Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

This goes against everything healthy, but sometimes you just gotta.  I found it on the Get into my Belly website.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2 tubes of 8 count refrigerated cinnamon roll dough, with icing
3 eggs
3/4 c. 100% canned pumpkin
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk

Line a 9x9 pan with foil and spray.

Cut the each of the cinnamon rolls in a tic-tac-toe pattern so each is in 9 pieces.  Scatter them in the pan, separating each piece.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, 1/2 c. milk, brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.  Pour the mixture over the cinnamon roll pieces.

Evenly drizzle the packaged icing over the top.  If it is too cold, microwave it for a few seconds.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until it is set in the middle.

As the rolls are cooling a bit, mix the powdered sugar with 2 T. milk and drizzle over the top of the rolls.

Eat while they are still warm.

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c = cup
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon

Apple Pie Moonshine

This moonshine is a combination of a couple of different recipes--good hot or cold.  Yummy any way you look at it!  It's really not as strong as you would think.   It has been carefully tested to be delicious.  It makes A LOT but can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks.  No worries.

Apple Pie Moonshine

1 gallon apple cider
1 gallon apple juice
2 c. white sugar
2 c. brown sugar
8 cinnamon sticks
1 bottle of 150 proof grain alcohol (like everclear)
1/2 bottle of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, or a bit more if you prefer :)

In a large pot, combine apple juice, cider, sugar and cinnamon sticks.  ring to a boil and remove it from heat and let it cool completely.

When juice mix is cool, stir in the alcohol and store in mason jars with the leftover cinnamon sticks.

Enjoy warm or cold!

Salted Caramel Sauce

This salted caramel sauce is from the Salted Caramel Apple Brie recipe in the previous post and is super-great with ice cream, apple pie, or whatever!

Again, from the site Two Peas & Their Pod.

The batch makes about 2 cups.

Salted Caramel Sauce

2 c. sugar
12 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. heavy cream
1 T. sea salt flakes or fleur de sel

Have all of the ingredients measured and ready!

Heat the sugar over medium high heat in a heavy 2 - 3 quart sauce pan.   when the sugar starts to melt, start whisking the sugar until it is completely melted and a deep amber color.  Make sure it doesn't burn! You can switch to a wooden spoon if you need to.

As soon as it is the right color, carefully add the butter and whisk until melted.  

Remove from heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream.   Whisk until the caramel is smooth and add the sea salt.

Let the caramel cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then pour it into jars until it is cool to room temp.  Store in the fridge for about 1 month.

Salted Caramel Apple Brie

Brie is one of my favorite cheeses--mild, creamy and versatile!  It's just plain, easy going.  Found this one on Facebook.

Salted Caramel Apple Brie

1 8 oz. wheel of brie
1 T. butter
1 apple, chopped
2 T. brown sugar
3 T. of a batch of salted caramel sauce (next recipe!)
Stacy's cinnamon sugar or salted caramel pita chips (available seasonally)

Put brie on parchment paper and warm it in a 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes.

While Brie is baking, melt the butter in a small saucepan.  Add the chopped apples and brown sugar. Cook until apples are soft (about 5 minutes).

Remove brie from the oven and move it to a platter.  Spoon the sauteed apples over the brie and drizzle with the salted caramel sauce.

Serve immediately!

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T = tablespoon

Bacon Pepper Jack Stuffing

Cheese in Thanksgiving stuffing?!??  I know, crazy right?   If you want a bit of spice in your Thanksgiving and love cheese, this is the way to go.  I found this variation from the Food Network.

Bacon Pepper Jack Stuffing

1 stick butter
2 c. diced onion
2 c. diced celery
1 T. minced sage
1 T. minced thyme
a bit of salt and pepper
3 c. chicken or turkey broth
2 eggs
1/4 c. chopped parsley
6 c. cornbread stuffing mix (like Brownberry or Pepperidge Farm)
8 c. regular stuffing mix (like Brownberry or Pepperidge Farm)
1/2 lb. cooked bacon
1 jalapeno, diced. ribs and seed removed
2 c. diced pepper jack cheese

Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add the onion, celery, jalapeno, sage, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until onion and celery is tender.  Add broth and bring to a simmer.

Beat eggs in a bowl.  Add the stuffing mixes, diced cheese, bacon, and the veggie/broth mixture and toss to coat evenly.

Put the mixture in a greased baking dish and dot with butter.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes covered with foil and an additional 30 minutes or so uncovered until golden brown and heated through.

Pecan Sheet Pan 'Pie'

I made this for Thanksgiving (from Family Circle mag) this year and really liked it for a few reasons-- you can cut it in smaller pieces so that you have room to try a few different thanksgiving desserts and the pecan pie 'goo' layer is much thinner in than in a pecan pie.  Actually, I am not sure I am going to make pecan pie in a traditional shape ever again!

One note about pie crusts--spend the extra 50 cents on Pillsbury or a brand name store-bought crust and stay away from Walmart's Great Value brand.  I find it to be flat and crumbly.

