Pumpkin Roll

Sounds delish! 

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Bake at 375 on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. On a dish towel line heavily with powder sugar. Remove pumpkin roll from pan and put on the dish towel. On one of the shorter ends, roll with the towel and let cool.

Filling

1 cup powder sugar

8 oz cream cheese-softened

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well.

Once the pumpkin roll is cooled, unroll, and spread evenly with filling. Roll back up (without the towel). Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge before serving.

courtesy of Our Family Treat

Meatball Subs & Sauce

Meatballs:
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs or crushed saltines
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey

To dredge the meatballs:
1 1/2 cups flour in a shallow baking dish

In a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT the meat. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes so the breadcrumbs/crackers can soak up the liquid a little bit. Add the meat and mix well with your hands until all the ingredients are combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. Form golf ball-sized meatballs and dredge them in the flour until lightly coated. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet about one inch apart. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until the meatballs are completely cooked through.

When the meatballs come out of the oven, let them sit for about 15 minutes. Gently scrape off any fat and place the meatballs in a 9X13-inch baking dish (or similar size). Pour the hot tomato sauce over the meatballs.

Sauce:
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar (this helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low. Keep warm until the meatballs are finished baking.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the buns in half. Place 3-4 meatballs on each bun and cover with desired amount of sauce, top with Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded. Serve immediately with lots of napkins.

*Note: When I make these, I often prepare and bake the meatballs earlier in the day. To reheat, I place the meatballs in the pot with the simmering sauce and let them warm up together. And since I know someone will ask, the meatballs freeze great. Freeze them, unbaked, on a baking sheet. Once frozen, they can be placed in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. Bake them (without thawing first), adding 6-7 minutes to the baking time. Incidentally, they also freeze great after they have been baked. Freeze them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and reheat them in the simmering sauce until they are warmed through.

Taco Stuffing

2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups water
1 cup rice (white or brown)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pot, brown the ground beef or turkey with the onion and garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain any accumulated grease. Add the water, rice, seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmeruncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, watching to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot (if you are using brown rice, it may need to simmer for up to 60-70 minutes). The mixture will seem very watery at first, but after simmering, it will thicken to perfection as the rice absorbs water and all the ingredients meld together.

Serve as the filling in a taco, ontop of a taco salad, dip with tortilla chips, sloppy joes, or freeze the leftover meat/rice mixture to defrost and reheat later.

Lemonade Cookies

I have yet to make these- but I will soon! I adapted this from a recipe in Parenting Magazine.

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. powdered lemonade mix
1 egg
8 drops red food coloring
1 3/4 c. flour
pinch of salt
1/4 c. pink decorating sugar
1 tbl. light corn syrup
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2-3 tbl. fresh lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and lemonade mix. Beat until fluffy, about 3 mins. Add egg and food coloring, beat well. Gradually add flour and salt. Beat until dough begins to cling.

Gather dough into a ball and shape into a 7x 2 1/2 in. log. Wrap in wax paper and chill 3 hrs, until firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 360. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and place pink sugar in a shallow bowl. Brush outside of the dough log with corn syrup. Cut log into 1/8 in. slices (like a cookie) then lightly roll the edges in pink sugar. Place on cookie sheet. Score the top of cookies with the back of a small knife to make them resemble citrus segments.

Bake about 8 mins. Until edges are just firm. Let cool on a wire rack.

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice in a ziploc bag. Snip a small hole in the corner and pipe icing onto scored lines Let stand until icing is set.

Makes about 2 1/2 doz.

Raspberry Limeade

12 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
4 tea. grated zest and 1/2 c. juice from 4 limes
chilled club soda (I used 7up- the club soda was a bit too bland)
ice

Heat raspberries, sugar, and water in saucepan over medium heat about 5 minutes. Mash berries with a potato masher or whisk, then stir in lime zest & juice. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Pour raspberry mix through fine sieve. You'll end up with a little more than 2 1/2 c. syrup. Discard solids. Refrigerate syrup until cool- 30 minutes (it will keep up to 1 week)
To serve, combine 3/4 c. soda and 3 tbl. syrup into a tall glass with ice.
For larger servings, 1 liter of soda will take about 1 1/2 c. syrup.

Creamy Green Enchiladas

Filling:
3 c. cooked, chopped chicken
2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese- softened
1 can black beans, rinsed

Sauce:
2 tbl. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 tbl. flour
1/3 chicken broth
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tea. salt
1/4 tea. pepper
1 can (7 oz.) green chile sauce
1/2 c. sour cream

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 taco sized flour tortillas
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add chicken and black beans. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions. Stir occasionally until onions soften and become translucent. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, then the milk. Whisk around until flour becomes less clumpy and eventually smooth out. Add salt and pepper. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Lightly grease a 9x13 dish. Spread 1/4 c. of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 c. of the chicken mixture. Top with a small amount of cheese and roll up, then place seam side down in the dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full.

Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on top and serve.

