Pumpkin Bread

My sister-in-law made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was TO DIE FOR! YUM

Pumpkin Bread

Mix thoroughly the following dry ingredients in a medium bowl:

3 cups sugar

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

3-1/3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. ground ginger

In mixer,

4 large eggs – beat until foamy

Add slowly: 1 cup Wesson oil (only use Wesson for no oily aftertaste)

Beat in: 2 cups freshly cooked and pureed pumpkin (or canned pumpkin)

Add the dry ingredients gradually to the pumpkin mixture. Spoon

Batter into two greased or sprayed glass loaf pans. Bake at 350 for

one hour. Cool in pans on a raised rack. Makes two loaves.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup white sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 C canned pumpkin

You know the rest. Makes about 16 5”-pancakes.

Magleby’s Syrup
(everyone has a different version of this syrup. This one is my fave. It’s obviously fat- and calorie-free)
1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 t vanilla

Bring to a boil, add vanilla last.

Nacho Bake

What You Need

1 pkg. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Shells & Cheese Dinner

1 lb. ground beef

1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix

3/4 cup Sour Cream

3/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

3/4 cup Salsa

1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Make It!

Heat oven to 400°F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, cook meat with taco seasoning as directed on package.

Stir sour cream into prepared Dinner. Spoon 1/2 of Dinner mixture into 8-inch square baking dish; top with layers of meat mixture, 1/2 of Cheddar and remaining Dinner mixture. Cover.

Bake 15 min.; top with salsa, remaining Cheddar and crushed chips. Bake, uncovered, 5 min.

Christine's Brownies

My para-educator made these brownies and I thought they were SUPER yummy and the recipe was a must.

1 cup marg.
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs
1/2 to 1 cup nuts (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 375

Melt margarine, remove from heat. Add sugar and cocoa. Add eggs, beating well after each.

Add flour, salt, vanilla, and nuts. Bake in well greased 9x13 pan, 25 to 30 min. Enjoy :)

*If you like your brownies REALLY rich or prefer a dark chocolate flavor, try making the recipe I have posted titled "Best Brownies Ever"...but I must warn you, you must eat with ice cream to help wash it down, it is just that rich! This recipe is perfect for your step above a betty crocker box.

French Toast Casserole

Found this recipe on my friend, Tracy's, Blog. Looks delish! Can't wait to try it! Thanks, Tracy!!!

Ingredients

• FRENCH TOAST
• 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
• 8 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• ½ cups Whipping (heavy) Cream
• ¾ cups Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
• Topping
• ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• ½ cups Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• Fresh Fruit (optional)Fruit (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and but into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you’re using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Prince WIlliam's Grooms Cake!

Found this on Oprah's site...may have to try this one of these days...

Servings: Makes one 6-inch round cake (8 portions)

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. butter , for greasing
• 8 ounces Rich tea biscuits
• 4 ounces unsalted butter , softened
• 4 ounces granulated sugar
• 4 ounces dark chocolate , for the cake
• 1 egg

• 8 ounces dark chocolate , for coating
• 1 ounce chocolate , for decorating

Directions

To make cake: Lightly grease a 6" x 2 1/2" cake ring and place on a tray on a sheet of parchment paper.

Break each of the biscuits into almond-size pieces by hand and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture starts to lighten.

Melt the 4 ounces of dark chocolate and add to the butter mixture while constantly stirring.

Beat the egg into the mixture.

Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake ring. Try to fill all of the gaps on the bottom of the ring because this will be the top when it is unmolded.

Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

To coat and decorate: Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it stand while you melt the 8 ounces of dark chocolate.

Slide the ring off the cake and turn it upside down onto a cake wire.

Pour the melted chocolate over the cake and smooth the top and sides using a palette knife.

Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature.

Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where the chocolate has stuck to the cake wire and lift it onto a tea plate.

Melt the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate and use to decorate the top of the cake.

