Bacon Jam is the Jam!

So sorry I have not posted in a while, but I have taken up painting and it is occupying a lot of my time.  It is my new passion.  Anyway,  this weekend, we are hosting an engagement party for our best friend's daughter and future son in love and I have been busy in the kitchen preparing things that I can do in advance.  They all look so good.

The house is all spit shined and polished and fall decorations are all in place.  It is supposed to be a beautiful day (yahoo), so we will put tables and chairs out under the trees for guests to enjoy a beautiful Tennessee September day.  The patio is another option for guests.  I love having options, don't you?

Today, I made this spectacular recipe for Bacon Jam that I found on Pinterest from The Kitchen Wife.  When we hosted our son's engagement party on July 4th weekend, I made fresh fig jam.  Sadly, there are no figs available here now, so I had to go with something different.   Well, finding this bacon jam was the answer and let me tell you, IT IS THE JAM!  WOW!!

The fig jam was served with goat cheese and crackers.  It was beyond delicious.  Hopefully, this will be just as successful - and I'm pretty sure it's going to be!  I mean, bacon?  Seriously?  Cooked with onions and wonderful spices?  It smelled so good while I was cooking it down, I could hardly stand it!  Oh my goodness!

The Kitchen Wife said it is good spread on a hamburger,  on a BLT, or as a pizza topping.  I can only imagine, because I could eat it by the spoonful.  It is amazing.  Here is what you need.

1 pound bacon (actually most bacon comes in 12 ounce packages now instead of a pound, but that             works)

2 medium yellow onions, or l large onion, peeled and sliced
2 TBSP Butter
2 TBSP rendered bacon fat
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP vinegar (she called for white, I used apple cider and it worked great)
1 1/2 tsps thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put the package of bacon in the freezer for about 15 minutes to make it easier to slice.  (I just took a package out of the freezer and sliced it, worked great).  First, remove the bacon from the package and cut across the bacon in 1/2 inch slices to make lardons.  I had nice big strips of sliced bacon because it was frozen together.  Don't be concerned, as it cooks it quickly falls apart into separate pieces.

Put the cold bacon into a cold skillet to help render the fat from the bacon.  Turn the heat on to medium and allow the bacon to cook until all the fat is rendered.  It takes about 30 minutes.  The bacon will foam as it cooks - that is the fat being rendered.  It will look like this.

When I read the directions, I wondered if I knew when it was foaming.  It's like being in labor, you will know when it happens.  :)  You want to cook the bacon until all the fat has been rendered and the bacon and the fat are deep, dark brown - about the same color.  Watch the bacon, because when it gets to this point, it can burn VERY quickly.  As soon as it got very dark, I started removing the bacon to a bowl lined with a paper towel so it would drain.  Work fast, you don't want to ruin this lovely concoction!

While your bacon is cooking, peel and slice the onion very thin.  I cut my onion in half first, and then sliced it.  That way, it doesn't roll all over the place while slicing.

After you have removed the bacon from the pan, pour the excess bacon fat into a separate bowl (there was a LOT).  Do not discard.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.  Add the sliced onions and cook over medium heat until they are translucent and soft.  They will be very brown.

Add the brown sugar, vinegar, half of the thyme, cayenne, a little salt and pepper.  Stir into the onions.

Chop the bacon very fine and add to the pan.  Stir all together.  Add 1/2 cup of water and let simmer until the water is almost gone.  She said 30 minutes, but mine was done in 20.  I have a gas stove, don't know if that makes the difference.  Just watch and don't let it burn.

Now, add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and the rest of the thyme.  Cook another 15 minutes, or until the liquid is almost gone.  Mine was done in 10 minutes.  The jam should be very dark like in the picture.  Yum.

Taste for seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if needed.

When you are finished, you have this beautiful, dark brown pan of bacon and onions that smells absolutely divine from the spices that have been added.  When I tasted it, it was sweet and savory and smoky all at the same time - with BACON!  Did I say bacon?  Oh yeah.

My BFF was here and I had her taste it.  She declared it divine and I looked at her and said "One jar won't be enough, will it?"  I had better make another.  And, so I did.  This should keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks  - if it lasts that long.  (Bring the jam to room temperature before serving.  There will be white spots of fat in it otherwise.) I can see more of this in my future.

One recipe makes 1 pint jar of bacon jam.  We are going to have this with goat cheese and crackers on Saturday.  I will let you know the crowd reaction.  I think it's going to be good.  Really, really good.

This would be a great housewarming gift, hostess gift, teacher appreciation gift, or Christmas gift.  In a basket with other goodies?  Wow!  Give it a try.  I think you are gonna love it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

My grandmother ate bacon every day of her life and lived to be 96.  How bad could it be then?

Ribs Cooked With a Dry Rub Low and Slow - Incredible!

 Hello, friends.  It was a beautiful day here in mid Tennessee.  We were busy painting furniture this morning, and then I did my afternoon canvas art.  There is always that proverbial "what's for dinner" question hanging in the air.  I wanted something really good, but easy.

Do you get tired of fixing the same things over and over for dinner?  I certainly do.  While grocery shopping at Aldi yesterday, I noticed they had some really nice looking baby back ribs that were super reasonable.  They were $9.00 for a rack of ribs.  I don't ordinarily buy ribs because I think they are way too expensive for what you get.  Sometimes it seems there is more bone than meat.  Well, these looked really good, so I bought some.  It was a wise decision.

While cleaning up my paint brushes from the furniture painting session, I decided it would be ribs for dinner.  Yesterday, I cooked a bit pot of fresh green beans with new potatoes and a big pan of fried corn.  Both were fresh from the farmer's market.  Can I say Yum?  Yum!  There was also a fabulous cantaloupe in the fridge that I had sliced.  Excellent!  All I had to do was cook the ribs and reheat the vegetables.  I LOVE when that happens.

To cook the ribs, I decided I would put a dry rub on them and cook them in the oven low and slow first.  Then, we would put them on the grill for a bit, just to get them good and brown.  I made up my rub using spices that I had on hand and I had to write it down tonight so I wouldn't forget it because I will be using it again.  These ribs were so juicy, tender, and flavorful that we could not stop talking about how good they were.  Fortunately, there are some left for tomorrow.  Yay!

