Pumkin Pie Cake and Chicken Noodle Soup

This is also known as "Pumpkin Dump Cake" but that name just kills it for me so I refuse to call it that! Anyway, here's the link:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,176,129181-252197,00.html

 

Also, here's the Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe that I made for Super Saturday:

 

I have to admit that this is one of the unhealthiest recipes I make -- but sometimes it's sooo worth it! :) I think the velveeta and the italian seasoning and the yummy noodles make it.

 

3 sticks celery

3 carrots

12 chicken tenders

1 handful of dried minced onion

2 cans or 1 box of chicken broth (about 4 cups)

2 chicken bouillon cubes

I tbls Italian seasoning

1 bag extra wide amish or country style egg noodles, cooked separately (I couldn't find these at Wegman's, but Wal-Mart has them on the pasta aisle, bottom shelf)

1 small velveeta cheese

 

1-Chop celery and carrots and soften in  chicken broth with onions and bouillon cubes. Add one soup can of water.

 

2-Boil or bake and chop chicken tenders and add to soup

 

3-Boil noodles and add right before serving

 

4-Chop cheese into small pieces and add last. Stir slowly and let it melt. Add Italian seasoning and more water if needed

Pistachio Cookies

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies:
adapted from Betty Crocker via The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 pouch (17.5 ounces) Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
1 box (3.4ounces) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl stir cookie mix, pudding, and flour. Add melted butter and eggs and stir until incorporated. (You really do want to add the ingredients in the order stated here, if not, the dough kind of comes out weird! Also, I lazily cut the melted butter into the dry ingredients - like with a pie crust - before adding the eggs)

Add pistachios and chocolate chips and mix well.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Don't overbake them! If you bake them too long you will lose the soft texture and they won't be as green. They will not look done but take them out and let them sit on the pan for about 2 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

http://gonnawantseconds.blogspot.com/2011/03/pistachio-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Pumpkin Bars

This is the recipe that I used for the pumpkin bars I brought to Super Saturday.  Several people asked me to post the recipe, so here we go:

**Note**
I don't follow the recipe exactly, so I've noted the changes that I make

Bars:
4 eggs
1 C cooking oil (to reduce fat intake, I use a cup of applesauce and 2 Tbsp. of oil)
2 C flour
2 tsp baking power
1 tsp baking soda
1 ⅔ C sugar
1 (16-once) can pumpkin (2 heaping cups full)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon (I reduced the cinnamon to 1 tsp. and added some pumpkin pie spice)
1 C nuts (I omitted this)

Beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.  Add to pumpkin mixture and stir thoroughly.  Add nuts.  Spread in a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Cool and frost with cream cheese icing.

Icing:
I use the cream cheese frosting from OurBestBites:

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese at almost room temperature
1/2 cup salted butter at almost room temperature
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Whip together the cream cheese, butter, and extract until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and whip until smooth and fully incorporated. Refrigerate any leftovers (or anything you’ve frosted that doesn’t get eaten immediately).

-Katie

Our Best Bites

I love ourbestbites.com  Here are some of my favorite recipes from this website:

Minestrone Soup
I have made this with kielbasa instead of sausage and it is good too.

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
These are good with sweet and sour sauce.  Also great paired with Brazilian Lemonade (see below).

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies (careful, you can't eat just one...)
These are fine without the filling but I prefer them with.  I also think their tip about the cookies being softer the second day is true...if they last that long!

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
These are what I brought to the RS Christmas activity last year.

Brazilian Lemonade
Yummy!  Reminds me of Tucanos Brazilian Grill.

Meatloaf

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef, uncooked
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs OR bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar.

In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf.  Place on top of the ketchup.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and a little ketchup.

Bake in preheated oven for 1+ hours (I usually do 1 hr 15 min) or until juices are clear.

Easy Corn Chowder

This one's for you Michelle!

Easy Corn Chowder

4 cups Potatoes, peeled and cubed (I cheat and use the red potatoes, then I don't have to peel them, and they work very well in soups)
1-1/2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
1 to 1-1/2 cup(s) water
3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 can evaporated milk or 12 oz. of half and half
2 cans creamed corn
1 tea. Season-All Seasoned Salt (made by McCormick and sold by the seasonings/spices)
1 tea. dill weed

6 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled and set aside.

Cook potatoes and carrots in water, with bouillon cubes, until tender. Add milk, creamed corn, and seasonings and cook until hot. Do not let boil! (I usually put it on a low simmer).

Serve with crispy bacon (either as a garnish or throw it in the pot). Baking powder biscuits also taste great with this soup.

Enjoy!

2 favorites

So, I thought I would post two of my favorite recipes. The first is fejawada, a super easy, super yummy Brazillian black bean stew. The next is my favorite fall dessert: pumpkin butterscotch cake. Yum!

Fejawada

4 cans black beans

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tbs olive oil

polska kielbasa (u-shaped) sausage (I usually get the turkey version, or the lite one), cut into bite size pieces

Vinagarette (this makes the whole meal to me and Brad)

1 diced tomato

1/2 diced onion

1/4 cup vinegar (I add more, but I love vinegar)

Fry onion & garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Add all of meat. Drain 3 cans of beans. Add all beans (including one with juice). Simmer for at least 4 hours on the stove or in crock pot.

