Recipe

  • Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins (4 Ingredients)

    As the Fall leaves continue to rain down in our yard we are enjoying some delicious treats!  These Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins are super easy to make, only contain four ingredients, and taste awesome.  The last time I made these for a group of friends only 2 came home with us and the girls begged to take them in their school lunches.  You will not have to add any water, eggs or oil to this recipe and the muffin will still turn out with a moist.

    Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins:

    • 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
    • 1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
    • 4 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
    • 4 tablespoons Powdered Sugar

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or line 24 muffin tins.  Mix together yellow cake mix and canned pumpkin until blended (the batter will be thicker than your typically cake mix).  Scoop evenly into muffin tins (I use an ice cream scoop) and set aside.  In another bowl blend softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.  Drop a small spoonful of the cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool, and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar over the top of each muffin prior to serving.

    The last time I made these I did about half with the cream cheese and half without cream cheese.  Both were a big hit with the group, but the ones with the cream cheese went faster.  🙂

    Pumpkin & Yellow Cake Mix Muffins topped with Cream Cheese & a touch of Powdered Sugar

    Fresh out-of-the-oven Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

    Pumpkin Cheesecake & regular Pumpkin Muffins sprinkled with Powdered Sugar and ready to be eaten

  • Recipe: 3 Easy Seasoned Pumpkin Seed Recipes

    Every Fall our family likes to pick up a couple pumpkins to carve.  One of our favorite parts about carving and enjoying some time together as a family is making toasted pumpkin seeds.  This year was even more special because Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa were here to join in the festivities with the girls.

    We did 3 different seasoned pumpkin seed recipes this year.  The two that we did last year were such a huge hit that we did them again plus added one more.  To make it easier on you I have all three recipes in this post.

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    Seasoned Salt Pumpkin Seeds

    • 2 c pumpkin seeds
    • 2 T butter
    • Sprinkle Seasoned Salt (or substitute a 1/2 package ranch package mix)

    Rinse the pumpkin seeds.  Saute pumpkin seeds in the butter for about 5 minutes (until they start to turn brown).  Sprinkle the Seasoned Salt on the  seeds.  Spread seeds into a shallow baking pan and baked at 250 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until crispy.  Stirring every 10 minutes.

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    Dill Ranch Pumpkin Seeds

    • 2 c pumpkin seeds
    • 2 T butter
    • 1/2 package Hidden Valley Dill Ranch Mix

    Rinse the pumpkin seeds.  Saute pumpkin seeds in the butter for about 5 minutes (until they start to turn brown).  Sprinkle half the pack of Hidden Valley Dill Ranch Mix (or any flavor of Ranch mix) on the  seeds.  Spread seeds into a shallow baking pan and baked at 250 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until crispy.  Stirring every 10 minutes.

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    Cinnamon Apple Cider Pumpkin Seeds

    The cinnamon apple cider pumpkin seed recipe was adapted from the recipe My Retro Kitchen shared on her blog.  I removed the nutmeg from the recipe but otherwise it is the same.  These seeds came out with a perfect mix of sweetness.  The other two recipes were more the salty flavors so adding this sweet one was awesome compliment to the three.  I want to make them again because mine came out a little oily (maybe they needed to cook longer or I had too much butter?).  These were a hit with family and friends, perfect for the Fall festivities!

    • 2 cups pumpkin seeds, cleaned and rinsed
    • 1 1/2 cups apple cider
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter OR olive oil
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

    Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Pour the apple cider in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add the pumpkin seeds and boil on medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain the seeds and pour them in a large mixing bowl.
    Pour the melted butter or olive oil into the bowl, along with the salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mix well to coat and spread pumpkin seed in a single layer onto jelly roll pan or a baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour, stirring them them every 10 minutes, until butter topping has dried and the pumpkin seeds are golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool and dry-out the rest of the way on the cookie sheet on top of the stove.  Store in an air-tight container.

    After cleaning out our pumpkins we had a little over 6 cups of pumpkin seeds so we decided it up three ways and made three different recipes.  These seeds were a hit with our family and friends.  The girls had a blast cleaning and carving their pumpkins!

  • Recipe: Carmel Apple Dip

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    Are you looking for a simple and tasty apple appetizer?  All you have to do is wash the apples.  Core out the middle of one of the apples.  Put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in the middle and swish it around making sure the entire inside of the apple has been coasted  with lemon juice (the lemon juice helps prevent the apple from browning).  Pour caramel dip in the center of the apple and serve with fresh apple slices.

    You can either buy the already made caramel dip or melt caramels according to the package directions.  Make sure the caramel is cool before pouring it into the apple “serving” bowl.  This recipe is simple, easy, and delicious.  A perfect Fall treat to share with family and friends!

