Pumpkin Spice Cake with Delicious Honey Frosting!!

• • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice (or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon each allspice and cloves)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin puree
  • FOR THE HONEY FROSTING
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
  • 1 bar (8 ounces) regular (or reduced-fat) cream cheese, very soft
  • 1/4 cup honey

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin puree until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently until smooth.
  3. Turn batter into prepared pan, and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out of pan, and cool completely, right side up, on a rack.
  4. Make Honey Frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk butter, cream cheese, and honey until smooth.
  5. Spread top of cooled cake with honey frosting. Cut cake into squares to serve.

  
  

  
  

  It asks that you use the pumpkin filling from the can, it's the most compatable for this recipe. It's delicious and the frosting is something fresh and new. 

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound elbow pasta, cooked and drained
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (optional)
Nutmeg
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded yellow cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded white cheddar cheese
8 ounces ham, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 white sandwich bread

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta, and drain; reserve. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in flour to coat onion. In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.

Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cayenne & nutmeg, if using, and 1 cup each yellow and white cheddar cheese. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Toss pasta with cheese mixture; fold in ham.Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or individual dishes (see note, below left). Set aside.

(This topping is the best and would be great on anything where you need a breaded topping....cheesy, crunchy, yum!) In a food processor, pulse bread until large crumbs form. Toss together with remaining 1/4 cup each white and yellow cheddar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Top pasta with breadcrumb mixture. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes

I always add nutmeg. Just add a dash or two. It adds a kick without making you think. Hmmm...there's nutmeg in this. Also, the cyanne pepper is a really great addition. I just add all one kind of cheese.

Enjoy....Em

Glazed Carrots

Carrots
Butter
Brown Sugar
Pepper
Nutmeg

Steam carrots until al dente (not too soft as they will continue to cook a little while you glaze). Over Med-low head glaze carrots to taste with a bit of butter, the brown sugar, pepper and nutmeg for a few minutes until sugar melts and caramelizes a little. Easy and super yum! One of my most frequently asked for recipes!

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Sauce (this one is fresh and delicious or use your favorite pre-made)
¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup Progresso Italian style dry bread crumbs, or similar
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 TBS grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat 2 TBS of the oil over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in oil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally.
2. Between sheets of waxed paper, flatten chicken to ¼ inch thickness. In shallow dish, mix bread crumbs and 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Dip chicken into egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture.
3. In 12-inch skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil 10-15 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in center. Pour tomato sauce around chicken in skillet. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over chicken; cover and heat until melted. Sprinkle with 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Butternut Squash Soup

Meet the oh so delicious and healthy Butternut Squash. Mix it with a few things (it can't be too healthy, right?!) and you've got a perfect soup for fall that's elegant enough for a fancy dinner and yet soothing enough for a night by the fire....that is if I had a fireplace. Guess I'll have to huddle up next to the heater vent! Butternut Squash soup:

1-3 Butternut Squash (I used 3 and it filled my big pot. Freezes great and also yummy to pair with Easy Breadsticks and share with neighbors)
Chicken Broth (for 3 I used the big box type. May only need 1-2 cans)
Butter
Milk/Cream
Brown Sugar
Pepper
Nutmeg

Bake the de-seeded butternut squash upside-down in a pan (may add a little water if you prefer) at about 350 for about 45-60 minutes, or until fork tender. Scoop out all of the yummy pulp and combine it with some of the chicken broth in the blender until smooth and to just about the desired consistency (will add milk later). If you have a super-duper "scary" blender like mine with a stick thing to help mix it around, you can put quite a bit in at a time. Otherwise, you may want to blend it a portion at a time. Pour it into a pot on the stove and add to taste about 4-12 TBS butter, a bunch of Brown Sugar, and the pepper and nutmeg. Pour in milk or cream until desired consistency and taste. Heat through. Soothing, flavorful, beautiful, YUM!

