Pumpkin Pie Parfait Breakfast Jars

So as you know pumpkin season is in full swing. I know all you Pumpkin and Pumpkin Spice-philes are just itching for your next fix of pumpkin.You are looking furiously for pumpkin recipes. Well rest assured I got ya covered today!

So you may already have your pumpkin spice coffee to go in the morning, but what's a girl to eat for breakfast that satisfies that pumpkin lust without packing on the pounds? How about a Pumpkin Pie Parfait Jar- lowfat, quick, easy and portable. DONE!

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Rim & Pumpkin Beer

Not sure if you guys have noticed but since Pumpkin has become marketable and means dollar bills to many food and beverage companies there fall is totally creeping into summer... (can we instead extend it into winter since around March or April I want to move since I am so tired of winter?!) But back to fall.  Why do people start selling pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin beer in the end of July.. yes even pumpkin beer in JULY?! I just cannot understand this. As much as I love Fall, I love summer maybe more since Fall inevitably means that Winter is not too far behind. Winter means snow and shoveling... notw that I own a home it also means ridiculous heating bills. So suck it to all those companies giving me Fall in the middle of Summer

**end rant**

Now that it is officially Fall- Let the pumpkin games begin! I can enter back into that mode of comfort, warmth and all things pumpkin. This is the most wonderful time of fall, sunny, still warm, but the need for a sweater every now and again. My favorite of all the pumpkin things is craft beer- ZOMG it's totally pumpkin beer season guys! Officially- but I couldn't hold out and started last week, alright.... confession I slipping and had a Dogfish Head Punkin' Labor Day weekend! Oooooohhh the humanity. Pumpkin beer is my weakness. Especially with the right balance of spices.

Sausage Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Parmesan

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Don't look at me like that... I know what you are thinking. I WILL NOT eat spaghetti squash, I want real pasta. I was you. No I really was. Like ewww that ain't spaghetti get it outta my face. Well you don't know unless you try... so I did. And it is an amazing pasta substitute, great flavor, not the exact texture, but it goes well with just about anything that regular pasta does. So come on, get adventurous! Trust me, I will not steer your tastebuds wrong, I just won't. Plus there is lots of vitamins and fiber. This is a win-win!

So I decided to make my spaghetti squash Italian stuffed with some pork, some of my killer totally roasted marinara and top it with some Parmesan and fresh mozzarella. The kicker is you can eat a giant bowl of this decadent comforting Italian treat for a very little calories. No guilt topped with sauce and cheese! YES!

I also have some tips on how to prepare your spaghetti squash without fear of stabbing yourself with the knife- so read on!

12 weeks of winter squash

This post is part of my participation of #12wkswintersquash, with some other VERY talented bloggers and I am HONORED to be a part of this! Thanks to Heather of Girl Chef and Joanne from Joanne Eats Well with Others for including me! Please see links of their recipes below.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup.... for the soul

Why is this a Foodgasm?

As I mention a lot, I am half Greek. Growing up with my yia-yia (grandma in Greek) when I wasn't feeling well she made me Chicken Soup, but not just any Chicken Soup. Chicken Avgolemeno Soup. A Greek Lemon Chicken Soup that she made with orzo, that is creamy, tangy, lemony and can eat like a meal. This always made me feel better from the inside out. Now that my yia-yia is no longer with me, it makes me feel nostalgic and reminds me of a simpler time. It is the ultimate comfort food.

I loved her soup, BUT there were always a couple things I wanted to change. She always used the whole chicken and tore off the pieces, but I have always been partial to white meat, hate dark. So I used chicken breast only, also happens it's healthier for you! I kept in the traditional holy trinity of celery, onions and carrots, but decided to add some mushrooms as well, why the hell not! I tried it and really liked it.

Now that cold and flu season is upon us, I thought this was appropriate. This will surely cure what ails you body and soul!

Pumpkin Creme Brûlée Shots

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Pumpkin Palooza is happening NOW! Us ladies we love some pumpkin and we like some spice for the fall. You know I gotcha covered with some amazing treats and I lowered the fat. Make sure you head over to my Facebook page today (10/23), I am hosting a pumpkin party, so make sure you check out my recipes as well as all my food blogger friends pumpkin recipes!  Stop bye and share your recipes with me!

So how does Pumpkin Creme Brûlée sound? AMAZE-balls! Not only did I but the fat, but I made it MUCH easier to make at home. Best part, you get to play with FIRE! Ohhhh yeah! So I wanna give a nice shout out to my girl Jenni from Pastry Chef Online for this recipe. When I saw it, I just knew it was happening at NY Foodgasm HQ! This is actually more of a pudding, but it is so creamy and delish with that same charred sugar crust, you won't miss the original. I made a couple adjustments from the original recipe to cut a little fat, but overall I kept true to her recipe. I mean it is a GREAT recipe with Maple syrup and spices, YUM! When I saw the lemon, I was thinking "NO way!" but it TOTALLY works! She is a pro and I trusted her.

As soon as I saw this I knew I was gonna make it Pumpkin Creme Brûlée. I was actually invited to a holiday food exchange party and I made these for it in individual shot glasses and even got cute little spoons. We were judged, like on Iron Chef on Presentation, Taste, so on. I won presentation, YAY! I am so anal I made sure I bought 16 matching shot glasses and cute little spoons. **obsessed**

So enough of my rambling, here is the recipe and the food porn!

Pumpkin Coconut Tres Leches Cake

Why is this a Foodgasm?

It is officially Autumn guys, you know what that means? PUMPKIN EVERYTHING! Let the Pumpkin obsession begin now! This month you will be treated to my many pumpkin recipes, or annoyed. My husband is SICK of pumpkin by the end of October. I do it to death every year, but, I GOTTA!

Have you ever had Tres Leches Cake? This was my first time ever making it and trying it. It means 3 milks and boy are they bad for you, full of fat and yumminess. I saw Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake originally on My Love for Cooking and I was blown away! I knew I needed this in my life!! So I made my own version of this lightened up, using only 2 eggs an egg white, other than the cake is fat free and it kinda needs to be. The Tres Leches mixture is fat-tastic but we all need some fat in our lives from time to time. I lightened it up for you guys though, while also adding the awesomely yummy flavor of coconut milk in place of cream! Removing fat and adding flavor is the best of both worlds and that is what I try and do for every dish here at NY Foodgasm!

Thinking outside the pie: Pumpkin Bolognese

Why is this a Foodgasm? This is really a sneaky foodgasm, I mean Pumpkin Bolognase? Really? I came upon the idea after I made the Pumpkin Chili, I thought hmmm why not make a meat sauce, like a Bolognese with pumpkin instead of tomato. I like to challenge the idea that pumpkins are just for baking! Let's think outside the pie on this one. Well I made this up completely outta my head after studying some classic Bolognese recipes. When I tell you I just about fell off my chair from just how good this was- well I was just so amazed! The spicy sausage, the sweetness of the carrots and the pumpkin combined with the sweet acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc just made my taste buds explode in rapture! Yes it was almost a religious experience! AMEN!

This is a 6 point foodgasm (recipe yields 8 servings)
 

Mini Butternut Squash Quiche with Bacon

This is the quiche as one large quiche, sadly I did not get pictures of the mini quiches- which are amazing!

Why is this a Foodgasm? Since we are quickly approaching Autumn what better way tp celebrate with some butternut squash deliciousity?! This brings together the creamy texture of butternut squash with the spices of the season, a dash of both nutmeg and cinnamon along with the candy of meats BACON! Wow wow wow! Bring it on!

This is a 1 point foodgasm (per mini quiche)!