Ginger Snap Pumpkin Smoothie

At our house, we LOVE Autumn!  Bulky sweaters, brisk days, and the sound of leaves crunching under our feet as we walk.  Of course, me being a foodie and all, I love all of the yummy fall flavors!

I'm sure most of you have been hitting your neighborhood coffee shops for your fall drink fix, but I'm not a coffee drinker.  When Joe brought home some pumpkin pie flavored yogurt the other day, I knew I just had to turn that into a smoothie!  The result?  This creamy smoothie is  perfect for breakfast or lunch or even as an alternative  to pumpkin pie for dessert!

Ginger Snap Pumpkin Smoothie 

Ingredients:  

• 4 oz. container of pumpkin pie yogurt (discard the "pie crust" crumbles)
• 1/4 cup Plain, fat free Greek Yogurt 
• 1/4 cup skim milk 
• 1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup crushed ginger snap cookies + additional for garnish
• 5 ice cubes

To prepare:  

• Combine ingredients in blender pitcher and blend until smooth and creamy.  
• Pour into glass.  
• Garnish with crushed ginger snap cookies. 
• Add a straw and enjoy!  

Notes: 

• I crushed about five smaller sized ginger snaps before making my smoothie.  I still had some crushed cookies left after preparing my smoothie.  
• I crushed the cookies using the same method that I used when I crushed the Whoppers Candy for my Whopper of a Smoothie!  Alternately, you could probably just toss the whole cookies into the blender with the other ingredients.  

I made this smoothie for myself for breakfast over the weekend and LOVED it!  I was having a difficult time concentrating on taking photos of the finished product because I really just wanted to devour it right away!  While I sipped this for breakfast, I realized that if I had this instead of pie for dessert, I'd be totally satisfied and not feel as if I was depriving myself of dessert!  In fact, I'd even splurge and allow myself a dollop of whipped cream on a special occasion!  

A Whopper of a Smoothie

Did you know it's smoothie week?  Well, it is over at Williams-Sonoma and they've asked me to whip up a smoothie using a unique ingredient.

I'm not sure why, but Whoppers Candy was the first thing that popped into my head.  Maybe because I had a huge bowl of Halloween Candy sitting next to me and they were calling my name!

Regardless of what inspired this delicious dessert smoothie, I was super pleased with the result!  This smoothie is a perfect way to add some dairy and fruit to your day while satisfying your sweet tooth at the same time!

So, go ahead and raid your kids' Halloween candy and get your blenders ready to whip up this yummy, almost-guilt-free treat!

While Whoppers Candy isn't something totally off-the-wall unusual, it is a bit of a jump from my normally healthy smoothie ingredients.

 

You'll want to crush those candies and that's really easy to do!  Just pour the candy into a zipper bag.  Seal the bag after squeezing out the air.  Place the bag of candy into a folded dish towel and crush the candy by whacking it with a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Grace had fun helping me with this part of the preparation!

Grace and I crushed up a movie theater sized package of Whoppers because I wasn't sure how much I'd need for this smoothie.  I love that we have enough to make at least 2 more smoothies!  This is great because normally, I'd sit there and just devour the entire box, but by adding some of the crushed candy to healthy smoothie ingredients, I was able to enjoy a sweet treat without feeling too guilty!

Now that we've gotten past the candy crushing, scroll down for the recipe!

Enjoy!

A Whopper of a Smoothie

Ingredients:  

• 1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup plain, fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup skim milk 
• 1/4 cup crushed Whoppers Candy 
• 1/2 cup crushed ice
• 1/2 Tbs. crushed Whoppers Candy for garnish, optional 

To Prepare: 

• Add all ingredients (except the 1/2 Tbs of candy used to garnish) to blender pitcher
• Blend until creamy. 
• Pour into a glass. 
• Garnish with additional Whoppers Candy.  

Creating this smoothie recipe started me thinking about a dessert I used to get as a kid and how I'd like to transform the concept of that dessert into another dessert smoothie...so be sure to check back soon for more healthy dessert options!

In the meantime, check out my latest recipe for a Ginger Snap Pumpkin Smoothie.  The delicious flavors of fall in a tasty breakfast smoothie!  Psst!  It's great for dessert, too!

If you like, you can also check out the rest of my smoothie recipes by clicking the smoothie tab at the top of the page or by following this link Smoothie Recipes

Disclaimer:  I was not compensated for this post in any way.  All ideas and opinions shared in this post are original and my own.  

Trader Joe's Chocolatey Cats...Cookies for people!

In case you haven't heard, I'm on a diet....AGAIN!  Yes, I am getting back on the wagon and attempting to shed some pounds.  I haven't been happy with my weight for a long time and it's about time I do something about it.

