Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies {In My Kitchen}

...and the Pumpkin train moves on :)

 I really have no idea how I stumble upon some of these recipes, but once again,
I am so glad I did!


Thank goodness for GOOGLE and the ability to go back and find the source :)
This recipe is from Curly Girl Kitchen, and WOW are they delicious!!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies


(makes about 3 dozen cookies / 18 whoopie pies)

pumpkin snickerdoodles:


•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

•1 cup granulated sugar, plus 3 tablespoons, divided

•1 egg

•1 teaspoon vanilla

•1 cup canned pumpkin puree

•2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

•1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons, divided

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•1 teaspoon baking soda

•1 teaspoon baking powder

•2 teaspoons cream of tartar



cream filling:
•1 egg white

•2 tablespoons milk

•1 teaspoon vanilla

•2 cups powdered sugar

•1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1. Make the cookies:



In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin and beat until well combined.



In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cream of tartar. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the dry ingredients by spoonfuls to the batter. Mix just until combined.



Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for two hours.



Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon. Form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes.



Slide the Silpat or parchment paper off the cookie sheet and cool cookies completely.


2. Make the cream filling.

Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, beat the egg white for 2 minutes until foamy. Add the milk and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and the butter and beat for several minutes to combine. Add the remaining cup of powdered sugar and beat for 8-10 minutes until cream filling is very light and fluffy.



Spoon dollops of the filling onto the underside of half the cooled cookies and top with another cookie. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Pumpkin Pie Popcorn {In My Kitchen}

I really have NO idea how I stumbled on this recipe from Family Bites, but let me just say...

I am SO glad I did!

Pumpkin Pie Popcorn!

I am NOT kidding...you MUST try this

(are the CAPITAL words getting my point across :)

It is a delicious caramel popcorn with a hint pumpkin pie spice

Pumpkin Pie Popcorn 

• 10 cups air popped popcorn, salted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syurp
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Coat a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray, and dump the popcorn into the bowl, taking care to pick out and discard any unpopped kernels.In a medium saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and 2 tablespoons of water.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to simmer, whisking often, and bring to a boil.  Allow the mixture to boil for about 2 minutes, whisking occasionally. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the baking soda and pumpkin pie spice.

Quickly pour the hot caramel over the popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the caramel into the popcorn, taking care to distribute it as evenly as you can. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring and turning the popcorn with a spatula every 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and place on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Gently break up the popcorn, and serve.

**I made two batches of popcorn in my Whirly pop, and it was the perfect amount**
**I only put in 1t of pumpkin pie spice, so it wouldn't overwhelm my kids :)**

I dare you to not eat the whole batch!!

LARA Bars {In My Kitchen}

I ♥ LARA Bars!

My friend Catie turned me on to these bars of goodness!

They are the perfect snack...gluten free, dairy free, soy free and Vegan

These sweet treats are made of basic natural ingredients, fruits and nuts...how much simpler could it be??

The only downside, is that they can be an expensive little habit :)...so with ingredients that simple, I decided to try making my own!!

I went with two of my favorites :)

❖

Cashew Cookie

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup whole pitted dates

(makes approx 4 bars)

~add cashews and dates to your food processor 

~blend until ground and mixture sticks together...you really don't want to chop too much so you still have some texture :)

~place mixture on plastic wrap and form into bars

❖ 

Cherry Pie

1/4 cup dried cranberries 

1/4 cup whole pitted dates

1/3 cup almonds

1 tsp cinnamon

(makes approx 4 bars)

** follow same directions as above**

~wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator to keep fresh!

If you have never had a LARA Bar, give them a try...
if you LOVE them, make your own!!

Do You Ever.....

make baked apples??

I had a few apples that were past their "crispness" for me, so I showed Lucy how to make baked apples.  

My Mom used to make these for breakfast, and I truly forgot how delicous they are!

{Baked Apples}

4 apples 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1t cinnamon

butter

raisins, pecans or anything else you might want to add

boiling water

~Preheat oven to 375

~wash apples and with a paring knife cut out stem and use a spoon to dig out all seeds making a hole 3/4 to 1 inch wide

~place apples upright in an 8x8 baking pan

~mix brown sugar and cinnamon and fill the center of each apple

(and raising, nuts, etc)

~put a small pat of butter on top of each apple

~pour about 1/2 inch of boiling water into the pan 

~bake 30 to 40 min or until soft...but not mushy!

~serve warm (with vanilla ice cream is yummy too!) 

What a perfect Fall dessert!!

A Homemade Life

Last night I went to my local Library, and listened to Molly Wizenberg share her inspiration for this book!

I have to admit, I have never gone to listen to an author before, but have gone to two in the last month...it helps that they have been so close as my library...and have loved it!

