RE: Pecan Pie

I saw this recipe here on the RE blog. It was a must try and it did not disappoint!

Filling is for a 9″ pie. You can double the recipe for a 9×13 pan, which is a size I love for a larger crowd. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together all ingredients except pecans.
3 eggs.
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup pecan halves

Add in the pecans and mix by hand. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake until set at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, or until set.

Easy and Yummy Pumpkin Muffins

1 (15 oz) can of Pumpkin
1 box of Spice Cake Mix

Mix thoroughly. (Yes, you read that right...nothing else just those 2 ingredients!)

Place in Muffin pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Easy Pie Crust

This recipe is Sandy's from the Reluctant Entertainer. It is super easy and quick!

photo and recipe courtesy of Easy Press Pie Crust.

1/2 cup oil
2 T. milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Whip oil and milk together with a fork. Add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix with a fork until well blended.

Press into pie pan (with a fork or your fingers) and poke with a fork. (There is no rolling involved!)

Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool.

Kitchen Appliances for the New House

As many of you know, we are building a new house. I thought I would share this story with you on our recipe blog since you can't cook without appliances :)

We have been pricing new kitchen appliances over the past few months. (They quickly add up let me just tell you!)

I have had a specific make and model that I was interested in, so we have been checking all the big retailers waiting for a big sale on them. Finally this week they are on sale!

We took our information to a local appliance store (that we have been wanting to use all along) to see if they could match the prices.

The salesman told us that a huge sale was about to start later in the week at their store. If you buy the fridge and the stove, you get the microwave (vent) and dishwasher for FREE!

YEA! Not only are we saving over $700, but we get 2 FREE pieces of the kitchen set!

I am so excited because it is the one that I was REALLY wanting to get in the first place and I am not having to settle for a one that was less expensive for the sake of saving money!

God has continually blessed us in this process. I am so thankful to have this online journal that I can come back to and remember these "little" blessings along the way!

Pumpkin Cookies with Glaze

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing:
2 cups confectioners' sugar3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients.

Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.


To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Carmel Nut Cheesecake

2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 cup Peanuts, chopped, divided
1-1/4 cups sugar, divided
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Sour Cream
4 eggs
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Mix crumbs, 1/2 cup nuts, 1/4 cup sugar and butter; press onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 min.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 35 min. or until center is almost set; cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with remaining nuts and caramel topping. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

S made this yummy popcorn for the Recipe Contest and won 4th place!

1/4 cup popcorn kernels
Vegetable oil
Fine salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup honey

Prepare a clean paper shopping bag or oversized mixing bowl. Heat a large heavy pan over medium heat and film the bottom with vegetable oil. Add the popcorn, shake to distribute, then put a lid on the pan. Leave a small crack for steam to escape. When the popcorn starts popping, shake vigorously to make sure the kernels pop evenly. When the popping slows, take the pan off the heat.

Pour the popcorn into the paper bag or bowl to cool, being careful to leave any unpopped kernels in the pan. Lightly salt the popcorn to taste.

Mix the honey and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple minutes, then remove from the heat and add the peanut butter. Stir vigorously until all the peanut butter is melted, then mix in the vanilla.

Immediately pour the peanut butter caramel over the popcorn and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon until it's all coated. Once it's mixed you can put it in a serving bowl. Cover tightly after it's cooled. Makes about 8 cups.

B's Monster Mix

B won 3rd place in the recipe contest for this snack recipe.

9 Cups Honey Nut Chex (or any chex variety you like)
3/4 Cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
1/2 Cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Cups powdered sugar

Place chex cereal in a large mixing bowl. Place chocolate, peanut butter, and butter into a microwavable safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute or until melted.

Stir then pour into bowl of cereal.

Mix well then divide mixture into 2 large ziplock bags.

Pour in 1 Cup powdered sugar into each ziplock. Close bags and shake until cereal is coated.

Pour into a large bowl and serve.


Note: Recipe and photo courtesy of Picky Palate although we changed it a little.

Peanut Butter Delight

This recipe is E's prize winning recipe. After one bite, you will understand how she won 1st place at our local fair's recipe contest!

 

15 peanut butter sandwich cookies
3 tablespoons butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 ounces whipped topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolates, melted
Container: 9" loaf pan, medium mixing bowl, small dish

Line the loaf pan with aluminum foil. Crush 10 of the peanut butter cookies and mix with the melted butter.

Press the cookie mixture into the bottom of the loaf pan until it is nice and compacted.

Mix the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Stir in 3 cups of the whipped topping; mixing well. Remove 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture into a small dish, stir in melted chocolate and set aside.

Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture into the loaf pan, over the cookie crust and spread evenly.

Add the chocolate mixture on top and spread evenly, trying not to mix with the bottom layer. Add the remaining cream cheese mixture on top of the chocolate mixture and spread evening.

Freeze for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove from freezer and invert onto a plate, remove the aluminum foil and then re-invert onto a serving platter (cookie crust should be on the bottom).

Break the remainder of the cookies into medium sized chunks. Top the dessert with remaining whipped topping and sprinkle with the broken cookies.

Cut into 1/4" slices and serve. Store remaining dessert in refrigerator.