Pecan Sheet Pan 'Pie'
2 refrigerated pie crusts (1 box), room temperature
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
10 T. unsalted butter
5 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 t. salt
3 c. pecan halves

Lightly flour a surface and unroll the 2 crusts.  Stack crusts on top of each other and roll out crusts to a 17" x 12" rectangle.  Place in the bottom of a rimmed 15" x 10" sheet pan and fold over any edges.  Refrigerate while you are preparing the filling.

In a medium pot over medium heat, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter, whisking until smooth and barely bubbling.  Remove from heat and slowly stir in the eggs, vanilla and salt.

Scatter the pecans over the crust in an even layer.  Slower pour filling over pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until crust is browned and filling is set.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

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c = cup
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
seriously---no Great Value crusts.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup

I bought too much squash for my butternut squash shells in the previous recipe, so I found this recipe on a facebook page called Goodful so I could use it up.  I hate throwing away food!    It is way better then 'Goodful' with just the right amount of spicy.  

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup

2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and roughly chopped
1 medium onion roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 T. or so of olive oil
3 c. vegetable broth
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. thyme
1/4 to 1/2 c. milk

Put squash, onion and garlic in the slow cooker and drizzle with olive oil.  Add the broth.

Sprinkle the ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper over the top.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.

With an immersion blender, blend until smooth.

Add the thyme and milk and blend a bit more.

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lb = pound
c = cup
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon

Butternut Squash and Turkey Shells

This is a nice fall recipe.  This makes enough for about 40 shells so you may need to split it in a couple of pans.

Butternut Squash and Turkey Shells

1 box jumbo stuffed shells, cooked per instructions.

Filling
2 T. olive oil
4 c. butternut squash, diced
2 t. salt
6 cloves minced garlic
2 lbs. ground turkey
4 t. italian seasoning (make your own seasoning blend with this recipe!)
2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 t. pepper
4 c. fresh spinach
2 t. salt
24 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella
2 eggs
1/2 c. parm cheese

Sauce (or by a jar of alfredo--I did!  You will use about 1/2 a jar or so)
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
2 c. milk
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pan.  Add the squash and 2 t. salt and saute for a few minutes.  Add the turkey, garlic, italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and pepper and stir until meat is cooked through.

Add the spinach and 2 t. of salt until spinach is wilted.

In a large bowl, add the ricotta, eggs, cheeses and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Add the cooked squash-turkey mixture to the bowl and combine.

For sauce,  melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the flour and cook until it turns light brown.  Add the milk and stir until the sauce thickens.

Spread the sauce in the bottom of a casserole pan.  Stuff each shell with the stuffing mix and place on on top of the sauce.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Sprinkle with a bit of parm and a bit of mozz cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Stuffed Mexican Chicken Peppers

A chicken twist on stuffed peppers!  This can be prepared and frozen to have later.  Just thaw and then bake when you are ready.

Stuffed Mexican Chicken Peppers

4 -6  bell peppers, your choice of color
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 t. cumin
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. pepper
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 c. prepared mexican rice (boxed or pouch mix is perfectly acceptable!)
1 c. shredded taco or mexican cheese blend
1 can black beans rinsed and drained

Slice the peppers in half, top to bottom.  Hollow out the insides by removing seeds and white ribs.

Boil a pot of water and drop the peppers in for about 3-4 minutes to pre-cook.  Remove peppers.

Mix all the other ingredients together and fill the peppers.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and pepper is tender.


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t = teaspoon
c = cup

Country Chicken and Dumplings

Comfort food.  Enough said.

Country Chicken and Dumplings

2 T. Vegetable oil
4 large chicken breasts, shredded or cubed
4 cloves crushed garlic
3/4 c. peas
1 - 1/2 c. frozen pearl onions
2 - 3 stalks chopped celery
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
8 c. chicken broth
2 c. bisquick
2/3 c. milk

Saute carrots and celery in a bit of butter.

In a pot, cook chicken in oil.  Add garlic, onions, mushrooms.  Cook 5 minutes until veggies are tender.  Transfer to a separate bowl.

In the same pan, melt butter.  Add flour.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Stir until mix is a golden brown.  Add the chicken broth.  Cook about 10 minutes stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.  Add veggies and chicken and bring to a boil.

Mix the bisquick and milk.  Drop the mix in dumpling blobs in the pot.  Boil for 10 minutes uncovered and covered for an additional 10 minutes until cooked.

Enjoy!

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T = tablespoon
c  = cup


Alternative:  instead of making your own dumplings, buy frozen potato dumplings

Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

Here is a good old-fashioned meat and potatoes kind of meal.  I had about 1 pound of chuck roast so I cut this recipe in 1/3 and it was really tender.   Would definitely make again with a larger cut of meat! Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and even make gravy out of the juice left in the crock!

Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

3-4 lb. chuck roast
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 envelope of French Onion Soup Mix
2 t. ground pepper
Beef broth or water

Combine soy sauce and dry onion mix in the slow cooker. Mix well.
Add the chuck roast.

Pour enough beef broth or water ofer the top of the roast until about 1/2 inch of roast is not covered.

Sprinkle the ground pepper over the top.

Cook on low for about 8 hours.

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c = cup
lb = pound
t = teaspoon