It's less than two weeks until the start of fall, y'all! Are you as excited about it as I am? Pumpkins, apple cider, Halloween, bonfires, sweaters.... It's my favourite time of the year! (Shhh, I know it's still 90F out. Don't spoil my fun!)

Anyway, here's a great recipe to get you into the fall mood! Try these soon, with a nice hot cup of apple cider or pumpkin spice latte, whichever you prefer. :-)

Pumpkin Spice Honey Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey (I used clover from TJs)
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (yes tablespoons, not teaspoons)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, egg, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes). Do not shortcut the creaming process; make sure dough is very light in colour and fluffy, stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the honey, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
4. Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two tablespoon mounds (it will make between 15 and 20). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds very slightly with your palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. DO NOT bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter, and these are supposed to be thick and puffy.
5. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with Silpats, or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart (no more than 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if undercooked, pale, and glossy in the centre. Do not bake longer than 9 minutes for soft cookies because they firm up as they cool; bake for 9-10 minutes if you like firmer cookies. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
6. Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
7. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

NOTE: Because of the honey in this batter, they will be limp and wet, so you MUST chill the dough thoroughly before baking.

Iced Caramel Mocha Latte

It's still the hot days of summer, and I'm always looking for ways to cool off. Iced coffee is a favourite treat for most people, but it can be so expensive! ($5 or more for a medium? I don't think so!!) So here's a way to make your own at home!

Note: For best results, freeze your leftover coffee in ice cube trays so you can cool down your coffee without it getting watery!

Iced Caramel Mocha Latte

Ingredients

• 8 ounces brewed coffee (hot)
• 2 tablespoons hot chocolate mix
• 1 tablespoon caramel ice cream topping
• ¼ cup milk
• coffee cubes (optional)
• whipped cream and additional caramel, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Whisk together coffee, hot chocolate mix, caramel and milk. Chill in the fridge for about two hours.
2. Pour over coffee cubes or ice cubes.
3. Garnish with whipped cream and additional caramel, if desired.

Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks with Homemade Marinara Sauce

These cheese sticks and marinara are so easy to make, and the cheese sticks freeze very well! Make a batch and keep them in your freezer to have fresh restaurant style fried cheese sticks whenever you want!

Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks with Homemade Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Cheese Sticks:

• 24 mozzarella string cheese sticks
• 2 5oz bags Garlic and Herb croutons
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• ¾ cups flour
• vegetable oil for frying

For the Marinara Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• ½ onion (red or white)
• 6 cloves garlic OR 6 tablespoons pre-chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground rosemary
• 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• ¾ cup water

Instructions:

For the cheese sticks:

1. Unwrap all the sticks. Cut each in half, creating 48 shorter sticks.
2. Put croutons in a blender or food processor and pulse until finely crushed and no more large chunks remain. (You can also crush them by placing them in a large zipper bag and crushing with a rolling pin, but this will create coarser crumbs that won't stick as well.) Place crumbs in a bowl or shallow dish.
3. Place flour in a bowl or shallow dish.
4. Crack eggs into a bowl or shallow dish. Add water and beat well.
5. Take each mozzarella stick and, one at a time, dip in flour, creating a light coating, then dip in egg wash, then into crushed croutons. Take care to make sure each layer covers the entire stick, with no exposed cheese. Place coated sticks on a plate.
6. Place coated sticks into the freezer for at least five hours, or over night. At this point, you can transfer them to a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to a month, until you're ready to fry.
7. When ready to fry, place enough vegetable oil in a frying pan or electric skillet to be about ¾ inch deep. Heat on medium high. Test oil by dropping a small piece of crustless bread into the oil. It should bubble immediately, then turn golden brown in about 45 seconds. If it burns, the oil is too hot; if it takes longer or stays pale, the oil is not hot enough.
8. When oil is ready, place a few sticks at a time into the oil. Don't fry too many at one time, or you'll cool the oil off too much and they won't fry properly. Fry each stick for about 45-60 seconds on each side, until golden brown. When the cheese starts oozing slightly, they're done.
9. Drain on a plate lined with a double layer of paper towels.

For the marinara sauce:

1. Heat oil in a large pan.
2. Dice onion finely. Add to hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to brown slightly and is softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 60 seconds, stirring constantly.
3. Add salt, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Stir well and cook for about 15 seconds.
4. Add entire can of tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, and water. Stir well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Once sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Sauce will thicken and darken slightly.
6. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Pour into a blender and process until there are slight chunks left but sauce is mostly smooth. Serve warm with fresh fried mozzarella sticks.

Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese

We're getting toward summer, and that's when these sandwiches are best. Go to your local farmer's market and find the freshest and best bread, butter, and cheese that you can. If you can find fresh spinach, use it as well. Fresh artichokes take a lot of cooking to be soft enough for a spread, so go ahead and use the canned here, as they're already soft enough to use.

Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of sourdough bread (or whatever kind of bread you have available)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup spinach
• 2-3 canned artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat half of the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook about 5 minutes.

2. Add spinach and artichokes and salt to taste. Cook until the spinach starts to wilt.

3. In a small bowl, combine the spinach and artichoke mixture with the ricotta and Parmesan cheese.

4. Put half of the mozzarella on one slice of bread. Then add the spinach and artichoke cheesy mixture, and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Add the second slice of bread on top, and then butter the outside of the sandwich.

5. Place sandwich in a skillet over medium heat. Cover and let look for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Flip sandwich and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Tip: The second side will likely cook faster, so watch closely to make sure you do not burn your sandwich.

Watermelon Mojitos

Today's post is a nice fruity, refreshing cocktail perfect for a relaxing afternoon in the backyard with friends. As always, please be responsible when drinking alcoholic beverages.

Watermelon Mojitos

Ingredients

• 30 large fresh mint leaves
• 4 thick slices fresh watermelon, seeds and rind removed
• 10 ounces light rum, such as Bacardi
• 1/2 cup simple syrup (see recipe below)
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
• Sprigs of mint and spears of watermelon, for serving

Instructions

1. Use a mortar and pestle to mash the mint leaves you can add a little sugar to help break up the leaves and get the oils from the mint extracted.
2. Remove and discard the rind and seeds of the watermelon. Place the watermelon, rum, simple syrup and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Stir to get the froth to go down.
3. Put the mashed mint into a large pitcher and add in the watermelon mixture. Stir to combine the mint with the juice.
4. Place ice cubes in 6 glasses and pour the mojito mixture into the glasses. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint and spears of watermelon.

Simple Syrup: place 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Stir until all sugar is dissolved. Cool completely before using.

Welcome to the NEW home of Rainbow Ridge Recipes!!

Hello and Welcome!! This is the NEW and improved home of Rainbow Ridge Recipes! It was previously hosted at http://rainbowridgerecipes.weebly.com/, if you wish to check out the previously posted recipes. This site just works better for me, and is easier to post to. Keep an eye on this new site to see new recipes, and follow me on Facebook at Rainbow Ridge Recipes. Happy Eating!!