A couple of months ago, I joined the Weight Watchers Online program.  It's been slow going since I've had more than a couple of weeks where I just wasn't 100% in the game.  But, I'm going to keep on trying.

Anyway, I decided I should share products that I like to eat while I'm watching my weight.  Sure, we all know that fruits and veggies are great options when trying to lose weight, but sometimes we need items not found in the produce aisle to get us through the day.

This is one of those products!

I started buying these cookies from Trader Joe's ages ago.  Back when I was doing Weight Watchers about 10 years ago!  I had actually forgotten about these cookies until stumbling across them on a recent trip to Trader Joe's.  They were a must-have item in my pantry then just as they are now!

I bought them without checking the points first.  I was hoping that with the new changes to the Points system that they were still low in points.  I was incredibly ecstatic when I found they were still just 3 points for 15 cookies!  They aren't too pricey for a big tub of cookies, either!

They are so full of chocolatey flavor that they are very satisfying if you're like me and have a sweet tooth! Sometimes, I divide the 15 cookies into 3 servings and nibble on them through the day!  Even 5 cookies when I "need" something sweet after lunch is enough to keep me happy on those bad chocolate craving days!


Note:  I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I just love these cookies and thought you would, too!

For more Weight Watcher's Friendly items, be sure to check out the tab at the top of the page under our title.

Double Chocolate Cannoli Skinny Dip

When I was a teen, I loved going to Reading Terminal Market with my Mom.  We'd load up on fresh meats and produce, then we'd have lunch.  We'd always grab dessert before going home, too!  My favorite were the chocolate cannoli from one of the bakery counters!  YUM!

Only once since those trips to the market was I able to find another bakery that sold chocolate cannolis.  In fact, it's rare when I see regular cannoli these days.

After seeing a bunch of recipes for Cannoli Dip all over Pinterest, I knew I wanted to give it a try!  Except, I knew I wanted to make Chocolate Cannoli Dip!  While this dip isn't nearly as decadent as the delicious filling of the cannoli I'd get while out shopping with my Mom, it's still a great treat.  Using fat free ingredients makes this a delicious low PointsPlus Value treat!

Double Chocolate Cannoli Skinny Dip 
          adapted from: Skinny Chocolate Chip Cannoli Dip
          serves 10-20

Ingredients: 

• 7 1/2 oz. Fat Free ricotta cheese 
• 2/3 c. Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt
• 4 oz. Fat Free whipped topping
• 2 Tbs. Confectioners' Sugar
• 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (I used slightly less) 
• 6 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 
• Additional mini chocolate chips for garnish (optional) 

Directions: 

• In a mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese and yogurt.  
• Add the whipped topping and confectioners' sugar and mix by hand until well-combined.  
• Add the mini chocolate chips.  
• Once the above ingredients are combined, mix in the cocoa powder until completely incorporated.  
• Chill for at least an hour before serving. 

Notes: 

• I used slightly less than 1/2 cup. mini chocolate chips, but still counted points for the full 1/2 cup.  
• Once I was finished mixing this together, I transferred it to another bowl for storage in the fridge.  I weighed the completed recipe and came up with 20 oz.  
• PointsPlus Value for 1 oz = 1 point. 
• PointsPlus Value for 2 oz = 3 points.  

I'm linking this recipe to the following blog carnivals and linky parties: 

• Tasty Tuesday Link Party
• Making a Home Homaking Linky
• Work It Wednesday
• Homemaking Party
• Full Plate Thursday
• Think Tank Thursday

Berry Banana Split

This morning, I decided to get a little creative with my morning breakfast of fruit and yogurt.  I wanted to make it feel like it was an indulgent treat rather than a healthy option.

As I was reaching for a bowl to use for my yogurt, I spotted my corn cob dishes and decided to use it as a banana split boat!  I love when I can find an alternative for items in my kitchen.  In this case, I am making a healthy version of a banana split.  One that is both fitting for breakfast and the Weight Watchers Simply Filling Program that I am following.

All you need is a banana, berries of your choice, and some fat free yogurt!

Berry Banana Split

Ingredients:  

• Banana
• 1/4 cup grapes
• 1/4 cup blueberries 
• 1/4 cup plain fat free yogurt, plain fat free Greek yogurt, or sugar-free/fat free flavored yogurt

Directions: 

• slice banana in half lengthwise, then slice into bite-sized pieces. 
• Place sliced banana in dish. 
• Cut grapes in half and place on top of the banana with the blueberries.  
• Top with yogurt of your choice.  

Notes:  

• Top with a Simply Filling friendly cereal in place of sprinkles you would traditionally find on a dessert banana split!  
• Be sure your yogurt is a power food, otherwise be sure to track points for non-power food yogurts.  I used fat free vanilla yogurt for 1 point.  
• Use whatever berries you like!  I just happened to have grapes and blueberries on hand this morning.  

