halloween is in our rear view mirror and the season to give thanks is upon us.

i have MUCH to be thankful for this year.

just over three years ago, i took a major leap of faith and let go of my former life in wholesale fashion. i shed my former skin, got certified to teach yoga, started a baking and catering company and got married. the last three years have just been one big first after another.

and sometimes i just burst out in tears with how grateful i truly am. don’t get me wrong, some days, i feel VERY far from where i want to be. financially, with trying to grow our family, with work and personal relationships, sometimes i just feel like i am falling short. but then, i have a moment where i realize that i bake cakes, celebrate people’s special occasions AND get to help people with their physical and mental journeys as a JOB and the tears just come. i am so damn lucky.

i encourage you as you gear up for the holidays, no doubt planning events and searching through recipes just like i am, to take moments here and there to just be grateful. for not just the awesome and wonderful ways your life is sweet, but also those moments where you fall short. it just means your dreams are big and how lucky we are to be able to dream big. to start over. to take that leap of faith.

with that said, with every piece of “wisdom” from this here blog, comes a recipe. i NEVER ate stuffing growing up. until a few years ago i had never even tasted the stuff. and there is no good reason why. as a kid on thanksgiving, it always just seemed like the least appealing of all these amazing food options.

but guess what, stuffing rocks. and part of the reason it rocks, is that you can put a ton of delicious stuff in it, and it’s pretty much always good. i used ingredients i enjoy, but you could easily make a couple tweaks here and there to customize it to make it YOUR perfect stuffing.

kitchen sink stuffing

serves: 10-12

prep time: 15 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

baking time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 16 cups sourdough bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 2 brown onions, diced. 5 celery stalks, diced. 2 pink lady apples, diced. 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 2 tbs finely chopped rosemary. 2 tbs finely chopped .5 cup butter. 2 cups turkey stock (chicken if you can’t get turkey, or veggie if you want to keep it vegetarian). 1 tbs of kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. large pot. aluminum half pan or baking dish.

start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees f. place your bread cubes in your aluminum pan or baking pan. equally divide up your butter into tablespoon sized dollops and place the butter dollops evenly over your bread cubes.

toast your bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through so the bread toasts evenly. when the bread is lightly toasted (some bread pieces will be really crunchy, some will be softer and that’s ok, we want a variety of texture) remove it from the oven and set it aside. while your bread toasts, heat your heavy pot over medium high heat.

when the pot is hot, add in your mushrooms in an even layer and season with a couple pinches of the salt.

let them get really toasty and start to release their juices. about 5 minutes.

when the mushrooms have a nice brown on them, add in the celery, onions and apples. season with half the salt and pepper. sauté your veggies just till the onions are translucent. about 5-7 minutes.

add in the herbs & garlic and stir to combine. cook just till the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. pour a fourth of a cup of stock into the bottom of the pot to scrape up any of the cooked bits off the bottom and allow that the liquid to completely cook off. about 2 minutes.

add your toasted bread and the remaining salt and pepper to the mixture. stir well to combine.

pour the contents of the pot into your baking dish. pour the 2 cups of stock equally over the top of the veggie and bread mixture. now, if you are using the stuffing to actually stuff your bird, here is where you wold stuff the bird with as much of the stuffing as you could get in there.

if not, this is where you bake the stuffing for 25-30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and crunchy. serve hot and enjoy.

xo, a

kitchen sink stuffing

serves: 10-12

prep time: 15 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

baking time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 16 cups sourdough bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 2 brown onions, diced. 5 celery stalks, diced. 2 pink lady apples, diced. 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 2 tbs finely chopped rosemary. 2 tbs finely chopped .5 cup butter. 2 cups turkey stock (chicken if you can’t get turkey, or veggie if you want to keep it vegetarian). 1 tbs of kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. large pot. aluminum half pan or baking dish.

