Ginger Snap Cookie Creme Pie

Ingredients

Pie
1 1/2 cup half and half
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 8 oz container whipped topping
1 1/2 cup crushed ginger snaps

Crust
1 2/3 cup ginger snaps, crushed
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup sugar

Topping
15 ginger snaps, crumbled
Whipped cream, optional

Directions

Crust: Crush cookies into a crumb consistency with a food processor or rolling pin. Add butter and sugar. Press mixture into a pie pan. Pie: Pour half and half in bowl and add vanilla pudding. Whip for 2 minutes and set aside for five minutes. Fold in whipped topping and crushed cookies. Pour into crust and freeze 2-3 hours or until stiff. Top with crushed cookies and freeze 2-3 hours.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Easiest Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had 1/2 a can of pumpkin left over from making Pumpkin Bread the other day and went online to try out some recipes I've been wanting to try for awhile. These are from pimp my dinner, they sounded easy and good. I added the Chocolate chips of course, and they turned out very light and oh so tasty. I didn't frost mine since I didin't have any O.J., but I am sure that element of orange would make it that much better, they also would be great with a maple frosting too. I hope you enjoy these!

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 C. quick oats
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4. tsp. nutmeg
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 C. mini or regular chocolate chips (optional)

Frosting:
powdered sugar
orange juice (no/low pulp)

In a large bowl, mix cake mix, oats and spices. In a separate bowl mix pumpkin, egg and oil. Pour pumpkin mix into dry mix; add chocolate chips. Mix until just moistened. Drop onto lightly sprayed cookie sheets, large spoonfuls. Slightly flatten with spoon (they don't really spread, just puff up). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins. For frosting, mix with a mini rubber spatula sugar and orange juice until it gets to a frosting consistency. Make sure to use a tiny bit of orange juice at a time and add a little more as needed. Spread over cooled cookies.

Bacon Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients
3/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

1 large Garlic clove, chopped coarse

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 (1/2 pound) russet Pre-Baked Potato

2 1/2 cups Chicken Broth

3 tablespoons Heavy Cream

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons minced Fresh Chives

Bacon Bits, and Sour Cream

Preparation:In a heavy saucepan cook the celery, onion and the garlic with salt and pepper to taste in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the celery & onion begin to soften. Cut the peeled potato into 1-inch pieces, add to onion mixture with the broth and the heavy cream, and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add the grated cheddar cheese to the soup.

When serving, add a dollop of sour cream on top and in the center of the soup. Garnish with bacon bits, cheese and chives.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Stole this from Kirsten's blog and these are sure to please! YUMM-O

Red Velvet Cupcakes

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
* 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
* 3 eggs

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons red food coloring

* 1 1/4 teaspoons vinegar (white or apple cider can both work)
* 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/8 cup water

For the cream cheese frosting:

* 1 pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
* 1 stick butter, room temperature
* 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.

mix oil, sugar, and buttermilk until combined. Add eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low, scraping down sides occasionally, and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix, or the batter will come out tough.

Bake in lined cupcake pan at 350 for 20 min.

cream cheese frosting:

Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.

Apple Crumb Pie

I have been looking for some great recipes of Pie's to take with me to my Thanksgiving feasts, and this one caught my eye, I have always wanted to do an Apple Crumb Pie, maybe this one will be it. Thanks to Martha again for this recipe.

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Pie Crust
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 pounds Granny Smith apples (8 to 10)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Work with fingers until large clumps form; freeze.
2. On a lightly floured piece of wax paper or parchment paper, roll dough into a 14-inch circle. Carefully fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, gently lowering dough into bottom and sides of pie plate without stretching (you will have a 2-inch overhang all around). Refrigerate.
3. Place lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice apples 1/8 inch thick, transferring them to the bowl as you work. Add granulated sugar, raisins, cinnamon, remaining 1/4 cup flour, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to combine. Transfer apple mixture to pie crust, pressing in firmly. Fold dough overhang over filling, pleating it as you work your way around pie; press dough firmly against filling.
4. Bake 45 minutes, then sprinkle apple filling with crumb topping. Continue to bake until golden and bubbling, 30 to 45 minutes more. Cool at least 6 hours before serving.

