Tag: cooking

The Fall-iest of All Fall Meals. Ever.

fall meals, beertails, pumpkin beer drink, vegetarian chili recipe

Boy, do I have a treat for you guys today. It’s starting to really feel like fall out there, Halloween is right around the corner, and I’m about to tell you what you need to know to make the BEST. FALL. MEAL. EVER. Seriously, it doesn’t get any fall…er…fallier? I don’t know…than this: piping hot homemade vegetarian chili and a cool drink of cider and pumpkin beer.

While I can’t claim the beertail idea myself, the chili is my own creation based on a few other recipes I found. *Pats self on back.* Scroll down for the details on how to make your own fantastic fall feast! If I can do it, so can you, because I am about as effective in the kitchen as my cat. We both usually just stare at our reflection in the dishwasher.

fall meals, beertails, pumpkin beer drink, vegetarian chili recipe fall meals, beertails, pumpkin beer drink, vegetarian chili recipe

Sarah’s Sassy Chili Recipe (working title)

1 cup diced onion (about 1/2 an onion)

1 cup diced green pepper (about 1 whole pepper)

1 package (12 oz.) of imitation ground beef (I use Morningstar Farm Crumbles)

[Put these first 3 ingredients in the pot and heat for a few minutes until the onions start turning translucent. Then add the rest of the ingredients below, and simmer for at least 35 minutes.]

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I did this in the can; doesn’t have to be perfect)

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 mini can (I think it’s 6 oz.) tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes with liquid left in

2 teaspoons(ish) minced garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder (or more if you want it spicy)

1 tablespoon cumin

[Serve with shredded cheese of your choice on top!]

fall meals, beertails, pumpkin beer drink, vegetarian chili recipe

Pumpkin Cider Beertails

Put a cinnamon stick in each glass

Fill 3/4 of the way with a pumpkin ale

Top off with sparkling cider

Squeeze in a lemon, then use as garnish

Sprinkle ground cinnamon on top

fall meals, beertails, pumpkin beer drink, vegetarian chili recipe

PB&J Overnight Oats with Yoplait Fruitful

overnight oats recipe

Remember back in July when I posted a recipe and told you I’d try to do another one in 6 months? Well here I am back in the kitchen just 2 months later. But this recipe is even better than the last one because it doesn’t actually involve cooking. Not even in the microwave (which is where I do most of my “cooking”).

If you’re massively impressed by my initiative, you can thank Yoplait for coming out with its new Fruitful yogurt. Right now it’s just available in the Midwest (because we’re so wholesome here) so they asked some Midwestern bloggers to try it out. I could have just eaten the yogurt and told you if I liked it, but that seemed pretty boring so I decided to make something with it.

I found a ton of yogurt recipes on Yoplait’s site and one of them was Overnight Oats. I Googled overnight oats and found out that pretty much everyone on the internet has heard of this stuff except me.

overnight oats recipe

If you’re totally out of the loop like I was, the concept of overnight oats is that you take rolled oats (aka plain uncooked oatmeal) and mix them with liquid in your receptacle of choice and leave them in the fridge overnight to soften. You can add fruit or other toppings and flavors.

I found several recipes that used plain yogurt plus fresh fruit, but Yoplait Fruitful actually has a ton of real fruit in it and not as much sugar as most regular yogurt so I figured it would save me a step. I also added vanilla soymilk.

Then I got really creative (for me, anyway) and decided to make “PB&J” overnight oats and added peanut butter and cinnamon.

overnight oats recipe with peanut butter and cinnamon

I made a strawberry one for Kristin and a blueberry one for myself. I mixed them up in mason jars, covered them, and left them in the fridge overnight. I recommend using mason jars because they automatically make your food and drink hip. It’s a fact. Just ask Pinterest.

overnight oats recipe

This morning I served breakfast in bed: overnight oats and cinnamon sugar toast. Coffee for me and milk for Kristin because she’s a child.

overnight oats recipe, breakfast ideas,

The reviews were mixed. Kristin nearly gagged because she doesn’t like the texture of yogurt, and this stuff was pretty yogurty. But I like yogurt, so I thought it was pretty good! It was kind of a combination of eating yogurt, oatmeal, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And all of those things are delicious. Still, I think next time I’ll make a few changes and use this recipe:

  • 1/2 a container of Yoplait Fruitful  (psst…you can get a coupon here!)
  • 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter (melted so it stirs in more easily)
  • a generous sprinkle of cinnamon

Has anyone else made overnight oats before? I would love more tips. It’s actually a nice breakfast idea because you can make it the day before and it’s ready whenever you want it!

overnight oats recipe

Thanks to Yoplait for sponsoring this post and motivating me to try something new. If you’re a fan of yogurt but feel like most of them are more sugar than anything else, I definitely recommend Yoplait Fruitful. Go here to find out if it’s available near you!