When Cooking Goes Bad

For as long as I can remember I've had a love/hate relationship with cooking. 

Sometimes (when I'm in the mood that is) I'm a master chef, cooking everything homemade and making big elaborate meals that require hours of time to be spent in the kitchen. 

And other times ... well, I'm much rather just order a pizza than dirty a pot. 

Last night was one of those I don't want to cook a single thing kind of days.  I should have took it for what is was and rolled with it.  But that's life isn't it ... full of should haves. 

Recently, in an effort to curb our spending on food and eat better, the hubs and I decided to start making weekly meal plans and produce grocery lists from those meal plans instead of doing the "oh my goodness it's 5 o'clock, what do I have stashed in the freezer that I can make for dinner?" 

On my weekly to do list was to make zucchini bread using one of the mammoth zucchinis we plucked from our garden.  Mike had every so nicely asked me to make it and off I went to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients that we didn't have on hand and made a note on our weekly menu that I'd get cooking Wednesday night. I love to bake, so I didn't foresee a problem.

And I do love to bake, really I do.... in the Winter.  When it's 90 degrees outside (at night!) the last thing you want to do is turn your oven on.  And so I was a grumpy, sweaty, ball of miserable while I slaved away making Mike's zucchini breads.

I should have waited until today when it was overcast outside with a lovely breeze floating through the windows to turn that oven on. 

I should have realized as soon as I cracked that first egg that I was in no mindset to bake.

I did realize it when I took the first bread out of the oven, only to drop it all over the floor and watch it crumble into a hundred pieces. 

And that realization was confirmed when I pulled the second bread out of the oven and found it black and hard as a rock.

Yep ... never should have set foot in the kitchen last night.

Today was a better.  Today I wanted to cook.  I wanted to bake.  And so I did!

Today I remade the zucchini breads, and they turned out scrumptious. 
I even cut up the cucumbers my mother in law brought me over from her garden (because stinking groundhogs ate the ones I tried to grow) and made homemade pickles.
And marinating in the refrigerator right now are buttermilk drumsticks, courtesy of Nigella  Express.

Yes, the kitchen and I are good friends today.
Yesterday ... not so much.

Sweet Heart Tarts

Valentine's Day didn't exactly happen the way it should have this year. A series of events pushed everything to the back burner this year and what should have been a day filled with love and hearts and assorted pink things turned out to be just another day.

Normally I'd be ok with that, but this week if something could go wrong, it has. And it's gone wrong more than once. And my mood has more than been effected. But that's a post for another day.

I've never needed special a day to show my husband how much I love him, just like he's never needed a certain day to show me the same. We're in love and have committed our lived together. So yeah, the ring on my finger is more than enough. (But being the awesome husband that he is, he bought me an incredible present anyways)

My kids on the other hand, well they should have the special-ness of the day. They deserve the love and the hearts, and think pink. And because I'm the type of mom who likes to indulge them (ok, any myself too).

And even though, thanks in part to unforeseen circumstance, we celebrated two days late, what better way to indulge than with homemade black cherry heart shaped pop tarts.

Recipe adapted from Family Fun Magazine

Ingredients:

for the tarts
Prepared Pie Crusts (Pillsbury makes a great two pack)
Jar of your favorite kind of fruit preserves
1 egg whisked with 1 tsp of water

for the frosting
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 tbs water
1 tbs softened butter
2 tbs light corn syrup
red food coloring
nonpareils or colored sugar


Directions:

1. Heat over to 400 degrees F and cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper

2. On a floured surface roll out the pie crust. Using a cookie cutter, cut pairs of dough, rolling out any scraps as needed to a 1/8in thickness

3. For each tart spread roughly 2 tsp of preserves out, leaving a 1/2 in. margin on all sides. Brush the egg wash mixture around the edges and place a second cut of dough on top. Using the tines of a fork, press and seal the edges. Then brush more egg wash over the top of the entire pastry.

4. Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 12 or 13 minutes. Let cool completely.

5. Wisk the first four frosting ingredients together into a large bowl, adding more water as needed a tbs at a time until your frosting reaches the correct consistancy and all of the lumps are worked out. Add food coloring and mix. Spoon the frosting into a ziplock baggie and seal. Snip off the corner and squeeze onto the tarts. Top them with nonpariels or colored sugar.

* Makes 8 tarts

Best Ever Oatmeal Cookies

Every year in our house these are the Christmas cookies that get ate the fastest, and they are probably the simplest to make. I make a double batch including rasins (gross!) and a double batch without rasins (yum!). We give a few out to family members, but the majority of these yummy cookies gets munched up way before Christmas actually gets here.

I promise, if you make them, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (if you're in a higher elevation like I am way up here in PA, use heaping cups)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
(If you like nasty dried up rasins like my husband) 1 cup raisins


Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins if you're using them; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

The Best Snickerdoodles Around

FYI, that's just not the name of this post. These really are the best Snickerdoodles that I've ever ate! They are super moist and chewy and are oh so good!

Ingredients:
•1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
•1/2 cup granulated sugar
•1/3 cup brown sugar
•1 egg
•1/2 teaspoon vanilla
•1 1/2 cups flour (if you're in a higher elevation like I am, do NOT level your cups of flour off. Heaping cups make the batter consistency perfect)
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:
•4 tablespoons granulated sugar
•2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with
an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and
beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and
cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for
30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the
topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a
ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it
onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies
may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are
removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be
soft and chewy in the middle.

Makes 16 to 18 cookies.

Candy Caramel Apples

When I was a little girl my mom always made homemade candied caramel apple bites around the time that the Autumn winds started rolling though Western Pennsylvania. Now that I'm older with a family of my own and my brothers are teenagers who are just on the cusp of adulthood whom are never really home this tradition is something that I'm sad to see fall by the wayside.

But luckily, as a mother myself with two young kiddos, I have the opportunity to preserve those cherished traditions and pass them down to a whole new generation.


Ingredients:
2-3 Apples (I like Granny Smith and Red Delicious)
Wooden Skewers or lollipop sticks
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp Karo Syrup
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
10 oz bag of Soft Caramels
1.5 tbsp Heavy Cream
Toppings of your choice (optional)

With little hands around here, we opted for the miniature version of these scrumptious fall treats and use a melon baller to scoop out bits of the apples. Personally, I leave the skin on, it's too pretty to peel off. Go ahead and put your sticks though the apple balls and then place in the refrigerator to keep from turning brown

Next add your water and granulated sugar to a decently heavy pan and place on low heat. Mix well.

Add butter, Karo Syrup, and vanilla to the mixture and bring to a boil. Swirl the pan to mix the ingredients, do not use a spoon until the mixture is all formed together.

Remove the pan from the heat and dip your apples into the mixture, swirling the tips as you remove them. Stand them up on a tray and place back in the refrigerator for about 30-45 minutes or until the candy coating is hard.

While waiting for the apples to harden you can prepare your caramel. Place the unwrapped caramels and cream into a bowl and microwave until melted (use 30 second intervals so that the bottom portion of the caramels don't burn). Stir and and let cool until the mixture is no longer hot to the touch.

Next grab a few apples out of the fridge and dip into the caramel, and then into a topping of your choice (nuts, coconut, sprinkles, etc). You'll have to work in batches because once the caramel cools you won't be able to dip the apples into it, so it may need an additional few seconds in the microwave in between batches to soften it up. Be careful not to make it too hot though or else it will end up melting the candy coating off.

Stick in mini cupcake liners to contain any sticky messes and place back in the refrigerator to allow the caramel to set up and then chow down!