I loved hearing Molly share about her Dad, her love of preparing and sharing food, and hearing others in the audience mention that they tried some of her recipes from the book and LOVED them (the chocolate cake was a BIG hit..and Molly even made them for her wedding cake!)

Molly lives here in Seattle and is author of the blog Orangette.  I also learned that she and her hubby Brandon opened Delancey, a NY style wood fired pizza place, in Ballard that I am anxious to try.

If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it!

Speaking of "homemade"...I shared THIS recipe for a Pumpkin Spice Latte last Fall, and it is so delicious.

However, it you are not wanting to buy the "jug" :) of Pumpkin Pie Sauce (if you share this with a friend it works out great!) or the sugar content....then Lori has shared a recipe for a  version using REAL pumpkin!!  I can't wait to give it a try!

AND...on another "homemade" note...I had seen this on another blog, I can't remember which one...but knew I needed to make this for Lucy and her Baby :)

a milk jug swing!! :)

Have a great day!

Lucy's Lunchbox {In My Kitchen}

This is Lucy's first year taking lunch to school, and I really wanted to keep it healthy and fresh.  I love the idea of "bento style" lunches, so that is what we are going for this year.

We found this cute lunch bag (which Lucy loves because you carry it like a purse :),

and then we went to our local Daiso, which is a japanese store that carries a huge mix of containers specifically for bento boxes. 

Lucy loves eating this way anyway, a little of this and a little of that :) so this is perfect for her.  

We found these cute pink and white containers, and then there are little silicone muffin cups and containers (cucumbers, watermelon, and proscuitto roll are in them), and then to top it off we got the cutest little picks to use for the fruit and veggies.

Is this NOT the cutest lunch??

And another fabulous thing...zero waste!

Perfect Iced Coffee {In My Kitchen}

I love Iced Coffee in the summer...BUT I usually don't love it when I make it using our coffee leftover from the morning...it always tastes too diluted for me.

So...I was reading the Pioneer Woman's blog and, of course, she showed me how to make the Perfect Iced Coffee...the trick, "cold pressing"!!

So...here is how I made mine!

Take 2/3 cup of coffee grounds and mix with 3 cups cold water...

let this mix sit out on your counter overnight... 

in the morning pour through a filter into a container to keep in the fridge...I used the filter basket from my coffee pot and a regular old coffee filter ( I think the PW uses cheese cloth...no need :)...

fill your glass with ice, pour 2/3 full with your cold coffee and add milk (I use non-fat) and something to sweeten if you need (I add a couple pumps of vanilla syrup)...

There you have it...the Perfect Iced Coffee!

Homemade Granola Bars {In My Kitchen}

I found the recipe for these Granola Bars from here

They were SO delicious, moist and SO easy...here are the couple of changes I made or will make in the future...

~I didn't have quick oats so I used Old Fashioned which made them not hold together as well..but still delicious :)

~Next time I will omit the 1/2 cup of brown sugar...with the honey and applesauce, the extra sweetness is just not needed

~I made mine with chocolate chips, cranberries and coconut...mmmmm!

~I also threw in a tablespoon or so of ground flax seeds and wheat germ :)

Give these a try...I think you'll love them!

My Green Smoothie {In My Kitchen}

I have been making a Green Smoothie almost everyday!

It is so yummy and a great way for me to get some extra greens.

Here is how I make mine:

1 fist full of kale

1/2 apple chopped

1/2 banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

a little water (if I have coconut water, I use that)

a little crushed ice

*I have also added a little coconut oil and sometimes flax oil*

I blend this up in my little Magic Bullet and voila!

I have also seen other recipes using spinach, cucumber and pear...so I think I might give some of those things a try too!

Let me know if you make this, or have another recipe for me to try!

Cheers!

Bagels {In My Kitchen}

Bagels were on my list of "must try to make"

So...I found this recipe and gave it a try.

The first batch I tried,  I made the dough in my bread machine, and it just didn't turn out right...so I made another batch and this time I used my Kitchen Aid with dough hook...

and Voila!

I followed Emeril's suggestion of rolling the piece of dough into a log and then forming into a circle and pinching the ends together. 

After I boiled them and right before putting them in the oven, I brushed them with egg white and sprinkled dried chopped onion and dried garlic granuals...next time I will add poppy seeds for a true "everything" bagel...our favorite!

These were SO much easier than I thought they would be and so delicious!

Today I.....

am loving all the Grad announcements that are arriving....

hard to believe this time is near

spent some time planning this....

 read this book to Lucy and have requested more from the library!

made this for dinner~

lasagna

salad 

french bread

strawberries

Pho`...Vietnamese Soup {In My Kitchen}

My girlfriend recently shared a really delicious recipe with me for Pho`.

I have really wanted to make this for my family, and had been looking for a recipe that was easy, and one where I didn't have to cook a whole chicken to make it.

The recipe is from The Family Dinner Cookbook, which is now on my "to buy" list....and there is a great website that goes along with it

The Family Dinner

You can find the recipe HERE on Martha Stewart's website, which includes a video segment. 

 Laurie David was on Martha's show and made this soup.  They call it "Vietnamese Teapot Soup".  The cookbook is promoting family dinners, so the idea is that you can take the broth to the table in the teapot, and have all the vegetables on the table so  everyone can customize their own bowl...fun idea!

I will also post the recipe below...and I marked some of the changes I made.

This recipe calls for chicken, but you could easily omit this and make it a vegetarian meal!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces flat rice noodles or cooked angel hair pasta - I used Chinese Egg noodles
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth - I use Better than Bullion
• 1 onion, halved
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar   I didn't put this in
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 bunch fresh leafy herbs such as mint, basil, Thai basil, or cilantro
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 1 fresh red or green chile, very thinly sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced or 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce, plus more for serving - we used soy sauce
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Asian chile sauce
• Hoisin sauce- we also had oyster sauce and sirachai sauce
• ** I also added in some bok choy after the broth was ready

Directions

1. If using rice noodles, place in hot water to soak; soak for 15 minutes and drain; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth, onion, garlic, ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, and brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add chicken and simmer until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully skim surface of any impurities and discard. Remove chicken from liquid and cut into bite-size pieces; set aside, reserving liquid.
3. If using rice noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer noodles or pasta to a large serving bowl; toss with vegetable oil and set aside.
4. Fill a glass halfway with water and arrange herbs like a flower arrangement; set aside. Place bean sprouts, scallions, carrots, chile, lime wedges, and shallots each in individual small serving bowls. Set aside.
5. Return chicken cooking liquid to a simmer; stir in fish sauce and lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Strain broth into a teapot and keep any remaining broth heated on the stove. Fill serving bowls as desired with chicken, noodles, herbs, bean sprouts, scallions, carrots, lime wedges, and shallots; add hot broth and garnish as desired with fish sauce, chile sauce, and hoisin sauce. Serve immediately.
   
   
   Give this soup a try ...it is really delicious!!

Do you ever...??

make your own pita bread??

Bex recently shared the recipe she uses for homemade pita bread...so today I gave it a try!

HERE is the recipe I used

There is definitely a learning curve when making these...my first few look a little more like "naan" than pita bread, I think because I did not roll them thin enough.  It is very cool to see how they "balloon" up in the oven, which helps to create the "pocket".

A couple of my thoughts after making these...

~ I started out using my pampered chef stone type pans, and switched to my metal sheet pan after the first batch and thought that worked better.

~I added rosemary to the dough as well...next time I will use "fresh" rosemary and add more, but it does add to the flavor.

~Mine definitely had to cook the full 4 min and a few of them I cooked a minute or two longer.

They really are delicious!

Do You Ever??

Make Salmon Quesadillas??

My family loves these...they are a quick easy lunch or dinner :)

In a bowl combine...
1 can Wild Alaska Pink Salmon
Light Mayo*
Liquid Smoke*
( *both of these add to taste, some like more mayo than others, and with the liquid smoke...a little goes a long way :)

Spread on tortillas, add cheese (I use cheddar, but these are delicious with smoked cheddar too!)...and grill until cheese is melted and tortilla is golden.

mmmmmm!

Sleep Over Coffee Cake {In My Kitchen}

I made this coffee cake over the weekend...again!

It is one of my FAVORITE recipes, and soo easy!

It got eaten before I could take a picture...sorry!

(recipe from Seattle Junior League cookbook, Simply Classic)

Dinner {In My Kitchen}

A couple days ago, we had a gorgeous Spring day...and it was screaming for a healthy, light dinner...

brussell sprouts...my family loves these!

my favorite way to cook them is to roast with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper!

Tilapia

I had been planning on making Tilapia and then saw on Paige's blog, she had shared almost this exact same dinner :), plus she made a sauce for the fish and shared the recipe...so I made that, and it was delicious!

I also made Coconut Jasmine Rice that Lissa had shared.

It was good, and my family was thrilled I made white rice for a change :)

So..there you have it, a healthy colorful meal!

I am looking forward to many more of these kinds of dinners, cooked on the grill and eaten al fresco!

In My Kitchen {Artisan Bread}

My friend Lori shared this easy recipe for Artisan Bread

It truly is EASY and does it not look like I just ran to the bakery???

It is from the cookbook...Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

YUM!