Cheesy Kielbasa Potato Soup

I stumbled upon the creation of this soup by chance.  The conception was my dad's, but with Dad under the weather it was up to me to pull it off.  We weren't sure what to expect, but it was a pleasant winter-perfect surprise.

4-5 potatoes, pealed and diced
1 16oz. Kielbasa, sliced
1 onion, diced
2 Tbsp. butter
½ gallon whole milk
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place diced potatoes in a pot, cover with water and boil until tender.  Drain when finished.

2. In the pot melt butter and caramelize onion and kielbasa until onion is soft, stirring often.

3. Return potatoes to pot, slowly add milk, then salt and pepper to taste.  Cook on low, stirring often so soup does not stick to the bottom of pot.

4. When soup is heated thoroughly, stir in Velveeta.  Heat through and serve.

Snow Ice Cream

Another apparent trend I am just stumbling upon.  What better place to conduct a tasty frozen science experiment then in the vast country where the snow is pure and clean, providing it hasn't been tainted by the dogs!

8 cups of clean, unblemished snow
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Mix together, freeze until ready to serve, and enjoy. Yumm!

We decided to break up two small candy canes and flavor half of our ice cream candy cane style.

{Collect the Snow}

{Add Sweetened Condensed Milk}

{Stir in Vanilla}

{Keep Stirring}

{Candy Cane Snow Ice Cream}

{Vanilla Snow Ice Cream}

For more recipes and ways to incorporate making snow ice cream with science lessons: www.chemistry.about.com/od/snowsnowflakes/a/snowicecream.htm 

Buckeyes

Of all the handmade goodies for me to make as gifts this Christmas season I chose to make Ohio's state confection.... I made that up, though it could be.  People in Ohio love their Buckeyes!

These Buckeyes (known simply as Peanut Butter Balls in the rest of the country) are super yummy, especially when they're cold.  They're superior to any store-bought version I've had.  So if you love a good peanut butter cup, you'll be hooked!

2 cups creamy peanut butter
½ cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
12 oz. chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or chocolate almond bark--melted according to the directions on package

1. Mix together peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  Chill to set.

2. Once peanut butter mixture is firm, roll into 1" balls.

3. Dip peanut butter balls into melted chocolate* with a dime-size amount of the peanut butter still visible, and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Place in candy paper cups, once set, if desired.

*Many people use toothpicks to dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate.  I do not find this effective and resorted to using a pair of tongs.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

The bonus recipe.  I had half a can of pumpkin open in the fridge and had to make good use out of it.  I think the staff at school was glad I did.  These were a HUGE hit!

Thanks to all who floated recipes my way, and a special thank you to all who politely offered themselves up as guinea pigs to my festive challenge.  This was the perfect way to end the pumpkin bonanza!

1 2/3 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup pumpkin purée
2 eggs
½ cup melted butter
1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl add pumpkin, eggs and butter; mix well until blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Combine with flour mixture until just moistened.

2. Fill muffin cups (either liners or greased pan) ¾ full.  Bake  20-25 minutes at 350°, or until muffins are puffed and spring back when touched.  Remove from pan and serve warm.

Yields 12 regular muffins and 12 mini muffins.

These muffins easily receive 5 out of 5 pumpkins!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

This is it.  The final recipe in my 12 Days of Pumpkin Challenge.  The first thing I heard last night when I arrived at Bunco was, "It's the pumpkin lady."  Yes, that is what this challenge has turned me into.  At any rate, while not completed in my originally allotted amount of time, I have come up with 12 pumpkin recipes, and then some.  I have one more in the works as a special bonus, but maybe that's because I have half a can of pumpkin sitting in the fridge just waiting to serve its purpose.

I found this recipe when I was searching for a crustless pumpkin pie.  It sounded interesting, so last night she made her debut at a night out with the ladies.  To say it was a hit was an understatement.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup pumpkin purée

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp. ground ginger

Gingersnap cookies

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.  Beat in pumpkin, sour cream, and spices until blended.

