Tasty Tuesday-11/30

Cranberry Orange Streusal Bars-Teacher Turned Mommy
Orange Lentil Soup-For the Love of Grub
Creamy CHicken and wild rice soup-what's Megan Making?
Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Muffins-Apples to Zucchini
Gingerbread Hot Cocoa-Apples to Zucchini
Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies-Muchkin Muchies
Mint Chocolate Delights-Alli-n-Son
Snickerdoodle Muffins-Eat At Home

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

So to continue my love for pumpkin, how about some cookies? I did give half of this batch to a friend with 2 meals.

My husband also called me on the fact that I've been making a LOT of pumpkin recipes....but I don't like pumpkin pie. I think its purely a texture thing for me!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies-shared from $5 dinners
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups flour(half ww, half ap)
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin. Once smooth add in the flour, spices, and baking soda. Stir until dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 mins.

**These were more cake like than a cookie. My cookies didn't seem to look like Erin's...but they were still pretty good. They reminded me more of a muffin top. They also didn't spread out like her picture. But still a healthy version of a cookie.

Rainbow Cupcakes and Butter Cream Frosting

 A certain little boy I know turns 4 today...I'm really not sure how that happened! But I wanted to send in some cupcakes to school to celebrate. I saw the idea for rainbow cupcakes a while ago and then this past week they were posted again on another blog so I had to try them out.(Although he did want chocolate, but I felt bad that a little girl in his class doesn't like chocolate, so I convinced him of rainbow!)

Rainbow Cupcakes-cake recipe shared from Hallee the Homemaker
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*This made around 21 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350, prepare muffin tins with oil or cupcake liners.

Sift together sugar, salt, flour, and baking powder. Mix together milk and vanilla. Add in half the milk/vanilla and oil to flour mixture. Beat on medium for 2 mins. Add in the rest of the milk and eggs, beat for another 2 mins on med.

Divide batter into 4-6 bowls(depending on how many colors you want to do). Tint dough with food coloring to desired color. Have birthday boy help with this! Little fingers provide BRILLIANT colors! Stir well. Divide amongst cupcake pan(s). Starting with one color in the bottom, followed by each color after to form layers.

Place in oven for 15-18 mins until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

**These came out so pretty and were fun to make especially with little helpers!















Butter Cream Frosting-shared from Hallee the Homemaker

I LOVE frosting...well on cake! I like a really really good one too, not the whipped kind(which we found out the hard way Q can't have! Oops!)  Hallee came through with this recipe and it rivals the bakery in town, it's definitely a keeper!

1/2 cup butter. softened,
1/2 shortening
2 lbs powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla
milk

Beat butter and shortening until fluffy(about 2 mins on a stand mixer). Add in the sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla. On low gently beat the sugar until all the creamed mixture is combined. Slowly add 1 tbsp of milk to mixture until desired consistency is achieved. Once this is done, put mixer on high and beat for 3-4 mins until light and fluffy!

**This is my absolute favorite frosting recipe and I use it all the time whenever a cake needs to be made!

Lasagna Soup and Pizza Hut Bread Sticks

I can't remember where I got this recipe from...I think it was one of the magazines I get. It intrigued me as I never thought to make soup out of lasagna and it was completely worth it! I make it in the crock pot but you can also do it on the stove!

Lasagna Soup
1 lb Italian sausage, crumbled(or sliced) cooked, drained
8 oz-1 lb pasta(I used shells, but any will do)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 container cottage cheese
2 tbsp tomato paste
pinch of red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp dried oregano
1-2 tsp dried basil
6 cups broth

Place all ingredients in slow cooker except cheese and pasta. Cook on low for 6 hrs. Cook pasta in another pot until tender. Stir cheese and pasta into soup and serve.

**We love this soup, although this time I forgot the cottage cheese. But it was still pretty tasty!

Pizza Hut Style Bread Sticks-shared from food.com
1 1/3 cups warm water
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cups flour(3 ap, 1 ww)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
3 tbsp powdered milk
2 tsp yeast

Place ingredients in bread maker according to manufacter's directions. Set on dough setting and wait!

In the mean time make topping:
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp garlic salt*
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp oregano
olive oil

Combine all ingredients except olive oil in bowl and stir until well combined. Set aside. *I didn't have garlic salt, so I added in more garlic powder and 1 tsp salt.

Once dough is done, remove from bread machine and place on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle that is 1/2-3/4 inch thick.  With pizza cutter cut dough into 1X4 inch strips. Place on greased cookie sheets(I did use my non-stick pans). Brush bread with olive oil and sprinkle with topping. Let rise for 20 mins or until doubled. Place in 350 degree oven for 10-12 mins or until golden.(Make sure you watch these as the topping browns quickly)

**We can't say that these tasted just like pizza hut, but I think the fact that they aren't dripping in fat is the reason. These were the best bread stick recipe we have tried thus far. They were fluffy and airy. The outside had a bit of a bite and the topping was great.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope this post finds you well and celebrating the holiday with family and friends!

Here is our Thanksgiving Menu...the non-basic turkey day items will have recipes coming. Most are pretty traditional so I don't really feel the need to share them, but of course if you would like them let me know!

-Roast Turkey
-Apple Onion Stuffing(recipe coming)
-Broccoli Cheese Rice casserole(recipe coming)
-Sweet Potato Rolls(recipe to come)
-Butternut Squash
-Salad
-Gravy
-Mashed potatoes
-Cranberry sauce...from the can!(It's the only kind my brother will eat!)
-Green Bean Casserole(with homemade Mushroom Soup)

Dessert:
-Black and Tan Trifle(chocolate and pumpkin whipped cream with homemade choc. wafers)
-I think my mom was going to also make some cheesecake bars.

Pumpkin Granola bars...or Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

I stumbled on this recipe when I found another blog to read. Snowhite show cased this blog in one of her Friday Favorites and these looked really good!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars-shared from Two Peas in Their Pod
3 1/4 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup(I used maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch pan.

In a large bowl whisk oats, spices, and salt together. In another bowl whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, syrup, and vanilla. Pour over oats and mix until moist. Stir in chocolate chips. Evenly press mixture into pan. Bake for 30-35 mins or until golden brown. Make sure the center is set as the pumpkin keeps them moist but you don't want them raw in the middle. Cut using a sharp knife and cool on a rack.

**This reminded me more of a baked oatmeal than a granola bar. It could have been because I used quick oats and old fashioned, none the less it was delightfully delicious! I've been eating it broken into pieces with a splash of milk over the top.

Tasty Tuesday-11/23

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheeseball-Meal Planning with Connie
Southwestern Taco Pot Pie-Brenda's Canadian Kitchen
creamy taco mac-Jenn's Food Journey
Easy Vegetarian Tortilla Soup-Let's Dish
Red Velvet Pancakes-The Sweets Life
Chicken Nacho Bake-Jenn's Food Journey
Smore Bars-Lick the Bowl Good
Healthy Poptarts-Heavenly Homemakers
Chocolate Bark-Made On
Cranberry Pecan Pitas-Apples to Zucchini
whole wheat pull apart yeast rolls-Hallee the Homemaker
Pumpkin Knots-The sweets life
Pumpkin Blondies-Baking Junkie
Pumpkin Spiced Hot Cocoa-Smithfield.com