Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 box spice cake mix

15 oz. can pumpkin

1 egg (optional)
1 bag chocolate chips
Mix together and drop onto cookie
sheet with a cookie scoop.
Bake at 360 for 12 minutes.

Chicken Florentine

I tried this recipe from Allrecipes.com the other day and it was a hit!

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 (13.5 ounce) cans spinach, drained
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2/3 cup bacon bits
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.

Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees F oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Pumpkin Crunch

Classic dump cake made with pumpkin

1 15 oz. canned pumpkin
1 12 oz. evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup melted margarine
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first five ingredients in a bowl
and mix together. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle
cake mix evenly over the entire mixture in pan. Sprinkle
chopped nuts over cake. Spoon melted margarine evenly
over mixture. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Serve with whipped
cream or vanilla ice cream.

Navajo Tacos

3/4 cup of oil
1 pkg. Pillsbury Biscuits
chili (I used can chili, but you can make your own too)
lettuce, shredded
tomatoes, chopped
cheese, shredded
onions, chopped
black olives, chopped

Heat oil in a skillet. Roll individual biscuits into thin circles.

Fry each flattened biscuit for about 20 seconds on each side

or until golden brown. Top each biscuit with chili, lettuce,

tomatoes, cheese and onions. You can also add sour cream

or salsa.

Breakfast Pizza

I made this for a brunch earlier this week and it was tasty!

1 pound ground breakfast sausage
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese



Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Separate crescent roll dough into 8 triangles. Place in a greased 12 inch pizza pan with points toward the center. Press together to form a crust. Bottom of crust should be sealed and outside edge should be slightly raised. Spoon sausage over crust. Sprinkle with hash browns and top with cheddar cheese. Beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour over crust. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven until eggs are set, about 25 to 30 minutes.


Recipe and photo courtesy of Allrecipes.com.

Baked Apples

I got this idea from my blogging buddy Emily and the recipe
from Simply recipes. This is a perfect fall treat!

4 large baking apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Scoop out the core from
top of the apple, leaving a well. Do not cut all the way through.
Mix brown sugar, pecans, raisins, and cinnamon together.
Stuff each apple with brown sugar mixture. Top with a dot of
butter. Place in a shallow baking dish. Add boiling water to
the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not
mushy. Serve with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

I got this recipe from my friend Natalie. Its really yummy!

3 lb. roast
1 chopped onion
3 cups chopped celery
1 cup ketchup
1 cup good BBQ sauce
1 cup water
2 tbsp. white vinegar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Cook in crockpot on high(I used the low setting on my crockpot because my High setting is too powerful) for 6-7 hours. Shred the beef and mix back in with sauce. Serve on buns.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cans Cream of Potato soup
1 16oz. frozen bag of peas and carrots
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2/3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2-9 inch pie crusts (I use the ready to bake pie crusts)

Combine first six ingredients in bowl. Fill pie crust
and cover with second pie crust. Bake at 375 for
40 to 45 minutes.

Tempting Chili Dip

1 8oz. package cream cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 (15oz.) can chili with no beans

Combine softened cream cheese, cheese, and chili

in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring

frequently until cream cheese is melted. Serve

with tortilla chips.

We enjoyed this dip while watching football this

weekend. What are some of your favorite football

snacks?

Tropical Turkey and Spinach Salad

Another recipe from the kitchen of Ann Marie

Salad:
8 oz. deli roast turkey breast cut into 1-inch strips
1/2 c. diced red pepper
1 mango, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (1 cup)
2 hard cooked egg whites, coarsely chopped
1/4 small red onion, sliced into thin wedges
1 package (6 oz.) fresh baby spinach leaves
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Dressing:
3 T. apricot preserves
2 T. cider vinegar
2 t. olive or vegetable oil
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper

Place spinach in a large bowl, add turkey, pepper, mango,
eggs, and onions. Whisk dressing together and pour over
salad. Gently tossing to coat. Sprinkle with almonds.
Serve immediately.

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

I got this recipe at a Pampered Chef party. The recipe is
from the kitchen of Ann Marie.

1 Angle Food Cake
1 8 oz. Cream cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. sour cream
8 oz. Frozen Whipped Topping (thawed)
2 large container of fresh strawberries

Wash strawberries and remove berry tops. Slice strawberries.
Sprinkle granulated sugar over strawberries. Cut Angel Food
cake into 1-inch squares. Set aside. Blend together cream
cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and sour cream until smooth.
Fold in Whipped topping. In a trifle bowl layer ingredients
starting with half the cake cubes, then half of the sliced berries,
and then half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers and
garnish with strawberries.

RIZOGALO (Creamy Rice Pudding)

Here is a recipe that I just got from the Greek Festival my family and I went to.

1 cup long-grain rice
6 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tspn butter
1 small cinnamon stick
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon, for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine rice, milk sugar, and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until mixture is thick and creamy and the rice has absorbed the liquid and is soft. Add cinnamon stick about halfway through.

Just before removing the rice pudding from heat, beat egg yolks until creamy in a medium-size bowl. Discard cinnamon stick and stir in grated lemon rind. Remove the pudding from heat and stir in vanilla. Add a little pudding at a time to the egg yolks, stirring all the while, then pour egg yolks into pudding and stir well with a wooden spoon.

Pour the pudding into a large serving bowl or into individual bowls and refrigerate. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

Yield 10-12 servings.

We'll probably make it in the near future. My husband loves rice pudding.

Chocolate Lover's Bundt Cake

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1- 3 oz. pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 c. sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1- 12 oz. pkg chocolate chips

Beat together cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, water,
and oil. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour in a greased and floured
bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Invert cake on
plate. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar or for true chocolate
lovers, drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Alfredo Dip for Breadsticks

1/2 c. butter
2 c. heavy cream
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper

Melt butter over medium heat. Add the cream, garlic powder,
and pepper. Simmer of 10 to 12 minutes or until thick. Stir
in some Parmesan cheese and serve with breadsticks or you
could also serve with noodles.

Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccini Noodles

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com not too long ago and our family loves it. Its a variation of the usual alfredo sauce(with ricotta not usually being one of the key ingredients). So, this has a different flavor! Try it!

1 pound fettuccini pasta
1 1/2 cups butter, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
2 (16 ounce) containers whole milk ricotta cheese
1 pint heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccini and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. In a large saucepan combine ricotta cheese, cream, salt, Parmesan cheese and remaining butter. Cook over medium heat until well combined, about 10 minutes. Stir in cooked fettuccini and chicken; cook until heated through.

To save time, I use the precooked chicken strips and just throw them in at the end.