Baked Chimichangas

Tonight ended up being one of those meals that were made on a whim.  I had originally planned to make Mexican Cornbread but we had regular cornbread with our dinner last night.  So of course I began the look on pinterest and trying to decide what I wanted to do with the ground beef I had thawed out.  I decided to try some baked chimichangas and in the midst of looking at different recipes I decided I'm just going to do my own thing because I didn't have all the ingredients to follow any of the recipes I looked at.  I really liked how these tasted fresh with the tomato, avocado, and spinach in them.  Not too much work and they turned out good!

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning (I use 3 Tbsp of homemade to 2/3 cup water)
3/4 cup sour creme
1 can Jalapeno refried beans
1 large avocado chopped
3 Roma tomatoes chopped
1 cup baby spinach chopped
2 cups fresh grated Monterrey Jack
2 cups fresh grated Pepperjack
12 medium size tortillas (not the small size ones)
Olive Oil

Preheat oven 450 degrees
1)  Line baking pan with foil and spread olive oil over it.
2)  Cook ground beef and mix taco seasoning according to directions.
3)  Mix in refried beans, sour creme, avocados, tomatoes, and spinach.
4)  Spoon meat mixture into center of tortilla and place some of both cheeses on top.  Fold ends of tortilla towards inside and other two edges over middle, and place seem side down on baking pan.  You want to be sure it is closed up with no gaps left open.  Do this until all tortillas or mixture has been used.
5)  Brush olive oil on top of all the chimichangas.
6)  Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven, flip chimichangas over, brush with a little olive oil if needed, and place back in oven and bake 10 more minutes.
7)  Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving as they are extremely hot inside.

Love fresh tomato and avocado!

Baked Chicken Spinach Flautas

These Baked Chicken Spinach Flautas from Healthy-Delicious are really good!  I made some without the spinach for the kids and they were good too.  I used two jalapenos and shredded Monterrey Jack and Pepper Jack cheese when making mine.  I have this other Baked Chicken Flautas here on my blog, but this spinach recipe is much easier and less work to make.  Flautas have always been a favorite of mine!

Ingredients

10-12 frozen chicken tenders

chicken bullion
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 teaspoon Chili Powder

Paula Dean Seasoning
2 Jalapeno chopped
3 cups Baby Spinach, chopped

Reserved chicken broth from boiling chicken
12-15 small tortillias
Shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Olive Oil

Butter 

Cooking Spray

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Put the chicken tenders in a pot with water, chicken bullion and seasonings.  Boil tenders until cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it.
Pour off top of broth leaving about 1/2 cup with settled seasonings in pot.  Place shredded chicken back in pot with broth and seasonings and mix all together.  Let set while following next steps.
Place 1-2 Tbsp butter in skillet and melt.  Add chopped spinach and jalapeno to skillet and saute until spinach begins to wilt and remove from heat.
Line baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
Spoon chicken, cheese, spinach, and jalapeno onto tortilla and roll up tightly.
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in small bowl and mix in 4 Tbsp. olive oil.  Brush the top of flautas with oil butter mixture.  Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over brush top side with oil butter mixture, bake 10 minutes or until crispy.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I've been wanting to try Pumpkin Pancakes and finally made some!  It's one of those things I knew I would like thinking the kids wouldn't care for them, but turns out even the kids thought they were yummy.  I used a recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and only changed the amount of milk I used.  At first they were too thick and I like it when my pancake batter slowly pours into pan to make a more consistent circle shape.  These will be made again in this house!

Ingredients
1¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 1 /2 to 1 3/4 cup milk (whole or 2%)
½ cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat a griddle to medium heat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, egg, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and whisk gently until completely combined. Set aside for 5 minutes.
4. Once the griddle comes to temperature, drizzle with vegetable oil and wipe off excess with a paper towel.
5. Ladle ⅓-cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the edges are set and the bubbles around the edges are open and set. Flip and cook on the second side for an additional 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Leftover pancakes can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Sausage Balls

These are a popular recipe that everyone seems to make.  I actually recently just made these myself for the first time a few weeks ago.  I've been wanting some more of these and wanted to use spicy sausage.  I made some this morning to go with our breakfast and they are just so yummy!  I think next time I make them I will add some chopped jalapeno and more cheese.