Here is what I used in the dry rub.

2 tsps salt
1 tsps fresh cracked black pepper
2 tsps Mexene chili powder (use your favorite, Mexene is mine)
2 tsps paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme

Mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly and rub on both sides of the rack of ribs.  (This was just enough for one rack of ribs.  Increase the amounts by doubling or tripling if you are planning to cook more than 1 rack.)  I let the ribs set out for about 30 minutes so they would come to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.  It's all about low and slow.  After the ribs have set out for about 30 minutes, place them on a baking pan with sides.  I used a sheet cake pan.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place the pan in the oven.  Cook the ribs for 2.5 - 3 hours on low heat.  They smelled so good while they were cooking I could hardly wait to eat them.   For the last half hour, remove the foil and let the ribs continue to cook.

When I removed the ribs from the oven, I cut the rack in half to make them easier to handle on the grill. Dan put them on the grill for about 10 minutes because I did not want them to dry out.  They were just perfect when he removed them from the grill.

Not only did they have beautiful color, they tasted amazing.  I cut the ribs apart and put them on a platter.  We were both picking at little pieces of the meat before everything else was ready.  Dan couldn't wait to dive in.  Oh my, they were so good - so tender and flavorful.

This post is mainly so I remember what I used in the rub, but I also wanted to share the recipe with  you.  This rub would be good on just about anything, but it made these ribs some of the best we have ever had.

Give it a try, I think you will certainly enjoy the end result.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Summertime bounty makes meals so enjoyable.  Support your local farmers!  donna

Heavenly Hash Cake - AMAZING!

On July 4th weekend, we had a party for our youngest son and future daughter in love.  They were recently engaged and they were home from Denver for the weekend, so it seemed like the perfect time to celebrate with all their Nashville friends.

Cortney and Tyler asked me to make their favorite desert - Heavenly Hash cake so of course I did.  Everyone has probably had something called heavenly hash in their life, whether it is candy, ice cream, or some other kind of desert.  Heavenly hash usually involves marshmallows, but not this cake!  Instead, it uses angel food cake and unbelievable chocolate mousse.

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks called St. Louis Days, St. Louis Nights.  Our oldest daughter gave it to me for mother's day while she was attending college in St. Louis.  I have had it for many years and some of my all time favorite recipes are from this book.

The good think about this cake is that you can use a ready made angel food cake from the grocery if you don't want to bake one yourself.  That eliminates a lot of steps right there.  The rest of the cake is a fabulous chocolate mousse that is made from scratch and worth any and all effort put into making it.  Here is what you need:

12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
4 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large angel food cake (store bought if preferred)

Melt chocolate chips over low heat; beat the egg yolks and add them to the chocolate after you temper it.  Do this by adding a little of the warm chocolate to the yolks and stirring thoroughly.  Now, add the yolks to the chocolate and mix completely.  It will be almost fudge like.  This keeps the yolks from scrambling.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites; add 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Beat until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, beat the whipping cream and set aside.

Add the egg whites to the chocolate and egg yolk mixture.  Stir and add the chopped pecans, vanilla, and salt.  Don't be alarmed.  The egg whites dissolve into the chocolate mixture.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Cover the bottom of a large greased bowl with 1/2 of the angel food cake broken into chunks.

Cover with half of the chocolate mixture (if you can keep from eating it all).  Add the remaining cake broken into chunks.  Cover with the remaining chocolate mixture.

Refrigerate overnight.

Oh. My.  Goodness.  This is beyond good.  It is amazing.  Since I am gluten free, I cannot eat it with the cake, so I save a little of the mousse and eat it by itself.  SOOOOOOOO delicious.

This is a recipe that is fabulous to take to a pot luck dinner or for when you are having company.  It does make 12 servings, so you may not want to make it just for yourself (unless you intend to eat it all and it is that good)!

Heavenly Hash cake is so good, that I made it twice in 4 days for Tyler and Cortney to enjoy.  Yes, you want to make this one for sure - especially if you love chocolate.  Enjoy!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

When someone asks you to make a favorite recipe for them - always oblige.  There is nothing like showing someone you love them this way.  donna

Pink Popcorn Perfect For Valentine's Day

 Yes, the weather is still awful.  I am counting the days until Spring.  I am sure you are too.  It's been a really long winter and there is more to go.  So, why not make something cheerful and pretty to brighten your day?   Something that also tastes amazing!

Have you ever had pink popcorn?  The blogger who posted this recipe raved about it as a childhood memory.  I found it on Cravings of a Lunatic, but she found the recipe on Nan's Recipe Spot.  Evidently they had all enjoyed pink popcorn during childhood.  Guess that's another thing we didn't have.  Perhaps it's regional, I don't know.  But I will tell you this, it is REALLY good stuff.  Indeed.

We were invited to a Super Bowl Party Sunday evening and asked to bring something.  Decisions.  Decisions.  What would everyone else bring?  I had no clue and certainly hoped to not duplicate recipes.  So, to make myself happy I made 7 layer dip because I knew if no one else ate it, I could and possibly would eat it all because I love it.  Best.  Snack.  Dip.  Ever.

In case no one was a fan of the 7 layer dip, I made this pink popcorn to eat during the game.  I mean, come on, there has to be munchies for the game.  Something you don't have to go get a plate and fork for, right?  Well, this was a major hit and people kept asking what it was.  I heard one guy tell his wife he bet it tasted like bubble gum.  Ew.  I laughed and told them it did not taste like bubble gum.  They asked what it was.  I told them candied popcorn colored pink.  I don't know if they ever ate any, but someone else certainly did because it was gone, baby, gone.  Our grandson couldn't seem to get enough of it, so I know I will be making some for Valentine's day.

The recipe is really easy and if you like carmel corn, you will love this recipe.  The one thing you need is a candy thermometer.  If you don't have one, they are not expensive and you will be making this again, so go ahead and invest in one now.  It will also allow you to make lots of other candy recipes.

