This SCREAMS Thanksgiving

I can't remember where I got this recipe, but...

Oh.

My.

Gosh!

It is the best way to have a pumpkin pie.

Delicious!

If that doesn't make you want Thanksgiving to be here already,

nothing will.

Ginger-Streusel Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry
• 3 Eggland's Best Eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• STREUSEL:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions

• On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry. Transfer pastry to a
• 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond edge of plate; flute
• edges.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, cream, sugars, cinnamon,
• salt, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at
• 350° for 40 minutes.

• In a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until
• crumbly. Stir in walnuts and ginger. Gently sprinkle over filling.
• Bake 15-25 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center
• comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield:
• 8 servings.

Nutritional Facts: 1 piece equals 684 calories, 42 g fat (21 g saturated fat), 176 mg cholesterol, 388 mg sodium, 73 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 9 g protein.

Erika's Black Bean and Salsa Crockpot Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
32 oz. salsa
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained

flour tortillas
cheese
 Any other topping you might like.

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in the crockpot on low
2. Cook for 6-8 hours
3. 30-40 minutes prior to eating remove the chicken, shred the chicken, and return to crockpot
4. To serve use chicken mixture as filling inside the tortillas- top with toppings
**This makes a lot. I use frozen corn- I like it better and sometimes I don't have blcak beans or enough salsa so I just use what I got and it is yummy and EASY!!!!!!!!

Recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Recipe and picture found here. 

 

Ingredients

For the casserole:

• 1 whole cooked chicken, bones removed, meat diced or shredded (rotisserie chicken is excellent, should have 5-6 cups)
• 1/2 pound very thinly sliced deli-style honey ham, rough chopped
• 1/4  pound thin sliced baby Swiss cheese

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 3 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• salt, to taste

For the topping:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Put cooked shredded or diced chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Rough chop the ham and scatter it over the top of the chicken. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly stir in the flour to form a smooth roux. Do not brown! Once the roux is smooth and bubbly, slowly pour in the cold milk while stirring briskly to make a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, smoked paprika and white pepper. Bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole, being certain to get some of the sauce around the edges of the pan.

To make the topping: Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized microwaveable bowl. Heat it for 30 seconds at a time and stop once it’s melted. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir in the panko bread crumbs, seasoning salt and crushed dried parsley. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake casserole uncovered for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This is another good one that MOST the family loved.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Recipe and picture found here. 

 

Ingredients

For the casserole:

• 1 whole cooked chicken, bones removed, meat diced or shredded (rotisserie chicken is excellent, should have 5-6 cups)
• 1/2 pound very thinly sliced deli-style honey ham, rough chopped
• 1/4  pound thin sliced baby Swiss cheese

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 3 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• salt, to taste

For the topping:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Put cooked shredded or diced chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Rough chop the ham and scatter it over the top of the chicken. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly stir in the flour to form a smooth roux. Do not brown! Once the roux is smooth and bubbly, slowly pour in the cold milk while stirring briskly to make a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, smoked paprika and white pepper. Bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole, being certain to get some of the sauce around the edges of the pan.

To make the topping: Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized microwaveable bowl. Heat it for 30 seconds at a time and stop once it’s melted. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir in the panko bread crumbs, seasoning salt and crushed dried parsley. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake casserole uncovered for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

Yumminess: Chocolate Potato Cake

Cake
Ingredients:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. Melt chocolate with the vanilla, cool slightly. 
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon. 
4. Cream the butter and sugar and beat in the eggs one by one. Add the chocolate and mashed potatoes. 5. Beat in the dry ingredients alternatively with the buttermilk. 
6. Pour into a greased 13x9inch pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes (or bake in 2 round 9 inch pans for 30-35 minutes.) 
7. Cool before frosting.

Frosting:
Ingredients:
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners sugar
dash of salt
1/2 cup softened butter
hot milk
chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Melt chocolate and vanilla; let cool slightly. 
2. Cream the sugar, salt and butter. Add just enough hot milk to make a spreadable consistency. 
3. Beat in the melted chocolate. 
4. Spread on the cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Yummy Recipe: Easy Cheesy Breakfast Casserole

Recipe and picture found here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound Italian sausage (I prefer hot, but mild or sweet also work)
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced (or 1 jar of roasted red peppers, drained and diced)
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 (20 ounce) bag frozen hash browns, thawed
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• (optional topping: thinly sliced green onions)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the sausage to a medium saute pan. Cook over medium-high heat until browned, crumbling the sausage with a spoon as it cooks. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of sausage grease in the saute pan, discarding the rest. Add the onion and red pepper* to the saute pan, and saute for 5 minutes until cooked. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant. (If using the jarred roasted red peppers, wait to stir them until after the garlic.) Pour the vegetable mixture into the mixing bowl with the sausage. Add the hash browns and 1 1/2 cups cheese to the mixing bowl with the sausage and veggies. Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and black pepper until combined. Then add them to the hashbrown mixture, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a 11x7-inch or a 9x9-inch baking dish (a 9x13-inch dish will also work), and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes and the top of the potatoes begin to slightly brown. Remove and let the casserole rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions and serve!

