Pumpkin Cookies

These cookies are more like little cakes.  I made them a little smaller, but they probably would have worked better if I had made them bigger.  Luckily, they were still very tasty!

 Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

Ingredients
Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in pumpkin. In a medium bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
 
To make frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool then stir in confectioner's sugar.  Spread frosting over cooled cookies.

I followed the recipe from Let's Dish.

Alterations: I attempted a cream cheese frosting on this, but everyone in my family agrees that the caramel is best.  Other than being sure to make the cookies bigger, I don't think I would change anything else!

Seven Layer Tortilla Pie

I enjoy one dish meals, mostly for their ease.  But I did also enjoy the taste of this one.  I've seen many versions or this, so my guess is the ingredients could be changed to suit your taste.  I might need to find a substitute for the tomatoes next time!

Seven Layer Tortilla Pie


1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 can re-fried beans
¼ cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Rotelle tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
7 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Directions
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef until done; add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions. Stir in re-fried beans, red onions and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix together Rotelle, cilantro, and black beans.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 1 tortilla in a greased pie plate or tart dish. Spread ¾ cup meat and bean mixture over tortilla to within ½ inch of edge. Top with ¼ cup cheese, and cover with another tortilla. Spread with ⅔ cup black bean mixture, and top with ¼ cup cheese. Repeat layering twice. Cover with remaining tortilla, and spread with remaining meat and bean mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil, and bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. 

I found this version at Let's Dish.

Alterations: I mentioned before that there are several versions out there so anything could probably be changed.  I might try it with chicken instead of ground beef next time.  I was also wondering if this could be put into a slowcooker to cook.  I think my sister-in-law had a recipe like that.  Perhaps I'll have to ask . . .

Sopapilla Cheesecake

This recipe makes a great treat for a morning (think cheese danish) and could also be a nice end to a Mexican meal.  It's fairly easy to make and I even assembled it the night before, stored it in the fridge, and then baked it in the morning.   

  

SOPAPILLA CHEESECAKE  

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls 
1 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract 
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted 
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar 

Lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking pan.  Unroll one package of refrigerated crescent rolls and press into the bottom of the pan.  Blend together the cream cheese, sugar and extract.  Spread over the crescent rolls.  Unroll the other can of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese mixture.

Pour one stick of melted butter or margarine over the top and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I followed the recipe from food.com 

Alterations: I've cut the melted butter in half (at least) and I use a brush to spread it on the top.  I've also found that pressing the second package of crescent rolls onto wax paper first, and then laying on top of the cream cheese layer is significantly easier than pressing it directly into the pan.

Chicken Chowder

We don't get rainy days that often, but when we do, I greatly enjoy them.  I love being able to stay home inside with the gray and rain outside.  I love sitting under blankets and just listening and watching the rain.  And there is just something about a rainy day that creates a necessity for soup.  So when I woke up the other day to rain, the planned dinner was scrapped and one of my favorite soups was inserted.  I grew up in a climate that gets a little colder than where I am now, and once a year, a friend of ours would put on a soup night.  She would make several different kinds of soup and invite lots of people over.  I can remember walking around looking at the various kinds, but ultimately I was looking for two soups: Chicken Chowder and a cold strawberry soup that I was always reminded did not count for dinner.  My mom acquired the recipe and passed it on to me.

CHICKEN CHOWDER

7 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. rice
3 med. carrots, sliced 
3 celery sticks, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
6 T butter
6 T flour
1 pt. half & half
4 c. cooked, diced chicken
Salt and Pepper

In a 5 qt. kettle, heat broth to boiling.  Add rice, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add veggies - cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.  In a separate saucepan, melt butter.  Blend in flour and cook until bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Blend in half & half and 1 c. broth from the kettle. Heat and stir mixture until it boils and thickens.  Stir mixture into the kettle.  Add chicken and heat until hot.

How I've altered this: I usually season my chicken when I cook it.  I also add basil, parsley and thyme to the soup itself at the beginning to give it a little bit more flavor.  And since I love the zucchini, I've been known to add a little extra!  The soup itself thickens the longer you let it stand--so if you like a thicker soup, wait a bit before eating.  My husband, who enjoys things much spicier than the rest of us, usually adds sriracha to accommodate his preference.

I followed the recipe from Margi Schmidt.

For the First Time . . .

When was the last time you were mesmerized by the mixing of ingredients? Today I baked an Apple Cake with my youngest daughter. Although she thinks she's "helped" me cook before, this was the first time she seemed to be interested in more than just standing on a chair and her assistance was available for more than two minutes. I thought that this might be a fitting first post. She helped me count out the eggs, pour in the ingredients, and then after realizing the mixer was not going to be too loud, was hypnotized while watching the flour and sugar disappear to form the gooey batter. For the 45 minutes or so that the cake was baking she walked around the house saying, "I smell something!" Luckily, it was quickly followed by a "yummy!" It did smell amazing.

APPLE CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR GLAZE
Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Brown Sugar Glaze:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 9x13-inch pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter til the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts; mix well. Scrape the batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack.

While the cake is still hot, prepare the glaze. Combine the brown sugar, butter, vanilla and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Continue cooking for 3 minutes. Spoon the hot glaze over the still warm cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.

I followed the recipe from Let's Dish, but she says it is originally from the Southern Cakes cookbook.

How I might alter: I am not the biggest fan of cakes, but I do love apples, so that offset the cake part. A jelly roll pan might work to make them less cake-like and I think the apples would keep it moist. Or perhaps cupcakes would work. My friend Mandi has an amazing caramel frosting recipe I might need to try on it. Although, it will be difficult to replace this glaze. I literally felt like I was cutting into a glazed doughnut, but it tasted so much better! UPDATE: I tried it in my jelly roll pan and I loved it.  More icing and less cake!  I made an extra 1/2 recipe of the glaze to be sure it covered the cake and reduced the baking time a little--I started checking after 30 minutes.