Pumpkin Cornbread

This sounds intriguing:

Pumpkin Cornbread (from LLL's Whole Foods for the Whole Family cookbook)

2 tsp oil
1/3 c. honey
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. mashed cooked pumpkin
1/4 c. cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 c. dry milk powder

Combine oil, honey, eggs and vanilla in bowl. Stir in pumpkin. Combine cornmeal, baking powder, salt and dry milk powder. Add to egg mixture, stirring to moisten. Pour into greased 5x9 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes; invert onto wire rack to cool completely. 6 servings.

Note: Be sure to cook for the entire 40 minutes even if you think the edges are going to be over done. It is extremely moist and needs the cooking time to be done in the middle. 

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Pecans

A friend of mine brought these to our Sunday school party, and I had to ask for the recipe.  These taste like candy (I'm not particularly a pecan fan, and I loved these!)... they are inCREDible!  Such a great Christmas dessert, and they go great with hot chocolate!

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Pecans 

½ cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons melted, salted butter
1 ½ cups pecan halves
1 egg white, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars, salt, and cinnamon, making sure mixture is well blended and there are no lumps; set aside. Pour melted butter over pecans and toss to cover all the pecans. Beat egg white and vanilla until frothy but not stiff. Add pecans, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper (I used Silpat). Bake for 30 minutes, removing from oven every 10 minutes to stir and return promptly to oven. You will do two good stirs…completely turning and rotating all the pecans. Don’t skip this step!

Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, use a metal spatula to scoop the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.

Pumpkin Muffins (or cupcakes) - GREAT for Weight Watchers!

These muffins are SO easy and so tasty.

In a bowl, dump in:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 yellow cake dry mix
• 1  29 & 1/2 ounce can of pumpkin
• and as much pumpkin pie-style spices as you want (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves).  I usually shoot for around a tsp of these total, with about 1/2 of that being cinnamon, and only a small pinch of cloves.  The muffins also taste good without the spices, if you don't have them on hand.

Bake according to the muffin directions on the cake box.  

Yields 24 muffins (or 48 mini-muffins).  

For those following Weight Watchers, each muffin is 2 Points Plus, and each mini-muffin is 1 Point Plus.  Also, if you eat 2 normal-sized muffins, that counts as 1 fruit/veggie serving.  ENJOY!

White Hot Chocolate

2 c. heavy cream

6 c. whole milk

12 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 block dark chocolate

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate into curls; set aside.
2. Place white chocolate in medium heat-proof bowl; set aside.
3. Place milk & cream in medium saucepan set over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan (about 4 mins). Do NOT boil.
4. Remove mixture from the flame. Immediate pour over white chocolate. When chocolate begins to melt, gently stir to combine.
5. Whisk in vanilla. Continue whisking until light foam forms.
6. Serve immediately. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Recipe makes 8 cups.

Double-Crust Pie Dough

This crust is great for pies, and awesome for quiche. Crispy, with just a hint of sweetness... it's a great crust.

2 & 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

8 Tbsp. shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

6-8 Tbsp. ice water

Put 1/2 cup of water in the freezer to be used in a few minutes.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Sprinkle shortening over the top and proces until it looks like sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter butter and pulse 10 times. Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. DON'T OVERPULSE. Better to need to mix more than to over mix.

Sprinkle 6 Tbsp of ice water over the mixture, and press the dough together with a rubber spatula. If the dough is still not coming together, add ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until it can be mixed.

Divide the dough into 2 portions, pressing each portion into a flat 4-inch disc. Cover each disc with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. *** Remove dough & roll to fit into pie plate.

(*** At this point in the recipe, the dough can be frozen for future use, for up to 2 months***)

Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Pie

I made this recipe this afternoon, for my oldest son's 8th birthday celebration. YUM! Can't wait to eat it--


(1) Make graham cracker crust... (or buy one)-- I use a graham crackery-cookie we can find here, mix it up with about 1/2 cup of butter + a few Tbsp sugar and let that set for a crust.
(2) Make fudge sauce-- (I used the fudge sauce called for in this recipe)

• Combine & heat the following over medium heat until boiling: 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, dash of salt, 1/2 cup water, and 60 g. chopped chocolate (2 bakers' squares)
• Add 1/2 cup half & half (I used 1/4 cup cream, 1/4 cup milk), & 1 tsp vanilla. Blend until smooth and thickened.