  • Recipe: Halloween Brownie Trifle

    In celebration of the Autumn season I brought this Halloween Brownie Trifle for Community Group last week.  My original inspiration came from a recipe called Black Velvet Halloween Trifle from Blue Bonnets and Brownies.  I decided to make my own version based off the items that I had in our pantry.  Her bottom layer was a Black Velvet cake made from scratch, however, I used a box brownie mix because I was doing it on a Sunday afternoon before our get together that night.

    The Halloween Brownie Trifle was a huge hit with our group so I decided to share it with you.  This dessert would be great for a Fall or Halloween get together with family and friends. The best part is it’s easy and delicious!

    Halloween Brownie Trifle:

    • 1 box Brownie Mix
    • 2 (3.4 oz) boxes Butterscotch Pudding
    • 1  (8 oz) container Cool Whip
    • 1 1/2 cups Candy Corn
    • Red & Yellow Food Coloring
    1. Make the brownies according to the directions on the box and cool completely.
    2. While the brownies are baking mix together the butterscotch pudding according to the directions on the box.  Stir in 1 teaspoon of yellow food color and 1/2 teaspoon of red food color.  Cover and put into the fridge until you are ready to assemble.
    3. Once brownies have cooled cut them up into 1 inch squares and layer them into the bottom of a bowl.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of candy corn over the layers of brownies.
    4. Pour the cold butterscotch pudding over the brownies.
    5. Spread the cool whip over the butterscotch pudding.
    6. Decorate the top of the Halloween Brownie Trifle with remaining candy corn.

     

    Layers of the Halloween Brownie Trifle

  • Recipe: Candy Corn Cookie Pizza

    Our family enjoys candy corn, cookies, and pizza so this dessert is a great combination.  If you are looking for a festive Fall dessert recipe this one is always a hit with our family.

    Candy Corn Cookie Pizza

    • 18 oz Sugar Cookie Dough
    • 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
    • 1 cup Candy Corn
    • 1/2 cup Raisins
    • 1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
    • 1/4 cup Vanilla Frosting

     
    Preheat oven to 350°F.   Grease a 12-inch pizza pan.  Roll the cookie dough into a 1/4 inch thickness.*   Bake cookie dough for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust turns golden.  Allow to cool completely.  Gently remove crust from pan and place on a serving platter.  Spread the peanut butter over the crust.  Sprinkle candy corn, chocolate chips and raisins evenly over the top of the peanut butter.  Put the vanilla frosting in a microwavable bowl and microwave 10 seconds or until thin.  Drizzle frosting over the cookie pizza.  Cut into wedges and serve.

    *You can also use rolled refrigerated sugar cookie dough.  Here are the directions:  Cut cookie dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices.  Place the slices on the greased pizza pan and press down with floured hands. (the rest of the recipe above is the same).

  • Recipe: Easy Baked Salmon

    Delicious meal made by my sweet Husband!

    Jake made an amazing meal last weekend!  It was delicious!  So thankful that he is a huge help in the kitchen.  He put together salmon, seasoned rice, and steamed asparagus.  I didn’t eat fish a lot before meeting Jake so I don’t cook it as often as he does but I have come to love it.  Usually he has more time to cook on the weekends so he will make it for our evening meal or Sunday lunch.  Our girls love seafood too.

    Easy Baked Salmon:

    • 16 oz Salmon (fresh or frozen)
    • 1 to 2  tablespoons melted Butter
    • Seafood Seasoning (we used Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic)

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a broiler pan and place the salmon on it.  Melt the butter and spread it evenly over the top of each salmon.  Sprinkle a little seafood seasoning on top and put in the oven to bake.  Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) or until flaky.  We used thawed salmon but you can do it from frozen you’ll just need to cook it a little longer.

     

  • Recipe: Hamburger Pasta Bake

    Now that school is going full throttle as well as all the after school activities it has been my mission to find quick, easy, and healthy meals that I can make for my family.  I have been doing a lot in crockpot lately so I decided it was time change it up a little bit and try a casserole.  The challenge was that it has to be ready in a limited amount of time.  By the time we get home from activities we have about 1 to 2 hours to finish homework, give the kids a bath, eat supper, do devotions, and spend a few minutes together before the kids hit the bed.  The schedule is tight therefore dinner needs to be ready on time.

    Hamburger Pasta Bake

    • 1 pound lean Ground Beef
    • 16 oz Pasta (I used Bow Tie pasta, but any will work)
    • 1 can Spaghetti Sauce
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar & Mozzarella Cheese (I used a mix blend of cheese, but you could use just mozzarella)
    • 1/2 cup Pepperoni – optional
    • 1/2 cup Mushrooms – optional

    Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray 9 x 13 a pyrex casserole dish.  Boil the pasta in a large pot until pasta is tender.  Brown hamburger in a skillet.  Drain pasta and place into casserole dish.  Add the spaghetti sauce, meat, pepperoni, mushrooms, and stir.  Top with shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

    Our family loved this recipe.  The only thing we added to it after trying it once was the pepperoni and mushrooms for extra flavor.  It tastes awesome either way just add what your family likes to eat (or have on hand) and enjoy.

