mmm...pumpkin smoothie

How about a pumpkin smoothie for my daily pumpkin fix?  Don't mind if I do!

 courtesy of Cooking With My Kid

i love pumpkin, yes i do!

 photo via Flicker

I've been gathering and receiving so many great sounding pumpkin recipes, I decided there was a need to just put them all in one post. I haven't made too many...yet, but you can bet that I will. If you make any before I get to them, let me know what you think! 

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

recipe from Cooking During Stolen Moments

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

recipe from allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Cobbler

recipe from food.com

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Pumpkin Smoothie

recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Pumpkin Muffin

recipe from the redhead...Erin

**made these...wouldn't change a thing...delicious**

Pumpkin Sour Cream Coffee Cake

recipe from some chick on thebump.com

 **made this...put it in a 9x13 because I didn't have a bundt and baked for less time, added a little more pumpkin than it called for...delicious**

Pumpkin Banana Bread

recipe from allrecipes.com

**made this...very dense bread that was a bit bland - will add more spice next time...I've had better.**

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Pumpkin Mini Muffins

recipe from Cooking with my Kid

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from allrecipes.com

**made these...cakey (is that a word) and sweet...delicious**

11 recipes should get you all started, right? I think I might need a pumpkin intervention.

my seasonal love affair begins...

...with all foods pumpkin.

I love this time of year & even though I've been told there is a pumpkin shortage, I've been able to find the canned variety at the grocery without a problem.  Hooray!  This, combined with the pumpkin pancake mix and the pumpkin butter that managed to make its way into my cart, I've got a solid base to feed my pumpkin addiction...yes?  Really, it's the little things that can make me so happy...

First up is banana pumpkin bread.

I didn't add the raisins and had to bake it for about 15 more minutes than it called for.  

I feel like Homer when he thinks of donuts...

recipe via allrecipes.com

I cannot wait to cut into this. Now, do I put pumpkin butter on it too???

carrot muffins...with my kid

It was a rainy day and we were stuck indoors so I was almost excited when M announced that we need to make some muffins.  Well...ok.

Let's put on your apron, just because it's cute, and get down to business.  We found a great recipe on Cooking with My Kid that, as she says, is moist and relatively healthy.  I would agree.  Carrot muffins were on the menu because getting M to eat some veggies, without the battle royale, is always good thing.

stirring in the carrots

(left handed)

dividing out the muffins

(I don't know why, but I just love the way he's holding his hand to do this.)

Yum!  
deflated...but delicious!

Chocolate & Spice Biscotti
     via Design Sponge

It's delicious and makes a lovely gift!

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup almonds (*can substitute with your favorite nut)
* 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
* 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* confectioner’s sugar for dusting

1. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cayenne pepper, baking soda, and salt.
2. Beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Once fluffy beat in eggs.
3. Mix in dry mixture until combined then add chocolate chips and almonds forming a dough.
4. Butter and flour a baking sheet.
5. Using floured hands, form dough into 2 flattered logs- 12 inches long by 3 inches wide
6. Wet hands and smooth tops of logs followed by a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
7. Score top of dough diagonally, 1 inch apart to make cutting cooked biscotti easier later on.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, biscotti will be firm to the touch. The more humid the climate the longer it will bake.
9. Cool for 5 minutes on a cooling rack
10. Move logs to a cutting board and cut biscotti diagonally where you previously scored it, place the biscotti pieces back on the baking sheet on it’s side and cook another 10 minutes. Biscotti will be dry and crispy.
11. Keep in an airtight container

Mommy, I want to make an apple pie...

...and even though he didn't say "please", who am I to deny a sweet little boy such a tasty request.

I must say, I was intimidated at the thought of making my very first pie...but it turned out to be really delicious.  Thank you Paula Deen!  As an added bonus, we were able to invite Grams & Gramps over for a slice of pie...with ice cream, of course.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Seriously...if I could just stop finding these recipes, I might have a bit more success in losing this weight.

Here's a question for you.  Do you hate it when your snickerdoodles get dry and stale within hours of taking them from the oven?  If you're like me, you didn't even know you hated it until you read that question.  Well, even if you didn't know you needed it, here's your answer for that.  This recipe will stay soft and chewy and delicious, even overnight...if they make it that far. Yum.

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Snickerdoodle Blondies
this version of the recipe was found at Dozen Flours

2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. 
5. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon.
6. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the baking pan.
7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. While still warm, cut into squares with a sharp knife.
8. Share with friends and family. Enjoy! 

I found this at My Own Sweet Thyme which, by the way, is an awesome food blog that you must check out.

The Cheesecake Factory has nothing on this...

There is no arguing that the Cheesecake Factory is a most delicious place to dine, but sadly, not many pocketbooks will allow too frequent of visits (& neither would our waistlines).  Anyway, my favorite dish to have there is fettuccine with chicken and sun dried tomatoes.  Y-U-M.  While trying to set the menu for this week, I ran across this recipe and thought this might just satisfy my cravings for the CF dish, at home.  Well, we had it for dinner last night and I can say this is as close as I think I could get without making a reservation.

I followed the recipe exactly this first time around, but next time, I'll use more sun dried tomatoes and add some Italian seasoning.  The best part is that it makes two dinners worth...so we have one already made in the freezer.  yeah!

How I know this dish is a success:  After taking his first bite, M yelled out, "I love this!" 

(recipe and picture courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday)

No really...best banana bread ever

I love banana bread and I'm always happy to see a couple of overripe bananas sitting in our fruit bowl.  That being said, it's safe to say I've tried my fair share of recipes.  This one blew my mind.  So, just throw away any other recipe you may have (unless your grandma gave it to you), because here is your replacement.  The changes I made to the original are in italics.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (substitute with  applesauce)
• 1 cup mashed bananas (2)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar (1 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• (Additionally, I added 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon)

Directions  

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating. 
2. Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas (& vanilla). 
3. Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt (& cinnamon). Add to banana mixture and stir in pecans. Mix just until combined. 
4. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Homemade Granola Bars

Inspired by my friend, Melissa, I've been making more and more of the everyday convenience foods we eat.  Today, it was our granola bars.

Recipe taken from Cooking with My Kid

I used raisins and cranraisins as our dried fruit and I found this recipe to make 24 "bars" instead of 12.

I know, they are circles...not bars, but these were chewy and moist and I didn't have to cut them. Just pop them out of the muffin tin and enjoy!  These are delicious and good for you too.

Feast your eyes on THIS!

It would be easier to lose this baby weight if I could stop finding recipes like THIS on the internet.

These are referred to as the Best, Easiest, Most Melt in Your Mouth Deliciousness, There Won't Be Any Left in the Morning, Moist Brownies You Will Ever Eat by Living with Lindsay. I'm here to say that, oh lordy...she is right. They are super simple to make and don't take any special ingredients...right up my alley. Enjoy!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 c. cocoa
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
dash cinnamon

Mix ingredients and bake in greased pan at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now, wipe the drool from your mouth and go make some brownies...

Who thinks these would work?

Jump Start Your Labor Cookies

Sounds like a good excuse for sweets to me!!

for the love of pumpkin!

Edited to add the recipes. 10/15/10.

Today, I was inspired to bake. What, you might ask...something pumpkin, of course! We needed a few ingredients, so M and I were on a mission (a la Little Einsteins). Five...yes five, grocery stores later, we returned home without our main ingredient. Every store had an empty shelf where the pumpkin should have been. How is this possible? My friend, Karla, made an interesting point in saying that Christmas decorations are out by the end of August, but no pumpkin until October? What.the.heck.

After lunch and a nap, (M's...not mine) I was reminded of one more store in town I should try. I mean, why not exhaust my options? SUCCESS! They had tons of it, so I stocked up and got home quick to finally begin my baking. We had some yummy results so enjoy the pictures.

Pumpkin Muffins
recipe from the redhead, Erin

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 can solid pack pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping:  2 T. sanding (coarse) sugar or raw sugar

Preheat over to 350°F.  Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners. 

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ground cloves, and sugars until smooth.  Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture using a whisk until just combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups (3/4ths full each), then sprinkle tops with sanding sugar. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out cleanly, 14-17 minutes.  Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool.  Makes 12 generous-sized muffins.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pumpkin Sour Cream Coffee Cake
recipe from some chick on thebump.com

2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract (I usually do 2)

Streusel Mixture:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pan or 10 inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating each addition of flour with the addition of half the sour cream. Stir in the vanilla.

In separate bowl, combine the cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans.

Pour one third of the batter into prepared pan. sprinkle with half (little less, actually) the streusel mixture. Pour another third of the batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining streusel mixture. Scrape the remaining batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

PUMPKIN ADDITION:    Take 1/2 cup sour cream and mix with a little more than 1/2 cup of pumpkin. Add pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to taste (1 tsp. each). It will taste bland, but once you mix it with the batter, it will be awesome!

It's time...

No! Not for the baby, but for my annual addiction to all things pumpkin. Almost had you there, right? he he...

Today, I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and it begs the question..."Why haven't I thought of this combination before?" Yum! They are cake-y and sweet and delicious.


I can't wait to make the pumpkin muffins I fell in love with last fall and let us not forget the good ole standby, pumpkin pie. Starbucks is already serving their pumpkin spice latte and it's only a couple more weeks until The Cheesecake Factory's pumpkin cheesecake. Oh, my mouth is watering already.

I said pumpkin 6 times in this short post...well, now 7. Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin!!!