Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater!

Oh my goodness, I can't wait to try lots of new pumpkin recipes I've been collecting lately. I have some sweet memories of my mom cutting and boiling pumpkins to make pumpkin pie, but that was it. I have no idea when this big pumpkin recipe craze hit, but I'm so glad it did. 10 years ago my sister-in-law gave me a recipe for Pumpkin Pie Crunch and she told me how wonderful it was. The next year I made it and fell in love. It was my favorite pumpkin recipe for sure. About 8 years ago I found a recipe for Pumpkin Fudge. I made some for co-workers and they asked for the recipe. I've tried a Pumpkin Bread recipe from my friend, Julia.

Last year I found this recipe for Pumpkin Muffins and they were a huge hit at home. I also tried a Pumpkin Cookie recipe another friend, Laura,  recommended and knew I had found my new favorite cookie. I also made Pumpkin Dip, pancakes, and 4-layer cake. Now I have tons of new recipes I can't wait to try:
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
Pumpkin French Toast
Pumpkin Frappe
Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
Pumpkin Bread in Crock Pot

To find all 21 pumpkin recipes I've tried, including Pumpkin Pasta, click here.


Do you have a favorite Pumpkin Recipe to share?

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

recipe from my friend, Julia

15 oz can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 c vegetable oil
2/3 c water
3 c sugar
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 3 7x2" loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin through sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour through ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

In my opinion: This bread was so moist and delicious. I only wish I had made it sooner.

Crock Pot Brunswick Stew by Paula Deen

2 c new potatoes
2 c (16 oz) frozen lima beans (thaw)
2 c (16 oz) frozen corn (thaw)
1 onion, chopped
3 lb boneless beef roast, trimmed
28 oz crushed tomatoes
28 oz BBQ sauce
1 1/2 c beef broth

This calls for a 4 quart cooker. I used a 5 quart, as you'll see in the pictures, and it was not big enough. Also, I'm not sure why it calls for thawed veggies as they'll be in the pot for 9 hours. Mine just sat out on the drive home from the store and also while I chopped the potatoes and onions.

1. In a 6 quart cooker, combine potatoes through onion.

2. Place roast on veggies.

3. Pour sauces over. Cover & cook on high 1 hour.

4. Reduce heat to low and cook 8 hours.
5. Using 2 forks, shred meat.

Serve with bread.

Quick & EASY Chicken Stir Fry by Minute Rice

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 t garlic, minced
1 T oil
1 1/2 c water
1/4 c lite soy sauce
1 T sugar
16 oz pkg frozen stir-fry vegetables
2 c white rice, UNCOOKED

1. Cook and stir chicken and garlic in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
2. Add water, soy sauce, sugar, and vegetables; stir. Bring to boil.
3. Stir in rice; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

In my opinion: Wow, this was so easy and delicious! I have seen this recipe on the rice box for years and now I'm beating myself up for not trying it sooner.

Chili-Lime Southwest Wraps by Paula

This is what went inside the tortillas. I didn't think a picture of the wrap all rolled up would really capture the colorful ingredients. I did find a great pic on Paula's site:

                                                  

1. ½ cup mayonnaise
2. 1 tablespoon lime juice
3. 1 teaspoon chili powder
4. 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
5. 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
6. 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
7. 1 (15.25-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained
8. ½ cup chopped cilantro
9. 7 (10-inch) flour tortillas
10. Raffia, optional

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, lime juice, and chili powder. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and green chiles, beans, corn, and cilantro. Spoon mixture into each
2. tortilla. Roll up tortillas, and cut in half. Secure with raffia,
3. if desired.

In my opinion: I just loved these wraps! My mixture turned out quite runny so next time I will definitely drain the cans much better, even the tomatoes and chiles.

Chicken in Gravy by Kraft

 I'm not sure the picture does this recipe justice, this is a good meal!

4 slices bacon, chopped
4 sm. boneless, skinless breast halves (1 lb)
4 lg carrots (1 lb, thinly sliced)
1 lg onion, ch
1 c fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
2 oz cream cheese, cubed
3 c hot cooked brown rice (I used white)

1. Cook & stir bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard drippings from skillet.
2. Add chicken to skillet; cook 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown and done.
3. Transfer chicken to plate; cover to keep warm. Add veggies and 1/2 c broth to skillet; cover & simmer 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.
4. Stir in remaining broth & cream cheese; cook, uncovered, 2 minutes or until cream cheese is melted & sauce is thickened, stirring frequently. Return chicken to skillet; cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Spoon rice onto serving plate. Serve chicken and gravy over rice.

In my opinion, this is surprisingly good. The carrots were sweet and a nice addition to this meal. It was quick and easy. We will have it again.

Crock Pot Lemon Herb Chicken

whole chicken
packet Italian salad dressing mix
juice of one lemon
3 T butter

1. Place butter in the bottom of the Crock Pot.
2. Place chicken on top.
3. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top.
4. Squeeze lemon over the top.
5. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

In my opinion: The chicken was so moist, it just fell right off the bone. There was only a hint of lemon, so I might add 2 lemons next time.

We had this with Couscous and Lemon Herb Green Beans.

For more lemon recipes, click here.

Paula Deen's Banana Pudding

It's Paula Deen's. Need I say more?

This is all you need to make this all-time favorite dessert!

Don't forget your adorable helper.

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 c cold water
3.4 oz box instant French vanilla pudding mix
12 oz frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed
8 medium-ripe bananas, sliced
Garnish: whipped topping, vanilla wafers

1. In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, water, and pudding. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; chill for 5 minutes. Fold in whipped topping.

2. In a serving dish, pour just enough pudding mixture to cover the bottom. Place a layer of vanilla wafers over pudding, followed by half of the bananas.

3. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients, beginning and ending with pudding mix.

4. Garnish with whipped topping and vanilla wafers, if desired. Serve immediately.

In my opinion: This is a wonderfully rich dessert. It was a huge hit with the kids. We can't wait to have it again...and again...and again!

BBQ Potatoes

by McCormick   grill time 30-35 minutes

4 medium red potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 T vegetable oil
2 T McCormick Grill Mates BBQ Seasoning or 2 T McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb Seasoning


1. Toss potatoes with oil in large bowl. Add Seasoning; toss to coat evenly.
2. Place potatoes and onions on large wide sheet of heavy duty foil. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to tightly seal packet.
3. Grill over medium-high heat 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender, turning packet over halfway through cook time.

In my opinion: These were good, but not as good as I'd expected. We had this with Pat Neely's BBQ Glazed Corn-super good!

Lemon Herb Green Beans

by McCormick

1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed
2 T butter
1 t basil leaves
1/2 t oregano leaves
1/2 t finely shredded lemon peel

1. Cook beans, uncovered, in large saucepan in boiling salted water on medium-high heat 7 minutes or until tender-crisp.
2. Drain well. Return beans to saucepan.
3. Toss with melted butter, basil, oregano, and lemon peel. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.

In my opinion: These were delicious. I am trying a recipe for Crock Pot Lemon Chicken and I plan on making these with that meal.

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It turned out to be a good one!

12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
2 t olive oil
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 t garlic powder
1 1/2 T shredded parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Lay green beans on the sheet and drizzle oil over them.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and toss to coat.
4. Roast 10 minutes. Toss and bake another 5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with salt and cheese.

In my opinion: Lately I've been trying to incorporate more veggies into our meals. I have tried several new recipes and this one is a favorite. To find some roasted chicken or potatoes recipes to serve these with, click here.

Bacon Ranch Crock Pot Chicken

found on Pinterest, posted by healthifiedkitchen.blogspot.com

2 butterball turkey bacon strips, cooked and shredded (I used regular bacon)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
1 cup fat-free sour cream
16 oz. chicken breasts, frozen or defrosted/raw
8 oz. pasta (I used rigatoni), cooked

1. Combine the first five ingredients.
2. Place frozen or defrosted/raw chicken in slowcooker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and pour sauce over the top (do NOT include water like the can mentions).
3. Cook on high for 3.5 hours.
4. Shred chicken with two forks.
5. Cook pasta per package instructions on stove. Serve chicken over pasta.

In my opinion: This was a good Crock Pot meal. I love these kinds of CP meals the best, the kind you just dump in and go.

Roasted Spicy Mayonnaise Chicken by The Deen Brothers

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 lemons, zest finely grated

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon salt, plus additional for seasoning

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional for seasoning

Pinch cayenne pepper

4 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon zest, paprika, celery seeds, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Season the chicken with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Slather the mayonnaise mixture over the chicken. Bake until the juices run clear when the chicken is pricked with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve hot.

This was so good! We had it with Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Veggies.

Very Cherry Almond Muffins

by Sandra Lee Food Network

Ingredients

Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Muffins:

• 1 box vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup cherry preserves

Directions

In a medium bowl combine all topping ingredients except almonds. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, combine ingredients to a course consistency. Once combined, fold in the almonds.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with paper liners for 18 muffins.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, extract and preserves. Batter will be somewhat lumpy.
Use an ice cream scoop to evenly fill each muffin pan with the batter (no more than half full). Sprinkle tops of muffins with 2 teaspoons of almond topping. Bake 17 to 21 minutes.

In my opinion: These muffins were delicious! My kids loved them. We will have them again and again.

Arby's Grilled Chicken and Pecan Salad

2 1/2 c grilled chicken breast cut into small pieces
1 c sliced red grapes
1 c diced red apple
1 c chopped pecans
1/2 c chopped celery*  (we don't use)
1/2 to 3/4 c mayonnaise
1 T lemon juice (juice of one lemon)

1. In a medium sized bowl add diced apple and 1 T lemon juice. Stir lemon juice into apples, coating them well. This will help keep the apples from turning brown.
2. Add chicken through pecans. Mix well.
3. Add mayonnaise. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Allow flavors to marry in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before serving.

In my opinion: Oh, I loved this. We put it on onion roll buns and served it with salad. This one goes on my favorites list.