Here is what you need:

12 -16 cups popped popcorn (16 cups was two batches in my air popper)
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup whole milk
2 TBSP corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 drops red food coloring

Pop up your popcorn, just don't use microwave popcorn.  You can do it on the stove top in a pan, or use your handy dandy air popper if you have one.

Next, place the sugar, milk, corn syrup, and salt in a deep saucepan (cause it really bubbles up when cooking).  Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.  Stir so it doesn't scorch.  Place the candy thermometer on the side of the pan.

Turn heat to low and boil and stir occasionally.  Cook until the temperature on the candy thermometer reaches 230 degrees which is soft ball stage.  Remove the thermometer and turn off the heat.  Add the vanilla and food coloring.  Stir until well incorporated.

Remove pan from heat and let cool a bit.  If you pour the hot candy over the popcorn right away, it will shrink your popcorn.

Using a large baking sheet with sides, cover with parchment or waxed paper.   I actually used two so the popcorn would dry faster.

After the candy cools a bit, pour it over the popped corn and mix with a large spoon until all the popcorn is coated with the candy.  Pour the popcorn out onto the lined baking sheets and let the popcorn dry.

Good luck not eating it all before it dries.  I could hardly keep Dan out of it (and I may or may not have eaten a little myself).

The 7 layer dip was totally consumed as well as the pink popcorn.  This recipe is a keeper and would look so pretty in clear bags or jars for Valentine's Day.   It's also amazingly good which is the best part.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Every once in a while, someone will mail me a single popcorn kernel that didn't pop.  I'll get out a fresh kernel, tape it to a piece of paper and mail it back to them.  Orville Redenbacher  (sorry, couldn't pass it up, it made me laugh - :)

Cinnamon Sugared Nuts - Oh My!

Hey, do you know what will be here in just a few weeks?  Two big events.  The first is the Super Bowl and the second is Valentine's Day.  It's time to start thinking about that Super Bowl party and what you will serve or take to share.  And what about that special someone, your Valentine?  Or in our case, many Valentines?  What will you do for them?  Well, I have an answer for you that is soooooo good and easy to make.

First, lets talk about nuts.  Do you like them?  We happen to LOVE them (maybe a little too much).  Did you know that eating a handful of nuts every day can help you live longer?  It's true!  Really.  Check this link - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/20/foods-that-help-you-live-longer_n_4612048.html.  Studies show that eating 1/4 to 1/3 cup of nuts a day can increase your longevity.  I am not sure they are talking about THESE nuts in particular, but they are so good and surely they count a little.  Never mind the sugar and cinnamon coating.  Cinnamon is good for you at least.

I made these nuts at Christmastime for stocking stuffers and I almost forgot to take a picture of them.  This is what I had left when I remembered, so use your imagination just a bit.  I always make candies, cookies, carmel corn, and nuts to put in decorative bags to give as extras for everyone.  These are SO dangerously good and are always such a hit.

You know when you are walking through a shopping mall and smell those German roasted nuts that they sell at kiosks?  The ones that smell like heaven?  That's what these are like.  Oh Em Gee.  Delicious.  And, slightly dangerous because it is impossible to control the consumption of said nuts.  But, they would be perfect for a Super Bowl party and for Valentine gift giving.  Here is what you need:

5 cups pecan halves
1 cup almonds or cashews (I used cashews - delish)
2 egg whites
2 TBSP water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit

Line 2 large baking sheets (with sides) with parchment paper and spray with non stick cooking spray.  (You will understand why this is necessary after making them.  Don't skip this step.)

Mix nuts in a large bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and water on medium high until stiff peaks form - about 4/5 minutes.  Add the sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stirring until well combined.  Put the nuts in the egg white mixture and stir to coat completely.  Spread nuts over the baking sheets and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Allow to cool completely and enjoy - that translates to try not to eat them all at once.  Seriously.

You can store these at room temperature for a few weeks covered.  Like there will be any left in a few weeks.  That's funny.

You might want to make a test batch before the Super Bowl or Valentine's Day just so you will know how good they are.  Next blog post, I will show you a perfectly beautiful container you can make to put these in for gift giving.  Everyone will be so impressed and grateful for all your culinary and craft skills.  Y'all come back now.  You won't want to miss the tutorial.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

I always loved Christmas time when we would have a bowl full of mixed nuts in the shell and we would spend time around the table with a nutcracker, eating the nuts.  I liked them all, especially filberts better known as hazel nuts.  donna

Cheese Stuffed Manicotti Is Divine!

 Happy Tuesday, everyone.  It has been an absolutely beautiful day here in Nashville.  Mother Nature loves to tease us with 60 degree weather in mid January, but that is about to change.  While out and about today, we saw the salt trucks treating the streets with beet juice for the snow that is supposed to blow in tonight.  How can she do that to us?  Just how?  I know it's winter, and I know it's mid January, but we all really, really like 60 degree weather.  Really, we do.  And, we'll be good - promise.  Double promise, if you will only send more sunny days with mild temperatures.

I know that won't do a bit of good, but it's worth a try.  Makes me feel better if nothing else.  Tomorrow, it's going to be a high of 39.  I tried.  We'll see what happens.

Last night, our son Tyler and his roomie, Rick, came over to join us for dinner before they take off on their next big adventure.  I whipped up some cheese stuffed manicotti, (super yum), a beautiful green salad, and some crusty bread.  It was quite a hit.

Sometimes, you just need some pasta to soothe your soul.  It can be a super comfort food.  This recipe is one I have been making for years and years.  Don't know where I got the recipe, but am sure glad I found it because it is delicious.   You can make it with meat or vegetarian, whichever you prefer.

If you aren't familiar with manicotti, it is a big, fat, tubular pasta that is made to be stuffed.  The box I bought had 14 noodles in it and it fills a 9x13 baking dish.

