Happy Halloween!

Over the years I've been known to throw my share of Halloween parties where everything was cobwebbed, punch bowls bubbled and skeletons popped out of closets (HA!). But the truth is that I'm not that much of a scary Halloween fan. I'm more a cute, decorative and pumpkin kind of Halloween fan. Besides, those of you that know I live in New York and just endured the wrath of Hurricane Sandy can understand that we've had enough scariness for a while.

Creamy Potato and Leek Soup...and Hunkering for Sandy

As you read this, we are in the process of hunkering. I'm not sure I've ever fully understood the meaning of that word but we've been instructed to hunker down so we're giving it our best shot. As most of you know, we live in New York and, consequently, are in the path of Hurricane Sandy. No, we won't take the biggest hit but she's definitely coming to call. There have been mandatory evacuations in the most flood prone areas but we are fortunate enough to be safely ensconced on a high floor of a solid brick hi-rise building. Nevertheless, the city's hurricane prep affects us as well. As of 7:00 pm last night, all trains and buses have been suspended and we're told that bridges will be open only on a case by case basis depending on wind speeds. Schools and offices are closed.

Cinnamon Candied Walnuts

A couple of days ago, I declared a sick day for myself. I hadn't slept well and woke up early to a bad headache and the sound of rain pounding on the windows. The room was chilly and I was happy to be tucked under my comforter. The pup was snuggled up against my leg. So I got up, took some aspirin and fed the pup her breakfast. Then I went back to my bed and warm comforter. I turned on the morning news but quickly fell asleep and, when I woke up again, the pup was asleep in the crook of my arm, it was still cold and rainy and now it was nearly 11:00 am. Oh, and I also still had that damn headache.

Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Recently I decided to fill some holes in my baking pan collection and so I picked up my very first bundt pan. That began a search for the perfect bundt pan cake recipe to break it in. Given that it's pumpkin season I had my eye (and my pins) on some spiced pumpkin cakes. But then Anuradha from Baker Street posted a chocolatey, pumpkiny, marbleized, swirled, glazed creation that was baked in a bundt pan. My choice was made!

Autumn in the Valley

Brian and I have a few traditions throughout the year and one of them is a road trip north into the Hudson River Valley at some point in October.

  Most years it happens a little earlier in the month but extra warm conditions have kept the leaves from turning until now.

Old Fashioned Pot Roast with Onion Gravy

When I was growing up, my mother's best dish was pot roast with onion gravy and no one was ever late for dinner when she served it. Brian grew up about 50 miles away but with basically the same mother's special pot roast. As I grew up and learned to cook, I became more adventurous with my flavors and ingredients and craved more complex tastes. But sometimes, I just want the original.

A Tutorial: Working with Photo Sharing Sites

Joan from Chocolate, Chocolate and More has been doing a series of tutorials on blogger resources such as Facebook and Pinterest.  She asked Carla of Chocolate Moosey to write the tutorial on using Twitter and has asked me to share my knowledge about photo sharing sites.  I believe they can be a huge driving force for blog traffic and I've spent a lot of time getting to know them.

Pumpkin Party Martini

As much fun as it can be to create creepy, spooky Halloween foods, they don't always entice me to eat them. And the cocktails are sometimes the most gruesome with "blood" dripping down the sides. Fun, sure...creative, sure...will I be posting one...maybe. But I probably won't be drinking one.

Sponsor Shout Out - Part 2

On Tuesday I introduced you to two of Hungry Couple's amazing sponsors this month and today you're going to meet the other two.  Check out these talented cooks and get to know their blogs, stories and delicious recipes!

Creamy Spinach with a Sweet Potato Dumpling Crust

There are some food words that just make me happy. Chocolate, cookie and gravy are some examples. But one of my favorite happy food words is dumpling. Something about it conjures up all sorts of delicious, comforting thoughts. Dumplings in soup, dumplings in stew...yum. You could, of course, make dumplings using a box of Bisquick. It's quick, easy and tasty. That partially hydrogenated oil part doesn't make me so happy, though.

Sponsor Shout Out - Part 1

You may have noticed at the beginning of this month that four sponsors joined Hungry Couple.  Today I'd like to introduce you to two of them.  If you're not already following these two fantastic bloggers, I hope you get to know them because you will certainly love them.  And come back on Thursday for part 2 of this feature where I will introduce you to the other two amazing sponsors for October.