(3) Add half of that fudge sauce to the bottom of the pie shell, and put in freezer until slightly hardened, about 30 minutes.
(4) Add 1 Liter (or 1 quart-- or 1/4 gallon) of softened chocolate ice cream on top of the fudge sauce-covered pie crust and spread across the dish.
(5) Freeze until ice cream is harder, then sprinkle the top with cropped candy bars of your choice. The pie could stay in freezer like this for at least several days.
(6) Just before serving, drizzle remaining fudge sauce over each slice.

New Orleans-Style Beignets

These beignets (pronounced "ben-yays") are incredible! The entire batch (a big batch) was done in less than 90 minutes, and they were absolutely delicious! For me, this is now my donut substitute... donuts are so hard to perfect, and these were quite easy to "get right" the very first time I made them (yesterday morning).

The reviews say they're like Cafe du Monde's beignets-- that's quite a reputation. So if you get a hankerin (I know that may not be as motivating for those of you who live close to a good donut/pastry shop), I highly recommend this recipe:

Costa's French Market Doughnuts (Beignets)

Oh, and by the way, I didn't have evaporated milk and so looked on the web for a quick substitute and used 1/2 cream and 1/2 buttermilk as a substitute and they were delicious!

They're particularly good with coffee within 10-15 minutes of being cooked. Enjoy!

In search of the perfect brownies.

One friend recommended THESE brownies as the best; here's what she says:

This 1980's recipe from The Chocolatier is the best. Moist and fudgy. Yum Yum. Super yum. To die for. Boxed mixes just do not compare.

The Chocolatier Brownies
2 sticks real butter
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp real vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup flour

Cream butter and sugar several minutes at high speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Mix in flour and cocoa. Bake in greased 9" x 13" metal pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes exactly. (**if using glass pan or dark coated pan, bake at 325 degrees) Remove from oven. Let cool completely before cutting for clean cut marks.


This recipe even converts well to whole wheat flour and Sucanat. We've been doing all that healthy stuff for quite a few years now, and my brownies still get rave reviews.

So I think I need to try them. Soon.

Another friend says hers are famous. Here's her recipe:

Lori's Famous Brownies
1 1/2 sticks of butter
3/4 cup of the darkest cocoa you can find - none of that pale Hershey's stuff
2 cups sugar
1 t vanilla
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
Mix ins (choc chips, nuts, toffee, andes mints, etc)
Put butter and cocoa in metal mixing bowl over low heat. Stir constantly until well blended and butter is melted. Remove from heat (carefully dip finger in mixture and taste - mmmm, a dark & bitter chocolate lover's delight!) and stir in sugar until well blended (dip finger again - for those of you who like sugar with their chocolate). Add vanilla and eggs, stirring well. (Taste again to make sure nothing has spoiled.) Add flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix well (taste it one more time to make sure it's worth baking) and add whatever mix-ins you like best. Spread in greased 9x13 pan and bake for 30 min at 350*. I don't have a test for doneness, but they should be cracked or crackly on top and the edges starting to pull away from the pan.

These should come out a bit crunchy on the very edges, but fudgy and dark and rich in the center. They aren't a tall, thick brownie - too dense for that!

For a "blondie" (not chocolaty, but still a decadent dessert), these Bakerella Blondies were recommended.

Another friend recommended making any old average brownie mix, pouring half of it into a dish, covering it with a layer of toffee Symphony chocolate bars, and then pouring the rest of the brownie mix into the pan and baking as directed. That sounds tasty.

Do you have a brownie recipe you swear by? If you share, please tell us whether yours come out fudgy or cakey, as that seems to be a classic difference in what people expect from their brownies. I definitely like brownies to be moist, but I don't want it to be so dense that it really tastes and feels like fudge. If I want fudge, I'll make fudge, know what I mean? :)


I guess I'll have to put on my scientist hat and figure out which one of these is the best. Experimentation is the only way to know for sure! :) If you do any experimentation, please share your thoughts and results here!

"Embarrassingly Easy Recipes" from some friends...

... feel free to try these. I'm just copying and pasting them here so I can revisit them later. All of the instructions, etc, are my friends' words (not mine). The prompt for all these recipes was someone asking for "embarrassingly easy recipes that get rave reviews", and I just pulled out the ones that sound good for the things that our family likes. Enjoy!

And let me know if you try any of these, how they work for you and your family!


