Fall, anyone?

So, I forgot to post the pumpkin bread recipe.

Apparently, I also forgot to take a picture of the COOKED pumpkin bread. Whoops. Oh well, I'll post the recipe anyhow, because it was amazing. (If I do say so myself. Hehe!)

I also apparently forgot to take a picture of the finished gingerbread men... this was probably due to me finishing them (the ribbon) in the car, on the way to Mama's. Oh well, she liked them.
I had a couple defect ones left here... one of which will have to go on the calender, but the others were meant as extras. So, this is kinda ugly, but you get the idea. (Mind you, I've never made these before, so they weren't exactly beautiful. I do think the rest were prettier, though.)


Spiced Pumpkin Bread
(TOH)

3/4 Cup butter, softened
2 Cup Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Cup canned pumpkin
2/3 Cup orange juice
2 Tablespoon Molasses
1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 1/3 Cup all-Purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4-1 Teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin, orange juice, molasses, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; add to the creamed mixture and mix until blended.
Pour into two greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from the pans to wire racks.















(Then clean out the bowl... thoroughly.)
What, hunny, this isn't a flattering picture? No? Aw, but I think you're cute! ;)
















So, again, apologies for a lack of a picture. Trust me: it looked pretty (well, ok, each loaf was cracked, but it was still pretty), and it tasted AMAZING. I was kinda sad I left it all at Mama's, but since it was her birthday... :)

(Note: Original also called for 1 cup raisins & 1 cup chopped pecans, added after everything else. I don't like raisins or pecans, so I just skipped this part. It turned out fine.)


Gingerbread Men
(TOH)


2/3 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Molasses
1 Egg
3 Cup all-Purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon ground ginger
1 Teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
confectioner's sugar icing, red-hot candies, miniature chocolate chips, optional

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut with a 4" cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place 2" apart on greased baking sheets.









Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate as desired.

Yields: ~ 2 dozen

I have to admit, I thought this was going to be a lot harder to make than it was. Maybe if they are prettier it is harder? :)

As I used these for ornaments, I did not do any decorating.
Also, if using small cookie cutters, recommend cooking 8 min or less.


As always... reviews/comments are lovely, and shall be rewarded. :)

Yummy Peach Cobbler!

I made this quite awhile ago, but I just now added the recipe to Recipe Manager, so I thought I would post it on here too!


Peach Cobbler
(eatbetteramerica.com)


1 Cup Bisquick
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Cup Milk
3 Tablespoon canola oil
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 can (29oz) peach slices, drained
1 Teaspoon lemon juice
vanilla ice cream, if desired

Instructions:
Heat oven to 375. In an ungreased 8" square (2qt) glass baking dish, stir Bisquick and cinnamon. Stir in milk and oil with wire whisk or fork until blended.

In medium bowl, mix sugar, peaches, and lemon juice. Spoon over batter in baking dish.

Bake 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand about 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm with ice cream.

(It doesn't even look close to yummy in this picture... what a relief that it turned out so tasty!)



(Due to where the recipe came from, I have all of the following information.)

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 1hr
Total Time: 1h30m

Calories: 280
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: .5 g
Calories From Fat: 70
Protein: 3 g
Carbohydrates: 49 g
Sodium: 190 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 35 g


This recipe was very yummy! We made it just before we went to Colorado, so everything Nate & I didn't eat went to my parents' house--and apparently they liked it too! :)

Today I have been cooking like crazy! No-bakes in the morning (for when we visit my Daddy tomorrow, of course!), and a lot in the afternoon! Gingerbread men, a chocolate thing that I refuse to post because it turned out that bad, Shepherd's Pie for dinner, and spiced pumpkin bread in the evening (for my Mama for her birthday!).
The pumpkin bread recipe will be posted tomorrow, seeing that it's still cooking and won't be eaten til tomorrow. Can't review it if I haven't tried it! The gingerbread men will be reviewed tomorrow too. Largely because I'm not done with them... most aren't getting eaten, they are being used as decorations, and being given as a gift tomorrow! (Mama has a beautiful Christmas countdown quilt, but all the original gingerbread ornaments broke. So, I am replacing them as her birthday gift this year!) The ribbon will be added tomorrow...


So, you think you've had no-bakes before? Nope. Unless you've had Laurie's No-Bakes, you have not had them. Maybe a cheap imitation, but not the real thing.


No Bake Cookies
(My Mama-Laurie Curtis)


2 Cup Sugar
4 Tablespoon cocoa
1/4 Cup butter/margarine
1/2 Cup Milk
3/4 Cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups oatmeal

Instructions:
Mix cocoa and sugar, set aside.
Put milk and butter in a saucepan; heat until butter is mostly melted. Add sugar mixture, stir well. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, then remove from heat.
Quickly add oatmeal and peanut butter, stirring well. Spoon onto wax paper to cool.

So, what makes my Mama's cookies the best, you ask? (Aside from the fact that my mother is unable to cook something that does not taste amazing.) Really, it's the fact that she increases the PB & decreases the oatmeal. I think she actually uses just shy of 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal, but close enough.
If you've never had them like this, try it! I'm addicted to these cookies, but they are totally worth it.

(My ideal breakfast... although my husband did yell at me about it this morning!) :)
And no, I didn't eat all of those! Just one... maybe two. ;)














On to dinner....
Simple Shepherd's Pie
(TOH)

1 Pound ground beef
2 10.75oz can condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
3 Cup mixed veggies, thawed
4 Cup mashed potatoes (with added milk & butter)

Instructions:
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the soup & veggies. Pour into a greased 11x7x2 baking dish. Top with potatoes.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

Simple, yet yummy! I pick different veggies every time... depending on my mood!
(If the picture doesn't look that great, it's because I forgot to take a picture at dinner. I took it outta the fridge for this... lol)

Hearty Whole Wheat Bread...and couscous

I LOVE bread. A lot. Nathan is a whole grain bread type of guy, whereas I am more of a white bread girl. But, I am slowly trying to switch over... due the healthiness, and wanting to make my hubby happy. :) This bread is going to make that MUCH easier. It's good for you, but tastes yummy!

Hearty Whole Wheat Bread
(Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook)


3-3 1/2 Cup all-Purpose flour
2 1/4 Teaspoon active dry yeast
1 3/4 Cup Water
1/3 Cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoon butter, margarine, or shortening
1 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cup whole wheat flour
1/2 Cup toasted wheat germ

Instructions: In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the all-purpose flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir water, brown sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (120F-130F) and butter almost melts. Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in whole-wheat flour and wheat germ, and as much of the remaining all-purpose flour as you can.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of the dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours).
Punch dough down. Turnout onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two 8x4x2 loaf pans.
Shape dough halves into loaves by patting or rolling. To shape by patting, gently pat and pinch, tucking edges underneath. To shape by rolling, on a lightly floured surface roll each dough half into a 12x8 rectangle. Roll up each rectangle, starting from a short side. Seal seams with your fingertips.
Place shaped dough halves in prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (30 to 45 minutes).
Bake in a 375 oven for 35-40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. If necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Immediately remove bread from pans. Cool on wire racks.

(Because I got this from my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, it has all the following information. Another reason I adore that cookbook.)

Serves: 24
Yields: 2 loaves
Prep Time: 2 hrs
Cook Time: 35 min
Total Time: 2 h 35 m

Calories: 102
Cholesterol: 3 mg
Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Calories From Fat:
Protein: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 19 g
Sodium: 122 mg
Fiber: 2 g

The loaf that is cut is the one I rolled... I patted the other one into shape, so I could compare the two. I much preferred the rolling. It looked nicer, and for some reason, seemed to be less dry on the top. That may be a coincidence though.

I LOVE this recipe. Need I say anymore? :)



...on a totally unrelated topic, I'm curious if there is anyone in the world who actually likes couscous. Somehow I got it into my head that I SHOULD, so we've tried it. Multiple times. I made the following recipe, CERTAIN that this would make me like couscous.

I was wrong.

But, if YOU like couscous (one, tell me, because I am wondering what you have to do to make it taste yummy), but you might like the following recipe. :)


Cranberry Couscous
(TOH)


1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 1/2 Cup uncooked couscous
1/4 Cake dried cranberries
3 Tablespoon chopped green onions

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, bring broth and butter to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cranberries, and onions. Remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

I think it's the grainy-ness, but I just don't like it. Oh well. I tried very hard. :)

Sausage Rolls & Herbed Corn!

Well, these are from last night's dinner... and I keep debating back & forth on whether I want to post recipes that I will never make again. Oh well, someone out there must like it, so I might as well, right? :)



Sausage Rolls
(From TOH)

1 tube (8oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
8 sausage links, cooked
1/8 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 Teaspoon rubbed sage
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Water
Parsley
Paprika

Instructions: Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into four rectangles; seal perforations. Place two sausage links end to end along long side of each rectangle. Sprinkle with garlic powder and sage. Roll up jelly-roll style; seal the seams with water.



Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. In a bowl, beat egg and water; brush over rolls. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Cut into 2" pieces. Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

Please ignore the fact that I desperately need to clean my oven... I forget until I go to use it, and at 350 I don't think that's a wise idea. :) (Although the mess in there IS Nathan's fault! Really!)

So...this is the recipe that I probably won't try again. I bought the large cresents, which only makes 6, so I used two packages & almost all of my sausages. Not really a good idea. They were too buttery, and in general I didn't really like them. I might just be picky though. :)

I was even SO proud of myself, and took pictures/had Nathan take pictures during the process! And of course, we don't even like the recipe. (Which is not entirely true... Nate liked them well enough, I was just REALLY disappointed.) Darn.


Herbed Corn
(TOH)

1 Cup frozen corn
Water
Parsley
Salt
dill weed
garlic powder
italian seasoning
Thyme


Cook corn according to package directions. Strain, add seasonings to taste.

This recipe was obviously a lot more specific when I got it originally, but it also called for 12 cups corn. Ummm... no, Nate & I can't (and won't) eat that much corn. So, I just did things my mother's way--throw things together, and they magically taste great!!

...Except, when my dear mother does it, it actually does taste great. This? Mediocre. I don't think I like dill weed, though. Without that, it was great. :)

(Less pictures because... well, taking pictures of corn while it's boiling is kinda boring. Sorry.)


Tomorrow, I hope to have a post on the AMAZING bread I made today. ('Hope' for two reasons: one, I may forget to post. Two, it's not out of the oven yet, so we'll see.) :)

As always, let me know if you try anything!

Cooking frenzy!

Well, since I didn't make dinner Friday or Saturday (dinner with the family both days), I made up for it today! Lots of things to post!

First, today's dinner:
Turkey with Mushrooms and Cream

(Taste of Home)


1 Package (17.6 oz) turkey breast slices
3 Tablespoon butter, divided
3/4 Cup water, divided
1/4 Cup unsweetened apple juice
2 Teaspoon chicken bouillon granules, divided
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Cup (8oz) sour cream
1 Pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
hot cooked rice


Instructions:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook turkey in 2 tablespoons butter until golden brown and no pink remains. Remove and keep warm.
In the same skillet, combine 1/2 c water, apple juice, 1 t bouillon and pepper; cook and stir over medium heat until bouillon is dissolved. Stir in sour cream; heat through.
Meanwhile, in another skillet, combine the remaining butter, water, and bouillon; cook and stir over medium heat until bouillon is dissolved. Add mushrooms; cook for 10 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Serve turkey over rice; top with cream sauce and mushrooms.

















So now, why the pictures do NOT look like they should:
One, I have learned (again) to check the dates on my mushrooms when I buy fresh ones in the store. These were dated for the day after I bought them... which was just last week. Bought them Sunday, dated for Monday. And they were NASTY when I went to use them today. So, skipped that part.
Reason two... I was so annoyed about the mushrooms I totally forgot about the rice. Completely. Oops. (Or at least that's the reason I want to use... sounds better than saying I'm an idiot.)