I made this dish vegetarian for Christmas dinner for those who don't eat meat.  Our super picky 10 year old grandson gorged himself on it and he kept saying, "Grandma, this is SOOOOO good."  I couldn't have guessed after he ate the fourth helping.  That's just to confirm how good it is.  That boy won't eat much of anything and is suspicious of everything.  The good thing is this has lots of tasty cheese, big pasta noodles, marinara sauce, and meat if you want it.  I added spinach to my recipe on Christmas for some extra nutrition.

The noodles are filled with a combination of ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.  What could be better?  Then, it is covered with your favorite marinara sauce to which you may or may not have added ground beef or Italian sausage - your choice.  I used Italian sausage last night and it was amazing!  

Here is what you need:

1 box Manicotti noodles, cooked for about 7 minutes - you want it very al dente since it bakes in the oven

1 26-32 ounce jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I use Trader Joe's marinara with basil)
2 beaten eggs
1 and 1/2 15 ounce containers ricotta cheese
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese, reserve half
1 fresh ball mozzarella cheese
1/5 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper

Combine the eggs, ricotta, 1/2 of the mozzarella, grated parmesan, salt and pepper.  Mix thoroughly to completely combine.

Cook the manicotti noodles in boiling salted water for 7 minutes.  Remove, drain, and let cool until you can handle comfortably.  I used to fill these with a spoon and it is so hard to do.  You chase the noodles everywhere when your hands get goopy with the cheese filling!  They are super hard to hold on to.  Now, I have a nifty trick.  Cut the corner from a gallon sized zip lock bag.  Fill the bag with the cheese filling and pipe it into the noodles by gently squeezing the bag.  Start on one end and fill half way, turn the noodle and fill the other end.  This will keep the noodles from splitting if you don't overfill them.

Sorry, I could not take a picture while filling the noodles.  Only two hands and no one else was here.  Next time maybe!  You can figure it out I am sure.

Fill the 9 x 13 baking dish with the noodles by laying them side by side.  There are always two at the bottom crossways.  Just how it goes.

Brown 1 pound of ground beef or Italian sausage.  Drain if necessary.  Add the marinara sauce and combine with the browned meat.  Pour over the noodles in the baking dish.  Cover with the remaining shredded mozzarella.  We like more mozzarella than that, so I also sliced a ball of fresh mozzarella and scattered it over the sauce.  Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes.  Make sure the dish is covered with foil while cooking.  Remove from oven and let cool a little before removing the foil. I normally serve two stuffed manicotti at a time because it's VERY filling.  The guys ate more than that.  Go figure.

This dish also reheats very well.  We are having leftovers tonight.  Yay.  That means no cooking for me!

Give this recipe a try.  I think  you will really, really like it.  It's great for entertaining because it looks like you worked all day making it - very impressive.   I mean, you just can't go wrong with pasta, sauce, and cheese now can you?

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Life is a combination of magic and pasta.  Federico Fellini

Barbecued Beans and Greens (I Added Sausage- Yum)

 Oooh, it has suddenly gotten cold here in Nashville.  It was below 30 this morning and that meant time to put the flannel sheets on the bed.  One thing led to another, and I ended up cleaning the whole house.  I don't know about you, but that leaves me with a great sense of accomplishment.  I even got my closet all organized (which had needed to be done since we moved in here at the end of July).  That sound you hear?  That's me exhaling a giant sigh.  I just love finally getting things done.

Now that cold weather is really upon us - and it is cold in most of the midwest - don't you wish you had some new recipes for tasty comfort foods that are easy to make?  Well, I've got one for you today.  This recipe is SO good and really easy to make.  Our daughter Holly gave me this recipe after she had it at a party for parents of students at her sons' school.  She told me it was one of the best things she had eaten in a long time, and I have to agree with her!  Even her boys like it and they are most suspicious of new things if you know what I mean.

This recipe is made with  cannellini beans, and kale.  As you may know, kale is the new darling of the health food world and with good reason.  It is full of flavonoids and antioxidants.  Kale is good for reducing cholesterol and helps detoxify our systems.  You can read all about the great health benefits of kale here http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38.

I added a pound of browned breakfast sausage just to have a one dish meal.  This recipe would be just as good without the sausage, believe me.  The flavors are amazing.  I can see the skeptical look on your face from here.  Beans and greens?  Barbecue sauce?  Seriously?  You are going to have to trust me on this one and give it a try, just so you will know how good this really is.  Yummmmmmo is all I can say.  Here is what you need:

2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (white kidney beans are the same thing)
8 cups chopped kale  (1 large or 2 small bunches, stems removed, chopped and blanched)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (they recommend Stubbs, I used Sweet Baby Rays - what I had and it's great)
2 tsps hot sauce  (I used Tapatio)
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. breakfast sausage browned, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

To blanch the kale, remove the stems, chop in small 1-2" pieces,  and place in a steamer basket over boiling water in a pan big enough to hold all the greens.  Cook for just a few minutes.  Kale can be rather chewy, so make sure you cut it in small bite sized pieces.  Mine was cut a little big and next time I will cut it smaller.  It will just make it easier to eat.  That is my only tip.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion and saute for about 6 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and saute another minute or so.  Add the blanched, chopped kale and cook for a few minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  

If you are using sausage, brown in a separate pan and add to the above mixture.

If not adding sausage, place everything in a 9" casserole and bake covered for 45 minutes.  If adding sausage, place in a 9 x 13 baking dish, cover and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve.

This is SOOOO good.  You get protein, greens, fiber, and deliciousness from the sauce.  Serve with some hot bread and you are good to go.  The sauce is so good that I will use this for my baked beans from now on.  Amazingly good.

If you want to serve this as a side dish, leave the sausage out and make as recommended.  Just.  Plain.  Awesome.

I really like recipes that are recommended by others who have actually made or eaten them.  Sometimes choosing recipes can be a toss of the dice.  They sound good, but don't always turn out the way you hoped.  Give this one a try.  It is approved by 3 picky small boys and their Pawpaw.  Thanks, Holly!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

There are two types of people;  those who eat kale and those who should.  Bo Muller-Moore

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

 Why does fall simply scream for you to make things from pumpkin?  And, why is pumpkin so good?  And why are these muffins so super fantastic?  Let's see.  Because it's fall, they are made from pumpkin AND cream cheese and they are amazing.  Does that explain it?

