Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

I snitched one bite of these and all I can say is  YUM!!  Can't wait for breakfast in the morning.  Be warned that this make a LOT of dough.  I could barely use my electric hand mixer because there was so much.  It said that it makes 2 dozen but I think I ended up getting 33 buns, most of which are in the freezer.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

2 Tb active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
4 eggs
1 cup shortening
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1/3 cup instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 tsp salt
7 to 8 cups flour

Filling:
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing:
3 Tb water
2 Tb butter, softened
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add eggs, shortening, pumpkin, milk, sugars, pudding mixes, salt, and 6 cups flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn onto floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough; divide in half.  Roll each portion into a 12 inch x 8 inch rectangle; brush with butter.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges.

Roll up jelly roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal.  Cut each into 12 slices (or more).  Place cut side down in two greased 13 x 9 inch baking dishes.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-28 minutes, or until golden brown.  In a small bowl, combine water, butter, and cinnamon.  Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Spread over buns.  Serve warm.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

These did taste a little like cake doughnuts.  I liked the smaller ones but they had a bit too much sugar for me.  The larger ones were perfect with the sugar on just the top but I like the smaller ones you can just pop in your mouth.  Next time I'll only dip half the smaller ones in the sugar mixture

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

10 Tb unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

3 cups all purpose flour plus more for pan

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

Topping:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

350 degrees.  Butter and flour 12 muffin cups.  Make batter:  In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice.  In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin.  In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until done, about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon.  Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan.  Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture.  Let cool completely.

**I got 12 regular sized muffins and 24 mini muffins out of this recipe.  Not sure how they got only 12 standard muffins unless they had huge muffin tops.

**I just used a dash of ground nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon.



Beer Battered Asparagus

Saw this on one of Guy Fieri's shows on Food Network and thought they sounded pretty good.  They weren't bad but were a little greasy for me.  I'm always looking for new ways to make vegetables so I'll keep looking.



Beer Battered Asparagus

1 bunch medium asparagus, ends trimmed

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, seperated

3/4 cup beer, lager or pale ale

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup white cornmeal

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 cups peanut oil

sea salt

In shallow pan, soak asparagus in buttermilk 12 to 24 hours.  Remove from buttermilk, but do not rinse.

In large bowl, combine well the egg yolks, beer, flour, cornmeal, salt, cayenne, and pepper.  In large deep sided pot, heat oil to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile, in large clean bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks.  Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter mixture.  Dip spears, 1 at a time into batter, then carefully lay in oil.  Do not overcrowd pan.  Fry in batches, if necessary.  Fry 2 to 3 minutes, turning spears to ensure even cooking.  Drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with sea salt, to taste.

**I didn't read this recipe ahead of time and only soaked mine for probably a half hour or 45 minutes. 

**I didn't measure my oil but poured an inch or so in the bottom of a deep skillet and just turned them so both sides got cooked.

**You can serve this with an aioli but I just mixed up a couple tabelspoons of the Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic dip.

Stuffed Pork Chops

These were pretty good but I overcooked them a little bit and they got a little dry.  I'd make them again though.

Stuffed Pork Chops

4 boneless pork loin chops

4 slices ham, any variety

4 slices swiss cheese

1/2 cup baby spinach leaves

1 Tb dried sage leaves, crushed

1 tsp olive oil

Make a 2 inch long cut in the side of each chop to form pocket.  Top each ham slice with 1 cheese slice and 1/4 of the spinach; roll up.  Stuff 1 ham roll in each chop; press edges of pocket together to seal.

Sprinkle both sides of chop with sage.  Heat oil in large skillet on medium high heat.  Add chops; cook 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until cooked through and golden brown on both sides.

**I baked these in the oven and just used some seasonings from my cabinet since I didn't have sage.



Creamy Spinach Ricotta Pasta

This is one I don't make often because no one else in my family much likes alfredo sauce but I do so every once in awhile I make something for myself!  It freezes well too.

Creamy Spinach Ricotta Pasta

1 lb rigatoni
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes w/ basil, onion, and garlic
1 cup fresh or frozen chopped onions
1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
2 1/2 cup jarred alfredo sauce
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tb olive oil

425 degrees.  Coat 13x9 inch baking dish with spray.

Bring large pot of water to boil.  Cook pasta.  Drain; return to pot.  Stir in tomatoes and chopped onions.

Cook spinach in microwave.  Squeezy out moisture.  Transfer to bowl and add alfredo sauce, ricotta, garlic salt and pepper; stir to combine.  Transfer spinach mixture to pot; toss to combine.  Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish.

Mix together bread crumbs, parmesan, and oil.  Sprinkle over pasta.  Bake 20 to 25 mintues or until golden brown and bubbly.

*NOTE:  Instead of a can of tomatoes I just use chopped tomatoes and garlic.  I also don't use ricotta and use cottage cheese.

To freeze:  Fix up to adding the bread crumbs and freeze in a casserole dish or freezer bag.  To serve, thaw.  Add bread crumb topping and bake until hot and bubbly.

