Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

Mmmmm, the smell of pumpkin cookies baking is heavenly! These literally melt in your mouth. If you live in a hot climate (like Phoenix!) baking these will psych you out into thinking that it really is fall, turning the air conditioner up and putting on a comfy sweater while eating these will help too.

Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

2 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 15oz. can pumpkin
4 c. flour

Icing:
4 Tbs butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. milk
powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl beat butter on high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 2 tsp vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Add flour and stir until well combined.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfulls onto an ungreased (or stoneware) cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

For icing:
Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add maple syrup and milk, gradually add enough powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency, you want it to be spreadable but not thin enough to drip off the cookie. Add vanilla. After cookies are cooled, spread a little icing on top and let each cookie set.

Texas Sheet Cake

I think there are lots of names this cake goes by and I've had a couple of different versions, but this one is the best! The texture of the cake and frosting is so delicious. This is great served with ice cream and I like to make it when friends are over for dinner, that takes out the danger of me eating it all by myself!

Texas Sheet Cake

1 c. butter
1 c. water
1/4 c. baking cocoa (I use Hershey's)
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. sour cream

Glaze:
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbs milk
3 Tbs cocoa
3 to 3 3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
In large saucepan bring to boil butter, water, and baking cocoa (whisk to remove lumps). Remove from heat.
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat in cocoa mixture. Gently blend in sour cream until smooth. Pour into a greased bar pan (1/2 sheet pan).
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, do not overbake!

While cake is baking, melt butter in saucepan. Whisk in milk and cocoa, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Consistency should be slightly runny, not too thick. Pour over hot cake and spread to edges. Cool completely.

Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwiches on Homemade "Gorditas"!

I think I will be making these flatbread "gorditas" for a long, long, time. That's how good they are! It does take time to let the dough rise, but other than that they are fairly simple to make. My husband ate six of them in one sitting and wanted more the next night! The fillings you can come up with are endless!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwiches on Homemade "Gorditas"

For Gorditas:

3 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 c. boiling water
1 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1/4 c. potato flour OR 1/2 c. potato buds or flakes
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/4 c. warm water
1 1/4 tsp salt

For filling:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. good Caesar dressing (my favorite is the Girard's brand, Light or regular)
Torn lettuce leaves
1 zuchinni
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion, or 1/2 large onion
Additional Caesar dressing


Place the two chicken breasts in the 1/2 c. of Caesar dressing in a gallon size zip lock bag. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

To make the bread: Place 2 cups of the flour into the bowl of a mixer. Pour the boiling water over the flour and stir (don't whisk) until smooth. Cover the bowl and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the yeast with the 1/4 c. warm water, let rest until nice and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl whisk together the potato flour (or buds/flakes) with the remaining 1 c. of flour. Add in the yeast mixture and the oil. Add salt, stir to combine everything.

Add this mixture to the cooled flour and water mixture. Knead with your KitchenAid or by hand for about 5 minutes. Dough may look dry but it will eventually turn into a nice slightly firm ball. You can add up to 1/4 c. more water if you need it, but keep in mind this is not a super soft dough. If kneading by hand do so on an oiled surface with oiled hands (not floured!)

Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces, cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7" or 8" inch circle, this is easy to do by hand, the dough doesn't bounce back. Dry fry(NO oil or butter) on a griddle or large saute pan over medium heat, should take about a couple minutes per side until they are flecked with brown spots like a tortilla or gordita. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack and stack them on top of each other to keep them soft and pliable. Serve immediately or store in a plastic bag.


For filling:

Grill the marinated chicken breasts, about 20 minutes over medium heat, turning every five minutes.

While chicken is grilling, slice up the zuchinni into thick slices and chop the bell pepper and onion into large bite size chunks. Saute in 1 Tbs. olive oil until slightly browned and onions are translucent.

Slice the chicken into thin strips.

To serve first lay down some torn lettuce leaves, top with 2 or 3 slices of chicken. Drizzle with a little Caesar dressing and top with some of the sauteed vegetables.

