Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Candy corn is my biggest weakness around Halloween. It never fails... every year I eat so many of them that it makes me sick. So sick that I never even want to look at another one again. But then my mind changes the very next day. It's a vicious cycle.
I made these sugar cookies to ship to a distant cousin of mine. She's a freshman at college, and I always loved receiving goodies when I was at college. There was something about picking up a package at the campus post office and carrying it back to my dorm. It made me feel loved. :) My mom was always good at sending me goodies and letters (even if she did live only 15 minutes away). I think that's where I got my love of sending letters and goodies to others. Thanks Mama!
Well, Hailie.... I hope you enjoy!
I saved a few for Aubrey and me to try, and they were so good. I love how they are bite-sized.

The only issue I had with making these cookies is the amount of butter seemed to be too little. I had to add another tablespoon to get the dough to come together. I probably would have done better adding another 2 tablespoons (totalling 6).

Another variation is a chocolate cookie. If you'd like to make chocolate dough, you would reduce the flour to 1/2 cup and add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
About 36 pieces of candy corn

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add flour (or flour and cocoa if you're making chocolate cookies), and mix until a dough forms.

Scoop out level teaspoons of dough, and roll into balls (chill dough briefly if it becomes too soft to handle). Place balls on greased baking sheets, 2 inches apart. As an alternative to a level teaspoon of dough, you can use a small ice cream scoop. Fill it with dough, release the dough from the scoop, and divide that amount in half to form two smaller balls of dough.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are firm and cookies are dry to the touch (do not let cookies color), 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from oven; gently press a candy corn into the center of each cookie (surface of cookies may crack slightly). Cool on sheets 1 minute; transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: 36 tiny cookies

Source: Stylish Cuisine ... originally from Martha Stewart

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

I haven't met a streusel muffin I didn't like. These pumpkin ones are no exception. I'm so happy that I'm finally learning my oven's personality because these baked up just beautifully. I love the puffy top. The original recipe didn't say how many muffins this made, but I was able to make 17 of them. I'm sure if I scraped the rest of the bowl out, I could have gotten 18 muffins out of it. These are very addicting. I had to put them in the freezer so I wouldn't snack on them. These will make for a good breakfast for the next week or so. I'll just pull out what I need the night before and let it thaw. I may even put a slab of "I can't believe it's not butter" on it and stick it in the microwave for several seconds. Yum!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cold butter

2 tablespoons rolled oats (optional)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375-degrees. Cream together butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, molasses, and orange peel. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and mix into the batter. Stir just until combined. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full of batter.

For topping, combine the flour and brown sugar and oats (if using) in a small bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Spoon streusel topping over the muffins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Source: Buns in My Oven

Green Beans with Shallots and Breadcrumbs

I got my Martha Stewart magazine in the mail last week, and I was so excited to see what kind of Thanksgiving recipes were available. Well, I was a little disappointed because I didn't see any of the "southern" recipes that I'm used to. I guess I'll have to go to Paula for those type of recipes (Paula Deen and I are on a first name basis).
Another think I love to look at in the MS magazine is Martha's calendar for the current month of the magazine. I like to see when she plants certain things, when she sends out invitations for functions, etc. I noticed that on November 23rd, she has "Iron napkins and tablecloths. Polish silverware." When I read that, I was like "what!?!" There's NO WAY she irons her own napkins (much less her own clothes), and I know she doesn't polish her own silver either.
Oh, Martha.... I still love you, though. (I just don't really believe your schedule all the way).



I did find a few recipes that I was impressed with in the November issue of Martha Stewart Living. This was one of them. The crunch of the breadcrumbs was a perfect addition to the crispy green beans. I'll definitely be making these again. These would be perfect for a dinner party because the whole recipe serves 12.

Ingredients:
2 pounds green beans
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons store-bought seasoned breadcrumbs (I used Italian)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add green beans and blanch until bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain, and transfer to ice-water bath. Let stand until cool. Drain, and pat dry.

Heat oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes. Add beans and cook until heated through about 2 minutes.

Stir in breadcrumbs, and cook for 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Source: Martha Stewart Living magazine November 2009 edition

Pumpkin Spice Bundt with Buttermilk Icing

I made this cake for my hair dresser this weekend. I've never made it before, and I wanted to taste it just to see what it was like. But I didn't want to cut into it because it was so pretty. I had to pat myself on the back for coming up with this idea of tasting it without having to slice it. I simply made one cupcake out of the batter. Genius, right!?! The cake tasted like Fall. All of the warm flavors of the pumpkin and the spices came together well, and the coolness of the icing was the perfect touch.


Ingredients:

Cake
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-ounce can; not pie filling)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Icing
2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons well-shaken buttermilk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar


Directions:

Make the cake
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350-degrees. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in other bowl.

Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and re-invert cake onto rack (I just inverted the cake onto the round cardboard circle/cake stand). Cool 10 minutes more (I cooled completely).

