Pumpkin Pancakes

My mother in law makes pumpkin pancakes for the holidays almost every year. They are really good and the kids all love them. She uses pancake mix, making the pancakes the way the box says. Then she adds a little all spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. She also adds in about a half of a can of pumpkin for about 8-10 pancakes. She says you get to know the color they should be after making them as long as she has.  So I decided to go on a hunt for a completely homemade recipe. After searching many recipes, this is my favorite. I got this recipe from the Martha Stewart website. Super easy and super tasty, enjoy!

Whisk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; and a pinch of ground cloves. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup milk, 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 egg; fold mixture into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup. Makes 8 to 10.

Chicken Marsala Recipe

One of my best friends, Leah, turned 40 and we threw a dinner party for her with an Italian theme.  There were some great dishes there, thank you to all that contributed wonderful food! One of my all time favorite Italian dishes is Chicken Marsala.  So I jumped on the computer to see if I could find a recipe that stood out above the others.  This is the first Emeril Lagasse recipe that I have tried, and I am so happy I chose this one.  It was honestly the best Chicken Marsala I have ever had.  The creole seasoning gives the chicken a little bite, which is extremely tasty!  I had a bit of a hard time finding the Marsala wine, thank you to The Beverage House!  This wonderful lady there pulled down from the shelf a wonderful bottle that she recommended.  She was right on the money, it was fabulous as well as extremely affordable.  I actually doubled the recipe but didn't need to double the creole seasoning recipe, there was plenty.  I also left out the oyster and shiitake mushrooms and substituted baby portabella mushrooms with the cremini's.  Serving thin spaghetti noodles with it is highly recommended as well.  It turned out fabulous. Everyone at the party loved it, and so will you!  This is the recipe you want when you are cooking to impress. Enjoy! 

 Ingredients

·                                 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

·                                 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows

·                                 2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and                                  pounded thin

·                                 1 tablespoon olive oil

·                                 4 tablespoons butter

·                                 3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)

·                                 3/4 cup Marsala

·                                 1 cup chicken stock

·                                 Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·                                 Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

·                                 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

·                                 2 tablespoons salt

·                                 2 tablespoons garlic powder

·                                 1 tablespoon black pepper

·                                 1 tablespoon onion powder

·                                 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

·                                 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

·                                 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

"Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.Chicken Marsala Recipe : Emeril Lagasse : Food Network

Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Smashed Potatoes

This recipe is from a show that I watched earlier today called Sandra's Money Saving Meals.  Sandra Lee truly has some great recipes.  This is easy and looks delicious! I knew after the meal was complete that I had to share this with you.  You can do this, and it is a nice alternative to spending more money at a restaurant.  Everyone can stand to save a little money, right? I was a little skeptical about the chicken thighs as opposed to chicken breasts, but the finished product looked good enough to eat!  

Ingredients

Stuffed Chicken Thighs:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted and diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons canola oil 
• Smashed Potatoes
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 whole sprig rosemary
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the onion and diced apple. Add brown sugar and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until onion begins to soften, stirring frequently. Add chopped fresh rosemary and parsley and mix to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in diced bread and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Lay the chicken thighs out flat on a work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4-inch thick. Spoon some of the apple filling into each thigh, making sure not to overstuff so you don't lose the filling while cooking. Roll up each thigh and secure with toothpicks.

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large skillet over high heat. Generously salt and pepper each side of the thighs. Place thighs in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from the pan to a serving platter and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Smashed Potatoes:

Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. In the meantime, add milk, butter, garlic, and rosemary sprig to a small saucepan and warm over low heat. Drain potatoes and return to the pot. Use a potato masher or large fork to mash the potatoes. Remove rosemary sprig from milk mixture and discard. Add the hot milk to the mashed potatoes. Mix to combine and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with the chicken.

Thank you Sandra Lee and the Food Network for this great recipe! I hope you enjoy it,  I will be enjoying it tonight.

Easy Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is one that I have been making for a long time. It's super easy and always a hit for a get-together, picnics, or the pot luck. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to let it cool completely before serving. This is a cold pasta salad, so don't rush it. I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to post anything...work and menopause are killing me!! By the way...great book over here and extremely helpful for all you poor souls dealing with it. I know it's not a cook book, however I couldn't pass up the opportunity to offer you a solution. Without ovaries or hormones I am surprised I still like to cook! I hope you enjoy the pasta salad...I know you will. Double the recipe if you are sharing with others.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. tri-color Rotini pasta
1 small can of black olives, sliced (make it easy when you can)
1 5oz. pkg. grated Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. of sliced Pepperoni, cut in half
1 bottle of Wishbone Italian salad dressing (use at least half of the bottle)
                                    2-3 tomatoes, diced (I like the ones sold on the vine)
Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain the pasta and I always put a little Italian dressing into the pasta and mix it up before I cover and place in the refrigerator to chill. I grab another bowl and chop up all my ingredients. Add in grated cheese and olives as well. Mix it all up with a little more dressing. When pasta has chilled completely your ready to mix it all together. Stir in more dressing as you mix. You can make it as wet or dry as you like, it's all up to you. I have also experimented with a little red onion as well. I liked it, but my husband and daughter didn't. This is a great recipe because you can play around with it and add in whatever you like. I personally like it just like this..easy and tasty. Enjoy your Easy Pasta Salad!

Kathy puts WHAT in her chili?

When I was laying on the couch waiting to go back to work, my friend Kathy brought over her chili. I have to tell you, it was some of the best chili I have ever had. It made my mouth water with every bite. I couldn't figure out what the ingredient was that made it taste so much better than MY chili. So I called Kathy and got her permission to share her recipe with you. It is so simple, but I really think you will like it. You may already know about this ingredient, if so, why didn't you tell me?? Here it goes....thank you Kathy!!

(3) cans Ranch Beans

(1) 15 oz. can Petite diced tomatoes with green chilies

(1) can Rotel

1 lb. Ground beef

Spicy V8 Juice (There it is...the secret ingredient. Love it!)

Brown the ground beef in a large pot.  Once the beef is browned,  add the Ranch Beans, diced tomatoes and the Rotel – stir.  Add the spicy V8 to your preference of thickness, stir.  Let simmer for 30 minutes.  Eat and enjoy!

Quick, easy, and delicious!

Blackberry-Ginger Glazed Salmon

Hello again! I hope everyone had a great weekend, I was preparing myself for another surgery tomorrow. I think I'm ready..as ready as you can be, I suppose.
Enough about that, let's talk salmon. I was watching one of my favorite cooking shows, "Cooking for Real with Sunny Anderson." That girl has got it goin' on! Her recipes remind me a lot of growing up with my grandmother. I was raised on the southern food. Normally these recipes can be a little on the non-healthy side. However, this recipe should be great for everyone.
My husband and I invited our good friends, Mark and Maria, over for dinner on Thursday. My husband decided to make this recipe for them and they absolutely loved it! We had made it once before, but he forgot to ask the butcher to remove the salmon skin. So it was slightly disastrous, but we made it work. If for any reason your butcher is not available to cut off the skin, I will be putting a link below to show you how to easily do it yourself. We also found that the glaze was pretty thin. I don't believe that my husband let it reduce long enough, so make sure that you let it reduce by half as the recipe calls for. He wouldn't fess up to that error, but I am pretty sure that's what happened. :-) (I still love you, my darling) I would actually wait to preheat the oven until the glaze is almost cool. No need to waste good gas or electricity. So, here we go!

