Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients:
Bars-
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin spice
4 eggs
3/4 cup melted butter

Frosting-
8oz package softened cream cheese
6 Tbsp softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp milk
3 cups powdered sugar

 Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease 9x13 pan
- Combine bars ingredients.
- Pour ingredients in ban
- Bake for 45 minutes
- Combine Frosting ingredients. Beat on low until smooth.
- Let bars cool
- Frost bars.
- Serve

Happy Thanksgivings

Veggie Cheesy Bake

Veggie Cheesey Bake

Ingredients:

1 lb ziti or penne pasta (you could also use rotini; basically whatever you have on hand)
8 oz. ricotta
1 egg
3 C tomato sauce
2 C mozzarella cheese
1 small can mushrooms
1 can peas

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350
-Boil pasta until al dente; drain
-Mix half of the ricotta and egg substitute in a small bowl. Add remaining ricotta to warm pasta and mix. Then add egg/ricotta mixture to pasta and combine well.
-Add about 1/2-1 C sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish and spread to cover bottom. Mix 2 C sauce with pasta mixture and pour pasta in baking dish; pour rest of sauce on top of pasta.
- Add in mustrooms and peas.
-Top with mozzarella cheese.
-Bake until cheese is melted, slightly brown and bubbly. About 20 minutes.

If you want to make and bake later. Add all ingredients to pan put foil on top and freeze until ready to make.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook for 50 minutes, remove foil, cook for another 10 minutes.  Then serve

pork strognoff

Ingredients:

1 cup pork cook and shredded (could also use chopped beef steak)

1 1/2 cups beef stock

2 tbsp ketchup

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 medium onion chopped

3 tbsp flour

1 cup sour cream

Directions:

- Combine all ingredients expect sour cream.

- Cook for 10 - 15 minutes until bubbly.

- Add sour cream, reduce heat to thicken.

- Serve.

Meal Planning Monday

Monday- Taco Pie

Tuesday- Bisquick Chicken

Wednesday- Baked Ziti

Thursday- Leftover

pumpkin pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

I love easy breakfast food. Instant pancakes are the best in my eyes. I do get tired of the same ol pancakes all the time though. At times I add in fruit, chocolate, whatever my heard desires. Recently with the change the seasons and my love of pumpkin I wanted pumpkin pancakes.

Ingredients:
2 cups pancake mix
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1 egg
1 cup water
1/2 c pumpkin

Directions:
- Mix all ingredients together
- Cook on griddle or in a pan like you would any other pancake.

As a side note if u add to much pumpkin it will not cook like a pancake

Crock Pot Chicken

Ingredients:
5lb small chicken
20 small carrots
1 large onion

Directions:
- Clean chicken and place in slow cooker.
- Cut onions in fourths.
- Place onion and carrots in slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hrs.
- Serve

Slower Cooker BBQ Ribs

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

- Add rack of ribs  to slow cooker.
- Pour on bottle of prefered BBQ sauce, we chooce Famous Dave's Sweet and Sassy
- Cook on Low for 8hrs.
- Serve.

Taco Pie

Taco Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef cook and drained
1/4 cup beef stock
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 Tbsp minced onion
3 large tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Sour Cream (optional)

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease 9" round cake pan.
- In pan combine beef, beef stock, taco seasoning and minced onion.

- Place one tortilla in cake pan. Add a layer of beef mixture and cheese.

- Place another tortilla, followed by beef mixture and cheese.

- Place last tortilla and a layer of cheese on top.

- Bake for 20 minutes

- Remove from oven, add sour cream if desired.

- Serve.

Idea came from Pineapple Grass

Tuna Salad

This goes great by itself or on toast, crackers.

Tuna Salad

Ingedients:

1 can of tuna

1 Tbsp miracle Whip

1 tsp sweet relish

2 hard boiled eggs chopped

1 tsp mustard

Directions:

- Drain tuna.

- Add tuna, miracle whip, sweet relish, eggs, and mustard in a bowl and stir.

- Serve

Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients:
box of banana pudding
2 small banana's
graham cracker pie crust

Directions:
- Slice banana's and place at bottom of pie crust

- Make pudding according to directions.
- Pour pudding mixture into pie crust.
- Place in fridge for atleast 3 hours.
- Slice and Serve.

Bite Size Apple Pie

I got this recipe from Jenn over at First Comes Love.  I saw these and just had to try them.

