Pecan Pumpkin Layer Pie

The years go by and my Thanksgiving guest list gets a bit smaller. My children have settled in with their growing families, and have pretty much taken over the joyous task of putting together Thanksgiving Dinner. But I like to have a small dinner of my own even if on a different day. The four homemade pies I used to make are no longer necessary. In fact, two is too many. I got this idea of a single pecan pumpkin pie. I looked for recipes … my idea was apparently not unique. My improvement … no pre-made crust (crust, to me, adds incredible taste) … never short-cut the pumpkin filling to a paste as I noticed in most recipes. I have simply combined my favorite fillings for these two pies (1/2 recipe each) and baked in two steps. Slather the cooled pie with whipped cream and you have a delicious two pie taste.

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Lasagna Soup

Have you seen a Lasagna Soup Recipe circulating social media in the last month? I have but not this recipe. I thought, how difficult would it be to change up my all time Lasagna into a soup! As it turns out, not difficult at all. The perfect answer to a quick dinner especially if lasagna is what you’re craving.

 

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Linguica Kale Onion & Peppers

This simple main dish can become your breakfast omelet too. Use your favorite greens, kale here but spinach for a milder flavor. Any of the greens will do. This is one of those quick recipes that will have your family eating in 20-30 minutes. Can easily become a soup by adding a vegetable broth. Very versatile.

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Pumpkin Recipes

 

It’s Pumpkin Season!

 


Braised Short Ribs     Cheesecake     Quick Bread     Pasta Sauce     Cupcakes


No Bake Pie                                                                              Pound Cake


French Toast                                Panettone                                     Sandies


Creamy Soup                                                                    Deep Dish Dessert


Mini Pumpkins         Popcorn Balls         Torte            Spice Cake          Cookies


 


Blueberry Ice Cream

 

Every holiday calls for a special taste treat as my husband used to say. Over Labor Day Week-end it was this! Only 5 ingredients and a Cuisinart were the essentials. Just so easy compared to the ol’ days!

Try this Blackberry Sorbet too!

 

 

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Spice Cake

You taste one Spice Cake and you’ve tasted them all. Not true! A cake that will surely become a favorite! Looking for new birthday cake recipes! This was sent to me by my eldest as a possibility. Directly from Bake From Scratch Magazine but not exactly. The ingredients being advertised in this recipe were Heilala Pure Vanilla Extract (one of the best bourbon vanilla’s, so they say) which kinda gets lost in the spicy cake, and Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste. I can’t wait to try this vanilla extract in my Chantilly Cream. If you look closely you can see the crushed vanilla bean seeds in the frosting. Now that’s a great frosting! It may seem like literally too much frosting for the cake … But it works!

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Triple Chocolate

When putting together the Citrus Ricotta Cookies I noticed an additional recipe by Beads and Basil in Values, an Owasso & Collinsville Values Magazine. I knew if I baked these first I’d be making them mostly for me. Chocolate is a favorite flavor of mine. Not that my visiting family friend wouldn’t enjoy chocolate too but he had his heart set on the Citrus Cookies. My thought about the triple chocolate cookie was … Is it going to be too chocolatey? You might be thinking nothing is too chocolatey! To me when there is too much I can’t appreciate the other additional flavors. This is not the case. It truly is a cookie with at least two distinct chocolate flavors, a hint of vanilla and crunch of toasted pecans. Enjoy this recipe I’ve revised slightly to make a smaller bounty without losing the brownie-like chocolatey cookie that amazingly hangs onto its moistness (unlike most brownies).

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Sourdough Focaccia

Family often sends me recipes to try and this is one. Just the idea of sourdough without the mess of a sourdough starter is a major plus. I had to try this. Although, I must say I found the Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast a bit pricey and not too available. Was it worth it? Actually, the answer is an easy YES. The flavor is amazing. Use your favorite infused olive oil and dot the top with tomatoes, rosemary or whatever. This recipe was found in Bake From Scratch. The magazine does have a website if you wish to check it out. I did make one major change to the recipe, no mixer. The dough is sticky but can be handled easily with a handheld dough hook and a little kneading. Just made sense to me. Enjoy!

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Hunter’s Chicken

My favorite way to prepare chicken thighs. Chicken breasts can be substituted as well as cut up whole chicken pieces. But with skinless and boneless thighs the chicken is exceedingly moist, and skinless provides a healthier option. Layer this over pasta and it’s a complete meal. If short on time this can be cooked up in 30 minutes especially when using chicken breasts alone. If you are interested in a hearty meal with a veggie base this is the meal for you!

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