Pumpkin Crumble

These are so yummy and much tastier than regular pumpkin pie.  Our neighbors told me that they'd buy me the ingredients if I made them some more!

Pumpkin Crumble
Recipe by Our Best Bites
1 boxed yellow cake mix
1-2 sticks butter (see notes in instructions)
1 16 oz can pumpkin*
2 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t ginger
1/8 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1/3 C chopped pecans
1/2 t additional cinnamon for topping

Preheat oven to 350.
Place 2 C of the cake mix in a bowl. Cut in 3 T chilled butter. Just use your fingers to crumble the butter until it’s in small crumbly pieces. Place mixture in a 9×13 baking dish and press flat with your fingers.
Mix pumpkin, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and spices until smooth. Pour on top of the cake mixture in the pan.
Now take the rest of the dry cake mix and mix in 1/2 t cinnamon. Sprinkle it all over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Use a measuring cup so you have a rough measurement of how much you’re putting on. Here’s why:
Here’s a little something I learned after making the dump cake a gazillion times. Cake mixes all have different amounts in them! Different brands, different flavors, etc. Each one is slightly different in volume. I found one mix to have almost double the normal amount. Measuring the amount of cake mix you’re sprinkling on top will help you get the perfect topping ratio in the last step.
Next sprinkle on the chopped pecans. You’ll have 3 distinct layers now:
Here’s the trick: For every 1 C of cake mix you sprinkled on top, you’ll need 3 T of melted butter. Drizzle it right on top.
That butter is going to combine with the cake mix and make magic in the oven. Pop it in your 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or so. A knife should come out without globs of pumpkin on it and the topping should be nice and golden.
You can eat it warm, at room temp, or chilled! My favorite is actually at room temp. Put a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top. It’s also great with vanilla ice cream.

Chickadilla Soup

This is the easiest soup - throw it in and let it cook.  I added the potatoes because I had potatoes from the garden that I wanted to use and since they were a good addition to the soup I put it in the recipe - you can skip them if you'd like.  :)  Also, when you're looking at the toppings I'll just mention that the avocado pieces were really good in the soup and fresh squeezed lime juice - mmmm, mmmm!  The rest were good too but those two are a must.

This recipe makes a large pot (generously serves 8) which was great because I popped some in the freezer in small containers so I could take them to work for lunch.

Chickadilla Soup

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

2 (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes

10 oz mild enchilada sauce

4 oz can mild chopped green chilies

1 quart chicken broth

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2-3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 medium onion chopped (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)

Scant 1/4 tsp dried cilantro or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

10 oz frozen corn

Place everything except the corn in a large crockpot.  Mix.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.

About 30 minutes before dinner, remove chicken from crockpot and add corn to soup.  Shred the chicken then return to the pot; allow to cook until everything is warmed through.

Serve with: chopped avocado, shredded cheese, pita or tortilla chips, sour cream, hot sauce, lime wedges, fresh cilantro.

Altered slightly from a recipe from Kashi foods.  

Sandwich Buns

I made these buns for dinner tonight....I wanted to make French dip sandwiches but I didn't want to go to the store with all 3 kids just for rolls, so I searched for an easy recipe and found this.  They are really easy.  It took more than 30 minutes for mine to rise to double their size.  I sprinkled some with sesame seeds, some with sea salt and left a couple plain.  And I of course had to taste test one before dinner....they're good.  : )
I am going to try making them with wheat flour next time.

Homemade Sandwich Buns

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup butter

1 egg, room temperature

4-1/2 cups flour

1 package instant yeast (2-1/4 teaspoon)

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the milk, water, honey and butter until butter is melted. Check temperature. Depending on the temperature, let cool to 120F. Carefully beat in egg.

Mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast and salt. Mix into the milk mixture. Stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition.

When the dough pulls together, (it will form a soft ball) turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. This should take about 5 minutes. Mari used her stand mixer, beating with the paddle attachment, then switched to the dough hook to knead. Add a little more flour while mixing with the dough hook, a little at a time until dough is no longer sticky.

Divide dough into 12-16 equal parts. I used my new scale (love this and wish I had purchased it long ago) so I had 12 buns of equal size. Shape into smooth balls, flatten slightly, and place on a silicone mat covered baking sheet.

Cover loosely with plastic film and allow to rise in 30-40 minutes. When buns have almost doubled bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes.

If desired, after buns have risen, brush tops with beaten egg for a shiny glaze. You may also want to add sesame seeds, sauteed minced onions (cooled), coarse salt, etc, then bake.

The lady who posted the recipe on her blog offers these suggestions, if you're interested.  In case you don't know what to do with homemade rolls.  Like, eat them plain!  : ) 

These wonderful buns make delicious sandwiches of any kind, and I especially like them split, toasted and buttered for breakfast. I combined a little deli sliced turkey, chive flavored cream cheese and a scoop of cranberry tangerine chutney and the resulting sandwich is delish. 

This recipe is from Wiveswithknives.net.  

Brazilian Lemonade

In my book, anything that has sweetened condensed milk is bound to be good.  These are no exception!  We had them with our dinner tonight and the missionaries asked for the recipe so I thought I'd pass it along to you as well.

Brazilian Lemonade

4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)
1 c. sugar
6 c. cold water
6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.
Wash limes thoroughly with soap. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.
Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.
Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse several times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk. You may want to taste test it at this point; I used giant, thick-skinned limes tonight and didn’t test it and it came out a little bitter. If it’s bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more milk.
Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance (although you can cut the limes, mix the sugar water, and measure the sweetened condensed milk in advance).

Recipe from ourbestbites.com

Stovetop Broccoli and Cheese Chicken Pasta

This is a super yummy and quick dinner!

Stovetop Broccoli and Cheese Chicken Pasta

12 oz egg noodles
6 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth (or two cups water and 2 tsp chicken bouillon)
1 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
1 head broccoli, chopped and steamed



1. Prepare egg noodles according to package directions, drain and run under cool water to stop cooking.
2. Melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper, whisking until thick and combined. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until combined. Increase heat to high and whisk until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese until melted. Add chicken and broccoli and heat through.



**A bit of milk can be added if sauce is too thick.

Easy French Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest and have been wanting to give it a try.  It was really easy, and it was really tasty - even Tiernan loved it!  In case you don't know, Tiernan doesn't like bread (so weird, I know... he sooooo doesn't get that from me!).  Anyway, it's not quite like the French bread that you buy at the store.  The crust wasn't crusty and chewy, but the flavor was good and that's what matters, right?  : )  I also realized that I didn't have any cornmeal, so I just sprayed the pan with Pam and they turned out fine.  It took about 7 3/4 C. flour for my dough,  but it will depend on the humidity that day, so just add one cup at a time.


French Bread

2 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
Add the above ingredients together and let sit until bubbly (about 3-5 minutes). Then add:
1 Tbsp. salt
1/3 c. Canola oil
6-7 c. flour (or a little more if it's too soft), one cup at a time--add enough until the dough is soft, not too sticky, and firm enough to mold into dough loaves.
Knead for 2-5 minutes.  Put the dough into a large, greased bowl and then put in the oven with a small pot of boiling water. The water will keep the dough moist.   (I actually took the water out after a bit because the dough wasn't rising very much and was very sticky. Perhaps I had too much water in there. Anyway, the dough rose much better after I removed the pan of water from the oven.  So I suggest starting out with the water in there, and then removing it if you need to.)
Watch the dough and punch it down when it gets to the top of the mixing bowl. Do this every time it gets to the top of the bowl, as long as you have time to babysit it (2-5 times). Put the dough on a greased counter top and divide into 2 or 3 sections.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal on the bottom of the sheet. Roll the dough balls into rectangle/long French bread shapes. Slash tops of bread diagonally 3-5 times and cover with a beaten egg.  Preheat oven to 375 and let the loaves rise 30 minutes (or until doubled).  Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Enjoy!  

Recipe from dealstomeals.blogspot.com

Dinosaur Slaw (Kale Salad)

I got this recipe from Family Fun magazine, and they sort of implied that the cool name for this salad might get kids to try it.  I wonder whose kids would actually try something based solely on the name.  I've never met any kids like that.  Of course, my kids won't try anything!  Ha ha!  : )  But anyway, this is a really simple, but tasty salad.  It was a bit too salty, so I cut the salt down in the recipe below, and if you need more salt, you can add more to your taste.  : )  I also used red wine vinegar because I didn't have sherry vinegar.  You could probably use whatever vinegar you like. 

Dinosaur Slaw

 6 to 8 large kale leave, washed
1/2 C. olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
4 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 1/3 C. freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling

Wash the kale well, making sure to get into the curves of the leaves where dirt can hide.  Strip off the kale's ruffly leaves by grasping the bottom of each stem and pulling your hand up forcefully.  Discard the stems.  Stack the leaves, then use a large, very sharp knife to sliver them as thin as you can.  Put the slivered kale in a large bowl. 
In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the garlic, stirring frequently, until it's fragrant and just on the verge of browning, about two minutes.  Add the salt and the vinegar and stir as the vinegar sizzles furiously, until the whole thing becomes outrageously fragrant (about 45 seconds). 
Pour the dressing over the kale and toss thoroughly with tongs.  Stir in the Parmesan, add salt to taste, and serve the dish with extra cheese to be sprinkled on top. 