The Best Muffins Around

Mike has been after me for awhile to bake something sweet and yummy for him. While I love the compliment that my baking is good enough for him to request I don't particularly like the task of actually doing it. It's hot outside. Really hot. And up here in the North, where the Winters are pretty harsh houses don't have central air conditioning. And to turn on the oven would just make it that much hotter. Unfortunately for Mike, I've been on a heat strike when it comes to making anything that requires baking.

Finally on Friday the weather was a bit cooler, even if it was marginally so. And so this little baker here got to work to surprise Mike with a plate full of mini blueberry pancake muffins, that he would find when he got home from work.

These little tiny blueberry pancake muffins are apparently the greatest thing on this green earth. But since I don't like blueberries, you'll have to take it from my husband and kiddos who ate all 24 of them in less than 24 hours. Yeah, they are that scrumptious!

Adapted from Bakerella's Mini Maple Pancake Muffins (replacing the chocolate chips with blueberries)

Mini Maple Pancake Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour (I live in a higher elevation, so adjust for where you live)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup sour milk (regular milk plus a teaspoon of distilled vinegar left to sit for three minutes ... you could also use buttermilk)
1 egg
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 heaping cup of fresh blueberries

Generously grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.
In another bowl, stir milk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Stir in blueberries (by hand to prevent squishing them with the mixer).
Bake for 8-9 minutes.
Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Mimosa Cupcakes

These are, quite literally, the most delicious cupcakes in the world. Try them!

Mimosa Cupcakes

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp frozen orange concentrate
3 eggs
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and powder and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, cream the butter until smooth then add the sugar and cream together. Once the butter and sugar are creamed add in the orange juice concentrate.

Mix in one egg at a time.

Add in flour mixture 1/3 at a time. When flour is thoroughly mixed, mix in the yogurt. Batter will be slightly lumpy, but should be smooth kind of like pancake batter.

Divide the batter evenly into lined cupcake tins and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool.

**********

Champagne Syrup

Ingredients:

2 cups champagne (Asti works the best!)
1 cup powdered sugar

Bring the champagne and powdered sugar to a boil and let them reduce about half way. Don't expect it to get thick. It will still be very liquidy when you are done.

Poke holes in the cupcakes and drizzle in the syrup. Let it absorb into the cupcake and add more. Keep adding to taste.

**********

Champagne Frosting

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Shortening
3/4 cup Butter or margarine
2 tbsp Champagne
4 1/2 cups Powdered sugar

In a bowl beat shortening and butter or margarine until combined. Beat in champagne. Beat in sifted powdered sugar.

If necessary, beat in additional champagne to make frosting spreading consistency, but don't add too much as it will make the frosting runny.

Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Every Sunday morning we have a ritual at our house here on the farm. We start the day off with a big family breakfast, the gut filling, oh I ate so much that I don't want to move, kind of breakfast. It's a fun experience (the breakfast, not the overly full-ness) that our entire family takes part in, with often extended family coming around to eat and partake in the mornings festivities. Here is the recipe for one of our favorites.

Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Directions:

Soak oats in 3/4 cup buttermilk 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.

Stir banana, egg, butter, brown sugar, remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just combined.

Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with oil. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden-brown, about 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 minute more. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)

Here's to you and your family scarfing down some of this banana pancake delicious-ness!

And because technically I did make these, I'm linking up to a few places :)

A Chai Love Affair

It's really no secret just how much I adore anything and everything Chai. Chances are you will never find my cupboards without a box of Tazo Black Chai in them, perfect for a hot cup of tea on cold days and a large pitcher of iced tea on cold ones. I have Chai scented soap in my shower right now and a chai lip balm rolling around the bottom of my purse. Chai and are close. We're serious. About as serious as one can get with a flavor. It's love I tell you.

But these cookies ... these take the cake. I have certain cookie recipes that I can only make at certain times of the year, I don't know why that is, but it's just the way I am (example: Sugar Cookies are a Christmas time treat only, while Linzers are a summer favorite made with fresh jam). These cookies, however, are always perfect, no matter the time of year. But maybe, just maybe, that has sometime to do with Chai and I's involvement. I really couldn't say.

