Pumpkin Muffins

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1.5tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 (15oz) can of Pumpkin Puree
1 egg
1/3 cup of oil

Mix all ingredients together, then put into greased muffin cups & bake! 350* for 20-25m for full size muffins, and 15 for the mini muffins (which I made)

Sweet Susages Braised in Onions w/Horseradish Smashed Potatoes

Sweet Susages Braised in Onions w/Horseradish Smashed Potatoes

2lbs small red potatoes, cut into quarters
Coarse salt
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
8 links (about 2lbs) sweet Italian sausages
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 to 3 tbsps chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
chicken broth
2 tbsps honey
2tbsps unsalted butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup sour cream
1 rounded tablespoon horseradish (I used a little extra)
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For the smashed potatoes, place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil. Salt the water and potatoes. Take off the lid and boil the potatoes until tender, 10-12 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, start the sausages. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the sausage links and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove the sausages from the skillet and reserve.

To the skillet, add the onions, thyme, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, chicken stock, and honey. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then add the browned sausages back to the pan and braise the sausages until they are cooked through and the sauce has reduced by half, 8-10 minutes.

While the sausages are braising, drain the potatoes and return them in the hot pot to the warm stovetop to dry them out. Add the butter, sour cream, horseradish, and mlk to the potatoes and smash to the desired consistencey. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the horseradish smashed potatoes among 4 serving dishes. Add the chopped parsley to the sausages, then top each serving of potatoes with 2 sausages and some of the braising liquid.

Italian Sub Stoup & Garlic Toast Floaters

Stoup:

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4lb hot or sweet italian sausage (we used hot)
1/3lb piece pepperoni, diced
1 ham steak, 1/4lbk-3/4lb diced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, quartered and sliced
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
salt & freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock/broth
1 cup gemelli pasta, or other shaped pasta (we used gemelli)

Croutons:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves
5 cups crusty bread, cubed
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 cups arugula, trimmed & coarsely chopped

Place a soup pot on the stovetop and preheat to medium high. Add the olive oil and the sausage. Bronw and crumble the sausage, drain off excess fat if necessary, then add the pepperoni and ham. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the bell peppers and onions and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and season with salt & pepper. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook for 8 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, heat the 1/3cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the bread cubes, toss, and toast the cubes for 5 or 6 minutes. Season the toasty cubes with the red pepper flakes, oregano, and grated cheese.

Stir the arugula into the stoup just before you serve it up. Float several bread cubes in each bowl (I let the kids add their own and they thought it was fantastic LOL!)

Honey Nut Chicken Strips

2lbs chicken tenders
salt & freshley ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
A splash of milk
2 cups Honey Nut Corn Flakes (I could find cornflakes, but used Honey Nut Total)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400*

Seasont he chicken tenders with salt & pepper. Place the flour in a large, shallow dish. Coat the chicken in the flour. Beat the eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Combine the cereal, bread crumbs, paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning, and vegetable oil in a food processor. Transfer the breading to a shallow dish.

Place a nonstick baking sheet near the chicken breading station. In batches, dip the flour-coated chicken into the egg mixture and then in the breading and place on the nonstick cookie sheet. When all the tenders have been coated, bake them for 15 minutes, or until evenly browned and cooked through. Cool enough to handle and serve, or pack up for a picnic! This chicken may be served hot or cold.

French Toast Muffins

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons chopped nuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the milk, butter, syrup, sour cream, egg and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until, moistened. Fill greased muffin cups two thirds full. For topping, combine the flour, sugar, nuts and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Spinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes or until muffins test is done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 16 muffins.For those who asked! Now, I made mini ones, and adjusted the cooking time to about 14minutes :o) And I omitted the nuts from the topping.