    Tips to help make dinner prep more efficient when you have tight evening schedule:

    Ground Hamburger – cook up your ground hamburger in advance and freeze it cooked in measured out portions.  My favorite way to cook it is to get a large pack of hamburger (several pounds) put it in the crockpot and heat it on low stirring occasionally to break up the meat.  Once it is cooked pour the hamburger into a strainer (over a bowl) drain, and blot with a paper towel.  Allow it to cool them put into baggies or containers.  I typically do between 2 to 4 cups per bag which is approximately 1 to 2 pounds of hamburger.  This allows you to pull the meat out prior to dinner and make your meal.  Cooking the hamburger in advance eliminates a lot of time, prep,  and mess.

    Cook the Noodles – if I will not have time to cook the noodles right before dinner I will cook them the night before or earlier in the day so they are done and ready to go.

    Assemble in Advance – when it is going to be a busy evening schedule I will often put together the entire casserole in advance and store it in the fridge until it is ready to go into the oven. If I am really prepared when I make up a batch I put one in the fridge to bake that night and do another one to stick in the freezer for a later day when we are really tight on time.

    When you have an section of the day that has a really tight schedule like ours the key is to utilize the parts of the day when you can prep for dinner.  If you have a few extra minutes in the morning or after the kids are in bed for the evening prep for the next day.  Lay out any items that you know you will need and do what you can to make sure those tight schedule times go as smoothly as possible.

  • Recipe: Indoor S’mores

    During the summer months we spend as much time as possible outside playing, mowing, picking up fallen tree branches and of course one of the favorites building a bonfire and making S’mores.  Since it has been so wet and we have been traveling a lot over the last couple of months we haven’t had an opportunity to build any bonfires.  The girls are determined to have one this fall.  A couple weeks ago we were hanging out together as a family inside because it was raining and one of the girls mentioned eating S’mores around the fire.  Instead of going out in the rain we made indoor S’mores and ate them while watching a movie together.

    I have done these a variety of different ways with the S’mores maker, in the oven or toaster oven.  Since we were only making a couple at a time I choose to use the toaster oven to make our indoor S’mores on this particular night.  The girls love watching the marshmallows “grow” and turn dark!

    Indoor S’mores:

    • 1 box Grahams Crackers
    • 1 bag large Marshmallows
    • 1 package Hershey Chocolates

    Take a whole graham cracker and break it in half.  Put one half in the toaster oven (or on cookie sheet) and set aside the remaining half of graham cracker.  Stack a piece of Hershey’s chocolate and a marshmallow on top of the graham cracker.  Turn the oven or toaster oven on broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until the marshmallow has started to melt and turn dark.  The chocolate will start to melt as well.  Carefully remove the graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow out of the oven and transfer them to a platter or individual plates.  Put the remaining half of the graham cracker on top and press down lightly.

     Put on the top graham cracker and you’re ready to ENJOY your delicious Indoor S’mores!

  • Recipe: Strawberry Banana Bread

    Strawberry Banana Bread

    There is something about the smell of banana bread baking in the oven!  Sometimes it is good changing things up a little bit too…..like taking our family banana bread recipe and adding strawberries to it.  I recently had some extra bananas and strawberries that needed to be used up.  For a change of pace I decided to do a Strawberry Banana Bread which was a huge hit with the family.  The base recipe is our family recipe – Nancy’s Banana Bread with just a 1/2 cup of pureed strawberries for an added touch.   This recipe is easy to put together and delicious too.

    Strawberry Banana Bread:

    • 2 cups Flour
    • 1 tablespoon Water
    • 1/2 cup shortening
    • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
    • 2 Eggs
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1 cup Sugar
    • 1/2 cup pureed Strawberries
    • 2 Bananas, mashed

    Mix all the ingredients together.  Place in greased and floured bread pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

    You might also like our Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe too.

    Loaf of the Strawberry Banana Bread

  • Recipe: Green Spinach Smoothie

     Green Spinach Smoothie

    I made this Green Spinach Smoothie recently for breakfast and it was delicious!  My husband happen to see it on the table in passing and asked “what are you drinking”!?  It may look a little funky but it is actually quite tasty.  The girls think its great and it gives them an extra boost in vegetables and protein!  With the egg, peanut butter, milk and spinach combination its not only delicious it’s a healthy smoothie too.

    Green Spinach Smoothie:

    • 1 hard boiled Egg
    • 1 cup Vanilla Yogurt
    • 1/2 cup Milk
    • 2 cups fresh Spinach
    • 1 Banana (optional)
    • 1 tablespoon Peanut Butter (optional)

    Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  You can freeze the banana for added coolness!  I added Peanut Butter to the list because I tried it the other day with a tablespoon of peanut butter in it which tasted awesome!

    Great way to start your day!

    With the summer temperatures still high this is a great smoothie to help cool you off. Although I had the Green Spinach Smoothie for breakfast it would make a wonderful lunch or snack too!