Copy Cat Panera Bread Potato Soup

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
• ½  teaspoon of paprika
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper  

Directions

• 1. Combine broth, potatoes, garlic, and spices.
• 2. Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender.
• 3. Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch for thickening.
  4. Reduce to low heat.
  5. Add cream cheese.
  6. Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

This recipe was so good. It was a pretty salty, and I used the low sodium soy sauce. I would plan on using less soy sauce the next time I make this. 

Recipe found here.

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. sugaar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. flank steak, sliced into thin strips (or the pre-sliced “stir fry beef” from the grocery store)

For the rest of it (see note below regarding sauce):

• 3/4 c. low-sodium soy — MUST be low-sodium or it will be way too salty
• 3 tbs. brown sugar
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 4 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 heads broccoli, crowns only

Instructions:

To marinate the meat, whisk together all marinade ingredients, then toss the steak in with it to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and flour until smooth. Set aside.

In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tbsp. veggie oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium high. Carefully add remaining tbsp. of oil, then add marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture. Saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until meat is cooked through. Stir in broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more, then serve hot over rice.

*I didn’t think the original recipe made enough sauce to cover the entire pan of meat and broccoli, so I added another half-batch of the sauce. Those changes are reflected above. If you’re not as saucy as I am (hehehe), then feel free to start with the original amount called for (for example, you would only use 1/2 cup soy sauce instead of 3/4 cup) and stir in more as needed.

Yummy Recipe: Meaty Manicotti

Ingredients:

14 uncooked manicotti shells

1lb bulk sausage

3/4 lb. ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 c (8oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

1pkg (3oz) cream cheese, cubed

1/4 tsp salt

4 c. meatless spaghetti sauce, divided

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage and beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic: cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Remove from heart. Cool for 10 min. 

2. Drain shells and rinse in cold water. Stir the mozzarella cheese, cream cheese and salt into meat mixture. Spread 2 cups spaghetti sauce in a greased 13x9 in baking dish. 

3. Stuff each shell with about 1/4 cup meat mixture: arrange over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

4.Cover and bake at 350* for 40 minutes. Uncover: bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and heated through. 

Recipe found here.

Homemade Lemonade

We had a really warm Saturday. I had lemons. So why not make some lemonade.

Oh my gosh!! This stuff is so good!!! 

Recipe from here. 

Ingredients

1½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 8 - 10 large lemons)

1 cup sugar (if making diet lemonade, use 1 cup granulated sugar substitute; If using sugar substitute packets, check the manufacturers website for the ratio)

5 cups water

Instructions

1. In a half-gallon pitcher, whisk the sugar with 2 cups warm water until completely dissolved

2. Add remaining water and the lemon juice and stir to combine.

3. Chill for at least an hour.

4. Serve over ice

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 15 oz)

1 can Rotel (about 14 oz)

1 package frozen corn (about 10 oz)

½ cup onion, chopped

1 bottle roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

½ C. chicken broth

2 C. milk

1 can Enchilada sauce (about 10 oz)

2 chicken breasts, raw

Olives, optional but AWESOME

Shredded Cheese, optional but AWESOME

Directions

1. Pour black beans, Rotel, frozen corn, chopped onions, and roasted red peppers into your crock pot and stir.

2. On the stove top, melt butter and add flour. Whisk until bubbly and smooth.

3. Add chicken broth and 1/2 C. milk, stir and bring to a boil.

4. Add the remaining milk and enchilada sauce and whisk until smooth.

5. Place chicken breasts in crock pot (over beans, corn and other ingredients).

6. Pour sauce from the stove over the chicken breasts in the crock pot.

7. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

8. When ready to serve, remove chicken, shred, return to crock pot and stir.

9. Serve with shredded cheese and sliced olives. The sour cream isn't really needed since it's made with milk, so it's already creamy, and cilantro adds a fresh flavor. Avacados would also be amazing on top!

Recipe from Your Cup of Cake

Fajitas...in soup form

Some really good soup.

Found it on the Six Sister's Stuff blog.

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Fajita Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
2 cups frozen corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro (optional)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
favorite toppings

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken into slow cooker.
In a bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, salsa, corn, black beans, water, cumin, and cilantro. Pour over chicken in slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (or high for 2-3 hours). Remove chicken and shred using 2 forks. Put chicken back into slow cooker, add cheese, and let cook for 15 more minutes. Serve with your favorite fajita toppings (tomato, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, etc).

Mmmmm….mmmmm…mmmmmm!

Just to mix things up a bit, here is a recipe that I recently found on Pinterest that my family…everyone in my family…that is seven people, People!… loved.

So worth sharing!

I got the recipe from the blog, No. 2 Pencil. You have to try it!!

One Pan Chicken Burrito Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of diced yellow onion
• 1 cup of uncooked extra-long grain rice
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of colby jack, monterey jack or cheddar cheese
• kosher salt and pepper
• freshly diced tomatoes
• diced green onions
• sour cream
• guacamole

Instructions

1. Start by sautéing onions in 2 tablespoon of olive oil until they start to soften.
2. Season diced chicken with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
3. Add chicken to pan and cook over medium high heat until chicken has started to brown.
4. Move chicken to one side of pan, in the other side of the pan add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and sauté uncooked rice for about 2 minutes or just until some grains start to turn golden brown.
5. Stir in black beans, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low.
7. Cook about 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
8. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
9. Sprinkle with cheese, recover and let set for 2-3 off heat to melt cheese.
10. Garnish with fresh tomatoes, green onions, sour cream and guacamole.