Week Full of Buttermilk Cloverleaf Rolls

Ok, I am in love. And while making bread is kinda hard- it sure does work out the arms!

3 c. buttermilk at room temp.
3 c. flour
1 tbl. yeast dissolved into 1/4 c. warm water (let proof for 2-3 mins.)
1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tea. salt
1/2 oil
1 tea. baking soda
5 c. flour, more or less

Mix the buttermilk. flour, and yeast/water mixture in a large mixing bowl. Let stand at room temp until it has doubled in size- about two hours.

Add sugar, eggs, salt, flour, oil, and baking soda. mix well and knead for 7-10 mins. Grease as many muffins as you want, then roll small dough balls (about 3/4 in.) and place three balls into each tin.

Place the rest of the dough into a covered container and place it in the fridge. It will keep for up to seven days (a whole week's worth of rolls for dinner!)

Let rolls rise until double in size- about 1-2 hrs. (dough from fridge will take longer because it's cold) Bake at 350 for 10-12 mins.

Lemon Sugar Cookies (with or without poppy seeds)

This recipe from my new favorite recipe blog, Mel's Kitchen Cafe, called for poppy seeds. But I didn't have those just lying around, and I needed to use up some buttermilk hanging out in my fridge. These cookies are simply divine without the poppy seeds!

2 c. flour
1 tea. baking powder
1/4 tea. salt
1/4 tea. baking soda
1 tbl. poppy seeds (I see these as optional)
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 tea, vanilla
zest of one lemon

In a med. bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking powder, and poppy seeds. Set aside.

In a lrg. bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest then mix. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mix it good!

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake 9-12 minutes, until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Creamy Orzo with Chicken & Red Peppers

Perfect summer dish. Light and airy, yet filling! The kids seem to tolerate it too!

1 tbl. olive oil
2 chicken breasts- in chunks
2 red bell peppers- 1/2 in. pieces
1 tea. dried thyme
3 cloves minced garlic
1 lb. orzo pasta
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 c. reserved pasta water
1/2 tea. salt
1/2 tea. pepper
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
3 tbl. chopped fresh parsley
The juice of 1 lemon

First, take out the cream cheese to soften. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook orzo and reserve 1 c. of the water. While orzo cooks, heat olive oil in a skillet and season the chicken with a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook chicken in the oil; brown on all sides, but not fully cooked through. Add red peppers and thyme. Stir and cook for about 5 mins. until peppers are soft and liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. On med. heat, cut in cream cheese in bite size pieces and stir to coat. Add pasta water (1 c.) bring to a simmer, and add 1/2 tea. salt & 1/2 tea. pepper, stir well. Let it cook down for a bit then remove from heat. Add orzo, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and parsley stir to combine and serve.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

So The Cheesecake Factory has this special cheesecake that I'm worried they will "discontinue" like they are wont to do. So I browsed online in case I need to whip out my kitchen and make one myself. This looks like a ton of work and effort, but someday, it may all just be worth it. So here's how it's done: (thank you, Donna Diegel)


The first step  is to make the plain Cheesecake and chill it completely before assembling. Make the cheesecake batter following the directions given in the recipe. Instead of making one thick cheesecake, divide the cheesecake batter between two prepared 9 inch springform pans. Reduce the baking time, and bake the two cheesecakes for 40-45 minutes, or until the sides are set and a little puffy and the center is slightly jiggly. They will firm up during cooling. Continue to follow the directions, and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Cheesecake: 

4 packages (8 ounce each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pan of hot water in bottom of oven.
2. In a mixing bowl on medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth ~ about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides.
3. Add sugar and cornstarch and beat again, scraping a few times. The mixture should be smooth.
4. Add vanilla, eggs and egg whites 2 at a time. Beat until creamy.
5. Slowly add the cream and beat only enough so there are no lumps and the filling is nice and fluffy. Scrape as needed.

The second step in making The Cheesecake Factory's Red Velvet Cheesecake is making the cake layers. Mix one batch of the Red Velvet Cake batter according to directions. Spray or butter one 9 inch round cake pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool cake layer 10-15 minutes before loosening, then remove from the pan, cool completely and chill for a few hours. Carefully slice through the red velvet cake layer horizontally, making sure to cut into two evenly sized layers. Freeze cake layers for at least four hours or overnight.

 Red Velvet Cake:


3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons dark Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon red food coloring, or 1/8 teaspoon of Wilton red gel cake color

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk and vanilla, and set aside.
3. Blend flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in another bowl, and set aside.
4. Cream the sugar and oil together on medium - high speed in a large bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Add one egg at a time and whisk. Add vinegar and food coloring or gel, and beat the batter well.
5. With mixer on low - medium speed, add half the flour and cocoa mixture to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk, and scraping as needed between additions. Mix until batter is nice and smooth with no lumps.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, or divide evenly between the cupcake tins. If the recipe is to be doubled for a 9 - inch double layer round cake, pour equal amounts of batter into buttered or sprayed pans. Otherwise, prepare 24 cupcake tins with liners.
7. Bake cake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean. Bake cupcakes for approximately 20 - 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.
8. Cool square cake and cupcakes completely on wire racks before frosting or freezing.
9. Cool round layers 10 - 15 minutes before loosening, then remove them from the pans, and cool completely.
10. At this point, the cake, layers and cupcakes can be wrapped and frozen for later use.

