Marshmallow Popcorn

I actually saw this recipe on my cousin Kim's blog several months ago.  I gave it a try one evening when I needed a quick treat, and it was so good.  It only takes a couple minutes.  Great for a family movie night!

1 bag popped microwave popcorn (pick the seeds out)

1 stick butter

1/2 C. brown sugar

8 large marshmallows

Melt butter, sugar, and marshmallows together in a saucepan.  Pour over popcorn and stir.  

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

I started making this a few years ago for our Thanksgiving.  Everyone started choosing this over the pumpkin pie, so the past couple years I haven't even made a pumpkin pie.  I feel a little bad about that, since it is the traditional Thanksgiving dessert, but I don't want the leftovers.  So, try this one this year.  It is really yummy, and very simple.  Your guests will love you!

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup  sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2   eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 tsp.  ground cinnamon

Dash ground nutmeg

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Remove 1 cup of the batter; place in medium bowl. Stir in pumpkin and spices.

 Pour remaining plain batter into a graham cracker crust (I buy a prepared one, but you could make your own); top  with pumpkin batter.

Bake at 325 for 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Top each serving with whipped cream. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Thanksgiving is around the corner, so I thought I should post my favorite pie recipe!  When we spend Thanksgiving with the Nelsons, I make the pies, and the chocolate is always the favorite.  It is, of course, my mom's recipe.  But in Washington, I take all the credit for this one.  :) 

Heat in a saucepan on the stove, stirring very frequently:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 square unsweetened chocolate

Wisk together, until smooth:

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

Once the milk is heated and the chocolate is melted, add the above mixture to your saucepan.  Stir constantly until it boils and becomes thick like pudding.

Pour into prepared pie shell.  (I can post my crust recipe too, later)  Place plastic wrap directly on top of hot pudding to prevent it from forming a skin.  Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.  Top with whipped cream (has to be the real stuff, heavy whipping cream, whipped at home!  No cool whip or stuff from the can! :)  Shave chocolate on top as a garnish.

Variation:

If you are like Natalee, you prefer Coconut Cream Pie.  Make this the same way, but do not add the unsweetened chocolate at the beginning.  In your prepared pie crust, put a layer of coconut, half the pudding, another layer of coconut, the rest of the pudding, and then the whipped cream.  Garnish top with more coconut.  Also really yummy!  I usually make both kinds for our Thanksgiving feast.

Enjoy!  

Oreo Truffles

So here is the yummy, yet evil, Oreo truffle recipe that I teased you all about.  They are really easy, and a great holiday treat to deliver to friends.  Or, just make them and refuse to share! :)

1 pkg Oreo Cookies (3 sleeves) - crushed very well, I put them in a large ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin

1  8 oz pkg cream cheese - softened to room temperature

Almond bark (1 lb)

Milk chocolate 

Mix crushed Oreo pieces with the cream cheese (I use a pastry cutter for this part) until it forms a "dough".  Roll into small balls, place on wax paper, and chill for 45 minutes.  

Dip chilled balls into melted almond bark, and place back onto waxed paper.  Drizzle with melted milk chocolate.  (You can also dip in milk chocolate, and drizzle with the almond bark - whatever sounds best to you.)  Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Enjoy!  You will love them!  

Pina Colada's

I just made these tonight, but I totally stole the Recipe from Trisha. She posted it on her blog last summer, and Chris and I have made them like 4 times since then! I figured since she had already posted it on her blog, I would put it up on here for those of you who didn't get it off of hers last summer.

When Chris and I went on our Cruise we got hooked on pina colada's. We have tried to find some since then that tasted like the ones on the cruise, and this recipe is the only one I have tried where they taste EXACTLY like them! They are SO YUMMY and so easy! I can't make them fast enough to satisfy Cameron! He drinks them till his tummy can't hold anymore! :)

Ingredients:

7 oz of Pineapple Juice
2 oz of Coconut Milk (They sell this at Wal-mart, but it's kind of hard to find. It's over in the mixed drinks section in a little soup like can.)
1 cup of Crushed ice

Directions:
Blend together and top with Whip Cream and Maraschino Cherry.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

This is a really yummy fall treat. I've made it several times for parties and people always ask me for the recipe. I like these even better when they're served chilled, but they're pretty tasty either way.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing
2 c flour
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cloves
4 beaten eggs
15 oz can of pumpkin
1 c oil

In a large mixing bowl stir flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in eggs, oil and pumpkin until combined. Spread in ungreased 15x10x1 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins. Cool for at least 2 hrs on wire rack and then frost.

Cream Cheese Icing
6 oz cream cheese
6 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
3 c powdered sugar

Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar.