Peanut Butter Cookies ~from Michelle
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Just mix it together and drop by the spoonful on a cookie sheet. I stick them in at 350 for about 14 minutes.


Italian Chicken Bake ~from Nancy
Cut up several medium potatoes into wedges (I use one per person)
Sprinkle with salt & pepper
Slice one onion and layer over potatoes
Slice one green pepper and layer over onions. (I sometimes use one red, one green for color.)
Pour one large can crushed tomatoes over this.
Top with chicken thighs (one per person or more)
Brush olive oil over chicken thighs, salt & pepper skin.
Slice into 1" pieces one pound italian sausage and wedge between chicken.
Bake at 375 until chicken is crispy...about an hour and 10 minutes.

I serve this with bread and salad, and can make it for four or forty!! It's really very flavorful!

Salsa Chicken ~ From Monica
Brown cut up chicken breasts in a little bit of oil in a skillet. Add a LARGE jar (28 oz) of salsa. Simmer for about 10 min. Serve over pasta. YUM!

Pasta with broccoli and chicken ~From Tanya
Bake three chicken breasts with a little garlic salt
Boil 3 cups of rotini
Steam 2 cups of broccoli
Saute a cup of mushrooms in butter.

Cube chicken and toss together with mushroom, broccoli and pasta. Drizzle a little butter on top and season with garlic salt. Quick and very good.


GARLIC CHICKEN- My picky 10 year old's favorite! ~From bearcreek
Need: Whole chicken, cut up. Ovenproof skillet with lid.

Coat w/olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Brown both sides.
Meanwhile, peel 10 cloves garlic, 10 shallots.
Cut shallots in half.
Get some rosemary, thyme, and maybe some Italian parlsey from garden (or fridge) wash it.

Tuck herbs, shallots, and garlic in and around chicken.
Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil over chicken.
Put in oven at 350 with lid on for 1 and 1/2 hours.
Done. Total time in front of stove: 10 minutes.
So many possibilities to go with this delicious garlic sauce, use your imaginations. Great on bread!!!


Easy Chicken Divan ~From Jennifer
cooked chicken breast
cut up broccoli
1 can Campbell's healthy request Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Campbell's healthy request Cream of Mushroom soup
Parmesan cheese

Layer chicken breast and broccoli in a lightly greased 9x13 pan (chicken then broccoli works best, IMO). Mix the soup and 1/4-1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese and spread over the broccoli. If you like more sauce you can add another can of soup. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top covering the soup pretty well (it makes a pretty golden-brown topping). Bake at 350 for about 1/3-3/4 hour or until it's bubbly. Serve with steamed rice. mmmmm


Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball ~From Julie

In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 pkg. cream cheese (softened), 1/2 C. butter, softened, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla. Gradually add 3/4 C. confectioners sugar and 2 T. brown sugar. Stir in 3/4 C. mini chocolate chips. Cover and chill for 1 hour (or I do it overnight). Shape in ball and you can then roll in 3/4 C. finely chopped pecans. Serve with chocolate or regular graham crackers.


Chicken Without a Name ~From Tonya
I always get compliments on this chicken and it's super easy

Put your chicken pieces on your baking pan or cookie sheet. Top each piece with a spoonful of brown sugar and kind of spread it around with the spoon (make sure you don't stick it back into the brown sugar package!) or your fingers. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Bake like you normally would chicken pieces and that's it.


Presto Pralines
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine [Note: I usually use all butter, but you do need to use at least 1 stick real butter]
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
12 whole graham crackers [fits perfectly in a 15x10 pan; if your pan is a bit smaller, use what will fit]

Spray jelly roll-type pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with the graham crackers (if they break in half, don't worry -- you may have to break some of them to fit anyway)

In a heavy 2-quart or larger sauce pan, combine butter and brown sugar; cover over low heat, uncovered, until butter is melted. Raise heat to medium and bring mixture to boil. Once it has reached a boil, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low and cook for 1 more minute more, stirring constantly, until butter and brown sugar are well combined.

Remove from heat, stir in pecans, then spoon mixture over graham crackers. (Don't worry if crackers are not completely covered; the mixture will spread during baking).

Bake uncovered for 8 minutes. While still warm, cut or break them into halves (or smaller). Let cool completely; store in airtight tin. 24+ cookies.