Bite Size Apple Pie

Here is the recipe she posted:

Ingredients:

1 can of refrigerator biscuits (10 count)
1 apple (they called for Granny Smith but I used Fuji) peeled & finely chopped
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
2.5 Tablespoons butter
**additional 1/4 cup raisins- if desired (I didn't desire them!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray
3. Using a rolling pin, flatten each biscuit into a 3-4 inch circle
4. Combine apples with any other fruit (I only used apples but this is where you'd add cranberries, raisins, etc)
5. Add sugar, cinnamon, & nutmeg
6. Place 1 tablespoon of mixture onto each biscuit
7. Dot each with a small pat of butter
8. Bring up the sides of the biscuit to enclose the filling. Pinch & twist the top to seal.
9. Place in greased baking cups
10. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown

Lasagna

Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1 box of lasagna noodles

1 small container of cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated pamasian cheese

1 package of shredded mozerella cheese

1 can of sliced mushrooms

1 jar of pasta sauce

Directions:

- Preheat over to 350 degress

- In a large skillet brown ground beef.

- In a large pasta pan cook lasagna noodles per directions on the box for al dente.

- Add onion, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, and oregano to the ground beef.

- In a large baking dish, add thin layer of pasta sauce. Add a layer of lasagna noodle, cottage cheese, mozerella cheese and mushrooms and some more sauce.

- Continue layers until all out of noodles.

- Lastly put more sauce on top. Sprinkle top with parmasian cheese.

- Bake for 45 minutes.

- Let stand for 15 minutes then serve.

Sweet N Sour Chicken

My husband loves Chinese food. He could eat it every day, especially Sweet N Sour chicken. Gia over at A Life In Progress posted the recipes to this very easy and so tasty Sweet N Sour Chicken.

Sweet N Sour Chicken

Ingredients


1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1 cup carrot strips

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 (8ounce) can pineapple chunks, with juice

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions
In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown chicken in oil.

Add green bell pepper, carrot, and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine corn starch and soy sauce and mix together, pour mixture into skillet along with the pineapple and its juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and ginger.

Stir together and bring just to a boil.

Serve over rice.

Chocolate Chip Scones

Never in my life have I had a scone before. I never really had a desire to have one until I saw that Jennifer over at The Francis Family had them back in January. I just had to make them for myself and try them out. I feel in love with them. My husband on the other hand wasn't very thrilled with them.

Chocolate Chip Scones

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup orange juice





Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender or a large fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. Mix in the orange juice to form a dough.

Turn out the dough on a floured surface. Pat or roll into a 9 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. With a 2 1/2 inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out 12 scones, pushing the dough scraps together for the last few, if necessary. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Move to wire racks to cool.

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Yes this is just a box cake and frosting out of a can. But I mixed it up with adding hersey kisses in the middle. It helped to level out the cakes when I stacked them.

Little Behind on Weekly Menu

I got catch up with other stuff around the house.

Sunday- Lasagna

Monday- Leftover

Tuesday- Sweet n Sour Chicken

Wednesday- Fend for your self

Thursday- Homemade Pizza

Friday- Pork Chops

Weekly Menu

Sunday- I had leftover Applebee's, the guys had pizza
Monday- Leftover
Tuesday- Chicken
Wednesday- Fend For Youself (I work til close)
Thursday- Sweet N Sour Chicken
Friday- Fend For Yourself (I work til close)

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter

- 1 medium onion

- 1/4 cup flour

- 3 cups chicken broth

- 2 cups half and half

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 1 head of broccoli

- 10 small carrots

- 8 ounces cheddar cheese

Directions:

- In a large skillet head butter.
- Chop onion in food chopper. Add onion to melted butter. Cook until tender
- Start chopping broccoli and carrots with food chopper.
- Whisk in flour, half and half, chicken broth and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add broccoli and carrots, simmer for 5 minutes.
-  Shred cheddar cheese.
- Add cheese, whisk until melted.
- Serve.

Turkey Sammie

Turkey Sammie

Ingredients:

cooking spray

2 slices of bread

Miracle Whip

1 slice of cheese

3 slices of Turkey lunch meat

Directions:

- Over medium heat, warm skillet. Spray with cooking spray.

- Apply miracle whip to one side of each slice of bread.

- Place one slice of bread on skillet, miracle whip side up.

- Add cheese and lunch meat to bread. Add other slice of lunch meat with miracle whip side down.

- Flip whole sandwich.

You just want to litely brown/toast eat side of the sandwich.

- Serve.

Chicken Broccoli Noodle

Chicken Broccoli Noodle

This is a really easy recipe. I was trying to use up some extra I have laying around the house and came up with something quick and easy.

Ingredients:
- 1 package of chicken flavored ramen noodle
- 2 Tbsp Evoo
- 1/2 pound chicken
- 1 head of broccoli

Directions:
- Cook ramen noodles per directions on package.
- Add 1/2 of the ramen flavoring.
- In a medium skillet, over medium heat add Evoo. Cook diced chicken thoroughly.
- Add bite size pieces of broccoli. Cook until broccoli has softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add chicken and broccoli to noodles.
- Serve.

