Merry Christmas Eve ... Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Hi Everyone I know you're crazy busy so I thought I'd just throw up a quick recipe!  I made this pie and it turned out so pretty I just had to share right away!  Hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas and enjoying family and friends.

I found this recipe on All Recipes for the Perfect Pumpkin Pie, I added some leaves and a pumpkin to dress it up.  I got a Paula Deen pie kit and had to try them out.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.
2.	Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

I took a second pie crust and used it to cut out my leaves and the pumpkin to dress the pie up.  I just attached them with a little water and then when I cooked I used my pampered chef pie shield.  If you don't have one they are cheap and a good investment if you make pies and don't want  burnt crust.  Also I usually make my crust but I was in a pinch so the froze did just fine.

Enjoy and have a VERY Merry Christmas!!

Tuesday’s Friends–Chicken Parm Subs with handmade bun

The other week I made a really good sandwich for our friends.  Of course I came across our meal idea on Pinterest.  This Chicken Parmesan Sub was found on one of my favorite sites Eating Well.  I search Pinterest for their recipes all the time since they are low fat and family pleasing.

The recipe called for whole wheat sandwich rolls, but you know me I rather make my own when I can.  So I found this bread machine roll recipe on all recipes which is another good source.

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour (I used whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Place the bread flour, sugar, salt, milk powder, water, butter, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set on Dough cycle; press Start.
2. Remove risen dough from the machine, deflate, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces, and form into rounds. Place the rounds on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a small bowl, mix together the egg white and 2 tablespoons water; brush lightly onto the rolls. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.

Then on to the chicken and making of the subs.  This was pretty easy and man they sure would yummy!

Chicken Parmesan Sub

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts), (2 large breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts)
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 6-ounce bags baby spinach
• 1 cup marinara sauce, preferably low-sodium (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 4 soft whole-wheat sandwich rolls, toasted

PREPARATION

1. Position oven rack in top position; preheat broiler.
2. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place chicken between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy saucepan until the chicken is an even 1/4-inch thickness. Dip the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
4. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add half the chicken and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and chicken; transfer to the baking sheet.
5. Top each piece of chicken with the wilted spinach, marinara sauce and Parmesan. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve on rolls.

(I just baked my chicken then added the spinach and cheese in the oven, I’m about the easy version.  So I skipped the putting the chicken in the pan on the stove top).

So there you have it an easy meal and something new then just the regular chicken dinner!  Happy Monday have a great day!

Manic Monday ~ Sweets for my SWEETS!

I've been on a baking mission Sunday, everyone wanted something sweet. The dog put in his request for some new biscuits, I wanted something for after dinner and the church ladies put in a request for cookies for the new people that come to church.

First off we start with the dog "cookies" that I swear smelled so good I wanted to eat one!

Easy Pumpkin Dog Cookie Recipe

found on Best Dog Treat Recipes

• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
• 2 tablespoons dry milk
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Place all the ingredients in your bread maker and set it for the dough cycle.

Cut the dough into shapes.

Place the dog cookies on a lightly greased pan, and let them rise for an hour.

Bake the dog treats for 45 minutes to an hour, at 275 degrees F.

ALEXIS NOTES: She suggested leaving them overnight to dry in oven, our puppy likes them a little soft so I just put in air tight container (they can last for 30 days they don't last that long in our house). Also I only baked mine for 30 minutes.

Now on to a treat for mom!!! I'm trying to be better with not eating too much and lighter things if possible. I love Sparkpeople.com if you haven't gone there yet check them out, great for exercise tips & recipes.

Autumn Pumpkin Pudding

2 boxes sugar-free fat-free instant vanilla pudding (1.34 oz)
3 C. skim milk
1 can 100% pumpkin (15 oz.)
Pumpkin Pie spice to taste

Redi Whip

Mix first 4 ingredients together with a hand mixer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Chill for 5 minutes. Top with Redi Whip and serve. Makes 8 - 1/2 cup servings.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used french vanilla pudding & skipped the redi whip since I didn't have any left. (We won't talk about the week moment of me and a can of a redi whip ... we must just say that it is so fun to spray it in your mouth).

And when a person comes to church for the first time the youth will go take a bag of different cookies to there house the following week. I am one of the cookie makers :). NOW they want BIG cookies ... NOT one thing I have mastered (as you can see). So I made a smaller cookie.