Turkey 101

For anyone who is going to be cooking the Turkey for their Thanksgiving Meal, we say thanks to Martha for this one! Hope it helps anyone who is cooking

Thawing
Place the turkey (in its original packaging), breast side up, on a rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate. Plan ahead to allow one full day of thawing for every four to five pounds of turkey.

Prepping
Set the turkey on a clean work surface kept clear of other foods. Remove the neck, liver, and giblets from the cavity, and rinse the inside and outside of the turkey with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. After working with raw poultry, always wash hands, utensils, and work surfaces thoroughly with hot, soapy water.

Stuffing
If stuffing the turkey, do so just before roasting to prevent unwanted bacterial growth. Because the stuffing will expand as it bakes, fill the turkey's cavity loosely; this also allows the stuffing to cook more evenly and keeps it from becoming too dense. To test doneness before serving, insert an instant-read thermometer in the center of the stuffing to make sure it reaches 165 degrees. Cook any extra stuffing in a baking dish at 375 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the ingredients and amount.

Roasting
Always roast the bird on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan so the oven heat circulates and helps the turkey to brown. After the first hour, baste the turkey often with pan drippings to keep the meat moist and give the skin an even color. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh, avoiding the bone, registers 165 degrees. Let the turkey rest, loosely tented with aluminum foil, for at least 30 minutes before carving so the juices can reabsorb. If the turkey is stuffed, remove the stuffing before carving.

Ravioli Plus

Ingredients
1 (1 pound bag) mini frozen ravioli
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 cup asparagus tips, steamed

2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons basil
Grated Parmesan
1 cup jarred tomato sauce
Directions
Cook ravioli according to package instructions.

In a medium saute pan over medium heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When oil is hot add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until onions release their natural sugar and become golden brown, about 20 minutes.
To the onions add, the tomatoes, asparagus, 1/2 the ravioli, 1/2 the chicken, salt, pepper and remaining olive oil and saute until all ingredients are heated through. Garnish with 1/2 the basil and some Parmesan cheese.
Saute remaining chicken with tomato sauce and remaining ravioli. Cook until sauce is hot and chicken

Cranberry Butter

I ran across this at a blog I haven't ever been to before it's call fun foods it might just be my love for tartness, but I thought this sounded amazing, and it made me want to make it for Thanksgiving. I just might have to try it out before then as well. What a fun idea!

3/4 cup butter, softened (margarine is okay too)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
2 tbsp. chopped walnuts, optional

In a small mixing bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries and walnuts if desired; beat 5 minutes longer or until butter turns nice and pink.

Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap; roll into a log.
Refrigerate until chilled. Unwrap and slice or place on a butter dish. Yields 1 1/3 cup.

Layered Pumpkin Cake

I can't take credit for this one, but when I got it in an e-mail from Kraft today I had to try it out, and let me tell you it was divine, I would totally recommend this as your new comfort food/pumpkin favorite, and it can be a show stopper when decorated nicely like below, mine wasn't quite as lovely, but oh so tasty!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1/4 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans

HEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round baking pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP.

CUT each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

What could be better than Pecan Pie? Chocolate Pecan Pie, thanks to Martha for this delectable treat, I can't wait for Thanksgiving!!

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pie crust, rolled and fit into a 9-inch pie plate
• 1 cup pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lowest position. In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes (or melt chocolate in microwave). Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together (do not whisk) eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stirring constantly, gradually add melted chocolate. Pour filling into prepared crust; place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange pecans in one even layer over filling.
3. Bake just until set (filling should jiggle slightly when pie plate is tapped), 50 to 60 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 4 hours (or up to overnight) before serving.

Pie Crust Tips

By following these seven simple rules, you can produce a flaky, tender crust every time per Marth.

