Pumpkin Pancakes & Big Breakfast

Here it is - only 45 minutes away from midnight - and I am finally getting to the post that I promised for the weekend. BUT - I am getting it done. Better late than never. :-)

Every Saturday morning our family does a breakfast meal together that is more fun than your average bowl of cereal, bowl of oatmeal, cup of yogurt kind of thing. We call it "Big Breakfast".

It's a way to eat some fun things together and just make memories. We love it and we don't allow ourselves to skip it if we can help it in any way.

This Saturday we made one of our favorites at this time of year: Pumpkin Pancakes. We also added in some of our traditional favorites with hashbrown potatoes, turkey bacon and scrambled eggs with a little cheddar cheese.

We have a bottle thingy that we usually fill with the batter and David makes special designs for the kids like princesses, trains and whatever they ask for that day. I was the one cooking this particular morning and I just decided to make some pumpkins. Of course I did, Cuz that's just cute.

We enjoyed our morning and I even tried making the pecan butter syrup like the recipe called for. I have to say I didn't love the syrup and probably just prefer it with regular maple syrup for the future. But the pumpkin pancakes were PERFECT!!




Here's the recipe link. Whip it up for dinner some night this week. That's always fun to do too!

Parents Review: We could eat these every week during the Fall
Kids Review: They really like them too!

Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

MOST of my crock pot recipes that you will see me post about come from this awesome site I discovered this year over at this blog. I have liked every single recipe I have ever tried minus 2 of them.

Unfortunately, this recipe is ONE of those.

Sorry.

I made this with all the expectations in the world because the lady said that her kids had THIRDS of this stuff. David and I ate about 1/4 cup and thought that was plenty.

It was very strange in flavor and I followed everything to a "T". Maybe it's an acquired taste. Who knows. Maybe even YOU would like it. I didn't.

Parents Review: Blek.
Kids Review: I haven't given them any yet. Too scared.

Don't worry - I will be posting something very yummy this weekend. We had Big Breakfast early since Daddy is busy tomorrow morning. Pumpkin Pancakes are on the menu. Check back soon.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

I love me some Weight Watchers Friendly Crustless Pumpkin Pie. It is over-the-top amazing and hits the sweet/holiday craving spot every time. I think I eat one piece a day when I make this and sometimes I even eat 2. If you follow weight watchers - it's only 1 crazy point per serving!!

Here's the recipe:

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 can evaporated skim milk (12 oz) (I will admit that I use the Lowfat - not fat free, so maybe it's 2 pts. for me!)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C. Splenda (or sugar) or to taste

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.

Pour into a 9" sprayed pie pan

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, and then at 325 for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serves 8
Whole Pie: 8 points (or ONE pt. for 1/8 pie)

TIP!
Top this pie with a little fat free or Light Cool-Whip for even more of a treat! Counts as a vegetable serving and high in fiber!

I cook mine up in these little tart tins and a couple of ramekins so that I can just have my own little serving of goodness ready to go at any time. Seriously - you have to make these!



Enjoy.

Parents Review: Love, Love
Kids Review: They want to eat the whole batch like we do!

My "Amish" Beef & Noodles

If you read my main blog over at Me-Moddy, you might remember that I just got back from a trip to Amish Country with my mom and the girls on our annual road trip a couple of weeks ago.

I also mentioned that I had these most incredible Beef & Noodles while I was there and I asked one of the young amish girls if I could get their recipe. The first girl wasn't sure, but the girl next door at the bakery was eager to go find someone to tell me how to make it.

Well, I made it this weekend. I followed everything this woman said and it didn't quite taste like it did in Jamesport. It was missing something. So, I added a little brown gravy (straight from the 'ol McCormick red packet) and mixed it in. I definitely think they left something out in the disclosure of this recipe, but I'm not sure if it was gravy or something else.

Anyway, we did actually enjoy our meal this evening and thought the gravy did add something nice to the texture and flavor. I am still going to tweak it a little, but here's the recipe for you to do some of your own tweaking with maybe.

Beef & Noodles.

3-4 lb. bottom round roast
Sprinkle all over with Lawry's seasoning and black pepper.
Fill a roasting pan half full of water.
Cover with foil and put in the oven at 225 degrees ALL NIGHT LONG.
(I put mine in around 10 p.m and ended up letting it cook until 11:00 the next morning. I put mine at 200 degrees since I didn't want it to burn, but I think I should've done what they said at 225.) I don't think you can really do this wrong. I just took a fork and tried to start pulling it apart to see if it was ready.