For step by step picture instructions, you can visit the King Arthur Baker's Banter Blog at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/?s=gordita

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

These muffins were absolutely delicious! King Arthur flour really knows their stuff! :)
I loved the consistency of these muffins, kind of crispy on the outside and moist and yummy on the inside. The batter is supposed to be thick, don't let that scare you (I know it did me, I'm used to working with thin batter due to all of the extra buttermilk and sour cream I use!) But they rose beautifully and turned out great. KAF said that this recipe works well with any type of berry and the dough can be refrigerated for up to one week. You can make a few each morning!

KAF Blueberry Muffins

2 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, room temp
3/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 6 oz. (3/4 c.)container lemon yogurt (I like using the lemon burst flavor from Yoplait)
1 1/2 c. blueberries, fresh of frozen (I used frozen, do not thaw, just throw 'em in there frozen)
coarse white sparkling sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 375.
Spray a 12 c. muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Start out the mixture on low speed and increase the speed to medium until you reach the right texture.
Scrape down bowl and add eggs, one at a time and beating after each addition.
Add vanilla and yogurt.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth, will be thick.
Fold in berries by hand.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, using a heaping 1/4 c. for each. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
Bake the muffins for 18-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If using frozen blueberries, you will have to cook a little longer. Let cool in pan 5 minutes and then remove to rack.

Sausage and Cheese Biscuits

My family LOVED these! They kind of tasted like a sausage and cheese mcmuffin but way better! The biscuit itself was moist and delicious and the pockets of melted cheese were heavenly. A great breakfast or brunch item.
Thanks King Arthur Flour again for a great recipe!

Sausage and Cheese Biscuits

3 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c. cold butter, cut in pats
1 c. buttermilk (or plain yogurt or sour cream can be substituted)
2 c. cooked and sliced Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage
1 c. diced cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Gently stir in the sausage and cheese. Stir in the buttermilk until the mixture is evenly moistened.
Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly floured surface. Pat and roll it into an 8"X10" rectangle, about 3/4" thick. (Try to handle it as little as possible, just like scones, they less you handle it, they better they will be!)
Cut the dough into 16-20 squares depending on how big you want them.
Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet about 1" apart.
Bake the biscuits for about 20 minutes, until they are a nice golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately brush tops with melted butter.
Let cool a little and serve warm!

Individual Turkey Taco Layered Salads

This is a yummy recipe I found on the Betty Crocker website. I love it because I can make four individual salads, two my husband and I can have for the dinner, and the other ones I can send with him for lunches. The french dressing, salsa, and cilantro make a great dressing. You can also substitute Fritos for the tortilla chips.


Individual Turkey Taco Layered Salads

Dressing:
1/2 c. Pace medium salsa
1/2 c. french dressing
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Salads:
6 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
3 medium green onions, chopped
2 c. diced turkey (I asked the deli counter for 6 extra thick slices of turkey and then I chopped it)
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 large tomato, chopped
2 c. chopped or shredded cheese
2 c. broken tortilla chips.

In small bowl mix dressing ingredients.

For each salad use a 4 or 5 cup container. In each container layer ingredients in this order: 1 1/2 c. lettuce, 1 Tbs. onions, 1/2 c. turkey, 1/4 c. corn, 1/4 c. tomatoes, 1/4 c. dressing and 1/2 c. cheese. Place a small piece of wax paper over the salad and sprinkle on 1/2 c. of the broken tortilla chips. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours or can be tossed and served immediately.

Caramel Popcorn- The Best!

My husband and I love caramel popcorn, we could both eat a whole bag of it by ourselves! I usually only make this in the fall but we are going on a 36 hour road trip and I thought this would make the trip a little more bearable! :)
I love reserving a little of the caramel and drizzling it over the top after I've poured the caramel corn on the wax paper, that way there are hidden chunks of caramel, so so so good! If you like your caramel corn crunchy you can place it in the oven at 250 for 20 minutes after you've mixed the popcorn and caramel together. The flavor of this homemade caramel is so delicious, the best I've tasted.

