The Fall-iest of All Fall Meals. Ever.

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.

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!]

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

PB&J Overnight Oats with Yoplait Fruitful

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Pin to Real Life…Recipe! What?! Yes.

Since it is Pin to Real Life week, I decided it was a good excuse to recreate not just an outfit but a recipe. Like a real one with ingredients and everything. I mean look at all these ingredients. I had to cut and measure things.

In case you can’t tell, cooking is not really my thing. I have a food-themed Pinterest board, but it’s mostly just to make me look well rounded. And most of the things I pin are desserts and grilled cheese sandwiches. Because – well – what else is worth eating?

But I was pretty intrigued to try this One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta because you only have to get one thing dirty (not counting utensils), and it takes about 10 minutes to cook. It did take longer than 10 minutes to get all the ingredients cut and ready to go, but that probably has something to do with the fact that I spend more time in my closet than in the kitchen. (I had to look up a YouTube video on how to cut onions in julienne strips.)

Look at me – cutting onions like a pro. What you can’t see in this picture is that I was wearing sunglasses to try to keep from crying. It didn’t work.

Look at all that skilled slicing and dicing. I bet you’re wondering about this recipe by now, huh? Well if you want to try it, here’s what you need:

12 ounces linguine 
1 can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid)
1 large onion cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I think I’ll add more next time)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (can use less if you’re very sensitive to spiciness)
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped (also might use more basil next time)
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I think it would still be tasty with plain water)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

You put all of this stuff in a pot. At once. Like this:

Heat that baby up to boiling, cover it, and cook it for 10 minutes. Give it a stir once in a while. The best part is that you don’t have to drain anything. The pasta just soaks up most of the liquid. Then you can scoop it out and serve it! Add grated parmesan if you like. If you’re really fancy, you could even garnish with an extra basil leaf.

LOOK EVERYONE! I MADE FOOD!

Thanks for humoring me while I strayed from my usual topic today! I’ll be back to outfits very soon – 2 more Pin to Real Life styles to show you! Don’t forget to send me your link if you have one for me to post.

My Week in Over-Processed Photos (and a recipe)

Recipes two weeks in a row? Don’t get used to this. Here are some snapshots from the past 7 days, followed by a really easy side dish that’s good for you. Well, it has a vegetable in it, so I’m assuming it’s good for you.

Cute pin from last weekend’s bachelorette party; the gift of bad Chinese to English translation (from my friend Abi); COCO IN A SINK; my freshly spotted nails

Barrels of wine at Cooper’s Hawk (I only drank one); yes, my cat again…she’s cute and she can’t help it; tiramisu truffle and raspberry/white chocolate goo; the stuff you need for my recipe below

OK, lemme give you this tasty baked zucchini recipe. I’m not even going to give you measurements because the ingredients are: zucchini, garlic seasoning, and mozzarella. You could not possibly have too much of any of these things.

Slice up dem zucchinis and put them on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle on Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Take it out and turn on the broiler. Throw on shredded mozzarella. Broil those babies for about 5 minutes. In case you’ve never used the broiler before (no judgment here), you have to leave the oven door open a crack and watch your food like a hawk. As soon as the cheese gets a little brown and bubbly, you’re done!

I am picky about eating vegetables (I’m still a child apparently), but put cheese and garlic on just about anything and I’ll eat it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

My Week in Over-Processed Photos

Happy weekend, everyone! I’ve gotten quite a few new followers this week, so if you’re one of them, welcome. Today’s post is a feature I started a couple weeks ago. It’s where I take a few photos from my real life over the past week, and then I add cool effects so that my life seems more interesting. It’s quite the ego boost; I recommend it.

My very chocolatey breakfast (it’s OK because it’s in muffin form), Trying out my new lipstick (a bright red shade of Revlon Just Bitten Kissable), COCO BEING ADORABLE AS USUAL, Saying goodbye to my office on the last day of my summer internship

Counting down the minutes til the weekend Friday at work, A delicious pineapple and green pepper pizza that I MADE (recipe below), Teaching my friends’ kid Gabby how to pose for outfit photos, A gift from the UPS man: the boots I ordered!

For anyone who wants the pizza recipe, read on…

First of all, don’t expect recipes to be a regular thing. I am pretty much the opposite of a house wife and cooking is not at all my specialty. But when I do discover that I’m pretty good at making something (and it’s easy), then I get pretty excited and want to share.

I’m especially proud of this pizza because I started with a recipe from a cookbook and then added additional ingredients on my own, which I’m pretty sure makes me a culinary genius. So here’s what you need:

• Pre-made pizza crust (I’ve tried several brands and they all worked fine)
• Pizza or pasta sauce
• Small can of crushed pineapple (drain out the juice as best you can)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh green pepper, sliced whatever size you like
• Olive oil
• Oregano
• Parmesan cheese (like the kind in the green shaker)

I listed the ingredients in the order that you use them. Take your crust, spread the sauce, layer bits of pineapple, then mozzarella, then green pepper. Drizzle a couple spoonfuls of olive oil, then shake  on the oregano.

Just follow the directions on the pizza crust package for the temperature and time, although mine usually takes longer than they say. I set a timer for 10 minutes and then keep checking until the cheese starts to get slightly browned.

After it’s cooled a little, sprinkle parmesan on top. Delicious! The leftovers aren’t bad either.