This week was parent teacher conferences at our grandsons' school.  Mom needed help while she went to the conferences, so they stayed here with Grandma.  We had a lot of fun.  I taught them how to play Red Light, Green Light, Mother May I?, and Hide The Thimble.  There was also hide and seek and I Spy.  We had a lot of fun.  The also wanted to bake muffins, so we did.  The 7 year old picked this muffin off my Pinterest board.  We got to it and baked away.  Ever let a 3 year old crack the eggs?  I'm just sayin'.

This recipe makes 24 muffins.  That's a lot of muffins, so they took a good portion of them home so that Dan and I didn't eat them all.  The recipe is from Annie's Eats.  Here is what you need"

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar

Muffins

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

Topping

1/2 cup sugar
5 TBSP flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 TBSP cold butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray muffin tins with cooking spray or put paper cups in each muffin well.

To make the filling, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar with a mixer until well blended.  Set aside.

To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda.

Combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil with a mixer until well blended.  Add dry ingredients.  On low, mix just until blended.

Fill each muffin cup with just enough batter to cover the bottom of each well or paper (about 1 TBSP).

Scoop a small amount of filling (about 1 heaping tsp) into each muffin cup over the batter.  Top with remaining batter covering cream cheese completely.

Make the topping by mixing all the ingredients together.  Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter or a couple of knives until blended.   Sprinkle on topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes.  Cool completely before serving, as cream cheese center will be hot.

It will take all your will power to not eat as many of these at one time as you can.  Trust me.  Just look at the center of these muffins.  Yum.

My daughter said she ate 3 in one day, so just be warned.  I am not kidding when I say you will have a hard time staying away from these.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, and then the Christmas holidays, you will certainly find an occasion or two to make and serve these.  Give it a go.  They are so worth it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"Oh how we love pumpkin season.  You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right?  Winder, Spring, Summer, pumpkin...We anxiously anticipate it every year."  Unknown

Chocolate Macadamia And White Morsel Cookies

 Let's talk about cookies.  Who doesn't love a good cookie?  Especially a home made cookie!  Do you have a favorite cookie?  We have many, but this cookie is in the top five.  It may actually be in the top two.  Yes, it's that good.

Let's discuss why this cookie is so very good.  First, it is chocolate.  Need I say more?  Second, it has Macadamia nuts.  (OMG)  Third, it has white morsels in it.  So, let's recap.  It's chocolate, has Macadamia nuts, AND white morsels in it.  How could it be any better than that I ask you?  Seriously?

I found this recipe years ago in some magazine or the other and decided to give it a whirl.  The recipe immediately went into my poor falling apart handwritten recipe book so that it would never be lost because this was many years before the advent of the internet and/or blogging where I put a lot of my recipes for reference.  It's a great place to keep recipes because the recipes don't get all smudged with stuff from your hands while you are cooking and the ink doesn't run when you get liquid on the page AND you can share it with lots of other people.  I have some favorite recipes that are nearly unreadable.  Nuff said.

You are definitely going to want to make these cookies.  Why you ask?   Because they are fabulous and you will not be able to eat just one at a time (don't ask how I know this), and because they are fabulous.

Let's talk about Macadamia nuts for a moment.  LOVE them.  How about you?  They are not the cheapest nut to use in a cookie, but they may be the absolute best!  I find them at Target in small 2 ounce packages and it takes 2 packages for this recipe.  What do you know about Macadamia nuts other than they are sooooooo good?  I did a little research and this is what I found:

Macadamia:

a hard-shelled nut somewhat resembling a filbert and produced by an Australian evergreen tree  

of the protea family that is cultivated extensively in Hawaii —called also macadamia

No wonder they are a little on the pricey side since they only grow in Australia and Hawaii.  Trust me, it's worth the little extra for these wonderful nuts.

Now, here is what you need to make these cookies:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sat
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups white morsels (1 12 ounce package)
3/4 cup chopped Macadamia nuts (rough chop - you want good sized pieces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually beat in the flour mixture.  Stir in morsels and nuts.

Drop by well rounded teaspoon full onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 9 - 11 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly, remove from baking sheet with a spatula.

YUUUUUUUUUUUM!  Try not to gorge yourself on these beauties.

You are looking at these and drooling aren't you?  I know you are even if you won't admit it.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies.  I got 5 dozen out of the recipe.  If you want them a little bigger, be my guest, just make sure they are completely baked when you remove them from the oven.  They are not soft cookie.

Next week is Halloween and if you are having a party, try this recipe.  Or, try this recipe because it's fall.  Or, just make them because you need to. Share them - if there are any left.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

The Macadamia is named after a scientist by the name of John Macadam who first wrote about the tree and it's fruit (nuts) in 1865.

Baked Pear Spinach Salad With Mascarpone, Cashews, And Champagne Vinegar Dressing

Here it is Tuesday, October 22nd already.  How did this happen?  Where is it going?  Why am I not ready for cold weather or the fact that I had to put on closed shoes on Sunday because it suddenly got cool?  Bye bye sandals until next spring.  Sigh.  It makes me so very sad when sandals have to go.  My feet are not very happy.  I'll be waiting until the first warm day to drag them back out.  Believe me.

One of the really nice things about fall though is the abundance of tree fruit like apples and pears.  YUM!  I like apples, but I LOVE pears.  Dan is not a fan.  He doesn't like the texture which to me is unfortunate, but to each his own.

My daughter and I were talking about pears last week and she mentioned she had baked some.  Baked pears?  Why had I never thought of that.  When I got home, I headed straight to the world wide web and researched some baked pear recipes.  This is one I created by combining several things together for this fabulously delicious salad for dinner.  (The dressing recipe is my own.)  Are they good?  Let me count the ways.  My, oh my.  Here is what you will need:

Pears - as many as you want to bake (I used Bartlett)

1/2 to 1 stick butter

1 container Mascarpone cheese

Cashews, rough chopped (I used about a cup)

Home made Champagne Vinegar Dressing - recipe below

To check if pears are ripe, push around the stem to see if it's soft.  If so, they are good to go.  You want ripe pears for baking.

