Vietnamese coffee popsicles

I'm a weirdo. I like cold things in cold weather. I like to eat ice cream slowly and cold weather makes that possible.

So, let's make popsicles, OK?

Sweet, caffeine-providing popsicles.

My brother, the hand model. 

Spicy stuffed bell pepper soup

There are times when I find myself marveling at how I've mastered the Art of the Last-Minute Meal. You know, the ability to look in your fridge, take immediate mental stock of it, your freezer, and your pantry, and figure out what might make a decent meal. Witchcraft.

Bell peppers of all colors must be really in season somewhere in Mexico, because the grocery stores are filled to the brim with them and they're all on sale. Red, yellow, orange, and good old green--they're all delicious. Green bell peppers are good when I don't want something sweet, but I like the taste of the warm-colored bell peppers. I think they're also better for you too, richer in beta carotene and vitamin C. I went a little nuts and bought six of them a week ago, thinking I'd be healthy and eat one each day as a snack or veggie side to a meal. HAH. HA. HA. HAHAHAH. I was so optimistic though!

Pumpkin banana muffins with a cinnamon swirl

Okay, so after making the pumpkin oatmeal, I had about half a can of pumpkin puree left and I felt compelled to use it. I know, what was I thinking? Pumpkin is not a favorite thing of mine, but I don't like to see it wasted. I also had a ripe banana and it too needed to be put to use.

Enter muffins. Sweet, sweet muffins with a sweet, sweet cinnamon swirl. All brown sugary and autumnal. Yes, autumnal. What can I say? I gave into seasonal flavor madness and now have TWO pumpkin recipes on my blog. You gotta problem? Take it up with the Self-Taught Bakers Union. They'll get to it, right after they address our obsession with steel-cut oats and sea salt. Godspeed.

Granola

You won't hate me if I say I like raisins, will you? . . . .

FINE. I DIDN'T NEED YOUR FRIENDSHIP ANYWAY. TAKE YOUR RAISIN-LESS EXISTENCE AND TAKE A HIKE.

Please, come back. I didn't mean it. I say crazy things when I'm hopped up on raisins. They're powerfully sweet, aren't they? I like them because they remind me of childhood. In school, they'd give us those little red Sun Maid cartons in order to give kids a "healthy" option when snacktime came. This meant that I was always lousy with raisins, because, believe it or not, there are a lot of kids willing to give up their raisins to the crazy raisin-eating kid with stirrup pants and really wide eyes from all the sugary dried grapes she's just ingested.

This is all a minor anecdote that is meant to explain why I put raisins in the granola. You certainly are under no obligation to do so, but I recommend it. You can use any dried fruit you want--cranberries, apple slices, mango, currants, blueberries, banana chips. Heck, you can even skip the fruit, if that's not your thing. Add chocolate chips instead. That's the same, health-wise, right?

For this recipe, I use a great raisin medley from the grocery store that has great big purple raisins, golden sultanas, and a couple other varieties. I've definitely graduated from those small purple sugar pills in the tiny red cartons.

Yes, ENOUGH WITH THE RAISINS ALREADY. NO ONE CARES. I get it. Moving on . . .

Baked pumpkin oatmeal

Hey, this is me, giving into the seasonal pressure of cooking with pumpkin. As a rule, I avoid pumpkin-involved things, but that's mostly because the pre-packaged stuff is overly sweet or artificial-tasting. I can't handle it.

This recipe, however, is always a winner. Baked pumpkin oatmeal. I made a big batch and I ate it for breakfast for the next week. I mean, I kinda got sick of it by Thursday, but I'm the type that craves variety.