Homemade Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

These are so, so yummy and perfect for fall.  I love the orange color the pumpkin gives these rolls.  Fun for serving with soup or eating plain.  This are a delight in your mouth!

Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
Ingredients: 
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast or 2 packages
1 cup warm water (110-115 F)
1 can (15 oz.) of pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
5 - 5 1/2 cups flour
extra softened butter for brushing (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water; let stand for 5 minutes.  Beat in pumpkin, sugar, butter, egg, salt and 3 cups flour.  Add enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; divide into thirds.  Roll each portion into a 12 inch circle; cut each into 12 wedges.  Brush with butter.  Roll up from the wide end and place pointed end down, 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  

Recipe Source:  adapted from a Taste of Home Magazine

Baked Oatmeal

So we have this fantastic little cafe in town called CJ's Cafe (Country Java).  Everyone in town raves about their baked oatmeal.  So when my sister was visiting from Las Vegas, she bought us all some for breakfast.  Let me tell you...it did not disappoint.  It was delicious!  

I had to find a recipe to recreate their baked oatmeal so we could have it at home often!  This reminds me of CJ's.  It is such a perfect fall breakfast.  It is easy to put together and pop in the oven.  My kids absolutely love it and would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I gave them the chance.  I made this for our family reunion this summer, and it got rave reviews!  

I included the basic, original recipe.  This recipe can be adapted to you!  Last time I made it, I reduced the butter to 2 Tablespoons and replaced the rest with applesauce.  It is plenty sweet so you could also reduce the sugar.  You could add fruit or nuts before or after cooking.  The possibilities are endless!  Anyway you have it, I guarantee, you'll love it!

Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:  
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk and butter.  Stir into oat mixture until blended.

2.  Spoon into a greased 9 inch square baking pan.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until wet.  Serve warm with milk poured over the top.  

Serves: 9 

Recipe Source:  Taste of Home

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

Okay seriously!!!  This stuff is stinkin' good.  Like take out a spoon and eat it plain good.  Like "your Momma warned you about it" good.  It is rich and decadent.  It makes me salivate.  It is soooo very delicious.  Pour it over ice cream, dip fruit in it, dip a spoon in it, and life will be that much sweeter!

Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
4-6 ounces sweet chocolate (ghiradelli, hershey, nestle, whateves!)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Bring whipping cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and corn syrup to simmer in a small heavy saucepan. Continue simmering until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.  Add chopped chocolate, butter, and sweet chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  Store leftovers in a glass jar in the refrigerator.  

Recipe Source:  Olivia Barney, my lovely Momma

Jam Bars

We had a glow in the dark Easter egg hunt before Easter, and I was looking for some new Bar Recipes to make.  Oh my goodness!  These were a hit!  Everyone raved about them!  They were so simple too, and I had everything in my pantry  That's my idea of a fantastic dessert!  The original recipe called for Raspberry Jam, but I made mine with Homemade strawberry jam.  I am sure any kind would be delicious though. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Softened Butter
¾ cups Sugar
1 whole Egg
½ teaspoons Vanilla
2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
10 ounces, weight Jar Seedless Jam
½ cups Chopped Toasted Pecans Or Walnuts

Directions :

Beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add the flour and beat well. Reserve one cup of this dough and set aside.

Press remaining dough into a lightly greased 9×9 pan and press down well and evenly. Spread jam over the top of the dough. Stir the nuts into the remaining one cup of dough and sprinkle this evenly over the jam. Do not press this down.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes or until the top is lightly brown. Let the pan cool completely on a wire rack.  Cut and Serve!

Recipe Source:  Tasty Kitchen

 

 

 

 

Construction Birthday Cake

Well Howdy y'all!  With two birthdays in the family last week, it has been a little crazy busy around the casa!  I realized I needed to create a birthday cake and fast for my little 4 year old.  He loves cars, airplanes, trucks, cranes, tractors, pretty much anything that moves!  I found some ideas online to get the brain started and then created this.  It was fast, simple, and easy, and he loved it!!! 

 

I made it the night before his birthday, and he couldn't stop staring at it.  He was begging to play with it!

 

 

Look at that little guy!  He makes me laugh every day!  After we sang and blew out candles, he got his wish...to go crazy with the cake!

I guess they all went a little crazy with the cake!  They had so much fun with it, and that to me was really worth it.  And I will be honest...I couldn't stop eating it.  Something about the crunch the little rock candies added to the moist cake was just like a mini birthday party in my mouth.  And I gotta be honest, if there is food in front of my face, there is a 90 % chance I will eat it. 

 



 

The aftermath in the construction zone!  

 

Construction Birthday Cake

 

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 small box of instant chocolate pudding

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

 

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients together until well blended.  Pour into two 8- or 9-inch cake pans.  Bake according to the directions on the cake box.  Be sure to check with a toothpick to ensure that the cake is cooked through.  Cool cakes.  When cool, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

 

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup milk (adjust to get the right consistency)

 

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients until light and fluffy. 