Double Decker Tacos

I don't eat tacos often.  I enjoy crunchy shells the most but they made too much of a mess and break all apart so I never eat those unless I make a taco salad.  And I'm just not a fan of soft shelled tacos.  But this combination was wonderful!  I think the reason I liked these is that the meat had a great flavor.  I added more veggies to the meat, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, and red onion, just to get some veggies in for the hubby and because I like them.   I would definitely recommend this if you like tacos.  I ate two of them and really wanted to go back for more!

Double Decker Tacos

8 hard taco shells
8 corn tortillas (we used flour tortillas cut to size)
2 cups refried beans, warmed
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tb all purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1 tsp chili powder
dash black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
tapatio or other hot sauce, to taste
shredded lettuce
shredded cheddar cheese
diced tomatoes

Cook beef with onion and garlic.  Drain well and return to pan.  Toss meat with tablespoon of flour.  Stir in water, seasonings, brown sugar, and hot sauce.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and breaking any large chunks of beef into smaller bits.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat.  Lightly spray or drizzle with a little oil and cook corn tortillas until lightly browned on both sides (1-2 minutes per side)

Evenly spread about 1/4 cup of warmed beans over a cooked corn tortilla.  Place a hard taco shell inside and wrap tortilla so the beans are a layer between the hard shell and soft tortilla.

Fill with meat mixture, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.

This post is linked to:
What's Cooking Wednesday at Turning the Clock Back
Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story
Tip Day Thursday at Around My Family Table

Homemade Pizza: Garlic Veggie and Pepperoni

I'm weird and don't really like traditional pizza all that much.  So tonight we made homemade versions of whatever we wanted.  The one here used the following:

Bread Machine Pizza Crust

Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic made into dip

Alfredo sauce

zucchini

yellow squash

red onion
red pepper
broccoli
mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
paremesan cheese

I spread the Garlic Garlic dip onto the crust in place of pizza sauce.  Then I spread a little alfredo sauce on and placed the veggies on top.  Pour a little more alfredo sauce on top of the veggies and then top with mozzarella and parmesan.  Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees until hot and cheese is melted.  This was SO good I couldn't stop eating it.  I think next time I may not use quite so much alfredo sauce though, and will use more garlic garlic spread.  Also might add garlic into the crust.

 The kids wanted cheese and the hubby wanted pepperoni so here are their versions.

Bread Machine Pizza Crust
pizza sauce (tried making a homemade version that was a flop)
freshly grated mozzarella
parmesan cheese
pepperoni

Spread crust with sauce, top with cheese and pepperoni.  Cook for 10 minutes at 425 degrees until hot and cheese is melted.

And of course let the kids help make their own!







This post is linked to:
Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative Party Blog
My Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory
Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale
Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven
Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple
Tasty Tuesdays at A Beautiful Mess
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Bread Machine Pizza Crust

 Made homemade pizzas tonight with homemade crust for the first time.  I've only ever bought premade crusts before.  This will be used quite often from now on...good texture, soft and chewy, and nice flavor.  I may add garlic to mine next time.

Bread Machine Pizza Crust

1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tb honey
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cup flour (you can mix bread flour and wheat flour)
1 Tb yeast
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
2 Tb parmesan cheese

Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed.  Once cycle is finished plop dough onto floured area and divide into portions.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Roll out each portion to desired thickness.  Continue to follow your pizza recipe for further instruction OR

For basic pizza--

Pre-bake crust for 8  minutes at 425 degrees.  Then top with whatever toppings.  Brush edges with olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until edges are brown and toppings are melty and gooey.

Menu Plan

My menus aren't really made on a particular day anymore and I've been bad about posting them.  Some weeks my menu lasts me for 7 or 8 days, other weeks it only lasts me 5 days.  So I'll start trying to post it as I make it, whichever day of the week that may be!

All new recipes this week!  I'll finally get back to cooking normal and posting more.

Friday:  Tuna Helper
Saturday: Almond Crusted Catfish, broccoli w/ cheese, fruit
Sunday: Homemade Pizzas, fruit
Monday: Spinach Ricotta Pasta, garlic bread, fruit
Tuesday: Double Decker Tacos, fruit
Wednesday:  Chicken and Stuffing, corn, fruit
Thursday: Leftovers

Homemade Granola Bars 2

 

This is Ina Garten's recipe on Food Network and it is SO good!  First I didn't think they were going to hold together but once they cooled they did pretty well.  I think it would be good to just bake it all together for a short amount of time and use as granola too. 

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 Tb unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I only used cranberries but I'd like to use dried apricots next time)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8x12 baking dish and line with parchment paper.

Toss oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce oven temp to 300 degrees.  Place butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture.  Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour into prepared pan.  Wet fingers and lightly press mixture evenly into pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.  (I only cooked mine for 18 minutes because I wanted them more chewy than crunchy.  They came out perfect at that time.)  Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares.  Serve at room temperature.

This post is linked to:
What's Cooking Wednesday at Turning the Clock Back
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Show Us What You're Working With at Me and My Bucket
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free
Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party
Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story
Family Food Fridays at Get Healthy Cheap
Tip Day Thursday at Around My Family Table
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