Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkins aren't just for decorating or for making pies. There are so many great recipes using pumpkins as an ingredient. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars is one of those recipes.  Make this up the day before and put it in the refrigerator overnight. This brings out the great flavor of the pumpkin and spices.

Did you know that pumpkin is very healthy for you as well. It is rich in vitamin A, high in antioxidants and it has Lutein and Zeaxanthin, too.

Crust Ingredients

3/4 c. finely ground graham cracker crumbs
3/4 c. finely ground gingersnap crumbs
1/3 c. granulated sugar
6 Tbs. butter melted
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Filling Ingredients

2/3 c. canned pumpkin puree
1 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 (8-oz pkgs.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla 
3 large eggs 

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

In a  large bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, ginger snap crumbs and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix with your hands or a spoon until combined. 

Press the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Press tightly making sure the bottom is fully covered.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until completely cool.

Filling Directions

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pumpkin, flour, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside. 

In large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and lump-free. 

Add the sugar and vanilla. Mix this until it is thoroughly combined.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Remove about a third of the cream cheese batter, and put it into the pumpkin batter. Stir until fully blended. 

Pour the remaining cream cheese batter over the cooled gingersnap crust. Smooth it so it is level.

Taking a tablespoon, dot the pumpkin batter over the top of the cream cheese batter. Taking a knife, cut through the two batters until they are marbled.  Do not mix them in, you just want them to have a marbled look. 

Bake for 32 to 36 minutes or until the center is set. Cool on a wire rack.  Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.  Cut into bars.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I remember my mother making stuffed peppers when I was growing up. I never liked the peppers, even though she grew them in her garden, but I loved the meat mixture that was put inside each pepper. Now that I am older, my taste has changed and I find that eating the peppers aren't so bad now.  Actually, they are really quite tasty!  Even my kids look forward to this meal.

Instead of using store bought peppers and tomatoes, we use the ones we grow in the garden. They are packed with flavor!

Ingredients

6-8 medium large bell peppers, assorted colors
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 lbs of ground beef
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 can (14.5 oz) peeled chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 - 16 oz can tomato sauce * See below
1/2 cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Cook the rice according to package directions.

In a large cast iron skillet, cook the ground beef and onion until it is no longer pink. Drain it.

Stir in the cooked rice, and diced tomatoes to the cooked onion and hamburger. Salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some onion and garlic powder to the mixture as well

Wash the peppers. Cut around the stem with a paring knife. Remove the stem, seeds and membrane from the inside of the peppers. Place them in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, so they are standing up. If your baking dish has a lid, that is even better, because the peppers need to be covered during baking time.

Place the hamburger and rice mixture inside each pepper. Stuff them as full as you can, up to the top. If you have hamburger and rice left over, just put it in the baking dish alongside the peppers. 

Mix the tomato sauce with the water in a small bowl. Pour the tomato sauce over the stuffed peppers. If you have any hamburger and rice mixture in the pan, pour some sauce over that too.  Cover with a lid or a piece of foil.

Bake for 60 minutes. Baste the peppers with the juices in the baking dish several times as the peppers bake.

Remove the lid or foil and bake uncovered for another 30 minutes. 

* Sometimes, we don't have tomato sauce in the house. Instead, we use tomato juice. Just omit mixing it with the water.

 

Apple Fritter Bread

Fall is apple picking time. You can do so many things with apples like making apple pies, apple butter, baked apples, and apple crisp. For this recipe, the best apples to use are the ones that are firm and tart. They hold their texture the best. Some of the better apples to use for this recipe are: Braeburn, Fuji, Granny Smith, Gala, Honey crisp and Pink Lady. But there is no hard set of rules of which apples to use.

Ingredients

1/3 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 apples, firm and tart like Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced to 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. 

Glaze

1 Tbs. milk, divided
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan with pan spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and mixing well. Set aside.

Prepare the apple mixture by combining the chopped apples with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix well so all the apple pieces have a coating of sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and 2/3 cup granulated sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in the vanilla.

With the mixer turned on low speed, stir in the baking powder and flour until combined.

Add the milk all at once and mix only until combined. It is important not to over-mix or the bread will be tough. 

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon half of the apple mixture over the top of the batter, and then sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the apples. Swirl the mixture with a dull knife, by gently cutting through the batter. Do not mix, just cut through to give it a marble effect. Repeat the layers again and swirl the mixture with a knife.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Cool 10 to 15 minutes in the pan, then remove the bread from the pan and place on a wire rack.  You can get the bread out by running a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the loaf. 

When the bread is completely cooled, it is time to make the glaze. 

