Pasta with Squash, Brown Butter and Rosemary

One 3-pound butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 T chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
2/3 pound lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
4 T butter
1 t fresh lemon juice
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
3 t pine nuts, toasted

1. Preheat the oven to 400. In a large bowl, toss the squash, onion, olive oil and rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast until the squash is tender, about 30 min.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl.
3.In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 min. Stir in the lemon juice.
4.Add the roasted squash, brown butter and 1/3 c Parmesan to the pasta and toss; season with salt and pepper. Top with the pine nuts and remaining Parmesan.

I mad this for dinner tonight (Gasp!) and it was actually pretty good. (Double Gasp!)

Halloween Smores In A Jar

What a great gift to give. Have patience and take your time when getting those little ghosts to stand upright in their place. They want to fall over.

Enjoy!

Nancy

Halloween Smores In A Jar
Ingredients:
1 quart mason jar
1 sleeve graham crackers
1 package holiday marshmallow peeps
one bag of holiday M&Ms candies
1/3 cup of brown sugar

Directions:
1. Crush 1 sleeve graham crackers to crumbs.
2. Layer 2/3 of the graham cracker crumbs in a 1 qt jar. Pack down the crumbs a bit.
3. Arrange 8 to 12 marshmallow holiday peeps standing up, facing out around the inside of the jar. Press them up against the glass, but don't squash them.
4. Carefully spoon remaining cracker crumbs in the center of the jar to support the peeps, pressing down to keep it snug.
5. On top of this pour 1-1/4 cup M&M's in holiday colors.
7. Spoon 1/3 cup brown sugar into center of M&M's, gently pressing with a spoon. If you have any room left over, fill the jar to the top with M&Ms.

Cooking directions:
1. Empty the jar contents into a bowl.
Snip the peeps into bits with kitchen shears or cut up with a knife.
Return the peep bits to the mixture. Mix well.
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter; add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour this over the dry ingredients, mixing well. Pat into a greased 8" or 9" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.


http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/09/guest-post-halloween-smores-in-jar-my.html

Breakfast Pizza

  This looks good except for the gravy.  Any ideas about what else could be used?  et

Pizza for Breakfast??? - Breakfast Pizza

 

Ingredients:

*  If you buy one package of all these things, you'll have enough for two pizzas.

• One 12" pre-made pizza crust.  I used Mama Mary's
• One package of country gravy mix, prepared as directed.  I used Pioneer Brand.
• 4 eggs, scrambled hard/dry
• 4 slices of turkey bacon,  cooked and torn into pieces
• 4 links of turkey sausage, cooked and torn into pieces
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (sharp)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spread gravy over crust.  I don't have an exact measurement for this, but just think of it as you do pizza sauce.  If you like a lot of pizza sauce, use a lot of gravy.  If you don't like a lot of sauce, just use a little.    Just remember that pizza sauce is more bold than this stuff and you want to be able to taste it (the gravy).  You also don't want to drown the pizza in gravy.  You want to still be able to eat this by hand.
3. Spread the eggs over the top of the pizza.
4. Spread the bacon pieces over the top of the pizza.
5. Spread the sausage bits over the top of the pizza.
6. Spread cheese over the whole thing.
7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Obviously the possibilities for these are endless.  Basically, any kind of omelet you could make, could be a pizza.  Now can't you just imagine of of these with some rosemary potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and onions?  Maybe a little goat cheese here and there?  Mmmm.  The best thing about being able to make two is that you can make one for the kids and the other one for mom and dad.   

 

pizza-for-breakfast-breakfast-pizza 

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars!

This is for Sarah who love Creme Brulee and Kristi who loves anything with cream cheese.  These look so yummy!  I hope I can find some sugar cookie mix!

 Bet You Can't Eat Just One!

Try crushing the toffee bits in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin.  Sprinkle them on top of the bars and slip under the broiler, watching carefully so you only caramelize the toffee bits, creating a true crunchy creme brulee crust on top!  A 9x13" pan yields 36 bars.

Try to eat just one....they are heavenly!

Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars from Betty Crocker

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1 box (4-serving size) French vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup toffee bits, finely crushed

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, pudding mix, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and 1 whole egg until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pan.
2. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining whole egg, 3 egg yolks and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread over crust in pan.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set in center. Immediately sprinkle top with crushed toffee bits. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
Makes 36 bars

http://www.singingwithbirds.com/2010/09/bet-you-cant-eat-just-one.html 

Zebra cake

http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com/2010/07/zebra-cake.html

 

2 c. of all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. of baking powder
1/2 tsp. of salt
4 large eggs
1 c. plus 1 tbsp. of white sugar
1 c. of milk (any type is fine)
1 c. of vegetable oil
1 tsp. of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with a circle of parchment paper and lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pan.In a large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar until mixture is light and creamy and the sugar has mostly been dissolved. Stir in milk, vegetable oil and vanilla. 

