Pumpkin Cookies

This will probably be one of the last pumpkin related posts I do this year. I have really enjoyed trying out various pumpkin "inspired" recipes! I made these cookies twice within a week (not for just us, but my manager for a party she was having), but have not had a chance to post them yet.

I got this recipe from my friend Amy and I am so glad I got to try them. They were really good and easy to make.

Amy said they yield about 40 cookies...I made around 24 bigger sized ones. As much as I like cookies, I really hate getting them on the pan.

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 cup pumpkin

2 2/3 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup chocolate chips (I used white chocolate)

1/2 cup nuts (I used walnuts)

1 cup rasins (optional, I didn't use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla, egg and pumpkin.

Mix dry ingredients together and sift 2 times. Then add to pumpkin mixture, mixing well. Fold in the chocolate chips, nuts and raisins.

Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Now, I baked mine longer because they were a larger sized cookie. Mine were closer to 20 minutes until the tops and the bottoms were golden brown.

Cool completely. Enjoy!

Simple Artichoke Dip

My dear friend Lindsay gave me this recipe at our shower and I have been meaning to make it. There is minimal ingredients and prep work and it is so good! It was perfect to bring over to our friends' Katy and Tim's house to hand out candy for Halloween!

Excuse my lack of picture, it was gobbled right up! Trust me, it is a delight!

1 cup mayo

1 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (I used shredded and split it evenly between asiago and parmesan)

2 15 oz. cans of artichoke hearts in water

2 cloves fresh garlic.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drain and chop artichoke hearts

Chop up garlic

Combine all ingredients and place into a uncovered casserole dish (I used a smaller size oval Corningware, I think it was around 1 1/2 quarts).

Top with more cheese

Bake for around 20 minutes until it bubbles. Serve with Triscuits or Carrs crackers.

Pumpkin Roll Cake

This roll is one of my favorite things about fall. Now that I had all the right tools at my disposal, I couldn't wait to make this! I looked around some websites until I found a recipe that was simple enough for me to fit into my fall cleaning schedule on Sunday (sorry Paula Dean, I will try yours some day!). This one is courtesy of All Recipes.

I think mine came out OK taste wise, but I need to work on the presentation. I ended up using a jelly roll pan than what was bigger than recommended, so it is a little thin. Also, the filling doesn't go to the edges, so there is some non-filling parts. I think if I would have used the right pan size, it would have been perfect.

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts * (see my note below)

6 oz. cream cheese softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In mixing bowl, beat eggs on high for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar until thick and lemon colored. Add pumpkin and lemon juice.
3. In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Fold into pumpkin mixture.
4. Grease a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour the paper. Spread batter into the pan. Sprinkle with walnuts* (I actually missed this part and added them when I spread out the filling).
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cake springs cake when lightly touched.
6. Immediately turn out onto a dish towel dusted with confectioners sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up into towel, starting at the short end. Cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy.
8. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread the filling over the cake to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar if desired.

BBQ Ranch Chicken

I have been meaning to blog this recipe the last 3 times I have made it and finally remember to take a picture tonight! We love this super simple and tasty recipe courtesy of Molly. This is one of our simple go-to chicken dishes we can make during the week with minimal prep work and dishes! Try it...you will love the simplicity and great flavor!

I made this with just 2 chicken breasts, but here is the original:

4 chicken breasts

3/4 cup BBQ sauce (I used appx. 2/3 cup)

3/4 cup ranch dressing (I used appx. 2/3 cup)

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Chopped green onions (optional)

Bacon bits (optional)

Mix ranch and BBQ sauce together and pour over the chicken in a frying pan. Let simmer on medium to high heat for around 20-30 minutes until cooked.

I usually flip them a few times while cooking. I usually have a lot of sauce left over, so I pour some on top. The chicken never gets dry for me, but if the sauce mixture starts to dry out, you can always add some water.

Sprinkle with shredded cheddar, green onions and bacon bits. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Work has been so insanely busy for me lately, that I have not had enough time to cook and bake as much as I was hoping to this month. So, Friday night, I sat down and looked for some fall recipes to make this weekend since we didn't have a whole lot going on for a change.

Steve and I love to go out to breakfast on the weekend. Last weekend, we went to a place our friends Lisa and Joe recommended in Ferndale (we also call Ferndale the "Breakfast Capital of Michigan"), Club Bart. I was dead set on getting pumpkin pancakes, but decided on an omelette instead. It was delightful. The place looks like a total hole in the wall dive bar, but the breakfast menu was impressive. If you are ever in the neighborhood, go check it out (Elizabeth and Paul...next time you are in town, we will go out to brunch there!). But I digress...

So, I really wanted to make pumpkin pancakes this weekend to make up for not getting them last weekend. I found this recipe on All Recipes and loved it! Full of pumpkin flavor and easy to make.

This made enough for Steve and I to have 4 pancakes each (not overly huge, maybe around 4" across) and we had batter left over for next weekend. I hope it stays good in the fridge!

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. (I used my hand mixer to mix it up well.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, all spice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. (as I am typing this, I realized I forgot baking powder...whoops. It still turned out OK for us!)

Stir into the liquid ingredients just enough to combine. (Used the hand mixer again)

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium to high heat. We have one of those fancy electric skillets, so I had the temperature at 375 if you have one of those. Pour or scoop batter onto heated griddle, using appx. 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown both sides and serve hot.

I sprinkled them with a little bit of powdered sugar per Steve's request for "presentation". :)