Use the broth made in your roasting pan and fill up a pot. Add some canned beef broth (I used 2 cans). Boil some large flat noodles according to package directions.

Mix beef and noodles together when done. At this point, I decided to make some McCormick's "brown gravy" and mix it in and serve. I cooked some green peas to throw on the side and I liked the combo.

It really is a very good meal, it's just not what I remember it tasting like there. It could be the cut of meat I purchased, how long I cooked it, how I seasoned it.....who knows.

I'm gonna keep trying. I think it could totally be perfected. Give it a whirl and see what you can come up with!



I also made some Crustless Pumpkin Pie for our dessert. I'll post that recipe in the next couple of days!

Good for you Cookies

Don't you love that all these words are in the same recipe title?

I have had this recipe forever and ever. I found it in a cookbook that I purchased when I first got married (nearly 14 years ago) and it's called "The Joy of Hospitality". It's basically a culmination of recipes from a bunch of ministry women, pastor's wives and Godly women who love to entertain.

It's kind of your local church cookbook on steroids. I love it. 2 of my favorite recipes have come from this book and this is one of them.

My friend Kelley, who use to be my next door neighbor, is a huge fan of these and I think of her every time I come across the recipe. In fact - she is getting some of these I made this weekend. :-)

If you read my main blog over at Me-Moddy, you'll know I refer to my 2 beautiful children as Little Girl (our 5 year old daughter) and Baby Boy (our 2 year old son). We adopted both of our children through 2 amazing experiences and our lives have never been the same since.

Any-hoo. Little Girl had more energy than was necessary for a 5 year old on a Saturday night and my first thought was, let's bake together and I'll pump you full of sugar.

This should totally calm you down.

Even though these cookies are titled "good for you" - it doesn't mean that there isn't sugar and oil involved, because they are. But - so is Wheat Germ and whole wheat flour and raisins and almonds and many other things. If you have ever had an "oatmeal scotchie" (this is what my mom called them) - this is what I think they kind of taste like.

REALLY AMAZING.

I've never tried to substitute the oil for applesauce or anything like that, but I bet you could. I am not a great substituter, because when I want something good, I don't really like to sacrifice much taste, so that's just me. But, if anyone tries it, will you please tell me how it tastes and if you liked it?? I would love to know.

O.K. Well, the cookies are to die for, so I'll just get to it.

Here's the recipe.

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil
1 cup raisins
6 oz. butterscotch chips
1 cup wheat germ
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Cups brown sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk (again, you could use a little lemon juice plus enough to make 1/4 cup if you don't have any)
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour or graham flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in the order listed. Drop by teaspoonful onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until light brown. Makes 4-5 dozen.

Taco Soup

I'm starting the soup obsession in my house.

Who doesn't love a meal that has every food group in one pan and you can make fairly quickly and it practically screams COMFORT FOOD when you eat it? Or drink it as it were? Not sure. :-)

This taco soup recipe was another find from the internet and it is so easy and so, so tasty. We love bread in this house, but we try not to serve in addition to our meals very often, because, HELLO, the belly fat that I am already fighting in my mid-30's.

SO, we tend to serve this alone and I usually add some sour cream, a little cheese and sometimes some soup crackers (yes- I know this is a bread, but whatever)

Here's the recipe:

Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef ( I use 1 lb. lean beef and 1 lb. ground turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn ,drained
1 can stewed tomatoes - mexican style (I just used petite diced)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing (dry)
2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth
Preparation:

Brown ground beef and onions in a large pan, drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an hour or so. When ready, serve in big soup bowls, and have a skillet of hot cornbread to eat, too.


Parent Reviews: Love it!
Kid Reviews: They love it too as long as there are crackers involved.

SCONES

When I think of these Scones - i always think of my friend Sue and the time we spent together while our husbands were on staff at a church in Washington D.C. I was childless and jobless at the time and Sue and I had connected in a way that I just loved her right away. Our sense of humor was the same (twisted) and we both loved to laugh at the things that should have made us cry. She was such a bright spot for me in that season of life where infertility threatened to take over my mind, body and soul and it was just plain refreshing to be with her.

We spent every Tuesday together for about a year right after she had her 2nd son, Will. We did all manner of things such as get coffee, go to Target, play with the boys and then we would also......BAKE. Well, she would bake and I would just watch her do her magic in making me up something yummy. She made the BEST salads in the universe and she also made these healthy and delicious yogurt muffins that will warm you up inside.