Fabulous Potatoes

Fabulous Potatoes and Autumnal place settings. O.K. for the potatoes:

14 potatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 pound bacon
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 pint whipping cream

Cover raw potatoes and peeled garlic cloves with water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to a gentle boil. Cook until tender (test with a fork). Drain potatoes. While potatoes are cooling, open bacon, cut with kitchen shears into bits and fry. Set aside crisp bacon. Drain most of the fat from the pan. Add onion to drippings and saute till golden brown. Add bacon back to pan and mix.
By this time the potatoes should be cool enough to peel. Use a small paring knife to do this. Then cut potatoes into slices the about the width of your pinkie, you know, not too thin.
Spray a pan (I use the one bigger than 9x13, a dripper pan) with Pam and layer 1/2 of the potatoes in the bottom, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with the bacon/onion mixture. Add the rest of the potato slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover with the cheese. Drizzle the whipping cream over the top. Cover tightly with foil (I spray it with Pam first, so I won't have any cheese sticking to it) and bake 350 F for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. You can also prepare it earlier, and put it in the fridge. Then put it in a cold oven and gradually bring it to 350F. It bakes about an hour this way. Serves 12-16.

Those potatoes are screaming to be served in Fall. Here's a place setting idea: Gather leaf-shaped place mats or place mats of fall colors. I had clear plates, so
I added a leaf underneath my plate. Next came the salad bowl and the napkin. (this is Morgan's place, hence the little fork and spoon). Voile! Happy eating!

Easy Breadsticks

Truly easy, fast, not too messy, and got the "you made these?" yummy response. Why was it that I thought breadsticks were too much work for dinner? Yum! Thanks, Angie.




1 T yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
2 T sugar
3 1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 stick butter (can use less or more)
parmesan cheese
garlic salt
dried herbs (basil, rosemary, parsley, oregano)

Mix yeast, warm water, and sugar together. Let sit until yeast activates (gets bubbly). Add flour and salt. Knead for 3 minutes (I do this all in my kitchenaid). Let rise for 10 minutes. Pres into a 12 x 7 pan. Melt butter and pour over dough. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and herbs (to your liking). Let rise 15 minutes. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

I had Jalapenos in my garden this year for salsa and ended up with quite a crop. The Pioneer Woman posted this recipe not to long ago and I've been dying to try them. My DH has a real thing for not liking anything hot or spicy and so I finally made a few of these just for me. They were delish!!! I must admit I did use turkey bacon as I have a thing against real bacon, but they were still super yummy and probably saved on a few calories. Try 'em! Yum!

Fresh jalapenos 2-3 inches in size
Cream cheese (softened)
Thin, regular bacon, sliced into thirds.

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane. Smear softened cream cheese into each half. Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpick (At this point you can freeze them, uncooked, in a ziploc bag for later use).

Bake on a pan with a rack in 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of a bite to it. Yum!

Chicken Spaghetti

I so love the Pioneer Woman! See her fun picture recipe here or just follow below.

2 cups cooked chicken
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1-4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained (I didn't have, but sure it would be good)
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into two" pieces (cooked in broth from boiled fryer, or water with chicken bullion...)
2 cups chicken broth (from boiled chicken or can, like I did)
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper (or none, zero, niltch for DH who hates spicy anything!)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 additional cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

I also added some of my freshly canned tomatoes, drained, and some garlic. Yum!

Cook 1 cut up fryer or chicken of preference and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to 6 months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil.) Yum!

Strawberry Bread

·       5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

·       1 pint strawberries, rinsed, hulled, quartered, and mashed with a fork

·       1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

·       1 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       1/4 teaspoon baking powder

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup sugar

·       2 large eggs

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. In a small saucepan, bring strawberries to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Set aside.

2.    In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with 1/3 cup water, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in reserved strawberries.

3.    Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour (tent with foil after 45 minutes if top is getting too dark). Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges; invert onto a rack. Reinvert; cool completely.

 It calls for fresh strawberries, but you can substitute thawed frozen berries. Softened cream cheese is a delicious spread.

Blueberry Pie

Courtesy of Pioneer Woman's mom.....

2 Pie Crusts
2-3 Pints Blueberries
Sugar
A dash or two of nutmeg
2-3 Tbsps Flour

In a large bowl place 2-3 pints of fresh blueberries. Coat them with regular white sugar, not too much, just enough to bring out the natural sweetness. Throw in a dash or two of nutmeg and a few Tablespoons of all purpose flour. If you would prefer a pie that is more juicy you can leave out the flour.

