Pumpkin Cake Roll

My mom made this dessert a lot when I was younger, and it is really yummy! This is the first time I have ever made it, and it really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I do like nuts, but didn't add them this time because I didn't have any. I didn't take a picture of my own, but you can see one here if you want!


Pumpkin Cake Roll

3 eggs

Beat eggs on high about 5 minutes.
Gradually add to eggs:

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 tsp lemon juice

In a separate bowl combine the following:

¾ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg

Add to pumpkin mixture.

Spread into greased and floured 15x10x1 jelly roll pan. Top with 1 cup finely chopped nuts.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Turn out on towel sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Starting at narrow end, roll cake and towel together then let cool. Unroll it.

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar
6 oz. cream cheese
4 Tbls. butter
½ tsp. vanilla
. Beat until smooth.

Spread over the cake, and roll it again. Let it chill. Can sprinkle more powdered sugar on top if needed. Garnish with candied cherries and holly.

Christmas Pumpkin Bread

This is a recipe I adapted from a family cookbook. I usually make mini loaves to give away during the holidays. I didn't do that this year. I still wanted to make some, since I can't let the hholidays pass by without it! It is really tasty!It uses cinnamon chips which kind of melt into the batter and give it a yummy spicy flavor! Sometimes the cinnamon chips can be hard to find. They are made by Hershey's, and come in a dark brown 10 oz. bag.

Pumpkin Bread

Sift together:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg

Mix the following together and add to dry ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water 1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs

Stir in:

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup cinnamon chips*

Grease 2 loaf pans and divide batter between the two pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. I usually make this into 4 mini loaves and only bake around 45 minutes. Check every so often so it doesn't burn!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

I am making this recipe for a cookie exchange. I bought a bag of Andes Peppermint Crunch baking pieces, so I really wanted to use them. I also thought a chocolate cookie would be good with the peppermint, so this is what I did!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies*

1 package (12 oz.) semi-sweet choolate chips
1 package (4 oz.) Baker's German sweet chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (10 oz.) pkg. Andes Peppermint Crunch baking pieces
granulated sugar

Heat oven to 350. Heat 3/4 cups chocolate chips, and 4 oz. german chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Cool to room temp, but do not allow to get firm.

Beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla on med. speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and melted chocolate until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, soda and salt. Stir in Andes peppermint crunch, and as many chocolate chips as you want. I didn't use the whole bag, but you may want to.

Scoop heaping tablespoons, and roll into a ball. Roll ball in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until set. (centers will appear soft and moist) cool 1-2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

This is seriously so incredibly yummy! I could eat this by the bowlful! And Avery too! Logan as usual wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Poor kid. He doesn't know what he's missing! So, here is the best chicken soup recipe ever!This recipe is from my friend Hillary. She invited us over for dinner last week while Tony was out of town. It is mighty tasty! Enjoy!


Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

2qt. water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
3 carrots, sliced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 C. cubed chicken
1 Cup sour cream
1 tsp. parsley
Egg noodles

In a large saucepan, bring water, bouillon, and carrots to a boil. Simmer. (can cook chicken in this if not already cooked.) Cook till carrots are almost done. Add noodles and chicken. Add the soup and parsley. Still till smooth and heated. Add sour cream and serve.

Noodles should be cooked when added to the soup.( I didn't pre-cook my noodles. I added them in before adding in the soup and sour cream and let them cook for a while. It turned out just fine. I also used Amish egg noodles instead of the regular egg noodles. They looked more homemade.

Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Easy Peas-y Penne Pasta

Well, I tried a recipe from Rachael Ray called "More Peas if you Please Penne". I thought it was really easy, so I made up my own name for it. Easy Peas-y Penne Pasta. I like that name better. Anyway, Avery loved it. Logan wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. He ran away from the table and hid in the corner behind the couch, only to run back to the table on occasion to grab an apple slice. I am really trying to crack down on making him try what I make for dinner, and if he won't, he can't eat anything else. So, here is the recipe. It is a good, easy meal.

More Peas if you please Penne* Rachael Ray

This makes a lot!

Salt
1 pound penne pasta with ridges
3 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
Freshly ground pepper

Cook pasta al dente. Set aside a ladle of pasta cooking water and then drain.

In a small saucepan, add peas and broth. Simmer 5 min.

In a large serving bowl, mash half the peas and broth with the ricotta cheese. Toss with the pasta, butter and half the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Add the reserved pasta cooking water to moisten if needed. Stir in the remaining whole peas and the basil; season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

* I forgot to add fresh basil to the shopping list, so used dried instead. I also used the fresh shredded parmesan instead of the grated since that's what I had.

