Pumpkin Crunch Muffins

1-3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, or chopped nuts
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup pumpkin (canned plain)
6 to 12 TBS brown sugar

1.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

2.  Stir in raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips.

3.  In another bowl, mix together milk, oil, egg, and pumpkin.  Stir well.

4.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened.  Don't overmix.

5.  Generously grease muffin cups and fill 2/3 full with batter.  Sprinkle each muffin with 1/2 to 1 TBS brown sugar.  Bake at 400℉ for 15-20 minutes.

Yield 1 dozen muffins.

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes with Maple Icing Syrup

from HowDoesShe
Cinnamon Bun Pancakes:

1-1/2 cups flour
3 TBS. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 TBS cinnamon (or more)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 TBS corn syrup (or maple syrup)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 TBS vanilla

1.  Preheat griddle or frying pan to medium-low and grease with butter, margarine, or cooking spray.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together.

3.  In seperate bowl mix together eggs, milk, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla.  When beat together add to dry ingredients and mix well.

4.  Drop the batter by 1/3 cup fulls onto the preheated griddle and cook until tiny bubbly start appearing on top.  Flip over and cook other side.

5.  Serve warm with Maple Icing Syrup (recipe follows)

Maple Icing Syrup:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 TBS maple syrup
1/4 cup milk, or more if you want it a little more runny

1.  Combine all ingredients together and pour over your cinnamon bun pancakes.

Baby Car Seat Covers

Here is a recipe for something different; cute car seat covers.  My daughter made these for my niece's twins.  Click here for a great tutorial.  We hope you enjoy, Whitney.

Meatballs and Gravy

Meatballs:

2 lbs. hamburger
3/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
2 eggs
salt and pepper
olive oil

1.  Mix hamburger, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt, and pepper together.  Form into meatballs.

2. Brown meatballs in olive oil.  Transfer to baking dish and bake at 375℉ for about 30 minutes or until baked through.  (It depends how big you made the meatballs how long they will take).

3.  When meatballs are about done make gravy.

Gravy:

Meat drippings, from pan you browned meatballs in
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
salt and pepper
2 cups milk

1.  Add butter to meat drippings stir until melted.  Add flour; stir and cook until lightly browned and no lumps of flour remain.  Add salt and pepper.

2.  Slowly add milk and stir until gravy thickens.

3.  Serve over meatballs.  Good over mashed potatoes or biscuits.

Golden Oreo Carmel Cheesecake Bars

from Nabisco World and CookiesandCups

28 Golden Oreos, divided 18 and 10
3 TBS butter, melted
20-24 caramels  (or a 5.5 oz bag) (I used the carmel bits that you don't have to unwrap)
1 TBS water
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 container (7 oz) marshmallow creme
1 egg

1.  Preheat oven to 350℉.  Crush 18 golden oreos until they are fine crumbs.  (You can use a food processor or put them in a ziploc bag and crush.  Add melted butter to fine crumbs and combine.  Press firmly in the bottom of a greased 9x9 inch square pan to create a crust.  Bake crust for 10 minutes or until golden.  Let crust cool 10-15 minutes.

2.  While crust is cooling unwrap carmels and place in a microwave safe bowl with the 1 TBS water.  Set aside.

3.  Coarsely chop the remaining 10 golden oreos. (I cut them in fourths) Set aside.

4.  In a bowl beat the softened cream cheese and marshmallow creme on medium speed until combined and smooth.  Scrape down the sides as needed.  Add egg and beat for 30 more seconds until incorporated.  Stir in chopped oreos that were set aside.  Pour batter into prepared crust.

5.  Microwave carmels and water on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds.  When melted and smoothly stirred, drop by spoonfuls on the batter.  Using a knife, swirl the carmel into cream cheese batter.

6.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until center is set.  Let cool on wire rack for 20 minutes and then transfer to refrigerator for 4-24 hours to cool.  Cut into squares when completely cooled.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

4 large baking potatoes (or use 8 small ones)
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 cup sour cream (light works fine)
1 cup grated cheese-more for garnish
4 green onions thinly sliced
10 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1.  Scrub potatoes, pat dry and wrap with tinfoil.  Bake for 75 minutes at 350℉, or until tender.  Let cool completely.  Or use left over baked potatoes.  (I used red potatoes that I cooked in the microwave.)

2.  Peel and cube potatoes (if you use red potatoes leave skins on if you want).

3.  In a large pot melt the butter, add the salt, pepper, and flour and whisk until smooth and no flour lumps remain.  Add milk slowly 2 cups at a time. Bring to a boil; cook and stir a couple of minutes until thickened.

4.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add cubed potatoes.  Heat until warm.  Stir in sour cream.  Mix in cheese.  Stir until melted.

5.  Serve with crumbled bacon, green onions and more shredded cheese if desired.

Yield about 8 servings

Coconut and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Cooking with Cristine

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup coconut
2/3 cup white chocolate chips and chunks

1.  Preheat oven to 350℉.  Beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and coconut.  When mixed well add white chocolate chips.

2.  On a lined cookie sheet place cookie dough balls that have been slightly flattened.  Bake for 10-14 minutes or until lightly browned.

Refrigerator Sweet Rolls

from Annette

2 TBS yeast
3/4 cup warm water
3 cups buttermilk
8 cups flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 TBS salt
1 tsp. baking soda

butter, softened
sugar
brown sugar
cinnamon

1.  Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl with a lid.

2.  In seperate container heat buttermilk to lukewarm (I do 2 minutes in the microwave).

3.  Add the buttermilk to yeast mixture and stir well.  Add 3 cups flour, beat well with a large wire whisk.  Let this mixture rise for 30 to 60 minutes.

4.  After your yeast mixture has raised, in a seperate bowl whip together eggs, sugar, oil, salt, and baking soda.  Add this mixture to your yeast mixture.  Whisk together well.   Add remaining 5 cups flour and stir well.

5.  Put the lid on your large bowl and refrigerate dough overnight.  (The dough will rise in the fridge so make sure your bowl is large enough to let it raise and not remove the lid)

6.  In the morning, put flour on counter (This dough is sticky but don't add more flour than you need.  Just enough so it doesn't stick to the counter.)  Roll out your dough to a large rectangle.  Spread with softened butter, then sprinkle with brown sugar, sugar, and  cinnamon.  Roll up and cut with a string or dental floss.  Place on greased or lined cookie sheets.  Makes 2 dozen cinnamon rolls.  Let rise of 15 minutes.

7.  Preheat oven while rolls are raising.  Bake at 400℉ for 15 minutes.  Glaze as soon as the rolls come out of oven.   (recipe follows)

Glaze:

2/3 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tsp. vanilla extract
4 TBS. hot water

1.  Mix all ingredients together until smooth.

2.  Drizzle on cinnamon rolls.