Combine vinagarette ingredients. Serve beans on top of brown rice and top with vinagarette. Yummy!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cake

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butterscotch chips
Icing

4.5 tablespoons butter
1.5 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup brown sugar

1.5 cup powdered sugar

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Mix ingredients together and put in a greased and floured 9x13' pan

- Bake 30 minutes

- Icing: Bring to boil butter, vanilla, milk, and brown sugar. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar.

- Poke holes into warm cake and pour icing over

Copy and Pasting into the Blog

So, I am probably way behind in the how to's of blogging (because I simply don't keep mine up and current!), but just in case it helps any one out, here is how to cut and paste into a blog: simply do it under the "Edit HTML" tab which is next to the "Compose" tab. Once pasted in, move back to "Compose" and fix the layout issues (layout details will be lost, but at least you will not have to re-type everything in!). I thought that this might be helpful since we will be posting many already typed out/emailed recipes.

Smiles all around!

Spiced Couscous

Super yummy, especialy with the Moroccan Chicken recipe! The butter amounts is off from what the actual recipe calls for, I follow what the recipe asked for. Happy eating!

Spiced Couscous

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/4 teaspoon cardamom, ground
1/8 teaspoon clove, ground
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup currant
1 1/2 cups couscous
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cashews or pistachios

Directions
1. Toast and chop cashews or pistachios.
2. Melt 2 tbsps butter in medium saucepan over low heat.
3. Add spices and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add stock and currants.
5. Can be prepared 4 hours ahead, bring to boil.
6. Mix in couscous and 1 tbsp butter.
7. Cover and remove from heat.
8. Let stand 5 minutes.
9. Fluff with fork; season with salt.
10. Transfer couscous to bowl, add nuts and toss well.

Crockpot Moroccan Chicken, Chick Peas and Apricot Tagine

This recipe is for Katie (and anyone else who wants to try it!). My father-in-law was the one who introduced us to this awesome recipe! It makes a lot, so either cut it in half, or have someone over for dinner . . . like me! The couscous recipe we use will follow.


Crockpot Moroccan Chicken, Chick Peas and Apricot Tagine

Ingredients:

• 6 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into large chunks (or assorted chicken pieces, about 3 lbs)
• 1 tablespoon flour or 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 inch fresh gingerroot, finely chopped (I cheat and use the ginger in a tube)
• 6 ounces dried apricots, halved
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (You can also buy this in a tube and then seal/reuse)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chickpeas
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 pint chicken stock
• 1 pinch saffron or 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 teaspoons ras el hanout spice mix (or make up spice mix below)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• salt and black pepper
• chopped fresh coriander, to serve (Cilantro)

Accompaniment: harissa

Directions:
1. Heat up olive oil in a frying pan/skillet & saute chopped onions & garlic for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add chicken stock & gradually mix in flour or cornflour until well mixed & not lumpy. Add honey & tomato paste & mix well.
3. Add herbs,spices & finely chopped ginger with salt & pepper to taste.
4. Finally add canned tomatoes & mix well.
5. Pour the above tomato,onion & spice mix into slow cooker.
6. Add chicken & drained chickpeas & mix well.
7. Add dried apricots making sure they are covered by juice.
8. Give it a gentle but good stir to mix everything together well.
9. Crock Pot or Slow Cooker - Cook on high for about 3 to 4 hours OR automatic with keep
warm facility for up to 8 hours.
10. If you need to thicken it up towards the end of the cooking time, add cornflour which has
been mixed with a little water & add to the tagine - mix well.
11. Serve with freshly chopped Coriander/Cilantro sprinked on top & either with couscous,
rice, fresh flat bread, pita bread or salads.

Half Cup of Nuts

Since we are all a half cup of nuts at least some time during the week, and for me especially when it is time to figure out what to make for dinner, I figured the name would suite us well (and Sara helped in the narrowing down!)

So, the idea is to post recipes that you have made and like. They can be old family favorites or new ones that liven up the dull everyday dishes. You can either post the whole recipe or copy a link to one you have found and don't want to take the time to write out. If you have made adjustments, then PLEASE list what those adjustments or recommendations are. Also, feel free to give suggestions or "my family does such and such" comments about recipes posted.

I think that it would also be great to post about any helpful techniques or cooking tools stumbled across. Like how to get the most out of slicing a tomato without all of its inside being lost on the cutting board (you get my idea, I know that you are all very smart ladies!).

No pressure to post - this is just all for fun and hopefully a bountiful resource for those of us trying to cook the world's greatest meal for our exhausted husbands and children who seem to loose half of it on their laps! (... Isn't it always an exhibition of high manners at your house during meal time? I know we all wear white and eat with out pinkies extended!)

By the way, before I close ... love you ladies! (and, you should all know, I am a master of run-on sentences - so take a deep breath before you read what I write!)