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.

Bow-tie 'Lasagna'

I made this last night and it was delicious. I love lasagna but don't always have the time to put it together. This tastes a lot like it but is so much easier. I found the recipe over on Tasty Kitchen. Here it is:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Ground Chuck
• 12 oz. box of Bow-tie Noodles
  
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
  
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or More, Make It To Your Taste)
• ½ cups Mozzarella Cheese
• ½ cups Sour Cream

Directions:
Cook the ground chuck in a frying pan until fully browned. At the same time, cook the bow-tie noodles according to the directions on the package. Once the noodles are cooked and drained, add the olive oil in with the noodles and add in the spaghetti sauce.
When the beef is totally browned, drain the excess fat and add the ground beef into the sauce. Next add the spices, cheese, sour cream and stir it all together. Let it all warm up and melt together, over low heat, for about five minutes or until the cheese is all melted and yummy. Serve it up and enjoy!

This Week

Sunday: Soup and Sandwiches

Monday: Bow-tie Lasagna

Tuesday: Poor Sunday Soup

Wednesday: Meatball Subs

Thursday: Mummy Dogs

Friday: Eat Out

Saturday: Out of Town

Time for Comfort Food

Sunday: Fried Pork Chops and Baked Potatoes

Monday: Italian Pot Pies

Tuesday: Plov- I learned how to make this in Russia and it is amazing. The flavors melt together in such a yummy way. I am going to try and wing this recipe. We'll see how it goes.

Wednesday: Penne Bake with Spinach and Tomatoes

Thursday: Stuffed Peppers

Friday: Date Night!!

It's Been a While Menu

Lots of new recipes this week. Hopefully they are all wonderful and easy to make!!

Sunday: Pot Roast- Don't let the lack of liquid fool you with this recipe. The roast is still moist and delicious!!

Monday: Vegetarian Chili- We are big meat eaters in this family and so I am really hoping my husband doesn't miss the meat too much!

Tuesday: Meatloaf

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Thursday: Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Shells

Friday: Meatball Subs

The Menu

Sunday: Family dinner at Aunt's house. She made the most amazing skirt steak. I need that recipe! It was heaven.

Monday: Butter Chicken

Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner- Eggs, hash browns, and sausage links

Wednesday: Baked Ziti- First time making this one. Hope it is good!

Thursday: Beef Stew

Friday: Pork Chops with apples

Butter Chicken

I LOVE Indian Food. It is my favorite ethnic food, followed closely by Chinese and Thai food. I always figured it was hard to cook, until I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen. Normally, I don't love trying recipes where I have to go and buy new spices that I don't use very often, but in this case, it was worth it! As the chicken simmers in its sauce, I just stand by the stove and breathe in the yummy exotic smells. It is heaven with a little naan bread on the side, which we happened to find in our local Winco. Anyway, here is my version of the recipe and here is a link to the original, in case you want to see it. The original recipe is a little heavier on garlic, cayenne pepper (I leave this out totally), cream, and marinade time.

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut Into Bite Sized Pieces)
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
• ¼ teaspoons Cumin
• ¼ teaspoons Cardamom
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 1 whole Onion, Diced
• ¼ cups Butter
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Whipping Cream- the original recipe calls for a pint of whipping cream but that seemed like a lot. I just add the cream until I think it tastes good which for me is 1/4 of a cup. You can also uses half and half for a slightly less fattening options:)
• 2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Optional Ingrdients:

• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper- I don't love spicy food and so I just leave this out but if you are going to add it, put it in the marinade with the other spices
• 1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste- We can't eat cilantro in our house. My husband think it tastes like soap but it sounds like a lovely addition to the recipe. Add this right before serving.

Directions:

Combine first 8 ingredients and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream just before serving over Basmati rice.