Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Have you noticed that most of my Pinterest projects done posts are recipes.  =)  I'll move on soon, I promise.  There are just so many great recipes out there!  

Have you seen this one?

Yeah, it got my attention pretty quick.

It leads to this post over at Scout's Stitches.

There are only 2 ingredients in this recipe. 

That's it!  No eggs or oil or water or anything.  

Genius.

I froze a year's worth of pumpkin last year.  It's been wonderful.  I have to get on top of the pumpkin  buying/baking/freezing for next year!

Anyway, I felt it necessary to add an ingredient. 

Pumpkin and chocolate go together beautifully.

Here are my results:

These were sooooooooo good.

So good.

I took them to a church activity and they were a hit.  L at 4 before I caught her and stopped her.

I'll be keeping this recipe handy.

The Best Ever Banana Bread

My family is funny about bananas.  

My Mister and the girls love them, and I mean l.o.v.e.  

So I buy lots and lots...or rather bunches and bunches...of them.  

They will eat them every day, two or three times a day, for about 4 days.  

Then they just stop eating them.  They even stop asking for them.

And they start looking like this:

Personally, I think it is a conspiracy.  

They know that when the bananas start to look like that, the only logical thing to do with them is to make banana bread.  And, they like banana bread better than plain old bananas.

Waaaaaaaayyyyy better.

So, I am going to share with you my favorite banana bread recipe.

The thing is, I got it out of a Family Fun magazine years and years ago and I don't feel right reprinting it here on my blog.  But, I will most certainly tell you where to find it.

Unbeatable Banana Bread

Click that link.  That's where you'll find the recipe.

And, it truly is unbeatable.  This is a recipe I never have and never will attempt to change.  And, I've become very loyal to it.  There is no other banana bread recipe that will ever take its place in our home.

I follow the steps as exactly as I can:

Line the pan with wax paper...it works better than foil or parchment paper or nothing. 

I always try to get help mashing the bananas. 

                      

 

It always tastes better when they mash it.

The sour cream is the key ingredient.

People always ask me why it tastes so good and I always say, "It's the sour cream."

They either look mystified and disgusted or pleased and enlightened and they always say, "oh!" either way.

I find it best to let them cool in the pan for about 20 minutes...it's kind of hard to wait at this point, though. 

Mmmmmm, oh boy!

P.S. Three bananas = one loaf.  If I have extra bananas, I try to make 2 loaves so I can share the love, but sometimes they disappear before I can get them out of the house.  It's that good.

I'm linking this up with some of favorites!

Whipped Potatoes...The way potatoes were meant to be eaten...take 2

*I must apologize.  Something went wrong with my pictures from the original post.  Hopefully it will work this time.*

Start with baked potatoes.

 How many you use will depend on how many people you want to feed. Each potato will make 2 whipped potatoes.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, like so:

I forgot to mention that it is best to let the potatoes cool a bit so you don't burn your hands while you're handling them.

Now, scoop out their guts and put them in a bowl. A regular spoon works very well for this.

Melt a stick of butter or margarine...

and dip the empty potato shells into the butter.

 Be generous.  Make sure that whole thing is covered, dripping even, with butter.

Place the butter covered shells skin side up on a baking sheet.  (I cover mine with aluminum foil to help with clean up.)

If so desired, now is a good time to season them with a bit of salt or garlic powder or both.

Place the skins under the broiler for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are crispy enough for you.

Mmmm..... perfect.

In the meantime, take the potato guts and mash them up.

Stir in (or mash in) some sour cream--probably about a cup.  This is, once again, based on how many potatoes you use and how much you like sour cream.

Add some ranch dressing mix (I used about 2 tablespoons).

And top it all off with some cheese. 

(Stir the cheese in.  I don't know why I only took a picture of the cheese on top!)

Now, take your crispy broiled shells and fill them up with the mashed potato mixture and place those back on the baking sheet.

Top them all with a heap of cheese.  

 Don't worry if some of the cheese falls off of the potatoes and on to the baking sheet.  In fact, I even put some there on purpose.  

Because, when you bake them at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, they come out like this:

And that wayward cheese turns into crispy little bites like this:

So good!

P.S.  I forgot to mention that this recipe is my dad's.  He's a potato genius.

*Linking up*

Easy Breadsticks or Easy Cinnamon Twists

I love, love, love this recipe.  It really is easy and it's fairly quick, as far as bread goes.  And, finally, I think I have it just about right.  At least, right enough to share.

So...here we go...

Please note, if you are looking at the pictures and find yourself thinking, "Hmmm, that looks like she used too much!" it's ok.  You can lay your worries aside.  I was doubling the recipe so that I could show the 2 variations on the recipe.


Start the party with 1 Tablespoon of Yeast and 1 Tablespoon of sugar.

I wonder if the sugar knows it is there to be eaten?  Hmmm...

Add to that 1 1/2 cups of warm water.

Let that sit for a few minutes until the bubbles start to form.  That's the party starting!

Add 3 cups of flour (you may need a little more...if it is too sticky, add more) and 1 tsp of salt.  

I misread the recipe (and didn't realize it until this very moment) and threw in 1/2 cup (1 stick) of soft butter to the mix.  Oops!  

But, this batch turned out to be my best yet, so...from now on I'm sticking with that.  You don't have to if you don't want to though.  (I'll put the correct recipe at the bottom of this post, by the way.)

Mix all of that together until it forms a soft dough.  Then, knead it like crazy.  

If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, then just let the dough hook do its thing.

It should look like this (I took this picture while the dough hook was spinning!  Well, I thought it was exciting.)