First, if you have never baked pears, this is how I did mine.  I used Bartlett pears and cut the pears in half, scooping out the core in each half.  I used a teaspoon to core the pears.  You can bake 2 halves, or as many as you want.  I did 3 pears the first time which was 6 halves.  Sunday, I did 5 pears for 10 halves.  I melted a half stick of butter in a baking dish for the 6 halves and a whole stick for the 10 halves.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put the butter in an appropriate sized baking dish and melt the butter in the oven.  As soon as the butter is melted, remove the baking pan from the oven and coat the pears in the melted butter.  I rolled them on the skin side, then placed them cut side down in the butter.  Bake for about 45 minutes until they are fork tender.  Sunday, I baked these and this is how they look when they come out of the oven.  Heavenly.

Now, turn the pears over to expose the cut and cored side.  Place large dollops of mascarpone cheese in each pear half and stick them back in the oven for about a minute or two until the cheese melts.  Don't let it all run out of the pears.  It's the really good part.

If you are not familiar with Mascarpone cheese, it is an Italian cheese that sort of has the consistency of cream cheese but tastes like whipped cream.  Double yum.

I decided I wanted salty and sweet to go with the fresh spinach, and I had a can of cashew halves on hand.  I rough chopped them and sprinkled them over the melted mascarpone cheese.  I put several hands full of fresh baby spinach on salad plates and put a pear in the middle of the spinach.  I sprinkled more chopped cashews on the spinach.  Now to make the dressing.  I don't always measure when making dressing, but this is pretty close and you may want to adjust it to fit your taste.  It is sooooooo good, especially the tanginess with the sweet and salty.  Yummo.

Champagne Vinegar Dressing

Finely mince about 1/4 of a small shallot, super fine.

Using a large clove of garlic, make a paste out of it by putting about 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt on a cutting board and mashing the garlic with the flat side of the knife.  Work the knife back and forth, pressing and mashing until you have a paste made from the garlic clove.

In a bowl, pour about 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil in and add the shallot and garlic paste.  Add about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. (two big squeezes) Add the juice of one lemon and two big splashes of champagne vinegar (probably about 2 TBSP).  Add one small pinch of salt if needed and fresh cracked black pepper.  Whisk until combined and drizzle over the spinach and the pear.  Serve.  Consume.  Just try to savor each bite.  Delicious.  (The dressing is so good I could probably drink it with a straw.)

This is such a pretty salad to present with whatever entree you are serving.  Perhaps you will just want to eat the salad with some good crusty bread.  Or, maybe you would prefer the baked pear without the spinach and dressing and consider it dessert.  It all works and it is wonderful any way to choose to eat it.  Truly.  They also keep nicely in the refrigerator (covered) and can be eaten the next day.  I ate mine cold and it was delish!

Sometimes things just come together in an oh so right way.  If you like pears, this is a great way to enjoy them.  Yes indeedy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Pears have been cultivated and enjoyed for thousands of years.  Homer referred to them as a "gift from the gods" in the Odyssey.  healthdiaries.com

  

Pumpkin Poppers!

 Happy Monday to you one and all!  Hoping your weekend was fabulous, restful, and all that you wanted it to be.  Ours was busy as usual.  We had little league games on Saturday and a birthday party for our seven year old grandson on Sunday.  I baked his cake and cupcakes and that was quite an affair.  I am not a cake decorator, but I do my best.  Will share his baseball glove cake and baseball cupcakes with you one of these days.

Well, fall is upon us and it is time for all things pumpkin.  It is amazing to me how the groceries now turn October in to "pumpkin" month with everything pumpkin you can think of.  I must say we do enjoy some good pumpkin treats, so I thought I would share one with you today that I found on Domestically Speaking.  She calls them Pumpkin Poppers and they are deliciously delectable morsels of pumpkin that are kind of like donut balls only baked in a mini muffin tin.  Yum!

This recipe made 24 of these Poppers in my mini muffin pan.  It's an easy recipe and SOOOO good, especially with coffee.  Then again, what isn't good with coffee?  Here is what you need:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1  1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 cup milk

This is how they look when they come out of the oven before you coat them in the cinnamon/sugar mix.


Coating

1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 1/2 TBSP cinnamon combined in a bowl

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.   Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

Combine all dry ingredients.  Mix with a whisk until combined.  Mix all wet ingredients and pour into dry ingredients.  Just combine.   Do not over mix.

Fill muffin tins almost full.  Bake 8-12 minutes.  Let cool.  (I baked mine 8 minutes)

Roll in melted butter, then sugar/cinnamon mix.  Serve!

Oh, my.  These are really, really good and it's tempting to not eat all of them at one time.  Restrain yourself if you can - you will want some of these for breakfast, a mid afternoon snack, and evening treat.  They are two bites, three at the most and it's easy to just keep popping them in your mouth.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.

Give this recipe a try.  It's a great fall treat and super easy.  You are going to love these!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"Oh how we love pumpkin season.  You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right?  Winter, Spring, Summer, pumpkin....We anxiously anticipate it every year."     Unknown

Loaded Chicken and Potato Casserole Is Superb!

Ever have those days when you are tired of making the same old recipes and  you want something different - something delicious?  You look in the refrigerator to see what's there to use.  Looking back at you are three boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  We all know how it goes with chicken.  It can be fabulous or it can be totally blah.  I wanted fabulous.

I had pinned this recipe on my Pinterest board some time ago because it sounded amazing.  Tonight was the night to give it a try.  I actually had all the ingredients for once.  No trip to the grocery was necessary.  Yay!

