Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Glaze

     So yesterday I used some more of my six pounds of apples to make apple muffins. They were perfect for breakfast but now that it’s the weekend I’m looking for something sweeter. Immediately cupcakes come to mind. I wanted to make an apple cinnamon cupcake with a sweet frosting on top. Looking through some recipes online I came across a brown sugar glaze that sounded like it would be perfect to go on top of my cupcakes.
     The recipe for the cupcakes is similar to the muffins but there are differences. For starters there is more sugar in the cupcakes and more flour. I baked them up and they smelled divine. While they were in the oven I mixed up the brown sugar glaze. Even after sitting it was still runny so I added some powdered sugar to it which made it the perfect consistency.

     I’d like to say that I could have eaten the entire pan of glaze. I’m not kidding it was like a warm, sweet caramel. The sweetness of this glaze was perfect with the sourness of the granny smith apples in the cupcakes. I ate two as soon as I glazed them and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop myself from eating them all by the end of the weekend. Of course, I think I could dump this glaze on just about anything and I’d eat it.

     Sadly, I used the end of my six pounds of apples on this recipe. It’s been a good apple baking week in our household and the next time I’m down near the Fruit Bowl, I’ll make sure to pick up another large load of apples. Next time I’ll switch up the types of apples, as I’d like to try a few different ones in some recipes I have sitting on my dresser just waiting to be made.

Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Glaze

2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
½ t. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 large egg
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
½ c. low fat sour cream
6 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
½ c. sweetened applesauce
3 apples peeled and cored: 1 diced and 2 grated
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.

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

3. In a large bowl cream the butter, sour cream, and sugars. Add in the applesauce and egg and beat well. Stir in the vanilla.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stir until well combined. Add the diced and grated apples and stir well.

5. Pour mixture into muffin tins about ¾ full. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes then glaze.

Brown Sugar Glaze (from Vintage Victuals)

½ stick butter
½ c. packed light brown sugar
1 T. milk
2 T. powdered sugar

    1. Put the butter, brown sugar, and milk into a small saucepan. Stir until melted. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Allow to boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar. All to cool for 20 minutes to thicken. Pour onto apple cupcakes.

Apple Nut Muffins

    I’m still working on the six pounds of apples that I bought at the Fruit Bowl this past week. The applesauce was scrumptious, but now I was in the mood for something more substantial. I’m a teacher so I normally work 8-3:30 everyday, but today is parent-teacher conference day so my schedule is 11-7. This worked out well for me because it gave me some time to come up with a breakfast recipe that included apples.


    When I think breakfast and apples I immediately think muffins. They are easy to make and really good in the mornings or for a snack. I decided to make a simple apple cinnamon muffin with sour cream to make it moister. I chopped one apple and grated another to give the muffins a few chunks but to also add apple flavor to the muffins.

    The muffins turned out well. They were not too sweet (which is perfect for breakfast), and they had a great apple flavor to them. After making them I realized I had some dried cranberries in the cupboard. I think adding a half a cup of cranberries to the muffins would have made a nice harvest muffin for fall. I’m thinking I might make another batch using the cranberries.

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins

1 ¾ c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1 egg
½ c. firmly packed brown sugar
¼ c. white sugar
1/3 c. low fat sour cream
½ c. applesauce
¼ c. butter
1 t. vanilla
2 medium apples (I used Gala) peeled and cored: 1 diced, 1 grated
½ c. coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large bowl cream the butter, sour cream, and sugars. Add the applesauce and vanilla and stir until it’s well combined. Mix in the egg.

4. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little at a time until well combined. Stir in the apples and nuts.

5. Divide the batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Warm Apple Crisp

     There is nothing better on a chilly fall night then a warm bowl of apple crisp. Since I happen to have around 4 ½ pounds of apples left I figured I’d make this treat for my husband and I. I have tried many versions of apple crisp over the years. Some of them have been dry, others have had a topping that wasn’t the greatest, and some have been pretty yummy. I hoped that having made so many different versions of the crisp that I could use what I’ve learned and make the best apple crisp yet.