Pork Chop & Potato Skillet

Pork Chop & Potato Skillet:

6 pork chops (about 1.5lbs)

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can (4oz) mushroom pieces, undrained (I use fresh when I have them)

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp dry white wine or apple juice

3/4 tsp chopped fresh or 1/4 tsp dry thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

6 medium new potatoes (about 1.5lbs) cut into fourths

1 tbsp diced pimiento (I never use these, not a fan)

1 10oz pkg frozen green peas

and salt & pepper to taste (I use lots!)

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Spray 10" skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook pork until brown, turning once.

(I mix all the next ingredients together in a liquid measure while the pork is browning, or before I start the pork)

Mix soup, mushrooms, water, wine, thyme, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over pork. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Add potatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in pimiento and peas. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occassionally, until peas are tender and pork is slightly pink when cut near the bone. (although I use boneless)

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Slow-Cooker Directions (I've yet to try it this way, so its at your own risk, lol!)

Drain mushrooms. Omit water. Cut potatoes into eighths. Place potatoes into slow cooker. Mix soup, mushrooms, wine, thyme, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and 3 tbps flour; spoon half of the soup mixure over potatoes. Place pork chops on potatoes; cover with remaining soup mixture. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6-7 hrs or until pork is tender. Remove pork, keep warm. Stir in pimiento and green peas into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 15 minutes.

Orange Pork

Orange Pork

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound boneless pork chops

2/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon cornstarch

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Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.

Cook pork chops until evenly brown on both sides; remove from skillet.

Pour in orange juice, soy sauce and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, mix together water and cornstarch, and stir into sauce.

Return pork to skillet and cook briefly until thickened and heated through.

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For mine - I cut the pork into small stir-fry strips and browned them that way. Instead of using white sugar, I used brown, and I also added ginger & garlic (to taste) to my sauce. I served over white rice w/ steamed broccoli. I also doubled the sauce recipe so that we'd have enough for the rice.

Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

This recipe is soooo good, its a definite must-try! You can adjust the spices to what you'd like, and the veggies are pretty much a free-for-all, you can add/remove anything! Its so good! I'm not a zucchini fan, so I really don't use that, but I use all the others, and usually add another pepper (we love peppers!) I also, don't have the sunflower oil, but have always just substituted it with sesame seed oil (in the oriental food aisle). Also, when it says "Spicy Chicken" Its not a "Wow, that's hot!" spicy, its more of a "Whoa, there sure is alot of spice" spicy ;o) Its also pretty darn healthy. I love it on a bed of buttery white rice.

Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

Serves 4

1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric

1/2 teapsoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon sugar

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 bunch scallions

4 celery stalks

2 red bell peppers

1 yellow bell pepper

6 oz zucchini

6 oz snow peas or sugar snap peas

sunflower oil for frying

1 tablespoon lime juice (I've used lemon)

1 tablespoon honey

Directions

1) Combine the tumeric, ginger, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and sugar in a bowl and mix well.

2) Cut the chicken into bite-sized strips. Add to the spice mixture and stir to coat the chicken pieces thoroughly. Set aside.

3) Prepare the veggies. Cut the scallions, celery, and bell peppers into thin 2" strips. Cut the zucchini at a slight angle into thin rounds and trim the snow peas or sugar snap peas.

4) Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a preheated wok or large frying pan. Stir-fry the chicken in batches until cooked through and golden brown (I've never had to do "batches" lol") Remove from pan and keep warm.

5) Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the scallions, celery, bell peppers and zucchini over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until beginning to soften and turn golden. Add the snow peas or sugar snap peas and cook for another two minutes.

6) Return the chicken to the pan with the lime juice and honey. Cook for 2 minutes, serve immediately!

Texas Ranch Potato Salad

Texas Ranch Potato Salad

1 package ranch dressing mix
2 cups mayonnaise
3/4 cup chopped green onion
1 pound bacon slices
5 pounds unpeeled red potatoes

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Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add whole potatoes, and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and chop into 1 inch cubes. Transfer to a large serving bowl, and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours.

In a small bowl, stir together the ranch dressing mix, mayonnaise and green onion. Cover, and refrigerate for about 2 hours to blend flavors.