But my favorite was when she would make me these SCONES. You can make them plain and add your favorite jam (I always like blackberry) or you can do what I typically do and add a cup of chocolate chips to it and make your family leap with joy!

NO matter how you make them - they will be amazing.

I whipped up a batch this morning to take to the teachers that work in Little Girl's carline at preschool. We had enough to bring over to my friend Julie and her boys and for me, Baby Boy and Little Girl to have one ourselves.

Perfect Breakfast.

Here's the Recipe. Enjoy.

SCONES:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2 cups flour
4T Sugar
1 T Baking Powder

MIX ALL TOGETHER

Then add:

1/2 Cup (1 cube) butter cut in with pastry cutter until crumbly (I cube up my cold butter before I throw it in)

Mix with 1 Cup Buttermilk (or nonfat plain yogurt)

**Also - if you don't have either on hand, just add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 Cup and that will be your buttermilk). I have done all 3 - ALL are great.

YOU CAN ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS HERE IF YOU WANT TO.

Pat into round on a floured cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut into 8 pie wedges. Separate onto cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown on the bottom.

Chicken Vegetable Stir-Fry

Here it is. One of my favorite dishes that is both healthy and amazing for your taste buds to enjoy.

CHICKEN - VEGETABLE STIR - FRY

8 tbsp. diagonally sliced scallions (green onions) 3 garlic cloves, minced 4 c. each sliced asparagus (1 inch pieces) and sliced mushrooms 1 c. red or green bell peppers, cut in 1/2 inch strips 4 tsp. Chinese sesame oil 2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 inch strips 8 tsp. soy sauce 4 c. cooked long grain rice (hot)
In small non-stick skillet (or wok), heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil) over high heat; add scallion and garlic and saute until scallion is tender- crisp (2-3 minutes). Add vegetables and cook, stirring quickly and frequently, until tender (3-5 minutes). Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.

In same pan, heat together sesame oil and remaining teaspoon of peanut/vegetable oil. Add chicken and stir-fry until chicken begins to brown (3-5 minutes). Return vegetables to skillet; add soy sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through (1-2 minutes). Serve over hot rice. Broccoli or green beans may be substituted.

I found this recipe online amongst my many searches for something new for dinner and this one has stayed a favorite. I actually have one that I used maybe a year ago that I loved even more, but I have never found it again. :-(

However, when this was found, it was a close second and actually is way better in the calorie-department anyway.

When I have a lot of fresh veggies on hand, I like to make this dish every couple of weeks. This week I had a lot of bell peppers, cauliflower and carrots, but I love to use asparagus, broccoli and even squash in this recipe if I have them.



Side note: I add a LOT more soy sauce than they call for. I use what they say and divide it on our plates and then Dave and I pour quite a bit more on our individual plates. I actually pull the kids food out before I add it all together though. They like it more plain.

Parents Review: One hundred thumbs up
Kids Review: They love it too, but only two thumbs up. They can't go as crazy as us. :-)

Please let me know if you guys make any of these recipes and love them, hate them, changed them, whatever. I enjoy the feedback and we can all benefit from a really yummy meal suggestion!

By the way, I am up to 30 followers. Are you going to be next??

Lynn's Cookie Review & Food-Chatter

So, remember our giveaway we did just a couple weeks ago? Lynn from Rohal Call won the amazing cookies and she posted about them here. Go check it out.

Now - to those of you who have only gotten as far as "lurking" on the blogs (you know who you are. ahem.....Alison, Cheryl and others) - this should be an incentive to become a "follower". One thing that will help me in doing future giveaways is having a strong following of people that shows on the blog. It will be easier for me to get people to donate a fun giveaway for all of you girls out there if they see I have a large reader base.

Now - Get on over there and hit that "follow" button on the right side of the screen and know that when you do - this really huge smile comes across my face. Isn't that total incentive enough? You can do it!

:-)

I am wanting to create some consistency on this blog so that you can know when to expect posts and how often and kind of how the flow of this blog will go. Right now, I'm going to post 3 recipes weekly and sometimes I will add a weekend recipe post. I am wanting to add segments on "tips in the kitchen", "reviews on the recipes I post" and also featuring things that are our absolute favorites - like some of our Big Breakfast foods (for those of you that don't know - our family does what we call a "Big Breakfast" every Saturday morning and it always consists of fun foods like homemade pancakes or waffles, monkey bread, yogurt parfaits, quiche, sausage and all sorts of yummy things).

