Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
chocolate chips (optional)

Cream butter sugar, pumpkin. Add the egg and combine with the rest of the dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips if you want.

375 for fifteen min

You can frost these with cream cheese frosting if you like frosting with pumpkin cookies.

Pumpkin Cake

4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups pumpkin
2 ½ c flour
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Beat eggs, add wet ingredients and mix well. Mix dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients mixing well. Spread on large cookie sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 28 min.

Frosting

4 oz cream cheese
4 TBL butter
Soften and blend the 2 above.

Add:
3-4 cups powdered sugar
3 TBL milk as needed

Mix together and frost when cake is cool.

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup:
2 T. chicken stock base
3 C. chicken soup stock (broth)
4 C. chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, potatoes, peas)
3/4 C. chopped onion
2 cans cream of chicken soup plus 2 cans of water
1/4 C. evaporated milk
2 C. cooked and diced chicken
4 C. cooked noodles (apx. 2 C. dry noodles)
Salt and pepper to taste

Roux:
Used to thicken the soup
1/2 C. flour
1/4 C. butter
Blend flour and butter together until crumbly and set aside.

Directions:
Heat soup base, stock, veggies, onion and simmer until veggies are tender. Add cream of chicken soup, 2 cans of water, and evaporated milk. Continue to simmer and add roux to thicken as desired. Add cooked chicken and noodles and cook until warm.

Black Bean Soup

The cold weather is here for some of us and when it is cold there is nothing like a bowl of warm soup. This is so easy and takes only about 10 min of work in the kitchen.

2 cans black beans
2 cans chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
3 cups cooked rice
avacado, sliced
grated cheese
tortilla chips, crushed
sour cream

Blend together the black beans with one of the cans chicken broth. Add mixture, other can of chicken broth, and salt to a large pan. Cook on medium heat. In individual bowls, layer the rice, then the soup, then the other toppings.

Bread Stick Mummy Dogs

I'm going to make these for a Halloween party tonight. I think they look really cute. What kid wouldn't want to eat a Mummy Dog?

Bread Stick Mummy Dogs
1 roll/pkg Pillsbury Bread Stick dough (12 count)
12 hot dogs
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll all 12 bread sticks from package. Cut each into 3 equal strips. Take 3 strips, one at a time and wrap around 1 hot dog starting from the top of the hot dog. (Each hot dog has 3 thin bread stick strips around it). Leave a small space towards the top of the hot dog to make mustard eyes. Continue wrapping all dogs then place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
2. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Use mustard or ketchup for the eyes.

Variation:

I found another recipe for this same dish using Rhodes Dinner Rolls.

For each Mummy Dog, cut one dinner roll in half. Roll each half into a 22-24" rope. Wrap one rope around hot dog from bottom up 4 1/2" leaving the top part of the hot dog exposed. Cut a 1 1/2" piece off the second rope and set aside. Wrap the second rope around the hot dog going the opposite direction. Wrap the 1 1/2" piece around the top of the hot dog. Place Mummy Dogs on a sprayed baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool slightly and add mustard eyes. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard.

Pumpkin Spice Blossoms

I found this on a great recipe blog, http://www.picky-palate.com/
I haven't tried it, but they sound really good. I think you could use a regular chocolate kiss if you can't find the pumpkin flavor. Yum!

Pumpkin Spice Blossoms
1 Spice Cake Mix 18.25 oz
14 oz can Libby’s Pumpkin
½ Cup sanding sugar
1 bag Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer beat the cake mix and pumpkin until well combined, about 45 seconds. With a cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll top half in sanding sugar (dough is sticky) then place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until cooked through. Quickly transfer to a cooling rack and immediately press kisses into the center of each cookie. I immediately place cooling rack into the fridge for 15 minutes so the kisses don’t melt. I tried both ways and it melts down if just left at room temperature. Enjoy!
About 36 cookies

Update:

I tried this recipe and I made a few modifications. The cookies turned out good and everyone thought they were yummy. I used regular sugar instead of the sanding sugar and chocolate kisses instead of pumpkin flavor. I thought the dough was too sticky to handle and roll in the sugar, so I just sprinkled some on the top of the dough after it was on the cookie sheet. I used a greased cookie sheet instead of the parchment paper.

Cashew Chicken Casserole

So, I think it's been long enough since I've been a member and not posted a thing so here it comes...
I've not made this myself, but I helped a friend this past week and I intend to use this often as a regular. And, since I observed, I don't have specific amounts of the ingredients, or a picture :).

3-4 chicken breasts
diced onion
diced celery
cashews
1 can Cream of Chicken soup, plus one can water
Chow Mein noodles

Cook and cut up chicken. Add onion, celery, cashews, soup and water. Mix well. Pour into 9x13 pan and top with Chow Mein noodles. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes (long enough for the onion and celery to soften as desired). I intend to serve this over rice, although that's not how we ate it at my friend's. Enjoy!
Monica