Candy Corn cupcakes

How cute are these! How beautiful are these! It doesn't matter if you like candy corn or not.. you will love these beautiful cupcakes! Here we go...

Halloween Goodies Galore

Halloween is days away and I have been very busy in the kitchen! Cooking and cleaning, baking and cleaning... thank goodness it's almost here! So, I decided to do this big post of the treats I have been making over the past few days.

First up is a Pumpkin pizza pot pie! This is a "pizza" like casserole, that smiles back at you:) I made one round casserole, but you can divide it up and do personal ones in little pumpkin ramekins.. how cute would that be?

Second, is my candy corn cupcakes and third is a super easy and very cute witches hat... the best part of that is that it is a no bake recipe! Finally, I wrap up with my adorable candy corn cookies! Whew! I'm done.. but you're not... get in the kitchen a start a baking!

my little pumpkin

Happy almost Halloween:)! I made this cake for the kids for when they came home from school today, let me say they were quite happy! They did fight over who ate the chocolate "stem" in the middle of the cake though. But overall, I got smiles all around.


This cake is made from a regular yellow cake mix and prepared in a bunt pan. I then make the homemade orange icing ( I will do a box cake, but I will not do canned icing!) and cover a ice cream cone with magic shell for the stem! Cute huh?

mini muffin cutie pies

I was looking for a quick fix to a pecan pie recipe and came across this recipe for pecan mini muffins from taste of home. They are so adorable and you can whip them up in no time at all. A great recipe to have on hand during these fall months... a great addition to the thanksgiving dessert table, or a little treat to have with your afternoon cup of coffee. or tea.

One tip.. make sure you spray your muffin tins really well so they don't stick! Get the spray with the flour :)

Happy fall!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

This is my first cake baking along with The Cake Slice Bakers. The Cake Slice Bakers is a baking group that bakes from a different cookbook each year, and every month we try out a new cake from the book. This year it is Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman, and October's Cake is Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake. Click here to see the Cake slice bakers blogroll

Give this cake a try, and you will not be disappointed.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

 Method:

Heat the oven to 350. Coat the inside of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray ( I used a bunt pan)

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluff, about 3 minutes.

With the mixer on medium low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin and vanilla. Stir in the milk.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flower mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Scrape the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake about 55 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan fro 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up to cool completely. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic for up to one week.

Back to an old Classic

Tuna Casserole is NOT a favorite of mine normally.. I can think of so many other things I like to prepare. But, I was on the search for a tuna casserole recipe without the canned soup.. you know those old school recipes for tuna casserole always called for a canned cream of something, mushroom maybe? Anyways,   casseroles are so easy to prepare, you can do them the night before or during the early afternoon while the baby is napping and the kids are at school. Stick them in the refrigerator and pop them in the oven and you are done! Tuna is such healthy protein, and you get everything in one dish.. the noodles, veggies, and the protein. SCORE!

A is for Apple B is for Bliss

Every year after the family goes apple picking, I always make this cake. I am always open to trying new apple cake recipes, but this one is always at the  VERY top of my list. My daughter was at a sleepover this weekend and I told her I was making apple cake and she begged me not to make it until Sunday when she came home. There is something about the smell that fills the house when this cake is baking and serving it warm with a scoop of ice cream. This cake is made with fat free cream cheese which gives the batter extra moisture. This cake is full of cinnamon flavor and so super moist. I am sure this cake will be on the top of your list as well.

Lemon and Lime = YUM!

So, It was my daughter Jordyn's twelfth birthday, I really can't believe how time flys by! I just have to smile when I remember her as a little girl, big blue eyes and curly hair, she looked like a doll. We would get stopped everywhere we went, "is that really her hair?.. no, I perm a 2 year old's hair! I'd reply with a smile "yes, that's all hers!" They would reply back.. "she looks like Shirley Temple".. and,  there was the time I will never forget, at the makeup counter at Lord and Taylor. The lady saying to her in a sweet voice, " You are so beautiful with your curly hair", and Jordyn replied in a loud nasty voice" It's NOT CURLY! It's STRAIGHT!" She was three at the time and totally sick and tired of the attention! Although good attention, she didn't get it:)

Now, that cutie is 12 and still has a head of curls.. and now she finally gets how blessed she is to have it!

Take a look at these pictures and you will know what I mean..

Football + Corn Dip = A man's perfect afternoon

Tis the season for football for most all men. Sunday's are their day to sit and watch their favorite team play. I am not a football watching girl, but I will make my husband an appetizer, it just makes the sneaking out to have some time to myself much easier, and by time to myself that usually means 3 out of the 5 kids. But, scary enough.. having two less kids running errands does make a big difference!

This corn dip is a great recipe to have on hand. It takes minutes to make and has only 5 ingredients. Serving it with the Frito's scoops makes it all the  better. You can scoop the creamy, cheesy, corn goodness and believe me, you will not be having only one scoop! Happy Weekend!

A little bit of Pumpkin Bliss

Ahhh, It's October I am in the pumpkin mood. Actually, I have been in the pumpkin mood for about a month now, but I was holding off until now. I will admit, it has been hard.. their is lots of pumpkin temptation out their! Dunkin Doughnuts has their pumpkin doughnut, Starbucks has their Pumpkin Spice latte, and all their pumpkin goodies. However, I held out until October and today I made the best pumpkin chocolate chip bread EVER! It is the moistest bread ever and the chocolate chips give it another depth of goodness.. chocolaty goodness! And, don't feel bad if you eat 2 pieces like me. There is a " Beauty Boost" pumpkin is loaded with vitamins A, C, B6 and E. The beta carotene in pumpkins can help prevent night blindness and other eye problems. It also helps enhance your immune system, and protects against colds, flu and infections. So, let's get our bake on!

Sausage & Peppers

 I am sure you have many meals that you remember from your childhood, and growing up in an Italian
family, sausage and  peppers was one of mine. My mother would make sausage and pepper sandwiches and we all loved them. Unfortunately,   she is not around for me to ask her how she prepared it, so I have adapted a recipe from Giada and changed it a little bit. Let me tell you, it is amazing, the flavor is phenomenal. I use all three color peppers, orange, yellow and red and sweet turkey sausage rather that pork sausage. My mother and grandmother would definitely be proud.