Pumpkin Cookies and Frosting

Now I got this recipe back in college from my room-mate Valerie. They are sooo moist, soft and flavorful! This is a must during the Fall season...and when I need a little holiday feel during the rest of the year. I was browsing through my pantry the other day and saw a can of pumpkin and thought it needed to be put to work. The outcome? YUMMINESS.

Cookie Recipe:
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Butter
1 Egg
1 Cup Pumpkin
1 tsp Vanilla

Frosting Recipe:
2 Tbs Butter
4 Tbs Milk
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Powder Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2.Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla -- sift dry ingredients and slowly add to the creamed ingredients.

4. Spoon onto baking sheet (greased, or layered with parchment paper)

5. Bake for 10-12 mins (don't over cook! Watch the cookies!!)

6. Transfer to wire rack -- top with frosting when cooled.

Wow, that was simple, eh? Go enjoy....in moderation!!

Strawberry Shortcakes and homemade Whipped Cream

Mmmm you know summer is here when you start craving strawberry shortcakes! We go through a lot of strawberries in our house and this one particular day I felt like making some yummy shortcake. I flipped open my Better Homes and Garden cook book and found just the thing. It was delicious! The cake was fluffy and sweet - perfect when served warm with a nice scoop of sliced strawberries and whipped cream on top....Mmmmm I want one right now!
It was a simple recipe and you just plopped the batter onto a cookie sheet and baked. Of course they won't look like your processed little shortcakes you buy in the packets at Wal-Mart...these are much better!

Recipe:
1.5 Cups all purpose Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 cup cold Butter
1 Egg
1/2 cup Dairy sour cream
2 Tbs Milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly grease a baking sheet (or use parchment paper!); set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl combine egg, sour cream, and milk. Add flour mixture, stirring with a fork until moistened.

2. drop dough into eight mounds onto baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 mins or until golden (dont over cook! Start low, like 11 mins... keep watch) --- Transfer to wire rack, let cool.

Serve with strawberries and Whipped Cream. ....Now, you can use the store bought whipped cream, or...make your own!! It's fast and easy - and tastes great!

Recipe for Whipped Cream:

In a chilled mixing bowl add 1 cup of whipping cream, 2 Tbs sugar, and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (or, for about 10 mins by hand with a whisk) That's it. Now go and enjoy! YUM!.... sit outside and eat...it makes it all that much more pleasurable.

Lots O'Meat Lasagna

Oh Paula Deen, you are my fatty southern food cooker. I love you! I wanted to make a lasagna one night, because I figured it would have ingredients Carter might eat and enjoy - so I found this recipe by Paula Deen. She is an excellent cook, but not a healthy one. Oh well...it's good to have a pound of meat on your ribs (or 2, or 6...)! So, yes the lasagna was a success and Carter and Don both loved it. The best thing about the dish was that it lasted a LONG time...I mean, long time. - and made for great Tupperware lunches for Don to take to school. This is not your typical Lasagna, in that it has a variety of meat wedged all so fatly within it. I believe "portions" are the key to eating such things as this... enjoy!! :D

Recipe:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 1 (5-ounce) package grated Parmigianno-Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 9 oven-ready lasagna noodles
• 2 (8-ounce) packages shredded mozzarella
• (haha, uhmmm yeah. A lot of good stuff, eh?)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan, combine ground chuck, sausage onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until meat is browned and crumbled; drain. Return meat to pan and add oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 to 45 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, parsley, and eggs.

Spoon 1/4 of sauce into bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan. Place 3 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Do not overlap noodles. Spread 1/3 of cottage cheese mixture over noodles, top with 1/4 of sauce and 1/3 mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, ending with sauce, reserving 1/3 of mozzarella cheese.

3. Bake 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Whew! You're done my friend! Now go enjoy your efforts! Just remember, portions are key to eating dishes like this! Give yourself about a closed fist size - then load your plate with a nice salad, veggie and or fruit. This should be made and eaten on occasion.

Nun's Puffs

So you're probably thinking, what in the world in a *Nun's Puffs* haha...I was too! I was making dinner one night (see below post, Swiss Steak) and wanted to make a bread - but knew I did not have time to make a yeast bread and do the whole process of rising, etc, etc... so I searched through one of my cook books for a bread recipe that was quick. I saw these and thought, hmmm that looks interesting! I am glad it included a picture (which normally sell me to make the recipes in the first place, it's hard to make something when you don't know what it is supposed to look like afterward!) The prep time listed was about 25 mins, and the bake around 30. Sounds good to me! Better than a few hours! So that is where my Nun's Puff adventure started...and since I am posting all these extremely late I have since made this recipe about 6 or 7 more times! Yes, it is that good. They remind me of a puffy crepe, or kind of a German Pancake type taste. You make it on the stove, has very few ingredients, and you cook them in a muffin tray! Served hot with honey...or strawberries and whip cream. My husband can't get enough of them! I honestly think they are good, but I can only eat about 1. Just not my thing.

Recipe:
1/2 Cup butter
1 Cup Milk
3/4 cup all-purpose Flour
4 eggs
1 Tbs Sugar
Honey (optional - but recommended!)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Generously grease twelve muffin cups, including the edge and around the top of each cup; set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter; add milk. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that doe snot separate, Remove from heat; cool for 5 mins. (I actually take the pan off the heat and add the flour and stir until it forms a ball)\

2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 min with a wooden spoon after each addition or until smooth. Divide dough evenly among the muffin cups. --filling the cups about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with sugar ((which we have never done, but I am sure tastes great! - trying to reduce sugar for us)

3. Bake about 30 mins or until golden brown and puffy. remove from pan. Serve immediately - serve with honey!! ...also, I never went the full 30 mins. Normally 23-25 mins is good.
Enjoy!

Previous post had the Swiss Steaks I made with the Nun's Puffs. :)

Swiss Steak

Mmmhmm my husband loved this! The flavors were SO good, and the meat extremely tender! It was easy to cook and did not require any foreign ingredients/spices! I love when I can just open up a recipe and find that I have all the ingredients already...love that! :)

Recipe:

• 1 lb boneless beef round steak (cut 3/4" thick if needed)
• 1 Tbs All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbs Cooking Oil
• 1 (14.5oz) can dice tomatoes with basil/garlic/and oregano - undrained
• 1 small Onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 cup sliced carrot

1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into four serving-size pieces. Combine flour, salt, and pepper. With a notched side of a meat mallet, pound flour mixture into meat. (*note: I do not have a meat pounder (gasp!) - but what I do that works well is I take a knife and jab the meat a few times, than place the meat and ingredients into a large sealed plastic bag and shake around and coat real well, pounding in with my hand and squishing, etc...)

2. In a large skillet brown meat on both sides in hot oil. Drain off fat. Add undrained tomatoes, onion, celery and carrot. bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 1 and a quarter hours or until meat is tender.

3. Hey, guess what. No step 3. You're done! Yes, it was that easy. Nice job~ I served mine with mashed potatoes, green beans and Nun's Puffs! (see recipe post for Nun's puffs)