Pumpkin Cake

This is the perfect time of year for everything pumpkin.  And me, personally, I love pumpkin.  So here is an amazing way to enjoy all things pumpkin - Pumpkin Cake!  

This recipe is from my mother-in-law and it has served me well over the years.  

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 2/3 cup for topping)

1/2 cube (4 TB) butter - at room temperature

1 egg

Filling:

1 16 oz can pumpkin puree

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, dash of ginger and ground cloves)

Topping:

2 TB butter - at room temperature

2/3 cup reserved cake mix

1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter and egg.  Mix with a fork or pasty cutter to combine.

Press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Use your fingers - it's the only way.

In another bowl (or the same one after you've washed it out), combine all the filling ingredients.   Stir with a whisk to throughly combine them all.

Pour filling mixture on top of crust.  

Take reserved cake mix and add cinnamon and butter.  Use a fork and combine until it forms a crumble consistency.

Sprinkle this mixture on top of the pumpkin filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.  It will come out golden and wonderful.

Serve it while it's still warm - although my kids have been know to eat this even if it's cold.

Make sure and add a large dollop of fresh whipped cream.   Believe me, you'll be going back for seconds.

Enjoy!

Apple Crumble

Many years ago, I was in a sorority in college.  At the end of the year, we put together cookbooks and each girl got to take one home.  There was a recipe similar to this in my cookbook...however over the years I seem to have lost the cookbook.  Who knows where it could be, but one place it isn't is my recipe cupboard.  Oh well, that meant that now I had to try to figure it out on my own.  

After a few tries, I think I got it right!  This dessert is perfect for a crisp fall night.  Believe me, you will want to make this over and over again.

Ingredients:

5 medium apples - pealed, cored, and diced

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/4 cup water

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter at room temperature

Place your diced apples is a shallow baking dish.  You can use a 9x13 or any other dish of similar size.

Sprinkle the cinnamon and salt on top of the apples. 

Now pour the water on top and stir to distribute all that cinnamon.  Be careful not to spill those apples.

In a separate bowl, add flour, sugar and butter.  

Notice that I'm not using any oats.  That's why this is a crumble and not a crisp.  I'm sure if you like oats you can think of a way to incorporate them.  However,  give this a try first.  I think you'll like it just the way it is.   Anyway.....

Using a fork or a pastry cutter, mix until a crumbly mixture forms.

Sprinkle the flour mixture on top of the apples.  You can lightly press down if you need to, but really you should be just fine sprinkling it evenly over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Your apples should be nice and tender and the topping crisp and golden.

Serve while warm, and add some vanilla ice cream or a huge scoop of fresh whipped cream.  Believe me, you will be coming back for seconds!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Buttery Syrup

I was making pancakes the other day and got a crazy idea. What if I made pancakes that tasted like pumpkin pie? Wouldn't that be delish? Why, yes...yes it would.

Ingredients:

Syrup:

1 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

12 Tb. butter (1 1/2 cubes)

Pancakes:

2 cups flour

2 Tb. baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup pumpkin (from a can)

2 eggs

4 Tb. melted butter

1 3/4 to 2 cups milk

We're going to start with the syrup, since it takes the longest to make.

Combine all syrup ingredients into a saucepan Bring to a boil over medium high heat and boil from 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Mix with a whisk. Stir in pumpkin, eggs, and butter. Slowly add milk until you get to desired consistency.

Pour batter onto a hot greased griddle - the pumpkin will cause it to stick a little, so make sure you put a little butter on there.

Once bubbles start to form in the batter, it is time to flip them.

Once pancakes are golden and both sides, place them on a large plate and pour the hot butter syrup over the top. No need to add extra butter - the syrup will be enough.

We did discover that a dollop of whipped cream really brought out those pumpkin flavors, so go ahead and throw some of that on.

These were really good and the recipe makes a ton. In fact, you could probably half the recipe and be just fine.

Happy eating!

Sweet Potato Puff

My friend, Gwen, has made these Sweet Potatoes the last few times we've done Thanksgiving together. It's hard to believe that they have about half the calories and about one third the fat of regular sweet potatoes.