1. When making the dough, make sure the butter is very cold.

2. Handle the dough as little as possible. Both the stretching of the dough and the warmth from your hands will further the development of gluten -- long, stringy protein molecules that form when flour is blended with liquid -- resulting in a tough dough that's difficult to roll out.

3. Since our pie-dough recipe yields two single crusts, divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a flat disk before wrapping it in plastic and chilling. This will make it easier to roll out each crust into a perfect circle.

4. Chill the dough thoroughly (at least 30 minutes) before rolling it out, and use a minimum of flour to dust the rolling pin and work surface. Brush excess flour from the rolled dough with a dry pastry brush before transferring it to the pie plate.

5. For an extra-crispy pie crust with a golden color, brush the unbaked top crust with water, and sprinkle it with sugar.

6. For a shiny pie crust, brush the unbaked top crust with an egg wash made from one egg and 2 tablespoons cream.

7. Cut decorative vents in the top of a double-crusted fruit pie; vents allow steam to escape and prevent the fruit juices from overflowing.

Mini Lemon Lime Tartlets

These are so light and refreshing!

1 pkg. (16.5 oz.) Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough

1 can (14 oz.) Sweet and Condensed Milk

1 pkg. (8 oz.) regular or reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups cool whip thawed (fat free or reduced fat can be used)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
Additional lemon and lime quarter slices, peel curls or grated peel (optional)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 325º F. Paper-line 24 muffin cups.

CUT dough along pre-scored lines; place one piece of cookie dough in each muffin cup.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cookies will be puffy. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

BEAT sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese in large mixer bowl until smooth. Gently fold in whipped topping. Divide mixture into two medium bowls. Stir lemon juice and lemon peel into one bowl and lime juice and lime peel into other bowl.

POUR about 3 tablespoons lemon cream cheese mixture over 12 cookie cups. Repeat with lime cream cheese mixture and remaining cookie cups. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Decorate with lemon and lime quarter slices, curls or peel, if desired.

Using low and reduced fat cream cheese and whipped topping helps to make these treats lower in fat.

Snowman Cupcakes

I found these on the Betty Crocker site and I thought these would be fun to do on a snowy day with kids, kind of like decorating sugar cookies, only cupcakes are much easier to bake!

1	box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix
	Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1	container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
	White decorator sugar crystals
1	bag (16 oz) large marshmallows
	Pretzel sticks
	Betty Crocker® Fruit by the Foot® chewy fruit snack rolls, any red or orange flavor (from 4.5-oz box)
	Assorted candies (such as gumdrops, gummy ring candies, peppermint candies, chocolate chips, pastel mint chips, candy decors, string licorice)

1.	Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cups in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
2.	Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3.	Set aside 1/4 cup frosting. Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting. Sprinkle frosting with sugar crystals. Stack 2 or 3 marshmallows on each cupcake, using 1/2 teaspoon frosting between marshmallows to attach.
4.	For arms, break pretzel sticks into pieces 1 1/2 inches long. Press 2 pieces into marshmallow on each cupcake. Cut 1-inch mitten shapes from fruit snack. Attach mittens to pretzels. For scarf, cut fruit snack into 6x1/4-inch piece; wrap and tie around base of top marshmallow. For hat, stack candies, using frosting to attach. For earmuff, use piece of string licorice and candies, using frosting to attach. For faces and buttons, attach desired candies with small amount of frosting.

No Fail Pie Crust

I know this may sound strange, but I love making pie's, even though I don't get to make them often enough. I love being able to choose different fillings, and to find new recipes of fun things to fill them with. This is an easy no fail pie crust recipe. This makes 4 single crusts, or 2 double crusts, the good thing is you can make and freeze these crusts if you don't need all 4 at once. Happy Pie Making!

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 3 fluid ounces cold water

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knifes cut in the butter until you get to pea sized chunks.
2. Place the egg and vinegar in a measuring cup and add cold water to measure 1/2 cup of total liquid. Pour this into the flour mixture and mix just until the dough can be made into a large ball.
3. Divide dough into four equal portions. Wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator. Dough may be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to three months.