Thanksgiving desserts

So, we are going to someone's house for Thanksgiving dinner this year. They are inviting a lot of families who have no family to celebrate with. There will be a lot of people there. The good thing about this is that I don't have to make very much food. I was asked to bring dessert. I am going to bring two. This is what I plan on making. I will post later to let you know how they turned out.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

1 recipe graham cracker crust
2 8 oz. pkgs. Cream cheese, softened
1 ¾ c. sugar
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbls. butter
1 ¼ cups sour cream
¼ c. sugar
grated fresh nutmeg

•Preheat oven to 325.Prepare crust and set aside.
•In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, on low speed beating until just combined after each one. Beat pumpkin, spice, vanilla and salt on low speed until just combined. Pour 1 ¼ c. filling into a bowl. Set aside.
•In a small saucepan, heat chocolate and butter over low heat until melted, stirring frequently. Whisk the melted chocolate mixture into the 1 ¼ c.pumpkin filling. Carefully spread the chocolate fiilling into crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and fill with remaining pumpkin filling, spreading evenly.
•Bake 40-45 minutes more or until mixture is puffed and center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sour cream and ¼ c. sugar. Cover, and let stand at room temp. while bars cool. Gently spread sour cream mixture over bars. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 24 hours before cutting. Sprinkle with nutmeg just before serving. Cut into bars or triangles. Makes 24-36 bars.
•Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container, cover. Store in fridge up to 3 days. Do not freeze.

Graham Cracker Crust

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. In a medium bowl combine 1 ¼ c. graham cracker crumbs and ¼ c. sugar. Add 1/3 c. melted butter; mix well. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan.

Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie
New York Times

¾ cup maple syrup
2¼ cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie crust (see Pie Crust 101–will only require half a recipe).
1. Par-bake pie crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line pie refrigerated pie shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to set. Remove foil with weights and bake 15 to 18 minutes longer or until golden. If shell puffs during baking, press it down with back of spoon. Cool on wire rack. Lower temperature to 300 degrees.
2. Prepare filling: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.
4. Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.
Yield: One 9-inch pie, 8 servings

**** UPDATE:

The Chocolate pumpkin cheesecake bars were fantastic! The nutmeg maple cream pie was not. It didn't turn out like it was supposed to. It had a nice flavor, but the texture was not good. I don't know what went wrong since it seemed like a simple recipe. Oh well. No one else tasted it but me, so I am glad! I would have been really embarrassed!

Vanilla Caramel Popcorn

This has become a favorite recipe. I like it because I usually have the ingredients to make it, and it is really fast, and satisfies the sweet tooth. It is a great Family Home Evening treat!

Vanilla Caramel Popcorn (aka sticky popcorn)

2 sticks butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
2 bags microwave popcorn

Cook popcorn and pour into large bowl. Melt butter, sugar, and corn syrup together and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and remove from heat. Add vanilla. Pour over popcorn and enjoy!

Baked Parmesan Chicken

This is what we are having for dinner today.

Parmesan Chicken
brussels sprouts
rice
Rhodes rolls

Baked Parmesan Chicken

boneless chicken breasts
bread crumbs
Parmesan Cheese
oregano, basil, or italian seasoning
pepper
Salt to taste
garlic powder
1/4-1/2 cup melted butter

Combine bread crumbs, cheese,and seasonings; set aside. Dip chicken in butter then roll each piece in bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in 9x13 pan and sprinkle with remaining bread crumb mixture. Pour on remaining butter. Bake at 350° for 35-55 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken.

* This is a new favorite of ours. Tony loves it. It is really easy, and tastes delicious too! I am all about easy, I can't say that enough!I just pour a few handfuls of bread crumbs, a handful of shredded parmesan cheese, and then the seasonings until it looks good. I add the garlic powder in the bread crumb mixture, but I have also sauteed garlic in the butter, and then dipped the chicken in the garlic butter first. I just wanted it a bit simpler. Try it! You'll like it!

Baked Oatmeal

Ok. Who likes oatmeal? I can eat it fine, but I don't usually love it. Sometimes it is hard for me to get through my entire serving without gagging. I have to sprinkle on sugar, and make sure to add milk to mask the gummy consistency. While my comments are making it sound like I really don't like oatmeal, I do. It's just not my favorite.

