Apple Cider Donuts

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Cook’s Note: I saw these donuts on Pinterest (of course!) and they sounded so yummy and perfect for a chilly September Saturday morning. I made these for my daughter and husband (and me!) and they were really good.

These donuts are BAKED and much healthier than fried donuts (I think that a fried version would taste better, but these were good also!). I adapted my version of this recipe from the original recipe from Pinterest (see attribution below for original recipe) and I like my version a lot!!!

This recipe just says Happy Fall, Ya’ll !!

What You Will Need:

(Please note… for this recipe – you will need a donut pan like the one you can buy here by Wilton.)

1 ½  Cups Flour

1 ½  Cups of Sugar

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter – (softened)

2 Large Eggs

1/3 Cup of Apple Cider

1/2 Cup of Milk

2 tbsp. Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Apple (peeled and cut up into very small pieces)

Small side bowl of equal parts of Cinnamon and Sugar mixed together to sprinkle on the donuts

Directions

Using your Kitchen Aid stand mixer (if you don’t have one, you HAVE to get one)– cream together sugar and butter

Add eggs one at a time and once well blended, add milk and apple cider.

Using your paddle attachment, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda and apple pieces.

Spray each donut cavity of your donut pan with Non-Stick Cooking Spray and fill each donut cavity with batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Let cool and remove the donuts and place on a large plate, take a wet paper towel and rub the tops of each donut and sprinkle your cinnamon sugar mixture over each donut (the slightly wet tops will help the cinnamon/sugar mixture to stick).

Serve these donuts warm with a nice cup of coffee…. ENJOY!!!

This “Pinspiration” comes from The Budget Savy Diva

Suburban Epicurean Meets Jamie Deen!

As avid cooks and bakers, we were thrilled when we heard that Jamie Deen was coming to our local Wegman's for a cookbook signing! We planned our entire day around going and were so excited when we got there. We waited for about an hour (we arrived early because we didn't know what kind of crowd to expect), which gave us time to purchase and look through his new cookbook (Jamie Deen's Good Food) and read through his yummy recipes. 

The cookbook is really AMAZING and we CAN NOT WAIT to make many of his recipes. The quality of the cookbook is just wonderful (nice thick pages) and the photography is done very well, all centered around family, which is why the Deen's are just so awesome to begin with. (We love Paula and Bobby too!) 

Jamie was just as nice as you can imagine.... he seems like someone you have known for years. Very personable and really friendly, took the time to talk to each and every single person that came. I really can't say enough good things about Jamie... he's charming, funny, sweet, southern and handsome.. oh yes ... he's a terrific cook too!

We told Jamie about our cooking blog and would be thrilled if he actually stopped by and checked us out here at Suburban Epicurean (a girl can dream... right?)

Thank you Jamie for being so kind and for taking the time to talk to us and making such an awesome cookbook. We will be making your recipes VERY soon!

Cowboy Casserole

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Cooks Note: Cowboy Casserole is all over Pinterest, so I figured I would give it a shot. My kids love tater tots, so it should go over well. Welllllll....not as well as I would have hoped. 

Don't get me wrong, it was good, just not great. There are a few things I would do differently next time. First thing, is I would add an extra can of soup, because it was too dry. Secondly, I thought it needed salt and pepper, desperately, which surprised me since tater tots, condensed soup and beef have a salty flavor normally. And I would cook it a little longer, it just seemed under done even though I cooked it longer than suggested. I will try it again, with these changes. Try it out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Cook for 25-30 minutes on 350, sprinkle with a handful of cheese, & then cook it for 5 more minutes so the cheese melts all over the top. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can condensed cream of mushroom
1/2 Cup milk
4 Tablespoons sour cream
2 Cups cheddar cheese
1 can corn, drained
32 oz bag frozen tator tots

DIRECTIONS
Brown a pound of ground beef & drain fat. Add back to the pan and saute with onions & garlic. Add condensed cream of mushroom, milk, sour cream, cheese & corn over low heat until melted. In a greased 9x13 pan, layer the tater tots (still frozen) in the bottom of the dish. Scoop meat mixture over the tater tots, and then add another layer of tater tots on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 5 additional minutes.

This Pinspiration comes from Little Bitty Kitchen

Chocolate Chip Belgian Waffles

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Cook's Note:  I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked like a great Saturday morning breakfast and boy was it ever! Delicious, easy and a great hit for the entire family!

What You Will Need:

2 Cups of Flour

2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Large Eggs

1 2/3 cups of Milk

1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1/3 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)

Directions:

Heat your waffle iron according to your manufacturer's instructions. Be sure to spray it with non-stick cooking spray (like Pam).

Mix dry ingredients together with a whisk, stirring in the chocolate chips last.

Add in the milk, then the butter and next, the eggs and then stir.

Pour a small ladle of batter into waffle iron onto the waffle iron and cook until ready.

Great tip: If the steaming from the waffle iron has dramatically slowed down and you can easily open the waffle iron to remove the waffle without it sticking, it is most likely done.

Once you pull it out and put it on a plate, sprinkle with a little powdered sugar and top with pancake syrup. YUM!