(No doubt about it, this is an artery clogger, but you'll hear moans when people start eating these. And the recipe looks more complicated written down -- it's very easy and fast)


Taco Goulash ~from CrochetMama
Brown 1 lb. lean ground beef with onion (fresh, frozen, or dehydrated - amount is your preference). Then add: 15 oz. can rinsed black beans, 14-1/2 oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid), 1-2 Cups frozen corn, 1/4 Cup (or 1 pkg.) taco seasoning, and 3/4 Cup water. Heat through . . . then serve on chips, salad, tortillas (your choice!) - and top with grated cheddar cheese.


chocolate chip muffins made w/pumpkin: ~from Liesl
1 cake mix, any flavor (chocolate is the BEST; spice is great too)
1 can pumpkin (16oz)
1 cup chocolate chips

mix it all together, and bake at 350* according to which type pan - we have made muffins, a 13x9, and layers too.


Hot Dill Dip ~rodalena
Heat oven to 350.

Take one block of cream cheese and place on 2 triangles of refrigerator cresent rolls. Sprinkle the top of the cream cheese with dill weed. Cover the top of the cream cheese block with 2 more triangles of dough. Pinch the sides and top and bottom together to seal the cream cheese inside the rolls. Spread one egg yolk over the top, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite crackers or dipping veggies.

Believe me, it won't have time to cool down.


Easy Homemade (thus no additives or preservatives) Chicken Fingers: ~sourceofjoy

Mix: 1 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups corn flake crumbs(they can be bought this way), 2 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. paprika and 3/4 tsp. coarse pepper.

In another bowl mix 2 eggs (beaten), and 1/4 cup buttermilk.

Cut up ~ 3 lb. chicken breasts into strips. Add chicken to egg mixture and stir till moistened. Add chicken to dry mixture, a few at a time, coat and place onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet(this way clean up is a cinch, chicken doesn't stick to parchment paper and cookie sheet doesn't get baked on hard to clean grime on it). Melt some butter and dot over the chicken strips. Bake at 425F for about 12-15 min. Serves ~8.


Cola Roast, from Fix It and Forget It Cookbook...it just doesn't get any better, or easier, than this! ~shared by Rachel

Ingredients: Roast beef (I've used many different ones but my favorites are the sirloin tip roasts.
1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
1 can Coke (not diet)

Put roast in crock pot. Put soup mix over roast. Pour Coke over all of it. Cook until done! It is SOOOO good, and so tender. I get asked about this every time I serve it to guests.


Baked Creamy Chicken ~From Jill
Put chicken, breasts, cut up pieces or bonelesss in a casserole dish. Top with 2 -3 cans of Golden Mushroom Soup, cover and bake for about an hour till chicken is done. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes. The gravy is awesome. You may want to add a bit of water if it seems to thick. I usually uncover the last 15 minutes or so.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole ~From Kristy
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 bag nacho cheese Doritos (store brand works, too)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup enchilada sauce
shredded cheese

Mix chicken with crushed chips and add remaining ingredients. Add more broth or enchilada sauce for more moisture. Place into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.


Easy Crockpot Chicken ~From Reese
Place thawed boneless chicken in CP, pour over one can of chicken broth, sprinkle with one envelope dry Italian dressing mix (I use Good Seasons). Cook on low all day (10 hours or so). You can cook some noodles in the broth and it's very tasty.


French Bread recipe if you have a Bosch kitchen machine. ~From Toni
5 cups of flour
1 tbls. Yeast
1 tbls. Olive oil
2 ½ cups of warm water (might need a bit more depending on the humidity in your house)
1 tbls. Salt
Throw it all in the Bosch and mix until the dough cleans the sides. Mix for 2 minutes on low and then put in greased bowl. Let rise for at least 2 hours but all day is great too. Shape into whatever shape loaves you want, cover and let rise until they are the size you want and then bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. I have discovered that if I throw in a few ice cubes in the bottom of the oven when I put the loaves in, it makes the crust even better!
If you want pretty loaves, after you remove the loaves from the oven, brush with a mixture of water and egg white for shiny loaves.


Easy Stuffed Manacotti ~From Bean
1 lb. ground meat
1 onion (fresh or frozen)
1 pkg. manacotti shells
1 lg. jar spaghetti sauce
12 mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the manacotti shells according to the directions. Brown the ground meat with the onion and drain. Mix in the sauce. Cover the bottom of a 9x12 baker with some of the meat sauce mixture. Stuff each manacotti shell with one cheese stick and arrange them in the pan. Cover with the rest of the meat sauce. Bake at 350 until bubbly and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top ten minutes before done.

