Mom's dinner in a pumpkin

One of my favorite childhood memories is my mom making this dinner in a pumpkin every year around Halloween time. Making this tonight for FHE and smelling the casserole mixture brought back so many warm fuzzy memories. Good thing Jeremy loved this, because we will carry this tradition on.Recipe:
Cut off top of medium sized pumpkin and cut a triangle notch on one side to make replacing lid easier to line up.
Scoop out the inside and wipe out with paper towel. Mark a face on the front with a permanent pen if you would like.
Spoon casserole mixture inside and bake 350 degrees for about one hour (on a cookie sheet) until meat of pumpkin is tender (if you will eat it, otherwise, just so dinner is hot inside).

Casserole Mixture:
Cook 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of ground beef with 1 chopped onion until fully cooked
Add 4 tablespoons soy sauce
Add 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Add 1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
Add 1 can cream of chicken soup
Add 1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked rice
Simmer 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Spiced and Iced Cookies

Tis the wonderful season of pumpkins! And time for my favorite seasonal cookie recipe. When I first started dating Jeremy, back in the fall of 2004, I was craving a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe and asked Jeremy if his mom had a good recipe. Sure enough it was more than just good... it was excellente! I've handed this recipe out many a times to pumpkin adorers, so here is Leslie Curfew's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (with vanilla glaze) recipe:

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (Spice Island Brand)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
15 oz. Libby 100% pure pumpkin
2 cups (12 oz. package) Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Vanilla Glaze: Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 Tblsp milk and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract in a small bowl. Mix well.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by the rounded tablespoons onto foiled covered baking sheets.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.
6. Drizzle or spread the vanilla glaze on top of cookies.

(Makes about 4 dozen cookies)

Barefoot Contessa's Jam Thumbprint cookies

Jessica and I made these cookies my first night in Utah. We also made 7-layer bars. these Thumbprint cookies came out fabulously and would make a lovelyl treat for something special. :)


3 Sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash)
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry or Apricot Jam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar and then add vanilla and salt. Mix in the flour and then roll together into a flat disc.
3. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Roll into 1 1/4 inch balls. Dip in egg wash and roll in coconut. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie and fill with 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of jam.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, WATCHING CAREFULLY to keep from browning. Depending on your oven it may need less or more time, so it will take the first batch of discovering the right time for you.

Chocolate Trifle

Perfect dessert to top of any meal! (Can you tell I like chocolate?!?!)

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.75 ounce) package Ghirardelli brownie mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
2 or 3 (1.5 ounce) Skor chocolate candy bar (crushed)

DIRECTIONS
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.
In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces cool whip until no streaks remain.
In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 ounce container of whipped topping. Repeat layers. Sprinkle crushed candy bars on top. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Lacy Oatmeal Cookies

Happy New Year everyone!! I can just feel that this year is gonna be a good one! While visiting the Gruwell family in New Orleans, Missy mentioned she'd been looking for recipe from her childhood for lace (oatmeal) cookies. As soon as she said it, I craved them really bad!! So has soon as we got home - I found 3 very different recipes on allrecipes.com - one that needed heavy cream, another needed corn syrup... So I pretty much chose the recipe that needed all the ingredients I already had at home. I liked this version - they were thin, crispy, and somehow just chewy enough! I held this cookie in front of the sun, so you can see how it looks like lace. So Missy, if you're out there give this one a try... (or I can email you the other 2 versions as well). Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cover baking sheets with foil, then coat the foil with a non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour and oat mixture until just combined. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 1/2 inches apart.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges turn golden. Cool, then peel cookies off with your fingers. Be sure to re-spray baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray between batches.

home-made oreos

A yummy and easy Sunday treat!










Cookies:
1 box devil's food cake mix
3/4 cup oil (I didn't add all of the oil)
2 eggs
Mix well. Roll into small balls. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla together. Add powdered sugar and mx together. Spread filling on top of cooled cookie, and then top with another cookie. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.