Pumpkin Nutella Bread

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

Submitted: Liz Rasmussen

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract
8 tablespoons Nutella (2 tablespoons per mini loaf)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 4 mini loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, water, pumpkin, eggs, and extracts. Whisk until smooth and combined.

4. Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Mix until ingredients are combined.

5. Pour the batter into the mini loaf pans, making sure batter is evenly divided. Drop 2 heaping tablespoons of Nutella onto each loaf pan. Swirl the Nutella into the pumpkin batter with a knife. Place the loaf pans onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Place the loaf pans on a wire rack. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove the loaves. Cool completely before slicing.

*Note-You can make regular size loaves. This recipe should make 2 8×4 loaves. Adjust baking time to about 60 minutes.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe:

Recipe from: Make and Takes

Submitted: Denise Crook and Liz Rasmussen

1 1/4 cup cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla extract. Next, add in pumpkin and mix until combined.

4. Slowly add in flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips.

5. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are set and golden. Remove cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Upside-Down Pumpkin Filled Chocolate Cupcakes 

Courtesy of Paula Deen:

Submitted: Lindsay Rincon

·  1 (18.25-ounce) box dark chocolate cake mix

·  4 ounces cream cheese, softened

·  1 cup canned pumpkin

·  1 cup confectioners' sugar

·  8 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

·  3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

·  Candy corn, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350*. Spray 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with nonstick baking spray with flour. Do not use paper liners.

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes and bake. 
Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans, and arrange them, rounded side down, on wire racks to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the pumpkin and confectioners' sugar, and beat until smooth.
Cut each cupcake in half horizontally. Spread about 2 tablespoons the pumpkin mixture evenly over cut side of rounded cupcake halves. Top with the cut side of the flat cupcake halves.

Using a double boiler, melt the semisweet chocolate. Add the whipping cream and mix until well combined. Spoon the desired amount of chocolate over each cupcake and garnish with candy corn. Cover, and chill, or serve immediately.


Cook's Note: Cupcakes can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. 

Pumpkin Blondies

Pumpkin Blondies
Source:  adapted from Martha Stewart
Submitted: Summer Thatcher
2 c. flour
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
1 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. chopped, toasted nuts (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with foil.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.  Stir together and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.  Mix in the pumpkin puree.  With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Fold in the white chocolate and butterscotch chips (and nuts, if using) with a rubber spatula.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.  Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 35-40 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting.

To serve, lift the cake from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board.  Peel off the foil and using a sharp knife, cut into 24 squares.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
submitted by: Lindsay Rincon

1 c butter 
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c canned pumpkin pie mix
3 c flour
2 c chocolate chips (one bag)
 
Preheat oven to 350*.
 
Beat butter, sugars and eggs together. Then, add pumpkin and vanilla and mix together. 
 
Add all dry ingredients and mix. Then, add chocolate chips and stir. 
 
Bake for 15 minutes.
 

Jean Pocket Bean Bags

Liz submitted this really cute craft!  Bean Bags made out of pockets from your old jeans!  I love them!  Thanks for sharing Liz!

I found this easy bean bag pattern in an old craft book of my moms.  Basically you cut out the butt pocket of your blue jeans (no holes in front or back) around the sewn edges, fill with rice or beans and sew two seams along the open edge.  Watch for fraying edges.  I used pockets from women's & men's jeans and added 3/4- 1 cup of rice.  I made 14 bags and used about 2/3 of my 10 lb bag of rice.

Double Chocolate Cookie Bars

Double Chocolate Cookie Bars
submitted: Summer Thatcher
From: Heidi Bakes Blog

24 OREO cookies
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Set aside 6 cookies and grind the rest in a food processor or blender.  IN a small bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and butter until well blended.  Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Over a double broiler or in the microwave (for 1 minute), melt 1 cup of chocolate chips together with the condensed milk.  Stir and add the vanilla.  Stir frequently until smooth.  Spread evenly over the crumb crust.  Sprinkle the remaining cup of chocolate chips over the top.  Break remaining cookies into pieces by hand and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven.  Cool completely before cutting into the bars.