Ingredients
1 lb spicy sausage
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 1/4 cup Bisquick
4 oz. fresh grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together and roll into balls.  I use Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook for mixing.  Cover baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick spray.  Line balls on pan and bake 20-22 minutes.

Chili's Salsa

Recently I tried this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff and will probably make it again.  I really do not have a good salsa recipe as it is something I've just never made.  I will be trying other recipes I'm sure of it eventually!  For now I like this one and it's super easy to make in my individual Ninja blender cup.  Next time I make this I will not use so much onion as it was too strong in the salsa.  I probably picked up a medium size to small onion and would at least half that.  Six Sisters' Stuff is a neat blog with some good foods on it!

Ingredients
2 14.5oz cans whole tomatoes, drained
1 whole jalapeno, with end chopped off
1/2 yellow onion
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. lime juice

Place all ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Store in air tight container and refrigerate.

Ingredients:

2 cans (14.5 oz each) whole tomatoes, drained

3-4 canned, whole jalapenos (not pickled)
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons lime juiceDirections:
Place all of the ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.

Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/11/chilis-copycat-salsa-recipe.html#isglcp01C2IWl0im.99

Pumpkin Pie

This is another pie I made during Thanksgiving.  I usually make a pumpkin pie using the recipe from the canned pumpkin which is pretty good in my opinion.  This year I wanted to try another recipe and this Perfect Pumpkin Pie was better than the one I have made.  I followed her recipe exactly as is and want to be sure I have it on hand at all times for future Pumpkin Pies!

Ingredients
1 unbaked pie crust
2 cups pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or sweetener of choice (this is a bag of granulated cane juice)




Preheat oven to 425 degrees
1) Roll out your pie crust and place it in a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edges or decorate as desired. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

2) Place all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until nice and smooth. Pour into the prepared pie crust and slip into your preheated oven.

3) Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 C). Bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, or until the filling isn't wet, but still moves a bit in the middle when jiggled. If the crust is getting too brown for your liking you can always cover it with tin foil or a crust shield. 

4) Cool the pie and serve cold or at room temperature, whichever you prefer. Whipped cream is a MUST. 

Chocolate Pecan Pie

I have been wanting to make this pie since last Thanksgiving after picking up a cooking magazine that featured this recipe on the front page.  So this was one of the pies I made this year.  I actually messed up on baking it, not realizing I was suppose to cover with foil half way through.  I ended up taking it out about 10 minutes sooner because the top was getting so dark, and in doing this it caused the inside of pie to be kinda runny.  It was still pretty good!  I definitely will be making this again and look forward to it tasting better when I follow the instructions correctly.

Ingredients
1 refrigerated pie crust
2 4oz. bars bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups chopped pecans

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2)  Lightly flour both sides of pie crust and place in pie dish.  Crimp edges if desired.  Line crust with parchment or wax paper and cover bottom with pie weights (I used rice).  Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove paper and weights.
3)  In a small saucepan, combine chocolate and cream.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.  Pour into prepared pie crust and chill for 30 minutes.
4)  In a medium bowl, combine corn syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and butter mixing until smooth.  Stir in pecans.  Spoon batter over chocolate layer in pie crust.
5)  Bake for 30 minutes.  Cover top with foil to prevent excess burning, and continue baking another 30 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.
 

Striped Delight

This is another all time favorite in our house!  I got this recipe from my mother as this is something she always made around Thanksgiving and Christmas and everyone loved it.  We were able to spend Thanksgiving with our friends this year and only needed to bring a dessert, and one that wasn't a pie as they already had those taken care of.  I chose this dessert because it is so easy and fast to make.  I think everyone loved it especially the kids!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 pkg 8oz. cream cheese softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
2 8oz. cool whip
2 pkg instant chocolate pudding
3 1/2 cup milk

Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 sugar and butter for crust, and press into baking dish.  Beat cream cheese, 2 Tbsp milk, and 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.  Fold in on 8oz. tub of cool whip and spread over crust.  Mix milk and pudding together and pour over cream cheese layer.  Refrigerate for two hours.  Spread 8oz. cool whip over top of pudding layer and top with nuts or chocolate shavings if desired.  Serve cold.

Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole

I have always loved Sweet Potato Casserole since I was a little girl!  My husband on the other hand had not cared for it much until I started making this recipe.  He loves the pecan topping on this one!  I don't remember where I got this recipe from but have been making it for about five years.  It doesn't matter if we stay home for Thanksgiving or travel back to our parents I usually end up making this every year.  This year we stayed home and I only cooked a few things with this being one of them! 

Filling
4 lg. sweet potatoes
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into slightly big chunks.  Place in pot and boil until fork inserts smoothly, making some chunks fall apart.  Drain off water and add remaining ingredients mixing together well.  Pour into a casserole dish.

Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup flour
1 to 2 cups pecans, chopped

Mix all ingredients together well and place on top of sweet potatoes filling.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Butterfinger Blondie Bars

Last week we celebrated Ryan's birthday here at the house, and when we do this the kids always get to pick what dessert they want.  So we looked around on Pinterest and he chose to try these Butterfinger Blondies!  Turned out that Ryan and my husband really liked them the most.  Once I got to looking at the ingredients I decided I didn't really want the butter cream icing for the topping.  I ended up using a cool whip/cream cheese type topping that I use in another dessert I make.  It tasted really good, but in my mind the two did not go together.  The topping has to be refrigerated therefore this made the Blondie part more firm than I cared for.  I think I would prefer just making the Blondie part and topping it with vanilla ice cream and butterfingers.  Even with all this being said it was yummy and probably something I'll make again!

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp course sea salt
1 11oz bag butterfingers chopped

Preheat oven 350 degrees
Spray 9x13 dish with nonstick spray.
Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.
In large bowl mix flour, baking soda, and sea salt.
With mixer on low gradually add in the dry ingredients just until combined.
Stir in the chopped butterfingers.
Spread in a 9x13 baking dish evenly.
Bake 25 minutes until center is set.
Cool completely after removing from oven.

Topping
8oz cream cheese softened
8oz cool whip
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 - 11oz bag butterfingers chopped

Combine all ingredients and mix until well blended. 
Spread evenly over top of cooled blondies.
Sprinkle chopped butterfingers on top and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350°
Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.
On low add your dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda) until just combined.
Stir in your chopped Butterfinger.
Spread in a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until center is JUST set.
Remove from oven and cool completely.
Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/08/butterfinger-blondies.html#Gex9z5cLcu6vRulv.99

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt (or regular salt)
2 cups coarsely chopped Butterfinger Bars (approx 16 “Fun Size” bars)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.
On low add your dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda) until just combined.
Stir in your chopped Butterfinger.
Spread in a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until center is JUST set.
Remove from oven and cool completely.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/08/butterfinger-blondies.html#Gex9z5cLcu6vRulv.99

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt (or regular salt)
2 cups coarsely chopped Butterfinger Bars (approx 16 “Fun Size” bars)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.
On low add your dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda) until just combined.
Stir in your chopped Butterfinger.
Spread in a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until center is JUST set.
Remove from oven and cool completely.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/08/butterfinger-blondies.html#Gex9z5cLcu6vRulv.99

Chicken Croissants

Life has been very busy lately, and that means the cooking spree came to a halt.  I have cooked a couple times a week but even doing that I have not felt up to taking the pictures needed for making a post.  This recipe here is an all time favorite in our house and amongst some who have had them as appetizers at various events.  I like to make this as a ring and bake on Pampered Chef stoneware but when taking it somewhere else I'll make individual croissants.  I am posting this recipe since I had this picture on my phone.  It's actually been a couple months since I made these though!

Ingredients
10-12 frozen chicken tenders
2 chicken bullion cubes
1-2 cups real bacon crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4-1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 cans large croissants
1 1/2 cups fresh grated cheddar
Paula Deans Seasoning
Lawry's Seasoned Pepper
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 Tbsp parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place frozen tenders in pot and cover with water.  Place bullion cubes along with all seasonings, excluding the parsley, in the pot as well.  Just season to your desire.  I typically use quiet a bit.  Boil chicken until tender and cooked through.
Remove tenders from pot and shred using two forks.  Let broth settle while doing this.
Pour off top of broth leaving about 1/2 to 1 cup in bottom of pot with all the seasonings.
Place chicken in large bowl, add the mayonnaise and mustard and mix all together.
Add the bacon pieces, cheese, and parsley to chicken mixture and mix well.
Using the reserved broth from pot, you will pour a little at a time to chicken mixture just to make slightly moist.  This is where you want the seasonings to come from.  You may not use all of the broth.
Place chicken mixture in each croissant being sure to seal end if making individuals.
Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until croissants are golden brown.