Serve with gingersnaps.  Refrigerate leftovers.

What I liked about this recipe:

It really does taste like pumpkin pie. I've met more people lately who simply do not like pumpkin pie because they don't like the texture. I'm curious to see if they enjoy the flavor of this dip!

This dip would also be great with:

Sliced pears, apples, or as a spread on a zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, or nut bread.

While the Bunco ladies overwhelmingly gave this dip a 5 pumpkin rating, I'm giving it 4 out of 5. It is good, but it didn't leave me lusting for more. I can tell you the pregnant ladies raved about it!

 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Soup

One of the great things about Lauren is that she dictates what she sees around her.  This was totally her idea, the soup she wants for supper tonight.  The recipe is inspired by the Wild Rice soup on the stove.

Try at your own risk....

First you need some milk.
Then you need water.
Then you need chicken noodles.
You need peanut butter.
You need cookies in there.
You need more milk, then stir.
You need rice, more chicken noodles.
Some ketchup, some mustard in there.
And some M&Ms.  That's it.
Oh, and some chocolate chips.

That's it!

Pumpkin Soup

When we were living in Boston, everyone raved about the pumpkin soup at Au Bon Pain.  I honestly cannot remember if I had it or not.  But I LOVE my squash soup {www.feedingthelovelies.blogspot.com/2009/10/butternut-squash-pureed-soup.html}, so I figured it was worth giving this new recipe a try.  Thanks, Katie, for offering up the recipe.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 ½ cups yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 2 large)
1 ½ cup carrots, chopped (about 2 medium)
1 cup onion, chopped (about 1 medium)
½ tsp. Spanish smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic, chopped
5 cups chicken broth, divided
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 (15 oz.) pumpkin purée
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add bell pepper, carrots, and onion.  Cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Add paprika and garlic; sauté for 1 minute.  Add 3 cups broth and black pepper; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

3. Place vegetable mixture in blender (may have to do in portions).  Secure blender lid, and blend until smooth.

4. Return pureed vegetable mixture to pot.  Stir in remaining 2 cups of broth, and pumpkin.  Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.

5. Remove from heat, stir in juice.

Ladle into bowls, garnishing with fresh parsley and pumpkin seeds.  Yields 7 servings.

What I liked about this soup:
Pretty much nothing.  Maybe it was that I didn't use the special Spanish paprika.  Or maybe it is that I used paprika at all.  One thing is for sure, I won't be serving this up again.  However, if anyone has a recipe for a to-die-for pumpkin soup, I won't rule out giving it a whirl.

I'm giving it 1 out of 5 pumpkins.  Let's just say we ate it, consumed a lot of biscuits, but didn't keep any of the remains.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

I first enjoyed a crustless pumpkin pie on our last Thanksgiving in Florida.  I'd never heard of it until my girlfriend, Michelle, brought it to our Thanksgiving dinner.

This year I'm in charge of making the pumpkin pie to bring to the neighbors'.  It's a small gathering, so I only need to bring one pie, and the thought of making an entire batch of crust that will likely go unused is just a waste.  (And I am not a fan or store-bought crust!)  So here I am, trying out the crustless pumpkin pie.

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin purée
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
3 eggs
½ tsp. salt
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup powdered sugar

1. Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.

2. Pour into a 9" sprayed pie pan.

3. Bake at 4oo° for 15 minutes, then at 325° for 2 hours, or until a knife is inserted in center and comes out clean.

What I liked about the crustless pie:
It's a whole lotta pumpkin and a lot easier to make when you don't have to roll out a crust!


The advantage of a crust-free pie:
Your calorie intake is significantly lower without the flaky bedding!


While I enjoyed this pie and it tasted almost as good as its crusted cousin, it just isn't the same without Grandma's special recipe for flaky goodness.  It was a big hit with our neighbor, Olivia, who isn't a fan of the crust to begin with.  I'm giving this 4 out of 5 pumpkins; although it is good, it doesn't quite live up to the original.

