🥓 Pantry Pick of the Week: Bacon Pepper Jam

I have a confession: I may have just made the best fall appetizer of the season.

I tucked brie and Bacon Pepper Jam into a hollowed-out pumpkin, and wow. Melty cheese, bacon and pepper in every bite, and a pumpkin that doubles as the serving dish. Grab some crackers, bread, or apple slices for dipping and watch it disappear. And it’s less cleanup, which is always a win in my book. 😉

Bacon Pepper Jam is also the star of my Bacon Pepper Meatloaf, so one jar goes a long way in your kitchen. It’s the kind of pantry staple that makes people ask, “Wait, what is IN this?”

Want to add a jar to your pantry?

Message me JAM and I’ll send you the details! And keep an eye out for the reel, because you’ll want to see this one. 🎥

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💡 Kitchen Hack of the Week: Halloween Hacks for Busy Moms

Halloween is coming, and it comes with costumes, fall parties, and candy everywhere. Here are a few ways to get through the chaos with your sanity (and your smile) intact:

1. Feed them dinner BEFORE the candy. A real dinner first means fewer sugar crashes later. Make it a slow cooker meal or a simple sandwich or wrap, so it’s ready when you walk in the door.
2. A party treat in a snap. Pumpkin bread muffins or Absolutely Almond Poundcake cupcakes with a sprinkle of Halloween candy on top. Easy and festive.
3. Make a “boo-cuterie” board. Cheese, crackers, and grapes (hello, eyeballs!) with a jar of Bacon Pepper Jam on the side. It takes 10 minutes, and everyone will think you spent an hour.
4. Portion the candy before it’s out of hand. Put a handful in small bags, and keep the bulk of it out of sight.

Sounds like a plan, right? Halloween doesn’t have to be perfect to be fun. 90% of the things you worry about don’t even happen. 😉

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❤️ What’s Happening in Cathy’s Kitchen

Come play with bread (and butter!) with me this month! 🍞🎃

I’m teaching two hands-on bread art classes, and I’m so excited. We’ll turn Tastefully Simple’s Bountiful Beer Bread into focaccia art with fresh herbs, veggies, and seasonings. No crazy ingredients, no complicated steps, and you take your masterpiece home!

🍂 Sunday 10/25, 1 PM: Strike It Up Artistic Center in Ontario ($50, includes a full-size bottle of Roasted Garlic Avocado Oil, Bountiful Beer Bread, Seasonings, and much more!)
Reserve your spot

🎃 Thursday 10/29, 5:30 PM: Mescolata Shop in Fairport, a Halloween-inspired Bread & Butter class ($30)
Reserve your spot

Reserve by 10/19 and bring one beer or soda for your bread mix. Grab a friend, because this is a night out that’s even better with company. ❤️

So here’s your little Cathy’s Kitchen reminder this week:

Keep it simple, keep it fun, and eat dinner before the candy.