Combine milk and confectioners sugar in a small bowl.  Mix thoroughly, then drizzle over the top of the bread.  If the glaze is too runny, add some confectioners sugar, a teaspoon at a time. If it is too thick, add just a bit of milk. 

Potato Soup

Potato soup is comfort food to me. It is the perfect meal to serve on a cold day when you want to unwind and relax. It is one of my family's favorite soup to eat in the fall and winter months. 

Ingredients

6 bacon strips, diced
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, grated or cut into small pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
2 chicken bouillon cubes
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 c. water
3 cups milk *see below
8 ounces cheese cubed
2 green onions, thinly sliced, optional

Directions

Add potato cubes into a large pan and fill the pot with water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the potatoes are tender. Drain.

In a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain all but 3 tablespoons grease. Add the onion, celery and garlic to the drippings and fry until the onion is translucent. Stir in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Pour in the milk, stirring constantly, so the flour does not become lumpy. Season with salt and pepper. We also add Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning to the mixture as well.

Add the potato cubes, grated carrots and chicken bouillon cubes, Cook and stir until the mixture is at a simmer. Do not let it boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until potatoes are tender., stirring every couple of minutes, so the soup does not burn on the bottom.

Stir in cheese. Or you can just put the cheese in a dish and let people add their own cheese when you serve the soup.

** We often use 1 can evaporate milk, 1 1 /2 c. water and 1 c. whole milk. You can also use powdered milk as well.

Garlic Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Slow roasting the chicken  helps the meat to become tender and flavorful. If you want to add extra flavor, we often lay strips of bacon over the top of the chicken and then we bake the chicken. 

Ingredients

1 - 4 lb. whole chicken, remove the giblets package
1/4 c. melted butter
3 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. dried parsley
3 Tbs. cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chicken stock or white wine
1 head of garlic separated into cloves
Carrots, halved
Onions, halved or quartered depending on the size
Potatoes, halved or quartered depending on the size

Directions 

Preheat oven to 200°.

Melt butter and olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat.   Add the garlic, and parsley

Lift the chicken skin up on the top of the chicken. Separate the skin from the breast and thigh meat. Rub the meat with the garlic mixture.

Season the skin and the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Rub the garlic mixture over the top of the skin and inside the cavity of the chicken.  

Place the chicken in a roasting pan or a Dutch oven so the breast is facing upwards. Place the garlic cloves, carrots, onions and potatoes around the chicken. Pour in the chicken stock.

Cover and bake for 4 to5 hours or until the until the internal temperature reaches 165°  when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175° in thickest part of thigh.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Hamburger Tortilla Bake

This is one of our go-to recipes when we don't know what to make for supper, but we want something quick and easy. This home style hamburger tortilla bake uses ingredients I have in the kitchen or pantry. It is very easy on the budget too!

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet pepper
1 to 2 jalapenos, chopped (optional)
16 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn or 1 can corn, drained
1 to 2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
6 (8-inch) tortillas
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 350°. Spray a 11x7 inch baking dish. 

In a large, cast iron skillet, cook the ground beef, onion, sweet pepper and jalapeno over medium heat until the ground beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. 

Stir in the tomato sauce, black beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.

Layer 4 tortillas in the bottom of the 11x7 inch baking dish.  Spread half the beef mixture over the top and then add half of the cheese. Layer the other 4 tortillas over the top. Spread the remaining beef mixture and then add the rest of the cheese. 

Bake 25-30 minutes until it is bubbly and the cheese is melted. 

 

Chicken Alfredo

 

Last night, I tried a new recipe, Chicken Alfredo. My son was not too thrilled when he saw what I had made. However, he politely took some and started to eat.  A little later, he went back for more.  That is his way of saying the meal was very good, but he didn’t want to admit it. 

You can buy Alfredo sauce already prepared in a jar. It is convenient to use that if you don't have any extra time to spare. However, making your own Alfredo sauce is just as easy. With a few simple ingredients, you can have a great tasting sauce without breaking the bank or having to go shopping.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil
4 pieces or 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 to 1 tsp. onion powder
1 package cream cheese
6 Tbs. butter
1/2 c. milk
2 cups noodles
1 pepper, diced

Directions

Fill a large saucepan with water and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring the water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package directions until done. Drain the water off and set the noodles aside.

Meanwhile, season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. In a heavy cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, being careful to not get splattered by the hot oil.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, then turn the chicken pieces over to fry another 2 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. 

Add the peppers and continue frying until the peppers are soft and the chicken fully cooked.

Combine the noodles with the chicken. Cook over very low heat to keep them warm while you make the Alfredo sauce.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt the cream cheese and butter. Stir frequently to keep the cream cheese and butter from burning.

Stir in the milk. Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until thickened. Pour the sauce over the noodles and chicken, stirring to combine.

Serve and enjoy!