Now, some of you might not care about that sort of thing, but for people like me who eat sweet potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner - it's something to think about.

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato Mixture:

3 cups fresh (cooked) sweet potatoes

4 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbs. flour

Topping:

3 Tbs. flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbs. butter

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Peel sweet potatoes and cut up into small 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a pot of water and bring to boiling. Boil until potatoes are soft - about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain. Use a potato masher and mash those sweet potatoes.

In a medium bowl, mix together egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and flour. Whisk to combine.

Now add those sweet potatoes and continue to stir until well combined.

Spread into the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish that has been greased (or sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray).

In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar and butter. Stir in pecans.

Sprinkle topping mixture over the sweet potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees form 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm - but really these things are good cold too.

Here are the ingredients for the regular Sweet Potatoes - if you're the type of person that likes all that melted butter and stuff. : )

Just follow the other instructions and swap out these amounts for the previous ones.

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato Mixture:

3 cups fresh (cooked) sweet potatoes

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbs. flour

Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Caramel Apples

Do you know what my favorite part of any Fair is? I'll give you one guess - and no, it's not the rides.

By far, it is the caramel apples. Ooey gooey outside with a crunchy juicy center...mmmm. I just lapsed back into childhood memories...

Well, I decided to share some of this wonderful goodness with my family. My girls and I decided to make Caramel Apples. I know this is generally thought of as a Fall treat, but really these never go out of season. I once got a Caramel Apple as a Christmas gift and I loved it!

Ingredients:

1 14 oz package caramels - or use the 11 oz pkg of caramel bits

2 Tb. heavy cream

5 medium or 3 large apples

popsicle sticks

white chocolate chips - optional

semi-sweet chocolate chips - optional

Wash and thoroughly dry all of your apples. Some people like really tart apples for this - I, however, do not. I think we used Fuji or Jonagold - slightly tart, but not too tart.

Once the apple are dry, insert a popsicle stick into the top of the apple.

Now, unwrap all of the caramels and place in a large saucepan. This is where the caramel chips come in really handy. However, regular caramels were on sale, so we went with them.

Add the cream and turn the stove on medium to medium-low heat. This will be fairly quick if you have the caramel bits.

Stir constantly so it doesn't burn, until all the caramels are melted. Now you're ready to dip those apples.

Dip your apple until most (but not all) of the apple is coated. I like to twirl mine around over the pot of caramel so that all the excess will drip back in for future use.

Once the apple is dipped, place it on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Continue with all the other apples.

Place the apples in the fridge until they get nice and cold. We actually dipped ours in the afternoon and then put them in the fridge overnight. Just don't leave them in for days - not good as the apple and the caramel will both get soggy.

Now you're wondering what to do with the extra caramel - you know, when there isn't quite enough to dip another apple but still enough that you don't want it to go to waste.

Well, cut up another apple and dip the wedges into that extra caramel. Think of it as a taste test of sorts.

Once your apples have had a chance to cool down, you'll want to prepare your chocolates. Put your chocolate chips in a small microwavable bowl - white in one bowl, regular in another. You're only going to need about 1/2 cup of each kind.

Microwave each bowl on high for about 30 seconds. Stir and microwave another 15 seconds if needed.

Place the softened chocolate into a small zip-lock sandwich bag. Cut the corner off the bag (not too large of a cut) and squeeze the bag to drizzle each apple with semi-sweet chocolate and then white chocolate.

Put the apples back into the fridge and allow the chocolate to harden. The apples are easier to remove from the wax paper when they are cold.

Once the chocolate has hardened, you are ready to eat!

How do you like them apples?!

Creamy White Chili

This recipe is perfect for these crisp fall days. It is so good, in fact, that I won 1st place at my church's Chili Cook-Off with this recipe. Of course, any recipe that has cream and sour cream must be good - it's a law of nature.

