Well today is Thursday the  25th of October!  All my the holidays are slowly creeping up on us!  I need to start thinking of my Thanksgiving menu.  I will have turkey and the trimmings but need some delicious desserts to have with coffee after the big dinner.  I am thinking I will have a pumpkin pie for sure but also will make a pumpkin cake.
This is the recipe I like to use for my cake:

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups white sugar 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups canned pumpkin 4 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 1/2 cup of raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12x18 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
2.	In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared 12x18 inch pan.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. I frost the cake with some cream cheese mixed with cool whip. Hope you enjoy!!!

Yesterday I had my friends for dinner as Matt had his birthday on Saturday and we decided to celebrate on Sunday with meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Matt's favorite!  I served some goodies before dinner while we were playing some Farkle...Here is the recipe for one of my favorite little snacks to serve:

White bread
Cream cheese
Hot sauce
Bacon

Cut the crust from the bread and slice into three strips...Cut the bacon in half or thirds.
Lay the bacon on cutting board and then place the strip of bread.  Spread with cream cheese and dash with a little hot sauce (to taste).
Roll the whole bundle up and secure with a toothpick..
Place on baking sheet and bake in oven on 400 for approximately 20 minutes or until the bacon is done.


Enjoy!

Having a short visit here in MO with my daughter and her family. Today is Sunday and they are going to a birthday part for one of Jackson's friends  from school.  It is a pool party and the kids just love playing in the water with the temps being so hot this summer.
I am fixing dinner for the family tomorrow night and here is my recipe for pork tenderloins in the oven.

1 or 2 pork tenderloins (depending on the size)
Grainy Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
Bacon

Rub the mustard into the pork tenderloin, salt and pepper both sizes and then wrap the bacon over the top.

Bake in oven on 400 until internal temperature is around 135.  Take from oven and let rest for approx. 20 or 30 minutes....
Enjoy!!

Well long time since I have visited my blog....Sorry!  Today is Friday the 1st of June 2012...Why is this year going so fast?  Maybe as you get older time does fly!
Yesterday was my neighbor Marge's 79th birthday so I  baked her a cake which she just loves.....here is my recipe for the apple cake:

4 apples(Sliced)
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cinnamon (I use more as my friend loves cinnamon)
Mix the apples, sugar and cinnamon together in bowl and set aside.

3 cups flour
2/ 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
7 tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla
Mix all together and in a greased tube pan, layer half cake, half apples, half cake, half apple ending with the apples.
Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours

I glaze the cake with just a little orange juice and confectionary sugar mixed together.

Enjoy!!

P.S.  Sometimes I add pecans or walnuts with the apple mixture....whatever you desire you can do!!
Thanks to my Sister-in-law for the original cake recipe!!!

Today is Friday and a good day for some snacks.  I have been busy converting my slide collection into computer disc.....fun, fun, fun!  Lots of work but will be great in the end as some of the slides are over 30 years old!!!
So to  snack while I wait on the slides (takes 10 mins for each batch I scan) I made myself some really good pickled eggs..here is my recipe:

I dozen eggs (I start with cold water and then as soon as it is a rolling boil, I turn off the heat and put the lid on. Don't open for at least 15 minutes.
Peel eggs.
Open 2 cans of pickled beets and add the following:
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 sugar
1 cinnamon stick
dash of nutmeg
4 whole cloves
Add eggs to the mixture and let sit for a day..

Enjoy!!!

I am visiting in MO again.  My daughter took me to see the Michael Jackson tribute (Cirque du soleil) It was wonderful and I reallly enjoyed the show. I do thank my Daughter for taking me! We had Trivia Night at Jackson's school and a fun time was had by all!  My Daughter and I went to see the movie "The Descendants" with George Clooney... Good movie!!
This visit I got to see my Granddaughter Jessica as she was visiting from college for a weekend. We have had a great time just catching up, laughing and watching movies (Breaking Dawn).   Yesterday we shopped till we dropped!!! We had a belated birthday party for Jessica (her big 21!!).  Donnie came for dinner and games.   I cooked spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread for dinner.  Here is my recipe:

1 lb. ground sirloin
1 onion (chopped)
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 glove of garlic (chopped fine)
salt and pepper

Cook all of the above in some olive oil until meat is cooked through.
Add 1 jar of marana sauce (Barillo) and 1 jar of tomato and basil sauce (Classico).  Add some parmesan cheese and stir.  Let simmer on  very low heat!

