It's Pumpkin Season

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies


Browsing the internet looking for something to bake for the football team, I came across this recipe. I am all about pumpkin, just love it. And this recipe delivered. Of course I added more chocolate chips, homemade vanilla. This is perfect for the season.


Pumpkin-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

2  1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream butter, sugars until fluffy. Add egg,vanilla,pumpkin
mix well. Stir in flour and oatmeal, add spices, chocolate
chips and nuts. Refrigerate batter for about 20 minutes,
cookies will not spead during baking. Scoop out by  2 tbsp
on lightly greased cookie sheet, bake 350 degrees 10-12 degrees
until edges are lightly browned. Do not overbake, cookies will be
dry. Store in airtight container.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Sparkly Christmas Card

One of my card this year. I used a retired Stampin Up set, shimmer and glitter paper. Some sponging
and coloring. You can't see the rhinestones sparkle in the photo, but it is pretty, shiny, and I have a few more to make.


Five weeks to Christmas, Ho Ho Ho


Patrice

VALENTINE FUN

Valentine fun today, goodies for the dear husband's office, treat bags and goodies for the grandson's classes and teachers gifts. A great day, lots of celebrating, and a big gooey pizza for dinner tonight.
  

                                             HAPPY  VALENTINE'S DAY

Christmas is coming!!

Finally got a minute to post a picture. These are the ruffled scarves, very easy to make.
Go to youtube, pull up tutorials for starbella yarn, there are several to choose from.
The red scarf has metallic thread on the edge, those are a little stiffer, more fullness,
also the tutorial will tell you to pull up eight loops, I found eight made the scartf a little
"flimsy", needs more fullness, I pull 12-14 loops, and the scarf will be long enough.
Also, pull the yarn from the middle, this stuff twists, and you will have to drop the
ball a few times, and let the thread untwist. These are simple, fun, very cute. One woman
at Michael's told me she is selling these for $30.00. Now I would not pay that much for
a ruffly scarf, but I am pairing a couple of matching socks with these, and I think making
a nice gift.


Patrice

One down, 99 more to go

HAPPY EASTER

Three hours shopping, two cleaning, one hour decorating, three hours cooking. Two hours clean up after lunch. All time well spent so my grandson could put the finishing touches for dessert.

                                                                                                                                                      

PRICELESS!!!                                              

I saw this recipe on the Taste of Home internet bb. Slutty brownies, rich gooey, and not WW friendly at all. But ya gotta live sometimes. Very easy, pat out a chocolate chip cookie mix in the bottom of 9x13, a layer of Oreos, double stuffed of course, then pour on your favorite brownies mix on top, and bake.

Getting a fresh new look

Christmas Project

I cased the card from Splitcoaststamper's, York peppermint candies, with a punch out on top,
memo pads from WalMart, gift tags. I think these will turn out well, and be well received.


Hope everyone's holiday preparations are coming along nicely.



Patrice

Christmas Project

This is this years Christmas project. Inside is cards, tags, candy, memo pad. 12 inch pizza box.
Easy, quick, and stuff anyone could use. I have planned to do at least 20 of these boxes. Go flash
your biggest smile at your neighborhood pizza place, that's what I did, they let me buy the boxes for
a quarter a piece.  I was thrilled, very reasonable gifts for co-workers, and friends.

My best chocolate cake so far

The hubs wanted a little office soiree at our backyard pool, patted me on the head, said not to worry about food preparations, he had it all handled. Our local favorite bbq joint would take care of the major workload, so I got to add my own personal touches. So looking over some recipes, I picked out a truly deep south cake recipe, tweaked it a little, and was pleased with the results. But I was not pleased when the caterers arrived with nothing but potato salad and ribs. Okay Dave, where is the beans,coleslaw, all the other stuff that goes on the plate around the meat. He didn't order it, because according to his stomach, all it takes is potato salad and ribs to make HIM happy. I was dumbfounded, astonished at his total ignorance, had one hour before 30 people showed up for dinner. Threw open the cabinets, pulled out cans of ranch style beans, mixed them with a can of grilling beans (thank you Bush family), threw them in the oven, and put a pasta salad together, along with a fruit salad. I guess the old saying if you want something done right, do it yourself, and don't depend on someone who thinks potato salad should be a food group.