Ingredients
1 cup water
12 oz. blackberries
1 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced into coins
The juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil
4- (8 oz.) SKINLESS salmon fillets
Salt and Pepper to sprinkle on both sides of fillets
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water, blackberries, ginger, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until berries break down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl, using the back of a spoon to push blackberry pulp through. Return blackberry mixture to the sauce pot, add sugar and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until REDUCED BY HALF (there it is folks, very important). This process takes approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Remove from heat (after it is reduced by half) and cool completely.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and set fillets on top. Brush fillets with oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Once blackberry mixture is cool, brush over salmon fillets and bake for 4 minutes. Brush again with blackberry mixture. Turn oven to broil and broil another 3 minutes.
There it is, a great salmon recipe! I will tell you, if you don't get the glaze thick enough, you end up with dyed salmon with not a lot of flavor. So, do the right thing...follow the recipe! :-)
Thank you Sunny Anderson! And thank you Food Network for bringing us Sunny! Enjoy everyone. Get your Food Network Kitchens cookbook here...
Thank you to my wonderful husband for doing all the cooking, and for being such a great sport!

Favorite Restaurant Recipes

So I came across this and couldn't believe how many recipes there are that I want. There are recipes for Taco Bell hot sauce to Pizza Hut's deep dish crust. So the next time you want to spend the money to go out and pay someone else to make it...just pull out your handy dandy recipe book. The link will stay on my page, but I just wanted to point it out in case you missed it. So here's the link, come back and tell me how your favorite restaurant recipe turned out after you make it. I will be back later today to bring you a great recipe and story about Blackberry-Ginger Glazed Salmon. Enjoy! Once again, here's the link..

Recipes for your body

I don't know if you have seen the television show "The Doctors", but I find it incredibly informative. They have useful medical advice, but they also occasionally come up with a few fun surprises! I wanted to pass these great recipes for your body, along to you.

• Need to exfoliate? Mix your favorite mild facial wash or cleanser with a little baking soda.
• Got bags under the eyes? Brew a cup of chamomile tea, add ice (to cool down the tea bag), squeeze excess tea out of bag, and place on your closed eyes. (I love this one!)
• Nails looking dingy? Just cut up a lemon and get to work! Rub the lemon on your nails to brighten them up.
• Need to nourish your hair? Mix 2 eggs, 1 cup of mayo, 1 soft avocado, and 2 tbsp. olive oil. You may need to double the recipe for thick or long hair. I  know this sounds disgusting, but it works! Just massage it into your hair and leave it on for 5-20 minutes..basically as long as you can stand it. Rinse out and wash hair as normal. It will leave your hair silky soft!
• Who doesn't want a soothing bath? Just add 1 cup milk, 1 cup honey, and 1 cup Epsom Salt.
• Do you suffer from dry hands? Coat your hands with a moisturizing lotion, put your dish gloves on, and start doing your dishes. You have to do the dishes anyway, so moisturize at the same time. The hot water will actually assist in the process.

I hope you enjoy these body recipes and tips. Let me know if you have a few you would like to add. Check out this great book for others.

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Okay ladies, here's a recipe even your husband can make! Well, with a little trial and error by mine.. So goes the story of the "Lemon Roasted Potatoes". My husband came home with all the ingredients to make the recipe he got from Miss. Ma'am. He decided to go with the red potatoes instead of the Yukon Gold. He prefers red, always over any other. He also had several lemons and told me that he was making this new recipe for potatoes and that he had it covered. He was told to just add lemon juice, zest, and peel to the normal recipe for roasted potatoes that he makes. This means besides the EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and whatever spices you find suit your taste..that's it. That's all there is to it, no room for error...right? Well, I have to say that the house smelled as if he was in the kitchen cleaning with some lemon cleaner. This lemon scent soon devoured the house, you could not escape it no matter where you went. I started getting a little concerned..."Sweetie, did Miss. Ma'am tell you how many lemons to use?" I asked. "I've got this..no worries!" His response. An hour later or so, the dinner was ready to be served. It looked fabulous! He decided to make chicken breasts with it as well as corn on the cob. I dove in for a bite..you know how when you eat something tart, your mouth revolts? Well, let's just say my whole face revolted. My taste buds were begging me not to take another bite. I asked him how many lemons he used....3 was his answer. So what we know now is....3 lemons are way too many for a pound of potatoes. He seasoned the potatoes with italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme. I could tell that without quite so much lemon, it would be very tasty. A great tip for roasting potatoes is to stir them at least once during roasting. This helps to really seal in the flavor with all the spices and flavors you have added. An additional tip is to marinate the potatoes with all ingredients for at least a 1/2 hour. So, the moral of this recipe story is.....
1 lb. red potatoes, quartered (or whatever you like)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 lemons (I think we've concluded this is sufficient)
the zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. EVOO (you want to thinly coat potatoes)
1/2 tsp. each of whatever spices you like! (We like, as I said before; italian seasoning, rosemary, and thyme)
Roast in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or so. If you like them a little mushier, roast them a little longer.
Enjoy! Come back and tell me what you thought of this recipe. Doesn't everyone forget to buy a zester when they are at the store? I know I did!