PointsPlus Value:  1 point

Marshmallow Candy Cane Fudge Truffles

Yesterday was one of those days that I really tried to do more than I could handle.  Well, lately, most days kind of go that way, but yesterday especially.

I knew I needed to do a test run on some two-ingredient fudge to decide if it was going to be added to my holiday baking list.  So, after lunch, I settled Grace down to watch a Christmas special and I whipped up a batch of fudge.

Of course, leave it to me to run into a jam while preparing such a simple recipe.  I needed to line to my dish with foil and I had just used up the last of our roll when I wrapped up the leftovers from lunch.  But I had already started to melt the chocolates, so there really wasn't any turning back.  I decided to just give it a go without lining the pan.  Figuring if it didn't come out of the pan nicely, it didn't really matter since it was just a test-run and really only Joe and I would see the ugly mess.  This was more of a trial to test out the taste and texture which, in the end, were perfect!

Since I was having a heck of a time cutting and serving pretty little squares of fudge from the dish, I decided to just scrape some out and roll into balls to form truffles!

What a perfectly delicious solution to my kitchen mishap!

Marshmallow Candy Cane Fudge Truffles 

Ingredients: 

• 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• tub of chocolate frosting 
• handful of mini marshmallows
• crushed candy canes

Directions: 

• Melt your chocolate either in the microwave or double boiler.  
• Stir in marshmallows if using.  
• Remove from heat and stir in the frosting. 
• Spread the mixture into an 8x8 pan.  
• Sprinkle the crushed candy cane over top and press slightly into the fudge.  
• Allow to set in fridge for 1/2 an hour to an hour.  
• Using a spoon, spatula, or ice cream scoop, scrape the fudge from the pan and roll into balls about an inch in size, then roll the balls into more crushed candy cane.   

Frozen Hot Chocolate Snow Milk Shake

Yesterday, I told you about my friend Kristen's idea for making snow milkshakes or snow shakes as her kiddo calls them!

Feeling so chilly yesterday and just wanting to snuggle by the fire, I really hadn't planned on making them.  Instead I was content to just share her photo and a few links to other variations of the idea.

Last winter, Grace really had no interest in going out in the snow but today, she really wanted to get out there and play.  Grudgingly, I dragged myself away from the fireplace and bundled her up to go outside.  With Kristen's snow shakes fresh on my mind and seeing all of the perfectly clean, white snow outside I just had to run back in to grab a big bowl and spoon to scoop some of the fluffy white stuff for my own snow shake!

Once I was able to convince Grace to come back into the house and after pulling off all of those layers of clothes, I found myself pulling out our Magic Bullet blender to make myself a single-serve shake (Grace doesn't like ice cream or anything that resembles it.).

Here's how I made it:

Frozen Hot Chocolate Snow Milk Shake

Ingredients: 

• 2-4 cups packed snow
• .5-1 cup milk, I used skim milk
• 1 packet Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa
• whipped cream (optional) 

Directions: 

• I started by filling my individual blender mug with snow.  I packed it down to about one inch from the top to allow for the other ingredients.  
• Next, I slowly poured in the milk.  I started with a 1/2 cup and added more later.  
• I topped the milk off with the cocoa packet. 
• Once all the ingredients were added, I blended.  This is where I added more milk and snow as needed.  Add more or less depending on the consistency you are looking for.  
• Pour into a glass (or just use the blender mug) and top with whipped cream if you wish.  I used Peppermint flavored whipped cream!  Yum!  

I loved my shake!  I especially loved that it tasted like a high-calorie milk shake from the ice cream shop, but really wasn't too high in calories at all!  Depending on how much whipped cream you use, this could very well come in under 300 calories!  Much less than a shake from the popular fast food chain!  

I am linking this recipe to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• The Homemaking Party 
• Tasty Thursdays
• Fantastic Thursday

Disclosure:   This post may contain affiliate links.  If you click on a product and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  

Strawberry Shortcake Vanilla Pudding Poke Cake

While normally, I'm all about chocolate desserts (the more chocolate, the better), I have always loved strawberry shortcake!  When I was a kid, my mom would make us her version of strawberry shortcake:  a slice of Sara Lee pound cake, topped with vanilla pudding and sliced strawberries!  Mm!  It was always a nice treat...one we were occasionally allowed to enjoy for breakfast!

I was 19 before I tried the more traditional strawberry shortcake with the layers of cake, whipped cream and strawberries...and while I do love the traditional version, I love my momma's version better!

