Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin is sooo good for you. It helps with your complexion, it gives your skin a healthy glow. Who doesn't love pumpkin? ~BJ

Pumpkin Pancakes
recipe by Allrecipes

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. vinegar
2 cups flour (you could use whole wheat flour)
3 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

In a bow, mix together milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.  Heat griddle or frying pan. Pour 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides. Serve with whipped cream and maple syrup.

Valentine's Day!

 For Family Home Evening we are making a LOVE box. I made mine out of a graham cracker box and wrapped it in Victoria Secret tissue paper, then I attached a ribbon to each side.

Each week a new member of the family gets to hang the LOVE box on their door. Everyone else in the family gets to leave them nice notes, treats or little gifts in the box. We are going to celebrate ALL month.~BJ

A new twist on an old favorite. I made the M&M cookies with Valentine M&M's to be more festive.~BarbaraJo

Fantasy Fudge

This is a must have for the holidays! Enjoy!! -Laurel

3 c. sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
1-5 oz. evaporated milk
 Boil 4-5 min. Add 1-2 oz. chocolate chips and 1-7 oz of mashmallow cream, add nuts.

Popcorn Balls

Picture from Paula Deen

These are so good. Tori had a class Christmas party today so I whipped up a batch of Popcorn Balls. What child wouldn't want a popcorn ball?! These one's are from Grandma Matheny's vault and are to-die-for. ~BJ

Popcorn Balls
recipe by Grandma Matheny

2 cups sugar
2 TBS vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup Molasses

cook in a heavy sauce pan for 10 minutes (softball stage).

Add:
2 sticks of butter

cook for another 10-15 minutes (medium hardball stage). I use a glass of ice water and drop some of the mixture into the water to test the consistency of the sauce. Once it forms into solid drops and is still chewy when you take it out of the water, it is done.

Pop 2 bags of popcorn.

I poured out the popcorn onto a cookie sheet and then poured the liquid on top of the popcorn. Then gently form into balls and wrap in plastic wrap or serve. 

*Tip- let the mixture cool before sticking your hands into the popcorn or you could get burned. 
Makes about 15 balls.

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Picture from Our Best Bites

My NEW love!!! Everyone loved these babies in my family. You have to make these, plate them up and share them with your neighbors for the holidays. SOOOO good! ~BJ


Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1/2 c. real butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
optional: 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
48 Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the centers are set but still soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss. Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss.

Simple Pumpkin Muffins

Simple. Tasty. Kids love 'em. Perfect for the Fall. I got this recipe from OurBestBites. ~BJ

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 spice cake mixes (Duncan Hines, although not pictured, is the best for this recipe)

1 30-oz. can pumpkin

1 12-oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Combine all the ingredients and bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes. 

Pumpkin Cookies

I've had this recipe forever and then my friend, Laurice, gave me the same cookie recipe with a cream cheese frosting, instead of the buttercream frosting. They were so decadent.  ~ BJ

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together. Then add.

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. clove
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (optional)
2 tsp. baking powder

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Pressed balls. 

Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups powder sugar

Peppermint Marshmallow Cookies

I love these cookies because I am a peppermint freak. It tastes so great with the cream chocolate icing also. The great thing about these cookies is that it is fancy looking and easy to make.-Christine

cookie
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup milk
40 mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Stir flour, soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside. In separate bowl, cream butter, peppermint extract, sugar and egg. Alternately blend in the dry ingredients and milk. Drop batter from a tablespoon onto a greased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and set 3 marshmallows on each cookie and return to oven for one more minute. Then, drizzle cookies with peppermint icing.

Peppermint icing:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbl. unsweetened cocoa
3 Tbl. milk
2 Tbl. butter
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Combine powdered sugar, cocoa and salt. Heat together milk and butter and beat enough of it into powdered sugar mixture.

Spooky Treats

These pictures are not the best but they taste GREAT!~BJ


Spider Web Cake

 Frosting
1 cake mix
Plastic Spider Rings
Tooth pick

 I just whipped up a cake mix and then frost the cake in the vanilla butter-cream. Fill a zip-lock bag with chocolate frosting and cut the tip off. Start piping a swirl, starting in the middle. Then grab a tooth pick and drag it from the center to the edges and before you know it you have a spooky spider web. Throw on a few plastic spider rings and you're done.

 Eyeball cupcakes

1 bag of Peanut Butter Eyeballs
1 cake mix
Frosting

These are the easiest. Bake cake according to the box. Cool. Frost. Place an eyeball in the center of each cupcake.

Monster cake/cupcake toppers

Large marshmellows
Candy Corn
Frosting ,divided
tooth picks
cake mix
Green Tic Tacs 

Bake your cake/cupcakes according to the box. Take half of the frosting and make it chocolate. The other half dye green. Frost cake with chocolate butter-cream frosting. Take large marshmallow and frost in green frosting. Cut candy corn at the top, yellow section and place on face as the "eyes", then dot with chocolate frosting. Take the white portion of the candy corn and place on the face as the "fangs." Dollop a few spikes on top of the head for hair and add a mint green TIC TAC to each side of the neck. To secure the monster head to the cake, stick the tooth pick into the bottom of the head then place into the cake.