If you don't have a stand mixer, then knead it by hand.  That's ok too.  It just takes a little longer. 

I read once, or someone told me once, that dough has been kneaded enough when you can poke two fingers into it and the indents stay.

Like this.

I'm glad no one has to poke me to see if I'm kneaded enough.  

Sorry, friends.  I'm tired and when I'm tired the corny jokes and puns pop out.  It's part of who I am and I've learned to live with it.

Now, this part isn't in the recipe, but I have found that the breadsticks turn out better if they are given more time to rise.  Set the dough to rise for about 15 to 20 minutes, enough that the indents disappear.  I turn my oven on and set the metal bowl on the stove top.  The warm bowl and the warm oven make for good rising.

See?

Pretty.

Now that it has risen, take 1/2 a cup of butter (see, I should have waited and used it here instead of throwing it in the mixer.  But, no regrets...it was a happy mistake) and put it on a cookie sheet.

I always cover my pans with foil...it's easier to clean up.

Put the pan and the butter in a 350 degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes...until it is melted.

Then, take it out and sprinkle a good amount of garlic salt or powder over the melted butter.

Take your dough, punch it down and put it on a floured surface.  Roll it flat (about 1/2 inch thick).  

I have no idea why this rolled out in such a funny shape.  It looks like it has some kind of weird growth.  At least it still tastes good!

Get a pizza cutter (it works waaaaaay better than a knife) and cut the dough into breadstick-size sections.

Now, take each section and stretch it out a little (the dough is super soft and stretchy, so it should do that pretty easily as you pick it up), fold it in half and twist it.  Roll each twist in the butter.

Once you have all the pieces rolled, sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese (if you so choose) and let them rise again for about 10 to 15 minutes.  

Pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  Pull them out and enjoy some fantastic, soft, and delicious breadsticks!

Um, don't forget about them like I did, though.  They still taste good, but they aren't as good when they are overcooked.  Word to the wise.

Variation!!!!

If you are more in the mood for cinnamon twists, make the same dough, let it rise the same, and melt the butter on the pan the same.  BUT, don't put garlic powder on the butter.

When you roll out the dough, before you cut it, sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar.  

Cut it, fold it, and twist it just the same as you did the breadsticks.  Roll them in the butter and bake 'em up.

I didn't forget about these ones!  (I have my priorities straight.)

If you are so inclined, mix some powdered sugar and milk and vanilla together (for the right proportions, check allrecipes.com.  I kind of just wing it.) and drizzle it over the top while they're still warm.

Enjoy!!!!

Easy Breadsticks

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, melted. 

Garlic salt or powder

Parmesan cheese

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water.  Add flour and salt.  Mix all ingredients together.  Knead for 8 minutes.

Pour melted butter evenly over a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with garlic salt or powder.  Roll dough out 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 1/2- to 1-inch thick strips.  Roll strips in butter.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Let rise 10 to 15 minutes.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Check my Linky Party page to see where I'm linking up!  

Scalloped Potatoes

This is one of my absolute favorite meals to make.  Not only is it delicious, but I also think it is fun to put together.

I don't actually have a formal recipe.  I learned to make this while watching my sister put it together and then I added my own modifications to it.  So, hopefully this will be understandable.  If you have any questions, though, feel free to ask!

First, start with some potatoes: washed and peeled.

 The amount you use will depend on how much you want to make.  I like to fill a 13 x 9 inch pan because I like to have leftovers.  This would feed my family of four (2 adults and 2 small kids) for a couple of meals at least.  I estimated about 2 potatoes per person, but, for some odd reason, I only took a picture of 7 potatoes.  Hmmm...

Moving on.  Dice the potatoes up really small.  I cut the potato in half then cut each half in half again lengthwise and again widthwise before chopping them up. 

 The smaller your potato pieces are, the less time it will take to cook.  I like to get to the food as quickly as possible, you know.

Put your chopped up potatoes in a greased 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.

Next, add half an onion, diced up.  The size of your dices depends on how strong you want the onion flavor.  I like it fairly strong.

 Throw the onions in with the potatoes and stir them up. 

 Try not to get too enthusiastic with the stirring, though.  Those potatoes will fly out of there pretty easily. 

Now is a good time to add some seasoning.  I stick with seasoned salt, but I'm sure garlic powder would be good too.  Whatever you like.

 Here comes the meat.  I use some form of sausage; it kind of varies depending on what I have or what I am in the mood for.  I got these beauties on sale.

 I cut these up small too so that they will crisp up a little while they are baking.  Cut each link in half lengthwise, cut that half again lengthwise and then slice and add to the pan and stir it up.

 O loves the sausage too.  She kept swiping pieces while I as trying to take pictures!

Now add some flour, enough to cover the potatoes.  This is probably about 1/4 cup.

Here is a secret ingredient:

 Add some ranch dressing mix (isn't it awesome that it comes in big bottles now?) on top of the flour...again, how much you add depends on your taste.  I like a pretty good amount.

Now, stir it all up again to get everything pretty well coated with the flour.  Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk over the top of the potato mixture, making sure it covers the whole pan.  The milk mixed with the flour makes a beautiful and tasty sauce. 

Now put little pats of butter or margarine over the top of the pan (evenly spaced of course). 

 Top it all off with a generous amount of shredded cheese.  Mmmmmmmm

 Cover it with foil (so the cheese doesn't burn) and throw it in the oven (350 degrees) for 30 to 45 minutes, until those potatoes are good and soft. 

Pull it out, let it cool for a few minutes, dig in, and enjoy!