Friday (June 14th)  was National Strawberry Shortcake Day!  Who thinks up these things?  Whoever it is, I want to give  a BIG thank you!  I love strawberry shortcake and if the calendar tells me I should celebrate, then who am I to disobey?

I didn't have a frozen pound cake and I didn't feel like a trip to the store, so I improvised!  I combined the concept of this Pudding Poke Cake with the flavors of Mom's strawberry shortcake...I was not disappointed with the results!

Vanilla Pudding Poke Cake ~ Strawberry Shortcake 
     Adapted from an old family treat
                   and Betty Crocker

Ingredients:  

• Yellow cake prepared and cooled in a 9x13 glass dish. 
• 4 serving package instant vanilla pudding 
• 2 cups milk 
• sliced strawberries 
• sugar 
• whipped topping 

Directions: 

• Poke holes in cooled cake with the end of a wooden spoon. 
• Add pudding mix to 2 cups cold milk, mix for 2 minutes. (do not chill) 
• Pour the pudding evenly over cake.  
• Chill for 2 (or more) hours, covered.  
• Stir together sliced strawberries with sugar, cover and refrigerate.

To serve:  

• Slice chilled cake into 12 servings. 
• Top with desired amount of strawberries, whipped topping.  

Notes:  

• I had about a pint of strawberries...next time, I'd probably use 2 pints of strawberries to be sure to have enough for the entire cake!  
• I didn't measure the berry/sugar step of this dessert.  I just sprinkled a little sugar in, stirred...added a little more sugar and stirred.  
• I can't wait to have an occasion to make this cake again!  Great for a potluck or a barbecue.  
• A variety of mixed berries would be delicious, too! 

According to this list of National Food Days, today is National Fudge Day!  Sadly, I don't have the ingredients to make our favorite fudge recipe today, I'll just have to settle for sharing the link with y'all today!  

I have shared this recipe post at the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Salt Tree Social #59

Inspired by Pinterest ~ Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

I ate cookies for breakfast this morning and I don't feel the least bit guilty, thanks to a recipe I found on Pinterest last night!

The base of this fabulously easy recipe contains just two ingredients (bananas and oats) plus whatever add-ins you want to include to jazz them up a bit!  I added chocolate chips to the batch of cookies I whipped up this morning, but there are so many great ingredients that you can add to personalize them to your cravings!  I'm thinking raisins, coconut, nuts!

To find out more about not-so-precise measurements and cooking times, check out the original idea over at The Burlap Bag.

note:  I know I already shared an Inspired by Pinterest post earlier today, but I am just so darned excited about this one, I didn't want to wait until next week to share it with y'all!


I'm linking this post to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Weekend Pot Luck #56
• Saturday Show & Tell #52
• Salt Tree Social #44

Sugar-Free Chocolate Coconut Pudding Pops

A friend of mine gave me a smoothie recipe a couple of weeks ago.  The recipe called for coconut milk, so in one of my daily texts to Joe, I asked him to pick up a carton on his way home.  It was good timing, too, since it was on sale for $1.00 off that week.

I have a bad track record when it comes to milk.  It doesn't matter if it's soy milk, coconut milk or my usual skim milk, I have a habit of forgetting about it until it has passed the expiration date.  Resulting in pouring the spoiled milk down the drain.  So, after seeing the high price of the coconut milk, Joe told me if I didn't use every last drop, he would not buy it again!

When I realized we had a half gallon of the stuff and the recipe only called for 1/4 cup, I was sure there was no way I'd finish it all before it expired.  I tried it in my cereal and was not a fan at all.

I then decided to make some pudding using a box of sugar free Jell-o pudding mix and the coconut milk.  I measured out the coconut milk, added it to the pudding, mixed it well and put in the fridge to set.

It didn't set.

I checked the box thinking maybe I used too much milk.  Nope.  I measured correctly.  I just failed to see the note at the bottom stating that the pudding would not set when using soy milk.  Apparently, it won't set when using coconut milk either.

Sigh.  I really didn't want to waste both the 2 cups of the coconut milk AND a box of pudding mix, but I really didn't want to drink the pudding either.

After chilling it overnight in hopes that it would eventually thicken (it didn't), I remembered that I've been wanting to try to make my own pudding pops.  Those oh-so-yummy frozen treats I enjoyed when I was a kid.  No better time then right then!  I pulled a chair up to the cabinet that's above my refrigerator and dug out my popsicle mold.  Cleaned it up, filled it with pudding and popped it into the freezer.  And waited.

The result?  A perfectly simple, oh-so-tasty low calorie snack!  Mmmmm!  So good!

Sugar Free Chocolate Coconut Pudding Pops

Ingredients:

• Silk Coconut Milk 
• Sugar Free Instant Pudding Mix 

Directions:  

• Mix the pudding mix with the required amount of coconut milk as direction on the pudding box.  
• I chilled the pudding/milk mixture overnight before eventually pouring into the mold, but I'm sure you could just pour into your popsicle mold at this point and freeze.  

I'll be making these again once the weather warms up a bit!  I'll have fun trying a bunch of different flavor combinations, too!  

I am linking up and sharing this post with the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Saturday Show & Tell #52

Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies

You probably know already that I hate to bake.  Multiple ingredients and all that measuring just doesn't interest me very much.  I make the exception with a few recipes since I really do love baked goods and homemade is so much tastier than store-bought.

I especially love recipes that start with a boxed cake mix.  Those recipes make it so much easier for this grumpy baker!

Occasionally, when Joe runs out to pick up the Sunday paper, he'll surprise me with a red velvet muffin stuffed with a sweet cream cheese filling.  They are a rare treat, since a lot of time they are sold out by the time Joe he gets there.

Ever since I first started making Gooey Butter Cookies (another cake mix cookie), I've been wanting to try them using a red velvet cake mix in place of my usual yellow and chocolate cake mixes.  I just never got around to trying it.  When it came time to make cookies to take to our family's annual Christmas Eve party, I made it a point to try the Red Velvet Cookies.

Just as I suspected, they were a success!  The only thing that would make them better is if they were frosted or filled with a cream cheese frosting!

Here's a quick picture that I snapped with my phone just before packing them into the tin before we left for the party.

Red Velvet  Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

• Box Red Velvet Cake Mix 
• 1 egg
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 
• 1 stick butter, softened 
• powdered sugar 

Directions: 

• In a bowl, combine cake mix, egg, cream cheese and butter until well combined.  
• Cover the cookie dough and chill overnight (or at least 4 hours).  
• Roll dough into balls, then roll in powdered sugar.  
• Bake in a 350* oven for 9-12 minutes.  

I'm linking this recipe to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Wonderful Wednesday hosted by Ducks in a Row

Guest Post ~ Groundhog Day Pudding Cups

January has passed by so quickly that the entire month is truly a blur!  Because of this, I didn't get around to doing anything special for Groundhog Day.  In fact, I completely forgot about it until I saw the adorable treat my friend Merry made for her kiddos to celebrate the day that we find out if we'll have an early spring or if we'll be stuck with 6 more weeks of winter!

Since I've been wanting to ask Merry to do a guest post ever since I shared photos of her daughter's Princess and the Pea birthday party, I saw this as the perfect opportunity!  

Hi, my name is Merry and I am mom to James, 11, and Lily, 5. I am a big holiday celebrator. No matter how small the holiday I can find a way to celebrate it. Especially these winter holidays when Christmas is over and spring seems so far away. It's another 2 weeks to Valentines Day? Have no fear - Groundhog Day is here! Lily has come home from school asking to watch Punxsutawney Phil on tv live and this year I have made a cute dessert, Groundhog pudding cups for the kids to enjoy. So we are in full Groundhog mode here.

I got the idea from FamilyFun magazine (you can see my inspiration here) and if you don't already get it look into it because they have many great and easy things to do for and with your kids. The only changes I made to the directions in the magazine is I substituted butterscotch chips for the suggested peanut butter ones and used a tube of black cake decorator icing that I already had. It was hard but I managed to not eat the whole bag of Milanos before I could make these.

So, have a Happy Groundhog Day and in this house we are hoping for an early spring!
(and don't drive angry!)

Note from Alison:  In case you're like me and you've lived under a rock since the release of the movie Groundhog Day in 1993, the last line in Merry's post is a reference to the movie.  I've never seen the movie so I had to ask her!  I guess it's about time I watch it...I wonder if it will be on cable at all today?

Super Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

After all of the cooking ahead that I did over the weekend, it was time to find room for it in the freezer.  Most of the time, it's just a matter of moving a few things that hadn't been put away correctly to free up some extra space.  This time, I just couldn't manage to fit everything back in.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining!  It's comforting to know that the freezer is full!

Based on the menu plan for the week, there wasn't really much that I could take out to make room.  I really hated the thought of wasting anything, but mashed bananas seemed to be the best option if I had to toss something.  Still, I didn't want to waste them.

I considered making banana bread, but I didn't like the way it turned out that last few times I made it.  I really have no patience when it comes to baking.

Then I remembered seeing a 3-Ingredient Banana Bread recipe on Pinterest.  When I went back to look for the recipe, the link didn't work.  Sigh.  I hate when that happens.  After some further digging, I found what I was looking for...a recipe using cake mix, eggs and mashed bananas.