Snickerdoodle Pancakes

Last Saturday I was determined to make some pancakes that my kids would like!  I found these Snickerdoodle Pancakes on none other than pinterest and thought surely the kids will like these.  Your probably wondering what kids do not like pancakes.  The deal with my kiddos is they have been eating the packaged frozen pancakes from Walmart for a little too long that they don't realize homemade pancakes are by far better.   My husbands mother introduced my kids to them and I took to them because of the "it's easy" idea!  I really just prefer fresh cooked items but do revert to using some frozen foods every now and then.  Anyway, back to these pancakes!  The kids liked them after all and I made them again this morning.  So I used her recipe for the most part while adding some extra of a few things and a little less of some other things, and then accidentally forgot to put the butter in.  I found the butter in the microwave later that day, lol!  So they turned out great and any time I make these I'll just stick to the way I made them the first time. 

Ingredients
1 cup of all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup of sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, lightly beate
1/2- 3/4 cup of milk

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and whisk to combine.
Add wet ingredients and whisk just until combined.
Use ¼ cup of milk for thicker, fluffy pancakes. Add more milk for thinner, tender pancakes.
Pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto hot non-stick griddle.
When edges of pancakes start to set, flip and cook until light golden brown.
Serve with butter and warm cinnamon vanilla glaze.
Makes 8-10 pancakes.

Avocado Tomato Salad

This makes a great side dish and it's fast!  When I went to open this recipe from pinterest it could not be found.  So I did what the description had in the pin while adding some extra of this and that to it!

Ingredients
2 large avocados, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped with seeds discarded
Salt
Garlic & Herb Seasoning
Fine Red & Black Pepper Seasoning
Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients, being careful not to blend so much that your avocados blend all together.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Next time I plan to refrigerate my avocados before slicing to try and prevent them from blending together so much.  They are suppose to look like whole little pieces not like guacamole.

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

This is great recipe for grilling!  I love pinning foods on pinterest that look good and easy.  These Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers turned out to be very tender with good flavor.  I followed her recipe as is with the exception of not using as much cilantro. 

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
juice of one lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 teaspoon Siracha
red pepper flakes, to taste
2 tablespoon cilantro
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, combine your ingredients, through the cilantro. Mix thoroughly.
Pour marinade over chicken breasts and turn to coat. Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Grill on medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.

Chili Roasted Corn on the Cob

This past Saturday we were able to be at home and when that happens it's usually a cooking day.  I had planned on trying this Amazing Oven Roasted Corn for a side to go with our meal.  As I started thinking about the seasonings I wanted to use I remembered having some Chili Lime Roasted Corn at Disneyland that was very good and knew right then that's what was going on this corn.  I had some Garlic butter spread I knew would be good on it, and had the limes but didn't use them this time.  The corn turned out great and I would even say our favorite next to grilling it!

Ingredients
4-6 Tbsp garlic butter
2-3 tsp chili powder
Salt
Pepper
3 lg corn on cobs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Line a baking pan with foil, and coat with nonstick spray.
Place cobs on baking pan.
Melt butter in microwave safe bowl.
Brush a good coat over all sides of corn, and lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides.
Mix chili powder with remaining butter, and brush generously over all sides of corn.
Bake 45 minutes or until starting to brown.
Rotate corn about every 15 minutes and lightly brush with any remaining butter/chili mixture.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

Today was one of those days where I just had to do some more baking!  The kids got out of school at noon  so I felt like I had some extra time to get a dessert whipped up without having to watch the clock.  I was looking for something that sounded easy and looked good in my pins and decided to go with a Cinnamon Roll Cake.  Of course as I'm getting all the ingredients out I'm thinking of how to add some pumpkin to this, and what I'm going to change up to try it.  In the end it all worked out and we loved it!  My husband said this is better than the Anything and Everything Pumpkin Cake and his new favorite dessert with pumpkin in it!  It's gonna be so good with my coffee in the morning!