Parmigiano Chicken Pasta

Parmigiano Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb Penne Pasta

2 Tbsp Evoo

1 pound of chicken cut up

1 Tbsp minced onion

1 cup shredded Parmigiano cheese

Directions:

- Cook pasta per directions on box until al dente

- In a large skillet over medium heat, add evoo. Add bite size pieces of chicken.

- Cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

- Add minced onion. cook another minute.

- Mix pasta, chicken and cheese.

- Serve.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Ingredients:

2 tbsp EVOO

1 pound ground beef

1 Tbsp minced onion

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 cup ketcup

1 Tbsp mustard

1 cup beef stock

1 pound macaroni

1 bag sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

- Cook macaroni per directions on box.

- In a large skillet heat add evoo over medium heat. Brown ground beef.

- Add minced onion, chili powder, ketcup, mustard, beef stock. Bring to a boil.

- Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly.

- Add macaroni to baking dish.

- Add meat mixture.

- Top with cheese.

- You can now place in fridge until ready to cook.

- Preheat over to 400.

- Bake for 20 minutes.

- Serve.

Breaded Pork Chops

Pork Chops

Ingredients:
- 4 thin sliced pork chops
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1 cup of itialian bread crumbs

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- In a bowl place the cracked egg and a whisk in milk.
- In another bowl add the bread crumbs.
- Take each pork chop and place in egg solution, flip over to coat with sides. Then place in bread cumbs. Coating both sides.
- Place coated pork chops in baking dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes.

Chicken And Biscuit

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book pg 210. It is listed as a meal for one. I just uped the ingredients and made it for two. My husband wasn't a big fan of it. I don't see this one being on our rotation.  The recipe below is the way I made it.

Chicken and Biscuit

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp EVOO
2 boneless chicken brests
season salt
10 white mushrooms
1 small bag frozen peas and carrots
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
container of biscuits

Directions:
- Cook biscuits per directions on contrainer.
- In a large skillet add EVOO over medium heat.
- Add diced bite size chicken. Sprinkle with season salt.
- Saute until chicken it thoroughly cooked.
- Add chopped mushrooms and bag of fozen peas and carrots
- Saute for 5 to 7 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
- Scoot mixture over to side. Add butter. Once butter is melted stir in flour and stock.
- Mix all together.
- Simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
- Servce over warm biscuit.

Meal Plan Monday

Sunday- Pork chops, mash potatoes, gravy, peas

Monday- Cheeseburger Chili Mac

Tueday- Chicken Pasta Parm

Wednesday- Hot dogs

Thrusday- Shrimp Alfredo

Friday- Leftovers

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp EVOO

1 lb sliced chicken

1 green pepper sliced

1 onion sliced

1 packet taco seasoning
dash of chicken stock
flour tortillas
Sour Cream
Shredded cheese

Directions:
- In large skillet heat the EVOO. Add chicken. Saute until thoroughly cooked.
- Add taco seasoning. Stir in a dash of chicken stock to get seasoning off bottom of skillet.
- Place chicken on plate and set aside.
- Add green pepper and onion to to skillet and saute for about 5 minutes until onion and green pepper are tender.
- Heat tortillas in microwave for 20 seconds.
- Place tortilla on plate. Serve chicken down the middle. Add pepper and onion. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Add sour cream down one side of tortilla. Use to hold together when roll in burrito.

Mushroom Chicken with Egg Noodles

I got this idea from a recipe I found on Rachael Ray's website. I changed it up to make it one of my "Make it and Bake it later". Depending on my work schedule there are nights I don't get home til late and I dont want to start making dinner at 9 pm. I have started to make dishes during the day while I am home. Then put it in a baking dish put it in the fridge. When my husband gets home he can preheat the oven and throw it in the oven.

Mushroom Chicken with Egg Noodles

Make It and Bake It Later

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken

1 tbsp Evoo

2 Tbsp butter

10 white mushrooms

1 head of broccoli

1 lb of egg noodles

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup milk

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake chicken for 35 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

- In a large skillet heat Evoo and butter.

- In a medium pan boil water per directions of egg noodles. Once water is boiling add in broccoli and egg noodles. Return to a boil. After 5 minutes, drain water.

- Chop mushrooms and broccoli with food chopper or knife.

- When butter is melted add in mushrooms cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flours, let sit 1 minute. Stir in chicken stock. Bring to a boil. stir in whole milk. Reduce heat and let simmer

- Chop chicken into bite size pieces

- Add egg noodles and broccoli to casserole dish. Stir in mushroom sauce. Add chicken.

- Cover with foil place in fridge until ready to cook.

Later

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- remove foil from dish

- put dish in over for 20 minutes or until thoroughly warm.