Apple Dumpling Recipe has been edited

Okay, so I am not sure how it happened..apparently I am not perfect. Thank you to Miss Ma'am (my favorite title officer) for alerting me to the fact that I led you astray on the recipe. I somehow forgot to add in one of the most important ingredients...the croissant's! So I have edited the recipe to all of it's correct glory. I am sorry for the incorrect info..please forgive me! :-) Have a great day! I got some bad news from the doctor today..looks like I will be blogging for a little longer. You are stuck with me! Enjoy this advertisement from Amazon..how cute don't you think?

Michael's Favorite Divine Chicken

Well hello again! I decided to throw in a recipe that I was given by my grandmother that is easy and wonderful. I believe my grandmother called it "Chicken Divine" but I decided to change the name for my husband because this is his favorite meal. It is easy to make and if you follow the recipe below it is a little bland for my taste. I always have to add salt and pepper to my serving as my husband prefers it on the bland side. Play with it and see what you think. By the way..I happened upon this recipe book from Minute Rice. If you purchase through the link, I do get paid. It doesn't cost anymore, I just get a piece of the pie. Enjoy!



Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cubed
2-3 cups white rice (I use the Minute Rice, but you can use whatever you like)
3 cups broccoli crowns, chopped
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp. sour cream
3 cups mild or medium cheddar, grated


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice per instructions on box or bag. Cook chicken in a non-stick pan, seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Steam broccoli in a separate pan. When chicken is cooked, and cream of chicken soup and sour cream and mix completely. Turn burner to medium low heat and add steamed broccoli. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer until rice is cooked. Coat a casserole pan (11x13) with a non-stick spray. Coat the bottom of the casserole pan with the cooked rice and even the top out. Pour soup, chicken, broccoli mix over the rice and even out as much as possible. Coat the top with cheese and cover with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Please give it a try and tell me what you think. I am on a mission to bring you some great tips as well, so stay tuned.

Apple Dumplings

Let's start out with a recipe. This is one of the easiest recipes for Apple Dumplings that I have come across, and no one will believe you when you tell them you put in Mountain Dew.  I came across the recipe in the December/January 2008 edition of Everyday with Rachel Ray. This magazine is filled with fabulous recipes and is well worth the subscription. I actually find myself going back to previous editions in search of good recipes. I am newly going through menopause and I could swear that my taste buds have changed. So I look back periodically to see what looks good at the time.

Well, let's get back to the recipe:
Apple Dumplings
4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients:
Flour, for dusting
1 granny smith apple-peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges (I actually prefer cubing as well)
1 stick(4 ounces) butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 3/4 cup Mountain Dew (yes, trust me..it's good!)
1 can of croissants (Somehow I forgot these...thank you Miss Ma'am for alerting me!)

 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a surface dusted with flour, unfold the croissant rolls.
     Place an apple wedge (or the cubed equivalent) on the wide edge of each piece of
     dough and roll up; place the dumplings in an 8-inch square baking dish.
 2. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar and cinnamon over medium heat; stir in
     the Mountain Dew. Pour the mixture on the dumplings. Cover with foil and bake for
     15 minutes; remove the foil and bake 15 minutes longer.
This recipe is tasty as well as easy. I personally prefer them the following day because the sauce has thickened a little. Play around with it, and you might find you would like to add a little more butter or a little less. Give it a shot and tell me if you liked this recipe. Maybe you have a variation you would like to share?
Enjoy, and thank you Rachel Ray!