Nutter Butter Ghost Cookies

Cook's Note:  Of course, I saw this on Pinterest and had to try making this myself because they were just too cute! I am taking these to my daughter's daycare tomorrow - I think the kids will love them!

What You Will Need: 

Pack of Nutter Butter Cookies
Almond Bark - White Chocolate
Chocolate Sprinkles
Wax Paper

Directions: 

Lay out your wax paper on the kitchen counter. Melt almond bark according to package directions (I recommend using a glass bowl for the almond bark). Once thoroughly melted, using tongs, dip each nutter butter cookie into the chocolate. one at a time. You will be shaking off the excess chocolate each time and once a thin coat of the chocolate is on the nutter butter, lay it down on the wax paper to dry and repeat each time until you are done. I placed one chocolate sprinkle per eye (while still wet). 

Let dry for about 20-30 minutes. 

Once dry you place them in cute cookie bags and tie with a cute bow or gift tag. What fun treat for kids!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

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Cook's Note: I saw these on Pinterest and Cookies don't get ANY easier than this. All I can say is that they were really yummy. This is a very soft cookie and will only be good for a day or two, but not to worry, they will disappear quickly!

What You Will Need: 

1 Box Spice Cake Mix
1 Can of Pumpkin Puree
1/2 bag chocolate chips (optional)

Directions: 

Mix ingredients together with an electric mixer or stand mixer until well blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. 


This "Pinspiration" comes from Liv Lives Life

Caramel Apple Crescent Rolls

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Cooks Note: This was a last minute impromptu dessert that came to fruition because I did not have a pie crust to use with my apple pie filling and I needed a quick dessert. Anytime I can use crescent rolls I do, so I threw in some caramel and it turned out really great! Also good as an after school snack! Use cherry, peach, pumpkin, blueberry, whatever you want, they would all be delish. Enjoy!  

Ingredients:

1 Can Crescent Rolls

1 Can Apple Pie Filling

Dash of Nutmeg

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 T Caramel Dessert Sauce

Powdered Sugar for Sprinkling 

Directions:

1. Pour Apple Pie filling into mixing bowl

2. Cut large apple slices into smaller chunks (I do this right in the bowl)

3. Add Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and dessert sauce and mix together

4. Unroll crescent rolls as you would normally per package directions

5. Place one tablespoon of Apple Pie mixture in the top center of the crescent roll and roll per package directions.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-18 minutes, or until golden brown

7. Sprinkle crescent rolls with powdered sugar and serve warm

Sister Smith's Pumpkin Bread

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Cook’s Note: I have been making this recipe now for about 5 years. I stumbled upon my original recipe inspiration via Southern Living and decided to make my own light version by removing the vegetable oil from the recipe and using vanilla yogurt instead. I also added vanilla extract and watch out… this is amazing for breakfast (or anytime really!) with a nice hot cup of coffee and topped with a little butter or cream cheese. I made 6 mini loaves as gifts for friends and neighbors. This recipe will make either 6 mini loaves or 2 regular size loafs!

What You Will Need:

4 cups bread flour 

3 cups sugar 

2 teaspoons baking soda 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4   large eggs 

1   (15-ounce) can pumpkin

1 cup Plain or Vanilla Yogurt

2/3 cup water

Directions:

In your stand mixer, beat all ingredients at medium speed until  well blended. Pour evenly into 2 bread pans (spray well with non-stick cooking spray first!)

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans  for at least 15 minutes, then turn upside down and gently shake bread out so and cool completely on wire racks.

This “Pinspiration” comes from Southern Living

Crock Pot Tortellini Soup

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Cooks Note: This soup sounded yummy, and by yummy I mean it would take 10 min to prep and everyone would eat it, oh, and delicious too. So, it took 10 min to prep, everyone ate it and it was delicious. I followed the recipe, except I was so excited with how easy it was, I dumped the cans of tomatoes in. undrained, oops. But, all was well, the soup came out great. The only other change I made, was to add an extra cup of chicken broth at the end, because it was a little thick. In fact. it probably could have used another cup, the tortellini soaks up the liquid. This is a "make again" for sure. Enjoy!

    INGREDIENTS

1 (19 oz.) bag frozen Cheese Tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach
2 (14.5 oz) cans of Italian Style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 block (8 oz) of cream cheese or neufchatel (less fat)
1 lb. of ground sausage or chicken/turkey sausage
4 cups of chicken broth (I used 5)

    DIRECTIONS

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crock pot,
chunking up the cream cheese. 
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
(Keep an eye on your tortellini, it may be done sooner as crock pots can vary in temperature.)

Serves 4-6

This Pinspiration from What's For Dinner?