Make icing
While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and confectioners sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.

Note: This can be made 3 days in advance and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Source: The Food Librarian

Marsala Turkey Burgers

My dad came to visit last week, and I wanted to cook while he was in town. I've had this recipe saved for quite some time, and it was time to get some things checked off my list of things-to-cook list. I used turkey instead of the beef because I wanted to make it more healthy. I love ground turkey, and I incorporate it into many recipes that say to use ground beef. When making turkey burgers, you need to be very careful when cooking them because they are very likely to fall apart. If you wish, you can add ingredients into the turkey meat like cheese or eggs to help it hold together.
This recipe is a definite keeper. I love the dimension that the french bread adds to the burger.

Ingredients:
12 ounces ground turkey (or ground beef)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 ounces assorted mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup sweet Marsala (I used cooking Marsala)
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 fresh rosemary sprig (I didn't have fresh rosemary on hand, so I used about 1/2 tsp dried rosemary)
4 ounces Mozzarella cheese
Crusty French bread baguette

Directions:
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

Shape the ground turkey into 4 oblong patties, about 4 inches long each. Drizzle the patties with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; repeat on the opposite sides. Cut the french bread into pieces a little shorter than each of the patties and set aside.

Brown the patties in the skillet on both sides until the burgers are medium. Transfer the burgers to a plate and keep warm; leave the juices in the pan.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, if necessary. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and the juices evaporate, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the Marsala. Simmer until the Marsala reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and the rosemary sprig. Simmer until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Return the burgers to the skillet. Cook burgers until they are well done, turning to coat, about 2 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Add 1 ounce of cheese to the top of each burger and cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt, about 2 minutes.

When the cheese has melted, remove the burgers from the pan and place on the French bread. Top the burgers with Marsala sauce and then the top of the French bread. Serve hot.

Source: Adapted from Smells Like Home

Salsa

Aubrey and I go through salsa like a baker goes through eggs. And when we go out to eat Mexican (which is pretty often), we go through several bowls of the salsa. I usually order a tossed salad with lettuce, onions, and tomatoes (with cheese on the side). For the dressing, I dump salsa on top. Mmmm. It makes for a good meal. I order this because I always tend to fill up on chips before my meal gets to the table.
This salsa is absolutely amazing. It definitely has some heat to it. If you have a sensitive tongue, you can adjust the jalapeno and/or cayenne pepper.
Oh, and this is perfect for the football season!

Ingredients:
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon cumin
1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt (we added significantly more, to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cilantro
Juice of one lime


Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don't overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Source: Annie's Eats

Chicken Green Chili with White Beans

Today is the first day that it really felt like fall. I woke up to a good rain, and when I walked outside, I immediately had to go back in and get a jacket. On a day like this, all I want to do is curl up in my pajamas and slirp on some soup. Soup is one of my favorite meals to eat when it's cold outside.
I didn't get to curl up in my PJs, but I did make some of this delicious soup when I came home. The cumin really adds a lot to this brothy soup. For those of you that have sensitive tongues, the Anaheim chiles are very mild.... not spicy at all.




Ingredients:
6 Anaheim chiles
1 Tablespoon peanut oil
1 Rotisserie chicken, meat chopped
1 3/4 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans (or other white beans), rinsed and drained
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream


Directions:
Preheat broiler.

Cut chiles in half; discard seeds and membranes. Place halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 5 minutes or until blackened. Place in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel chiles; discard skins. Chop chiles.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute 6 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add chicken to the pan. Add broth, 1 1/2 cups water, and cumin; bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes. Stir in chopped chiles and beans.

Combine 1/2 cup water and flour, stirring with a whisk. Stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook 15 minutes. Stir in salt. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream.

Nutritional Info: 248 calories; 5.6g fat; 19.1g protein; 25.1g carbs; 4.8g fiber; 45mg cholesterol; 3.2mg iron; 903mg sodium; 87mg calcium

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

My dad's birthday was last week, and I decided to make him some Nutella cupcakes. Well, they were a huge flop. Usually when something doesn't look nice, you can still eat it and enjoy the taste. Not the case with the cupcakes. I'm blaming it on the oven. I really need to invest in an oven thermometer because everything that I've baked has baked unevenly.

Luckily this pound cake came out in one piece, and the taste was amazing. My dad got seconds. It did cave in the middle, but I feel sure that when I find the "true" temp of my oven that it will turn out perfect next time. I'll definitely make it again. The Nutella gives a rich and creamy texture to the cake.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
One 13-ounce jar Nutella

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour. In a glass measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl (I used a stand mixer), beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually beat in the egg mixture until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until just incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer.

Spread one-third of the batter in the prepared pan, then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not overmix.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, turn it right side up and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut the cake into slices and serve.

