Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

1 cup sugar

3 T Flour

2 packages softened cream cheese

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t ginger

1/4 t cloves

3 eggs

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 T milk

I used a freezer pie crust for this. So cook the crust, then preheat oven to 375. Mix sugar, flour and cream cheese together until smooth. Save about 1 cup of cream cheese mixture for later. Add all remaining filling ingredients except milk to cream cheese mixture. Beat on medium speed, scraping constantly until smooth. Put in pie crust. (This recipe was originally a Betty Crocker recipe but I tweeked it. So this makes like 1/2 pies. So you could do a pie and a mini pie!)

In a small bowl mix saved cream cheese mixture with milk. Spoon over pie, get knife and create fun designs in the top. I did a bunch of S's. Cover side of crust with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes, take aluminum foil off side for last 15 minutes. Cool 30 minutes, let be in fridge for at least 4 hours, I did overnight. 

When I cooked it, it was my first time ever making a pie. I didn't wait until it cooled (and therefore looked better) before getting a picture. So sorry it looks weird. But here it is, the pie I made for Thanksgiving.

Bread Crumb Chicken

This will be a quick blog post. I mostly just don't want to forget it before I blog about it. This is a recipe I made up so we could use our frozen chicken and have it be more delicious.

Chicken Breast (however many you desire)
Italian Bread Crumbs
Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Garlic Salt
Butter
Eggs

Defrost chicken, cut off any gross fatty parts. Coat on both sides with egg. Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and garlic salt. (I do more bread crumbs then the cheese and salt as extras) coat chicken with mixture. Sprinkle extra mixture on top. Don't be stingy, the more the better! :) Put little squares of butter on each side of chicken in sprayed pan. I think it was about 1/2 tablespoon on each side. I used a glass pan. Bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes

Super easy to make, few ingredients and tastes pretty good! I also cut up some carrots, drenched them in melted butter and cooked them with the chicken. Rice as a side. Easy, delicious meal. Let me know if you try it! :)

Homemade Lemonade!

This recipe is from allrecipes.com. It is surprisingly delicious!

1 3/4 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled. Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

I only had one of those small pitchers, and it ALMOST overflowed. So if you have a bigger pitcher use it, if not, just be super careful when stirring and such :) This drink is tart yet sweet. My super picky daughter will even drink it! That is most likely because it tastes like a delicious spoonful of sugar, but still, great! Try it, let me know how it goes in the comments below!!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray's website. I think it worked out really well! I've always avoided making banana bread because I thought it would be difficult, turns out it isn't.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 bananas, mashed
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease and flour a loaf pan, or use baking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the oil bananas and eggs. Stir in the chocolate chips (do not overmix!) and pout into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60-80 minutes. Cool the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely, right side up.

Don't use mini chocolate chips. I made that mistake, they go everywhere and seem a little overwhelming. Unless you like a ton of chocolate chips, then use them! And the bread will look like it is burning, it most likely is not. The bread just gets dark. Drop a comment below and let me know how it goes if you make this! Sorry the picture is poor, the camera was in my daughters room while she was sleeping, so I just used my phone.

Mom's Pancakes

So I don't eat pancakes often because I can never find delicious ones. Well my mom changed all that for me! She gave me her recipe and oh my...it is wonderful. Stirred up in less than 5 minutes and can keep for several days in the fridge. Very impressed with this recipe. Fluffy, great pancakes!

2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add eggs, milk, and melted butter.  Cook on hot griddle.

Sorry there is no picture this time. I ate them before I remembered to get one.

Parmesan Popcorn

So i'm not going to post a picture because for one, I don't want to get up. And 2, it looks like popcorn. I'm sure you know what that looks like. So I'm a very buttery person and so I bought Pop-Secret's brand of popcorn-Extra Movie Theater Butter. Sadly, still didn't have enough flavor. So I thought I would spice it up and it tastes DELICIOUS!!

Bag of Popcorn
3 or 4 tablespoons melted butter
Parmesan

Instructions on this seems sad...but i'll include them. Pop popcorn, add butter then desired parmesan cheese. I used the grated stuff. It's yummy :)

30 mintute Rolls

1 C plus 2 Tbsp warm water
1/3 C vegetable oil
2 Tbsp dry yeast
1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 C Flour (It suggests bread flour, but all I had was all purpose, which the site said was okay)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In your mixer bowl combine the water, oil, yeast and sugar and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.  Using your dough hook, mix in the salt, egg and flour.  Knead with hook until will incorporated and dough is soft and smooth. (Just a few minutes)
Form dough into 12 balls and then place in a greased 9 x 13 pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown

So these rolls were a little heavier than I originally wanted, but my yeast was old and I was pressed for time. So I think if I try them again with fresh yeast and ample amounts of time, they will be much better. All in all though, I am so proud of myself for actually being able to do ANYTHING with yeast! I have never successfully made a recipe with yeast before!! WAHOO for me!

Recipe from http://realmomkitchen.com/

Hamburger/Mashed Potato Casserole

So...sadly, because I didn't blog fast enough, I don't remember EXACTLY what I put in here...but I think I do :)

1 pound hamburger

1 can tomato soup

Mashed Potatoes (I used a Betty Crocker pouch, sour cream and chives, give it a bit of flavor)

1 cup grated cheese

(I wanted to add green beans, but didn't have any.)

