Pumpkin Cheeseake

Ingredients:

• 25-35 gingersnap cookies
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into chunks and softened
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Chopped Hazelnuts 

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°. Lightly coat a 9-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Using a food processor, grind the cookies with 1/4 cup sugar. Add the butter and pulse to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake until firm, 3 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
2. You will have two mixtures: a pumpkin (orange) and a white mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in 2 eggs until blended. Transfer 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture to a small bowl and set aside. for your orange mixture, add the remaining 3 eggs, the pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin-pie spice and salt and beat until combined, 2 minutes.
3. Set the spring form pan with the cooled crust on a double layer of heavy-duty foil and wrap the foil tightly around the bottom and sides; set in a roasting pan. Make sure that no water can get in. Pour the (orange) cheesecake filling into the crust. Then, dollop the reserved (white) cream cheese mixture onto the filling and, using the tip of a knife, swirl together. If you would like add chopped hazelnuts to the outside edge,  Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and fill with enough boiling water to reach about halfway up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center is slightly wobbly but the edges are firm to the touch, about 1-1/4 hours.
4. Transfer the roasting pan with the cheesecake to a rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Remove the spring form pan, discard the foil and let the cheesecake cool on the rack for 3 hours. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Wrap the pan in plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight. 
5. Remove the spring form pan sides. Run a knife under the bottom of the cake to release it, then slide onto a serving platter

Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

Thanks to my mom who generously give a muffin top pan! Since the gift has come to my house my children have devoured some chocolate chip muffin tops. I did make some blueberry muffin tops, I enjoyed them, however the boys did not so much. So, below is the recipe, you can substitute the chocolate chips with blueberries if you like.

Recipe:

• Dry Ingredients 
• 1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Wet Ingredients 
• 1 cup of milk 
• 1/3 cup of applesauce
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. First, mix your dry ingredients in one bowl. Then mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. Mix the wet and dry together until mixture are well combined, add the chocolate chips. Spoon out the batter into each of the muffin top saucers, fill in up to the top.
Bake at 350 for 22 minutes. Place on cooling rack and let cool. Yield 12 muffin tops.

Oh, the muffin top pan.

Crispy on the bottom..

Pork Tenderloin

In my family, we all like pork tenderloin. It is a great cut of meat. At the grocery, you can get those pre-seasoned pork tenderloin; and they are good. However, they are filled with crazy amounts sodium and preservatives. I usually buy the pork tenderloin with no season and I cook it in the crock pot with vegetables and potatoes.  So, I have wanted to try something different lately with the pork tenderloin and here it what I have come up with…..

Recipe:

3-4 garlic cloves

Fresh Rosemary ( I used  5 6-inch sprigs, or you can use the whole )

3 teaspoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Mince the fresh garlic. In a large bowl, place the meat in the bowl; pour the oil on top, salt and pepper and rosemary. Then, rub the ingredients into the pork roast, cover the bowl and place in fridge overnight.

 The next day, preheat oven at 400 degrees and place pork on a greased oven baking pan. (You know one of those with a bottom and a top with slits in it.)

Cook in oven for 45 minutes- 1hour til the meat has reached 160 degrees. 

Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone at my house loves chocolate chip cookies and to me, handmade chocolate chip cookies are the best. I got this recipe from one of my favorite food blogs: Smitten Kitchen. The recipe was named: Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies; needless to say I was already excited.

Recipe: 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease cookie sheets or use Aluminum Foil with Cooking Spray. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt and then sift.  In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Mix the vanilla, egg, and egg white with the butter/sugar mixture until creamy. Add in the sifted flour mixture slowly until combined. Next, stir in the chocolate chips gently with a spoon. Spoon out cookies about 1 inch in diameter. Bake 13 to 15; this may vary depending on the size of the cookies. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet or slide the Aluminum Foil with cookies off onto the counter top for 5 minutes and then move them to a cooling rack. 

1 inch round balls of dough....

Makes a beautiful right sized cookie!! 

Source: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/crispy-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Not sure if I would have called these cookies chewy or crispy. They were definitely awesome and definitely gone quick!

Sunday Morning Pancakes

My kiddos love pancakes. Every Saturday or Sunday morning we have pancakes; it makes the weekend even more special. From scratch pancakes aren't hard to make and you can have them ready in a flash. The pancakes below are easy to make and I modify them with chocolate chips, cinnamon, or fresh blueberries: just depends on what you are in the mood for that morning. 

Adapted From: Better Home and Garden: New Cook Book

Recipe:

• Dry Ingredients 
• 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Wet Ingredients 
• 1 cup of milk 
• 1/3 cup of applesauce (or 2 tablespoons of oil)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional) 

First, mix your dry ingredients in one bowl. Then mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. After both mixtures are well combined; add in the cinnamon if you would like. Get your skillet and put you burner on medium heat. Wait until the skillet is hot before putting the cooking spray on the skillet. I test by putting a drop of water on the skillet; if it sizzles, it is ready. Once, you have the cooking spray on the skillet start putting the pancake batter in the skillet. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to dish out the batter into medium sized pancakes. Let the batter cook until bubbles appear on the upside; then flip. Cook for another two minutes or three and then the pancake should be ready to go. This recipe will make around 12 medium pancakes. Enjoy!

Mix both dry ingredients and wet ingredients together. Add a bit of
cinnamon here if you like to. 

I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to dish out pancake into
the greased pan.  

Yum! Fluffy panackes! 

Stack o pancakes!! 

The syrup is from Kroger: Cinnamon Maple; which is the main reason
I put cinnamon in the pancakes. They were delightful!

My Pumpkin

The first day at our house... She was a little brown pup.

My husband getting licked

4 months old... starting to see some wheat color.

She sits under the table waiting for scraps. 

My two most loyal followers patiently wait for
any food to fall. 

I know that she doesn't have a wheaten cut,
but it is easier to manage her fur this way and we
can see those beautiful brown eyes.

Gingerbread snap cookies

These cookies are a hidden treasure in your grocery isle!! I like ginger snap cookies, but sometime they are just too hard for me or the flavor isn't right. Anyhow, Betty Crocker gingerbread mix is definitely sometime to try. Especially for those of you that love warm cookies out of the oven.

Recipe: (on the back of the box)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 tablespoons of melted butter 

1/4 cup water

A Christmas cookie favorite

Pre heat oven at 375 degrees. I use a cookie sheet with foil and then spray cooking spray on foil. In a medium bowl, add flour, butter, water and the boxed mix. Mix well. (I use a fork to make sure that its all mixed, it will be gooey.) Then, powder you hands with flour and start rolling the dough in inch size balls. Pat down the dough balls. When you are finished, and the oven is ready cook for 8-10 minutes. Don't over cook. Place on the cooling rack after two minutes, I would sneak me a cookie at this time. They are so awesome warm.  

Cook for 8-10 minutes. Only.. don't over cook.

Roll out and pat down

Soft and fluffy! with the a great ginger taste.

Cool variety of marigold I grew this year.