Caramelized Banana Bread with Browned Butter Glaze

Caramelized Banana Bread with Browned Butter GlazeRecipe from Cooking Light 
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 medium ripe bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
9 ounces (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk or half and half

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×5″ loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Slice the bananas. Set aside.
Over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add the bananas and brown sugar and saute for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.
Place the banana mixture in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
Combine the buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and eggs in a large liquid measuring cup. Set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, alternately add it to the banana mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown on top and a pick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool for 10 minutes and then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare the glaze, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to get brown and fragrant (careful…things can go south really quickly. Be sure to remove from heat as soon as it starts to get brown.) Whisk in the powdered sugar and milk or half and half and drizzle over the cooled banana bread and allow the glaze to set before slicing.

Rigatoni with Bacon and Mushrooms

Super yummy!  The original recipe called for chicken but I left it out and I don't think I'd like it as much with chicken.

Rigatoni with Bacon and Mushrooms
Ingredients
1-lb rigatoni or penne noodles
4 slices bacon
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-ounces mushrooms, cut into quarters
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup apple juice
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 ½ tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup half and half
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
Cook pasta to al dente according to directions on box. Drain and set aside.
In large skillet, cook bacon until crispy, remove from the pan. To the pan add the onions and cook until translucent then add the mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until mushrooms are soft. Increase heat to high and pour in the chicken broth and apple juice. Boil for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and basil. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir half and half in to sauce. Crumble bacon into the pan. Add the cooked rigatoni noodles and toss to combine.
Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese.

Strawberries and Cream Cheese Muffins

These are super fantastic.  Jeremy said they're his new favorite muffin.  They take a bit of extra time, but I think you could make the cream cheese mixture and slice the strawberries the night before to cut down on work in the morning.

Strawberries and Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups All Purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup fresh ripe strawberries chopped into very small pieces (the redder and sweeter, the better!)
  

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, very soft
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. of liquid from one whole egg that's been beaten lightly
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Put paper liners in the cups of your muffin pan, or use nonstick baking spray liberally.

Cut up your berries and set them aside.

In a small bowl, mix together with a spoon the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. beaten egg, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract. Mix until almost all the lumps are gone. Set this aside, but don't chill it.

Melt the butter slowly in a sauce pan on low heat. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the milk into the butter, stirring to combine. Cool until the mixture is just warm, then whisk in the eggs.

Thoroughly combine with a whisk, in a large mixing bowl, the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour all of the butter and milk mixture into the dry ingredients, blending just until combined. Don't overmix. It's okay if a few little flour streaks are still evident.

Using a portion scoop, fill each muffin cup barely half full. Scatter a few pieces of strawberry on top.

Using a small spoon, dab a generous teaspoonful or so of the cream cheese mixture on top of the berries.

On top of that, add on another tablespoon or two so of the muffin batter.

On top of that, add a few more pieces of strawberry. Push them in just slightly.

Sprinkle the tops of the unbaked muffins very generously with coarse sugar.

Bake the muffins for about 12 to 18 minutes, until they're light golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. The middle of the cupcake should be kind of firm when lightly pressed with a finger. Check on the muffins early, and if they're browning too fast, lightly cover the pan with a sheet of foil.

Let the muffins cool in the pan, on a rack, for a couple of minutes, then carefully remove them from the pan to cool on the rack.

Italian Beef Stew

We had this for dinner last night and it was really good.  It calls for a 12-oz. jar of gravy but I just made some with the Tones beef base. I also used a little less celery than the recipe calls for, because Jeff doesn't like celery.  And it calls for 2 cups frozed green beans but I didn't have any frozen so I just left them out.  We didn't miss them at all and so I won't use them next time I make this, but I included them in the recipe in case you want to add them.  : )

Italian Beef Stew

1 pound beef stew meat, cubed
1 tsp beef base
3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
2 medium stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can (19 oz.) canellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes in puree, undrained
1 jar (12 oz.) beef gravy (or make your own)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 C. frozen green beans

Place all ingredients into a 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.  Stir in green beans.  Increase heat setting to high.  Cover and cook 15 minutes or until green beans are tender. 
Serve with fresh bread and a nice salad. 

recipe altered slightly from Betty Crocker.