Sweet Potatoes with goat cheese, roasted grapes and drizzled with honey

Ok, so I know I overcooked my steak, but it was so good that I don't even care. Especially 'cus these potatoes are awesome! I kept thinking, "omgosh, this is soooo good" while I was eating these sweet potatoes.

On an uneventful Thursday evening, this definitely made my night a whole lot better. I think it even gave me the motivation to finish my International Trade Policy reading. Anything to get through all of that reading is totally worth it in my book, and if it tastes amazing, all the better.

Please please please make these sweet potatoes. They will beat the pants off your momma's old southern recipe of pecans and brown sugar and marshmallows. Yes. I said it. And I mean it.



Sweet potatoes with goat cheese, roasted grapes, and honey
From How Sweet It Is

4 sweet potatoes

2 cups red, seedless grapes

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil (or another high heat oil)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 ounces goat cheese, divided

2 tablespoons honey + additional for drizzling

pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Poke holes in sweet potato with a fork, then wrap each tightly in aluminum foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until potatoes and tender to the touch. Unwrap foil and cut a slit down the middle of each sweet potato. Let sit until cool enough to handle. *However, if you are crunched for time, pierce potatoes with a fork in several places, wrap in moist paper towels, and place in the microwave for 10 minutes on high instead of baking in the oven.*

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Toss grapes with a little oil (high-heat oil) and a pinch each of salt and pepper, then place on nonstick baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until grapes begin to burst. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Once sweet potatoes are somewhat cool, gently remove the flesh with a spoon, trying to keep the potato intact. Add the sweet potato to a large bowl, then mash with 3 ounces of goat cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper and honey. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired, then scoop flash back into the potato skins. At this point you can re-warm the potatoes (if you let them cool completely) in the oven, then top with remaining goat cheese. Add grapes on top and serve with additional drizzled honey.

Pumpkin Pasta

I just spent 4 days in Washington, DC gorging myself on all of the yummy food the city had to offer (um, Teaism's salty oat cookies are ah-mazing, and I was very happy with their muesli for breakfast after a 5 mile run!). I thought I would throw this recipe up in time for Thanksgiving as a fun twist on the traditional baked mac n cheese. I love this recipe. It's everything good about thanksgiving: pumpkin and sage and carbs and cheese! Honestly, I will cut up some turkey and mix it into pumpkin sauce if I have some leftover from Thanksgiving so that it really is the perfect Thanksgiving mac n cheese.


Pumpkin Baked Penne

serves about 4. Adapted from How Sweet Eats

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup cream cheese

2/3 cup milk

1/2 pound whole wheat penne

1/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped, plust more for garnish

crumbed bacon, if desired

Prepare water for pasta and cook according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add butter and onion. Whisk continuously until the butter browns and small brown bits appear in the pan. Immediately whisk in flour and chopped sage leaves and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk, cream cheese, and pumpkin, then mix until until combined. I chose to keep my “sauce” in a thicker state, but if you’d like it thinned out a bit more, add additional milk. At this point, taste and see if you’d like any additional salt or spices – this will most likely depend on how seasoned your squash was. I added another small pinch of salt.

Add pasta to an 8 or 9-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over top, then use a spoon to fold the sauce into the penne, coating it completely. Top with shredded cheeses. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Garnish with crumbled bacon and sage leaves if desired.