Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

3 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
2 c. pumpkin
1 1/4 c. oil (I use half applesauce)
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil. Add dry ingredients and mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into 2 8x4x3 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60 - 70 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from pans.

Pumpkin Bars

1 small can pumpkin
1 cup oil (I used half applesauce)
4 eggs
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix together pumpkin, oil, eggs, and sugar. Add other ingredients and mix. Spread on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Frosting:
1 cube butter
1 tsp. vanilla
4 oz. cream cheese
2 c. powdered sugar
Cream well and spread on completely cooled cake.

Orange-Pumpkin Cake

1 yellow cake mix
3 egg whites
1 1/4 c. canned pumpkin
1 c. orange juice
1/3 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice

Glaze:
1 1/2 c. powder sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
4-5 Tbsp. milk (to desired consistency)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cake ingredients all together for about 2 minutes with electric mixer. Pour into well greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. While hot, invert cake onto serving platter. Cool, frost with glaze, and enjoy!

Grandpa's Enchiladas

Brown:
1 lb. hamburger
1 med onion
Season with salt and pepper.

Mix:
1 heaping Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
pinch garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 glug salsa
1 can tomato soup
Add water or tomato juice to thin to right consistency--I use about a pint of tomato juice.

Pour a little sauce in 9 x 13 pan. Mix a little sauce with meat to make juicy. Warm flour tortillas and fill with meat mixture and shredded cheese. Roll and place in pan. Cover tortillas with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook at 350 for 30 minutes.

Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

6 chicken breasts
12 slices bacon
4 oz fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
Red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced

Prepare chicken breasts by washing and slightly flattening so they're evenly proportioned. (Not quite sure how to explain this, but here goes...) Place a few mushroom and pepper pieces on each side of the chicken breast and wrap the bacon around it securing it all with toothpicks. Grill.

Homemade Burritos

Fill flour tortilla with refried beans, cheese, and taco meat (beef or chicken). Fold in the top, bottom and sides and secure with toothpicks. Spray cookie sheet with butter-flavored Pam. Place burritos on pan. Then spray burritos with butter-flavored Pam. Cook at 350 til they start to brown. (Maybe 15 minutes) Turn burritos, spray with Pam again and cook 10 more minutes. Tortillas should be slightly crispy.

Marinara Sauce

1 chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped carrots
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. hamburger
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes
3 oz. tomato paste
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt

Brown hamburger with onion, carrots, and garlic. (can also add mushrooms and zucchini) Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, salt, and dash pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Homemade Noodles

2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
2 c. flour

Beat together eggs, milk and salt. Add flour to make a stiff dough. Use food processor or heavy-duty mixer if available. Let rest for about 10 minutes. Roll and cut into noodles with a pasta machine or roll VERY thin and cut by hand. Drop immediately into boiling, salted water. Cook approx. 5 minutes. They cook quickly so don't overcook!

Skillet Lasagna

Brown:
1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped

Mix together:
1 1/2 c. cooked macaroni
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. grated cheese
12 oz. tomato sauce (can add more if wanted)
Cooked hamburger

Put in casserole dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cook for 30 minutes at 350.

California Pizza Kitchen Dough

1 T. yeast
1 1/2 c. + 3 T. warm water
4 1/2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 T. salt
3 T. olive oil

Dissolve yeast in water, sprinkling sugar on top. Place flour and salt in bowl. Make a well and pour in yeast mixture and oil. Mix and knead. Should be tacky. Coat bowl/dough with a little oil and let rise until doubled. Place pizza stone in oven and preheat at 500. Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll out one portion to the size of pizza pan. Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal. Place dough on top. Cover with desired toppings. Using peel, transfer pizza to stone in oven. Cook 8-10 mins. Remove with peel. Make second pizza following the same steps.

Note: If you do not have a pizza peel, DO NOT preheat stone. Make pizza on stone and then place in oven.

Makes 2 pizzas

Chicago Stuffed Pizza

3 1/2 c. flour
1 pkg. yeast (1 tbsp)
2 tsp. sugar
2 T. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1 c. luke warm water

Dissolve yeast into water. Add sugar and oil, mix. Add flour, mix. Knead on floured surface fro 8 - 10 mins. Place in a greased bowl and roll around to coat all sides. Cover and let double in size. Divide into 2 parts (bottom part needs to be a slightly larger portion). Roll out larger ball on pizza stone, making it one inch larger than the stone. Put filling on, leaving 1/4 inch clearance from edge of stone. Roll out remaining dough. Put on top and roll edges together to seal. Top with sauce and cheese. (1/4 lb. mozzarella and 1/2 c. grated parmesan) Bake at 400 for 20-25 mins.

Filling:
3/4 lb. mozzarella
1/3 lb. probalone
1 lb. sausage (browned)
3 med. onions (diced)
1 lg. green pepper
1/2 lb. mushrooms
1 lb. pepperoni

Mix in pan and put on pizza. (confession: I use less cheese and onions than called for in recipe)

Sauce:
16 oz. can whole tomatoes (mashed to pulp and drained)
1/2 tsp. crushed rd pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 T. italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. salt
16 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat to boil. Reduce heat and simmer. (approx 20 mins)

Peppermint Meltaways

This is my new Christmas favorite- I found it in a magazine!!

