Chocolate & Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Brownies + Green Beans
Thankful
Every holiday is so special in its own way, but Thanksgiving is definitely one of those holidays that makes you truly think about what you appreciate…and are just generally thankful for! It gives you an opportunity to pause for a moment and really look at your life – think deeply about where you are – where you would like to be – who you are as in individual – and who you are so very thankful to have in your life.
Chic & Healthy Dinner Parties
One of my favourite things to do these days is cook and host chic…fun…and healthy dinners. There is nothing better than seeing your guests sitting around a table feeling absolutely relaxed and just so excited to experience what you have been working on all day sometimes! That lead up is so exciting to me – it is not just an experience for my guests – but it also an experience for me. Getting up in the morning – starting off with a warm cup of coffee – getting that little energy boost to kick off things – then thinking about what will be on the menu later that evening – going out to your local grocery store or market to buy all the ingredients that you’ll need – then coming home to a clean kitchen that is literally ready for you to do your amazing work. The more I cook and experiment with food, the more I start to see the kitchen as an artistic platform – an opportunity for me to smell…taste…feel – really use all my senses to understand how all of these different elements come together…and work together – what compliments what – what spices work best when paired with certain vegetables or meats – it all starts to make sense after a while…and really gets fun when you start challenging yourself – creating your own masterpieces and going based off of what simply ‘feels right‘.
Fall-inspired Recipes
This Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to try something innovative and healthy! I have recently been dabbling in foods that are both savoury and sweet – and I love the idea of keeping your palette excited – never bored by any food experience. Green & Black’s teamed up with Regina Braun to come up with two awesome recipes that really caught my eye and that I thought would work perfectly for my upcoming Thanksgiving dinner – Baked Green Beans with Chocolate Picada + Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies . I followed both recipes exactly as they were listed and the results were amazing – I loved the smell of pumpkin fusing in with chocolate – the entire kitchen honestly smelled like all things good that come about in the Fall season – Ok…I admit – there was one point when I just had to step out for a PSL (Pumpkin Spiced Latte) – needed to complete the whole experience! I started with the brownies…then moved into the green beans and honestly, both recipes were so straightforward and easy – simple…quick and delicious! I have been a huge fan of dark chocolate for quite some time – especially after doing some research and hearing about all the health benefits that come with eating dark chocolate – so testing these two recipes out was beneficial in so many ways – I was able to provide some healthy food options at my dinner party and also able to keep my guests intrigued and excited…every step of the way by serving up an awesome seasonal dishes – a yummy green bean side dish and delicious pumpkin brownies for dessert!