Try them, you'll fall in love too. It's hard not to really.

Chai Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup powdered sugar
10 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon ice water

Instructions:
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and spices, combining well with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in mixer bowl and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined (mixture will appear crumbly). Sprinkle dough with 1 tablespoon ice water; toss with a fork. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into 2 (6-inch-long) logs; wrap each log in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour or until very firm.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Unwrap dough logs. Carefully cut each log into 18 slices using a serrated knife. Place dough circles 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

If you're feeling frisky you can sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar over the cookies or even make a glaze and drizzle over them, but personally I think they are quite scrumptious just as they are.

Good Eats - Soft Pretzels

I have a bit of a secret. Although, if you are in my house from around 8 or 9pm it's really no secret. I have a bit of an fascination (borderline obsession) with late night Food Network shows.

I love them all, really I do! Ace of Cakes makes me smile, and Diners, Drive In's and Dives makes me excited to see some of my Pittsburgh favorites or Virginia places I used to go to as a kid. But nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, quite compares to my love for the most awesome show ever, Good Eats.

I mean really, it just doesn't get any better then Alton Brown (even when he's moonlighting on Iron Chef America, I have to watch). Nothing quite compares, what can I say. So the other night when the pretzel episode came on I knew that I wanted to try and make some yummy delicious homemade soft pretzels. And boy oh boy are they delicious and the kids just love this fun snack.

The genius of Alton Brown strikes again!

Good Eats Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups (add an extra 1/2 cup if you're in the higher elevations like I am)
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan (I used Pam, worked just fine)
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Directions:
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Candy Cane Fudge

Ingredients
3 cups white chocolate chips
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
15 drops peppermint essential oil (or 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
5 candy canes, crushed with a rolling pin

1. In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, mix together chocolate chips, condensed milk, cream, and baking soda until smooth.

2. Remove from heat and stir in essential oil and 1/3 of the crushed candy canes.

3. Pour into a parchment lined 8×8 inch pan. Sprinkle with remaining candy canes. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or until set. For easier cutting, freeze for at least an hour. Lift parchment paper and fudge from pan and cut into 1 inch cubes.

Handmade Holiday

Money is tight around my house. We've had to make certain sacrifices as a family for me to be able to stay home with the boys again, and the very first thing to go were frivioulous purchases and the extra money that would normally go towards them. We buy in bulk, we at home rather than go out, we use coupons, and Mikes picked up a second part time seasonal job to make Christmas a little better this year.

Better?? Yeah, I said better. I was so stressed out over whether or not we would have enough money to buy the kids presents and be able to put a decent amount of stuff under the tree for them and also be able to buy everyone elses presents (family, teachers, bus driver ect.) that I completely lost any bit of Christmas cheer that I had.

I made a vow to myself to quit stressing out and give as many handmade gifts as I could, because really the way I was acting wasnt fair to my family, especially Brayden and Gage who only see the magic of the season. I want to amplify that while they are young and still believe, not drag them down.

So thanks to a few wonderful friends, a bit of research, a few of my own crafting skills, and a whole lot of love I've complied a bunch of wonderful homemade gifts for everyone, and made my life easier in the process. - Not to mention that the love and thought put into a handmade gift can't be bought at your local mass merchandiser!

Handmade for the Holidays -

In addition to coptic stitched journals (or drawing books as far as my kids are concerned) here are a few other things that I'm making this year

Chocolate Chunk Hot Cocoa Mix (courtesy of Real Simple Magazine)

What You Need:
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, combine the cocoa, sugar, and chocolate. Store in an airtight container. Keeps at room temperature for up to 4 months.

Handwrite instructions on a gift tag or label:
“In a small saucepan, whisk ¼ cup cocoa mix with ¾ cup milk. Bring to a bare simmer. Serves one.”