I failed to save the link to the recipe that I used, but there are several all over the internet.  I've shared links to a couple below:

• Cake Mix Banana Bread from Real Mom Kitchen
• Simple Banana Cake Recipe from Simple Nourished Living

Once the bananas thawed, it was so easy to whip this cake together!

I added chocolate chips as suggested as an optional add-in ingredient and also opted to use a bundt pan in place of the loaf pans.

Super Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Cake 

Ingredients: 

• 1 box yellow cake mix 
• 3-4 over ripe bananas, mashed 
• 2 jumbo eggs 
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips*
• flour/butter 
• tub chocolate frosting (optional) 

Directions:  

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Grease bundt pan with butter and lightly coat with flour.  
• Place mashed banana into a mixing bowl, add in cake mix. 
• With an electric hand mixer, mix until well combined.  
• Add in the eggs, mix well.  
• Coat chocolate chips lightly with flour (this will help keep the chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake) then fold into the cake batter.  
• Pour batter into bundt pan and bake 35-40 minutes, until cake tests done.  

Notes: 

• I will definitely double the amount of chocolate chips the next time I make this...and yes, there will be a next time! 

The cake turned out both delicious and beautiful!  I frosted the top with some chocolate frosting from a tub as well, since I was in the mood for something really chocolatey!

This cake is a wonderful way to use up all of those mashed bananas that I store in the freezer since I can't seem to use them quick enough during the colder months when it's too cold for frozen smoothies.


I'm linking this recipe up to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Delicious Dishes hosted by Pocket Change Gourmet 
• Open Call Social hosted by Salt Tree

3 Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies

Did you know that today is National Pumpkin Day?  I didn't either until a couple of minutes ago!
Good thing I had this post in my drafts waiting for the perfect opportunity to share with y'all!


On a recent trip to Walmart, Grace added a jar of Halloween sprinkles to our shopping cart.  I love when Grace "shops" when we're at the store.  It's interesting to see what she thinks we should be purchasing!  Like   a couple of weeks ago when she added a huge tub of chocolate chip cookies to our cart.  Joe put them back because Grace doesn't eat chocolate chip cookies!  She probably figured mommy needed a chocolate fix!

Anyway, back to the sprinkles.  I'm not sure why I didn't put those sprinkles back on the shelf, since I really don't bake.  I always have good intentions wanting to make cookies or cupcakes for Grace, but I never seem to get around to it.  I don't enjoy baking very much.  I can't decide if it's due to laziness (all that measuring) or if it's because of my ancient oven that makes everything look over-done.  That doesn't even take into consideration the fact that my daughter only likes cupcakes from the super-market bakery.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a Three Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe that's right up my alley!  So simple and no measuring!  It at least solves the laziness part of my excuse for not baking!

Soon after, I saw that Shelly from Cookie & Cups posted an easy 2-ingredient brownie recipe!  I LOVE brownies!  After reading her post, I was extremely interested!  Especially when I saw that one of the ingredients was a can of pumpkin!

Now, I've tried a couple of different cake mix varieties mixed with canned pumpkin, but never even thought of trying to use brownie mix combined with the pumpkin!  What a great idea!!!  I couldn't wait to try it!

Shelly's recipe calls for the family size box of brownie mix.  The box that you prepare in a 13x9 pan.  I didn't have that, so I used 2 pouches of the regular sized mix.  The size that would bake in an 8x8 pan.

Of course, I had to add a third ingredient to the brownies!  Chocolate chips!  Usually, I add ingredients to recipes because I just can't leave well enough alone!  This time, it was more out of necessity.  You see, I only had a handful of chocolate morsels left in the bag and if I didn't add them to the brownies, I'd have eaten them all myself.  Right out of the bag!  So, to save myself, I distributed them evenly throughout the tray of brownies that I ate almost all by myself anyway!  Oh well!  I tried!

3 Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies

Ingredients

• 2 boxes Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix
• 15 oz canned pumpkin
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup Hershey's Chocolate Morsels

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a bowl, mix together the brownie mix and canned pumpkin with an electric mixer until well combined.
4. Add in chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
5. Spread mixture into greased baking dish and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. Brownies are done when toothpick is inserted in center and comes out clean.

As you can see, I decided to top my brownie with some cool whip and sprinkles for a festive look, but believe me, these brownies are perfect all on their own!  While not exactly the texture of a true brownie, this recipe turns out perfectly moist and fudgy!


I've linked this recipe post to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Weekend Whatever Link Up hosted by Creative Christian Mama
• Saturday Show & Tell hosted by Cheerios & Lattes
• Sundae Scoop Link Party hosted by I {heart} Nap Time
• Delicious Dishes hosted by It's a Blog Party! 

