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Pumpkin Palooza is coming!

12 Nov

Pumpkin Pie, hot out of the oven

Do you like that, Pumpkin Palooza?? I made it up (or at least I think I did!)

Over the next two weeks I will be posting my favorite Thanksgiving seasonal recipes, one every few days. This weekend I made my first pumpkin pie of the season, and hopefully not my last one! Although I do not make this pie exactly from scratch, I figured I’d kick off Pumpkin Palooza with that recipe, which is straight off the side of the Libby’s Canned Pumpkin can, so that I could also post the picture of it.

Be sure to check back every few days, or even better: subscribe to the blog, so that you don’t miss a single recipe! I’ll finish up in time for Thanksgiving so that you can use them or share them as needed.

I’m thankful to be able to share my family’s recipes with you this Thanksgiving!

Comment and let me know what special recipes you make for the holiday!

Here’s Libby’s Pumpkin Pie recipe. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. grd. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. grd. ginger

1/4 tsp. grd. cloves

2 eggs

1 can Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin (15 ounces)

1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)

1 unbaked 9″ deep dish pie shell

DIRECTIONS

1) Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in small bowl.

2) Beat eggs in large bowl.

3) Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture.

4) Gradually stir in evaporated milk

5) Pour in pie crust

6) Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.

7) Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Cool for at least two hours and then serve or refrigerate.

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Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

3 Nov

I’ve posted this on my personal FB page before, but I chose to move it onto my blog today because I love the simplicity of it. The recipe is easy and the cookies are delish!  Enjoy!

I love this recipe! I found it years ago. I always double it. Below is the single recipe.  Batter is safe to taste– no eggs.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips ( I never have mini, I used regular. To double, I only use 1 1/2 cups chips. 2 is too many.)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy.

Beat in vanilla.

Add in flour and salt. Beat until well combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide dough in half and press each half into an ungreased 8″ round cake pan. (I don’t have those so I use a cookie sheet and I roll it onto that.)

Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown (It takes longer for a double recipe, almost double the time. Just keep an eye on them.)

Score shortbread with sharp knife and cut or break into triangles (for round pan, and square for cookie sheet.)

Let pans stand on wire rack for 10 minutes.

*photo of chocolate chips from Google Images Editor at Large

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I’m a Guest Blogger!

26 Oct

You can find me this week on the Good Parent Good Child Blog!

I’m so excited! This week I was asked to be a guest blogger on fellow author/blogger/mom Rebecca Jackson’s Good Parent Good Child Blog.

I was asked to talk about cooking for a large family with a variety of tastes. I provided her with five tips we’ve discovered along the way as well as one yummy recipe that my family loves.

I hope you’ll check it out! You can click on the underlined title above and go right to my post!!

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Apple-Chocolate Chip Bars (formerly known as Apple-Raisin Bars)

19 Oct

Last week we went apple picking, and I’m nearing the end of my half-bushel of apples. I wanted to make a dessert to have tonight when my parents come for dinner. I wanted to make something new, so I decided to try this recipe that I found in the October 2011 issue of Family Circle.

It was fast and easy to make. I substituted chocolate chips instead of raisins because I like chocolate chips better. I liked that there was no white sugar in the recipe, but light brown instead. I’m sure that if you DID choose raisins rather than chocolate chips, it’d be even more healthy with the added fruit.

The recipe was quick and easy to prepare. I used my Kitchen Aid stand up mixer to do the prep. The house smelled delicious the entire time these were baking, and the batter, which I did taste despite having eggs in it, was delicious as well. You can always tell how good a recipe will be by how good the batter is!!

The recipe got rave reviews from my family and three thumbs up from the girls!

This weekend I still have one more apple recipe to try out before I’ve finished up with all of our handpicked apples; a recipe for apple bread from my friend Jenn, but for now, this one is up next!

Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Apple Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups light packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup (one stick) butter or margarine softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1  1 /2 cups diced Golden Delicious apple (this was about 4 medium apples for me)

1 cup chocolate chips (or you could do the original recipe:  3/4 cups raisins)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally coat a 13x9x2 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, blend together sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla for three minutes or until smooth.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; mix for two minutes or until just incorporated.

Stir in diced apples and raisins and spread into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

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Spaghetti WHAT??

14 Oct

Very rarely do I get a meal where all three kids give it a thumbs up. This one got three thumbs up!