Pumpkin Stuffed Shells

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Cook's Note: So, I was cruising Pinterest and this little gem of a recipe popped up. I thought it looked so good and I couldn't wait to make it. Let me tell you - this recipe is divine!! You know I usually change something about every recipe and the only change I have made here is to use one clove of garlic instead of two. This is a wonderful fall meal and actually very easy to make... I encourage you to give it a try!

What You Will Need:

1 Box of Jumbo Shells (I used Barilla)

¾ Jar of tomato sauce (I always use Franceso Rinaldi Tomato Basil sauce, its my favorite!)

15 oz can of pumpkin puree

1 container of Part Skim Ricotta Cheese

1 ½  cups of shredded light mozzarella cheese

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 egg

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp  sage

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the shells in accordance with the instructions on the box (I used Barilla Jumbo Pasta shells). Once they are ready, strain and set aside to cool.

Stir together pumpkin, ricotta, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, garlic, egg, nutmeg, sage, basil, and salt & pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Spray a 9X13 glass cooking dish with non-stick cooking spray and then evenly spread the tomato sauce along the bottom of the dish.

Stuff each of the shells with about 2 tbps of the pumpkin/ricotta mixture and place in rows along the dish (sitting each shell on top of the tomato sauce).

Once you’ve stuffed all the shells, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle the last ½ cup of the shredded mozzarella over the shells and let the cheese melt.

Serve with some yummy garlic bread and salad for a delicious fall meal!

This Pinspiration comes from "The Daily Dish"

Brown Sugar and Bacon Little Smokies

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Cooks Note: This is so yummy there are no words. I mean, you could wrap bacon around pretty much anything and it would be divine, but Little Smokies and brown sugar? HEAVEN! This is a great party or game day snack, but I suggest making a lot, cause these little suckers will go fast!Enjoy!

Pre-Topping:

Going into the oven it looked like this:

Ingredients

• 1 package of Little Smokies
• 1 pound of bacon
• 2 cups of brown sugar
• 1/2 Stick of But

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the bacon into thirds and wrap each third around a Little Smokie.
3. Place seam side down on a baking sheet.
4. Melt the butter and mix in 1 cup brown sugar, pour over smokies.
5. Sprinkle 1 cup brown sugar on top of smokies
6. Bake for 20-25 or until bacon is crisp and sugar has caramelized.
7. To crisp up your bacon, turn the broiler on High for 4 min.

This Pinspiration comes from all over the place!

Victoria Justice Peanut Butter and Banana Power Shake

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Cooks Note: My daughter LOVES Victoria Justice, the Nickelodeon star. So I thought, hey why not try some kid celeb recipes in an effort to make eating better, cool. Well it worked. I made this smoothie, which is really good if you like peanut butter as much as we do, and I let my daughter try it. I didn't tell her what is was, and she said, "It's pretty good, what is it?" I told her it was Victoria Justice's favorite smoothie and she said, "REALLY? WOW, I really like it a lot!"  and proceeded to drink almost the whole thing. Score: Mom-1 Kid-0. 

Ingredients:

8 oz. skim milk
1 sliced banana
1/4 cup ice
2 tbsp. peanut butter

Directions: Toss all ingredients into a blender, puree for 1 minute or until creamy, but not liquidy.

This Pinspirtation comes from Victoria Justice and Seventeen Magazine

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

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Cook's Note: It's FALL and there is nothing like warm oatmeal and anything pumpkin. And there is REALLY nothing like waking up to breakfast that is already made.  I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought I had to try it out. It was good, I just had to make a few tweaks to it! Throw this all in the crock pot RIGHT before you go to sleep and wake up to the aromas of pumpkin filling your house. This is something that is semi-healthy and the whole family can enjoy. This would also be a great breakfast on Thanksgiving morning because its not too filling and simple.

What You Will Need:

2 Cups of Steel Cut Oats (don't use any other kind, trust me!)
4 cups of Milk
1 can of Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 Tbsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Be sure to spray the inside of your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Also, like I said in the ingredients list - you HAVE to use steel cut oats, otherwise - any other kind of oats (such as quick cooking or multigrain will get very soggy). Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and stir well. Let simmer overnight on low for 6-7 hours.

Serve with a great cup of coffee (with a little pumpkin spice coffee creamer in it) and some fresh fruit!

This "Pinspiration" comes from Simply Mrs Edwards

Saturday Morning Blueberry Coffee Cake

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Cook's Note: My very dear friend made this for breakfast once on a Saturday morning when I visited her in Colorado and I fell in love with the recipe. I have made it twice since and its just absolutely delicious. The recipe inspiration comes from Paula Deen, so you know you can't go wrong with that. Typically, I change something about every recipe... and for this one, what I changed is the butter and sugar content and added a little nutmeg because the original recipe is just way too rich. I think you will love this recipe, I hope you will make this for your family on a Saturday morning.