Cook the hamburger with chives and onion flakes. Cook mashed potatoes mashed potatoes, combine hamburger and soup (green beans if you have them I think would be good.) Put globs of mashed potatoes on top, top with cheese and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Admittedly, I don't think this was my favorite recipe. But where as I have not been cooking much lately, I wanted to put this up because at least I did SOMETHING :)

Cheesy Apple Chicken

Tonights dinner was made up on the spot because I was too lazy to actually follow any sort of recipe.

2 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Apple juice

Cheese

Montreal Chicken seasoning

Spray a square pan, put chicken in. Mix chicken soup and some apple juice until it's to a decent consistency. Put cheese and seasoning on top. You can use whatever seasoning you want really, that is just what we had on hand. ENJOY!

Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup

So Sunday we offered to feed the sister missionaries and I thought it would be fun to do something I haven't tried before. So here you have it!

1 large onion

2 tablespoons butter

7 medium potatoes-chopped

5 cups water (more if you like it thinner)

4 chicken bullion cubes

3 good size bunches of broccoli

4 oz cream cheese

6-8 ounces shredded cheese (I did the half Parmesan/mozzarella mix)

I would get all your veggies ready first.

Saute the onion and butter together. Add water, bullion cubes and potatoes. Heat to boil, then turn heat down and let cook for 15 minutes. Cut broccoli to desired size and such. (I didn't use the stem, I know some people do though.) Cook broccoli in microwave (cover with saran wrap) for 3 minutes. Add both cheeses and let them melt a little (you may have to turn the heat up for that one.) Put in broccoli. Let cook for a minute or two. Then there you have it! A tasty soup!

Added July 5: I have also tried this recipe in the crock pot. Throw the potatoes, bullion cubes, broccoli, onion(I did onion flakes this time) and water in, then about an hour or 2 before it is done, add the butter, cream cheese and cheese. I also added salt and chives. It tasted wonderful!

Frosted Peanut Butter Fingers

I made these for our housewarming party and they were delicious! A little rich though.

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2-1/2 cups creamed peanut butter, Divided

1 egg

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups quick cooking oats

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 cup peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Spread in greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly for about 12 minutes, spread on remaining peanut butter. Cool completely.

While the other part is cooling, make the Chocolate Frosting:

6 Tablespoons butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 to 8 tablespoons milk

Mix all that stuff, and add whatever milk you desire to achieve spreading consistency. Spread over peanut butter. Cut into bars.

Thank you Taste of Home for a wonderful recipe!

Caramel Chocolate Brownies

So...before I give you the recipe, here is a back story. I got this recipe from my brother in law and I totally thought it was a "secret" recipe. Turns out he only kept it a secret from girls to get dinner and dates. Brilliant man. Anyway, here is the recipe.

1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix (Betty Crocker is best)

1 bag Caramel's (Kraft brand)

1 bag Chocolate chips

1 stick butter, melted

1 can Evaporated milk (you will need 2/3 cup)

Mix the cake mix, butter and 1/3 cup evaporated milk together. Press HALF of batter into sprayed cake pan as evenly as possible. Cook at 350 for 8 minutes. Unwrap caramels and melt with the other half of the evaporated milk in microwave. Make sure you don't over melt them. Once the half of the cake mix is cooled, pour melted caramels onto it. Sprinkle chocolate chips, throw on the rest of the batter in globs, all over, put more chocolate chips on top. Cook for 15 minutes. When cooling, I like to do at least 4 hours, overnight would be best though.

A variation of this recipe I tried tonight: Caramel Chocolate Peanut Butter brownies. Yum!! You add a small spoonful of pb to the batter, 2 or so spoonfuls in the caramels (not too much or it gets too thick,) and use reese peanut butter chips. It is amazing!! I don't have pictures though.

Thanks all for reading!!

Pot O' Mess

1 1/2 pounds hamburger

5 potatoes

Carrots

5 pieces of Bacon

Barbecue sauce

Worchestshire sauce

Onion flakes

Garlic Flavored Season All

1 large cup water

I didn't really measure any of this. I just threw stuff in until it smelled good. I put it in the crock pot on high for 4 hours. As of now it looks pretty delicious, so I have high hopes for it. I will post a picture soon! Thanks all for keeping up on my blog! Please drop a comment if you like what you see and feel free to suggest new varieties of food for me to make!

After eating this I decided browning the meat first may be better. Just letting you know!

Crock Pot Potato Soup

So I made this AWESOME potato soup tonight. I don't want to toot my own horn...but I was proud. This recipe is hard to judge because it's very subjective to how much you need and all.

Potatoes (I think I did 8ish) I did peeled, you don't have to though

16-24 oz chicken broth

Cream of Chicken soup

Water
Carrots (if desired)

Garlic Salt

1/2-1 onion or just chopped onions

Chives

Salt

These last 2 I added 2 hours before it was done

4 TB butter

8 oz cream cheese

Put in crock pot on high for 6 hours. Add the last 2 ingredients at hour 4 and stir often. I have also gotten a couple cups or so and put it in the blender to try and make this soup a little more chunky. Also add other ingredients you think would be delicious and send a comment my way telling me how it turned out!

Oh, and throw some cheese or bacon on top after all is said and done :)