Shortcut Pumpkin Bread

I got this recipe out of my November "Parents" magazine. I've never made pumpkin bread before, and this sounded like a quick and yummy way to make it. I decided to do store bought frosting, although you could do homemade. Mmmmm....this was so good! It tasted like cake. It was moist with a light pumpkin flavor.

Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup mashed bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom (this was my addition)

Instructions:
*Prepare the yellow cake mix according to package directions but omit the water.
*Stir in the pumpkin and banana.
*Add the cinnamon and cardamom
*Mix and blend until no lumps
*Pour into a 9" greased loaf pan
*Bake at 375 for 50 minutes.
*Allow to cool and add frosting if desired

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Over the Halloween weekend, I made some devil's food cupcakes for the kids. I forgot to pick up vanilla frosting which I usually just buy, so I decided to make my own. I used a basic cream cheese frosting recipe that I modified for quantity. This was more than enough for 24 cupcakes and I had some left over too.

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package of softened cream cheese
1 stick softened butter (1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy.
Stir in vanilla extract.
Slowly add powdered sugar.
Beat until creamy smooth.

Use as frosting for cakes, cupcakes or your favorite sweet bread (like banana, pumpkin, or zucchini).

Yummy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

'Tis the season for slow cooking! I have been meaning to get more use out of my slow cooker and finally did it. I hope to be doing a lot more of this during the cold weather months. I decided to start with pot roast, which was one of my favorite comfort meals that my mom would make when I was little. Hers was just delicious! So I visited several different sites on the internet and came up with this recipe. It really turned out well. I cooked it on high, but ended up cooking it for 5 hours so the meat would be extra tender.

(I forgot to take a picture so I used one that looked like it with a link below.)


Ingredients:
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
1 can cola (I used Coke)
2-3 pound roast (I used a bottom round roast)
1 bag mini red potatoes
1 bag mini carrots

Directions:
Place the roast in the slow cooker.
Pour the rest of the ingredients on top.
Cook on high setting for about 4 hours or low setting for 8 to 10 hours. (The longer you cook, the more tender the meat will be.)

Photo credit: Trisha

Mom's Pork Chops

I love this recipe! It is simple yet very tasty and something my mom used to make when I was a girl. It's basically making a very tasty gravy for your pork chops which works really well over rice. (Here I decided to have mashed potatoes with it.) Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 loin pork chops
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1/4 cup water with 2 T flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 2T finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 T ketchup
• 1 garlic clove
• Optional: small dash of cream or milk
  

Preparation:

*In large skillet, brown pork chops.
*Once browned, add 1/2 cup water, the onion, ketchup, garlic and bouillon.
*Cover and let simmer for 30-40 minutes until chops are tender. Remove chops.
*In small bowl, combine flour and 1/4 cup water.
*Slowly add to cooking liquid stirring constantly.
*Cook until thickened.
*Stir in sour cream (and dash of cream or milk) but do not let it come to a boil.
*Serve sauce over chops on bed of rice.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a recipe I got out of the Wisconsin State Journal and decided to try it. The picture isn't mine but this is almost exactly what it looked like when done (except for the red pimentos). My family likes spaghetti and I thought this would be a nice new twist. It turns out it was a real hit! My son is in a season of being a very picky eater and I watched him gobble this down. He finished it all and asked for seconds! I can't remember the last time he's done that. He usually has 3 bites and says "all done mommy". So this will be a keeper.

Ingredients:
*Spaghetti noodles (amount would depend on # of people eating)
*2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
*2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*1 small onion, finely diced
*1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
*Seasoned salt to taste
*Black pepper to taste
*1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (this gives it a nice kick)
*About 3 cups cut up and cooked chicken breast

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to directions, drain but KEEP 1/2 cup pasta water and set aside. In a large bowl, combine cooked spaghetti, soup and 1-1/2 cups of the shredded cheese. Stir in onion, bell pepper and cayenne pepper (I actually threw my onion and green pepper in with my chicken to cook it a bit before mixing). Mix well. Add chicken and some of the reserved pasta water (as needed) and mix. Spoon into a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes and serve. Hope you enjoy it!

Picture credit: Kids Eat the Darndest Things

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do you ever get in the mood for some good chocolate chip cookies but you really just want a few, not a whole batch? That was me today. I searched around and found a small batch recipe but doubled it for mine. This is fun to make with your little ones. My son loved helping me stir. Here is the doubled recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Adapted from Small Batch Baking.

5 T butter (room temp or microwave soft)
4 T brown sugar
4 T granulated sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 cup plus 4 T flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugars, mix in the eggs and vanilla, stir in the dry ingredients, then the chips. Bake at 375 for 8-11 minutes. This made about 15 small to medium-sized cookies.

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

My husband got this recipe from a lady at work who was really thoughtful after I had our baby and wasn't able to cook much. After sitting around for a couple years, I finally made it! It was pretty good too and so easy to make. Here are the details....

Ingredients:
Cut up cooked chicken (1 to 2 pounds)
1 large jar cheese whiz
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 packages frozen broccoli
1 small diced onion
1-2 cups of rice

Cook broccoli as on package directions. Cook rice. Mix all the ingredients together. Put in a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Enjoy!