Creamy Bacon Carbonara

Creamy Bacon Carbonara
Submitted: Summer Thatcher
From: Just Get off Your Butt and Bake

2 eggs
1/4 c. Heavy Cream
1/3 c. Parmesan
Fresh diced Parsley or dried flakes (Basil would be good also)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper flakes
(I doubled the sauce recipe, and it was perfect)

1/2 lb. bacon
1 small onion, chopped (opt.)
3 mushrooms sliced (opt.)
1/2 lb. pasta

Beat the eggs, cream, Parmesan, parsley, salt and red pepper together in a bowl.  I just used a fork.  Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble and set aside.  With 1-2 TBS bacon grease, saute the onion and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and golden.  Drain the pasta and while still warm, add to the onions and mushrooms.  Pour cream mixture into the pasta, and stir over low heat for one to two minutes.  (**I doubled the sauce recipe and I saved a bit of the pasta water, just in case my sauce got thicker than I liked, add a bit if you need it).  Don't do this on high heat or you will make scrambled eggs.  Serve with additional Parmesan, and a loaf of Crusty French Bread and a salad!  You will love it!

Peaches and Cream Tart

Peaches and Cream Tart

submitted: Summer Thatcher

Crust:
2 c. Macaroon Cookie crumbs (almost 1 pkg. cookies)
1/4 c. butter, melted

Combine crumbs and butter. Put in spring form pan or mini cheesecake pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Filling:
1 c. heavy cream
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
2/3 c. sugar
4 TBS orange juice concentrate
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract

Whip whipping cream till stiff, set aside. Beat cream cheese, sugar, OJ, vanilla and almond. Stir in whipping cream. Spread over crust. Refrigerate 2-4 hours or freeze 1 hour. Peel and slice peaches (or strawberries, raspberries, blueberries...) and sprinkle with sugar. Put fruit on top of filling before serving.

If you want you can make some homemade whipped cream (1 c. heavy cream, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 tsp. almond) and put on top before the fruit...so good:)

Mexican Meat

Mexican Meat
Submitted By: Chris Cosme

This was a recipe that was made at Enrichment.

9lb beef roast, fat removed (sirloin tip roast and top round roast work well)
3 large onions, chopped
2, 4 oz cans chopped green chiles
1, 7 oz jar taco sauce
1 16 oz. jar salsa ( I use Pace)
2 tbs. minced garlic
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 of a medium jar of roasted red peppers, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
cajun/creole seasoning, pepper and oregano to taste

Season roast with salt and pepper. Brown roast with a little bit of oil on both sides. Remove roast from pan and place in a crock pot. Sautee' chopped onions with remaining drippings. Deglaze pan with taco sauce and add to the crock pot along with all of the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 8-10 hours until meat is tender and shreds easily.

Salsa

Salsa
Submitted By: Chris Cosme

This is the salsa we made at Enrichment.

Salsa
2 large tomatoes chopped
1 can original rotel
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno seeded ( or more if you'd like it spicier)
salt and pepper to taste

Sunshine Lemon Bars

Sunshine Lemon Bars

Submitted by: Liz Rasmussen

Source: Duncan Hines

Hands-On Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour and 30 minutes
Servings:
Makes 24 servings.

Ingredients:
1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 large egg
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

Baking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Stir together cake mix, butter and egg. Spread mixture evenly into bottom of a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Blend together sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Pour mixture over top of cake mix mixture.

Bake for 23 to 27 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into 1 1/2x3 1/4-inch bars.

Chicken Salad

Here is the "sort of" recipes for the chicken salad and for the cranberry and cream cheese crescent rolls. Sorry, I'm not too good with measurements.

Chicken Salad-

Submitted: Chris Cosme

Two roasted chicken breasts (You can roast yourself or use the roasted chicken from the store. That's what I used.)