Three Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake

I've mentioned this cake before, back when I first started blogging.  I was so new to the blogging world, that I wasn't yet taking photos of each and every recipe I prepared with the plan to include it in a blog post.

While the original recipe consist of a couple more ingredients, this time I decided to make it even simpler by just using 3 ingredients!

I made this cake for our Keurig Vue House Party and it was very well received!  I got lots of compliments on this super-easy dessert!

Three Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake

Ingredients

• 1 boxed Spice Cake Mix
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 containers of Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Cooking Directions

1. With an electic hand mixer, combine all ingredients until well mixed.
2. Pour into a glass 9x13 baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Bake according to directions on box.

Easy, right?  Okay, so technically, with the can of frosting, this is a 4-ingredient cake, but the frosting is pretty much optional...not really, you need the frosting...all cake needs frosting!  You could use a homemade cream cheese frosting as well, I just didn't have the time for homemade frosting as the dessert is always the last thing I make when preparing for a party!

While I've also seen this done as a 2 ingredient cake by omitting the egg, I prefer using the egg.  I've made this both ways and find that when I prepare this including the egg, the cake itself is less crumbly.  If you like your spice cake with raisins and nuts, check out the original, photo-less recipe.


I've linked this recipe to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

• Frugal Food Thursday hosted by Frugal Follies
• Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage
• Saturday Show & Tell #32 hosted by Cheerios and Lattes

Gooey Butter Cake

I have fond memories of visiting my Gram at her house down the shore when I was a little girl.  We would take an early morning ride to the local bakery and pick up some pastries.  My favorite was the Butter Cake. MMmmm!

I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but sadly, around here little bakeries have become hard to find.  And not all of our big grocers carry butter cake in their bakery departments. 

Many, many years later I found a small bakery near the flower shop where I worked at the time. Occasionally, on Saturday mornings, I would stop at the bakery on my way to work and pick up a Butter Cake to share with the other poor souls at the shop that were stuck working on a Saturday!

After a while, it became less and less convenient to get to this bakery. So, it became a very rare treat. And now, since we've moved from Philly, we don't get there at all and haven't found a small bakery in or near our new town.

A few years ago, we had a lovely picnic hosted by my parents. It was a chance for us to get together with another family that my parents have known all MY life. (They met shortly before I was born.) We've all seen each other through the years, but not all together at the same time. So it was a really great day!

We all brought something to contribute to the day's meal. I took a salad and a couple of pudding pies. But the best thing of all of the food served that day was the Butter Cake that my sister-in-law, Jen baked!

She gave me the recipe at the time, telling me that it was one of the recipes in her grandmother's recipe box. I never got around to making it and I lost the recipe card in the move (still in boxes in the basement I'm sure) Now that I have the recipe again, I'll be sure to make it soon! I'm drooling right now as I type about it!

Jen's Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

• 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg

Ingredients for the topping:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 lb. confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl, mix together the dry cake mix, egg and softened butter with a hand mixer to form a dough.
• Press dough into an un-greased 9x13 baking dish.
• In a bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients until well mixed.
• Pour over the cake/dough spreading to the the edges.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes.

This is one of those recipes that can be found all over the internet with a few changes here and there.  In fact, I've seen that one popular, butter-loving Food Network chef makes Gooey Butter Cake on her show.  Of course, she adds a stick of butter to the topping in her recipe! 

Anyway, since my sister-in-law first shared this with me, I like to call it Jen's Gooey Butter Cake. 

*This is a repost of a recipe I originally shared on my other blog.  Since I don't have enough time to keep up with two blogs, I have kept this as my main blog and over time I have been bringing the recipes over to this blog. 

This post has been linked to the following blog carnivals and linky parties: 

• Food on Fridays with Ann
• Foodie Friday
• Sweet Tooth Friday
• Food Friday
• Functional Friday
• I'm Lovin It
• Home and Family Friday

 

Angel's Fantastic Frosting

Many years ago, I worked with a woman who loved to cook.  Sometimes she would bring in a big pot of soup for all of us to enjoy during our lunch hour, or she would make us sandwiches using her sandwich maker.  My favorite, though, were the sweets she would bring in for us to nibble on throughout the day. 

That was the first time I tried this tasty frosting recipe.  I've been calling it Fabulous Frosting, but looking at my notes, I realize it's called Fantastic Frosting.  Whatever the name, this 3-ingredient recipe is both delicious and simple to make! 

Angel's Fantastic Frosting

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz. tub Cool Whip
• small box instant pudding (any flavor)
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients until well combined. 
• Chill until thickened.
• Frost cake. 