An Apple a Day...

What could be healthier than an apple...even if it is occasionally accompanied by some sugar? 

We've been celebrating apple season with old and new favorites. Check out all the apple recipes below and maybe some can become your favorites, too.

Death by Pumpkin Cocktail

If you like pumpkin and own an ice cream maker, you've probably already made a batch of pumpkin ice cream. I've certainly been seeing recipes for it everywhere. Alas, I don't own an ice cream maker...yet. I also can't say that I crave ice cream much in chilly weather. But the other day, as I was walking the pup past Sedutto's, a local gourmet ice cream shop, I saw a sign in their window announcing that pumpkin ice cream is now available. I just couldn't resist finding out what it tasted like so I went in, bought a small container and took it home. YUM!  As I was shoveling it in and making plans to purchase more, it also occurred to me that it had cocktail potential.

Creamy Parmesan Corn

Did you ever have one of those experiences where you come across a recipe, possibly with a fetching photo, and feel an urgent need to make it right away, even if you don't necessarily have all the ingredients on hand? It's not just me, right? OK, maybe it is. Anyway, that's how it was the day I came across Simply Gourmet's recipe for Creamy Parmesan Corn. Of course, you have to have at least some of the ingredients in order to do this. I mean, it's hard to make a corn dish without, say, corn. But I knew that I had a lonely can of plain corn sitting in my pantry, just hanging out, doing nothing. And I had Parmesan cheese because I always have it. The dog won't eat her kibble without a sprinkling of grated Parmesan on top. It's not just my dog that's like this, right? OK, maybe it is. I don't usually have bacon but that day I did (left over from my Butternut Squash Pasta Bake recipe) and I figured I'd wing the rest. Off to the kitchen I ran!

Pumpkin Streusel Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl

Lately I've been having a huge craving for pumpkin bread. I've made it before and I've even made a skinny version but this year I was inspired by Pinterest (pinspired?) and all the cream cheese swirl recipes. Um...did you know that all those recipes are different from each other? Which one to choose? So, I wrote 'em all down and then compared them to each other and to my own recipe and did some calculations (math was involved!) and made some assumptions and...well, here we are.

Apple Pie Martini

Sure it's autumn and it's apple season and we've been baking them into cakes and tossing them into salads. Sometimes we even get a little crazy and just eat them as they are! When I was growing up my mother would frequently make me an afternoon snack of apple slices and cottage cheese...and yes, I loved it. Sometimes I still make it for myself although I can't quite seem to get Brian excited about the cottage cheese...

Happy National Vodka Day

One of my fellow bloggers keeps track of the national food days and always lets us know.  Taco Day?  Roast Beef Sandwich Day?  If I ever run out of creative cooking ideas I could always just cook whatever food is on the calendar that day!  Fortunately, we're not there yet...

But, considering how extensive our cocktail collection is, it does seep appropriate to celebrate that most versatile of all liquors, vodka.  We have a lot of vodka recipes.  A lot.  Yes.  We do.  So today we're taking a break from apple crumb cakes and pumpkin doughnuts to honor the basis of some of our most favorite cocktails.  There's sure to be a variation that appeals to everyone.  Enjoy!

Click here to see our entire collection of vodka based cocktails.

Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

Doughnuts? Donuts? I went so far as to take a poll. Opinions seem to be fairly evenly split but doughnuts did get a slight edge. Either way, they are seriously delicious. So, have you been seeing these "doughnut muffins" all over Pinterest? The taste of doughnuts without the deep frying. If, you, like me, are tragically afflicted with DFP (deep fry phobia) then you probably have a few of those recipes pinned. They were on my long, long list of treats to try when I happened upon a pumpkin version in an adorable doughnut hole size and the recipe quickly shot to the top of my list. So now that I've made them, let's discuss.

The Month in Review: September 2012

September was a particularly fun and delicious month here at chez Hungry Couple!  It was also a time to catch up. The second half of August is usually a whirlwind for us because it's when we like to take our summer vacation. We usually get back just in time to head out east for the long Labor Day weekend so we tend to spend a few weeks living out of travel bags. But we love it!

As we finally settled back into our routines and welcomed the cooler days of autumn, we started enjoying the start of apple season and those lovely first pumpkins. Oh, how we've missed the pumpkins... Enjoy!