Yummy Healthy Pumpkin Cookies!

So I found this recipe on-line the other day when I had to make cookies for a little pre-school class I was teaching. I tweaked it a little bit (actually on accident, but I like it better this way)! Very healthy, little to no fat, and calculated to be approx. only 40 calories per cookie! Not too bad!
I'm sorry, I do not have a picture!

1 c. Canned Pumpkin
3/4 C. brown sugar
1/3 c. Applesauce
1 1/2 c. flour (I use half white, half wheat)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3 TBS. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Mix together the pumpkin, sugar and applesauce. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, then add to the pumpkin, mixing well. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until done.

Yeild: 3 Dozen

Shopping List

So, I was sooooo excited today!!! I hate trying to decide what to have to dinner, but right along with that I HATE trying to put together my shopping lists. I have found quite a few websites lately that will compile my shopping list for me, BUT I have to use their recipes to compile one. Plus there are a million other things that I have to add to my shopping list, like the basics. I really wanted to use my own recipes and have them stored so I can just click the meals I want and the click Print Shopping List. Well.... maybe all of you are a lot smarter than I.... BUT.. I was pretty darn excited today when I discovered how I can use my own recipes AND print my shopping list on ALLRECIPES.COM
Did you know on allrecipes, that you can create a pantry list. So when you're making a shopping list you can add those things that you always need to buy. BUT today I realized that I can create a bunch of pantries! Each of my pantry lists has the title of my recipe and included in the list are the ingredients needed to make my recipes that I use all the time. NOw all I have to do is go to the pantry list, click on the recipes i want to make for the week and click add to shopping list, then print it. YAY. It will take a little bit for me to add my recipes, little by little, but once i have all my favorites in there, then making a shopping list should be a breeze.
Just thought i'd share!

Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie

So I totally can't take credit for this one. First of all, it's Marie Callender's and second, I haven't even made it yet so I can't tell you if it's good. However, if it's from Marie, I bet it's awesome. The recipe and instructions are pretty long and look a little difficult. If you'd rather buy it frozen, you can. I will try it homemade one of these days. :)

CRUST:

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

2 egg yolks

3 TBL ice water

2/3 C cold butter

FILLING:

1 C sliced carrots (3 carrots)

1 C sliced celery (1 stalk)

2 C frozen peas

1 C chopped white onion

4 boneless, skinless breasts (or more if you like a lot of chicken!)

4 TBL butter

5 TBL all-purpose flour

2 1/2 C chicken broth

2/3 C milk

1/2 tsp salt Dash of pepper

1 egg, beaten

Prepare the crust by sifting together the flour salt in a medium bowl. Make a depression in the center of the flour with your hand. Put the yolks and ice water into the depression. Slice the butter into tablespoon size portions and add it into the flour depression as well. Using a fork, but the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. When all of the flour is moistened, use your hands to finish combining the ingredients. This will ensure that the chunks of butter are well blended into the dough. Roll the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. This will make the dough much easier to work with!

When the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and start on the filling by steaming the vegetables. Steam the carrots and celery for 5 minutes in a steamer or a saucepan with a small amount of water in the bottom. Add the frozen peas and onions and continue to steam for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Prepare the chicken by poaching the breasts in lightly salted boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes.

In a separate large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, remove from the heat, then add the flour and whisk together until smooth. Add the chicken broth and milk and continue stirring over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Cook for an additional minute or two until thick, then reduce the heat to low. Cut the poached chicken into large bite sized chunks and add them to the sauce. Add the salt and a dash of pepper. Add the steamed vegetables to the sauce and simmer the mixture over medium/low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. As the filling simmers, roll out the dough on a floured surface. Use one of the casserole dishes you plan to bake the pies in as a guide for cutting the dough. The filling will fit four 16-ounce casserole dishes perfectly, but you can use just about any comparable size, as long as they are oven safe.

Invert one of the dishes onto the dough and use a knife to cut around the rim. Make the cut about a half-inch larger all the way around to give the dough a "lip", which you will fold over when you cover the pie. Make four. Spoon the chicken and vegetable filling into each casserole dish adn carefully cover each dish with the cut dough. Fold the edge of the dough over the edge of each dish and press firmly so that the dough sticks to the outer rim. Brush some beaten egg on the dough on each pie. Bake the pies on a cookie sheet for 30 to 45 minutes or until the top crust is light brown.

ENJOY!!!

Doughnuts

My mom grew up with a tradition of frying donuts on Halloween, and the last few years she's been making it a tradition at our house. We did it last saturday and had a blast. The donuts were so yummy! Thanks MOM!