This is so yummy and I never, never make lasagna anymore!


Sante Fe Chicken ~From Kathy
Place 4-6 boneless chicken breast in crockpot. cover with 1-2 cans of black beans, some frozen corn and salsa. Cook on low all day or high 4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, shred chicken, it will be tender and shred easily. Then cube 8 oz of cream cheese and put into crock pot. Stir and let cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve over rice or on tortillas.


Dip for Apple Slices ~From HSisfun
8oz cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped peanuts

Beat together 1st 3 ingredients & stir in other 2 ingredients. Sit down w/a big bowl of sliced apples and devour only as much as your tummy can manage. :-)


Chicken rice (as my dc call it) ~From Jennie
1 cup whole grain rice
2 cups water
(or if you use more rice, you can do 1 /2 to 3 of water...0
1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1Tbsp dried Parsley
S/P to taste
1 whole chicken

Put all in a big pot with the chicken on top. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer for an hour. that's it. Add a veggie and it's a meal. The chicken does not brown, but it falls off the bone.


Roasted Garlic ~From Jael
Take a whole, unpeeled head of garlic and slice off the top (the pointy end) to reveal most of the individual cloves. Wrap the head in aluminum foil, leaving the top open and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the exposed cloves. Close up the foil so that it is well sealed, and roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. (I use the toaster oven when I do just 1 or 2.) You will know when it is done by the smell, and when it is squishy and soft. A sprinkle of salt will enhance the flavor. Just serve this with an excellent french bread, you can squeeze each clove and spread it with a knife. It is easy, delicious, and so good for you!


PASTA W/ LEFTOVERS ~From Meghan

1. Make pasta according to directions, any shape. Mix with 1 small can chopped tomatoes and 1 jar spaghetti sauce. Stir in generous amount of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. My kids love this! Additions: cooked hamburger or chicken or Italian sausage, sauteed veggies (onions, peppers, zucchini are great with this). I think this is what we are having for supper tonight, actually.
2. Another quick pasta dish -- cook chicken breasts in boiling water until just done and tender, remove meat and use chicken broth to cook pasta. Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces while pasta cooks. Drain pasta, add pasta and chicken back to pot, stir in a can of chopped tomatoes and a jar of spaghetti sauce and if desired, cooked veggies of whatever kind. I call it chicken cacciatore but it's not authentic; still, my family loves this.
3. If you have leftover spaghetti, sauced or plain, make a spaghetti omelet (or you can cook up some just for this). Heat oil or margarine in a large nonstick pan. Saute spaghetti until heated through and add scrambled eggs (I usually do 2 per person, we have a family of five). You can add herbs and spices to this or leave plain. After omelet is dry on bottom, carefully cut into wedges with plastic spatula (so you don't scratch pan) and flip each wedge (this takes practice to get this so it's not totally messy). I usually top with cheese, cover pan with foil, and let melt. Often I will top the whole thing with some jarred spaghetti sauce and then put mozzarella on top and heat on lower heat until melted and bubbly.

EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES ~From Cherie
A Good Roast
1 Can Beef Consomme
1 Can Beef Broth
1 Can French Onion Soup

Put in Crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours until roast is good and tender. Remove roast from juices and shred. Place on French bread and use broth as a dipping sauce. YUMMM!!


Beef Tips and Rice ~From Anne
Beef tips (or stew meat or leftover roast is good also)
1 can french onion soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Put all in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.




And that's all, folks. Good list, methinks. :)

Aunt Pearl's Coffee Cake

Preheat @ 350 degrees


SPICE SWIRL INGREDIENTS:
4 T. Brown sugar
1 T. Cinnamon
1 C. finely chopped nuts (optional)

CAKE INGREDIENTS:
2 Sticks of oleo/margarine
2 Eggs
2 Cups of Sugar
1 cup of Sour Cream
1 t. vanilla
2 Cups of Flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1. Cream the butter and sugar.
2. Add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add gently to creamed mixture.
4. Generously grease a tube/bundt pan and dust with 1/2 of the spice mixture. Put 1/3 of the dough in the pan.
5. Sprinkle the remainder of the spice mixture over the dough before adding the other 2/3 of the dough.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

DELICIOUS! My sister-in-law Jill made this tasty cake for us the last time I was in Texas. It's a great coffee cake, swirl cake, dessert, or breakfast! ENJOY!!!