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture and mix just until blended. The batter will be of pouring consistency but not thin. Now pour half of the batter into another bowl. Add the cocoa powder to one portion and stir lightly to blend. Now here are some really helpful instructions. Place the baking pan in front of you and then place the bowl of white cake batter to the left of the pan and the bowl of chocolate batter to the right of the pan. Using a 1/4  measuring cup for each of the batters, pour a cupful of the white cake batter onto the center of the pan. Then, pour a cupful of the chocolate batter directly at the center of the cupful of white cake batter. 

Alternating between the two batters, repeat the technique until all the batter has been used up. By the way, there is no need to wait for the batter to spread before pouring in the next cupful. 

Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the cake is light gold and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Wait for about 10 minutes, invert onto a cake plate and enjoy a delicious and very pretty cake!

Bacon and Poblano Pepper Queso Fundido

what you need
4 slices Bacon
1 Poblano chile, halved lengthwise, seeded and chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
3 cups KRAFT Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Make It
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp; remove from skillet. Drain all but 1 Tbsp. of the fat from skillet. Add chiles and garlic to skillet; cook and stir until tender.

CRUMBLE bacon. Layer half each of the bacon and chiles in 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish; sprinkle with cheese. Top with remaining bacon and chiles.

BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, warmed flour tortillas or cut-up fresh vegetables.

Poblano Chile Enchiladas a la Gringa

Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups water
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
4 fresh poblano chilies
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
1.Place the chicken breasts, garlic, onion, water, and chicken bouillon into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes. When finished, remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Measure out 1 cup of the chicken broth and discard the rest.
2.Roast the poblano chiles over an open flame, or underneath a broiler until the skin has blackened on all sides. Place the chiles into a plastic bag, or a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and allow to steam as they cool, about 30 minutes. When cool, peel the blackened skin off of the pepper, and remove the seeds and membrane.
3.Place the reserved chicken broth into a blender along with the roasted poblanos and sour cream. Puree until smooth and set aside.
4.Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the tortillas one at a time until softened and beginning to crisp. Place onto a plate and set aside. Pour the pureed poblano mixture into the skillet and simmer for 10 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, slice the cooled chicken breasts into 1/4 inch strips.
5.Using tongs, dip a tortilla into the sauce, coating both sides. Place some of the chicken in the center of the tortilla, roll tightly, then place on a serving dish with the seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spoon any remaining sauce over top of the enchiladas, then sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Makes 10 enchiladas

Individual Chocolate Souffles

Individual Chocolate Souffles

 http://www.remodelaholic.com/2010/09/low-fat-chocolate-souffles-

Adapted from Cooking Light

Makes 2 souffles 

*if making four, use five teaspoons flour and double the remaining ingredients. Doubling the flour would make the base too heavy.

4 1/2 T granulated sugar, divided

1 T all-purpose flour

3 T cocoa

2 T milk

1/4 t vanilla extract

1/8 t maple extract (just under an 1/8 th tsp.)

1/8 t almond extract (just under and 1/8 th tsp.)

1 large egg white

1 tsp powdered sugar (optional) 

OR Roasted almonds, roughly chopped (optional, more calories)

OR Toasted coconut (optional, more calories)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat 2 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray; sprinkle each with 3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar.

Combine 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, flour, cocoa, in a small pan. Add the milk last. Place saucepan over medium heat. Stirring continuously till smooth. ( do not over cook it will turn into a chunky lump). Remove from heat when it is all smooth and combined. (it will not be too hot, if it is, put it in another bowl and cool 4 minutes. (mine is usually cool enough that I just leave it in the pan, one less dish to clean). Stir in vanilla and extracts.

Place egg white in another medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Add remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (do not over beat). Gently stir 1/4 of egg white mixture into chocolate mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Sharply tap dishes 2 or 3 times to level. Place dishes on a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 17 minutes ( I let mine stay in a little longer I like it more set) or until puffy and set. 

Sprinkle each soufflé with 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar if desired (or coconut, or almonds... or both! Oh My! wait, I'm getting carried away again). Serve immediately.

Calories: 167

Fat: 0.6g 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sticks

Cookie Sticks
adapted from Taste of Home

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugars, egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half.

On a greased baking sheet, shape each portion into a 15-in. x 3-in. rectangle about 3 in. apart.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over dough; press lightly.

Bake at 375° for 6-7 minutes. (Bake for 8-9 minutes for crispier cookies.) Cool for 5 minutes.

Use a pizza cutter to cut each section into 4 large pieces to make them easy to transfer to cooling racks.

Use a serrated knife to cut the cooled sections into 1-in. strips

http://www.amandascookin.com/2010/08/cookie-sticks.html

Fudgy Chocolate Pie

Fudgy Chocolate Pie

1/2 cup margarine or butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Melt margarine and stir in sugar, cocoa and flour.  Remove from heat.  Beat in eggs one at a time and then vanilla.  Pour into a well greased 9" pie tin.  Bake at 350 for 15 min (center will be soft).  Let cool 5-10 minutes.  Serve warm or cold.  Can top with whip cream or ice cream.  (No crust required, makes it's own!)

I got this recipe from Grandma Ollie Turner Erickson many years ago!  It's easy and delicious!  ET