Doughnuts (Spudnuts)

4 cups milk
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water
4 Tbsp. yeast
4 eggs
2 cups mashed potatoes – or make up some potato flakes
1 tsp. nutmeg (if desired) you can also put in lemon flavoring rather than nutmeg
2 Tbsp. vanilla
2 tsp. soda
12-15 cups flour

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup water or milk
1 tsp. vanilla


Put milk, butter, sugar and salt in a bowl and put in the microwave to scald milk. Take it out just before it boils, or when the butter is fully melted. Set aside to cool. Combine yeast and water to soften yeast. Once the milk mixture has cooled, add eggs and yeast. Mix. Add nutmeg, vanilla, mashed potatoes, and soda. Then add half of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in more flour to make soft dough. Turn out and knead. Put in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until double in size. Punch down, and roll out ½ inch thick. Cut with cutter. Place on greased sheets. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Fry in vegetable oil (375 degrees) at around medium heat. Dip in glaze.
Makes about 140 doughnuts.

BBQ Cilantro Chicken Pizza

I would love to take credit for the amzing recipe...but I cannot...I found this recipe on another blog, and I tried (I am addict for pizza) TRY this on it's really really good.

(I did change mine a little I didn't add any pizza sauce and used Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce and that was just perfect.)



BBQ Cilantro Chicken Pizza

1 Pizza Crust - Uncooked
1 cup Pizza Sauce
1 cup BBQ Sauce
about a handful of fresh cilantro
3 cups of mixed cheddar and mozzarella cheese
2 chicken breasts cut into small pieces and cooked in BBQ Sauce
1 can pineapple tidbits - drained

Roll your pizza dough onto a pizza pan or pizza stone. Blend together the Pizza and BBQ Sauces, then add cilantro and pulse a few times. Add sauce to the top of the pizza dough, the sauce should be thick. Then top with cheese, chicken, and pineapple. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 18 min.

Sweet Chex Mix YUMMY!!!!

My love of cooking is starting to take off....I have loved watching the food network for sometime now, and with just recently getting married I have found myself more and more wanting to cook and try new things. This recipe isn't so new, but I have discovered it when I was trying to find some goodies for a Halloween party that I was in charge of....ENJOY!! it's super super easy I made it less then 20 minutes!!

(this makes a HUGE portion, just for a quick taste I would cut the recipe in half)


MIX IN LARGE BOWL:
1 12 oz box of golden grahams
1 16 oz box of rice chex
4 cups of coconut
2 cup slivered almonds

BOIL FOR 5 MINUTES OR TO HOLD BOIL STAGE. POUR OVER CEREAL MIX AND COOL ON WAX PAPER:
1 1/2 cup butter? (not margarine)
2 cups sugar
2 cups light corn syrup

Caramel Apple Bites

So I saw these in a Magazine somewhere, didn't even look at their directions, but took the idea and made it our own. I have to say I would change some things next time, so I'll post what we did, then also mention what I would have done differently.



Caramel Apple Bites

Ingredients

2 good size apples - any kind
1 package caramel apple wraps
tooth picks
melon baller or mini ice cream scoop
candies for dipping

Directions

Cut out balls from your apples using the melon baller. It's really not super easy and you have to make sure and dig it way deep into your apple. They didn't turn to be perfect balls, but that doesn't matter.

Cut the caramel wraps either into fourths, or use cookie cutters to cut a piece big enough to go mostly around your apple balls.

Wrap the caramel around the bite, with the ends squished around to the bottom. So the center of your caramel wrap is on the top of your apple bit. Stick a toothpick in, place on wax paper on a pan then heat in a 200 degree oven for about five minutes. This is the directions from the caramel wrap package although I might turn the oven up a little bit more next time.

Use the candy's of your choice for dipping but just make sure you do it right away as the caramel cools very quickly. After dipping I would refridgerate for a few minutes. Eat right away.

What I would do different next time....melt caramel if you are really into the dipping as the candy really didn't stick too good, and know not to save them for the next day. Because you are using apple pieces, the moisture totally melts down the caramel after awhile. I even saved them in the fridge and all the caramel had ended up at the bottom of the apples. Either way though we totally had fun making them for Halloween!

What I used to make our Caramel Apple bites



Apple Bites



Caramel on the apple...make sure to wrap....we didn't and then you dont end up with any caramel on the bottom so therefore when you go to dip....it doesn't stick!

Our Candy's for dipping.