Wrap bacon in paper towels and place on a plate. Cook in the microwave until crisp, about 15 minutes depending on the power of your microwave. Cool.

Stir the mayonnaise mixture into the bowl of potatoes. Crumble bacon into the bowl, and stir to distribute. Serve. (I made the potato mix ahead of time, and added the bacon right before serving, so it wouldn't get mushy)

Bacon-Wrapped Burgers

Bacon-Wrapped Burgers

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground beef
6 slices bacon
6 hamburger buns, split
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Preheat a grill for high heat. (I've done these in a fry pan also, and on a stovetop grill pan)

In a large bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Crumble in the ground beef, and mix together by hand. Form into 6 patties, and wrap a slice of bacon around each one. Secure bacon with toothpicks.

Place patties on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until well done. Remove toothpicks before serving on hamburger buns.

Zesty Chicken Cutlets Parmigiana

Zesty Chicken Cutlets Parmigiana

• 1lb spaghetti (we used bow ties because they are Ethan's favorite)
• Juice of 3 lemons, or several tablespoods bottle lemon juice
• 1/3 cup (a good handful) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese (I used Romano)
• 1 cup (a couple handfuls) Italian bread crumbs
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cloves of garlic, popped from the skin & left whole
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
• 1lb fresh mozarella or smoked mozarella, thinly sliced (I couldn't find smoked, but I think it would've tasted even better!)

Quick Marinara

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes (I add extra, we like spice LOL!)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cans (28oz each) crushed tomatoes
• 15-20 leaves fresh basil, roughly cut or torn (I didn't have fresh, so I used dry to taste)
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves stripped from stems & chopped
• A handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Start a big pot of salted water to boil for pasta. When ready to cook pasta, cook it until its al dente, or still slighty firm to the bite.

Throw your sauce together by heating garlic and crushed red pepper in olive oil over medium heat. When the garlic speaks by sizzling in the oil, add tomatoes and fresh herbs. Bring to a bubble, reduce heat, and let the sauce hang out over low heat while you prepare the cutlets.

Squeeze lemon juice into a shallow dish. Mix Parmigiano, bread crumbs, black pepper, red pepper, and parsley on a large plate. Turn each cutlet in lemon juice, and then press to coat in breading.

Heat 2 cloves garlic in olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. When garlic sizzles, remove cloves and saute chicken cutlets for 4 minutes on each side. (I used breasts so I added time for that) When the cutlets are done, arrange on an ovenproof serving dish covered with a layer of sauce. Dot each cut let with a little more sauce and a slice of mozarella. Place platter under broiler to just melt the cheese.

Toss drained spaghetti with remaining sauce and serve as a side dish, enjoy!

Shrimp & Crab Fritters

Shrimp & Crab Fritters

Vegetable oil or other light-colored cooking oil

2 cups complete pancake mix (I used Bisquick - has to be the just-add-water kind)

1/2lb small, cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped.

6oz lump crab meat (I used the canned kind)

3 scallions, chopped

2 teaspooons hot sauce

1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning or other seafood seasoning blend, available at the fish counter.

Coarse salt.

Directions:

Fill a deep, large skillet with about 1.5" of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium heat until a 1" cube of bread browns to a deep golden color in a count of 40.

In a large bowl, stir together the pancake mix and 1 1/4c water to combine. Then, add the shrimp and the break up the crab into little bits as you drop it in. Add the scallions, hot sauce, and seafood seasoning, and stir to combine. Use 2 tablespoons to drop 2" fritters into the pan. Cook small batches of fritters, no more than 6 at a time - do not crowd the pan or you will cause the temperature to drop too far, too fast. The fritters should cook for 2-3 minutes on each side to a deep golden color. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, and season with salt while they are hot. The recipes should yield 16-20 pieces, 4 or 5 fritters per portion, depending on the uniformity in size.

Over Night Blue Berry French Toast

Over Night Blue Berry French Toast

• 12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon butter

Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast