Incredible Pumpkin Cookies

I needed to make some cookies for some friends and I wanted to try something new. I found this pumpkin cookie recipe and fell in love. It is amazing! The frosting is so creamy and tastes like caramel. It is such a yummy combination with the pumpkin. The original recipe made a ton of cookies, so I cut it in half. It still made 3 dozen.

Ingredients:

• 1 cups shortening
• 1 cups white sugar
• 1 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 eggs
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cream shortening, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. To Make Frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Drizzle over warm cookies.

Thumbprint-Jelly Center Cookies

These cookies are pretty versatile. You can roll them and twist them like pretzels, make sandwich cookies, or you can put drops in the center, which was my favorite. Here are the instructions for the thumbprint-jam center variation. You can find the other instructions at Everyday Food- my new favorite place to find easy and tasty recipes.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add yolks, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour; mix just until combined. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, about 1 hour. To make ahead: Refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On parchment-lined baking sheets, drop all-in-one cookie dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart.

Next, use a 1/4-teaspoon measure to gently press a hollow in the center of each dough mound. Fill each hollow with 1/2 teaspoon jam or jelly, a chocolate chunk, or a nut half (makes about 28). After forming cookies, bake until pale golden, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through.

My Mouth Is Watering!

Blueberry Swirl Cake

1 package (2 layer size) white cake mix

3/4 cup water

3 egg whites

2 Tbsp. oil

1 package (3 oz.) jello lemon flavored gelatin, divided (I don't love lemon so I might try another kind)

1 cup blueberries

1 8oz cream cheese softened

1 whole egg

3 Tbsp. water

How to make it!

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Beat cake mix, 3/4 cups water, egg whites, and oil in a large bowl with a mixer. Add 1/4 a cup dry gelatin mix and beat on a low speed for about 1 minute, then on medium speed for 4 minutes. Stir in berries and let sit. Beat cream cheese and whole egg in another bowl with mixer until well blended.

Pour half the cake batter in a greased 12 cup fluted tube pan or a 10 inch tube pan. Cover with layers of cream cheese mixture and remaining cake batter.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes. Gently loosen cake and let it finish cooling on a cake pan or board.

Microwave 3 Tbsp. water in a bowl or measuring cup on high for about 30 seconds. Add to remain gelatin mixture, and allow to dissolve. Brush over cake until the mixture is absorbed. Refrigerate leftovers.

I thought this looked like a yummy spring/summer dessert!!!! I am going to try it ASAP!

Homeade Oreos

These are delicious. They are also really easy to make. I think I may never go back to the store-bought kind- they are that tasty!

Ingredients:

Cookie-
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa (I didn't have fancy cocoa, just Nestle's, and it worked just fine.)

1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temp., unsalted butter
1 large egg

Filling-

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.
6. Enjoy them with a tall glass of milk!

Vanilla Cupcake

I needed a yummy cupcake recipe and I found this one on Martha Stewart's website. They taste like a sugar cookie and weren't too tough to make.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups of sugar
2 Tablespoons of baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.



Vanilla Buttercream Icing Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Mummies

What You Need!
Twinkies
Stiff Frosting
Mini M&M's
Pastry Bags for Icing or other Icing tools

Make It!
Unwrap Twinkie cakes; and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the frosting into the pastry bag; pipe the frosting to look like mummy wrappings to cover each Twinkie cake. Place the M&M mini candies on the cakes for eyes. Pipe around the eyes for a more realistic look

Football Fun

What You Need
6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups cocoa sweetened rice cereal
White decorating gel

Make It
MICROWAVE chocolate, corn syrup and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2-1/2 min., stirring after 1-1/2 min. Blend in vanilla.
ADD cereal; mix well. Cool 10 min. Shape into 18 (3-inch-long) football shapes with lightly moistened hands. Place on large sheet of wax paper; cool completely.
USE decorating gel to add "lacings" to "footballs." Let stand until gel is firm.

Pumpkin Bars {thanks Alison}

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs beaten

1 2/3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

1-1lb. 13 oz. can solid pack pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

Mix and spread in an un-greased 10x15 inch pan.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla

Beat until creamy. Spread on pumpkin bars. Cut and enjoy!

Yummy Truffles

Truffles

1 package of oreos (any kind, but mint is fablulous!)