This "Pinspiration" comes from: Food.com "HeatherFeather"

One Point Hummus

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Cook's Note: My mother in law gave me this recipe after I raved about it once when she made it. I've been making this now for several years and its a great light snack dip to have around, especially if you are trying to watch your weight. The original recipe came from Weight Watchers, but I have modified it slightly to suit my tastes. 

This dip has a bit of a "kick", so leave out the cumin & allspice if you don't like those flavors or substitute/add in other varieties of flavor for this hummus such as Roasted Red Pepper, add more lemon or even top with Pine Nuts. You could play around with it and make it your own! 

What You Will Need: 

(1) 12 oz Can of Chick peas (drained)
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
3 Tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
2 Garlic Cloves
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp All Spice
Dash of Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste
1 Tbsp Water

Directions: 

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and serve with Pita Chips or Veggies for a delightful and light snack!

Yields about 2 cups and the serving size is 2 Tsp, which comes out to 1 WW point per serving.

This "Pinspiration" Comes from Weight Watchers and my Mother in Law

Lemon Cool Whip Cookies

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Cook's Note: Really?! Cookies can't be any easier than this - and let me tell you DELICIOUS! They are so super moist and everyone loved them... enjoy! 
What You Will Need: 
1 Box Lemon Cake Mix (you could use any of your favorite flavored cake mix here)
1 8 Oz. Tub of Light or Fat Free Cool Whip
1 Egg
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together, drop spoon fulls of cookie dough onto cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake for 15 minutes and watch them disappear.  

This "Pinspiration" comes from See The Good, Beverly Deaderick – Tennessee

Pumpkin French Toast

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Cooks Note: Fall is coming, FINALLY, and I am ready for the pumpkin, the cider, the apples and the cooler weather, so I decided to get in the spirit with this Pumpkin French Toast. I found this recipe on another blog, and not only is it delish, but it is Weight Watcher friendly, that's right, you read correctly, WW friendly! I would not change a thing here, it is amazing. Enjoy!

Pumpkin French Toast

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
½ cup skim milk
¾ cup canned pumpkin
1 t pumpkin pie spice
10 slices light wheat bread (I used Arnold brand, but Pepperidge Farms or a store brand would work great too)

Directions:
1.    In a large shallow bowl (I usually use a glass pie plate), combine the eggs, milk, pumpkin and spice and whisk together until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
2.    Mist a griddle or skillet with cooking spray and bring to medium-low to medium heat. Dip each side of a piece of bread into your egg/pumpkin mixture to coat and then shake off any excess mixture. Place the coated bread on the pan and repeat until the pan is full. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and then flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. You will likely need to do several batches – don’t forget to re-mist your griddle with cooking spray in between!

Optional Serving Ideas: I did not include any toppings in the recipe (or the nutrition info) because I know everyone likes their French toast different. Whether you want to top these with maple syrup, butter, whipped cream, powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, fruit, light syrup, or chocolate chips, the choice is yours!

Yields 5 (2 slice) servings. WW P+: 4 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per 2 slice serving from myfitnesspal.com: 145 calories, 22 g carbs, 4 g fat, 10 g protein, 7 g fiber

Pinspiration from EmilyBites



Thin Mints & Cream Iced Coffee Drink

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Cook's Note: There is not much to say here except "You're Welcome!" This is just too easy and refreshing - enjoy!
What You Will Need: 
2 Scoops of Light Vanilla Ice Cream
2-3 Tbsp of Coffee Mate Girl Scouts Thin Mints Coffee Creamer
1 cup (8 oz) of Brewed Coffee
4-5 ice cubes
Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions: 
Put all of your ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a nice tall glass over ice and top with Whipped Cream for a real treat.

** Important Note: You can use any flavor of your favorite coffee creamer in this recipe and make a different Iced Coffee Drink every time! This will be very delightful with many of the holiday flavors of coffee creamer!

This "Pinspiration" comes from: Celebrations at Home

Hot Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

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Cook's Note: I have been making this for about 10 years now and people ask me to bring it to get-togethers and its gone in a flash! Serve this with the right bread or chips and you have a HIT on your hands. The original recipe that I derived this from says its supposed to be a copy cat of Olive Garden's Spinach and Artichoke Dip, but my recipe is different than the original. Enjoy! 

What You Will Need: 

1 package of neufchatel (light) Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
1 can of Chopped Artichoke Hearts, drained  (if you have Harris Teeter, they carry their own brand that is awesome!) 
1 Frozen Box of Chopped Spinach (prepare per package directions and drain very well).
1/4 cup Light or Fat Free Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Shredded 6 Cheese-Italian Cheese
2 Cloves of Garlic (minced) 
1/4 Tsp Garlic Salt
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup of Mozzarella Cheese (this is for the topping) 
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 
Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. (If you are like me, this is hard to wait on, but trust me, it really does make for a better dip). Cream together cream cheese, mayo, shredded cheese, garlic and seasonings. Mix very well to thoroughly combine. Next add the artichoke hearts and spinach (again be sure to drain this very well before mixing) - Mix all ingredients until well blended. 

Spray your dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour mixture in. Top with Mozzarella Cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 Minutes or until top of dip is golden brown. 

Serve with toasted french bread slices, pita chips or tortilla chips for a DELICIOUS APPETIZER! 

This "Pinspiration" comes from Copy Cat Recipes