Harvest Pumpkin Scones

These went over well at school today, a hit with the staff, and a big hit with my little Lauren!

2 ¾ cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice
½ cup cold butter
1 cup cinnamon chips or chocolate chips
⅔ cup pumpkin purée
2 large eggs
cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)
coarse white sparkling sugar on top (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.

2. Work in butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's okay for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

3. Stir in chips.

4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée and eggs until smooth.

5. Add the pumpkin/egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle with flour to allow the scones to come off easily after baking.

7. Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half.  Round each into a 5" circle; circle should be about ¾" thick.

8. Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix, and/or coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired.

9. Using a knife that you run through cold water, slice each circle into 8 wedges.

10. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit, about ½" space between them.

11. For the best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered.  While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°.

12. Bake scones for 22-25 minutes, or until they're golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs.

13. Remove the scones from the oven, and serve warm.  Wrap leftovers airtight and store at room temperature.  Reheat briefly in microwave if desired.

Yields 16 scones.

These go best with:
Milk!  Lauren loved hers with milk, but they would also be great paired with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate!

I'm giving these 4 out of 5 pumpkins.  They're a nice autumn morning treat, but for some reason they make me feel like they are missing something.

 

Pumpkin Bread

In the interest of bringing a simple snack to our Christmas card making party on Saturday, I came across this recipe.  As it turns out, the recipe makes two loaves, yielding one for the party, and another as a thank you for our helpful neighbor.

I joked that this wasn't just pumpkin bread, but that it was "amazing" pumpkin bread.... I'd say it held up to its dubbing.

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin purée
1 ⅔ cups sugar
⅔ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
½ cup coarsely chopped nuts, I used walnuts
½ cup raisins, if desired
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cloves

1. Move oven rack to low position so the tops of pans will be in center of oven.  Heat oven to 350°.  Grease the bottom of 2 loaf pans (greasing only the bottoms of the pans helps form a gently rounded top; if the sides are greased the edges of the loaf may have ridges).

2. Stir together pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Pour into loaf pans.

3. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

4. Cool 10 minutes, tipping pans on their side on a heat-safe cutting board or cooling rack.  Remove from pans and cool completely, about two hours, before slicing.

Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to four days, or refrigerate up to ten days.

Makes two loaves.

What I like about this pumpkin bread:
It has great flavor; not overpowering, but not bland.

How I varied the recipe:
I omitted the raisins, not knowing whether or not the people eating it would appreciate them.

What I would do different next time:
I had a problem with the sides getting done before the inside, so I had to wrap the edges in aluminum foil after 60 minutes, then bake for another 10 minutes for the center to get done.  Next time I would lower the baking temperature and increase the amount of baking time.

I would also add more nuts.  There were just enough nuts to know they were in there, but with at least 1 full cup it would be consistently appealing.

This pumpkin bread would be fun as:
Mini loaves for gifts or individual snacks.  The girls loved this recipe and would have gotten a kick out of getting their own loaves!

This pumpkin bread recipe gets 5 out of 5 pumpkins.  It was moist, delish, easy, and a hit with even the moderate pumpkin enthusiast.

Pretzel Kisses

We decided to make these for some special veterans this Veterans Day.  The idea is another simple, yet tasty treat via preschool.  Lauren's class made it for our open house in October, so she was a pro at putting them together.

pretzels, we used snaps
Hershey Kisses
M&Ms

1. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet.

2. Put one Hershey Kiss in center of pretzel.

3. Bake in 200° oven until melted, about 10 minutes.

4. Press an M&M to the melted center down carefully.

Cool before serving.

We decided to jazz ours up a bit to make them patriotic.  To do so we used only red M&Ms.  We drizzled melted vanilla almond bark over finished cookies, then colored the remaining vanilla almond bark blue with food coloring and drizzled again.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

If you're looking for an easy way to mix up your brownies, this is it.  It received rave reviews at Bunco and at school.  I have Betty Crocker to thank for this one.

