Long Time No See!

Hi Friends!  Sorry it's been so long since I've posted!  Life is crazy anyway, but I had to study for my certified coder's exam and take the test, so I felt like every minute needed to go to that!  I took the big 5 hour exam on Saturday and found out today that I passed!!  Yay!  Now I can earn a little extra money to pay for Catholic High School! 


I LOVE this great Fall weather.  Just went to D.C.M's football game and it was perfect weather for it!  It's this time of year that I start wanting apple and pumpkin desserts.  This is a popular pumpkin dessert, that I would never have thought I would like--I'm not a big pumpkin pie fan--but I really love this.  I always add extra pecans and serve it with a little scoop of  vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE                           

Ingredients:

1- 15 ounce can pumpkin

1- 12 ounce can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon nutmeg*

1/2 teaspoon ginger*

1/2 teaspoon cloves*

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

----

1- 18.25 ounce yellow cake mix**

1 cup walnuts (I used pecans)

1/2 cup or 1 stick butter, melted

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9x13 pan. Completely combine 1st set of ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with cake mix. Gently pat down with spoon. Sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle with butter. Bake for 50 minutes. Cool and cut in squares.


* Or use 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice or Cinnamon.

Happy Birthday Dannyboy!

Today is my Danny's 13th birthday!  He is my sweet, funny, hardworking middle child.  I know it is so cliche, but it really does blow my mind how fast time flies!  It seems like just yesterday that we were driving down the highway, on the way to daycare, and he looked up at me through his little balled fists and said  "Mommy, dat sunshine is boddering me!"  I asked him a few days ago what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday.  He thought a while and decided he wanted a double batch of fudge crinkle cookies.  You know, it's those chocolate cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar before they are baked and come out all crinkly looking?  I made them a few weeks ago from a chocolate cake mix and they turned out awesome.  Here is the basic formula:

1  cake mix, any flavor
1/2 cup of oil
2 eggs

Mix together, drop by rounded tablespoons onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  There are a lot of great combinations you can make....lemon........ yellow cake mix with chocolate chips....... spice cake with cream cheese glaze...........

For the chocolate crinkles, use a chocolate or devils food cake mix.  Roll the dough into balls and let them sit and dry out for about 10 minutes (this keeps the powdered sugar from soaking in too much).  Coat each ball really well in powdered sugar.  Bake according the the recipe above.

These are so fudgy and rich.  They are so easy and definitely worth the time to make!

Embarassingly Easy, but Oh So Good!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days.  With my parents in from out of town, a big "survey" coming up at work and trying to prepare for my professional coder's exam next weekend I haven't been able to find the time.  The good news is, though, that I also haven't had the time to cook, so you haven't missed anything.  On Thursday night, my mom made this wonderful pork roast.  Here's how you do it..........Start by seasoning your 3-4 lb. roast, all over, with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Take a few minutes to sear the roast in a pan with a little oil.  Just get the pan pretty hot, put the roast in for a minute or two on each side to brown it up and seal in the juices.  Next, put the roast into a crock pot with 3-4 unpeeled potatoes, salted and peppered and quartered, an onion, quartered and a couple of handfuls of baby carrots.  Add 2 cups of beef broth, either store-bought or from boullion and cook it all on low for 7-8 hours.  When it's done, I like to remove the meat and vegetables and pull the meat apart into large chunks with 2 forks.  Add a can of cream of mushroom soup to the juice/broth in the crock pot and stir it up really good.  Taste and season with a little salt and pepper if needed.  You could also mix a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch or flour into 1/4 cup of cool water and add it to the broth.  Stir it up well and let it thicken.  Add the meat and veg back into the gravy and VOILA!  This is so homey and comforting. 

Another comfort food meal that is super easy is my version of "homemade" chicken pot pie. 

Ingredients:
1 store-bought pie crust (the folded kind, by the canned biscuits)
chicken, cut up (cook it, or use leftover or rotissery)
1 large can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of mixed vegetables, drained or 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables
salt and pepper
1-2 Tbs. butter, chopped

Thaw out your crust...I think it says 20 minutes.  Unfold and place the bottom crust into a pie pan.  Mix together the cream of chicken soup, chopped up chicken and mixed vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper and pour into crust.  Dot with butter, cut up into small pieces.  Add the top crust and crimp the edges..  Cut a few slits in the top of the pie crust to let out the steam.  I always add a ring of aluminum foil around the edges, so they don't burn.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, remove the aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes more.  If the top isn't brown enough, just turn on your broiler and CAREFULLY brown the top.  This should only take a minute or 2....you have to watch it close.  This is a yummy, comforting, easy dinner that you can make on a weeknight with no trouble at all.

Try these easy dinners and I'm sure your family will love them!

It's Fall!! Time for some Halloween-y Munchies!!

My parents are still in town, and are hanging out at home during the day while Bob and I are at work and the kids are at school.  I thought I'd make some of this YUMMY snack mix for them to nibble on while we are gone.  I got this recipe last year from Our Best Bites blog and it is addictive!

Goblin Grub {Chewy Chex Cereal Mix}

6 1/2 c. Rice Chex (I use store brand)
4 1/2 c. Golden Grahams (I use the store brand)
1 c. sliced almonds ( I use whatever I have, which is usually pecans)
2 c. coconut
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) real butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. light Karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

In a VERY LARGE bowl, combine cereal, almonds, and coconut. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine butter, Karo syrup, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for three minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. While the mixture is still hot, pour over the cereal mixture and stir well so the candy mixture coats the cereal.

This is so good.......chewy, sweet, coconutty.........I hope they save some for me!!

Entertaining the 'Rents

My mom and dad are in until Wednesday to watch the kids play football and volleyball.  I did have to buy a few "company" groceries, I'm sorry to say, but I did write a small list of only things I had to have.  The list was MUCH smaller than I'd usually buy for company because I made sure I used what I have at home, instead of double buying.  So, this morning for breakfast I made this "coffeecake" (Okay, it's not really a coffeecake, it's really a dessert, but I thought it would be good for breakfast).  Here it is:

Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie
2 (8oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 (8oz.) pkgs. refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup honey

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll one can of crescent roll dough, and press it into the bottom of your dish until there are no seems. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough, lightly pressing seems together. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon, and set aside. Melt your butter in the microwave. Pour the butter over the top of the cheesecake. Sprinkle your cinnamon and sugar mixture over the butter layer. Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

* Then store leftovers in fridge and eat the next day cold! It keeps a crunchy crust - we love eating it this way even better!!!

OMGness........this is soooo good!

For dinner tonight, I'm making the yummiest, richest chicken spaghetti.  This recipe is from one of my best friends Melinda.  She is a great Southern Arkansas cook.  Here is Melinda's recipe:

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (Save the broth)

1 stick butter

1 bell pepper, chopped (can use red or green)

3-4 sticks celery, chopped

16 oz. package spaghetti

1 lb. Velveeta cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can Rotel tomatoes / chilies

4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Saute vegetables in butter until tender. Stir in chicken.

Cook spaghetti in reserved chicken broth – add water if necessary. When done, stir Velveeta and mushroom soup into spaghetti and broth.

Add sautéed vegetables, chicken, and Rotel. Simmer 30 minutes, or cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Top with shredded cheese before serving.

　

　

***** If you have too much chicken broth after the spaghetti is done, pour some off and reserve it. After all ingredients are combined, you may need to add a little more liquid.

　This is a great recipe to make for a crowd.  Every time I make it I get tons of requests for the recipe.  It is also really good leftover the next day!