Best Oatmeal Cookies

All Recipes

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, raisins, and vanilla. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture and stir until all of the dry ingredients are absorbed. Next, stir in the egg and raisin mixture, then stir in the rolled oats and pecans. Dough will be stiff. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an unprepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

ALEXIS NOTES: I doubled the recipe, skipped raisins & pecans (since for ppl I don't know and allergies). Since I skipped those the batter was so runny I added in 2 cups of oatmeal.

Manic Monday Meals ~ Last Minute Party Treats

I love baking as you all know by now but sadly I don't get out very often to go to a party. So of course when I found out about a New Years Eve party I was all about making something new and fun! I made 3 (I know I can't help it) so of course I was running around like a nut and even ended up being late to the party. Which of course let to my best friend getting worried and calling my mom to see if I was there. HEHE of course that meant that mom called me and gave me the mom talk about driving when it is cold and icy out ... Thanks Tarra at 34 I got my new years lecture ... lol. Thanks mom the roads were super clear.

You must head over to see Jami and say hi she gave me the first two recipes!

First off was supper easy!

Pretzel Treats

Bag of "O" shaped pretzels (squares work OK if you're in a pinch.)
2 small bags of Hershey's Hugs (or a big one if you can find one)
Bag of Christmas Colored M&Ms

1)Have one of your kids unwrap all the Hugs. Good luck keeping them from eating them. :) Maybe you should buy three bags.

2)Place wax paper over a baking sheet and scatter "O"s on the wax paper.
(Eat the broken ones, because they are of no use to you in this recipe.)

3)Place one unwrapped HUG in the center of each "O".

Place this whole tray into the oven at about 250-300 degrees. DO NOT go above 300. I have found that if you do, the chocolate browns and hardens at the tips, making it very hard to smoosh down (that's totally not a word).

4) Place M&Ms in the centers of the Hugs and press them in so that the chocolate spreads out to fill the pretzel. If you are careful, you can keep the stripes intact. They look really cute!

5) Place tray in freezer (or put them out on your patio table) for about 5 minutes. It doesn't take long till they are firm enough to remove from the tray.

ALEXIS NOTES: I looked and looked but only could find these square pretzels. I used both Peppermint kisses and the Chocolate kind. I used coconut m&m's with the chocolate and no m&m's for the peppermint.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Candy Cane Brownie Bites

1 brownie mix and ingredients
24 peppermint kisses (or another flavor)
chocolate coating for dipping
crushed candy canes

1) Make Brownie Mix as the box directs.

2) Bake and cool

3) Smoosh (we've all agreed that this is now a word) brownie around kiss.

4) Place in the freezer until firm

5) Melt the chocolate in the micowave (DON'T OVER HEAT ... SEE pic below what will happen)

6) Add a little bit of shortening to thin the chocolate out. Drop the bites in the chocolate and roll them around a bit. Remove from the choc and place on wax paper until the choc sets up. It will set up super fast because the bites are frozen, so if you are going to sprinkle, do it quickly.

7) Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes.

ALEXIS NOTES: I usually would use the brownie mix I buy in the bulk section but was out this time. I would suggest you don't let the brownies completely cool, it is easier if they are warmer. Watch your chocolate (or it will look like the pic below).

This is what burnt chocolate looks like!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Directions

  1. Place the garbanzo beans, feta cheese, drained red peppers, lemon juice, parsley, cayenne pepper, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth.

ALEXIS NOTES: I doubled it, I REALLY need to stop doing this I always make too much ... lol. I did add a little olive oil to help my mixer but maybe shouldn't have it made it a little thiner. Overall a good dish but just made too much :).

Happy Monday!! Hope you have a party you can make one of these or all for!!!

Manic Monday Meals ~ Pumpkin Chili & Cornbread

Well it really has been one heck of a weekend. I thought Sunday would be a relaxed day but then I looked at the date when I signed the kids into Sunday School and almost had a panic attack. I gave Racheal my amazing sewing wizard a call to help me put together a few quick projects. So needless to say I didn't get home until late then we had a special new visitor come to stay with us :). More to come on that!

Now for some yummy recipes for my favorite time of year! And of course my love of pumpkin! Ok hang in there with me it may sound a little weird but I promise it had a great flavor. Rick who doesn't like pumpkin didn't even complain, he did ask what the taste was but he kept eating :).