Filling

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

½ cup pumpkin purée

1 egg

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

Brownies

1 box Betty Crocker Walnut Premium Brownie Mix*

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup water

1 egg

1. Heat oven to 350°.  Grease pan (8x8, 9x9 or 11x7).

2. In a small bowl, beat all filling ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth.  Set aside.

3. Make brownie batter as directed on box, using ¼ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup water, and 1 egg.  Spread ¾ of the batter in pan.  Spoon filling by tablespoons evenly over batter.  Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling.  Cut through batter several times with knife for marbled design.

4. Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean.  Cool completely.  Cut into desired size squares.

Store in refrigerator.

*This can be made with any brownie mix; stir up your brownies according to the directions on the box or recipe. 

What I liked about these:

The marriage of chocolate and pumpkin is a delicious any-time-of-the-day treat.  The bites of walnuts, divine!

What I would do different:

I didn't have enough time to let these cool completely before serving them last evening.  While they were still good, they were even better cooled, and just as delicious the next day.

What is great about these:

They don't take a lot of time to whip up, and they can be made from things you keep in the fridge and the pantry.  Plus, they're just different enough, making them an even sweeter treat!

I'm giving these brownies 4 out of 5 pumpkins.



Pumpkin Spice Martini

When I started this challenge I didn't know what I'd end up with; I certainly didn't fathom any alcoholic beverages.  But alas, here it is, the Pumpkin Spice Martini.

It only seemed fitting to share this with the wild and crazy Bunco crowd.  Overall it was a hit.  Though be warned, it is strong.... Strong to the light-weight Midwesterner; no match for the European girls!

LeeAnn, thanks for the recipe. Jon, thanks for being our drink-mixer.  You served every drink with class and finesse!

1.5 oz. Captain Morgan Spice Rum

1 oz. Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur with Caramel

3 Tbsp. pumpkin pie filling

Top with whip cream and cinnamon or nutmeg

What I liked about this drink:

It's different.  It has a kick, a big kick, but it's fun in small doses.

What I would do different next time:

The original recipe calls for Godiva Caramel Liqueur.  I couldn't find it anywhere, so I substituted with Baileys.  I think it would taste great with the chocolate undertone!

If you don't want it so strong:

Cut back on the amount of rum and add a splash of milk.



My gal pal, Meg, gave this a definite 5 out of 5 pumpkins (maybe because she had five herself?!) I'm giving it 4 out of 5. It is a powerful seasonal delight, and probably much better with Godiva!

Spider Cookies

This recipe is yet another by way of my coworker, Jan.  Super easy, and super fun to serve up at Halloween!

1--12. oz bag chocolate or carob chips*

8 oz. Chinese noodles

1. Melt chocolate in microwave according to the directions on the package.

2. Stir in Chinese noodles and coat evenly.

3. Spoon cookies in desired sizes onto waxed paper.

4. Chill to set.

*You can also use a mixture of peanut butter and chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips.

Cherry Dessert

This is one I look forward to my aunt making every Christmas.  It's relatively simple to make, and always hits the spot.  I'll be serving it for Book Club tonight.... Thanks, Mary!

Graham Cracker Crust

2½ cups graham cracker crumbs (2 packages of graham crackers)

¼ lb. melted butter (1 stick)

Cherry Topping

8 oz. box Philly Cream Cheese, softened

pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

1 pint whipping cream

2 cans cherry pie filling

1. Heat oven to 350°.  Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter.  Mix well and press into 9x13" baking pan.  Bake for 10 minutes and let cool.

2. Mix together cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and salt.

3. Whip whipping cream until it peeks.  Add to cream cheese mixture and blend well.

4. Spread over cooled graham cracker crust and top with cherry pie filling.

Chill before serving.