Weekly Meal List

Saturday: eat out

Sunday: Spaghetti

Monday: Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan

Wednesday: Spicy Chicken EMchiladas

Thursday: Herbed Balsamic Chicken

Friday: leftovers

Pumpkin Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are a one-car household. At least for a few more weeks. So when I don't have school, Neil takes the car and I stay home for the day. Sometimes I get cravings, especially for sweet things. I spent this morning studying for my American Indian Studies class and when I took a break I could not stop craving sweets. We don't buy any junk food so I couldn't find any Oreos hiding in the back of the closet or even a long-forgotten piece of Halloween candy.

The only thing we had in the closet that was even partially sweet was pumpkin and some leftover butterscotch and chocolate chip morsels. I googled "Pumpkin and Butterscotch" and found this recipe from Annie's Eats on the very bottom of the first page. I follow her blog and I can't believe I didn't bookmark this recipe when I saw it. I didn't have the full amount of butterscotch or chocolate chips so I split the batter into thirds and did 1/3 butterscotch, 1/3 chocolate chips, and 1/3 mixed.

The butterscotch and pumpkin cookies were by far my favorite. The mixed ones and the chocolate chip only ones were delicious but there was something about the flavor mix of pumpkin and butterscotch that just did it. And even though pumpkin may be considered out of season, it was a delicious treat to enjoy! Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup butterscotch chips (or a mixture of butterscotch and chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 325º. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to help keep the bottoms from browning or burning. Ina small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; whisk to blend. In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and eggs. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and light in color, about 1 minute. Blend in the oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until well combined. With the mixer on a low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Fold in the butterscotch and/or chocolate chips with a spatula.

Drop mounds of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them a few inches apart. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the tops feel set and a toothpick or fork comes out dry, about 14-16 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat right away or store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Linking up with Sweets for a Saturday!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

(Image from thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com. I was in such a hurry I forgot to snap a picture)

Today has been a long, long day. It was the first day of classes so after dropping hubby off at work at 6:45 and our pup off at Doggy Day Care (yes-we're those kind of people(: ), I had to drive the 50 minutes down to San Diego for class. Luckily, I didn't have an early class like last semester so my drive time was cut in half. After 3 long classes, driving home, grocery shopping, and picking up Lucy from day care, I arrived home to a messy house. I thought about cleaning and cooking dinner but decided leftovers would be okay and laid down on the couch for a quick nap.

An hour later, Neil comes home and wakes me up to remind me that we have our Growth Group (Bible Study) tonight and that I volunteered to make apps for this weeks meeting. I immediately freaked out because I had less than an hour and a half to put together something for 10-12 people and I hadn't planned anything. I spent about 5 minutes staring at the contents of the fridge before I remembered this recipe found on Easy as Pie. All of these ingredients are pretty much common household food items other than pepperoni but we just happened to have some in the fridge. I set to work whipping up a double batch and we made it with two minutes to spare to the meeting.

Everyone enjoyed them, especially Neil who decided these would make a perfect dinner. They were so easy to throw together and I'll definitely be making them again. I'm thinking a Hawaiian version would be delicious. One of the best things about these is how you can personalize them to whatever flavor pizza you what. Add some garlic, some onions, some peppers-anything you want! The Superbowl is coming up and these little guys will definitely be making an appearance on our menu!

*No picture but I'll be making more soon*

3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup whole milk (I used 1% and it worked fine)

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

4 oz pepperoni, cut into small pieces (about 1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 375º. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. (A 12-cup works fine you will just have to cook 2 batches). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Whisk in the egg and milk. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni. Let stand for 10 minutes. (I skipped the standing part since I was in a rush).

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 tablespoon of basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining basil. Serve the puffs warm with the pizza sauce for dipping.

To freeze: Bake completely and then freeze the baked puffs in a single layer on a baking sheet in a freezer bag. To reheat, bake the frozen puffs on a baking sheet in a 35º oven for 8-20 minutes.

Deep Dish Brownies

I have made so many sweets in the past week and a half. Even though I usually send about 2/3 of the with my hubby to work I still feel like I've gained a pound or two. I have no idea how the ladies who have pure baking blogs and post every day do it. I think I might have to swear off sweets for awhile.

These brownies were the first thing I made with my new KitchenAid mixer. Check out this baby in action...

She's amazing! The recipe comes from Hershey's so you know it has to be good. They were deliciously chocolatey and perfect for my chocolate cravings!

3/4 cup butter or margarine melted

1.5 cups sugar

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350º. Grease 8 inch square baking pan. Combine butter, sugar, and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs and beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to egg mixture and beat until well blended. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. bake 40-45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

PS-Be on the lookout for a giveaway coming within the next few weeks!

Mexican Casserole

One of the best things about this dish was that I was able to make Neil and I our own personalized sides. I love beans but Neil won't touch them so I put beans on my side. Neil loves tomatoes but something about the texture of them grosses me out so the tomatoes only went on Neil's side. It was delicious and I've said it before, you can never go wrong with a casserole! Recipe is from Christine's Kitchen Chronicles.

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 packet taco seasoning

2 cups salsa

16 oz can chili beans, drained

3 cups tortilla chips, crushed

2 cups sour cream

1 (2 oz) can sliced black olives, drained (optional)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet over medium-high heat cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain grease and return meat to pan. Stir in taco seasoning and salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Spread crushed tortilla chips in a dish and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over the beef. Pour chili beans on top. Sprinkle olives, onion, green pepper, and tomato over the beans. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!

Boiled Oatmeal Cookie

When I was little, my dad used to make us boiled oatmeal cookies about once a month or so. We weren't allowed in the kitchen while he was making them and he would never tell us the secret ingredients. He'd spend about 10 minutes in the kitchen and then bring us each a plate of oatmeal cookies. Except, they wouldn't be small little cookies; they'd be big pies. We'd each get a plate and a big glass of milk. They were delicious but would always be too sweet to finish so we'd save them for breakfast the next morning.

I finally got the recipe when my aunt put all of her recipes, along with other family members, in a cookbook and gifted us with it on Christmas. While looking through some blogs, I found a recipe for No Bakes which is almost exactly like my dad's boiled oatmeal cookies. There were a few differences but it was almost exactly the same. This is another chocolate and peanut butter combination that can become quite addicting!

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 stuck butter

3 tbsp peanut butter

3 cups quick oats

1 tsp vanilla

Combine the sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter in a sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil and allow to cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper and allow to set. Or grab a big glass of milk, plop some on a plate and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is another easy recipe from Abby. There are plenty of homemade peanut butter blossom recipes out there but these are just as delicious as their homemade counterparts. Peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations. Whenever I hear those Reese's commercials or see them on TV I start craving. These are delicious and would be a perfect fix for me peanut butter and chocolate cravings!

Bagged peanut butter cookie mix or pre-maid ready to bake dough from refrigerator

Hershey's kisses

Mix the dough according to directions. Roll dough into 2 inch balls. Bake according to the directions until they are slightly done. Remove cookies from oven an immediately press Hershey kiss into center of the cookie. Do not remove cookies from the pan until they are entirely cooled and the chocolate is no longer mushy. It usually takes awhile for them to cool completely and moving the cookie will cause the chocolate to melt and lose its shape.