Soft Gingersnaps

I love gingersnaps, but I love them even more when I can sink my teeth easily into them, this a great recipe I found that keeps the strong ginger flavor but is soft as well. Hope you enjoy these!

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Let dough rest for 40-50 minutes before shaping. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
4. To add another dimension to these cookies drizzle with a simple orange glaze to give them a hint of orange.
   

Shrimp Alfredo & Cheddar Bisquits

These are knock off's for Red Lobster and pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

Shrimp Alfredo
1/3 cup oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
2/3 cup clam juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1TBS. lemon juice
1/2 TBS parsley
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 pkg linguine pasta, cooked and drained

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; reduce heat to low. Simmer until garlic is tender.

Add shrimp in same skillet and cook over medium-low heat until opaque. Remove shrimp; reserve liquid in pan.

Add clam juice and bring to a boil.

Add vinegar and cook on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly

Reduce heat to low and add cream, stirring constantly. Add cheese and stir until smooth. Cook until thickened.

Add shrimp and heat through. Add lemon juice, parsley, basil and oregano. Pour over pasta and serve.

Cheese Biscuits
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese. Cook at 450 for 8-10 minutes. Pour butter mixed with garlic powder over top of biscuits.

Pumpkin Bread

Fall is all about making spice breads, cookies and things full of flavor. I love the way my house smells after I have been baking something like this. It's a smell that not even a candle can replicate! This is one of the most unbelievably moist breads and definitely is full of the spices of fall. Make a batch and share it with your neighbors, or put it away in your freezer for the holiday season. Hope you enjoy it!

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans, mini loaf pans or muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Beef Stew

This is a family favorite. Especially with warm rolls.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup tomato paste (1 small can works great)
  
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 pound small white or red new potatoes (about 6), well scrubbed, halved if large
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

Place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. Distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours).

Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

Thanks to Allrecipes.com for this yummy treat, there is something about shortbread cookies that reminds me of the Holidays!

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
3. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies.

Fajita Seasoning

Kevin's brother Doug and his wife Dani make this fajita/meat marinade for us when we have Tacos a lot, and I wanted to share it with you, it is yummy! I even tried it in my crockpot with the crockpot style Fajitas I posted about a week ago. Hope you enjoy it!

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 garlic clove finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together, add your favorite meat and let the meat marinade in the seasoning. Then cook the meat as you would for your Fajitas.

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

These chewy, fall-inspired cookies are drizzled with maple icing!
Thank you Martha

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup chunky-style applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix softened butter and sugars in the bowl on low speed until combined. Add egg and applesauce, mix until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in raisins.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. (only Martha would be this detailed) Bake cookies until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack set over parchment paper; let cool completely. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

Make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, syrup, and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Drizzle over cookies, let set.

Try not to eat the entire batch in one sitting....these are yummo!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
8 oz. cream cheese
2 T sour cream
2 T mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated parmesan
Garlic salt - to taste
cayenne pepper - to taste

Heat cream cheese in microwave for about a minute to soften. Add spinach, artichokes, sour cream, mayo, and parmesan. Mix all together then add garlic salt and cayenne to taste. You can either heat throughout in the microwave, place in a small crockpot, or place in an oven safe dish and cook in the oven at 400 degrees until the top is toasty.

Serve with slightly toasted bread slices or Tostitos Flour Tortilla chips.

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yummy!!! How much easier could it be to make cookies with your kids?

1 package spice cake mix
15 oz. pumpkin
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Just mix it all together and drop by teaspoonsfuls onto baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Store covered.

Turkey Marinade

For anyone who has ever lived in Sanpete County in Utah, you are familiar with their famous marinated Turkey, well, here is the recipe. This makes ALOT of marinade, it's meant to be used when they would have their large gatherings and marinade and then grill mass amounts of meat, but you could try to down size the recipe a little. I hope you enjoy it!