 

Frosting the Cake:

Unwrap the frozen cakes from the plastic wrap.  Put a layer of frosting on top of one of the cakes, then stack the other cake on top.  Frost the entire cake.  This cake is so forgiving, just spread away!  After frosting, take a chunk out of the top layer of the cake.  Put that below the area it was removed as dirt.  Then use Oreo crumbs to create additional piles of dirt on and around the cake.  Put piles of  Chocolate Rock Candy around the bottom of the cake and a single layer around the top of the cake for a border.  Place any type of construction trucks around the cake.  (I bought a 5 pack at Wal-Mart for $4.99.)  And you're done!!!

 



Menu Plan for the Week

At church, I work with the girls ages 12-18.  One of the things we are learning to do this month is menu plan.  I can't believe I have never put a menu plan on my blog.  I menu plan EVERY week!  Really!  I could walk around the grocery store for 3 hours grabbing food and come home without the ingredients to make a single meal if I don't have a plan.  Now with a plan, I am on top of the world.  I can adapt and totally change the plan if I need to, but this gal needs a plan!!! 

I actually menu plan breakfast and dinner.  I make breakfast for my kids almost every morning.  My mom did this growing up and I loved it!  So I have carried on the tradition with my kids.  We also have the stipulation that with every meal we have to eat some sort of a fruit or vegetable.  My kids are pretty used to it.  We have been trying to have our kids learn how to make good food choices and to eat balanced meals.  This is one thing that has helped us.  Now don't get me wrong, we still love sugar and sweets around here, but they are definitely more limited. 

So here's the menu plan for this week, and ya know what?  It just so happens that this week we have two birthdays in the house.  Par-tay!!!

Monday - Breakfast - Crockpot Oatmeal (We eat this every Monday morning!)
                 Dinner - Hamburger Stroganoff and Salad

Tuesday - Breakfast - Buttermilk Pancakes, Sausage, Fruit
                 Dinner - Cajun Chicken Pasta (I need to post this recipe!  It is so good, and it is light!)

Wednesday - Breakfast - Omelettes (for hubby's birthday)
                      Dinner - Butterfly Chicken, Green Bean Casserole
                      Dessert - Rice Krispies Ice Cream Dessert

Thursday - Breakfast - Yogurt Parfaits
                   Dinner - Mexican Lasagna

Friday - Breakfast - Cereal and Fruit
              Dinner - Left Overs

Saturday - Breakfast - Birthday Cake Pancakes (my 4 year old's birthday breakfast)
                 Dinner - Out for birthdays

Sunday - Breakfast - Baked Donuts and Fruit
               Dinner - Honey Walnut Shrimp and Rice (This is a new recipe we are trying.)

Hope y'all have a great week!

Easy Homemade Oreo Cookies

These are a favorite quick and easy dessert for guests or just when you get a hankerin' for something sweet!  They just happen to be a favorite of the hubby!  He loves all things "Oreo"!  I swear to y'all it is really hard to eat just one!  The best thing about the recipe is that the cookie has only 3 ingredients and the frosting only has 4.  How could it get any better than that?!

Easy Homemade Oreo Cookies

Cookie Ingredients:
2 packages Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Filling Ingredients:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine cake mixes, oil, and eggs; mix well.  Roll into 1 inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Do not flatten.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks (cookies will flatten as they cool).  In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter.  Add sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Spread on the bottom half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.  Store in fridge or freezer. 

Recipe Source:  Shalae Barney (my SIL)

Some of my Favorite Food Storage Items!

For the past 4 months, I have slowly been trying to organize my pantry.  It is a work in progress y'all!  But I do have to say that my favorite things in my pantry are these gals!  Allow me to introduce you!  These babies hold all my flour and sugar and have made cooking just a tad bit cleaner.  Let's face it...I am in the kitchen a lot.  I am cooking for 3 kids and my guy.  If I need some flour or sugar, I just roll one of these babies out, pop the lid open, and start a scoopin'! 

 

 

Here's my sugar baby!  Doesn't she look good all full o' sugar!  Oh yes, she does!

 

Here's the flour girl!  I couldn't let her be left out.  I do make sure these empty completely each time before I refill them.

I loved sugar baby and flour girl so much that I bought a 3rd one for all my other sugars (brown, powdered) and a few other things like coconut. 

I found these little babies at The Container Store. I read tons of reviews and they are air tight. They really work like a charm.  I love them!!!  They have helped to tidy up the pantry like nobody's business!

Anyone have any more tips on things to help organize the pantry??  What is your favorite storage item??

Luscious Lemon Bars

Where do you begin when you haven't been in the blogging world for years?  That is the question.  I took this picture 8 months ago in hopes of posting it on the blog due to two dear friends.  They told me they wished that I would start to post again on my blog.  Honestly, I wished I would too.  I love having my recipes online.  It makes them so easy to access and share with others.  So here it goes people...

Honestly, this recipe is one of the best for Lemon Bars.  It was a little like heaven in a pan.  The secret ingredient....coconut.  Those who abhor coconut will think I am crazy, but oh, you friends out there that love, like, or even tolerate coconut...watch out!  You may just eat the whole pan.  They are so delectable! 

Luscious Lemon Bars

1 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Melt butter, pour it over the flour and sugar and mix ingredients together.  Pat into 9x9 inch pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

2 eggs
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
a little grated lemon rind
3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coconut

Beat eggs and lemon juice and rind.  Add rest of ingredients and mix well.  Pour on top of baked crust.  Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  When done sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut when cool.  Devour!!!

Recipe Source:  My Momma