     I started with two different types of apples. I used Granny Smith apples which are tart and Gala apples which are sweeter. I cut, peeled, and sliced the apples. Then I placed one Granny Smith apple on the bottom and layer one Gala apple on top of it. I then put on a layer of sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. I thought this might help to make the apple crisp moist and more flavorful. Then I layered the other two apples on top. I finished off with a very simple crumb topping.

     The result was amazing! The apples had softened and combined with the spices and lemon juice to make a moist apple bottom on top of which was a buttery crisp topping. It tasted and smelled like fall. My husband asked if we could just eat apple crisp for dinner. Of course I agreed! The only thing that could have made it better would have been a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Apple Crisp (by me!)

4 medium apples-peeled, cored, and sliced thin (I used Granny Smith and Gala)
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. nutmeg
1 lemon
2 T. sugar

Topping:
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. flour
½ c. oats
4 T. butter, chilled

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 11 x 7 baking pan (or 9 x 9) with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Layer two of the apples in the pan. Cut the lemon in half and use the juice of ½ of the lemon to cover the apples in the baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 t. cinnamon, 1 t. nutmeg, and 1 T. sugar.

3. Layer the remaining two apples on top of the sugar. Sprinkle the remaining ½ of the lemon’s juice on top of the apples and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar on top.

4. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, and oats. Blend the butter with a pastry blender or 2 forks until it is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of the apples to cover the entire top. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the top begins to brown.

Crock-Pot Applesauce

     This week all of my recipes have apples in them.  When I think fall I think of apples and pumpkins and have been on a huge fall kick.  I just bought a ton of apples and will be using them throughout the week.

     I was out yard sailing on Saturday as I do most Saturday mornings. I hadn’t had a lot of luck and was tiring quickly. I was in Cumberland, which is about 20 minutes from my house, when I passed the Fruit Bowl. The Fruit Bowl is our local fruit and vegetable market. I don’t get down there to often because it’s in an inconvenient location but the fruits and veggies are great and the price is usually better then at the market.


     When I walked in the door the first thing that greeted me was a huge display of apples. I’ve been in a fall mood for the past two weeks so I went to see what the price was. Turns out they were baking apples and were on sale for 59 cents a pound! I promptly chose three pounds of Gala apples and three pounds of Granny Smiths. I had no clue what I was going to do with them, but I figured I think about that later.

     After asking some of the ladies on the What’s Cooking? board on The Nest for some apple recipe suggestions, I came out with three recipes I couldn’t wait to try. The one I was most excited to try was the crock-pot applesauce. I love applesauce, especially when it’s warm and has a hint of cinnamon to it.

     I got home from Zumba around 8:00 and after taking a shower I had a craving for applesauce. It was pouring down rain and cold outside, so I thought the hot applesauce would be perfect for breakfast. I peeled the apples then used my apple slicer to slice and core the apples. This made it so much easier and faster then doing it by hand.

     I got it all together and in the crock-pot at 10:00pm. The mouth-watering aroma of apples and cinnamon woke me up at 4:30 am. My alarm was set for 6:00am so I just got up and checked on the applesauce.

     It looked so good! It smelled heavenly. Seriously-it smelled like warm apple pie in my kitchen. I couldn’t wait to try it so I had a bowl at 5 o’clock! It tasted as good as it looked. The applesauce was warm with a light sweetness and had undertones of cinnamon. It’s the perfect breakfast dish for a cold, rainy morning. My husband was talking about adding it to his oatmeal when I was walking out the door for work, and he doesn't even like applesauce.  He did however, eat a bowl of this homemade applesauce this morning and really enjoyed it.


Crock-Pot Applesauce (adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking)

6 large apples, skinned, cored, and cut into 8 pieces (I used 3 Granny Smiths and 3 Galas)
Juice of 2 lemons (I used about 1 ½ lemons because they were juicy)
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
3T. brown sugar
¾ c. water

1. Skin, core, and cut the apples into eighths. Put the pieces into the crock-pot. Add the juice of the lemons and the water. Pour in the vanilla. Add the cinnamon and sprinkle the brown sugar on top.

2. Stir just to combine the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. When the apples are super tender, mash with a potato masher or a large fork.

**Note: I cooked the apples for 6 hours on low then mashed them. I then sprinkled another tablespoon of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon on top of the applesauce and cooked for an additional hour. It was fabulous!

Balsamic Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

     Fridays in Frostburg mean the farmer’s market. Unfortunately I work on Fridays so once late August comes I’m unable to make to it to the local farmer’s market. Thankfully my husband was able to get there this past week. He got a lot of our usual favorites and in addition he scored a bag of fresh green beans.


     Now I love green beans, especially when they are fresh. The problem I have is I never know what to do with them. After running through my recipes I recalled a balsamic green bean dish I had made ages ago. After searching my files for the recipe I came up empty handed. I thought that I recalled the recipe well enough to wing it, so I tried.

     The results were surprisingly good. This is such an easy recipe that has just a hint of sweetness to it. The beans were good hot, but the longer they sat in the vinegar mixture after cooking, the more flavor they absorbed and the better they tasted. I think next time I would add more onions and maybe a sprinkle of dried thyme.
Balsamic Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut into ½ inch strips
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound green beans, trimmed and halved
¾ c. chicken broth
2-3 T. balsamic vinegar, divided
2 t. brown sugar
½ t. salt
½ t. ground black pepper
1 t. dried thyme
1. In a large saucepan bring salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes or until crisp but tender. Remove from heat and drain. 

2. In a medium skillet heat the olive oil. Cook the onion for 7-8 minutes or until they are beginning to brown. Toss in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

3. Add the chicken broth to the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 T. of vinegar, the brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the green beans and sauté 3-4 minutes. Drizzle with 2 T. balsamic vinegar and heat for another minute. Sprinkle with dried thyme. Add the green beans and serve.

**You can also top the green beans with toasted almond slivers for additional crunch**

Eight Days to Live (Book Review)

     I ordered the audio CD for the novel Eight Days to Live by Iris Johansen at the end of May. Unfortunately it came on this new little device with its’ own ear buds that didn’t work. The library informed me that they didn’t have any other audios of this book but they would find it for me down state. Three weeks later the CD’s arrived at the library. It was a week before my wedding so I listened to as much as I could, but had to return them the day I got back from the honeymoon, as it was an inter-state library loan. I then found that my own library system had purchased the book and I put it on hold. I just got the book yesterday and finally finished it, after starting it last month.

     The question is…was it worth it? The answer: I think it was. This fast paced thriller is one in the Eve Duncan forensics thriller series. I’ve read a few other books in this series and they were mainly about Eve Duncan and her forensic work. This book took the series to a whole new level and focused more on the Jane, Eve’s adopted daughter.

     In the book Jane is being stalked by a religious cult because of one of her paintings. The cult wants to make Jane their sacrifice at the Offering ceremony which takes place in eight days, hence the name of the book. The story brings in characters that we are already familiar with from earlier books. There is Jock Gavin the assassin, Seth Caleb the mind reader, and John MacDuff the warrior. All three men work together to try and keep the cult from finding Jane and offering her as a sacrifice to Judas.

     I think this book is better then her previous two or three. It brings in some of the old characters we love, and gets away from focusing on just Eve and her husband Joe. The religious cult aspect is an interesting look into the Bible and history. This book was action packed and easy to read. There were possibly a few too many killings to make it believable, but it was still entertaining and left me wanting to read the next in the series.

I give this book 3 ½ out of 5 stars.

Crock-Pot Potato Soup

    It’s gotten fairly chilly over the past week even though it’s only the beginning of October.  I’m not complaining, as the first few weeks of school were so hot I thought I might pass out. I’m actually excited because I’ve got my hoodie on, I have nothing to do tonight, it's pouring down rain, and I’m thinking potato soup and grilled cheeses for dinner sound excellent.


    Because I had potatoes, carrots, and celery in the house it was easy to decide on potato soup. I know many people will chide me for using a half a cup of potato flakes in my recipe but my mom and I swear by it. It helps to thicken the soup and gives it a great flavor.

    I put together the soup before work and left it in the Crock-Pot on low all day.  When I came home I put my hoodie back on and dinner was almost ready.  I quickly put together grilled cheese sandwiches and then ladeled out the delicious soup.  We like to top our soup with cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and chives, but really any potato topping will work on this soup. 

     This recipe makes enough soup for 6-8 people.  Therefore we generally have it for dinner the first day, then both lunch and dinner the next day.  It's also a recipe that freezes well for up to 3 months.
Crockpot Potato Soup (a combined recipe from my mom and I)

6 c. chicken broth
2 c. water
6 slices bacon
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ c. dried potato flakes
¼ c. milk
1 t. marjoram
1 t. ground black pepper
½ t. rosemary
Cheddar cheese and chives for topping



1. Turn the crock-pot onto low and add chicken broth and water.

2. In a skillet cook the bacon until browned. Put onto paper towels to drain.

3. Keeping 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease in the skillet, sauté the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic cloves for 4-5 minutes. Add the vegetables to the crock-pot.

4. Crumble the cooked bacon putting half into the soup and reserving the other half to top the soup with.

5. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes, add to the crock-pot. Slowly stir in the potato flakes, milk, and seasoning.

6. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If desired, use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes and thicken the soup. Top with crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, and chives.

Chex Mix Football Party!

     It was the weekend that I’ve been waiting for. The Pittsburgh Steelers (my favorite team) were playing the Baltimore Ravens (my husband’s favorite team). Having been born and raised in Pittsburgh I am a die hard Steelers fan. My husband was raised in Maryland and lived in Baltimore for a few years and is a huge Ravens fan. We live in Western Maryland where the amount of Steelers and Ravens fans are about equal which makes for an exciting game every time the two teams meet.

     It was also the weekend of my General Mills Chex Mix football party! In order to get ready for the event I chose three of the recipes from the Chex Mix website.  Since General Mills provided three flavors of Chex Mix for my party (original, turtle, and honey nut) I looked for one recipe that would match each bag of party mix. Two days before my football party I was having a special event for my students at school and decided to have them taste all of the recipes. The overwhelming favorite of the elementary school students was S’more Fun.



S’more Fun

1 bag of Turtle Chex Mix
1 c. mini marshmallows
1 c. milk chocolate chips
1 c. broken graham cracker pieces
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and serve.


     On the day of the party I was busy making buffalo chicken dip, apple crisp, and a few other easy snacks to eat in addition to the Chex Mix during the game. The game was exciting with the lead going back and forth between the Steelers and the Ravens. The last two minutes of the game were nail biters. In the end the Ravens ended up winning (BOO) but everyone had a good time.

     The real winners of our party were the different varieties of Chex Mix. While the adults enjoyed the S’more Fun mix and the Berries and Chips, the favorite among the grown ups was the Nuts to You! They liked the salty snack with a variety of nuts added to it. I just used the different nuts we had around the house, but you can use any combination of nuts that equals two cups.
Nuts to You!

1 bag original Chex Mix
1/2 c. salted peanuts
½ c. honey roasted peanuts
½ c. pecans
½ c. cashews
1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

     My personal favorite out of all three mixes was the Berries and Chips. I liked the sweetness of the Honey Nut Chex Mix with the tartness of the cranberries and the addition of white chocolate. I felt like I was eating a special white chocolate covered pretzel treat. A few of the kids really liked this mix as well mainly because of the addition of the white chocolate.

Berries and Chips

1 bag Honey Nut Chex Mix
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. Craisins dried cranberries
1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and serve.


     After it was all said and done we had a great party. It was fun to get some of our friends together for some snacks and football, especially on the weekends our favorite teams were matched up. I also enjoyed seeing the reactions of the students to the different flavors of party mix. I think everyone had a lot of fun and took home some new, easy recipes.

**A special thanks goes to General Mills and the Pssst…panel for providing us with the Chex Mix, football plates, football napkins, and a serving bowl**

Meat and Veggie Meatballs

     I like a good meatball. One that is flavorful, well cooked, and seasoned perfectly. I also like to use meatballs in a variety of meals. They are great with spaghetti, on a sub roll, in soups, or as an appetizer. While my husband likes an all meat meatball, I like mine with meat and veggies in it.


     So, when I decided to make spaghetti for dinner I wanted to make meatballs to go with it. After looking in the refrigerator to see what type of veggies we had, I decided to use red and green peppers as well as an onion. I use different vegetables depending on what I’m using the meatballs for. Since this is an Italian meatball, I thought the onion and peppers would go well with them.

     When I have a lot of time and think ahead of time I like to put the meatballs in my Crock-Pot, pour in a jar of marinara sauce, and cook them all day for a meatball full of flavor. Since I didn’t think ahead of time today, I had to go for the old skillet method. I cooked the meatballs in a little bit of oil until they were brown on all sides. Then I poured in a jar of marinara sauce and finished cooking them through. This way I don’t have to heat the sauce separately.

     The meat and veggie meatballs turned out surprisingly well this time. Frank and I enjoyed them with our spaghetti. They were a little crisp on the outside but moist and flavorful inside. I always end up making a large recipe so that we have meatballs left over for lunch the next day. This time we had meatball subs the next day, YUM!

Meat and Veggie Meatballs

1 T. olive oil
1 ½ pounds of Laura’s Lean ground beef
¼ c. green peppers, finely chopped
¼ c. red peppers, finely chopped
¼ c. onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1. In a large skillet heat 1 T. olive oil.

2. In a large bowl combine the ground beef, vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix well.

3. Form the mixture into 1 inch balls. Put the meatballs into the skillet.

4. Cook the meatballs until they are brown on all sides and heated through in the middle. Serve warm.

**If using the meatballs for spaghetti or something with sauce, add the sauce to the skillet and continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until the meatballs absorb the flavor of the sauce.**

Buffalo Chicken Bites

     It’s football season again and who doesn’t like having snacks while watching the games? While I’m a huge Steelers fan my husband likes the Ravens. It makes for some interesting games and a great rivalry. No matter who we like, we love snacks while watching football. One of our favorites is buffalo chicken dip.


     This week I didn’t remember to buy cream cheese at the market so I had to look for an alternative. While glancing through my many recipes, I came across a recipe for buffalo chicken bites. I had all the ingredients except for celery so I decided to make them.

     The result is a spicy chicken snack wrapped in a buttery pastry. They are tiny bites that would be great to use as an appetizer, or you can have them as part of your lunch as we did this Sunday. It is the perfect football snack. I believe the celery in the bites would only make them better and plan to put it in the next time.
Buffalo Chicken Bites (Original recipe by Pillsbury )

1 T. olive oil
1 boneless chicken breast, cut into 4 strips
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. Frank’s Red Hot
2 T. chopped celery
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls
1 T. parsley
½ c. blue cheese or ranch dressing (I use ranch, my husband likes blue cheese)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a small skillet heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper. Add the chicken strips and cook for 5-7 minutes or until there is no more pink. Remove chicken from pan and place on a cutting board.

3. Using two forks shred the chicken. Put it back into the skillet along with the garlic, Red Hot, and celery.

4. Meanwhile, unroll the crescent rolls on a cookie sheet. Divide into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle in half from the point to the middle of the longest side, making 16 triangles. Place 1 T. of chicken mixture on the center of each triangle. Bring the three corners to the center over the chicken filling and pinch together. Brush each chicken bite with the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil. Sprinkle with parsley.

5. Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with ranch or blue cheese for dipping.

Lemon-Honey Cupcakes

     We wanted to have a Labor Day picnic. I had brought home some food from my parents and our friends had steaks thawing in the refrigerator. The only thing we needed was a dessert. As an avid cupcake baker, I have probably close to a hundred cupcake recipes sitting in a file waiting to be made. As I glanced through the stack I noticed one for Lemon Honey Cupcakes. Just the sound of them made my mouth water.


     What made them sound even better was the fact that both Frank and I had had sore throats over the weekend. Whenever my throat is hurting my dad always makes me his “special tea” which is loaded with lemon and honey and always helps my throat. I figured maybe these cupcakes would have some healing powers as well.

     The smell of these cupcakes baking was heavenly. Our house smelled like lemons and cake-YUM! While the cupcakes cooled I made a honey lemon frosting to go on top of the cupcakes. The cupcakes themselves were sweet with a hint of citrus. The frosting was out of this world; I seriously could have eaten the entire bowl without the cupcakes.

    The cupcakes were a hit at the picnic. They were the perfect compliment to a heavy meal of steaks and pork BBQ. They are sweet and tangy and go well with a hot cup of coffee. I will definitely be making these cupcakes again.

Lemon-Honey Cupcakes

The original recipe comes from Woman’s Day

2 ¾ c. flour
¾ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. reduced fat sour cream
¼ c. low fat milk
2 T. lemon zest
4 T. fresh lemon juice
½ c. butter (1 stick)
4 oz. no sugar added applesauce
2/3 c. honey
¼ c. sugar
1 egg
1 egg white

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a small bowl whisk sour cream, milk, zest, and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.

4. In a stand mixer beat butter, applesauce, honey, and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg until well blended. Add in egg whites one at a time and beat for 2 minutes.

5. With the mixer on low, beat in half of the flour mixture. Then mix in the sour cream mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just combined.

6. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each cup three-quarters of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Lemon-Honey Frosting

½ c. butter (1 stick)
¼ c. honey
¼ c. low fat milk
2 T. lemon zest
4 c. powdered sugar
8 T. lemon juice

1. In a stand mixer beat butter, honey, and lemon zest until creamed. Slowly beat in the milk. On a low speed beat in the powdered sugar until just blended.

2. Stir in the lemon juice until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow.

3. Spoon into a pastry bag or a ziptop bag. If in a ziptop bag snip off the corner and use to frost the cupcakes.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

     We had some friends over for dinner last night. I always like to make some sort of appetizer for us to snack on while dinner is cooking. My usual is veggies and dip, buffalo chicken dip, or guacamole. Lately I’ve been seeing a million posts for the jalapeno popper dip. We love poppers and it seemed really easy to make. There were a million different varieties of this recipe so I ended up printing 3 of them and combining them to make a dip we would enjoy.


     CAUTION: DO NOT CUT JALAPENOS WITH YOUR BARE HANDS. I cannot caution you enough on this issue. I don’t think I’ve ever cut a raw jalapeno before and didn’t give it a second thought while doing it. Bad move. My hands burned all night long. I tried washing them with soap, washing with Borax, soaking them in alcohol, and soaking them in milk. While the major sting went away, they still hurt. In the morning when I thought they felt better I put my contacts in my eyes. I thought I’d gone to the moon! My eyes burned all day. The lesson learned? Wear gloves when chopping jalapenos.

     With the exception of my burning hands the dip was a major hit! It was creamy and cheesy with a nice punch of jalapenos in it. We dipped tortilla chips and crackers into it. There were only four of us and we ate the entire bowl of dip. This is one recipe I’ll be keeping on hand to take to parties because of how easy and delicious it was.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

3 slices of bacon (frozen)
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 packages of light cream cheese (8 oz. each)
½ c. Miracle Whip Light
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 4-ounce cans of green chilies
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. Frank’s Red Hot
Topping:

¾ c. unseasoned breadcrumbs
½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ c. Mexican blend cheese, shredded
½ stick butter, melted
1 t. black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Take the bacon out of the freezer and dice it. I like to freeze it because it’s so much easier to cut it frozen. Toss the bacon into a small sauté pan. Cook until it’s almost brown. Add in the diced jalapenos and cook until soft. Remove to a paper towel.

3. In a baking dish combine cream cheese, Miracle Whip, cheddar cheese, green chilies, garlic powder, and Frank’s Red Hot. Add in the bacon and jalapenos.

4. In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and cheeses for the topping. Pour the melted butter and mix well. Spread evenly over the dip and bake for 20 minutes.

Chex Mix Party Host!

I am a member of General Mill’s Pssst... Panel ,which is a group of people that learn about new products, try the new products, and sometimes host parties to get the word out about the products. I was recently chosen to host a Chex Mix party. I love Chex Mix and the party is on a Sunday so I thought it would be fun to host it during a Steelers game.


My party pack arrived in the mail on Monday and inside were three different bags of Chex Mix, a ton of coupons for Chex Mix for my guests, football plates, football napkins, and a huge Chex Mix bowl. I was very excited to see the football themed plates and napkins since I had already decided to host a football party with the Chex Mix. The three flavors I received were: original, Honey Nut, and Turtle flavors. I always eat the original but I’ve never had the Honey Nut or the Turtle flavors and I’m anxious to try them both.

The great thing about having a Pssst party is that there is a website for hosts with recipes, product information, and a community of people that share what they will be doing for the party. After looking at the recipes I am excited to mix up “S’More Fun” with the Honey Nut Chex, “Chocoholic Fave” with the Turtle mix, and “Berries and Chips” with the original Chex Mix.

My party will be hosted on October 3rd. I have invited a few family members and a few friends. It’s looking like there will be about 10 of us. I’m also looking for ideas on other snacks to serve, so if anyone has any good football snacks, post them below! I can’t wait to host this party and try the different Chex Mix recipes.

I haven’t yet tried this one yet, but here’s a quick recipe for Island Delight using the Honey Nut Chex Mix.

Island Delight

1 bag of Honey Nut Chex Mix

1 c. Macadamia nuts

½ c. dried bananas

½ c. dried mangos

½ c. dried pineapple

½ c. sweetened shredded coconut

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with a Pina Colada.

The Help

     I was pretty excited when I heard our book club book for September was going to be The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I have heard that this is an amazing book and it has been on my list forever. I even borrowed it from the library at one point but didn’t end up having the time to read it before it was due. I’d even seen 2 or 3 woman out and about with a copy of The Help in their hands.


    Twelve days after I put it on my hold list at the library it came in. It is a large book, well over 400 pages, and was somewhat intimidating. The first fifty pages were a struggle for me. There were a lot of names to learn and a lot of information to absorb. I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to enjoy the book. However, the more I read the more I couldn’t put the book down.

    I really liked the style the book was written in.  Every chapter was told from the point of view of a different woman.  Becauseof this, I felt as though I got an inside look at what that particular woman was thinking and feeling, and really came to know many of the main characters.
    The book is set in the 1960’s right at the height of the Civil Rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi where the women live. It gives us a glimpse into the lives of the middle class white families and the black women that work for them. We meet Minny, a black maid who has been fired 19 times and can’t find work. She eventually ends up working for Miss Celia, a white woman who came from nothing but married well. We also meet Aibileen, a older maid who works for Miss Leefolt. She is soft spoken, is amazing with children, and is the first person to help Miss Skeeter with her “tell all” book.

    Miss Skeeter is a middle class white woman who has just finished college and dreams of being a writer. She receives word from a publisher in New York that if she can come up with an idea that is new and exciting yet dear to her heart, the publisher will consider it. At first Skeeter thinks of common issues that everyone is writing about. Then she hears about Miss Hilly’s bathroom initiative.
     Miss Hilly, the Junior League’s president and the worst kind of white woman, embarks on an initiative to have all the households in Jackson install an extra toilet just for the colored help. She believes that colored people carry a plethora of diseases that the white families can easily catch. She is mean to the help and makes it her mission to separate the white families from their colored help in any way she can.

    When Skeeter hears about the way Hilly has been treating the help, she thinks back to her own maid, Constantine, who was a friend as well as a caretaker. Skeeter decides to write a tell all book from the maids perspective on what it is really like to work for the white families in Jackson, Mississippi. The New York publisher loves the idea but warns it will be difficult to get the maids to confide in her, seeing as Miss Skeeter is a member of the Junior League and was roommates in college with Miss Hilly.

    Things heat up for both Skeeter and the maids when Miss Hilly finds a copy of the Jim Crow laws in Skeeter's purse.  Hilly makes it her personal mission to figure out what is going on and in the process makes an outcast of Skeeter.  The women are scared now that Jackson, Mississippi's most powerful woman is on to them.  Late nights, secret meetings, and scared tales follow.

    The book goes on to detail the lives of the black maids and the single white woman who wants to tell their story. It also gives us a glimpse into an unlikely friendship of a poor black woman and a white middle class woman. The women are all very different, and there will be hell to pay when the “tell all” book is actually published and the white ladies try to figure out which of the maids wrote about them. The names have been changed to protect the guilty but the stories are very distinct. In the end the book shows us the strength of the women in the south in this controversial period of time.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

     Fall is officially here as far as I’m concerned. The Steelers are on the TV, the nights are in the 40’s, the days are in the high 60’s, the leaves are beginning to change colors, and all I can think about is baking with pumpkin and apples. I have a few standard pumpkin and apple recipes that I enjoy making every fall, but this year I’ve been on the hunt for some new recipes.