This recipe is like a big loaded baked potato with some slightly spicy chicken.  When I say spicy, I mean just a hint.  You could make it much more spicy if you preferred, but our grandsons were coming over so I went with the recipe as written.  It was perfect.  Here is what you need.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in approximately 1 inch cubes
6-8 medium russet potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1/3 cup live oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSPS hot sauce (I used Tapatio)

Topping

2 cups grated cheese - cheddar, jack,  or pepper jack (I used Monterrey Jack)
1 cup crumbled bacon  - about 1/2 pound (fry crisp and crumble)
1 cup diced green onions - whites and greens

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and hot sauce together.  Add the cubed chicken and potatoes, stir to coat.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly.  Cook for 55-60 minutes, stirring EVERY 20 minutes.  Fry the bacon while the casserole cooks.  Set aside until cool.  Crumble.

Once the chicken and potatoes are fully cooked (potatoes fork tender), remove the casserole from the oven.  Top with cheese, bacon, and onions.  Return to the oven and bake until the cheese melts.  Took about 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve.

I put some sour cream on the table to add to the dish if wanted and extra hot sauce.  This is a dynamite recipe, is so easy to make and could easily be halved and baked in a 9" casserole if you wanted.

Thanks to Singing Through the Rain for this recipe.  Everyone LOVED it.  We will be having it again and it reheats very nicely in the microwave.  Great leftovers for lunch the next day.

Give this recipe a try the next time you want something truly superb and easy to make.  Add a green salad and you are good to go.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Try one new recipe a week just for some variety in your dinner routine.  They are not all keepers, but when they are it is great to have something new to add to the rotation.  donna

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

Oh what a glorious Monday today.  It was a perfect 66 degrees with amazing cerulean skies and it really felt like fall for the first time.  I could do this weather every day.  What's not to love about it?  We worked outside all day and it was absolutely perfect.  Pure bliss.
 
This weather definitely puts me in the mood to bake and cook.  I had the urge for something sweet, perhaps made with pumpkin (it is fall after all) and I  used this recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com.   This is an amazing coffee cake with a lovely streusel on the bottom and a brown sugar glaze on the top.  It has the taste of a pumpkin spice cake which is one of my all time favorite cakes and it is easy to bake.  Yes, the perfect recipe.

This cake can be baked in a tube pan or a bundt pan, whichever you may have.  I love bundt cakes, so I went that route.  Easy peasy.  Here is what you need.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP butter, melted
1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray the bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar on medium with a mixer until well blended.  Add the pumpkin and eggs.  Mix thoroughly.  In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Add to the pumpkin mixture.  Mix on medium until combined.  Pour into prepared pan.

Make the streusel topping by combining all the ingredients.  Sprinkle over the cake batter.  Bake at 30 degrees for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool about 15 minutes.  Make the brown butter glaze while the cake cools.  Invert cake on a plate.

Brown Butter Icing
1 1/2 TBSP butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk

Put the butter in a saucepan and melt on medium heat, letting it cook until it bubbles and browns, continuously stirring.  Don't let it scorch.  As soon as it browns, remove from the stove and pour into the powdered sugar.  Stir.  Add milk 1 TBSP at a time.  I only needed 1 TBSP.  Pour over cooled cake.  Serve.

This cake is soooooo delicious and it was very hard to eat only one piece.  It's perfect with a cup of coffee.  It would also be lovely with hot tea or hot apple cider and it just screams fall.  Mm mmm mmmm.

We ate this cake for dessert, not just for breakfast or with coffee.  Deeeeeelicious!  Our grandsons LOVED it.  It is worth making.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

I'm pretty sure the secret to world peace is hidden somewhere in the smell of coffee and baked sweets.  Unknown

(What a great quote!)

Lebanese Potato Salad - Salatat Al Bataata

Hope your weekend was as fantastic as ours.  The weather was amazing!  It was raining Saturday morning, but the clouds dissipated and the sun came out in all it's glory.  The temperature was perfect.  I will take all of that weather we can get.

Sunday, our grandson had a make up fall little league game.  Everyone was invited here to dinner afterwards and it needed to be something kind of simple that could mostly be made ahead.  So, I went with a tailgating kind of theme.  You can tailgate for baseball right?  If it's not really de rigueur for baseball like it is for football, perhaps we will start a new trend.

All the grandsons think hot dogs are something magical as my daughter says.  They don't get them often and we don't either, so I thought we would grill some hot dogs, Irish bangers, and some good old Polska Kielbasa.  I mean, who doesn't love a good Polish sausage?  I made chili early in the day so everyone could have a big old chili dog, or a bowl of chili, whichever they preferred.  There were all the "fixins" for the hot dogs and sausages, and I made chocolate rice krispie treats for dessert.  Now, that is a meal fit for a kid if there ever was one.  The adults seem to enjoy it quite a bit too now that I think of it.

For the adults in the group (I do try to consider them too), if they didn't want chili, I made some lebanese potato salad with a recipe my daughter got from her mother in love who came to America from Lebanon when she was 18.  This is some good potato salad, let me tell you!  There is NO mayonnaise so it won't spoil.  Something  you might consider next time you need a pot luck dish!

This potato salad has a really bright lemony flavor that I love.  (Remember, I never met a potato I didn't like.)  The parsley adds a wonderful flavor.  Other countries use lots of parsley in their recipes, but we don't.  I think it's time to start another treat.  It's

This recipe is  easy to make (even better) and is super delicious!  Here is what you need:

 7/8 good sized potatoes, scrubbed (I'd say about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 big lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
salt
fresh parsley

Boil the potatoes until fork tender.  Remove from stove and pour off the hot water.  Cover with cold water and let sit until you can handle the potatoes without burning your hands.

Remove the skins by simply pulling them off.  (It's kind of fun)  Cut the potatoes into cubes and salt to taste.

Mix the dressing of olive oil, and lemon juice.  Pour the dressing over the potatoes and toss.

Remove the leaves from the parsley until you have about 1/2 to 3/4 cup.  Rough chop and sprinkle over the potato salad.  Toss.

That's it!  How easy is that?

I love potato salad of all varieties and this one has become one of my favorites!  If you feel it may need a little more dressing, just make sure you use the olive oil and lemon juice in the same quantity.

This is an excellent side dish when you want something different and it's GREAT for tailgaiting since you don't have to worry about spoilage.  The only thing I might add next time are some chopped scallions, green and white parts.  Some recipes also call for a little chopped mint.  I'm not a big mint fan, but you may love it.  Remember, mint is a strong flavor, so add about 1/4 cup of chopped mint if you want.