Source: Dana Treat ... originally from Food and Wine

Lima Bean Soup

Aubrey's grandmother had surgery last week, and I wanted to make a meal for her. I searched through my favorite cookbook, and found this recipe for Lima Bean Soup. It made a lot, so I gave Memaw about half of it and we kept the rest. I absolutely love it. It's like soul food all wrapped up in a soup. It's even better with a slice of skillet cornbread.
I made the soup healthier by using turkey kielbasa and turkey bacon instead of the pork, but I don't think any of the taste was sacrificed. This is an absolutely amazing southern soup that you have to try.


Ingredients:
2 cups dry baby lima beans
Lower sodium bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 (10-ounce) frozen whole kernel corn
1 (14-ounce) package smoked kielbasa or sausage, thinly sliced (I used turkey kielbasa)
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoon flour
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place beans in large heavy saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook covered for 2 1/2 hours or until tender. Cook bacon in large skillet on medium heat until crispy. (Note: Since the turkey doesn't have much fat, I used a little bit of olive oil.) Drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon. Add bacon, corn kielbasa (or sausage) and onion to beans in saucepan. Reduce heat to low; simmer 1 hour. Stir flour into reserved bacon drippings in skillet. Cook on medium-low heat until bubbly, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of water until well blended. Cook on medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add soup; simmer 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Source: Shades Mountain Baptist Church cookbook... recipe from Kelly Prevatte

Cranberry Coffee Cake

I've made this coffee cake several times, and it's one of my absolute favorite coffee cake recipes. It's perfect for any season, and it's a great recipe to give away or serve at a party or tea. The recipe is from a dear friend, Connie Scollin. My family met Mrs. Connie on a mission trip that we took to Lima Peru. She is such a godly woman and so much fun to be around. She helped give a tea for me during my engagement, and this coffee cake was served there among a lot of other dainty foods.
I made this cake for a friend of mine that just had a baby. It's perfect for new moms because any leftovers from dessert will work for breakfast the next morning. I wish I had a picture of individual slices because the cake is layered with cranberry, which makes it a colorful cake.




Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon or more almond extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 (16-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or more)

Frosting
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract



Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees for tube pan, 325-degrees for bundt pan. Grease and flour pan. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add almond extract. Sift dry ingredients together and add about 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the sour cream, until all is blended. Put 1/3 batter in pan. Spoon half of the cranberry sauce into pan and swirl through batter. Spoon another 1/3 batter into pan. Layer remainder of sauce; top with remainder of batter and sprinkle with nuts. Bake 50-60 minutes in tube pan. Bake 45-55 minutes in bundt pan. Cool thoroughly before removing from pan. Combine frosting ingredients and drizzle over cake.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

A couple of weekends ago, Aubrey and I went to visit my grandparents. My grandfather has a garden the size of my house, and he sure knows how to grow anything you can think of. I'd be happy if I even had a hint of his green thumb. During the summer months (and part of fall), he always sends me away with fresh vegetables. This time I got a bag full of jalapenos. When you have a ton of jalapenos, what's better to make than jalapeno poppers?
These little suckers are addicting and disappear very quickly. I think my bacon strips were too short to cut into thirds, so next time I'll cut the bacon strips in half.



Ingredients:
Fresh jalapenos, 2-3 inches in size
Cream cheese, softened
Thin (regular) bacon, sliced in thirds or in half


Directions:
Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things very H-O-T. Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon piece. Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle. (At this time you can freeze them, uncooked, in a Ziploc bag for later use.)

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of a bite to it.

Serve immediately, or they're also great at room temperature.

Source: Pioneer Woman

Lightened O'Charlies Caramel Pie

The O'Charlies Caramel Pie is one of those recipes that's been floating around for a while, but I rarely ever use the full fat recipe. I'll try anything to "lighten" up a recipe, and this one works just perfectly with the fat-free sweetened condensed milk. This is about the easiest dessert to make. You just have to make sure you have sufficient time. I usually make it the night before I serve it, but you can surely do it on the same day. Just throw the whole can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot and boil for a couple of hours. I usually do laundry or clean while it's boiling. You have to add more water every once in a while to make sure the whole can is covered, but it's about the hardest dessert to mess up...... and it's delicious.

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker pie crust (I use the reduced fat)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I use fat free)
1 container cool whip (I use light)

Directions:
Take the paper off of the milk can. Fill a large pot up with water and place the can of milk inside. Make sure the can is fully submerged in the water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 hours. The milk will turn to caramel like magic. Take the can out with tongs (it will be very hot), and let cool to room temp... this will take a while. Once cool, open can and spread the caramel evenly in the pie crust. Spread the cool whip on top of the caramel. Refrigerate until time to serve.

**If you have issues with boiling a can, you can certainly pour the contents into a double boiler and stir until it turns to caramel. I don't have that kind of patience, but if you do.... go for it. Personally, I've never had a problem with boiling the can, and I've made this pie numerous times.

**A good variation of this pie would be to add toffee bits within the caramel and sprinkle some on top of the pie. Mmmmm.

Source: O'Charlies