Pour the blueberries into a pie crust and top with 8-10 small pats of butter. Cover with a second pie crust. Press both edges together, tucking the dough under as needed, working all the way around the edge of the pie. While pinching the top and bottom crusts together, form the edge into a sort of lip, Then pinch the dough between your thumb and index finger all the way around the edge of the pie for a fluted look. Cut three or four slits in the top of the pie for ventilation.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 35-40 minutes.

Smothered Chicken

Absolutely scrumptious, pretty easy, and quick to pull together. Super Yum!!!! Stole it from my other food blog, Delectable Edibles

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t red pepper
1 T butter (or olive oil)
1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c shredded cheddar

Spray skillet with cooking spray; heat over med. heat. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings. Cook in skillet until done. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
Heat oil in skillet. Cook pepper, and onion about 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Stir in mushrooms and continue cooking until veggies are all done. Return chicken to skillet, spooning veggies over it. Sprinkle cheese over mixture and remove from heat. Cover and let stand until cheeses are melted. Mmmm... cheesy goodness!

Maple-Glazed Chicken Breasts with Pears

This sounds a little odd, but the combination of flavors is delicious

2 Tbs butter
1-2 onions, coarsely chopped
salt
ground black pepper
2 Bartlett pears (or other firm pears) peeled cored, and thickly sliced (I've also used canned in a pinch)
2 Tbs chopped fresh sage (or some dry to sprinkle)
4 chicken breast halves, skinless & boneless (about 3 lbs)
2 Tbs mustard (preferably grainy)
2 Tbs maple syrup (real maple syrup if you have it)

Set oven to 450 degrees

In a large skillet with an oven-proof handle (cast-iron works well), heat 1 Tbs of the butter. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until softened. Add the pears and cook for 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with the sage.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Remove the onion and pears from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining 1 Tbs butter and set the breasts in the pan top down. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until browned.

In a small bowl, combine the mustard and maple syrup. Turn the breasts skin side up. With the back of a spoon, spread the mustard mixture onto the top of the chicken. Return the onion and pears to the pan, tucking them under the breasts.

Place the skillet in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through and glazed on top. You can also cook pear mixture and brown the breasts in advance, then roast them together just before serving.

Ham & Garden Vegetable Stir-Fry

Sauce:
4 Tbs cold water
1 Tbs cornstarch
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbs orange juice
4 tsp sugar
Pepper
(Or just use Yoshida sauce (sp?...I've always just called it Yoshi sauce) that you can thicken a little with cornstarch which is super yummy!)

1-2 cups chopped ham (or it would also be good with cooked, chopped chicken)
Fresh or frozen vegetables (ie: carrots, onion, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash)

Combine water and cornstarch. Stir in soy sauce, orange juice, sugar and dash pepper; set aside).

If fresh beans, steam for 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and broccoli and steam for additional 2 minutes.

Pour oil into a wok or large skillet (add more oil as necessary during cooking). Preheat over medium-high heat. Add onion, ham and carrot; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add beans, cauliflower, broccoli, squash and zucchini. Stir fry 3-4 minutes or till vegetables are crisp-tender. Push vegetables from center of wok (or large pan). Stir sauce and add to the center of wok. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir to coat vegetables with sauce. Cook and stir 1 minute or till heated through. Serve over rice (I prefer the brown rice)

This meal is my personal favorite!

Quesadillas

Sadly, I think I may have experienced my 1st "real" Quesadilla this year and I am hooked! I crave them, well, a lot, and have loved experimenting with them. Especially using things from the garden. So although this is a no-brainer to most (except me who always thought a Quesadilla was a tortilla with sliced cheese, rolled up and popped in the microwave....hmmm), here is just a reminder of something yummy, easy, and different to try for a meal.

For this Quesadilla, I used the fresh tortillas that you brown yourself, topped with pre-shredded mexican cheese (gotta love those Smith's cheese specials), and then with pre-sauted zucchini and onion in a little bit of butter, and then a little more cheese to stick them together. Grill until a little crisp. Yum, yum, YUM.

I also just had one with some leftover grilled and seasoned chicken. Also supper yummy. Be creative. I actually like them plain, but most recommend serving them with salsa and sour cream and the like.

Check out some other fun ideas from the beloved Pioneer Woman.

Enjoy!