Caramel Popcorn

1 1/3 c. brown sugar
4 Tbs. butter
2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. Karo syrup (light corn syrup)
1 c. peanuts shelled (optional)
2 bags buttered popcorn, popped

Pour popcorn into large bowl, shake bowl so that the seeds fall to the bottom. With hands place popcorn in another bowl, throw out seeds (do this to remove all seeds, there is nothing worse than eating caramel corn and getting a seed!) Add peanuts in with popcorn.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan, turn heat to medium/high and bring to a rolling boil (a boil that you can't stir down). Continue boiling and stirring for 3 1/2 minutes, remove from heat. Pour most of it over the popcorn and stir gently to coat all popcorn. Place on wax paper, pour over remaining caramel, let cool for a few hours. At this point you can bake it at 250 for 20 minutes if you like crunchy caramel corn instead of placing on wax paper. I would probably use parchment paper to cover pan if putting in the oven.

Homemade Butter Pound Cake

This cake was absolutely to die for, it was so good, the best pound cake recipe I have ever made! So much better than any store bought cake. I made it in two loaf pans, but next time I think I will make it in a tube or bundt pan, the loaves weren't quite high enough. It is important to follow these directions precisely, sift the flour three times and beat batter for the amount of time indicated. Delicious served with strawberries and fresh cream!

Butter Pound Cake

1 c. butter, softened at room temp
3 c. cake flour, sifted before measuring(not self rising)
3/4 tsp salt
3 c. sugar
6 large eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. heavy whipping cream

Place oven rack in middle position but do not turn on oven yet.
Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.
Sift together salt and cake flour, then sift together again into another bowl (flour will have been sifted 3 times)
Beat together butter and sugar for 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after reach addition, scrape down bowl when needed. Add vanilla. Add half of flour mixture, beat, and then add all of whipping cream. Add remaining flour and beat at medium speed for 4 minutes, batter will become smooth and satiny (and it will smell delicious!)

Spoon batter into pan (or pans if making loaves) and rap against counter to remove any air bubbles. Place in cold oven and turn on temp to 350. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. I made two loaves and it took about 50 minutes, but if you're using a bundt pan it will take longer, probably about an hour.
Let cakes cool on rack for 30 minutes. Run knife along edge and invert onto plate to cool completely.

Yellow Rice

My family loved this rice, it kind of had an Indian flavor to it. It was very good served with the enchiladas.

Yellow Rice

2 c. long grain rice, rinsed
4 c. chicken broth (or water)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 bay leaf

Place all ingredients into a pot and stir well. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 15-20 minutes or until rice is done and all the liquid is gone. Remove bay leaf and serve!

Chicken Enchildas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

This recipe came from Tyler Florence of the Food Network. It was so delicious, I loved the creamy filling. I only had red onions and so when I made the salsa, it turned purple! Ha ha, next time I will definitely use white!

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

For Salsa:
1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeno
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
juice from 1/2 a lime

Preheat oven to 400.
On a baking tray coated with cooking spray roast tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeno for 12-15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and their juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.
I made my salsa earlier in the day and stored it in the refrigerator until I was ready to use it.

Enchiladas:
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 precooked roasted deli chicken (I like Costco's the best)meat removed and shredded
salt
pepper
8-10 large flour tortillas
12 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized- this should take 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin, then cook for a further minute.
Sprinkle the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn, then gradually whisk in chicken broth. Continue cooking and stirring over low heat until the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat and add half of the roasted tomatillo salsa, the additional 1/4 c. chopped cilantro, and chicken meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350.
Take a large baking dish (13X9 or bigger) and smear some of the salsa onto the bottom to prevent sticking. Place a scoop of chicken mixture onto each tortilla and top with cheese, fold over each side and then roll up. Place side by side in pan. I was able to fit 8 in a 13X9. Pour remaining salsa over top and in all of the nooks and crannies and top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for approximately 30 minutes. Serve hot with sour cream and guacamole.