     In the past two weeks I’ve printed over 20 new pumpkin recipes and over 10 new apple recipes. It looks like my blog is going to be filled with these fall treats from now until Thanksgiving  I went to the market this morning and bought the large can of Libby’s Canned Pumpkin which will allow me to make three of the pumpkin recipes.

     Since its Sunday I decided to start with the pumpkin cinnamon rolls because they require the most prep time. I kept the cinnamon roll part pretty true to the recipe I found here ,but I changed the filling to include more pumpkin flavor.

     The smell from the batter was a spicy pumpkin scent. I couldn’t wait for the dough to rise. The recipe stated that it would take an hour for the dough to rise. Because my husband frequently makes bread, I know that in our house it generally takes around two hours for the first rising, which it did.  I then rolled the dough ut, put in the filling, rolled up the cinnamon roll, sliced it into 12 pieces, and put 3 rolls out to do a second rising.

     The other 9 cinnamon rolls I placed into my new Glad Ovenware, which can go from the freezer to the oven. This recipe is great because I was able to bake the three that I wanted today and freeze the rest until we wanted more. I love that we’ll be able to have fresh pumpkin cinnamon rolls three more times before I have to make another batch.

     The smell from the rolls baking in the oven was heavenly. I almost took them out early because I could hardly wait to take a bite! After the longest 25 minutes ever, I was able to get my first look at the pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They were a golden brown and seemed to ooze the cinnamon sweet filling. I drizzled them with the glaze and took my first bite. They were amazing! They are sweet and spicy with a nice balance of the pumpkin. This is a fall recipe I’ll be keeping around for a long time. I can’t wait to have one on a chilly morning with a hot pumpkin spice latte.


Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

1 package dry yeast
¼ c. warm water (100-110 degrees)
4 c. all purpose flour, divided
¾ c. pumpkin (I used Libby’s canned pumpkin)
½ c. low fat milk
3 T. butter, slightly melted
4 T. sugar
1 t. salt
½ t. pumpkin pie spice (or more cinnamon and nutmeg if you don’t have this spice)
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
Filling:

4 T. sugar
4 T. brown sugar
3 T. flour
1 heaping t. cinnamon
½ t. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. canned pumpkin
2 T. butter at room temperature
Glaze:

¾ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. milk
½ t. vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour, pumpkin, milk, butter, sugar, salt, and spices to the bowl.

2. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Either use the dough hook on the mixer to knead for 10 minutes, or knead by hand for 10 minutes on a floured surface. While kneading, add ¾ cup to 1 cup of the remaining flour, a little bit at a time, to prevent the dough from sticking.

3. Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray. Flip to dough over to coat the top of the dough with cooking spray as well. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for about an hour (or two hours if you live where we do). The dough should double in size.

4. Check the dough. When it has doubled in size press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough. (You can see how my finger indentation stayed in the dough in the picture on the left).If not, cover and let rise an additional 30 minutes. Otherwise punch the dough down; cover and let rest 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. The filling should be a thick paste.

6. Roll the dough into a 12 x 10 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the brown sugar mixture all over the dough rectangle (like picture to the right). Roll up the dough tightly, starting with the long edge, pressing firmly to release any air bubbles. Pinch the seam and ends to seal.

7. Cut the roll into 12 (1 inch) slices. Place slices in a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. (I put 9 of mine in the Glad Ovenware to freeze for later consumption. If you are freezing them place them in a baking dish then cover with plastic wrap and then foil to make a tight seal. Freeze. When thawing, simply stick them in the refrigerator until thawed and continue to step 8).

8. Cover the cinnamon rolls in the baking dish and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (Again, this took my rolls 1 hour).

9. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack.

10. To make the glaze mix the powdered sugar and the vanilla in a small mixing bowl. Add in the hot water 1 T. at a time using a whisk to mix the glaze. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Drizzle over the slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and serve warm.

**Tell me abot your favorite pumpkin or apple recipe!  Feel free to link a recipe that is in your blog.**