Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese Breakfast Rolls

2 packages/cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

4 0z cream cheese, softened

1/4 Cup brown sugar

1/4 Cup canned pumkin (Libby’s)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll crescent rolls to form 4 rectangles placed side by side. Pinch seams together to form one long rectangle. Place cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg into a mixer; beat until well combined. Spread mixture over crescents leaving a 1/2 inch border around edges. Starting at long end, roll up then cut into 1 inch pieces. Place around 2 9 inch cake pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. I left the centers open so the rolls form a circle.

2. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting recipe below.

Frosting

4 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 Cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon canned pumpkin (Libby’s)

1. Mix all ingredients into a large bowl until smooth. Spread over warm rolls

Crunchy Pizza Snacks

CRUNCHY PIZZA SNACKS
flour tortillas (corn is ok if you like them better)
pizza sauce
cheese
mini pepperoni (or other toppings of choice)



Heat oven to 400. Top tortillas with sauce (leaving a 1/4 inch around the edge), cheese and toppings. Bake 5-10 minutes, or until hot and crunchy. They can be baked on a sheet pan or directly on the oven rack.

Puffy Pumpkin Pancakes

mmmm pancakes and mmmm pumpkin, how can you go wrong? <3

Puffy Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups complete pancake mix
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup canned 100% Pure Pumpkin
Nonstick cooking spray
Lite pancake syrup, if desired

Preparation:
Combine pancake mix, water and pumpkin in medium bowl. Stir just until moistened. Batter may be lumpy.
Heat griddle or large skillet over medium heat; spray with nonstick spray. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle; cook until batter bubbles begin to burst. Turn and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with syrup. Makes 6 servings, about 12 pancakes total

Chicken legs in the crockpot

1 lrg pack on Chicken Drumsticks
Few cups of water
2 XL chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 bottle of honey
3 generous tablespoons of brown sugar


Mixed it all together and set it on LOW for 8 hours
pulling the meat out of the crockpot come supper time, it was LITERALLY falling off the bone


Cook potatoes on the stove and when it's smashing time add almost a cup of milk,

about 1/2 a cup of butter also sprinkled some Garlic Powder and mix with mixer for nice and fluffy potatoes

Gravy for potatoes, pour all the left over juice through a mesh strainer,
{to get out all the chunks} into a pot and brought that to a boil. Once it was boiling I poured in a mixture of 3/4 cup cold water and 2 heaping TBSPs corn starch. Once it comes back to a boil after adding that it thickens your gravy right up! It was this beautiful golden brown color and the taste? OH MAN! It was like a little piece of heaven right here on earth!

The BEST sugar cookies

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
2. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.
3. Once chilled, roll and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes depending on how thick you cut your cookies. Remove and let cool. Frost and decorate as desired.

Fondant Frosting Directions:
1. Roll the fondant out into an even thinness. (I used one of those disposable cutting boards to roll the fondant, so it didn’t stick)
2. Use the same cookie cutter you cut the cookie into to cut out your shape.
3. Brush a light layer of corn syrup on top of the cookie
4. Press the cut fondant over your cookie. Press around the edges to seal. It’s as easy as that.

English Pasties

Ingredients
2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound skirt steak, cut into bite-size pieces across the grain
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and ground black pepper
2 pre-made pie crusts
1 egg, lightly beaten



Yields: Serves 4


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Preparation
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the steak and cook until brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is tender, 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the skillet, cook about 1 minute, then add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and peas. Cook until thickened and the peas have heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat to cool slightly.
While the mixture is cooling, unroll the pie crusts and cut them in half, so you have four half moons. Divide the mixture between the four crusts, placing a mound on one side of each half moon, leaving a small border around the edge. Brush the edges of each with egg wash and fold in half to enclose the filling. Press down to seal and crimp with a fork. Brush the tops of the dough with egg wash and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Monterrey Jack Past with Pork

Ingredients:
2 Cups Uncooked Pasta, of your choice
2 Cups Shredded Pork, cooked (I used a pork shoulder roast that I cooked in the slow cooker)
1 Cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 Cup Skim Milk
2 Tablespoons Butter
Half of a Medium Onion, diced
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper


Directions:
In a large pot, add water and bring to a boil, then drop in your pasta and cook until al dante; drain and set aside in the pot. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a fry pan and add onions. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add shredded pork and cook to heat through; remove from fry pan and cover to keep warm. In the same fry pan (don't clean it out, you want all those yum-yums bits!) add the other 1 tablespoon of butter, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and milk. Bring to a slight boil then add monterrey jack cheese. Whisk until the cheese is melted through. Add the shredded pork mixture to the cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into the large pot onto the noodles and mix together.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup
adapted very slightly from Liz K.