Enter Baked Oatmeal. This is seriously good. I just had two servings without complaint. My complaint now is that I am full. But that's good. It's one of the perks about eating oatmeal for breakfast. It is full of fiber, and fills you up good so you aren't wanting to snack. So, on to the recipe.

Baked Oatmeal

6 Cups Quick Cooking Oatmeal
1 Cup Sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased 9x13x2 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until set. Serve with additional milk.

* I actually halved the recipe and baked it in an 8x8 casserole dish. I only baked it for 35 minutes. It was a bit crispy around the edges, but slightly soft in the middle. Sorta like an oatmeal cookie! I think next time I might leave it in a bit longer to get a little more crunch. I also may add some extras like raisins and cinnamon to make it even more like an oatmeal cookie. Who wouldn't want to eat a cookie for breakfast? Anyway, I did add a little milk to it before eating, and my first serving I sprinkled some cinnamon on top. It is really quite tasty! So, if you are looking for a new way to serve oatmeal, or just a yummy, comfort food for a cold winter morning, this is it! It is super easy to make too. Now that's my kind of recipe!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

( I apologize for my food photography. The soup really tastes MUCH better than it looks!)

Ok. This recipe is another one of those that I got from someone else. We had a soup potluck before the RS broadcast about a month ago. Of course with so many soup choices, it is hard to stick to only one. I tasted two. This was the second, and I had no desire to try any others...I was in heaven! I actually even almost gave up a brownie to have seconds. Ok, well I did have both, but I regretted the brownie, and wished for more soup. Apparently the girl who made it got TONS of requests for the recipe, because at a following enrichment night, I happened to start to tell her that I wanted the recipe, and before I could even finish, she whipped out a typed copy. She had a pile of them and was handing them out like candy.I am making it for dinner tonight! Hopefully it will come out as good as hers!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 can (14 oz.) beef broth
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
1 can (10 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
2 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbls. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
6 flour tortillas ( the girl used 10 corn tortillas)
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
sour cream for garnish

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients except the tortillas, cheese and sour cream. Bring to a boil. COver, and simmer for 1 hour. Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips. Add tortillas and cheese to the soup. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

* I LOVED this soup as much as I thought I would! I am completely amazed that the tortilla strips almost dissolve in the soup! Ha! Who knew?

Halloween sugar cookies

I decided to make sugar cookies today for Halloween. I have a ghost and a pumpkin cookie cutter, and I was originally planning on rolling and cutting out cookies. I really hate rolling out dough. In the end, I decided to use a recipe for spiderweb cookies, and instead of making webs, I dyed the icing orange and then I had my son decorate the cookies like jack-o-lanterns with chocolate chips. Perfect!


Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture. Roll dough into balls and place on un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten with hand. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes (the edges should
be just barely golden).

Make sure to mix up the frosting glaze before you bake your cookies.You will want to glaze the cookies right from the oven.

For the glaze: (I got the recipe here)
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. shortening
3 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Beat all ingredients well. Add food coloring to reach desired color.

Now, when your cookies are RIGHT out of the oven, take a few off the tray and begin frosting them with the glaze. You should do this immediately so the glaze melts a bit and smooths out over the cookie.Wait to cook your next batch until the first batch is glazed. They are quite tasty! And really easy! I am all about easy.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I decided this is my new favorite pancake recipe. For some reason they are soooo good!

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 ½ c. rolled oats
2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten

Combine oats and buttermilk. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on a hot skillet, turning when the batter begins to bubble on top.

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk, combine 2 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar and enough milk to make 2 cups. Let stand for 5 minutes.

* I have made this recipe 3 different ways. The first time I made them, I did not have buttermilk so I used the milk and lemon juice option. I also didn't read the directions very well, and didn't combine the oats and milk first. I just added them all as I went. The batter was a bit thin, so I added more wheat flour until it thickened up. They were delicious.

* The second time I made these I actually had buttermilk, and followed the directions better. This time the batter wasn't thin, and they were great.

* My husband made them the other day, and again we went the milk/lemon juice route. He used all white flour, and the batter was really really thin. He didn't thicken it up, and so the pancakes were really thin. They still tasted good!

Creamy Fusilli with Yellow Squash and Bacon

( I don't have any idea how to photograph food and make it look good, so please send your tips my way!)

I found this yummy recipe on a blog I was reading one day and decided to try it. It was delicious!