Get Your Hot Links Here!

Here are a couple of "hot links" I've found recently:

• Beth Moore's version of KING RANCH CHICKEN! (A Texas favorite that I've eaten many times but have never actually made-- this is DELICIOUS!!!)

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie, courtesy of Mrs. Sewell of Serving God & Family.

ENJOY!

Simple Cream Cheese Cookies

Recipe from my SL friend, Kimbo:

1 Cake mix- any kind you like
1 Egg
1 Stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 Block of cream cheese (8 oz)

Mix it all up, drop and bake at 350 until done to your preference. I do mine about the size of a ping-pong ball. Soooooo yummy and easy!

Farm-style Oatmeal Cookies

These are, bar none, my favorite cookies, and the dough, bar none, is my favorite cookie dough to eat raw! Try it and you'll see why.

Ingredients:
2 cups packed brown sugar (living where we do, I can't get brown sugar, so I substitute with 2 cups regular sugar and 2-3 Tbsp of molasses)
1 cup lard or shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose* or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt


* If using self-rising flour, omit baking soda & salt.

• Heat oven to 375 F (approx. 190 C).
  
• Mix brown sugar, lard/shortening, buttermilk, and vanilla.
  
• Stir in remaining ingredients.
  
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
  
• Place about 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I line mine with parchment paper).
  
• Flatten with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in water.
• Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes.
  
• Immediately remove from cookie sheet and let cool on a rack.
  

MAKES ABOUT 7 DOZEN cookies, which will all be promptly eaten. :)

Thanks to Betty Crocker for the recipe- these are totally yummy!

Something Festive to Try: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 c. pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)

Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside. In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

(From an online friend, Kristen)

[Editor's Note: After my first trial run with this recipe, 12/1/07-- These puff up, kind of like little muffiny cookies... They are soft and moist and everyone loved them! I may try to put them into muffin cups next time just to see how it turns out that way... but they're delicious as cookies too! :) ]

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Muffins

Thanks to Girl Talk for this recipe - I'm off to make it now!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Muffins

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar (I used 3/4 cup sugar, but we like ours sweet.)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.
Beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Beat in egg, cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into cream cheese mixture until flour is moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups filling them 3/4 full.
Bake in preheated oven until tops are golden, about 20 minutes.

Gooey Bar

Last night I ate one of the best desserts I've ever had... called, simply, "The Gooey Bar". Here's the recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter -melted
1 egg

Mix these ingredients and spread into pan, pressing into corners. Then combine the following in a separate bowl:

1 pkg cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 box (2 cups) powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Mix these ingredients, spreading over bottom layer. Bake 30-40 minutes @ 350 degrees. (Top will be soft set.) Trust me, this is delicious!

Mountain Dew Dumplings

Lemme give a little shout out to my sister, Jill (OK, I only have a brother- but she's his wife!), and her mom Donna! They're the ones from whom this most excellent recipe was borrowed! This is like a scrum-diddly-umptious version of apple pie.


2 cans of Crescent Rolls
2 or 3 peeled and sliced apples(6-8 slices per apple)
2 sticks of butter (not Marg.)
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 1/2 cup of sugar
12 oz can of Mountain Dew

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and slice apple. Roll up one apple slice into each of the crescent rolls. Place them in an nongreased pan. In a small saucepan combine the butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Once the butter is melted and the mixture is nice and smooth, spoon over the top of each of the crescent rolls. Pour entire Mountain Dew can in the cracks. (Be sure not to wash off the sugar/cinnamon from the tops of the crescents when pouring the Mountain Dew. This makes for a prettier presentation when baked) Bake for 45 min. Serve while hot with ice cream or whipped cream!

Holiday Ritz Cookies

Here's an easy and delicious holiday cookie recipe:

You'll need:
Ritz crackers
Peanut Butter
White Chocolate (also called Almond Bark)

Melt the white chocolate to a creamy state in a pot. (Or you can microwave it, even easier).

Take the Ritz crackers and make little PB sandwiches with them. Sandwich a layer of PB between 2 Ritz crackers. Once you have as many of those as you want made, then dip each cookie entirely into the white chocolate. Let them dry and harden on a sheet of wax paper.

These are easy to make and SINFULLY delicious! Everyone always loves these- they're a huge hit for holiday parties! ENJOY!