But since we’ve been a little crazy the past few weeks with work, moving, unpacking, etc. up until this weekend, I hadn’t baked in forever. And then I went on a fall baking binge. Pumpkin granola. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Pumpkin scones. Yes, I made them all. And I want to bake more! So to get myself inspired – and to satisfy those of you with the sweet tooth who are tired of my vacation posts and happy the baking posts are back – here’s what’s still on my fall baking wishlist. What’s on yours?

Fall Baking Wishlist – Pumpkin Edition

Pumpkin Biscotti from here

Pumpkin Truffles from here

Pumpkin Cookies that I made last year!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones from here

And while we’re talking about pumpkin scones – what about these that I just made?

Pumpkin scones with Maple Butter Glaze from here

promise they taste better than they look.

These super soft white chocolate pumpkin blondies I tried out last year as well.

And this amazing sounding cinnamon pumpkin sheet cake from here

Enjoy! What’s your favorite pumpkin recipe?

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Butter Glaze

September 29, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

Pumpkin season is here! For all you pumpkin haters out there (you know who you are) stop reading this NOW because there is nothing more in this post for you. But if you’re a pumpkin lover, I promise you’ll love this recipe.

B loves scones. He started enjoying them when we went to Ireland and hasn’t turned back since. In fact, on our West Coast trip from a few weeks ago we had quite the adventure each day trying to find him a scone he would enjoy – it was difficult. But we managed 🙂

Anyway, when B wasn’t home, I decided to surprise him with some pumpkin scones. I must warn you – these were a little moister (Yes, I went there) than the typical scone, but they were still pretty awesome. The combination of the pumpkin, fall spices and maple really works well.

I have to admit, I took some elements from this recipe, also from this recipe and then pretty much just used what I had on hand. Which is maybe why there weren’t as dry as your typical scone. Or it could be the pumpkin. I’ll have to find out next time!

pumpkin scones with maple butter glaze {i crashed the web}

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Butter Glaze

Here’s what you need for the scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons butter, cold
½ cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

Here’s what you need for the glaze:

1½ tablespoons butter
¾ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon water, if needed

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger in a large bowl.
Slice the butter into small pieces and use a fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Combine until mixture is crumbly and butter is no longer visible.
In a small bowl, combine pumpkin, buttermilk and egg. Fold pumpkin mixture into flour butter mixture and combine.
Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into two balls. Push down lightly on the balls and then use a knife to cut the dough into slices (like a pizza). Place slices on prepared baking sheet. Warning – the dough will grow larger!
Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.
After the scones have cooled, drizzle the glaze on top. To make the glaze, melt the butter in a saucepan on low. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar and combine until smooth. Add maple syrup. Add water if glaze is too thick. Drizzle on the scones.
Enjoy!

promise they taste better than they look.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

October 17, 2012October 3, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

A few weeks ago I kicked off the fall baking season with some pumpkin blondies. They were delicious. They were amazing. They were everything I had expected. BUT after the cookies were done, I still had 1 cup left of canned pumpkin. So what was I to do? If only all dilemmas were that easy to solve – I made some more pumpkin cookies a few days later. Now, I’m sharing them with you. You must make these. B loved them (they reminded him of a childhood favorite cookie he had) and so did my parents (who enjoyed them when they were in town). I made some with a cream cheese frosting/glaze, and some without – they are both delicious. Soft Pumpkin Cookies (modified from here) Here’s what you need:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon heaping pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup canned pumpkin (I used the other half of a 15 oz can)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Here’s what you do:

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt and set aside.
Beat sugar and butter until well blended.
Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract to wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool completely before frosting (optional).

Frost a few with your favorite cream cheese frosting! I used half of this recipe. Enjoy! soft pumpkin cookies Still reading? Want more pumpkin? Then check out these recipes as well!