Pumpkin Mousse

Here is another recipe I'd like to give kudos to: Praline Pumpkin Mousse

This recipe is SUPER easy and SUPER good. My husband loves pumpkin pie, but won't eat the crust. So, it's essentially a crustless pumpkin pie. The praline topping, again, very easy to make and very yummy.

Kudos

Alright, so I need to give major kudos to this turkey tetrazzini recipe. It is very labor intensive but well work the work. Reserve at least 2 hours time for this recipe. Sorry, I took no pictures this time. My husband and I ate it before I could get the camera out. :)

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

I was in the mood for pumpkin today. Using a base recipe I tweaked it until I got the desired consistency and taste. I wrote down all my changes and came up with this cookie. Overall, this cookie is awesome. I yielded 50.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

INGREDIENTS

Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. white sugar

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

1 c. canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 t. brandy

3 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t. salt

Icing

1 c. confectioners' sugar

2 T. milk

1/2 T. melted butter

1/2 T. brandy

few sprinkles of pumpkin pie spice

Chocolate Drizzle

small bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips OR Baker's Dipping Chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the canned pumpkin, egg and brandy and mix well. Next, mix in the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Scoop cookies onto greased cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each cookie. Bake for 15-20 minutes (I baked mine for 17 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

For the icing - Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl. Add more milk to desired consistency. I used a wire whisk to drizzle the icing over half of the cookies.

For a chocolate drizzle- Melt chocolate chips in the microwave safe bowl in 30 minute intervals, stirring after each interval until melted. Drizzle the other half of the cookies with chocolate or dip them. If you're using Baker's chocolate, follow the directions on the container.

NOTE: If you don't want to do half your cookies in chocolate, double the icing recipe. Also, do not add butter to melted chocolate. I learned that the hard way tonight.

I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Tortellini

I love this recipe. Usually takes less than half an hour from start to finish. It is so easy, and so good.

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated 3 cheese tortellini

1 lb. chicken tenders (or chicken breast) cut into bite size pieces.

1/4 c. italian dressing

1 can (28 oz.) of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano

1 (6oz.) bag of fresh spinach

1/4 c. grated parmasen cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cook the tortellini according to its directions, drain. Meanwhile, heat dressing in large pan to medium high heat. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Add diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add spinach, cover and stir occasionally until spinach shrivels. Add tortellini and parmesan. Mix well. Garnish with additional parmesan if desired. Serve.

Fall Harvest Cookies

This cookie is my newest creation. The idea hit me tonight and I just couldn't help myself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I didn't have chocolate chips on hand, instead I had Baker's chocolate that I ground up and mixed with the batter. If you don't have time to grind up your chocolate you can easily substitute the ground chocolate for a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you are using chocolate chips add them in when you mix in the granola.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. softened butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

3 oz. ground semi-sweet chocolate (if using)

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

1 T. brandy

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

2 c. Granola (I used Kashi Mountain Medley granola)

Semi-sweet chocolate chips (if using)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375

Cream together butter, sugars, ground chocolate (if using), and pumpkin pie spice. Beat in the egg and brandy. Then mix in the flour and baking soda. Stir in the Granola (and chocolate chips if using). Scoop onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. (I take mine out at 8 minutes and let cool for one minute before transferring them to a wire rack.)

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I have. They are so yummy! :)

Meaty Lasagna

I LOVE this recipe. It is quick and easy. We always have leftovers which is fantastic since I won't have to cook the next day. I took a picture of half of the lasagna just so you could see the layers. I don't use a full size lasagna dish either. My dish is just large enough to fit the length of a lasagne pasta (yes, I spelled that one right, it's what Mueller's calls their pasta).

Look at all that cheesy goodness!

INGREDIENTS

clove of minced garlic

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I use Prego Traditional)

6 Lasagna noodles

8 oz. ricotta cheese

2 c. mozzarella cheese

grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400

Cook the noodles as directed on the package. Strain and let cool. In the meantime cook your meat and garlic on medium-high heat. When meat is cooked through, add the spaghetti sauce to your desired thickness. (I use the whole jar-normal size not the jumbo). Spoon enough of the mixture to cover the bottom of the lasagna dish. Cover with two noodles. Next cover the two noodles with about half of your remaining meat mixture. Top with ricotta cheese, then sprinkle your mozzarella on top of the ricotta. (Eyeball it, I use half the container of ricotta and about a cup of the mozzarella. I found that if you put the ricotta in a bowl and mush it down with a fork it's easier to spoon out onto the lasagna.) Layer 2 more noodles down, followed by the remaining meat and cheeses. Top with the last two noodles. Sprinkle with parmesan. Place foil over your pan and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove foil, place back in oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

* Word to the wise. Sometimes the filling may bubble out of the dish. Line the bottom rack of your oven with foil to catch any drips that may occur during the baking process.

If you have leftovers cover and place in the fridge. To reheat simply cover with foil and add 10 minutes to the original baking time. You may want to place the leftover lasagna in another pan to bake. I've noticed that if I use the same lasagna dish the sauce and the cheese from the eaten side tend to bake onto the dish and it makes the pan harder to clean- not impossible, just harder to clean.

Pizza

I've been making this recipe for at least 10 years. It typically takes me about 2 hours from start to finish. There is another variant of this recipe where you can make a braided pizza. The next time I make a braided pizza I'll take very good pictures and put those instructions up on the blog. :)

Start with the sauce.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 T olive oil

4 oz. finely chopped onions

2 1/2 t. finely chopped garlic

2 1/2 lbs. Plum tomatoes

2 T. tomato puree

2 1/2 t. dried oregano

2 1/2 t. fresh basil, finely cut

1 bay leaf

2 t. sugar

2 1/2 t. salt

ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a medium sized sauce pan heat the oil and cook the onion over medium heat stirring frequently for 7-8 minutes or until soft and transparent. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat very low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about an hour. Remove the bay leaf. If you want a smoother sauce you can pour sauce into blender.

While the sauce is cooking begin with the dough. By all means you can buy a pre-made dough, I like to make mine from scratch. I always have a hard time rolling out pre-made dough. Homemade dough is easier to manipulate.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 to 3 c. Flour

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 t. salt

1 c. warm water

2 T. oil

DIRECTIONS

In large mixing bowl combine 1 1/4 c. of flour, the yeast and salt. Stir in the warm water. Beat at low speed with mixer. Stir in as much of the remaining dough as you can mix with a spoon. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter top and kneed in enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth and elastic dough (6-8 minutes). Place dough in a large bowl and cover bowl with a warmed wet towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475.

Roll the dough out and place on your pizza pan. Using a fork and poke holes in several areas of the dough. Place dough in oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes. Check often as ovens vary. You want a dough that is cooked, but not brown.

Next, spoon your sauce on your pizza and cover with your desired toppings. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!