Almond Sour Cream Cake

Cake

1 C Butter, plus more for greasing pan
3 C Sugar
1 C Sour Cream
3 C all purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
1/2 t baking soda
6 Eggs
1/2 t pure orange extract
1/2 t pure almond extract

Frosting

3/4 C Butter (1 1/2 sticks)at room temperature
3-4 C Confectioners' Sugar
1 1/2 t pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour a tube pan and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together and then add the sour cram. Sift the flour and baking soda together and add to the creamed mixture, alternating with eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the extracts and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared tube pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool the cake in it's pan for about 10 minutes and then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack. Frost the cake when it has completely cooled.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter in a large mixing bowl. Slowly beat in the sugar for about 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy and sweetened to your liking. Add the almond extract and stir to blend. Allow to cool fully then frost the cake. If you are not using the frosting immediately, cover it and store in the refrigerator. Bring the frosting to room temperature just prior to using.

Megan's variation: I wanted a layer cake, and so my mom used this recipe and poured the cake batter into three cake pans. We had to double the frosting to cover it, and the cooking time was reduced to around 20-25 minutes. Everyone loved it! It's from Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics, and she used it as her wedding cake!! Yum!

Pumpkin Bunt Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a recipe that I got from my friend Amy. It's kind of a fun and easy Halloween treat.

Ingredients:

2c. Sugar
2 Eggs
1c. Oil
2/3 Large Can of Pumpkin
2 1/4 C. Flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Allspice
1 tsp. Nutmeg

Directions:

Mix all ingredients. Put batter in a greased and floured bunt pan and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. I am lazy and just use the canned frosting. :)

Peanut Butter Squares

This is my friend Tammy's recipe, and we LOVE them! Just a warning however...these things are addictive, and not at all healthy! :)


Ingredients:

3/4 c. margarine
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. peanut butter
3/4 tsp. soda
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp.vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. oats
Chocolate Chips
Milk

Frosting:

1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter


Directions:

Cream margarine & sugars together. Add eggs & peanut butter, then add remaining ingredients. Spread dough into a bar pan (10 1/2" x 15" works best) Bake at 350
for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle bag of Chocolate Chips on top. Let melt. Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar and a little bit of milk together. Pour over top and ENJOY!!!

Peach Pie With Candied Pecan Topping

Filling:
½ to 2/3 c granulated sugar
2 T quick cooking tapioca
¼ t ground cinnamon
¼ t ground nutmeg
6 c thinly sliced, peeled peaches
1 t cornstarch
¾ c chopped pecans
Pillsbury Double Pie Crust

Topping:
1/3 c packed brown sugar
2 T butter
1 T water

1. For filling stir together sugar, tapioca, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add peaches. Gently toss until coated. Let stand 20 min. If using frozen peaches 45 min.
2. Prepare pastry for double crust pie. Line 9 inch pie plate with ½ pastry.
3. Stir peach mixture, then transfer to pastry lined pie plate. Place top pastry over pie and crimp edges. Cut slits in top crust.
4. Place pie on baking sheet. Cover edge of pie with foil. Bake for 25 min @ 375. (50 min if using frozen fruit) Remove foil. Bake 25-30 min more until pastry is golden and bubbly.
5. Prepare topping: In small saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, water, and cornstarch. Cook and stir till bubbly. Stir in pecans. Spread mixture over warm crust. Bake for 5 min longer.
6. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Fruit Pizza

2 c bisquick
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c butter
1 egg
1 4oz cream cheese softened
½ c apple jelly, melted (I never use this)
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c cool whip or ¾ c whipped cream
Fruit…mandarin orange slices (I use the little canned ones…I pat them dry first) Kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, nectarines, raspberries, (basically whatever you like, looks pretty and is in season)

Mix Bisquick and sugar, cut in butter until crumbly. Mix in egg until soft dough forms. Pat dough in Pizza Pan 12 inch. Grease pan lightly. Bake until edges start to brown 10-12 min in 375 oven. Cool (do not over bake) Beat cream cheese sugar, vanilla, until smooth. Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form (mix together) Spread mixture over cooled crust. Add fruit and brown with melted apple jelly. Refrigerate 2 hours. 8-10 servings (I always layer the fruit decoratively, and I even did an American flag in a rectangle pan one year for the fourth) This is perfect to take to parties, because it looks really impressive, but it’s super easy, and it’s also SUPER tasty.

Pull-Apart Carmel Coffee Cake

This is a fast, easy recipe. My kids and husband love it and it dosen't last long around our house!



Pull- Apart Carmel Coffee Cake


2 tubes (12 ounces each) refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: Cut each biscuit into four pieces; arrange evenly in a 10-in. fluted tube pan coated with cooking spray. Combine the brown sugar, cream and cinnamon; pour over biscuits.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Yield: 12 servings.