Multi-Grain Carrot Cake Pancakes

We love pancakes and I love attempting new things so when I saw a recipe for carrot cake pancakes I knew that I had to give them a shot. They turned out beautifully and have become a new family favorite. The original recipe was vegan and since we aren't vegan I had to make a few changes so here they are.

Pumpkin Chicken Curry Soup

I love fall and the flavors that it brings, which I'm sure I mentioned in my post about pumpkin cake with salted caramel frosting. Anyway, pumpkin, squash, and sweet potato are a few of my favorite fall items to cook with this time of year, so when I recently had a cup of chicken curry soup I knew I had to attempt my own curry soup and pumpkin appealed to me. The resulting soup, pumpkin chicken curry, was delicious. There was a smoky, spicy flavor from the curry spices and poblano pepper, as well as, a certain creaminess from the pumpkin and coconut milk. Then there is a little punch of sweet and tangy flavor from the cranberries, carrots, and tomato. It was a big hit with the hubby and some friends.

Menu 2014: October 6-November 2

This month my dear hubby and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage. They haven't all been easy or enjoyable, and we've had lots of ups and some downs. But as I sit hear thinking about it, I wouldn't trade these 10 years for anything! We've done a lot in ten years' time: I finished my college education, Jared graduated from Bible institute, we added 4 kids (and potty-trained them all), we gained 70+ pounds as a couple then lost 160+ pounds, we moved and changed jobs twice, we paid off over $40k of debt, and we are finally doing what we knew God had planned for us since before we got married. With that said, it's time to get back to the subject at hand, October's menu. Here's the printable if you'd like it.

Creamy Cajun Pasta

Tonight I just couldn't decide what to make for supper. It's been a crazy busy last few weeks and I haven't had time to work on October's menu so I had zero ideas. So I did what every mom does when she's out of ideas on what to make for dinner. I took a mental trip through the fridge, freezer, and pantry to see what I had to work with. Then it hit me, I'd throw together something with the smoked sausage, shrimp, veggies, and pasta that I had on hand. I had also just picked up a bottle of cajun seasoning so I decided to wing it and make dinner up as I went. It was a hit with everyone.

Adult Popcorn

We enjoy popcorn and it doesn't really matter how it's made - caramel corn, cheesy popcorn, butter lover's, etc. But all of these come with extra calories so we don't make them much anymore. We needed to come up with a recipe for popcorn that had huge flavor without being high in calories. That's when my hubby thought of it - curried popcorn, a very grown up version of regular old buttered popcorn. Delicious (and simple)!