Asparagus

Lemon Balsamic Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

*I didn't measure anything. I just used about half of one of the bundles we got and just dumped the other ingredients until it looked good to me.*

asparagus

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

fresh squeezed lemon juice

salt

pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash your asparagus and cut 1-1 1/2" off the bottom of the asparagus. Put the asparagus, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a Ziploc bag. Shake the bag until the asparagus is evenly coated. Put on a cookie sheet and cook in the oven for 7-10 minutes, turning the asparagus half way through the time. ENJOY!

tortillas

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons lard
• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough. -allrecipes.com

Gaucho Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

Preparation time. 20 minutes

3/4 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup (packed) basil and oregano leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

About the herbs. The parsley and garlic must be fresh, but the other herbs can be dried. You can substitute or mix in thyme, cilantro, rosemary, even mint for the basil and oregano. But not for the parsley. And just because cilantro looks like parsley doesn't mean you can substitute it. I'm talking to one particular reader right now. You know who you are.

About the paprika. If you can get smoked paprika, use it. But taste it first. If it is hot, as it often is, cut back on the crushed red pepper flakes. Remember, not everyone likes it as hot as you do.

If it is too acidic for you, just whick in more oil.

Do this
1) Remove the thick woody stems stems from the herbs leaving behind the tender stems. Measure the herbs by packing them into a measuring cup first, and then rinse in a colander to get any dirt off. Shake off the extra moisture, but you don't have to get the leaves perfectly dry.

2) Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until the green parts are small bits pushing down any leaves that crawl up the sides. You don't have to make this sauce homogeneous, chunks are OK.

3) Grill the meat and spoon a small amount of sauce over the top or on the side when you serve it. Not too much, it is strong, and we don't want to cover that great steak taste. People can always add more if they want. And there's a good chance they'll want.

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

I found this on my friend, Kelsey's, recipe blog. Can't wait to try it!!!

This chicken is super moist and very yummy! It is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Garlic Cheddar Chicken:
1/2 cup softened butter
2-3 Tbsp minced Garlic
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 Cup Dry Breadcrumbs
1/2 Cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use the tenders because they're smaller, then my kids don't have to whine about splitting their chicken)
1/2-2/3 Cup Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Use about 2 tbsp butter to spread all over the inside of a shallow baking dish. In a bowl, melt butter, then add minced garlic, garlic powder and seasoned salt then mix to combine. In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Dip chicken in butter mixture then dredge in bread crumb mixture, repeat with each piece of chicken. Place chicken in a single layer in the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 25 to 50 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken pieces). Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese on top and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Stuffed French Toast

I made this for mark twice within four days...it's just that good.

1 loaf french bread
8 oz cream cheese
2-3 eggs
vanilla
milk
cinnamon

Slice the french bread and spread cream cheese on each slice. Press to slices together like a sandwich.

mix 2-3 eggs with a dash of vanilla and milk. (like your normal french toast mixture.)

Dip Sandwich in egg mixture on both sides. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Syrup
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 c up buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*boil for 1 minute
add 1 tsp. vanilla

It is like dessert for breakfast. yum yum yum

Tomato Basil Bisque Soup

I've been making tons of butternut squash lately to make into baby food, so when I found this recipe I thought it'd be perfect! Plus it's been SO COLD, why not have a delicious soup to warm you up!

Tomato Basil Bisque

*Serves 4 - 6

Note: I cooked my butternut squash the day before and stored it in the refrigerator. Worked great!

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 cups cooked squash)

1 tablespoon butter (I used olive oil to lighten it up)

1/4 cup finely diced onion

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-stewed tomatoes

1 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half (I used the latter)

1/3 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Prepare the butternut squash by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Cut your squash in half and clean out the string and seeds. Place the squash on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray, cut side down. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until soft all the way through. Let it cool about 15 minutes before scooping out the flesh. If preparing the day before, scoop out the flesh and place in a tupperware. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until using it in the soup. If using the squash immediately, scoop the squash into the blender or food processor.

While the squash is cooking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter (or heat the olive oil) and saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scoop the onion/garlic mixture in the blender or food processor with the squash.

Add the canned tomatoes (undrained) to the blender or food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and add the chicken broth, salt, sugar, basil and cream (or half-and-half). Stir to combine well. Heat over medium-low heat until the soup is warm. Do not let the mixture boil or simmer to avoid the cream curdling. Serve immediately.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

If you want a yummy marinade...
Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika, and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken, and brush to cover.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Hints:
*Marinade for at least 30 minutes to let the juices sink in (over night is even better!)
*use a small baking dish and cover with foil until you turn and baste, then return to oven uncovered. I found this helped keep the chicken moist and flavorful!!!