The only problem (other than my silliness) was that the cream sauce was very... sour-cream-y. Very. Might cut down on that next time.

Other than that, Nate & I both said this is a recipe we would try again! (Correctly, next time. I promise.)


Before dinner snack (for Nathan):
Corn Muffins
(Better Homes & Garden Cookbook)


1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Cornmeal
2-3 Tablespoon Sugar
2 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 beaten eggs
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup cooking oil/melted butter

Instructions: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened.


Spoon batter into 12 greased 2 1/2" muffin cups, filling cups 2/3 full.














Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.












The really sad part about the fact that I remembered to take pictures THROUGHOUT the process is that Nate was not very fond of these. He couldn't really say what to do to fix it... so I probably would not try this again.

(I don't like corn muffins/cornbread in general, so I had no opinion, other than I thought they looked pretty!)














After dinner snack:
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
(Taste of Home)


1/4 Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
2/3 Cup canned pumpkin
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Teaspoon grated orange peel
2 Cup Flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2-1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 Teaspoon Salt


Streusel ingredients:
1/3 Cup Flour
3 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoon cold butter

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, molasses, and orange peel; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to pumpkin mixture just until blended. Use paper liners or coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray; fill two-thirds full.
For topping, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.


My sexy husband helping me, cuz his clutzy wife burned her fingers. :)


















First of all, if you don't have a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbooks, GET ONE. I don't know how much they cost, but they are AMAZING. Or, just look up a substitutions list online. Pumpkin pie spice? Nope. Buttermilk? Nope. And I had no urge to buy either... for buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon vinegar + enough milk to make one cup, to make one cup of buttermilk. For pumpkin pie spice (one teaspoon): 1/2 t ground cinnamon, 1/4 t ground ginger, 1/4 t ground allspice, and 1/8 t ground nutmeg.
I never buy buttermilk, I always use that. And I don't think I will every buy pumpkin pie spice. :)

Second... you should make these. ASAP. They are spectacular! I was worried I wouldn't like them, but I LOVE them! Nate did too!


I made cinnamon swirl bread yesterday to take to Mama's house... but of course, no pictures. (And none left... I was a nice daughter & let Mama keep the leftovers!) I plan on making it again soon for us, so I will post pictures & the recipe when I do!

As always, let me know if you try something, or think something I have made sounds good!

Spaetzle!!

So, I am kinda ashamed of myself. I was SO excited about blogging, and now it's been over a month since I posted something. Oops.
It's not like I haven't been cooking... I have. Quite a lot, actually. But I've been busy... internship, etc.
Ok, so I have no real excuses. Oh well. I'm apologizing, and forgiving myself because I am posting a FUN recipe tonight!
I found this recipe for Spaetzle (pronounced SPHET-sehl or something like that) the other day, and REALLY wanted to try it. One, it has a very fun name, two, it sounded like it would be fun to make, and three, it sounded yummy.



Spaetzle Dumplings


2 cups flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon butter

In a large bowl, stir the flour, eggs, milk and salt until smooth (dough will be sticky). In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Pour dough into a colander or spaetzle maker coated with cooking spray; place over boiling water.

With a wooden spoon, press dough until small pieces drop into boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes or until dumplings are tender and float. Remove with a slotted spoon; toss with butter.


It was SLIGHTLY more difficult to make than I thought it would be, largely because pushing the dough through a colander took longer than expected... and someone needed to hold the colander, so the dough wasn't sitting in the boiling water the whole time!

It was well worth it, though. Aside from being a little salty, they were great. I loved them just plain!

These are originally from Germany/the area around it. Which is awesome, because my friend's German mother saw my status on facebook and said that the leftovers should be fried in a frying pan with a little butter. :) Since I had NO IDEA what we were going to do with the leftovers, I really appreciate that! They don't look like they would microwave well...