Craisins chopped

Celery stick sliced in half lengthwise and chopped thin

mayonnaise

green onion sliced thin

1-2 Tbs sweet vidalia onion dressing

salt and pepper to taste

Cranberry and Cheese croissants

(Measurements are not exact, so taste along the way)

1pkg refrigerator crescent rolls

1/4-1/2 C canned whole cranberries

1 pkg cream cheese(right out of the refrigerator otherwise mixture will be too runny)

1-2 T orange zest

1 T sugar

Mix all ingredients except crescent dough together in a mixer until well blended. Spoon small amounts of mixture onto crescent dough, form into little pockets and bake as instructed.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders and Salad with Tangy Maple Dressing

This one is super, super easy! One quick tip though...don't overheat the oil...I heat it on the stove at a medium-low heat...you won't dry out or burn the chicken. Can also be served without the salad...using a different side(s) of choice.
Submitted: Lindsay Rincon

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders and Salad with Tangy Maple Dressing

(A 30-minute meal courtesy of Rachael Ray)

Ingredients

· Vegetable oil, for frying

· 1 1/3 to 2 pounds chicken tenders

· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

· 2 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk or water

· 1 cup plain bread crumbs

· 1 cup pecans, processed in food processor to finely chop

· 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated or ground

· 1 orange, zested

Dressing:

· 1/4 cup maple syrup

· 1/4 cup tangy barbecue sauce

· 1 navel orange, juiced

· 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

· 3 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped

· 6 radishes, thinly sliced

· 6 scallions, trimmed and chopped on an angle

Directions

Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil over medium high heat. Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Set out 3 shallow dishes. Place flour in 1 dish, eggs beaten with water or milk in a second. In the third dish, combine bread crumbs with ground pecans, nutmeg and orange zest. Coat tenders in batches in flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture. Fry tenders in small batches 6 to 7 minutes. Drain tenders on paper towels.

Combine maple syrup, barbecue sauce and orange juice in a bowl. Whisk in oil and season with salt and pepper.

Combine romaine, radishes and scallions in a large salad bowl or on a serving platter. Toss with 3/4 of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste. Top salad with pecan crusted chicken tenders and drizzle remaining dressing over top.

Beverage suggestion: serve cran-raspberry apple juice over ice and top with a splash of soda water.

Apple-Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops

Apple-Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops...from Delish

Submitted: Lindsay Rincon

Ingredients
From the pantry:

· 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter

· 1/3 cup(s) finely chopped dried cranberries

· 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) garlic paste

· 1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt

· 3/4 cup(s) (14-ounce) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

· Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

· Flour, for dusting

· 1/2 cup(s) chicken broth

· 2 tablespoon(s) Dijon mustard with honey

Fresh ingredients:

· 3/4 cup(s) finely chopped onion

· 1/3 cup(s) finely chopped celery

· 1 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh sage leaves

· 1 Granny Smith apple

· 6 (5-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (1 inch thick)---(I used chicken breasts and it was very delicious!)

· 1 1/2 cup(s) apple juice

Accompaniment:

· Sugar snap peas

· Mashed potatoes

Directions

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat; add onion, celery, cranberries, sage, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Add apple and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt; cook 4 minutes. Cool mixture; stir in cheese. Remove mixture to a bowl. Wipe skillet clean.

2. With a sharp knife held parallel to a cutting board, cut a pocket in each pork chop, leaving three sides intact. Stuff each chop with apple-cranberry mixture; skewer pockets closed with toothpicks.

3. Season chops with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and sprinkle with pepper; dust chops in flour. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in skillet and heat over medium heat. Add chops; cook 8 minutes, turning once, or until just cooked through. Pour broth around chops; continue to cook 4 minutes, turning chops, or until cooked through. Remove chops to a platter; cover loosely with foil.