Tomorrow night I am making my Chicken Stir-Fry recipe that is incredible in every way. It not only is one of our healthiest dinners, but I have to stop myself from eating the whole pan. I love it that much. I will post tomorrow evening and give the family reviews.

Have a great night!

Lip-Smackin' Chili

It's that time of year.

The Chili & Cornbread time of year.

One of my favorites.

Here's a recipe that is nothing short of SIMPLE and DEE-licious.

1 1/2 lbs of lean ground beef or ground turkey
2 cans of beans, rinsed and drained (I use dark red kidney beans)
1 pkg. McCormick's Mild Chili seasoning
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced green chilis
a little sugar (a couple teaspoons or so)

I cook up my meat and then add in everything else. Let it simmer for about an hour. I sometimes add a little water to thin it out, but I just do it by how it looks.

I like to serve my chili with cornbread. I used Trader Joe's box mix this time, but you could use Jiffy Cornbread or even make your own.

I got a little creative and made little chili bites. How cute are these? I was just playing around, but it was kind of fun.



Something that we learned to do when we lived in California was to squeeze a lime wedge over our chili right before we eat it. It just adds this awesome punch and gives it the best flavor! I always put a little cheese, light sour cream and a few oyster crackers or Fritos on top of my chili bowl too - and that is just the perfect dinner for me.

**Forgot to post reviews.

Parents review: We love it. Could eat more than 2 bowls at a time. :-)
Kids review: They both love it as long as I add the oyster crackers or tortilla chips on top.

I hope your Mondays are great. Go to the store and get stuff to make Chili!

Roasted potatoes and veggies

We love to use yukon gold potatoes for everything. They are so much creamier than your average russet and they are just plain good.

Here's a simple recipe for roasting potatoes. You can add this to just about any meal and it's so much healthier than buying a bag of frozen nastiness.

Roasted Potato Fries:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
I sliced about 4 potatoes into little steak fries.
I threw them in a gallon ziploc bag and added a little olive oil and tossed.
Then I set a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet (this lets heat circulate both sides ) and threw all the potatoes on top and added salt. I sometimes like to add some fresh chopped rosemary to the bag and it gives these such great flavor.
Then let them roast for about 15 minutes or so - you'll see them get brown and a little crispy.

Eat and Enjoy.


Roasted Veggies:

We also love to roast our veggies around here. This particular day I only had broccoli, carrots and onion on hand, so I chopped them all up. Tossed a little olive oil on top, added salt, and did the same thing with them as I did with the potatoes. I let them roast for around 15 minutes. I still like mine a bit crisp.

These are both great side dishes to add to so many different meals: chicken, meatloaf, burgers, the list goes on and on.

Lasagna

(I forgot to take a pretty picture of our meal and ended up just getting a shot of the leftovers in the pan. Sorry.)

I love making lasagna. It's one of my "go to" recipes I use when we have people over because it's one of those things that you can't really mess up. I was given this recipe many years ago by a lady who worked for David. She was (and I am sure still is) very gifted in hospitality and cooking and baking and all things of this nature. She created this little book that she gave out to various women that had some of her staple everyday recipes in it.

This lasagna recipe is one I always use. I serve it with some whole wheat rolls and a salad. Perfect. Simple. Easy. Plus - you hit all the food groups. :-)

Enjoy.

Lasagna:

1 box lasagna noodles (I always use whole wheat and I like the kind that are "oven ready")

Combine 2 eggs, 2 cups ricotta and 1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese.

Brown 1 lb. ground beef with 1 medium onion, drain. Add:
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 tsp. oregano
2-6 oz cans tomato paste
1/2 T. basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. parsley

In greased 9X13 pan layer 6 noodles, 1/2 meat mixture, all ricotta cheese mixture, 6 noodles, remaining meat mixture. Top with an additional 1/2 lb. mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let set 10 minutes out of the oven.

Smores Muffins

It's fall y'all! I made some Smores Muffins today and David and I both said "mmmmm. Now that just tastes like fall." I think a lot of my followers have tried these already, but if you haven't yet - make some tonight! They actually are easy, however they have a lot of ingredients in them and they only make 6 at a time if you use the basic recipe. I have no idea why this is, but just thought I would fore-warn you if you are having 7 people over and wanted to serve these muffins. Make a double. You actually won't mind because they are that yummy.

My favorite part is when the marshmallow fluff burns just a little bit and it tastes like a marshmallow roasted out on the fire. Hello!!!! Yummy.

Here's the link to the recipe I use. Enjoy!