Creamy Fusilli with Yellow Squash and Bacon

coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz fusilli (or rotelle) pasta
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into small pieces (save grease in pan)
4 medium yellow squash (quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise)
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more fore serving

Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

Place skillet containing bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add squash and garlic to fat in skillet; season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash begins to soften, 5-7 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until liquid is evaporated and squash is tender, 2-3 minutes more.

Add cream and cooked pasta to skillet; toss well, and cook until cream begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parmesan cheese and add enough reserved pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Top with reserved bacon and more cheese.

* I used the tri-color or garden rotini. I think it looks better that way with the different colors. I cheated and used the microwave bacon, so I didn't have the bacon grease. I just heated up a bit of olive oil to cook the squash in. On the blog, the girl mentioned that she added onion to hers as well. I didn't, but it would be good in the future. I also forgot to reserve my pasta water. That's what happens when you are trying to cook dinner while the baby is crying, and the 3 year old is running circles around the house yelling at the top of his lungs. Anyway, I just poured a bit of warm tap water in instead. It seemed to work just fine. I am sure it would have been more flavorful with the bacon grease and pasta water, but it was still yummy. Make sure to season the squash well. I had to add a bit of extra salt at the end when eating, so i am sure that if I had seasoned it a bit more, I wouldn't have had to.I also think adding chicken broth instead of the pasta water would make it quite tasty. For some reason I kept envisioning artichokes in the dish. It would probably be really good with them as well! I might have to re-invent my own version of this recipe for sure! The bacon is really what makes it taste good. This recipe probably only made 4 servings, or 2 if you are my husband and me. We both had two nice bowlfuls and finished it off. I am a bit sad there aren't any leftovers! This would be a fantastic use for all that squash in your garden...if you plant yellow squash! Anyway, I really liked this recipe, and will definitely add it to my favorites and make again. Next time I may have to double it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I decided to make cupcakes again last night. I tried a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting, with chopped up peanut butter cups sprinkled on top. I LOVE the frosting, but the cake was a bit lacking. I think it needed to be WAY more chocolatey, and more moist. I know the easy solution to fix the chocolatiness is to add more cocoa powder. I am not sure about how to make it more moist.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbls. cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Mix on high for 3 minutes, scraping bowl after each minute. Fill cupcake tins 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Yield: 24-36 cupcakes.

* I got about 22 cupcakes, but probably filled some too high, so I could have gotten about 24.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter, creamy
3 Tbls. milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix peanut butter and butter until creamy. Add sugar, and milk alternately. Beat 3 minutes until light anf fluffy.

* I actually halved this recipe, and it turned out to be plenty for 2 dozen cupcakes. I did probably add the full 3 Tbls of milk however, because when I was done mixing the frosting for 3 minutes, it wasn't very creamy or spreadable. i added a bit more milk to reach the consistency I wanted.

I chopped up some peanut butter cups nd sprinkled them on the top! They look really cute!

Favorite Pasta (aka Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce)

Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce

16 oz. penne pasta
2 (14.5 oz.) cans Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Onion
1 cup fresh basil chopped, or 2 tsp. dried basil
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta according to directions; drain and keep warm. Cook tomatoes over medium-high heat in skillet until thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat; add basil and cream. Heat through. DO NOT BOIL. Toss with pasta and cheese. Serve.

This is one of my most favorite recipes, hence the name favorite pasta. I make this meal when I have to take dinner to someone, or when we have guests for dinner. It is so easy, but it tastes like a restaurant meal. Most everyone that has had it has really liked it, so it is definitely a winner. I took dinner to two people tonight, and this is what I made. I also included a box of frozen garlic toast, and a bagged caesar salad.

* I have tried this using half and half, and it does NOT turn out as well. It still tastes good, but it doesn't look good. It gets kinda grainy looking and not smooth like the cream. For presentation purposes, stick to the cream. If you don't care about the looks, go ahead and try the lower fat version. And it is definitely a million times better with fresh basil. I usually use the dried because I already have it, and it saves me money at the store. I suppose if I grew my own basil, I wouldn't have to worry about the expense! I also have always used fresh shredded parmesan, and not the grated. For some reason this is really good the next day, after the suace has set up more and isn't as runny. I hope you like it!

Apple Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread

So, tonight is recipe group and the theme is Pumpkin. This is what I decided to make.