Pumpkin Chili

Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 dash salt
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

ALEXIS NOTES: I only had a green pepper on hand, I used lean ground beef and I also added in a can of chili beans. We like chili with beans.

And what do you serve with this yummy chili!

Pumpkin Cornbread

The Pursuit of Happiness Blog

Ingredients:
• non-stick cooking spray
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9x9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour evenly into baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked throughout.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used my handy dandy new cookie scoop and made these in muffin cups. I used sugar substitute and I didn't have applesauce so I used butter. I also only had white corn meal on hand.

Enjoy and happy Monday!!

Manic Monday Meals ~ A Few Thanksgiving Meals

Thanksgiving is done, do I look stressed??? hehe it was fun I got up early and cooked my little heart out overall good comments and everyone seemed to enjoy the different parts. Always some drama but I promise to go into that later. Today I picked a few of my recipes I tried to share, tomorrow I share the others didn't want to over load you. Now some are thinking but thanksgiving is over, but believe me you can make these anytime! Enjoy!!!

Thanksgiving ala Alexis AKA MOM!

Ingredients

• 1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 apples, cored and halved
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2/3 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne

• Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Gently loosen turkey breast skin, and insert pieces of butter between the skin and breast. Place apples inside the turkey's cavity. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place turkey in a roasting bag, and pour champagne over the inside and outside of the bird. Close bag, and place turkey in a roasting pan.
  3. Bake turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used sparkling cider, 3 apples and margarine. This was the moistest (I know it's not a word) turkey I've EVER had. It had a GREAT apple taste and it was a hit with everyone at the table!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every year I try out a new stuffing mix (yes it drives everyone nuts). I just love to try new things, something about having a new recipe to keep things fresh :).

Ingredients

• 16-ounce bag stuffing cubes
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan and topping
• 1 pound fresh sage sausage, casing removed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cooking apples, such as Gravenstein, Rome, or Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 to 2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted (See Note)
• 2 eggs, beaten

• Directions

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

  Put the stuffing cubes in a large bowl and set aside. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish.

  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it loses most of its pink color, but not so much that it's dry, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and pan drippings to the stuffing cubes. Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the onion, apple, celery, and salt. Cook until the vegetables get soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil.

  Pour the vegetable mixture over the stuffing cubes and toss until evenly moistened. Mix in the walnuts and eggs. Loosely pack thedressing in the prepared pan and cook uncovered until the top forms a crust, about 40 minutes. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of turkeypan drippings or melted butter over the top. Cook until the top iscrisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Set immediately or warm.

ALEXIS NOTES: I think I would scale this down a bit the bag I bought was 12oz I think that would be enough. I used Jimmy Dean sausage they were out of the sage flavor. So when I cooked up the sausage I just added some sage. I toasted the walnuts in the microwave all the burners were busy on the stove :).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Third on my list is always do a Mac & Cheese but you know me not the same old one :).

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for greasing
• 8 ounces macaroni
• 2 1/2 cups cold milk
• 4 ounces provolone cheese, coarsely grated
• 4 ounces aged Asiago cheese, coarsely grated
• 2 large eggs
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 3 slices white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
• 3 strips bacon
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart shallowcasserole dish. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain; transfer the pasta to the prepared casserole dish along with 1/4 cup of the cold milk. (This will cool the pasta and prevent it from becoming gummy.)

Meanwhile, mix the cheeses together in a small bowl. Beat the eggs with 1/4 cup of the milk in a medium bowl. Add the scallions, bread and half of the cheese to the egg mixture; set aside.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoonsdrippings from the pan. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until just brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon salt; cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining 1 3/4 cups milk and 3/4 cup water to the skillet. Bring to a boil, whisking until thick. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Whisk in the remaining cheese. Add the sauce to the macaroni; stir to combine.

Crumble up the bacon and add it to the egg/bread mixture. Spread evenly over the pasta. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven; let sit 5 minutes before serving.

ALEXIS NOTES: I of course used turkey bacon the big hit in the house. I just cubed up some wheat bread (we never have white here). I did double this recipe which left me with way too many left overs. I also used whole wheat pasta from the bulk section. I found Asiago in a shredded package, the provolone was in a mix with mozzarella but it was great.