Tie a ribbon around the container, looping it through a measuring scoop and the gift tag with the instructions


Yule Have A Ball Ornaments (courtesy of the fabulous AlyGatr)

Check out her amazing tutorial over at the Mama Dramalogues to learn how to make some of these gorgeous ornaments!

Not only did I make some to give away, but I also made a few to hang on our tree as well and have gotten lots of compliments on them, plus they are customizable to the colors of your tree!



Apple Pinwheels
Ingredients
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 8-ounce bar cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
1/2 cup apple jam/preserves
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons Sugar in the Raw

Directions
1.Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated.

2.Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead it 2 to 3 times, just to bring it together. Form the dough into two 1-inch-thick squares. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3.On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll one of the dough squares into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread half the jam over the dough. Cut the dough crosswise into thirds, making three 9-by-4-inch rectangles. Starting from a long side of each rectangle, roll into logs. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.

4.Heat oven to 350° F. Slice the logs into 1-inch pieces and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1½ inches apart. Brush with the egg and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

5.Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Nutella Crescents

Sunday mornings in our house are typically reserved for being lazy and spending the day together as a family and just enjoying each other and taking a break from all of the business and stress that life has to offer on the other 6 days of the week.

And to start this day of family togetherness off right, we typically begin with a scrumptious family breakfast.

Yesterday I broke out one of my favorite things in the world (yes, even my chocolate hating self loves this), Nutella.

Add a glob of the sweet hazelnut yummy goodness to a regular pack of Pillsbury Crescents, roll up, and bake. I promise you'll have a delicious and ridiciously easy to make breakfast that's guaranteed to be a great start to your day.

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffin Madness

We're all so busy during the week between work, school, chores and so forth, that breakfast in our house is often overlooked, ignored, rushed, or forgotten about.

Cereal and frozen waffles are fine Monday through Saturday but every Sunday we always try and take some time out to enjoy each others company, slow down, and have a homemade family family breakfast.

The best part of this time of the year = breaking out all of my totally scrumptious Pumpkin recipes!

On our table this Sunday morning will be:

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffin Madness

Ingredients:
8 ounces of cream cheese
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups of sugar
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 cup of mixed walnuts and pecans, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons of butter - melted
2 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoons of baking soda
1 1/4 cups of solid-packed pumpkin
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Lightly coat muffin tins with oil or use muffin liners if preferred and set aside.

3. Mix the cream cheese, 1 egg, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Toss 5 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup flour, nuts, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.

5. Combine the remaining sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining cinnamon in a large bowl.

6. Lightly beat the remaining eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla together in a medium bowl.

7. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour the pumpkin mixture into the well, and mix with a fork just until moistened.

8. Evenly divide half of the batter among the muffin cups. Place two teaspoonfuls of cream cheese filling in the center of each cup and fill with the remaining batter.

9. Sprinkle some of the walnut and pecan mixture over the top of each muffin and bake until golden, 20-25 minutes.

10. Allow to cool and droll over them while you wait.

Yields roughly 24 muffins.
(Goes GREAT with a big cup of coffee!)

The Most Scrumptious Cupcakes in the World

I'm pretty sure I've gained 10 pounds in the past few days strictly because of these cupcakes - but they are so darn good that I just can't help myself!!

Banana Maple Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 14oz pkg of Pillsbury Banana Bread Mix
1 cup of Buttermilk
1/4 cup of Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin pan with cups (I used paper cups, but I'm sure silicone ones would work fine too)
  
• In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix until combined. (I took the lazy way out and used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, although the actual recipe calls to just stir 75 strokes with a spoon)
  
• Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full.
  
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
  
• Let cool in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes before removing them and then allow to finish cooling.
  
• Now frost em!! I cheated and used a can of Duncan Hines Whipped Cream Cheese frosting (Duncan Hines is the best, but make sure you get the Whipped kind!!) and if you're feeling frisky add some sprinkles or chopped walnuts on the top - I sprinkled a bit of Sugar in the Raw on a few of them
  
• And dig in!!