What You Will Need:

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

1  can refrigerated biscuits 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/2 cup frozen Organic blueberries

1/3 cup sugar

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Spray a glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Open can of biscuits and cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture.  Place each piece next to each other in the baking dish. Once all the biscuit pieces are in the dish, sprinkle with ½ cup of the oats.  Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl and coat the berries well with the sugar.  Spoon the blueberry mixture slowly over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining ½  cup of oats.  Drizzle melted butter on top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the coffee cake is golden brown. Be sure to use a toothpick to check the center to ensure it is done.  Cool for about 15 minutes, if you can wait that long.  Serve with a delicious cup of coffee.

This "Pinpiration" comes from Paula Deen

Crock Pot Mexican Macaroni

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Cooks Note: I have NEVER had Southern Living disappoint when it comes to recipes, or anything for that matter. Southern Living Magazine is like the 2nd Bible of the South. This recipe was no different. This is listed as a side dish technically, but I added 3 large chicken breasts to the bottom of the crock pot and shredded them up a bit when I removed them and it was perfect. I would imagine this would also be excellent with ground beef or turkey. Serve this with some chips and guac and it is an easy, delicious meal everyone will enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1 (8 ounce) package macaroni, uncooked

1 (14.5-ounce) can Mexican-style tomatoes, undrained and chopped

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream

3 Large Chicken Breasts

1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 Cup Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 Cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Combine uncooked macaroni, tomatoes, and next 4 ingredients; stir in half of cheeses. Pour 

into a lightly greased 3 quart crock pot; top with remaining cheeses. 

Cook on low 3-4 hours

Pinspiration from Southern Living Crock Pot Cookbook

Homemade Honey Cornbread

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Cook’s Note: I am from the South and as such, I was craving corn bread one evening and searched for a recipe that looked easy, but yummy. I didn’t want to have to do it in a cast iron skillet because ironically I don’t have one. Now, why would a girl from the south not have a cast iron skillet you ask? Well, I am a bit intimidated by them. The whole “having to season it” thing sort of frightens me.

Anyway…….. I found this recipe that was baked in the oven, didn’t have oil or buttermilk and seemed semi-healthy. I have to say that the original recipe was just OK. I have tried it again and modified the recipe to add more honey and yogurt, to give it a little more sweetness and moistness – the original recipe just didn’t do it for me.

What You Will Need:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 egg

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, use a fork or whisk and mix together the dry ingredients and slowly add liquid ingredients and still well. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake for about 40 minutes.

Great cooking tip you can always use ……be sure to check the corn bread with a toothpick and if it comes out clean, you will know it's done! I always check in the middle because that is where cakes/breads have a tendency to be “not done”.

Let cool for about 10-15 minutes then cut into squares, serve warm, preferable with honey butter! This would be a great side to any chili or soup!

 

This "Pinspiration" comes from Simply Homemade

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

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Cook's Note: I have NEVER made Chicken Pot Pie before (GASP!), so I thought I would give it a whirl! This was actually very simple to make and my husband said it was "the bomb".... so I will take it as a good thing! My entire family enjoyed it and they think I slaved over this dish, but it really couldn't be easier! I changed the original recipe to make it my own.

Another tip (what I did):  If you want... you can cook the chicken in advance, in your crockpot (sprinkle  each side of the chicken breasts with Italian seasoning and let cook on high in your crock pot for about 4 hours) so that it shreds easily, that will speed up this recipe and the chicken will be nice and tender! Otherwise, you can just boil the chicken for about 25-30 minutes and then shred it and add into the recipe!

What You Will Need: 

1 Box Pillsbury Refrigerated  Pie Crusts (let come to room temperature before using)

2-3 Chicken Breasts (Cooked and Shredded)

1/3   cup butter or margarine  

1/3   cup chopped onion   

½ tsp salt   

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

½ tsp Garlic Salt or 2 chopped Garlic Cloves if you have them

½ tsp Cavender's Greek Seasoning (my favorite secret ingredient in every recipe!)

1/3   cup all-purpose flour  

½ cup Skim Milk

1 Bag of Frozen Mix Vegetables

Directions: 

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.  

In a large skillet melt your butter and sauté onion. Once this is just slightly brown, add flour, salt, pepper and garlic. Stir slightly and slowly add flour and milk, stirring well. Next add in your bag of frozen mixed vegetables and stir well. Let simmer on the stove top at a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add in cooked chicken and stir well, let simmer for about 3-4 more minutes.

With your room temperature pie crusts ready – spray non-stick cooking spray on a pie plate and place first pie crust down.  Pour the skillet vegetable/chicken mixture into the pie crust. Top with second pie crust and take a fork and go around the edges making fork marks to make it pretty (see photo!)

