Pumpkin Pie Dip

Slice & Dice's Pumpkin Pie Dip

 

For our Halloween Costume Party over the weekend I took three new dishes that I'm excited to share with you. 

This one received lots of compliments.  I was so glad it went over well. 

I made a batch for the boys and their friend and our sitter to enjoy as well.

There were raves.

I think it's a great Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving dessert or snack!

I found the recipe on Slice & Dice's blog.  You can find it here.

It's super easy and tastes delicious - a lot like pumpkin pie!
I served it with pretzel rods and Teddy Grahams but will try gingersnaps and apples next time.

It makes a lot so you can easily half the recipe.

Double click the card to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Happy Fall!

Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

Short Stop's Crock Pot Mac & Cheese

Sarah from the blog Short Stop has some of the best recipes.

I've shared her Spicy Shredded Beef and have bookmarked many other recipes from her site.

We tried this one last week and I absolutely loved it!

In fact, I am not making it again for awhile because it's just too good, and mac and cheese is my downfall.

It's a special treat dish for me!

This is one of the best homemade mac and cheese recipes and it is super simple.

It makes plenty for a crowd or for 2 meals at home.

I boiled the macaroni then layered the noodles, cheeses & butter in the crock pot, ending with a third of the macaroni on top.

Pour in the milk and cook on low for 4 hours, stirring once half-way through.

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Mmmmmm!



Porcupine Meatballs

Porcupine Meatballs

I was not sure how Porcupine Meatballs would go over in my family, but I wanted to try them out.

First of all, because they're cute and delicious.

Second, think of the fun I can have explain they're made from porcupines!

I've seen this recipe countless times so can't really attribute it to any one source.

I've adapted it slightly as well.

You mix ground beef with rice, salt and pepper.

Then form meatballs.

Then you mix tomato soup and water and pour the sauce over the meatballs.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 1 1/2 hours at 350*.

Serve meatballs with a little sauce over the top and they're delicious!

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Enjoy!



Roasted Tomato Sauce

Sweet Pea's Roasted Tomato Sauce

Paula from Sweet Pea shared this recipe and it sounded great.

I've also shared Paula's Cauliflower Mac and Cheese on Y'all Come Eat - another family favorite!

Because my boys have turned out to be good eaters, I'm happy to give them a couple of foods that I will never make them eat. 

For both kids tomatoes tops that list. 

They don't like marinara sauces that have big chunks of chopped tomatoes or peppers. 

And jarred sauce is always chunky - even if it says it's not. 

So I usually strain it to remove the big chunks {pain}.

I've been thinking that homemade sauce might just be easier (and tastier) so I was happy to see Paula's recipe and wanted to try it out.

I chopped tomatoes, onion, and two bell peppers and mixed them in a large baking dish.

I included two hot peppers that a friend gave us to roast for David as well, but didn't mix them in with the final product.

I tossed the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted them for 1 hour.

Then I added the basil and oregano and roasted them for another 30 minutes.

A quick pulse in the food processor and it was delicious with linguine last night and half we put in the freezer for another night.

I've modified the recipe slightly, and I think it's one of those that's easy to make your own with your own change-ups.

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Buon Appetito!

Baked Chocolate Pudding

The Barefoot Contessa's Baked Chocolate Pudding

This month's Good Housekeeping magazine had wonderful Thanksgiving recipes by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. 

Hers is the main show I watch on Food Network and I've tried many of her recipes over the years so I ripped out her Thanksgiving recipes from the magazine to try this fall.

I made her Baked Chocolate Pudding to take to Book Club this week.

Of course, I had to make a smaller version for my 3 boys as well!

It's a pretty standard recipe that only takes a few minutes to put together.

You create a water bath for baking the dish.

I'd recommend using a shallow 2 qt. dish, which I did for the Book Club version I took.

This dish was too deep, but it worked OK.

Ignore the holes - that's where I tested to make sure it was set.

Instead of a toothpick I used a butter knife - hence the holes.

Here's the version I scooped up for my family.

I loved the crispy top and creamy under layer.

The Book Club liked it and my boys loved it.

I'll definitely make it again.

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Enjoy!



Cauliflower with Dijon Sauce

Cauliflower with Dijon Sauce

I followed this recipe from allrecipes.com and it will definitely be one I make again and again.

I've modified it slightly to share with you here.

I wasn't sure how Brennan would like this variation.

He loves, loves, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, and brussel sprouts.

But he tends to like things without fancy sauces.

I modified this recipe the second time I served it and he liked it a lot.

I learned an easy way to steam vegetables in the microwave with this recipe.

You simply put the cut vegetables in the baking dish, cover with Saran Wrap, poke 3 holes in the top, and steam for 7 minutes.

Perfect!

After steaming the broccoli you add mayo and Dijon mustard and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

Microwave again for 3 minutes.

Then stir and serve.

It's really delicious.

The recipe card below is the original recipe and most of our family liked this way the best.

Two modifications I'd recommend:

1.  Cut the Dijon to 1 Tbsp if your family doesn't want a strong Dijon-y flavor.

2. Cut the cheddar cheese to 3/4 c because 1 c is super cheesy!

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Enjoy!



Italian Chicken

Sisters' Stuff Italian Chicken

I found this simple and delicious-sounding recipe on Whitney and Alish's blog - Sisters' Stuff. 

They're two sisters who share great recipes, crafts, interior design, family, and holiday ideas.

Because we had a busy night last night I chose this recipe because it's a make-ahead in the crockpot recipe.  Love those!