Ingredients

CAKE:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1-2 tsp nutmeg
1-2 tsp pumpkin spice
3/4c. milk
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 can Pumpkin
3 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

TOPPING:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9x13 baking pan with Bakers Joy
In medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice.  Whisk together and set aside.
In mixing bowl combine sugar and eggs and beat until smooth.
Add pumpkin to sugar mixture and beat on low until blended well.
Add milk to mixture and mix on low.
Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until all is incorporated..
Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 36-40 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

GLAZE:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Anything & Everything Pumpkin Cake

Any time I make a dessert for something or someone else besides my family they just act like it's so horrible that it's not for them and they always want some really bad.  So after making the Pumpkin Pound Cake last week for a dinner at our church I knew I would have to make something for my family over the weekend.  I had so many recipes pinned containing pumpkin I couldn't believe it.  I ended up going with this recipe from Clever Housewife and the whole family loved it!  The only thing I did different was add chocolate chips to mine and use a whole bag of Heath bits on top of cake.  I personally did not care for chocolate chips being added but my husband seemed to really like them in the cake.  Next time I make this I think I will mix some heath in the cake mix and add more heath to the top of cake.

Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
1 – 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chocolate chips if desired
1 – 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 – 8 oz. tub cool whip
1 bag Heath Bits
Caramel Sundae Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, spice and pumpkin puree until a smooth batter forms. Pour batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish, and bake according to the directions on the cake mix box (approx 23-28 mins).
-Remove cake from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes after baking.
-Using the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
-Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake. This should fill in the holes and soak into the cake.
-Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
-Remove cake from refrigerator and spread cool whip over top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and -drizzle caramel over top. (I didn’t think the cake needed a lot of caramel at this point so I only used about ¼ of the jar. I thinned it out first by heating it in the microwave.)
-Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight (best).

Pumpkin Pound Cake

Here lately I have pinned so many recipes that contain pumpkin.  I love fall, love baking, and love pumpkin desserts!  Our church was serving a dinner last week and I usually make some type of pound cake for these because they tend to be super easy.  Wanting to make something new I was so excited when I realized I had pinned a Pumpkin Pound Cake by Whipperberry.  I followed her recipe exactly as is and it turned out yummy!  It was moist and of course had good flavor.

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
Whisk together your sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Fold in the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into your pan and bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.  I baked 55 minutes as I am just always just over cautious of not wanting things to be dry, but this could have baked at least 3 more minutes and been just fine.

Jalapeno Bacon Mac N' Cheese

My husband and I went to Kirby's Steakhouse for our anniversary and had some of the best Mac N' Cheese with jalapenos and bacon in it.  So I found a recipe to try for something similar to what we had.  As usual I did not follow the recipe exactly and did some of my own things.  The kids didn't care for this but it really is good.  I hope to get it  a little more creamy next time I make it and add more jalapenos for flavor.  All in all a good side dish though!

Ingredients
12 oz large elbow pasta
4 Tbsp salted butter
4 jalapenos, seedless & diced
1/2 cup crumbled bacon
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz cream cheese softened
Paula Dean Seasonings
Panko Bread Crumbs
Olive Oil

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Boil elbow pasta as directed, rinse and drain.  In same saucepan melt butter on medium heat.  Add diced jalapenos and cook 2-4 minutes.  Add crumbled bacon stirring in about 1 minute.  Whisk in flour and cook about 1 minute.  Add milk, pepper jack cheese, and cream cheese cooking and stirring until melted and blended.  Mix in Paula Dean Seasonings and stir well.  Stir in pasta and mix all together.  Pour pasta in 2qt baking dish.  Sprinkle Panko bread crumbs on top and lightly drizzle olive oil over them.  Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees, and then turn broiler on and broil about 3 minutes or until top is browned.

Honey Butter Grilled Pork Chops

Every time I buy groceries I pick up the normal chicken and ground beef, and then always pick up one other meat for something different.  I decided to go with pork chops for grilling after seeing a recipe for a pork tenderloin.  I'm not really a fan of pork meat but don't mind eating occasionally.  My husband grilled these and the whole family really liked them, especially the kids!

Seasoning
4 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp butter
Cajun Seasoing
Black Pepper

Heat honey and butter on medium heat until blended.  Brush sauce on both sides of pork chops and season to your desire.  Let marinate 30 minutes or longer.   Set grill to high heat and cook each side for 1 minute.  Turn heat to low to finish cooking pork chops.