Give this recipe a try!  Dan loved it and he is VERY picky about potato salad. And, thanks Alma for sharing another of your fabulous native dishes!  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Parsley - the jewel of herbs, both in the pot and on the plate.  Albert Stockli

Pumpkin Whoopee Pies With Nutella - YUM!

 Happy Monday, September 16.  It is 7:16 pm and outside it's dark.  That means summer is definitely on the wane and the days are getting shorter, BUT it also means that fall is approaching rapidly.  Yippee!  Do you like fall as much as I do?  The changing leaves, the cooler temperatures, pumpkins, Indian corn, cider, bonfires, apples, sweaters, colorful mums, Halloween and Thanksgiving.  There are so many wonderful things about fall.

Starbucks has their pumpkin spice coffee drinks available and that is the first official "call to fall".  Everyone gets excited when pumpkin spice drinks return.  Therefore, it is okay to start making any and all things pumpkin.  Starbucks gave the go ahead.

I got my new Food Network magazine last week and it has a lot of fabulous recipes or fall.  I wanted to start making them all.  Inserted in the magazine is a little booklet with 50 things you can make from canned pumpkin!  Fifty, five oh, 50.  Wow!!  That is more than exciting and as I perused it I couldn't decide whether to start with #1 and work my way through or - ding, ding, ding, hold the phone.  How about #42 and #43 to start?   It's a pumpkin cookie recipe that can be made into whoopee pies filled with - OH MY - Nutella.  Guess where I started?  You guessed!!  You are a sharp cookie (no pun intended).

Sometimes a recipe just jumps out and says make me now.  Do you ever have that happen?  So, I did.

Here is what you need:

6 TBSP softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin *see note below
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Beat the softened butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy.  Beat in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.  Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together.  Stir into the pumpkin mixture.

Drop by tablespoons full onto an oiled baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes; cool.

If you want to eat the cookies, you can make this glaze.

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 TBSP milk  - mix together, spread on cookies

OR, if you want to make them into whoopee pies, do not glaze the cookies.  Spread the bottom of one cookie with Nutella and place the bottom of another cookie on top.  You now have a delectable little sandwich made of delicious pumpkin cookies with Nutella spread in the middle to hold them together.  Now, I can't pass this up - whoopee!   This recipe made 36 cookies or 18 whoopee pies.

*I will tell you that I hated to leave that bit of pumpkin in the can since the recipe called for one cup of pumpkin, so I added the whole can to the recipe which probably made the cookies a little softer than they would be if you followed the recipe exactly.  The texture is somewhat like gingerbread, very soft and delicious and oh so good with that lovely dollop of Nutella in the middle.  They are especially good with a cup of coffee and they just scream fall y'all.

It's hard to decide what to make next.  Maybe the pumpkin bread pudding made with cinnamon raisin bread, or maybe the cheesecake pie, or maybe.........   Whatever it is, I will share the recipe with you when I make it.  In the meantime, give these a try.  They are pumpkinlicious.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?  Pumpkin pi!

Blueberry Cobbler With Biscuit Crumb Topping

 Did you ever have fruit that is going down, like fast.  You know, those brown bananas that have a day or so before you have to toss them?  Don't toss those bananas, cut them up and put them in a baggie to go in the freezer if nothing else.  They are good for smoothies!  Or, there is always banana bread.  Yum.

I happen to love all things blueberry and I buy them every time I go to the grocery and then suddenly I have several containers in the fridge and there is that first sign that they may start to shrivel at any moment and must be used!  No blueberry should ever be wasted!  Of course, you can put them in a baggie and freeze them just like the bananas.  But, I had a hankerin' for something sweet and desserty and I usually make a peach and blueberry cobbler, but alas I had no peaches.  Therefore, some other recipe must be used.  I make blueberry pie, but I didn't want to make crust.  It just seemed like too much effort so I started combing the world wide web.

I found this recipe on a blog called wickedgoodkitchen.com and it sounded just perfect so I thought I would give it a try.  It's a keeper!  It's easy and delicious.  I served it for dessert tonight and our 3 year old grandson ate two helpings - with ice cream of course.

Here is what you need:

Filling:

4-5 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed, dried and sorted.  (toss those shriveled ones)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp all purpose flour

Biscuit Crumb Topping:

1 cup + 5 TBSP all purpose flour
6 TBSP sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 TBSP butter, cut into bits
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit

Lightly butter a 10" baking dish

Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and flour called for in the filling.

Put the blueberries in the baking dish, sprinkle with the sugar/zest/flour in a very even manner so that there is no clumping of the sugar which allows it to dissolve while baking and won't be gritty.  I stirred mine a couple of times to prevent that from happening.  Continue to evenly sprinkle until all mixture has been used.

Make the crumb topping.  Put the flour in a bowl, add the sugar, baking powder and salt.  Whisk or mix with a fork.

Cut the cold butter into small bits and cut into the flour mixture until crumbly.  I used a pastry blender, or you can use your hands.  Add the beaten egg, vanilla and stir to thoroughly mix until you have a dough type mixture.

Spread over the blueberries using your hands.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the biscuit topping.

IMPORTANT.  SET THE BAKING DISH ON A BAKING SHEET BECAUSE IT WILL COOK OVER AND YOU WILL HAVE BURNED SUGAR AND SMOKE IN YOUR KITCHEN AND DON'T ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS.  JUST SAVE YOURSELF A MESS.   TRUST ME.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is nice and brown.  Remove from the oven and serve warm with a lovely dollop of ice cream or whipped cream or - both!

This really is a wonderful cobbler.  It is not too sweet, but the lemon zest gives it a really nice brightness.  The crust is like a big soft cinnamon biscuit that is absolutely delicious.

I will be making this again, and again, and ...... you know.  Give it a try.  I think you will really like it too.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Blueberries are considered one of the "super" foods.  So hey, why not enjoy them any way you can.  Cobbler works for me.  donna