Pumpkin Bread

Yes, I do realize that my last post was a very Fall treat and now I am posting pumpkin. What can I say? I am on a baking kick? Probably....
I promise I will post a meal next...I DO cook dinner still! Promise!!

Okay, this pumpkin bread recipe is super easy and deliciously moist.

3 C sugar
1 C oil
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
3 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cloves
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice\
1/2 C nuts (optional)
1/2 C chocolate chips (optional)

Blend first four ingredients well. Mix remaining ingredients (minus nuts and chocolate chips) in separate bowl and add mixture slowly to creamed sugar mixture. Add nuts and chocolate chips if desired.
Grease 2 loaf pans and fill 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour.

Enjoy!
Kayla

Apple Crisp

Now that Fall is finally upon us we can pull out thick sweaters, boots and scarves, open the windows at home and turn on the oven to make wonderfully Fall dishes such as this apple crisp. Not too sweet and not too bitter this recipe is the perfect light dessert on a cool evening.

All you need is:

4 C tart apples, sliced
2/3 to 3/4 C brown sugar, packed
1/2 C flour
1/2 C rolled oats
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 C butter, softened

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Arrange apples in greased, square 8x8x2" pan.
Mix remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over apples. Bake until topping is golden brown and apples are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with cream or ice cream. (Or eat it plain which is delicious also :)  )
Serves 6.

I apologize for the awful picture, but I forgot to take it until I was putting the leftovers away in the refrigerator... that's how good it is :)

Kayla

Shrimp Fajitas

Fish is always a difficult dish for me to make. I just never know what to do with it to make it different than the usual fried in a pan style. This shrimp recipe has saved me a few times. It is super quick and easy to make as well as absolutely delicious! Definitely a must try!

The ingredients are as follows:

1 1/2 T vegetable oil
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup chopped onion
1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning
3 T water (or more if needed)
6- 10 inch flour tortillas, warmed

Heat 1 T oil in skillet. Add green and red peppers and onion. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until peppers are hot, but crisp. Remove from skillet.
Pour remaining 1/2 T oil in skillet. Add shrimp and cook until pink and opaque, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and add peppers and onion. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Coat shrimp and vegetables well. Simmer until peppers are heated. Serve in warm tortillas.

I like to put the shrimp/ pepper mix into a tortilla and sprinkle it with cheese. Then fry in pan until the cheese is melted and tortilla is golden brown (about 1-2 minutes per side.)

Enjoy!

Kayla

Simple and Delicious Beef Stew

Hello again!

Man! It has been forever since I have posted! I have a pile of delicious recipes for you all! Today you only get one though :)

This is a super easy stew recipe. All you need is:

A pound of stew meat (I used leftover roast from Sunday supper)
4 large potatoes
4-5 carrots
1 large onion
2-3 beef bouillon cubes
1 package stew seasoning
1 bag frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the stew meat chunks in flour until they are well coated. Brown in skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Cut carrots, onion and potatoes into chunks of your liking.
Place all vegetables except peas into dutch oven. Add meat and bouillon cubes. Cover with water and simmer over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes or so). Add stew seasoning, salt and pepper and peas. Cook for another 15-20 minutes. Serve with warm bread.

Have a great day!
Kayla

Cheesecake and a crazy week.

Goodness! I realized yesterday that this post is long overdue!
The past week has been crazy! A close cousin of mine had a baby boy two weeks ago and then my best friend had a boy a couple days after, so last Thursday I made them both lasagna (and totally forgot to take pictures.)
Then, Saturday I made two cheesecakes (one for a festival at our parish and the other for us), cleaned the house, went to a bridal shower for a darling girl, and finished up some sewing. This week has been a little slower. (Thank goodness!)

Here is a delicious cheesecake recipe for you :) The texture is a little crumbly, which makes it a bit unique from the usually creamy cheesecake.

For the crust you need: 

2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C butter
1/4 C sugar

For the cake you need: 

4- 8 oz packages cream cheese
6 eggs
2 C sugar
2 C sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix crust ingredients together and press into the bottom of a 10" spring form pan.

Having all the cheesecake ingredients at room temperature, blend them together well. (It will look a little lumpy when you are done.) Pour over crust and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in it for at least six hours or overnight so it does not crack. (No matter how tempting it is, DO NOT open the door or your cake may fall or crack in the center.)

As I do not have a light on my oven I did barely open the door and you can see what happened. :( Oh well, it was still delicious and I wasn't trying to win any prize I guess :)

 

 

Oh, and if you are in need of a good mixer, I highly advise you to invest in a Bosch! It is the best mixer I have ever owned in my life!

 Have a great rest of the week!
Kayla

        

Chili- Garlic Glazed Salmon

This is another great recipe from my favorite cooking blog www.navywifecook.com.

It is a super easy weeknight dinner and definitely delicious!

The ingredients are just:

3 T chili sauce with garlic
3 T minced green onion
1 1/2 T orange marmalade
3/4 tsp soy sauce
3-4 salmon fillets

Heat broiler.
Combine first four ingredients. Brush half the mixture over fillets. Place fillets, skin side down, on a greased baking sheet. Broil fish for 5 minutes, brush with remaining mixture, and broil for 2 more minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken with Italian Sausage

This meal has been made in my kitchen at least four times in the last few months, and the other day was the first time I have ever eaten any of it. Spicy food is not big with me so I always steered toward something I knew I wouldn't cry over at dinner (obviously only due to the spices). 

This dish was as warm as I thought it would be since I used the spicy sausage. But over all it was pretty good (and Jeph really liked it which is all that matters really :)  )

The ingredients are:

 10 oz bulk mild or hot Italian sausage

 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 can (15 oz) white beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz.) red beans, rinsed and drained

1 C chicken broth

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

Chopped fresh parsley (optional.)

Brown sausage in skillet over medium-high heat. Drain and discard fat. Spoon sausage into slow cooker. 

Trim fat from chicken thighs. Place chicken, beans, broth, onion, salt, and pepper into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Adjust seasonings as desired.

To serve, slice each chicken thigh on the diagonal. Serve with sausage and beans. Garnish with parsley.

Jeph and I are off to a Packers' game tonight! Have a great day!

Kayla