Pecan Lemon Loaf

I had intentions to make some Banana Bread the other day but happened to look through the Taste of Home 2009 recipe book on my cookbook stand first and found this I wanted to try.  I'm not super crazy about lemon things but I like them for having something different and love the light fresh taste they give.  At first I wasn't sure how this would taste lemony since there is no lemon juice added to the dough as it all gets poured over the top.  However, to my surprise the bread soaks it all up even through the middle and you have moist lemon bread.  I can't say this is my favorite bread, but it's definitely good and I will make again when I want that light fresh taste!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in eggs.  In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.  Fold in Pecans and lemon peel.  Transfer to a greased 9x5 loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice and remaining sugar.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Pour over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Pour over the warm  bread. Cool completely on a wire rack before removing from pan.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

I have been making these enchiladas for about 12 years now and it's a family favorite in our house.  These are also known as Stinachiladas in our family because my nephews call me Aunt Stina, and they started calling these Stinachiladas when they were little and would ask there mom to make them.  Over the years I've come across a couple things that no doubt make this recipe better and that is freshly grated cheese and fresh green chilies or at least a good jar from New Mexico.  If I buy shredded cheese I always go with Sargento.  Something I'd like to try is making my own cream of chicken sauce for these, but I have yet to do that!

Ingredients
12 to 15 frozen chicken tenders
2 Tbsp full of chicken bullion or 2 cubes
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz diced green chilies
16 oz shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10 large flour tortillas
Seasonings pictured below

 

Place frozen tenders in pot with water, add lots of all the seasonings and chicken bullion.  Boil chicken about 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender.  Remove tenders from pot, place in 8x8 pan and shred to pieces with two forks.   Allow broth to settle while doing this.  Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.  Place chicken and cheeses in center of tortilla then slide towards edge and roll up tight. Place in baking dish after rolling each one.  You should be able to fit 10 if you roll them tightly.  Preaheat over to 350 degrees.  Pour off some broth from pot into bowl or large cup leaving the bottom 2 cups in saucepan.  This is important because most of the seasoning settles to bottom and you want this in your sauce.  Add cream of chicken, sour cream, and green chilies to broth and stir over medium heat continuously until blended well.  Add more of the reserved broth as necessary to the sauce mixture to ensure it's not too thick, but be careful not to add too much making it runny.  Pour sauce over enchiladas.  Using a spatula place between each tortilla allowing some of sauce to run in between them all.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake 25-35 minutes until edges begin to lightly brown. 

 

Make Ahead Spicy Omelets

My husband has never been one to have to eat breakfast before heading off to work because he is in a hurry.  I usually keep breakfast bars on hand but those get old fast!  With this being said I try to come up with something different for his breakfast every so often.  So a few months ago I decided to try making omelets and freezing them.  Well it worked out great and he loves them when he remembers to put them in the oven before getting ready, lol!  This recipe is my husbands favorite but you could use just about anything. 

Ingredients
1 pkg bacon
1 dozen eggs
1 quart bag mixed sweet peppers & jalapeno's with seeds
16 oz fresh grated pepper jack cheese
1 stick of butter
Paula Dean Seasoning

Cook bacon as directed  and crumble.  Chop sweet peppers and jalapenos to fill quart size bag. Grate fresh pepper jack cheese.  I usually prepare the bacon, peppers, and cheese the day before.  Have 3 eggs mixed in small bowl.  Melt butter in small nonstick pan on medium heat.  Add a handful of peppers and season with Paula Dean Season.  Stir consistently about 2 minutes, then add crumbled bacon and stir together another minute or so.  Pour in eggs and cook until top begins to puff up or have bubbles.  Place cheese on one half of omelet and fold opposite side over to close omelet.  Let cook about 1 minute then flip to opposite side cooking another minute.  Remove from pan, place on plate, and put plate in freezer.  Begin cooking another omelet!  As you are making omelets you'll need to cut previously made ones in half before frozen, but you want them to be cooled and firm before cutting.  Place them in freezer gallon bag once cut in half. 

If preparing all ingredients in one day this usually takes about 2 to 3 hours.  I usually end up with 8 sometimes 10 half omelets, lasting 2 to 3 weeks for my husbands breakfast.  To reheat these for breakfast you should take one from freezer, wrap in foil and place in fridge the night before to allow some thawing.  In the morning preheat over to 375 or 400, depending on how fast you want ready.  Heat omelet for 10 to 15 minutes.  If frozen you will have to heat for 20-30 minutes.