1 can chicken broth
1 small onion, diced

1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)

2 c. milk (I used 1% with great results)
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the better for flavor - I used sharp cheddar and hopefully next time will have extra sharp cheddar on hand)
1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese
steamed chopped broccoli (the amount of broccoli really boils down to preference - I wanted a lot of broccoli in my soup, so I chopped and steamed approximately 2 1/2 to 3 cups of broccoli florets)

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately.

Makes approximately 4 servings if you are serving more adults or serving the soup in regular bowls, I would consider doubling according to the number of people)

Crockpot Chicken Soup

chicken tenders or boneless chicken breasts (the amount just depends on how chickeny you like it and how many people are in your family)

onion, chopped

potatoes, chopped

carrots, chopped

1 can corn or cream style corn

2 boxes chicken stock

thyme

ground red pepper, just a shake to give a little flavor

salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high all day.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

32 oz chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
6 oz tomato paste
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups cooked chicken
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. chili powder
10 corn tortillas
cheddar cheese
Mix all the ingredients in a large pot or slow cooker. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to simmer while you fix the tortilla strips. Or cook on high in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours.

For the tortilla strips, cut a stack of 10 tortillas in half. Then slice them into 1/4″ slices. Fry in hot oil in a skillet and drain on paper towels. Serve the soup with the tortilla strips and shredded cheese.

Virus killing soup

It really should have a different name, because Virus Killing isn’t real appetizing. However, that is the point of the soup so we’ll go with it.


You’ll need:
one whole chicken
15-30 cloves garlic, minced or crushed (I used about 1 1/2 bulbs)
1 Tbs. salt
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
fresh rosemary sprigs
cayenne pepper, about 1 tsp.
ground black pepper

Throw all of that in a big pot. See all that garlic? That’s going to kill those viruses. Don’t worry about the amount of garlic being too strong. It really isn’t when the soup is done and it smells fantastic while it cooks. Don’t worry about the cayenne pepper either. It provides warmth that will clear your sinuses, but it’s not spicy at all.


Pour a couple boxes or cans of chicken broth over the top, then top it off with water so that the chicken is completely covered. You can also use only water if you like. Cook it on the stove top until the chicken starts to fall apart. Then remove the chicken and strain the broth a bit, getting out the long stems from the spices and all the chicken bones. Set the chicken aside to cool a bit.

Now you’ll want to add some veggies. I used some carrots, onion, a stalk of celery and a fennel bulb. You can also add leeks and red pepper, but I didn’t have any of those. Chop the veggies and saute them in oil until tender. If you have it add 1/2 cup of good white wine and some salt and pepper. Add the veggies into the pot of broth and simmer for a while. I added about 6 cups of water to the broth at this point. It had really cooked down and was very rich.
Take the chicken off the bones and chop it up. Add it back into the soup. Add in a can or two of diced tomatoes. You can also add frozen green beans, peas, zucchini, flat leaf parsley.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

1-3/4 cups flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
jam or jelly, any flavor
Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. In a mixer bowl, beat together the milk, peanut butter, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spoon. (I needed to add another splash of milk at this point, because the batter was too dry and stiff.)

Grease a muffin tin. Put a tablespoon or two of the batter into each cup. Add a teaspoon of jam to the top. Put more batter over the jam to cover it. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing

Homemade Spaghetti sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped and divided
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 pounds hamburger (at least 90% lean)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 carton fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 1/2 cups beef stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until no red is showing. Drain beef slightly. Blend up the remaining onions and red pepper in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. Add mixture to the garlic, onions and beef and stir to combine, cooking for another minute. Add tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add tomatoes, beef broth and sugar (and mushrooms, if using). Stir until combined and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in the balsamic vinegar.

NOTE: The sauce will seem watery at first but will reduce to perfection after simmering for an hour. I've let it simmer on the stove for up to three hours before with no problems.

*Freezable Meal: The finished spaghetti sauce freezes very well. I store mine in a freezer-safe container. To serve, I thaw in the refrigerator (usually about one day) and reheat over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.

Cheese Burger Pasta

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
3/4 lb lean ground turkey
2 TB finely chopped onion
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
2-3 TB dill pickle relish
2 TB prepared mustard
2 TB ketchup
1 tsp steak seasoning
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
chopped green onions, optional

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Drain pasta, add to meat mixture.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, steak seasoning and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions if desired.

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch clove
1 cup 1% low-fat milk (can be any kind)
6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
Directions
1Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl.
2In a separate bowl whisk together milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and egg.
3Fold mixture into dry ingredients.
4Spray or grease a skillet and heat over medium heat: pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
5Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side. Serve with butter and syrup.
6Makes about six 6-inch pancakes.