You place 8 chicken tenders in the crockpot.

Then you mix cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, and Italian dressing and pour it over the chicken.

Then it cooks on low for 5 hours.

Serve over rice and it's ready to go!

The boys liked it, both giving it a thumbs up.

David had several helpings and kept going to the crock pot for more of the "gravy". 

(I'll dish up the gravy and put it on the table next time.)

He shared a cooking tip with me - any dish that includes rice and gravy will always be a hit.

Awesome!

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Buon Appetito!



Crab Stuffed Shrimp

Crab Stuffed Shrimp

A friend shared this recipe on facebook awhile back and I bookmarked it to try sometime.

The Men in Aprons blog has some great men-cooking-friendly recipes.

You know we love shrimp around here.

For David's birthday I decided to try this extra-special shrimp recipe.

I butterflied jumbo shrimp that had been peeled and deveined.

Butterflying is easy - just cut down the deveining line and open the shrimp up and flatten them.

I mixed lump crab meat with bread crumbs, and lots of herbs and spices and added a teaspoon of the filling to each shrimp before rolling up and securing.

You can tell some I secured the right way, rolling up from end to tail.

And others I did the easy way.  Both ways worked great and tasted really, really good!

Cooked for a few minutes at 350* - ready to devour.

Double click the recipe card to print as a 5x7 card.

Enjoy!

Warm Green Bean and Potato Salad

Domestifluff Warm Green Bean and Potato Salad

I found this delicious-looking and Fall-sounding recipe on Kristen's Domestifluff blog and adapted it slightly for my family.

Last night I served it with BBQ Chicken and it was a real hit!

After eating a second helping David said, "I really like this.  You should make it again."

Without my asking.

Completely unscripted.

Definitely a keeper.

After boiling potatoes, you cook them along with garlic in a little olive oil, slightly mashing them so they can turn golden brown in spots.

You then remove the potatoes, and cook the bacon in the same skillet.

(I used turkey bacon and it was great.)

Once the bacon is done, you remove it and chop it.

Then cook the green beans for 5 minutes in the skillet, and return the potatoes and bacon.

Season with Kosher salt and pepper and serve warm.

Really, really good!

Double click the card to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!

Acorn Treats

Acorn Treats

Aren't these the cutest little cookie treats?

David and the boys loved them last night.

Super easy to make and perfect for Fall or Thanksgiving.

I'm making a batch to take to a school program tomorrow as well.

Using mini Nutter Butter cookies, Hershey's kisses, chocolate chips and chocolate frosting, you can whip up a batch in no time.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Zucchini Noodles

Reluctant Entertainer's Zucchini Noodles

It's rare when my 3 boys like a recipe more than I do.

I was not a huge fan of the Zucchini Noodles with Alfredo Sauce that I served for lunch yesterday, but David and the boys did.  They all 3 asked me to make it again.

Well, OK.

I found this recipe on Sandy's blog The Reluctant Entertainer.

She has wonderful straight-from-the-garden recipes.

I served the noodles with heated Alfredo sauce.

Next time I will add shredded rotisserie chicken to make it more filling.

But the main idea is here.

You can add whatever sauce you'd like and serve with a big salad for a great, healthy meal.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel several zucchini into thin noodle-like strips, discarding the very center of the zucchini. 

Pat with paper towels and saute in olive oil with salt and pepper on the stove top for 3-5 minutes for a large batch like this one.

Drain and place in your serving dish and top with your sauce and chicken.

A great alternative to traditional noodles, and my family really liked it!

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Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Pilgrim Hat Treats

Pilgrim Hat Treats

So easy, the kids can make them.

Great for Thanksgiving parties or dinner.

Way too much sugar for (most) adults, but the kids will love them!

Turn Fudge Striped cookies upside down.

Mix up yellow frosting by adding food coloring to regular frosting.

Smear frosting on top of a mini peanut butter cup and turn upside down onto the cookie.

Top with a "buckle" using either a Tic Tac or a Chicklet.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween Witches Hat Treats

Witches Hat Treats

This is a spin-off of the popular Thanksgiving Pilgrim Hat Treats that were so popular a couple of years ago.  I'll share those later this week.

Like those treats, these are so easy that even the kids can make them.

Way too much sugar for most adults but they're great for a kids Halloween party!

Mix yellow and red food coloring into normal frosting.

Flip the cookies upside down, spread frosting on a Hershey's kiss, and assemble!

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Happy Halloween!



Minestrone

Singing Chef Minestrone

I saw this recipe on the Singing Chef blog and had to try it.

It's adapted from Rachel Ray originally.

As always, I love that it cooks in one pot.

There are a lot of ingredients, but it's worth it!

There is nothing in this recipe that isn't healthy, and I was surprised how filling it was.

I plan to make this soup often this winter.

After you chop all of your veggies and shred your carrot, give the remaining long skinny carrot to whomever is doing homework at the kitchen table.  They'll think this carrot is hilarious and happily eat it up.

You cook chopped onion, celery, garlic and shredded carrot in olive oil.

Then you add kidney and cannellini beans and chickpeas.

Vegetable stock, dry white wine, tomato paste, seasonings, and chopped kale are added.

**I used chicken broth that I had on hand.**

**You could replace the wine with extra stock.**

Once the kale has wilted and the soup is bubbly, you add pasta and cook for 8 more minutes.

Serve with grated Parmesan and toasted Italian bread.

Mmmm...so good!

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Buon Appetito!