1 quart 7-up or ginger ale
1 pint oil
1 pint soy sauce
1 Tbsp horseradish
1 tsp garlic powder
Marinate for 24 hours then grill up some goodness.

Sesame Ginger Chicken

I tried this recipe with a few changes of my own from Pimp My Dinner last night with my family, and it really was delicious, very simple and quick what more could a mom ask for!



chicken breast- skinless boneless sliced
(as much as you will need to feed your family)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
3 Tbsp chopped green onions
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp Cornstarch (reserved )

mix together all ingredients together.
marinate the chicken for 30 minutes then remove the chicken, reserving marinade and adding the Tbsp of cornstarch to marinade. Cook chicken in non-stick skillet add small amount of sesame oil or vegetable oil, sauté for 5 minutes then add the marinade to the chicken and cook until done serve over rice.

I doubled the sauce and steamed some fresh veggies and ate the fresh veggies mixed in with the rice, and covered in sauce and Chicken. If you like a runny sauce then omit the cornstarch, but I like my sauce to stick to the meat, veggies and rice.

Serves: 4-6

Ravioli Lasagna

Thanks to Emily at Emily's Experiments for this one, how much easier can Lasagna get, though it is a little different than traditional lasagna, it's super easy to make and the kids love it! Yummy!

Frozen cheese ravioli
1 pound ground beef or turkey
frozen broccoli (it's what I had on hand, but you could, of course, use fresh)
one small onion
about 1 c sliced mushrooms
a sprinkle dried basil
s&p
a sprinkle paprika
3 cloves minced garlic
about 1/2 jar marinara sauce ( I added a little water to it so the ravioli would be nice and tender)
Italian blend cheese, or any cheese you want to sprinkle on.

Turn over onto 375. In a hot skillet cook the ground beef, then in another pan saute the onion, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, paprika, basil, and s&p with a little olive oil. Let cook until onions are translucent, and broccoli is becoming tender. Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Place a single layer of ravioli over that and sprinkle half of the Meat & vegetables over that. Add a thin layer of cheese, and repeat the process. Add one more layer of ravioli and top with the rest of the sauce, a little more cheese, and some Parmesan and basil to finish it off. Top with foil ( I like to spray my foil with cooking spray so the delicious cheese doesn't stick.) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. I like my cheese a little brown so I like to take of the foil stick it under the broiler for a minute or two after it's cooked.

Yogurt and Banana Spice Muffins

I found this recipe on the Picky Palate website. I tried them last week for dinner and my family LOVED them. They remind me of the yummy buttermilk spice muffins at Mimi's Cafe. I loved that there wasn't any oil or butter in them, but they were still very moist.


1 Spice Cake Mix
6 oz container low fat vanilla yogurt
2 eggs
2 medium overly ripe bananas, mashed with fork
¾ Cup water
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar for garnish if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix cake mix, yogurt, eggs, bananas and water until well combined. Spoon batter into 24 traditional size muffin cups that have been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 20-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of muffin.

2. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Garnish with powdered sugar if desired.

Makes 24 muffin

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

I got this recipe from Recipe Girl, and though this is a little late for your Zucchini crop where I live, it's one I don't want to forget. I usually freeze Zucchini from the summer to use all through the winter in my baking, so these were easy to throw together.

1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour ¾ tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp salt 2 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup canola oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup finely shredded zucchini 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

1 Position rack in middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper liners. Spray the paper liners with nonstick spray. 2 In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside. 3 In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar to blend them smoothly. Whisk in the oil and vanilla until blended. Use a large spoon to stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Stir in the zucchini, then stir in chocolate chips and walnuts (if using) until evenly distributed. 4 Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each paper liner. Bake until the tops are light brown and a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 23 minutes. If the toothpick penetrates a chocolate chip, test another spot. 5 Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Using pot holders to protect your hands, invert the muffin pan onto a wire rack and tap the bottom to release the muffins. Turn the muffins right side up to cool for about 15 minutes and serve warm, or let cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Crockpot Fajitas

I got this recipe from Pimp my Dinner, and am suprised how easy it is, I love when I can use my crockpot to make something, and Fajitas is something I haven't yet done, but it was easy and yummy! Hope you enjoy!