Apple Pumpkin Soup
from Taste of Home

INGREDIENTS
2 cups finely chopped peeled tart apples

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups canned pumpkin

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger

1 cup unsweetened apple juice

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper


SERVINGS 12
CATEGORY
Low Fat
METHOD Chill
PREP 50 min.
COOK 10 min.
TOTAL 60 min.
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, saute apples and onion in butter for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually whisk in broth. Stir in the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Cool slightly.
In a blender, cover and process soup in batches until smooth. Pour into a bowl; cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, transfer soup to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the apple juice, cream, salt and pepper; heat through. Yield: 12 servings (about 2 quarts).

NUTRITIONAL INFO
Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 100 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 389 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat.

I am also making this recipe, which I am serving on french bread. I thought it would go good with the soup.I got this recipe in my recipe group in Indiana from Michelle Hubert. Thanks Michelle!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread

It's a slightly-sweet spread that
would be appropriate as a fruit dip as well.

1-8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 C canned pumpkin
1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla

Blend cream cheese and sugar till smooth then add rest of ingredients
in batches, being careful to blend well in between additions.

I have had this spread before, and really like it. i haven't yet tried the soup, so I will have to update after tonight!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes and Artichoke Dip

Last night I hosted our book group, and I made these two delicious recipes. I had to share!

I made Caramel Apple Cupcakes, that I found the recipe here.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Topping

Cupcakes:
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped small


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan. In a large bowl beat together brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat for one minute after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Beat until blended. Stir in apples. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted come out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.


Caramel Topping:

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract


In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the brown sugar, butter and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the warm caramel topping over cupcakes.

* I have recently become fascinated with all the cupcake hype lately. I guess that cupcake bakeries are popping up all over the place, and they are becoming quite the "thing". Anyway, I made these cupcakes and they were divine! I was a bit skeptical about how good a cupcake could truly be. Most of my memories of cupcakes consist of the super sweet, a lot of times really dry and crumbly cake, with canned frosting. The batter for this recipe was really thick and I was hoping it would turn out. The caramel sauce was sooooo good. I could have eaten it with a spoon. When I bit into the cupcake I was very pleasantly surprised. It was really moist and dense. It was almost like a muffin, but not quite. The chunks of apple were yummy in it, and the caramle topping was perfect. Much better than a frosting. Everyone raved about them! I was able to get 18 cupcakes from the recipe, although they were not all uniform in size. I wanted to stretch the batter a bit to get more.They were still a decent size. Go try these, you will love them!


I also made a new recipe for artichoke dip, and it was sooo good. I think it is my new recipe for this dip from now on. I got it from my Fix It and Forget It Recipes for Entertaining cookbook. You will love it!

Hot Artichoke Dip

2 14 3/4 oz. jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup water chestnuts, chopped
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finel chopped scallions

1. Cut artichoke hearts ino small pieces. Add mayo, sour cream, water chestnuts, cheese and scallions. Pour into slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on high 1-2 hours or on low 3-4 hours.
3. Serve with crusty French bread or crackers.

* I happened to have a HUGE 64 oz. jar of artichokes from Sam's Club, so I was happy to find a use for them. I used my Pampered Chef Food Chopper to chop up the artichokes, and it worked out perfect. I also used fresh shredded parmesan instead of the grated. I love water chestnuts, and so I thought they really added something super yummy to the dip! It was delicious!

Pasta, Chicken and Spinach Salad

I was served this fabulous salad at a playdate a few weeks ago. It is seriously soooo yummy! I made it like three times within a week and a half, and have given the recipe out to many people already. It is actually from Cooks.com.

PASTA, SPINACH AND CHICKEN SALAD
3 c. cooked shredded chicken
1 pkg. (12 oz.) bowtie pasta
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. salad oil
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. white wine vinegar
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. chopped parsley
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onion
8 c. lightly packed, torn spinach leaves
Cook pasta, drain, rinse.
In small frying pan, combine 1/4 cup oil and sesame seeds. Saute until seeds are golden. Cool. Stir in remaining oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over cooked, cooled pasta and chicken. Toss gently. Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight. Before serving, add green onions, parsley and spinach. Toss gently. Serves 8+.

* My notes: I made it with parsley the first time, but didn't like the texture. We used the curly pasley, so if you do choose to make this, be sure to buy the flat leaf parsley.You will want to eat many helpings, I promise!

Recipe blog beginning

I decided to start another blog strictly devoted to recipes. I love to read and look at cookbooks, and now cooking blogs. I don't make all the recipes that I find, but I do make some, and I love to share my favorites! This is mostly for my sake, but if anyone can benefit from the yummy recipes I find, then I am happy to share! Enjoy!