Yields 12 cupcakes (depending on how full you fill the cups - I went a bit overboard)

Scrump-tiddily-umptious!

I dislike chocolate. In fact I may even go as far as to say that I hate chocolate. I know, I know, you're probably thinking "what's wrong with you?". I get that a lot. I just don't particularly care for it - minus the two exceptions to my no chocolate rule, Reese Peanut Butter Cups and Tagalong Girl Scout Cookies. I'm always on the hunt for a scrumptious dessert recipe sans cocoa and last night I made the most delicious, moist, little squares of goodness ever - and of course I thought all about my blogger pals while I was baking and then stuffing my face.

Decadent Blonde Brownies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 stick butter - softened

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

yummy toppings of your choosing

(if you're like me and have to compensate for elevation, an extra 2 tbs of flour does the trick)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan with Pam if you're lazy like me, if not feel free to grease it the old fashioned way.

Combine flour, baking power, and salt in a small bowl and set aside

Beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy

Beat 2 eggs in a separate bowl with a fork and then add them to the wet mixture along with the vanilla and beat at low speed until well blended

Spread batter evenly into your greased pan

Now comes the fun part - toppings! I used a cup and a half of walnuts and a handful of Reese Peanut Butter Chips - but you can put whatever you want on top of these bad boys. And yes, if you MUST chocolate chips are acceptable (but are heavily frowned upon from this chocolate hater!) Pecans are good too, unfortunately I didn't have any :-(

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown

Drool from the amazing smell and then cry because you can't have any yet - too hot.

After they cool off - stuff your face!

(Disclaimer: My brownies are extra huge because I doubled the recipe, if you do that too obviously baking times will differ - use the butter knife in the middle trick to see if they are done, mine took about an hour)

Trust me - my crappy photo taking skills does NOT do these babies justice!

You Say Tomato - I Say Salsa!

I love my garden. I love all of the prosperity that it brings all season long, and I love cooking with fresh, natural, organic ingredients. That said, I'm no health nut by any means - and I LOVE me some Taco Bell and Burger King Whoppers. But why, oh why God do all of my tomatoes in the garden which I love so very much feel the need to ripen at the exact same time leaving me with a zillion billion trillion tomatoes? Its a conspiracy I tell you!

So what to do with a ton of tomatoes? (Believe me, you can only eat so many BLT's and making spaghetti sauce takes forever, and once a summer is enough of that!) Why you make salsa but of course!

I don't have a recipe of any sorts, but if this looks yummy to you, here's what I used per jar:

2-3 Good Sized Tomatoes (I used both Better Boy and Roma)
1 Half Yellow Onion
1 Large Sweet Banana Pepper
1 Small Green Bell Pepper
1 Chili Pepper
Fresh Cilantro
Fresh Parsley

Its not an exact science, but that's whats so goooood about making salsa, you can customize it to your tastes. To a few jars I added more hot peppers - some I made chunky - and some I made Picante style. And it tastes so fresh and yummy!

Now all you need are the chips!

Weekend plans - Surprise all of my family and friends with deliveries of fresh, homemade salsa!

Poopy Pants Peeps

My oldest son Brayden and I had some Easter fun today! Now normally, I dont do Peeps. Too much marshmellow, and they get insta-hard literally 30 seconds after opening the package. But last year we discovered the pure choco-marsh-wonder that is Poopy Pants Peeps. (Yeah... I made up that snappy little name right there!) And I'm proud to say that the tradition has continued!
All you need for some marshmellow Easter yummy goodness is a package or 2 of Peeps. (Bunnies work better, but the chicks are fine too, we did both!) a bag of Wilton melting chocolates which I bought at Michaels, and some sprinkles! (And if your kiddos are involved, a whole lotta paper towels!)

Delicious! :-)