Ingredients:

1 Tb. vegetable oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 onion, chopped

14 oz. can chicken broth

2 cans (15.8 oz.) Great Northern beans, rinsed & drained

1 can (7 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

8 oz. container sour cream

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Heat oil over medium heat; add chicken and onion. Sauté 10 minutes or until chicken is done; set aside.

Add broth, beans, chiles, and seasonings. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add sour cream and whipping cream, stirring well. You can top it with shredded cheese, however, I did not. I figured with all the various creams, I didn't really need the cheese.

This is seriously amazing, go make some tonight!

Mummy Dogs

I've made this every Halloween for the last 5 or 6 years. I know that may seem a bit boring, but they are super easy and a huge hit at this house. I once made them for a Halloween party and one of the moms had 4!

So, Yeah, we'll be making these Mummy Dogs again!

Ingredients:

16 frozen rolls

16 hot dogs

mustard and poppy seeds (optional)

Thaw frozen rolls according to package directions. Allow them to rise until double in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using one roll for each, wrap hot dogs to look like mummies, leaving an opening for the eyes. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Now, this part is optional - Place dots of mustard and poppy seeds for eyes. I never do this final part, just because it takes too long - there's no way I'm trying to grab a small tiny poppy seed with my huge fingers. ; )

Yum Yum!

Easy Texas Chili

This recipe was inspired from a Campbell's Soup Recipe Book. I took their chili recipe, added some things, left other things out, and then messed with the amounts until I got this recipe. It's really easy and my family loves it.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Beef

1 medium onion - chopped

1 clove garlic - minced

1 can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans chili beans

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 cup beef broth (can use 1 cup water and 1 beef bouillon cube)

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook beef and onion. After the beef is cooked, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Spoon off fat.

Stir in kidney beans, undrained chili beans, undrained tomatoes, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, pepper and bay leaf. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.

Ladle into soup bowls and serve with cheese and sour cream.

Kale and Potato Soup with Sausage

Had this for dinner Friday night - so good. We also had Rosemary Bread (like the kind you get from Romano's Macaroni Grill).

6 red potatoes, sliced
1 pound lean ground sausage
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of dried red pepper flakes
1 lb. kale, stems removed, leaves shredded (4 stems)
1/4 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

1. Start by cleaning red potatoes, then poke holes in potatoes with a fork and stick in microwave. Cook until soft through middle (8 to 12 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large pot. Add sausage until browned; remove sausage and pour out fat.
3. Add onion to the pot and then saute with garlic. Add water, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil.
4. When potatoes are finished, slice potatoes in a half moon shape with skins still on. Add to the pot. Then add sausage and red pepper flakes.
5. Bring to a simmer. Add kale. Cook partially covered until potatoes and kale are tender (about six minutes). Add pepper.


*This recipe belongs to either Kristin Withers or Cherise Camp. It's really good - very similar to the Olive Garden soup that has kale, sausage and potato.

Potato Soup

I should name this "Garlic Mashed Potatoes - in Soup Form." But somehow that seems just a little long.

This soup is amazing, especially if you love creamy, filling soups piled with cheese. And, on a lighter note, this soup is actually good for you - well, better than most potato soups. So you don't have to fill guilty about going for seconds.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

5 - 6 cups diced red potatoes

2 tsp. salt

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

4 oz. cream cheese - softened (I use Neufchatel - less fat)

grated cheese (optional - but HIGHLY recommended)

chopped green onions (optional)

bacon chunks (optional)

In a large pot, saute' the butter and the onion until the onion is tender.

Add the garlic cloves, salt and the diced potatoes. Continue to cook about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups of the milk. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, put the remaining 1/2 cup milk and softened cream cheese in a medium bowl. Blend with a hand mixture until you have a smooth consistency. Then add the cream cheese mixture to the soup.

*If you can't get a smooth texture, just pour the cream cheese mixture into a sieve over the soup and push it through will a spoon. This will keep your soup from having lumps.*

Once the potatoes are tender, smash a few of the potatoes with a potato masher to help thicken the soup. Serve with grated cheddar cheese, diced green onion, and chunks of bacon.

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