- serve with Parmesan cheese.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1/2 pounds chicken cut into bite size pieces

season salt

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 cup of brown or white rice

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup orange juice

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 head of broccoli

1 green pepper

10 white mushrooms

5 carrots

1 Tbsp corn starch

Directions:

- Cook 1 cup of brown or white rice per directions on box.

- Heat evoo in large pan. Add diced up chicken. Season with season salt Cook until chicken is no longer pink.
- Chop broccoli, pepper, mushrooms, and carrots in bite size pieces. Set aside.
- Remove chicken from pan and set aside on plate.
- In large pan (same one as before), add chicken broth, oj, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down and add vegetables.
- Cook until vegetables tender.
- Add back in chicken. Stir.
- Let simmer for 5 minutes to let sauce to thicken. You can also add corn starch to help thicken.
- Serve over rice.

Baked Ziti

I can't take credit for this one at all. Gia over at A Life in Progress posted this on her blog back in September. It caught my eye then and I just had to try it. It was so good. My husband even went back for seconds. This will be on our rotation. It is quick, easy, and cheap. I had made the pasta put it all together in the baking dish and set it in the fridge until I got home from work and then threw it in the oven.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:
1 lb ziti or penne pasta (you could also use rotini; basically whatever you have on hand)
8 oz. ricotta
1 egg
3 C tomato sauce
2 C mozzarella cheese

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350
-Boil pasta until al dente; drain
-Mix half of the ricotta and egg substitute in a small bowl. Add remaining ricotta to warm pasta and mix. Then add egg/ricotta mixture to pasta and combine well.
-Add about 1/2-1 C sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish and spread to cover bottom. Mix 2 C sauce with pasta mixture and pour pasta in baking dish; pour rest of sauce on top of pasta. Top with mozzarella cheese.
-Bake until cheese is melted, slightly brown and bubbly. About 20 minutes.

Hamburger Pizza Fold-Over

I saw something like this on Rachael Ray over a year ago. I also have a buddy who owns a pizza shop who always has weird pizza. I got the idea from both of them of what I wanted to try. I use Pampered Chef's pizza pan stoneware with this recipe. It seems to get a more even cooking and doesn't burn when using the stoneware.

Hamburger Pizza Fold-Over

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup ketcup
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp season salt
2 sandwich pickles diced

1  tube pizza crust
1 cup cheese
1 tbsp melted butter
pizza seasoning

Directions:
- In a medium skillet brown ground beef and shred.
- Remove from heat.
- Once meat is throughly cooked add ketcup, w sauce, onion, garlic, season salt, and pickles. Stir.
- On stoneware lay out pizza crust.
- Add hambuger mix to center of pizza crust.
- Add cheese on top of hamburger mix.

- Fold over and press seems together.
- Brush top with melted butter. Add pizza seasoning as desired for more flavor to crust.

- Bake in over per directions on tube of pizza crust.
- Remove from over, cut and serve.

Peanut Chicken

I got the idea from watching the Rachael Ray Show. She made "Make Your Own Take Out: Spicy Peanut Chicken." I modified it to my liking since Dave isn't a big fan of spicy and I wanted to use stuff that we had around the house instead of having to go shopping. Next time I plan on adding green peppers for more flavor and to include a vegetable.

Peanut Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown or white rice cooked by boxes directions

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast diced into bit size pieces

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp garlic

1 Tbsp minced onion

1/4 cup creamy JIF peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

Directions:

- Cook rice by directions on the box.

- Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil on high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken. Cook until no longer pink on inside.

- Remove chicken from skillet, set aside on plate.

- Add 2 Tbsp vegetable oil to large skillet on high heat. Add onion, and garlic. Stir into oil until all of garlic powder is disolved.

- Add peanut butter, soy sauce, and chicken stock. Stir until become a sauce.

- Add chicken back into sauce, along with peanuts.

- Stir together so sauce is coated over chicken and peanuts.

- Remove from heat.

- Let stand for 1 minute to let sauce thicken.

- Serve over rice.

Marinated Steak

I have never been a really big fan of steak. My husband got these steaks from an old boss a while ago. (I won't tell you how long ago). They had been in the freezer in freezer bags, vacuumed sealed, foil etc. He decided this is what he wanted for dinner so I decided to marinate them to add more flavor. It turns out I do like steak.

So I have no idea what kind of steaks these are. It was just what we had.

- First thaw out the steak if they are frozen.

- Place steak in a gallon size zip lock bag.

- Add some EVOO, season salt, garlic powder, and minced onion.

- Shake bag.

- Let marinate in fridge for atleast 5 hours.

- Cook as normal.

Here is my husband making the steaks. Not the greatest picture, but him making dinner doesn't happen to often.