Caramel Apples

I love this time of year, and I LOVE making caramel apples!!!

I made these for Levi's Grandma's birthday.  Happy Birthday Grandma Jeanne!

xoxo

j

Happy Halloween Week!

Last night we had our Ward Halloween Party!  It was a fabulous way to start out Halloween week.  I was inspired by my friend, Jennie, to make these really cute cupcakes.  I had a blast making them.  I made three different kinds of cupcakes.  (If anyone wants the recipes, let me know.  They are super yummy and moist).  I decorated the cupcakes with some of my favorite things...spiders, bats, and worms!  Yes, I know I'm weird.

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I also made my favorite soup for the party.  It's Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder.  I got the recipe from my friend, Betsy.  Everyone should make it!  Here's the recipe.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

1-2 Chicken Breasts (I used canned chicken this time, and it turned out great)

1/2 chopped onion

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tbsp butter

2 Chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup hot water

3/4 tsp ground cumin

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 can cream corn

1 (4oz) can green chiles

1/4 tsp tabasco sauce

1 tomato, chopped

Cliantro for garnish

In a large sauce pan, brown chicken, onion and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink.  Dissolve the bouillon in hot water.  Add to chicken mixture.  Add corn, chilies, and tobasco sauce.  Bring to low boil.  Add half and half and cheese.  Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted.  Stir in chopped tomato.  Serve, and garnish with cilantro.  Do not add cilantro to whole pot, or you will regret it.  Serve with tortilla chips and/or french bread for dipping.  

This recipe really is so good!  Make sure you use Monterey Jack Cheese, not a blend.  You might only find it in a block, but you can just shred it yourself. Also, it's best to use the bouillon cubes, because it is a more concentrated flavor, in less water.  If you are going to make it for a big family, Double the recipe!  Do not add more liquids than it calls for, because it will be too watery.  I've made this a lot, and that's how I know the do's and don'ts.

xoxo

j

Pumpkin Obsession

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread, muffins, and cookies!  I might be a little too obsessed. 

Miracle of the Pumpkin Dip that keeps on giving

This is a story about the never ending Pumpkin Dip. It's a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip that's served with Ginger Thins. This dip is the perfect treat for Fall! It's delicious, but i'm warning you... don't double the recipe unless you want to be eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

It just keeps on going...

And going...

And going!

Did I mention that I have another entire bowl of this dip stored away in the fridge? I made it for our Singles Ward Sunday night Ward Prayer. It was a big hit. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law, Linn. After some internet research, I revised the recipe a bit. Here's what I came up with:

4 c. powdered sugar

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese (I might try 3 pkgs next time to make it a little thicker)

1 can (30 oz.) pumpkin pie filling

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

I also made these meatballs. Fortunately there was an end in site for them.

xoxo

j

My baby is all grown up!

No, not the one on my stomach! That baby still has about 12 weeks in the oven. I mean my beautiful basil plant. This summer, my Mom gave me a small basil plant. I have babied this thing like no other. I water it, talk to it, and rotate it numerous times a day so that every inch of it see's the sun. It even lives in the future baby room! (It's the window with the best lighting). The only problem is that I love this basil plant so much that i'm too scared to use it! Well I finally got over that tonight! In fact, I butchered the poor thing. I made a wonderful homemade basil pesto (recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis).

Before and After photos:

Tonight my husband, Levi, and I made a divine pizza with our homemade pesto! We used a store bought pizza Boboli pizza crust, and topped it with pesto, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, toasted pine nuts and red onion.

I thought about branching out and using mushrooms for a millisecond, but didn't want to risk the chance of ruining it. Maybe next time... It was a delicious pizza. This picture was before I cooked it in the oven. I meant to take one after it was cooked but by the time it came out of the oven, I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to take the picture!

xoxo

j

141 Cupcakes

141 Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting gone in 10 minutes at Ward Prayer. Enough said.

xoxo

j

Welcome to my Kitchen

I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a one pot wonder...at least not in my kitchen! Every time I cook, I literally use every pot and pan that I own (even if the meal is meant to only use one pot). After a night like tonight, I will be running the dishwasher 4-5 times before I'm done with the cleanup. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I had to resort to making rice krispie treats in a frying pan! Yep, that's right. But hey, it worked!

Here's how the night went down:

Singles ward FHE at our house.

I spent the whole day preparing.

I made Hawaiian Haystacks, Ginger Bread with lemon sauce and whipped cream, and Chex Mix party favors for everyone to take home.

I cooked for 10, but expected 5.

15 people showed up!

I panicked.

I made a last minute pot of rice.

It turned out like mush. One guy asked if it was sticky rice. I answered "yep". I lied.

I made a last minute batch of rice krispie treats in a frying pan.

They turned out alright, thank goodness!

Here's some helpful tips that I found out the hard way. Girls think that Hawaiian Haystacks are creepy. They just don't like the idea of putting random ingredients on top of chicken gravy and rice. Also, no one knows what Ginger Bread is! Every one was skeptical of the Ginger Bread. I was raised on both of these foods. They are comfort foods to me. I forgot that not everyone was raised WITH me. I feel sorry for them.

Oh yeah, I forgot to hand out my Chex Mix party favors until there were only 5 people left! It was tragic.

xoxo

j