Pumpkin Bread

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. It's sinful it's so good. I altered the recipe a little to skim the fat and sweeten it up a little. The best part? It makes 3 7x3" loaves (or two loaves and 6 muffins). I made it a couple of weeks ago, and I froze one of the loaves to save for later. We thawed it out last week, and it was like it'd just come out of the oven. If you want to get even sweeter, try adding a cup of chocolate chips to it. YUM.

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup brown 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.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, applesauce, 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.

The Lady's Perfect Scrambled Eggs

You're going to start noticing a theme on here. I'm trying not to make it TOO obvious... but I have a feeling my readers are smarter than I'm giving you credit for. I'm a HUGE fan of Ms Paula Deen. Most of my tried and true recipes come from her... possibly because she makes incredibly yummy amped up comfort food look so incredibly easy.

I love to entertain, mainly because I love to feed people. It worked out great that my chunky-monkey (aka baby Noah) likes to eat. My favorite, though, is when my hubby's guy friends come to town and stay with us. It's like they revert to being teenage boys again, eating everything in sight, typically junk that their wives don't want them eating.
But hey, I appreciate it. I get to test out new "larger" recipes on them. I'm still working on losing the postpartum weight, so eating a big bowl of lasagna every night just isn't going to happen. Noah still doesn't eat much big people food. And my husband can't eat it all himself, as much as he wishes he could. So having a big group of guys to make this stuff for is perfect.

My favorite meal to make is breakfast. It's easy, filling, and fun.
Having that many boys over, I needed a way to stretch eggs. Which is how I found this recipe. It's perfect if you like scrambled eggs, but need a little something more to them. A more "grown up" version, maybe?

Anyway, it's simple and will feed a lot of people. It's actually perfect if you have family coming into town for the holidays and need an easy (but impressive) breakfast option. (Who wants turkey for every meal??)

Enjoy!

 The Lady's Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions

In a medium size bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, water, and salt and pepper until fluffy. Using a nonstick frying pan, melt butter and cook eggs over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese. Cook until you reach desired consistency.

[it says it serves 4, but you could totally make it feed at least 6... keep in mind, this is Paula Deen. She tends to serve a little more than most would eat. :) ]

Chicken and Mixed Veggie Quesadillas

I'm a sucker for any type of quesadilla or taco loaded with veggies. I also prefer chicken instead of beef. So I was excited when I found this one on Food Network's website. It has a ton of flavor, aaaaand... it's super easy! What's not to like?? Ok, well, maybe you won't like it if you hate mushrooms. But seriously, you hardly know they're there. I swear it's worth trying. Come on, be adventurous. ;)

Chicken and Mixed Veggie Quesadillas

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 cooked chicken breast halves
• 8 (6 to 8-inch) flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup chopped red onions
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers (from water-packed jar)
• 1/2 cup sliced artichokes (from water-packed can or jar) ... I know. Ew, right? I promise they're good. Just give it a try. If you really hate them, you can just pick them out. :)
• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese, for each quesadilla 

Directions

Coat a large skillet or griddle with cooking spray. Set pan over medium heat to preheat. Using a fork, pull chicken meat from bone in shreds.
Arrange tortillas on a flat surface. Top 1 side of each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken, mushrooms, red peppers, and artichokes. Top vegetables with shredded cheese. Fold over tortillas, making a half moon. Place quesadillas in (or on) prepared pan and cook 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cheese melts.



Reader Request: Mac n Cheese

(photo courtesy of SouthernLiving.com)

I recently got a request for a good Mac n Cheese recipe... the "non watery" kind. :)
I knew exactly where to turn for one too. Usually, I head straight for the masters of straight-to-your-thighs type food like Paula Deen or the Neelys. But not this time. I've never actually made it myself, but I know I love it. It's my grandmother's recipe, and every time she makes it, there's never a noodle left.

Well... "recipe" is bit of a stretch.
See, the problem with the way that the older generation of Southern ladies cook is that they don't follow recipes. They just do it.

So yesterday, as she walked through the steps with me, I could tell she was literally making it in her head, trying to remember every detail. And this is the "no recipe" recipe of baked mac n cheese:

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
3 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (Tip: Shredding a big block of cheese tends to work better than buying the preshredded kind. It melts better and has a sharper flavor.)
Dash of salt and pepper

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain [Tip: Take a spoon and stir the noodles around in the colander to get all of the water out. Otherwise, your mac n cheese will still come out too watery. Cheese and water are natural enemies. :) ]. Spread half of noodles (about 2 cups) in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of noodles. Layer again with the rest of the noodles. Beat eggs and milk together until smooth and well blended. Pour over noodles and cheese. Top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 - 45 minutes.

The trick with this recipe is to go with your gut. If you want more cheese, go for it. If the egg/milk mixture looks too thick, add a little more milk. I'm going to have to try this one myself so I can give a better review. But I promise, you'll know if you got it right. The eggs help it stick together, so it should not turn out watery.

If the above "recipe" makes you a little nervous, I did do some searching and found a couple of recipes that seem to be pretty good. Make sure to read the reviews for these. Usually it helps to read other suggestions to enhance the flavors.

From Southern Living
From Alton Brown (food network)
Another from Food Network

Good luck!

White Chocolate-Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

I made this recipe for my mom's Christmas party a couple of years ago (the same Christmas I found out I was pregnant!). I got it from an old Kraft magazine one of my coworkers gave me. It's so simple, and a big crowd pleaser. It's perfect for any little get togethers and can easily be doubled for a larger group.

 

 

White Chocolate-Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

 

12 OREO Cookies, finely crushed

2 Tbsp.  butter, melted

3 squares BAKER'S White Chocolate, divided

2 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp.  vanilla

2 eggs

1/4 cup  red raspberry preserves

 

HEAT oven to 350ºF. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 8- or 9-inch square pan. Melt 2 chocolate squares as directed on package.
BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is almost set. Cool 5 min.; spread with preserves. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake. Cool cheesecake completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Makes 9 servings.

Save 60 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving by preparing with Reduced Fat OREO Cookies, PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese and egg whites.

Mama's Lasagna

I used to rely on my grandmother's lasagna recipe every time I was in the mood for some good Italian food. And while hers is still good, I now have a new favorite.
I made this awhile back for my husband, and this has become his new favorite as well. It's cheesy, meaty, and best of all... easy!

Mama's Lasagna

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for pan
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (8-ounce) jar tomato sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (8-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded mozzarella
• 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain pan of fat and add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, then mix in cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt.

Spread a little of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay half the noodles in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping by 1/2-inch. Spread half the egg and cottage cheese mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and Cheddar evenly over the cottage cheese mixture. Pour half the meat sauce on top. Repeat layering in same order. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan on top. Bake in center of oven 30 to 35 minutes until sauce is bubbling around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8 (maybe fewer if they like it as much as my hubby did!).