Okay, for my recipe

Dr Pepper Cake

Mix in a large bowl

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a saucepan bring to a boil

1 cup butter

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup Dr Pepper

1/2 cup buttermilk

When heated, pour into flour mixture, mix with a whisk

add

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract.

Throw in a handful of chocolate chips, more chocolate the better in my book

Bake 30 minutes 350 degrees 9x13 pan, do not over bake this

For the icing

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup Dr Pepper

another dash of cinnamon

Bring to a boil, then stir in 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts,

pour over hot cake.

Yum, rich, gooey,chocolate heaven.

Hope you enjoy this, especially with barbeque

Patrice

New Bathroom

Finally, new bathrooms. I have got to start decorating. Yeah for Canfield construction.

New Bathroom

Finally, new bathrooms. Good bye to the old fiberglass bathtubs that were beyond a disgrace.

Yeah for Canfield construction, the whole team did a great job.

New Bathroom

New Bathroom

Finally, hubby broke down, opened up the wallet, and had the bathrooms remodeled. I guess he figured it was cheaper than a divorce, honestly, the bathrooms were beyond a disgrace. New porcelain bathtubs, granite countertops, custom cabinets. Now just gotta start the decorating.

New Bathroom

Hooray for the Red, White, and Yummy

I felt like some holiday baking, and thisn Pioneer Woman cookie recipe worked pretty well. Easy to cut out, cookies did not lose shape as they baked. I will tell you about my tweaks as I go along.

Pioneer Woman Cut Out Cookies

2/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

4 tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 egg yolks, separated

2 tbsp water

food coloring

Cream the shortening, and sugar until creamy. Add milk,vanilla, and stir in rest of ingredients.

Let dough chill for at least a half an hr, then roll out. I will add a little more milk next time, the dough was just a little crumbly. You want these cookies a little thick when rolled out. Whne the cookies are all cut out, and on cookie sheets, mix the egg yolks, water, and food coloring. Take a pastry brush and brush the egg mixture over the cookies, then bake 350 degrees 8-10 minutes.

When the cookies are baked, make the glaze.

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

The glaze needs to be fairly thick, so it won't flow all over the cookies. Spoon the glaze in a pastry bag, or ziploc bag and snip a corner off. Drizzle the glaze on the cooled cookies, and let the glaze dry. I may use, vanilla/almond extract in the dough next time. These are easy, and yummy.

Happy 4th

Patrice

Been busy,busy,busy

These are a few of my baby gifts, burp cloths,crochet blanket, covered diaper wipe case. I am going to get my embroidery machine out, get the dust off it, and see what I can whip up. Lots of fun making unique gifts, no others out there like it. lol


Patrice

Babies are on the way.

Chicken Taco Pizza

Even after a busy night of call at the ER, and the boy's t-ball game, hubby still got dinner fixed for tonight, after I got my nap of course. I got the idea from Pioneer Woman's site, Taco pizza. I had to lighten up the initial recipe, because I don't have a group of hungry ranch hands to feed, but we we were both pleased with the results, and this will feed three people generously, I had leftovers.

Chicken taco Pizza

1 package Martha White pizza crust

2 tbsp taco seasoning

1 large chicken breast, sliced thinly

1/2 cup black beans, drained

1 medium onion, diced

two cups of lettuce, shredded

1 large tomato, diced

cilantro, black olives, sour cream,salsa

shredded cheese

Mix up the pizza crust mix per package instructions, and I added some garlic powder to the dough. Heat a large skillet, sautee the chicken, and onion, sprinkle with the taco seasoning, watch closely so it doesn't scorch. I always use a pizza stone, lightly grease it with some olive oil,and roll the dough out on the stone, you want it thin. Sprinkle the dough with the chicken mixture, and black beans. Bake in a hot oven, like 500 degrees for about 10 minutes. The hot oven will crisp the crust. Bring out of the oven, sprinkle with lettuce,tomato, olives. use a pizza cutter, cut in slices. I stirred some salsa into a half cup of sour crea, served this on the side. Some sliced avocado would of been great with this, will try to remember next time.

Great recipe for some of our fresh garden veggies. I used a lower fat shredded cheese,light sour cream, so this was not a diet buster.

Enjoy.

Patrice