1 8oz. cream cheese

Smash up the oreos and mix with the cream cheese. Roll into balls and then freeze. Once frozen dip in melted bakers chocolate. For a professional look squiggle with chocolate of an alternating color. (if you want to use double stuffed oreos cut cream cheese to 6 ounces)

Patriotic Fun

The Fourth of July is on its way, and for every holiday I love having fun foods to create for the kiddos!!!! These are two they love, that I have picked up since being a Mom! Hope you enjoy them too!!!
Patriotic Pops

1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Cherry Flavor Gelatin
1 cup sugar, divided
2 cups boiling water, divided
ice cubes
2 cups cold water, divided
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Berry Blue Flavor Gelatin 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

COMBINE dry cherry gelatin mix and 1/2 cup of the sugar in medium bowl. Add 1 cup of the boiling water; stir at least 2 min. until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add enough ice cubes to 1 cup of the cold water to measure 2 cups. Add to gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. Pour evenly into 16 (5-oz.) paper or plastic cups, adding about 1/4 cup of the gelatin to each cup. Freeze 1 hour.
MEANWHILE, combine dry blue gelatin mix and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl. Add remaining 1 cup boiling water; stir at least 2 min. until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add enough ice cubes to remaining 1 cup cold water to measure 2 cups. Add to gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate 1 hour.
SPOON about 3 Tbsp. of the whipped topping over red gelatin in each cup; top evenly with blue gelatin, adding about 1/4 cup of the gelatin to each cup. Freeze 1 hour or until almost firm. Insert wooden pop stick or plastic spoon into center of each cup for handle. Freeze an additional 4 hours or overnight. To remove pops from cups, place bottoms of cups under warm running water for 15 sec. Press firmly on bottoms of cups to release pops. (Do not twist or pull pop sticks.) Store leftover pops in freezer.

Firecracker Cupcakes

1-1/2 cups BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut, divided
4 drops each: blue and red food colorings
24 yellow cupcakes
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
24 red string licorice pieces (4 inch)

PLACE 1/2 cup of the coconut in each of two separate resealable plastic bags; set remaining 1/2 cup coconut aside. Add blue food coloring to coconut in one bag and red food coloring to coconut in second bag. Seal bags; shake until coconut is evenly tinted.
SPREAD tops of cupcakes with whipped topping. Sprinkle with red, white (uncolored) and blue coconut as desired; press coconut gently into whipped topping to secure.
INSERT licorice piece into top of each cupcake for the firecracker's fuse. Store in refrigerator.

Cheese Steaks and Cheesecake

For our first post, we thought we would share some favorite family recipes. We hope you'll send us some of your favorites as well. We are eagerly trying new recipes and looking for ones we can share.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

This is a recipe I found from Bobby Flay on the Food Network. I tweaked it a little to fit our budget and my cooking skills.

Ingredients:
* 1 lb or more of thinly sliced steak (Bobby called for the good stuff- strip loin steak, but I just use the affordable kind and slice it really thin.)
* Olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Soft hoagie rolls, split 3/4 open
* Provolone Cheese
* Caramelized Onions, recipe follows
* Sauteed Peppers, recipe follows


Directions

Place steak in freezer for 30 to 45 minutes; this makes it easier to slice the meat. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice very thinly.

Heat griddle or grill pan over high heat. Brush steak slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 45 to 60 seconds per side.

Place several slices of the meat on the bottom half of the roll, place cheese on the meat, and top with the onions, and peppers.

Caramelized Onions:
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1-2 large onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook slowly until golden brown and caramelized, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.


Sauteed Peppers:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 bag frozen cut pepper strips (These are located in the frozen veggie section of most supermarkets. You can use fresh peppers but I thought it was easier to use these. We use the leftover peppers for fajitas later in the week.)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in medium saute pan over high heat. Add the peppers and cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

2- 8oz.cream cheeses

3/4 c. sugar

2- eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

Beat all ingredients until light and fluffy.

Take 24 vanilla wafers- place one in each cupcake wrapper and place in a muffin tin.

Then spoon cream cheese mixture on top of vanilla wafers.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes

*Serve with pie filling on top of each (any kind)---- My favorite is cut up strawberries mixed with strawberry glaze.

You can cut the recipe in half if you only wish to make 12!