Cook in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. During the last 10 minutes of baking, you can cover the top of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent crust burning.     

Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long!)

 This "Pinspiration" come from Pillsbury

Creamy Crock Pot Corn Chowder

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Cooks Note: Now that it's that time of year again to start stirin up some soups, I thought I would get a head start and try some new ones out on the crew. Crock pot dinners are a fave around here, not only because they are easy, but they require less cleanup, the part I hate them most and get the least help with. The only changes I would make to this one is maybe adding more liquid, in the case broth or cream to thin it out a little and maybe some salt and pepper to taste. A must try for cool fall evenings. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6-8 potatoes (peeled and diced)
• 1 Can cream corn
• 1 Can whole kernel corn
• 2 Cups chicken broth
• 8 Ounces diced ham
• 1 Cups diced onions
• 1/4 Cups butter
• 2 Cups half and half

Directions

1. Step One

   Place potatoes, both cans of corn, chicken broth, ham, and onions into the slow cooker.

2. Step Two

   Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

3. Step Three

   Mash the mixture to your desired consistency and then add the butter and half and half.

4. Step Four

   Cook for an additional 30 minutes on high, and you are set!
   
   
   This Pinspiration comes from The Crockin Girls

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Chicken Salsa Casserole Crockpot

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Cook's Note I saw this recipe on Pinterest (of course!) and needed an easy recipe to make for dinner and this looked pretty good. The problem was that I had NO TIME and decided to try making this in the crockpot.... well it turned out great and I highly recommend it . Even my toddler asked for more!  You can serve this with some tortilla chips on the side and the crunch of the chips really makes this yummy.

What You Will Need:

1 cup uncooked rice

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small onion, chopped

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa

1 cup chicken broth

½ Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp Garlic Salt

3 chicken breasts (frozen is OK)

1 cup shredded Mexican Blend cheddar cheese (this is for the topping)

Directions:  

Coat your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray if needed, turn your crockpot on high and place chicken breasts in the bottom (frozen is OK – will cook just wonderful in the crock pot – no need to thaw first!) Next add all ingredients except for the cheddar cheese. Stir around until the ingredients are well distributed, ensuring that chicken breasts remain on the bottom, but are well covered by the mixture.

Cook in your crock pot for 4-5 hours on High or 6-8 hours on low.

During the last 10 minutes, sprinkle the cheese on the top of the mixture, place the lid back on (this allows the cheese to melt). Once its melted, it’s time to serve!  
 

 

This "Pinspiration" comes from Budget Bites

Tuscan Sausage and Bean Soup

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Cooks Note: One of my favorite soups in the world is Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden. Give me a bowl of that and a few hundred of their bread sticks and I am GOOD. This soup tastes so much like Zuppa Toscana, it will be a staple in our house this winter. Easy to make, 35 min, start to finish. Serve with some crusty bread and it is a prefect Fall meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 19 oz cans of cannellini beans 
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 links mild Italian sausage (out of the casing)
• 8 slices bacon (6 for soup, 2 for topping)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• more water if soup is too thick
• Shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Instructions:

1. Add the bacon to a soup pot or a large dutch oven and fry the bacon until brown. Remove bacon from the pot and add the tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion and the Italian sausage to the pot and fry until onion is translucent and sausage is slightly browned. Add garlic and cook until another 2 minutes.
2. Drain water from beans and discard. Rinse well and add beans to the pot. Add broth, heavy cream, paprika, and basil, and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. If the soup is too thick add more water, or if you want it thicker you can add beans.
4. Garnish soup with crumbled bacon and cheddar.

Original Pinspiration from My Kitchen!

Nana's Butterscotch Apple Cake

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Cook's Note: This is one of my absolute favorite cakes in the world. My Nana always made this for me when I was little and my Mom made it too. It was more of a family tradition type of dish and it still brings back wonderful memories of my childhood when I eat it. I wanted to share my family recipe with the world so that everyone can enjoy it. This is a fall staple in our family and I hope once you try it, it will be in your family too! 

What You Will Need: 

2 Cups of Sugar
1 Cup of Applesauce
3 Eggs
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups of Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 Cup of  peeled and finely chopped apples (about 1-2 apples) - Add Last to mixture
1/2 cup Butterscotch Chips (this will be sprinkled on top)

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In your KitchenAid stand mixer, mix first three ingredients together until well blended. Add next 5 ingredients slowly until all are well blended. Lastly, using your paddle attachment - add the apples and slowly combine into the batter. If you are using a handheld mixer - just stir in the apples at the end. 

Pour batter into a greased, square cake pan and sprinkle the butterscotch chips evenly across the top of the batter. 

Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once cooled well, cut the cake into squares and serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a WONDERFUL Fall treat! 

This "Pinspiration" comes from My Nana and my Mom!