Meanwhile, make the buttercream frosting and cover unrefrigerated until ready to use.

Frosting:

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
4 Tablespoons solid shortening
2 cups confectioners' or powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoon milk, if necessary

1. Using a stand mixer, and fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a medium to large bowl and a hand mixer, beat softened cream cheese, butter and shortening together on medium speed until creamy.
2. Add confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat after each addition, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
3. Turn mixer to low, add vanilla and beat again, adding milk only if needed for proper spreading or piping consistency. Cover bowl with damp towel until ready to use.

Assembly:

1. Carefully remove chilled NY Style Cheesecake layers from springform pans. Place one Red Velvet Cake layer on a pretty serving plate, and spread with a very small dab of frosting for the "glue". Top with one cheesecake layer, and another dab of frosting. Repeat with remaining Red Velvet Cake layer, frosting, then top with the last cheesecake layer. Chill the cake while getting the frosting ready.
2. Place 1 cup of Buttercream Frosting in a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Frost the Red Velvet Cheesecake with an offset spatula, smoothing top and sides, being careful not to rip the cake up resulting in crumbs in the frosting. Using the filled pastry bag, pipe a border of frosting all around the edge of the cake top. If desired, pipe 12-16 equally spaced rosettes on top.
3. Chill Red Velvet Cheesecake until time to plate and serve. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Serve with raspberry coulis (sauce) if desired. Yields 12-16 slices.

Peepshi

My father and I share a common bond, (well, more than just one...) and it is a deep love for all things Peeps. So when I came across this recipe I had to share.

This is anything but the standard recipe I usually post here- forgive me for being silly. But seriously- this is hilarious. And I completely intend on doing this either today... or maybe next year. Because I hate sushi- but I have a feeling I would be all for peepshi.

Side Note! I actually made these today! I could not find Fruit by the Foot- where would you even begin to look for that?! Anyway, I used Air Heads- it was a bit harder, but it worked! I also tied a bit of pull apart licorice around it. Looked super great- and certainly got more than a couple chuckles.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

I love the kind that come frozen- yum, yum! But these sound like fun to make! And you can make them in different spiciness. Yay!

1 lb. (approx. 20) fresh jalapeno chiles
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 c. cracker crumbs or bread crumbs

Slice the jalapenos into halves lengthwise wearing gloves. Discard the seeds and veins and rinse. Combine the cream cheese, mozz. cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, salt, and chili powder in a bowl and mix well.

Stuff each jalapeno with approx. 1 tbl. of the cream cheese mix, rounding the top. Coat top with the cracker crumbs and arrange cheese side up in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 300 for 20 minutes for hot peppers, 30 minutes for medium hot poppers, and 40 minutes for mild poppers.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Easy is the new hard. And this is an easy dinner.

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cooked peas
2 cans (about 6 oz. each) tuna, drained and flaked
2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. butter, melted


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix soup, milk, peas, tuna and noodles in 1 1/2-qt. baking dish.

Bake 20 min. or until hot. Stir.

Mix bread crumbs with butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake 5 min.

Pork w/ Orange Sauce

1 pork tenderloin ( 1 1/4 lbs.)
1 lg. navel orange
1 tsp. olive oil
1 sm. red onion (sliced)
1 tbl. dijon mustard
salt & pepper

Cut pork into four slices, press each slice with the palm of your hand to flatten a bit. Season both sides with 1/4 tea. salt and 1/4 tea. pepper. From orange, grate 1/2 tea. peel and squeeze 1/2 c. orange juice.

Heat skillet on med. high heat and add oil, then pork in a single layer. Sprinkle onion in the pan and cook 4 minutes until pork browns. Turn pork over and stir onion, cook 5 mins. longer. Transfer pork to plate while leaving onion in skillet.

Add mustard, orange peel, and juice in skillet and cook for 1 min. stirring occasionally.

Serve pork over brown rice and spoon sauce over the top.

Mashed & Stuffed Potatoes

This may seem like a DUH recipe- but I care not. It was delicious beyond words.

4 large/medium red potatoes (sliced, but not skinned)
1/3 c. butter
1/4 tea. salt
milk
shredded cheddar cheese
bacon pieces (the kind that is pre cooked but needs to be refrigerated)

In a large pot, boil potatoes until very, very tender. Drain and then toss into a large bowl, add butter, cut up into pats to help with melting. Beat on medium, and pour in milk to desired consistency. Add salt and continue to beat until smooth- although it will still be a bit lumpy with the skins in there. Add cheese and bacon to taste and mix thoroughly.