I love a good meal as much as the next person. Food is right up there on my list of favorite things. However, last year when I started seeing articles about, recipes for and photos of the newest food rage brought on by the iCarly TV show, I thought, “No way. I’d never eat that.” Well, last night, I did.

Last night we had Spaghetti Tacos for dinner. You know what? I liked them! I even had seconds. All the kids had seconds. It was the craziest thing, but it was good!

It all started last week when my brother-in-law Dave, announced on Facebook that they’d had Spaghetti Tacos for dinner. When I asked him more about it, he said they were good, and super easy to make. You just needed spaghetti, meatballs, sauce and cheese, plus taco shells.

Coincidentally I already had leftover spaghetti in the fridge. I had a bag of meatballs in the freezer, although not homemade, they’d do for this trial of a new recipe. I grabbed some taco shells at the store on my way home last night and we were set. I actually had to get both hard and soft tacos because my youngest daughter doesn’t love the hard ones. My husband cooked up the leftover spaghetti with extra sauce and the meatballs on the stove in a frying pan, questioning me the entire time about what it was that we were making, and why. He made a big Ceasar Salad to go with it, and we sat down to eat.

Elizabeth sat down and announced, "My two favorite meals: tacos and spaghetti, all in one!" and took a big bite.

Believe it or not, the Spaghetti Tacos were a big hit! All of my kids had two, I think Elizabeth actually had three. I had two. Alex liked hers in the soft taco shells, and Elizabeth had two hard and one soft, pronouncing all of them delicious.

The only naysayer was my husband Don, who refused to try any at all. He had a chicken Ceasar Salad with the leftover chicken from another night.

All in all, I’d say Spaghetti Tacos were fast, easy, delicious and a great way to use up a leftover pasta dinner.

According to Alex, soft tacos work just as well and taste just as good!

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After school snack for a play date

5 Oct

Today my daughter is having a friend over after school. In the title of my post, I put the words “play date,” but with older kids, it’s really just “hanging out” now, not a play date.  I’m slow to change my ways I guess!

I always try to put out something for an after school snack every day, but when there’s a friend coming over, I try to make it extra good. I’m in the mood for something chocolatey (when am I not?) so I decided to make some Monkey Munch this afternoon before I head to pick everyone up. It’ll be a great surprise for my girls and their friend.

I first saw this recipe a long time ago when I used to watch (operative words here: used to watch) John and Kate Plus 8 on TV. Kate had made it as a snack for her kids and it looked positively delicious. Soon afterwards, I was at a friend’s house and she had the recipe so I copied it.

Here it is:

Monkey Munch

9 cups Chex cereal (sneak in wheat Chex, and that’s healthier! I did that a couple of times.)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (yes, this recipe does use peanut butter so be sure to check for allergies!)

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
DIRECTIONS:
In a large microwaveable bowl, combine peanut butter, chocolate chips and butter. Heat in microwave 1 minute. Take out, mix and return for another 30 seconds or until it can be mixes smooth.

Add in vanilla, stir.

If your bowl is large enough, you can put the dry cereal right in that bowl and mix until all cereal is coated. If not, put the cereal in a larger bowl and pour the chocolate mix right over it. Stir until completely coated.

Put into a large ziploc bag and add confectioner’s sugar. Zip sealed, and shake it all about (you do the hokey pokey) until the sugar coats everything.

Spread onto a large cookie sheet to cool.

Store in airtight container.

 

*Photo of chocolate chips taken from Google Images Editor at Large

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Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

30 Sep

Best.Banana.Bread.Ever.

As I begin moving all my chocolate chip recipes over from my Facebook Page to here, I thought I’d move this one over first. This recipe is by far the best banana bread recipe I’ve ever had and it was given to me by my cousin Tina. The secret is the cinnamon and sugar that she sprinkles on the tops of the breads before baking.

I love the smell that fills my house when I make this bread and I think of Tina and how she’s so much more than a cousin to me, she’s a wonderful friend as well. That’s why I chose this recipe to be the first chocolate chip recipe that I posted on my new blog. This one is dedicated to Tina and to good friends.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2T milk

1 1/2 c. mashed bananas (I use two.)

I add in chocolate chips, of course, about 2/3 cup or so.

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased glass loaf pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Lower to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

 

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