Pumpkin Pancakes & Buttermilk Syrup

It's officially fall now and one of my favorite things about this time of year is pumpkin recipes. I saw this recipe on a tv show called Hey Kids Lets Cook and WOW it's a keeper! My whole family loved these spiced pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. all purpose flour

3 T. sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1 c. milk

2 T. oil

1 egg

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Combine dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients. Mix well, and cook pancakes (about 1/4 c. batter at a time) on a greased griddle.

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. buttermilk

1 t. honey

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. baking soda

Combine butter, sugar, buttermilk and honey in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring, until boiling. Stop stirring and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda. Serve warm.Enjoy!

Artichoke Pizza

This is, yet again, a recipe from my Almost Homemade cookbook (which I am really loving!) This pizza is creamy and delicious. My whole family really enjoyed it.

Artichoke Pizza

1 prebaked 12" pizza crust

1 (14 oz.) can water-packed artichoke hearts, drained

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. grated mozzarella, divided

1 c. grated parmesan, divided

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. grape/cherry tomatoes, halved

In a mixing bowl, combine artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, 3/4 c. mozzarella, 3/4 c. parmesan, and garlic.

Place pizza crust on an ungreased pizza sheet. Spread evenly with artichoke mixture.

Top with tomatoes.

Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

Bake at 450 F for 15-20 minutes.

I will most definitely be making this again. I loved it. Enjoy!

Midnight Cake

I've been searching for the perfect chocolate cake and I'm pretty sure I found it! I made this for my birthday and I chose not to frost it (my next endeavor is to find the perfect chocolate frosting recipe!) Instead, I just stacked the two cakes and topped it with chocolate mousse.

Midnight Cake (adapted from Taste of Home magazine)

2 c. flour

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 c. unsweetened cocoa

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2/3 c. oil

2 T. vinegar

1 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. water

Mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased cake pans. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. (Check after about 23 minutes. You don't want to overbake them!) Remove from pans and let cool. Serve as desired.

Chocolate Mousse

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

1 c. whole milk

1 c. heavy whipping cream

Combine pudding and milk. Set aside. Whip cream in a cold bowl with cold beaters until stiff. Fold into pudding mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!!!

Veggie Mac & Cheese

This mac 'n' cheese has hidden veggies (always a good thing.) It is adapted from my Taste of Home Almost Homemade cookbook.

Veggie Mac & Cheese

2 c. dry pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen cauliflower, thawed

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 T. canola oil

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 oz.) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

2 c. grated cheese

1/2 c. milk

1/2 t. dried basil

1/2 t. prepared mustard

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, chop cauliflower into small pieces. Heat oil in a saucepan and add onion and cauliflower. Saute for a couple minutes.

Drain pasta. In the pasta pot, combine remaining ingredients and heat over medium. Stir constantly until it becomes a cheesy sauce.

Add pasta and cauliflower mixture to sauce and toss. Serve warm.

I'm a big pasta lover so I really enjoyed this dish. Plus my family all ate it too, veggies and all!

Enjoy!

Rolo Brownies

Happy 4th of July! Instead of making a red white and blue dessert, I opted for brownies. I found this recipe from My Baking Addiction and I just had to try it. I mean, come on: caramel, peanut butter, and chocolate. How could that not be good? This is a new favorite for my family.

Rolo Brownies

1 devil's food cake mix

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

1/3 c. evaporated milk

30-40 rolo candies

10 reeses miniatures, quartered

Mix cake mix, butter and evaporated milk to form a stiff dough.

Press half of the dough into a greased 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.

Top with rolos and reeses.

Top candy with the rest of the dough. (I just pieced it together.)

Bake again for 20 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Enjoy!

Hot Ham & Swiss Braid

I got this idea from my good friend, Carrie. I was asking her what I should do with some swiss cheese I had in the fridge. This was a fun way to use it. My family really enjoyed this hot, buttery sandwich.

Hot Ham & Swiss Braid

1 can crescent rolls

mayonnaise

mustard

swiss cheese

sliced deli ham

On a greased cookie sheet, unroll the crescent rolls and seal the seams so it forms one big rectangle. Spread with mayo and mustard. Top with cheese and ham.

Using a pizza cutter, cut 1" strips about 1/3 of the way in on both long sides of the rectangle. Fold each one over until it looks kind of like a big braid.

Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Cut into pieces and serve.

Enjoy!

Reeses Cookies

My hubby and I are huge peanut butter fans. These peanut butter Reeses cookies are adapted from She Knows.

Reeses Cookies

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 c. creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

3 1/2 c. flour

about 48 reeses cups, unwrapped

melted chocolate bark, optional

Cream sugars and butter until smooth. Add peanut butter, eggs, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Stir in flour to form a dough.

Scoop 1" balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 F for 10-12 minutes.

Immediately press a reeses cup into each cookie.

When cooled, drizzle with melted chocolate bark, if desired.

Enjoy!