The comeback....

                                  

 

I don't like candy corn...and actually I don't know many people that do.  I think that in the past 20 years or so this once popular candy has been pushed to the side by things like Snickers, M&M's and Laffy Taffy.  But I was thinking maybe I am being a bit too hard on this little Halloween treat and that maybe I would give it another try.  So I did some searching. 

What I found are endless ways to use this sugary treat.  I even plan to try a few this week...candy corn may be making a comeback and may just win over this family.  Take a look at the following ways in which candy corn is used and see if you can bring this lost little candy back into your life.

Candy Corn Cookie Bark @ The Girl Who Ate Everything

Number 2 Pencil's Candy Corn Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fall Snack Mix at Stick a Fork in it

Candy Corn Cocktail Shooters at The Slow Roasted Italian

Homemade Butter Finger Bark!

Candy Corn Cookie Bites at Camille Styles

Candy Corn Rice Krispy Treats

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/10/07/candy-corn-pretzel-hugs/

Enough Sugar?  My head hurts just from looking at the pictures!  Enjoy your Tuesday and enjoy these recipes.

Things I love Thursday...pumpkin

Growing up, the thought of eating anything pumpkin sickened me.  Who would want to eat that slimy, gross orange stuff?  

Now all I can say is..."Who wouldn't!?!?"  I could post 1,000 delicious pumpkin recipes in this post to show 
all of you that pumpkin is good for more than a latte from Starbucks.  But I will refrain, and instead post 10 amazing recipes you should try this fall.  

Pumpkin Ale Cheesecake with Beer Pecan Caramel Sauce from the Beeroness

 

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

Pumpkin Cinnamon Milkshake from Fab Food

Magazyn's Pumpkin Soup with Apples

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies from Smitten Kitchen



 
 Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes


 
Averie Cook's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

 
Pumpkin Gnocchi with Crispy Sage Butter Sauce




 Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting




Pumpkin Pie Dip from the Yummy Life


I would love to hear about your pumpkin favs, I hope you are having a great week and enjoy!

Fall, firetrucks and pumpkins



So I am posting less.  I want to post more I really do.  But I think this is better for me right now.  Posting all the time stressed me out before.  I would miss out on time with Jack or miss out on time with my husband, or miss out on time I should be working.   I also have gotten tired of feeling like I am competing for people to like me or to read what I have to say.  If people want to read and comment that's great, but I am tired of all the blogs out there asking for money that I just want to get back to what this is all about....us.

 

And WE went to a fire house party.  Jack got all dressed up in his fire outfit and had a blast a tour of the station.  Sunday we headed on over to one of my favorite places....the pumpkin farm We had some apple donuts, rode some ponys and took too many pictures. 

 

I hope all is well, and that you are enjoying Fall...the weather is beautiful here.

 

He is getting soooo big!!!

I'm a pumpkin head.

Some recipes are so good that I feel like I should post them twice.  This is one of those recipes.  I have expressed with you all my love for chocolate chip cookies before, and I of course I have expressed my love for pumpkin with you.  Put them together, and you have something that I can't even describe in words.  This has the best of both worlds; the cookie-ness of a chocolate chip cookie, yet it has the added spice of pumpkin.  These cookies have a sort of cakey texture to them, which make them irresistible.

I know we have a few more days left of Summer, but I just couldn't wait until Fall to make these.  And what better way to celebrate the end of the teacher strike then to share these with all my co-workers.  I am asked to make this year after year, and I hope you try this recipe out for yourselves.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups (12-ounce bag) semisweet chocolate chips

Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

I make these every year.  Sometimes I make them a few times a year.  They are the hit of my work breakfasts and a favorite with my family and friends.  The thing I don't do, is take a picture of the finished product.  Probably because I always have a hard time with the frosting, and they never look as good as Paula's. I still wanted to share the recipe.  It is amazing. The frosting pairs perfectly with the bars.  They are perfect for a cool Fall weekend.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bars (recipe courtesy of Paula Deen)

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.
To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Wordless(ish) Wednesday...Pumpkin Farm!

We went to the pumpkin farm Sunday.  It's one of our favorite places to go during the year.  It's huge and Jack has so much fun!

I loooooooooooooove looooooooooong weekends.

I do.  It's amazing how just one extra day can make a person feel so much more relaxed, and rested.  Feel like they can get so much more done and catch up on so many things.  I did all of those this weekend.  Slept in and relaxed on Sunday knowing I had an extra day to get errands done.  I was able to clean the ENTIRE house!  I even was able to organize and get rid of old things! 
\
Most importantly....we had fun. I can't believe how smart Jack is becoming.  He understands so much now and is taking EVERYTHING in.   So on Saturday we went apple picking in Michigan.  I love how we can drive an hour and a half away and feel like we are in a different world.  So open and relaxing. 

 Can you believe it was almost 90 degrees, in the second week of October, in Michigan???  I was a little disappointed in that, as I prefer a cool fall weekend, but we were able to go to the beach!  Then off to pick apples. Jack wasn't too into it at first...

But then he had a taste of those apples, and he was obsessed with them!  He screamed if we took them away! 

We took our 36 pounds of apples and thought about all the wonderful things we will make with them. 

Heat and all, it was a great time.  This is definately going to be something we do every year. 

Have a great day!

Working Mom Meals....Pumpkin Edition

I wrote a while back about my LOVE for pumpkin.  I can't get enough of it.  In the past few years I have found some really great recipes using pumpkin.  I posted my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies a few weeks back and now have a delicious entree using pumpkin.   Penne with Pumpkin and Sausage.

When I first saw this recipe, I thought, "This is going to taste awful", but I gave it a try and made it one night for dinner.  The results?  Fantastic.

The pumpkin does not take over this meal, all of the flavors blend together perfectly! 

If you love pumpkin, I suggest you give this a try, and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

p.s. I am sorry for the lack of photos, I have not made this meal yet this year.  As soon as I do, photos will be posted!

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage (recipe from Foodnetwork.com)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• 4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock 
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate, cooked al dente 
• Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Directions

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste.  Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute.  Top the pasta with shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Jack-O-Lantern...and Meetup Monday

I hope you all had a great weekend!  The birthday party is over, and....it was COLD.  But it was fun.  I have pictures and will post them later this week! 

While we recover from the party craziness, I wanted to post our pictures from the pumpkin patch! Jack had a blast!  He walked SOOOOOOO much, and slept for two hours after.  The pumpkin patch is one of my favorite times of the year, and we had even more fun this year with Jack. 

Please be sure to join Meetup Monday, I hope your Monday goes by quickly.

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