Mix together in a bowl the following:

1 lb. ground sirloin
I small onion (chopped)
1 egg
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese (grated)

Roll into meatballs the size of a small golf ball.  Put on cookie sheet and bake for 15 or 20 minutes until cooked thorugh.
Put meatballs in spaghetti sauce mixture.

Cook your spaghetti until El dente.  You can serve the spaghetti mixed with the sauce and meatballs or serve them separate so each person can add their preferred amount of sauce and meatballs.

Serve with garlic bread.

I slice a loaf of focaccia in half and spread garlic butter on the cut side.  Then add some parmesan cheese and top with slices of mozzarella cheese.  Bake in 375 for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Well they are saying we could have rain for the weekend.....sounds like a good day for some comfort food.
I think I will make some chicken and dumplings.  Here is my recipe:

1 whole chicken
2 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 carrot (sliced thin or chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
1 or 2 whole potatoes (sliced)
Cook the whole chicken with the onion, celery and carrot. Cover with water and cook until comes to a boil then simmer for about 2 hours.  Remove chicken from the pot and take the meat off the bones then return to pot with the sliced potatoes.

1 1/2 cups of flour
1 egg
3 tbsp. softened butter
1 tsp salt
Water

Mix the flour, egg, salt and butter. Add enough water to make a dough.   Roll the dough thin and cut into about 2" squares. 
Add to the chicken and potatoes in the pot and cook for approx 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

I have had a wonderful Sunday just watching golf and crocheting.  I didn't want to cook today so I took my chimichangas out of the freezer and had a great Sunday dinner.
Here is my very simple recipe:

Pot roast (cooked in crockpot and then shredded)
flour tortillas
jar of salsa

I mix a jar of salsa ( I use medium heat) with the shredded beef and roll in the flour tortillas....then cover with Enchilada sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake in oven for about 20 or 30 minutes.
I eat mine with sour cream but you could use shredded lettuce, diced onion, diced tomatoes or whatever you wish!
Here my little trick.... Before baking I roll each chimi and then cover with plastic wrap and freeze each one separately. I can add the shredded cheese and enchilada sauce after I can pull one out.  Sometimes I just bake mine plan and add sour cream for a quick snack.  Great for people who are really busy or live alone!
Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

I had a wonderful Christmas this year.  Judy, Mark and Jackson came to be with all of their family for the holiday.  We had a great visit and enjoyed our time together.  Since Christmas dinner was with Mark's family, I had Christmas dinner on the 26th of Dec.  We elected to have lasagna with a salad and garlic bread. 
Here is the recipe for my lasagna:

I pound of ground chuck
I pound of sweet Italian sausage (if links, please remove the casing)
Salt
Pepper
Lasagna sheet (no cook) noodles
1 chopped onion
2 Tbsp of minced garlic
I jar of marana sauce (I use (Barilla)
1 jar of tomato and basil sauce (I use Classico)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 16 oz cottage cheese
1 egg
grated parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese

Saute the onion and garlic then add ground chuck and sweet Italian sausage. Add salt and pepper to taste!
When the meat is browned add the 2 jars of sauce.
 
In a separate bowl mix the ricotta and the cottage cheese with 1 egg and some parmesan cheese.

Then you can start to layer the lasagna....start with a little sauce in the bottom of 9x13 pan. Then add as follows:
lasagna noodles
sauce
ricotta and cottage cheese mixture
mozzarella cheese
Repeat and end with sauce and mozzarella cheese and the remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 60 minutes...

Enjoy
Happy New Year to all and may God bless you to the fullest!