Pepper Steak over Rice

It was so fun doing the GIVEAWAY last week. I can't wait to hear what Lynn thinks of her cookie tin she received from Carol's Cookies. I hope they are a yummy treat for her (and her family if she should share!).

Sorry the recipes have been slow this past week, I mentioned the hubs is doing The Daniel's Fast with our church and therefore he eats very little, which means the cooking has been minimal. I did, however, whip up something last week while he was gone one night because I love it and he does not.

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe back when I was a newlywed and I love it because it is so easy and so flavorful! Plus - It's a crockpot dish and you know how I love my crockpot!!




Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. Cube Steak
2 Tbsp. Oil (I use Canola)
1/4 C Soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
1 tsp. Sugar
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 Large Green Bell Pepper (or whatever kind you like)

Pour oil in the bottom of the crock pot and add your cube steak. Just throw it in. Then add all the rest of your ingredients. Let cook on low all day (my big crock pot can cook it in about 4 hours though - it's fast).

**Add 1/2 Cup cold water and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch to thicken. I only do this half of the time. It's a little runnier if you don't, but I actually don't mind because the rice soaks it up. Chop up the meat mixture with a spoon and serve it over some brown rice.

Easy-Peezy. My kinda meal.

Parents Review: I LOVE it. David hates it and always has. He has issues with it not being thick enough. Whatev-ah
Kids Review: Little Girl tolerates it and Baby Boy loves it.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Drumroll Please

I was a little late on the drawing for the big giveaway, because, well, I was painting and I lost track of time. :-) Sorry.

O.K.

I am so excited about the winner.

She is a great commenter on both of my blogs.

She lives close to where I have lived at one time.

She contributed one of my most recent recipes that I am in love with.

And, She HAS to love cookies, because................she's pregnant right now.

The winner of the Carol's Cookies Giveaway is.....

Lynn from Rohal Call!!!

Yay! I am so excited. Send me an email Lynn at karamak@mac.com and get me your address so I can send these cookies out to you right away!!

Thanks to all of you who entered. This was so much fun!!

It's Giveaway Day!

I am doing my drawing tonight girls for a tin of Carol's Cookies delivered right to your front door to make you smile and all happy inside.

Make sure you leave me a comment on my Giveaway post and ALSO become a "Follower" (over on the right side of the page) - for 2 chances to win!!!

I am so excited to send out some cookies this week. I hope YOU win!!!

Be watching this week for a couple of new recipes. Since we all have COOKIES on the brain - I will post something sweet like Chocolate Chip Scones or Smores Muffins.........

Hungry?

Stay tuned!!

Chicken Crescent Squares

I know I said I was going to post this recipe yesterday, and then we started our women's conference here in town and all computer time went out the window. So, I am back today to share one of my favorites.

I made these little yummy treats for the first time back when we lived in Washington D.C. (shout out to all my NCC girls here!) and I had a "Girl's Night Out" at my house one evening. It was one of the most fun girls nights I have had in a long time and I remember these all so fondly because it was in the pre-children days and I remember we would stay up until like 2:00 a.m. and talk and yak and eat.

Lovely memories. Just lovely. :-)

So, I pulled the recipe out again yesterday to serve to my sweet friend Kelley for a lunch play date here at the house with our kiddos.

I think they were a huge hit and they are very, very simple, which is my favorite kind of recipe. So, have a girlfriend over and whip these babies up so you can look all fancy and domestic and I bet they will love it!

I served these Chicken Crescent Squares up with some yummy hummus, carrots and good ol' Stacy's Parmesan and garlic pita chips.


Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1tablespoon LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
2cups cubed cooked chicken
1tablespoon chopped fresh chives or onion
1/4teaspoon salt
1/8teaspoon pepper
2tablespoons milk
1tablespoon chopped pimientos, if desired
1can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1tablespoon LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted
3/4cup seasoned croutons, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened butter; beat until smooth. Add chicken, chives, salt, pepper, milk and pimientos; mix well.
2. Separate or cut dough into 4 rectangles. If using crescent dough, firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle with crushed croutons.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

And, of course, we polished our lunch down with some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that I pulled out of the freezer an hour before they got here. They were perfect and soft and full of calories.

Don't forget to leave a comment on my GIVEAWAY Post to win some cookies of your own from Carol's Cookies (just click comments underneath my post and go from there). Leave a comment and become a "follower" on my blog for a chance to win. Just look on the right side of my page and click on "follower".

Hope you all enjoy your weekend. I am going to be posting some home projects over at me-moddy here in the next week. I'm painting my front door red. Should be fun!!