Cookie:
Cream together until light and fluffy:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Beat in:
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Gradually add and mix well:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch

Shape dough into 1 inch balls (dough will feel a bit sticky). Place on ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart (or they run into each other as they cook).

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
Remove to wire racks and cool completely before icing.

Frosting:
2 tbs. butter softened
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tbs milk
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
2-3 drops red food coloring

Mix together and spread over cooled cookies

Sprinkle cookies with crushed peppermint candies

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

Farrell's Coffee Cake

This is sooo easy and soooo yummy- I generally have this on hand at all times for quick, yummy breakfasts. Named for my mother-in-law who made it up!

Mix together
1 box yellow cake mix (poweder only)
1 box small vanilla pudding (powder only)
1 cup sour cream (low fat works great)
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs

Mix until smooth

Add mini chocolate chips- I use 3/4 of the bag.
(minis work best- regular size seem to sink and clump together)

Grease a bundt pan

In a plastic baggie combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon- shake to mix

Cover bundt pan bottom and sides with some of the sugar mix
Add 1/2 of the cake batter
Sprinkle more of the sugar mix over batter
Add rest of the cake batter
Sprinkle the rest of the sugar mix over batter

Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes

Let cool for 10 min then remove from bundt pan- ENJOY!!

Mouth-Watering Punch

12 oz. can orange juice concentrate
12 oz. can lemonade concentrate
10 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbs. almond flavoring
1 Tbs. vanilla

Add a 2 liter bottle of 7-Up before you serve. Such a refreshing, mouth-watering combination of tastes. I can never get enough of this stuff.

Chicken in Milk

LOVE this recipe, especially for Sundays! Looking at the ingredients, you just have to go on faith that the flavor is amazing :)

1 whole chicken
1 stick butter
1/2 cinnamon stick
handful fresh sage, leaves picked
2 lemons, zested
6 garlic cloves, skin left on
1 pint whole milk

Preheat oven to 375 degreesF(190degrees C) and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over with salt and pepper, and fry it in the butter, turning the chicken to get it golden brown everywhere you can. Remove from heat, put chicken on a plate, and throw away the butter left in the pot. Put the chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours. Baste with juice if you remember, or not, whatever. The lemon zest will split the milk, so it looks a little curdled, but it makes a fantastic sauce. To serve, pull the meat off the bones, pile it onto a platter, and pour over the juice, curds and all. You're welcome.

Chicken Tetrazini

4-5 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
½ c. butter
½ c. flour
3 c. chicken broth
2 c. milk
1 c. whipping cream
Salt/pepper
1 ½ pkg. angel hair pasta, cooked
Sliced mushrooms (optional, but very tasty)
Bread crumbs (don’t buy the cheap kind, they need a good flavor)
Monterey jack and cheddar cheese, shredded

In saucepan, melt butter, then add flour. Add chicken broth and milk, slowly while stirring. Stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Add whipping cream. Add salt and pepper. Place cooked noodles in casserole dish. (should fill 2/3 of pan) Layer chicken on noodles, then mushrooms, and cheeses. Finally, sprinkle a thick layer of breadcrumbs on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

I forgot about this recipe until I was looking for something to make for Cuqui. Another friend brought this dish to us when Ellie was born and I HAD to have the recipe.

Badda "Bean" Badda Boom

1/2 onion (sauteed)

1 cup bacon cut up or bacon bits (sauteed with onions)

2 cans of baked beans

1 can of green beans (drained)

1/2 can of garbanzo beans (drained)

1 can of kidney beans (drained)

1/3 cup BBQ sauce

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 TBS brown sugar

garlic salt to taste

Saute the onion and the bacon together in a large pot on the stove. Then add all the other ingredients and simmer in pot for about 35 minute on med/high. Stirring occasionally.

I made this last week and just through it together. It is usually a side dish but with the bacon in it I say it can be a main course. It sounds pretty healthy too. All that fiber and veggies and stuff! My family ate it and didn't complain...:)

5 Minutes in Heaven Cake

I saw this on another blog and wanted to save it so that I could try it later

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Pork Chile Verde

small pork sirloin roast(or any pork you can chunk up), cut into bite-sized chunks
1 can green enchilada sauce
2 cans chopped green chiles
3 big carrots, finely chopped
1/2 bunch celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
6-8 tomatillos, finely chopped
1 big tomato, finely chopped

Heat a soup pot or big fry pan until really hot. Drizzle in olive oil. Add pork chunks all at once. Season with granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Brown meat so there's a good caramel color. Add carrots, celery, onion and bell pepper. Saute until veggies are nice and soft. Add enchilada sauce, green chiles and tomatillos. Saute a few minutes. Add enough water so you can see it everywhere but it doesn't cover the meat and veggies. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Cover and simmer until veggies are falling apart, sauce is thickened and meat is very tender. Add tomato and simmer few more minutes. Taste and reseason if necessary. Consistency should be like a thick stew. Serve in a bowl topped with chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. This makes enough to feed my family of six.

Apple Dip

8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 jar Whipped Marshmallow Cream
1 tsp. Nutmeg (more if you want)

Mix and serve with apple slices.

My mom makes this for Christmas every year and I could never get enough of it.