4. Add apple juice to liquid in skillet; whisk in mustard. Bring to a boil; cook until sauce is reduced by half. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Remove toothpicks from pork; pour sauce over chops. Serve with sugar snap peas and mashed potatoes.

French Toast and Coconut Syrup

French Toast

Submitted: Summer Thatcher

From: Alton Brown

This is my very favorite way to eat French Toast...the custard is to die for:)

1 c. half-and-half (or heavy cream)

3 eggs

2 TBS honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds

1/4 tsp. salt

8 (1/2 inch) slices day old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread***

4 TBS butter

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half and half, eggs, honey and salt. You may do this the night before. WHen ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 TBS of butter in a 10" nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

***I use french bread and I can use more like 10-15 slices, not 8.

Coconut Syrup

This stuff is A-MAZING! Even if you don't like coconut, you will probably still LOVE this. My 4-year old just kept saying WOW! YUM!! This is sooo good! It came from The Sisters Cafe.

7-8 TBS butter

3/4 c. buttermilk***

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. coconut extract

Put butter, milk and sugar in saucepan. Put on medium heat and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add soda and coconut extract. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the fizz to reduce before serving.

***I didn't have any buttermilk on hand, so I put 1 tsp. of lemon juice in a 1c. measuring cup and add milk the rest of the way. Wait for 5 minutes and BAM...buttermilk

Jenna's Mexican Chicken Chowder

Mexican Chicken Chowder

Submitted: Summer Thatcher

Whenever I make this everyone always asks for the recipe! It is one of a kind and so good you can't stop eating it!!

2 1/2 c. cooked, chopped chicken (about 3 chicken breasts)

A few handfuls of frozen sweet corn

1 can cream of potato soup

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chili peppers, un-drained

2 TBS snipped fresh cilantro

1 pkg. taco seasoning

3 c. chicken broth (2 cans)

8 oz. sour cream**

4 oz. Velveeta cheese (or if omitting the sour cream, add the whole pkg.)**

Rice

In a crock pot combine chicken, corn, cream of potato soup, chili peppers, cilantro and taco seasoning mix. Stir in chicken broth. Cover and cook on low heat for about 6 hours (or on high for 3-4 hours). Add Velveeta cheese 20 minutes before serving. Take out one cup of hot soup in another bowl and stir in the sour cream mixture. (If you don't like sour cream, you can omit this step and just add more Velveeta to the pot instead). Stir sour cream mixture into the crock pot until combined. Cover for 5 miutes. Add more cilantro to taste. Serve with chips. You can also cook up a pot of rice and add a few spoonfuls of it into your bowl of soup. It tastes great! Just make sure you don't add it to the whole crock pot, it gets soggy!

**I like to have 6 oz. Velveeta and about 6 oz. of sour cream

Secret Punch

Secret Punch

By: Summer Thatcher

1 Frozen Lemonade (yellow)

1 Frozen White Grape Juice

1 Frozen Bacardi Fuzzy Navel

1- 2 Liter Sprite

Mix all together with lots of ice. Add slices of Oranges, Lemons, Limes and Raspberries for prettiness:)

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Submitted: Katrina Moody

Originated: Our Best Bites

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes*
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
fresh ground pepper (about 10 turns of a pepper mill)

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. (Do you need to spray it? Probably not. But I feel safer doing it!) Don't use a silpat, or parchment, or anything like that. You want them right on the cookie sheet.

Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size. I like mine to be 1/4", or maybe a tad bit bigger. Below is a picture of the steps I take to make the most out of the potato. It's pretty self-explanatory. Cutting them larger, like steak fries, will sometimes result in a big soggy mess, so stay small to get the best results.

Honey-Lime Dip for Sweet Potato Fries

6oz container plain, low-fat yogurt
1 T mayo (low cal is fine)
1/2 T honey
1/2 lime
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t oregano
1 t parsley
1/2 t granulated onion
3/4 t kosher salt

Mix honey and yogurt until combined and give it a big squeeze from the lime half. Add in spices and herbs and you have a dip.