start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees f. place your bread cubes in your aluminum pan or baking pan. equally divide up your butter into tablespoon sized dollops and place the butter dollops evenly over your bread cubes. toast your bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through so the bread toasts evenly. when the bread is lightly toasted (some bread pieces will be really crunchy, some will be softer and that’s ok, we want a variety of texture) remove it from the oven and set it aside. while your bread toasts, heat your heavy pot over medium high heat. when the pot is hot, add in your mushrooms in an even layer and season with a couple pinches of the salt. let them get really toasty and start to release their juices. about 5 minutes. when the mushrooms have a nice brown on them, add in the celery, onions and apples. season with half the salt and pepper. sauté your veggies just till the onions are translucent. about 5-7 minutes. add in the herbs & garlic and stir to combine. cook just till the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. pour a fourth of a cup of stock into the bottom of the pot to scrape up any of the cooked bits off the bottom and allow that the liquid to completely cook off. about 2 minutes. add your toasted bread and the remaining salt and pepper to the mixture. stir well to combine. pour the contents of the pot into your baking dish. pour the 2 cups of stock equally over the top of the veggie and bread mixture. now, if you are using the stuffing to actually stuff your bird, here is where you wold stuff the bird with as much of the stuffing as you could get in there. if not, this is where you bake the stuffing for 25-30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and crunchy. serve hot and enjoy.

there is no denying that this time of year is very hectic. and i know that i'm not alone when i say that sometimes during the holidays i often end up filling up on sweets instead of actual food. 

suddenly the office is exploding with cookies, candies and even fruit cakes. treats are literally surrounding you. it doesn't help that your already full schedule is now packed with holiday parties and office shindigs. 

basically, now more than ever you need a simple, but satisfying meal you can make quickly and eat on the go if necessary. 

enter a childhood favorite with some adult twists. no, there is no booze. there will be plenty of that at your office holiday party. and let me just tell you from personal experience, do NOT over indulge. you WILL regret it.

grilled cheese has become one of my go to lunches and it even makes visits to my dinner table when i'm really in a pinch. and the best part is that you really can sub anything you want or have on hand in the house. no onions? no problem, you can caramelize shallots or sub something else salty like bacon or ham. no apples? no problem. any fruit or jam will do. white cheddar can be subbed for your favorite melty cheese or a combo of a few. i could go on, but i'm pretty sure you get the point. 

grown up grilled cheese
serves: 1 sandwich
prep time: 30 minutes (note that almost all of the prep time is spent caramelizing onions. if you make some in advance to have on hand or sub another salty ingredient your time will be greatly reduced.)
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 slices of your favorite bread (i used a whole wheat sourdough). .5 cup white cheddar cheese. 4 thin apple slices. 2 tbs arugula roughly chopped. 2 tbs caramelized onions (1 yellow or sweet onion, halved and sliced. 2 tbs olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.) 2 tbs butter, divided. 

tart by caramelizing your onions. combine your onions, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large pan. cook over medium low heat until medium brown and caramelized. stirring ever few minutes. this will take 20-30 minutes. 

while the onions cook, grate your cheese and slice your apples. lightly butter the outsides of both pieces of bread with 1 tbs of butter. reserve the other tbs butter for the pan. 

when your onions are caramelized, start to layer your sandwich. on top of one slice of bread, lay down your cheese, followed by onions, apples and arugula. top with second piece of bread. 

wipe out the pan you cooked the onions in. turn the heat to medium and add the remaining butter. grill your cheese until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melty. about 5 minutes a side. 

when your cheese is melty, remove from the heat, slice and serve. 

xo, a

grown up grilled cheese
serves: 1 sandwich
prep time: 30 minutes (note that almost all of the prep time is spent caramelizing onions. if you make some in advance to have on hand or sub another salty ingredient your time will be greatly reduced.)
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 slices of your favorite bread (i used a whole wheat sourdough). .5 cup white cheddar cheese. 4 thin apple slices. 2 tbs arugula roughly chopped. 2 tbs caramelized onions (1 yellow or sweet onion, halved and sliced. 2 tbs olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.) 2 tbs butter, divided.
start by caramelizing your onions. combine your onions, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large pan. cook over medium low heat until medium brown and caramelized. stirring ever few minutes. this will take 20-30 minutes.
while the onions cook, grate your cheese and slice your apples. lightly butter the outsides of both pieces of bread with 1 tbs of butter. reserve the other tbs butter for the pan.
when your onions are caramelized, start to layer your sandwich. on top of one slice of bread, lay down your cheese, followed by onions, apples and arugula. top with second piece of bread.
wipe out the pan you cooked the onions in. turn the heat to medium and add the remaining butter. grill your cheese until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melty. about 5 minutes a side.
when your cheese is melty, remove from the heat, slice and serve.