C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Pumpkin-Avocado-Caramelized Onion Pizza

Food is seen as so many things depending on our mood or our social activity. If we’re depressed we eat foods that comfort us whether healthy or not, when we’re happy we often eat fatty food, when angry, crunchy simple carbs will do thank you…and so on.

After having a rather large lunch while out with family yesterday, I didn’t want a big or heavy dinner nor did I feel like cooking, but I did. I ruffled through the pantry and refrigerator and found a few items to create a thin crust, fairly healthy pizza. So off to work, very little work, I went and the result was extremely satisfying and delicious so I want to share it with you in hopes that it will inspire you to create with wild abandon.

Pumpkin-Avocado-Caramelized Onion Pizza                                           Avocado Pizza

I used a pre-made thin crust that I had in the freezer

Leftover pumpkin from roasting one last week

1 avocado, peeled, sliced, chunks

1 lg. onion, sliced and sauteed in 1/4 cup white wine

tomato paste

olive oil

mozzarella cheese – I used shredded

Spread tomato paste thinly over crust, spread pumpkin over that, later with caramelized onion, sprinkle avocado over top, lightly drizzle olive oil over all then top with a small amount of mozzarella cheese…don’t over-do it.

Bake at 450° for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

You could use flour tortillas for single serving pizzas, everyone can create their own.

C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

My Kitchen Takeover & Pumpkin Cookies

20131009_232153 - CopyMy son, Ryan, spent 4 months on the west coast. He returned home Oct. 1st and he’s staying with me until he finds a place to relocate. He’s 26 and fun to have around so I’m enjoying it while it lasts. I think about how fun it would be to have my youngest here too, like old times; they grow far too fast!

Last week I found myself sharing my kitchen with him. We had run a few errands together and finished with one last stop at the farm stand in town; I’m so greatful that it’s still open! We picked up lots of fresh, local goodies including a 5 lb. pumpkin that he wanted to carve.

He began cleaning out the pumpkin and carving a lot of the inside flesh out so that the light would shine through the flesh of the engraving he planned on doing.

Being my son, he thought it a waste to throw the good squash away so he baked it in a casserole dish with a hint of salt for about an hour. After it was cooked through he pureed it in the blender until it was smooth, lined a colandar with paper towel, set it over a large measuring cup and added the puree and left it to drain. After about an hour or so he decided to make pumpkin cookies from a recipe he found on the internet.

The cookies were delicious and it was nice to see my kitchen being used by someone other than me.

I thought I’d share them with you, enjoy!

Here’s the link to the recipe Ryan used: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32364/old-fashioned-soft-pumpkin-cookies/detail.aspx

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