Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I almost jumped for joy today when I spotted the return of Libby's 100% pure pumpkin puree in the baking aisle at Giant Eagle. I frantically jammed can after can in my cart and rushed home to make a big batch of muffins. Ah, fall is here. My favorite baking time of year.

- 3 cups all-purpose flour

- 2 cups sugar

- 2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 2 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/2 tsp ground cloves

- 1/2 tsp allspice

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 3 eggs

- 2/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together pumpkin, vanilla, eggs and vegetable oil until smooth. In a seperate bowl, combine dry ingredients. (You could sift but I just use a small wire whisk until there are no clumps.) In batches, add flour mixture to pumpkin and stir until just combined. Add to muffin cups; bake for 18-20 minutes.

Makes 24 muffins. I did 1 dozen plain, then added raisins to the rest. Threw 6 of each in the freezer for quick breakfasts.

Apricot Curry Chicken

This is simmering away in the crockpot right now. :o)

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

- 1/2 medium onion, chopped

- 1 (12 oz) jar apricot jam

- 1/4 cup chicken stock

- 1 1/2 tsp curry powder

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1/4 tsp ground ginger

- 1/4 tsp salt

Place chicken breasts in crockpot. Mix together onion, jam, stock, curry powder, cayenne pepper, ground ginger & salt until well blended and pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

A trick if your sauce is too thin - after chicken is done cooking, remove chicken from crockpot. Turn heat to high. Mix 1 tbsp (or more, depending on how much you want to thicken it up) of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water together until smooth and add to the sauce. Leave the top off for a few minutes until it's thickened. A bit quicker, but messier - remove cooked chicken and pour sauce into a saucepan. Add cornstarch/water mixture and heat on high (uncovered) until thickened. Add chicken back in and serve.

You could also add chopped, dried apricots to this dish for a little texture. I couldn't find any that are peanut-free, so skipped it.

Serve chicken over rice. Yummy with stir-fried veggies on the side!

Lemon Raspberry Bars

Found this recipe on PW's Tasty Kitchen site and made them for my mother-in-law's birthday last night. She is a lemon/raspberry fanatic. Even though I believe all desserts should include SOME element of chocolate, I must admit these were pretty good. Below is a modified version of how I will make it next time. I followed directions to the letter and the crust was a little tough, and I didn't use the full amount of lemon juice and it was VERY lemony. Here's the original recipe if you want to compare.

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• zest of one lemon

Filling

• Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 pkg fresh raspberries

To make the crust, combine all ingredients and press into the bottom and sides of an 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temp.

For the filling, whisk together egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest and whisk until thick. Gently fold in raspberries. Pour over crust and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

I made this to celebrate Ellie's birthday with family tonight.

1 box white cake mix
1 (3oz) box strawberry Jell-O
2 cups fresh (or thawed frozen) strawberries
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Beat together cake mix, Jell-O mix, strawberries, flour & eggs, on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add vegetable oil and beat an additional minute. Bake in a bundt pan at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

You could ice this, but it's such a pretty pink that I am going to just dust some powdered sugar on top.

Banana Bread - Take 4,359

But by golly, I think I'm getting there. This is an adaptation of about 700 recipes I've tried over the last 5 years plus my own little tweaks.

-2 tbsp sugar
-1 tsp cinnamon
**
-1 1/2 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
-1 cup vanilla-flavored greek yogurt
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-2 1/4 cups flour

Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray for baking. Mix 2 tbsp sugar with 1 tsp of cinnamon and dust the pans. Beat together butter and sugar until crumbly; add eggs 1 at a time. Add bananas, yogurt, vanilla & cinnamon and beat together. Mix flour, salt & baking soda together in a seperate bowl; add in batches to banana mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Add to loaf pans. Bake at 325 for about 1 hour.

'Smores Bars

Smores... without the campfire and the mess. :o)

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup sugar

3 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine graham crackers, sugar and melted butter. Grease a 13x9 pan and press graham cracker mixture. Top with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Bake at 357 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and press marshmallows and chocolate down with a spatula. Cool and cut into bars.

Potato Cheddar Soup

1/4 cup butter
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3-4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the garlic and cook until softened (doesn't take long). Stir in the flour. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Stir in the milk.

Place the potatoes in a slow cooker. Pour in the soup mixture. Cover and cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Remove the cover. Puree part of the soup with a mixer. (I just use a hand mixer and put it right in the slow cooker) Stir in the cheese. If you need to thin it out, add some milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I serve mine with the bacon and sour cream. You could also add chives for color.

Totally Bitchin' Blondies

Did you know that Friday is National Blondie Day? You MUST make a pan of these to celebrate.

-1 1/2 sticks butter

-2 cups brown sugar

-2 eggs, beaten

-2 tbsp vanilla

-2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp salt

-chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter, mix with brown sugar until sugar begins to dissolve. Add beaten eggs and vanilla; mix until smooth. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together with a fork until there are no lumps. (I NEVER sift... too much work. Do you?) Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray (I use Pam for Baking) . Add batter and smooth evenly into the pan. Top with chocolate chips (as many as you want!) and lightly press into the batter. Bake for about 35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Made this tonight, swapping out full-fat ingredients for fat free. I really never use fat free cream cheese, but figured it couldn't be too bad in a recipe. It was yummy, but I felt a little funny eating it because... well, fat free cream cheese really just shouldn't exist. Next time will use just plain old low fat, which is an OK substitute for the real deal. I do think the butter is important in this recipe. It gives a nice texture and flavor.

-3 tbsp butter

-1/2 large onion, chopped

-1-2 cloves garlic, minced

-3 tbsp all-purpose flour

-46 ounces V8 juice

-1 can fat free evaporated milk

-1 (8oz) block cream cheese, chopped into pieces

-salt & pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a soup pot, add onions and garlic and saute until soft. Add flour and stir, allowing the flour to cook out for a few minutes. Add V8 and evaporated milk and bring to a soft boil. Simmer about 10 minutes, then stir in cream cheese. When it melts, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Serve with croutons, fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Perfect with grilled cheese!

Cheesy Potatoes

Is there anything better, really? I don't think so. This recipe is tried and true. I've seen lots of different variations of it, most of which include melted butter in with the cheese mixture. I've made it that way before, but honestly, this recipe does not need any extra fat to taste good. It's got plenty even with my lower-fat version. :o) I use bread crumbs instead of corn flakes because I always have them on hand. So, here's how I roll:

-2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes
-2 cups 2% cheddar cheese, shredded
-2 cans 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
-1 cup low fat sour cream
-1/2 small onion, chopped
-salt & pepper to taste
-2 tbsp butter, melted
-1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425. Mix cheese, soup, sour cream, onion, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add frozen potatoes; mix well. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and add potatoes. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Toss melted butter together with seasoned bread crumbs and add to top of potatoes. Bake an additional 10 minutes until bread crumbs are browned and cheese is bubbly.

*I have to give a shoutout to my friend, Tonya, for inspiring me to make this tonight. She was serving cheesy potatoes with ham for her family tonight and upon hearing that, I had to make this for dinner. :o)