• 4-6 chicken breast boneless, skinless, frozen
• 3 peppers - sliced
• 1 med-large onion sliced
• 1 package Lawry's fajita seasoning
• 1-2 packages flour tortillas
• sour cream
• shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
• other favorite toppings

1. place frozen chicken and onion in crock pot
2. pour fajita seasoning packet over chicken (you might need two packets depending on the size and amount of your chicken)
3. add water as directed on packet
4. cook on High for 6 hours
5. stir occasionally to help the chicken shred
6. the last hour add your sliced peppers
7. give it one more stir to mix it all together
8. place chicken on tortilla's
9. add your favorite toppings
10. eat and enjoy!

Lollipop Cookies

Another fun way to do a cookie, and it's another fun thing for the kids to decorate and fill up an afternoon making with your kids! I got this one from the Betty Crocker site, and just love the idea!

1	box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® golden vanilla cake mix
1/3	cup vegetable oil
2	eggs
20	to 24 wooden sticks with rounded ends
1	container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy frosting (any flavor)

1.	Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheets). In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed until blended.
2.	Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart. Insert wooden stick in edge of dough until tip is in center.
3.	Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until puffed and almost no indentation remains when touched. Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Frost and decorate as desired. Store loosely covered.

Cheesy Lasagna Rolls

Thanks to My Sister's Cucina for this recipe, I made it the other night for Dinner when we had friends over and it was super easy, I am usually not a fan of messing with cooking lasagna noodles, in my regular recipe you put them in the pan hard and they come out soft, but this was super easy, and really good!

12 Lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled
1 jar spaghetti sauce, divided ( I used Bertolli Italian Sausage Garlic & Romano sauce)
Filling:
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided (1 1/2 cup for filling, 1/2 cup on top)

Pour half of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Mix together all ingredients for the filling. Lay noodles flat and spread filling mixture on noodles - shown below. Roll up like a sleeping bag and lay in pan. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Note: Do not over cook noodles. Follow directions on box of noodles.

Turkey Cookies

Another fun Thanksgiving idea, this one is a sugar cookie recipe. I am excited to try it out for Thanksgiving. Once again, it's the Betty Crocker site that gets the credit.

1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	egg
1	container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped chocolate frosting
	Candy corn
1	tube (4.25 oz) Betty Crocker® yellow decorating icing
	Miniature candy-coated semisweet chocolate baking bits
1	tube (0.68 oz) Betty Crocker® black decorating gel

1.	Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
2.	Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
3.	Frost and decorate 1 cookie at a time. After spreading frosting on cookie, add candy corn for feathers. Pipe yellow icing for beak and feet. Add baking bits for eyes; pipe black gel for center of each eye.

Turkey Cupcakes

I love all of the fun ideas for holidays that you can find online, this one I found on my new favorite site Betty Crocker, this one is adorable, and would make a great table decoration for Thanksgiving!

1	box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix
	Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
2	containers (1 lb each) Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy milk chocolate frosting
1	tube (4.25 oz) Betty Crocker® white decorating icing
1	tube (0.68 oz) Betty Crocker® brown decorating gel
	Candy corn
	Chocolate candy sprinkles

1.	Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and cool cake as directed on box for 24 cupcakes.
2.	Frost cupcakes with frosting. Place remaining frosting in corner of resealable freezer plastic bag. Snip off small corner of bag.
3.	To decorate each cupcake, pipe 1-inch mound of frosting on 1 side of cupcake to look like head of turkey. Make eyes with white decorating icing and brown decorating gel; add candy corn for beak. To make feathers, pipe frosting on opposite side to hold candy corn; place candy corn upright on frosting to look like feathers. Sprinkle chocolate candy sprinkles near head and at base of feathers. If desired, add candy corn at base of cupcake for feet. Store loosely covered.