Notes: 

• I'm not sure where this recipe originated, but I like to call it Angel's Fantastic Frosting since she introduced this to us so many years ago. 
• Store brand ingredients work great in this recipe, helping to keep cost down. 
• Angel usually used chocolate pudding in this recipe and it's soooo good!  I just made this frosting for cupcakes this weekend.  Since my nephew and Grace both don't care for chocolate (really, I don't know how she can be my daughter and NOT like chocolate!) I used vanilla pudding to flavor the frosting.  I'm looking forward to trying other flavors of the pudding in the future! 
• In addition to testing out other flavors, I also look forward to making a lighter version of this frosting using fat-free whipped topping, sugar-free pudding and skim milk.  I'm sure it will taste fantastic!  

Recently, my friend Lisa used this recipe to make frosting for her son's gluten free birthday cake.  She was blessed with kids that LOVE chocolate, so she was able to use the chocolate pudding to flavor her frosting! 

Don't you just love that cupcake cookie jar?  I got it from the clearance section at Kohl's last Valentine's Day!


This post has been linked to the following blog carnivals and linky parties: 

• Muffin (and cupcake) Monday
• Homemaker Monday
• Your Recipe, My Kitchen 
• Delicious Dishes
• Cupcake Tuesday
• Tea Party Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesdays
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
• Tuesdays at the Table
• Food on Fridays with Ann
• Foodie Friday
• Sweet Tooth Friday
• Food Friday
• Functional Friday
• I'm Lovin It
• Home and Family Friday

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of December 19th

I'm feeling like a disorganized mess right now.  There's still so much to do for Christmas and I'm running out of time!  I've already decided that Christmas cards aren't happening this year!  I struggled last week to get a Christmas-card-worthy photo of Grace and she just would not cooperate.  I decided instead, to make a card using a few of our favorite photos from the year and call it a New Year card!  That is, if I ever get around to ordering it! 

Dinners are going to be easy again this week.  I'll be grabbing a couple of pre-made meals from the downstairs freezer to help me out this week since we'll be running errands after dinner most nights. 

• Hearty Un-Stuffed Cabbage Soup, Salad, Baked Potato.  Years ago, I went to a little restaurant for lunch and ordered their special:  A cup of soup, salad bar and a baked potato.  Over the years, I've made this meal myself for lunch.  I have a small container of Hearty Cabbage Soup in the freezer.  Enough for each of us to have a bowl, but not enough to allow for seconds.  The salad and baked potato will make this meal a bit heartier. 

• Breakfast for Dinner.  Joe bought 3 dozen eggs the other day, since he saw them on sale.  I'll make some homefries, scrambled eggs, scrapple and toast for dinner one night this week.  Some fruit and yogurt on the side would be nice, too! 

• Spaghetti and Meat Sauce.  I never did get around to making that big crock pot full of homemade sauce a few weeks ago.  I'm thinking this week, I'll just doctor up some jarred sauce by adding some fresh vegetables and some additional seasonings along with some ground beef. 

• Hamburger Soup.  We love hamburger soup.  For some reason, whenever I make it, I lose my notes on what I put in it.  So, each time I make it, it's different.  Usually, it's a combination of ground beef, frozen vegetables, diced potatoes, beef broth, alphabet pasta (or other small pasta) steak sauce, worcestershire sauce, and an assortment of seasonings.  I will really try not to lose my notes this time, so I can share the recipe here. 

• Crock Pot Multi-Bean Soup.  A couple of weeks ago, I made a huge pot of this 16-bean Soup and put some in the freezer knowing that I would need some help with dinner this week.  I mostly followed the linked recipe, except that I added extra pepper, some turkey bacon and used a different brand of tomatoes.  I'll serve Corn Quesadillas on the side alond with iceberg lettuce wedges topped with peppercorn ranch dressing.   

• Braided Spaghetti Bread.  I've been wanting to try this recipe ever since my buddy Nicole told me about it!  That's the main reason we're having spaghetti this week!  So that we'll have leftovers to use to make this!  Mmmmm!  This will most likely be lunch on Christmas Eve. 

• Christmas Dinner.  I haven't fully decided on our menu for Christmas Day.  When I was growing up, we spent most of the day visiting family.  Party-type foods were usually served buffet-style.  Hot roast beef sandwiches, meatballs, potato salad, macaroni salad, etc.  I prefer that over a traditional holiday dinner.  Since everyone will be munching on holiday treats throughout the day.  Although, I was thinking of doing this on a much smaller scale. 

Here are a few of the desserts I'll be making this week: 

Cranberry Walnut Fudge

Gooey Butter Cookies

Easy as 1-2-3 Funfetti Cookie Dip

S'mores Bars

Are you looking for more links to recipes or menu planning inspiration?

• check out our past menu plans.
• follow me over to I'm an Organizing Junkie and take part in Menu Plan Monday.