Pumpkin Butter

...or as Mike insists on incorrectly calling it...apple butter.  :)

on a bite of baguette

No, it's actually pumpkin butter and was surprisingly (to me) quite good.  I think the best part of all was the rich scent that filled my tiny little house.  There aren't too many better smells than sweet pumpkin!

on an english muffin for breakfast!

This can be used on an abundance of different items...

*Anything you would use jam on

*A dollop with pork chops

*Oatmeal

*Grilled turkey or ham

*Scrambled eggs

*Cornbread

*Toast

*Vanilla ice cream

*With yogurt & granola

*Roast turkey or chicken sandwich

*Biscuits

*Maybe mix with cheese and dip pretzels/crackers into?

I mean, how diverse is that?  I'm more of a toast kind of girl, but several of these sound pretty good, too.

this is the extent of my creativity or lack of materials...one of the two

The recipe calls for a small slow cooker but I only have a big one - didn't seem to affect it any!  Definitely enjoyed making this - thank you, Cooking With the Big Dogs!

Print the recipe here.

Whole Wheat Bread

Don't let the "whole wheat" words fool you.  This tasted like no other store-bought, from-a-bag whole wheat bread that I'd ever tried.

I think the secret was the brown sugar.

If you thought consciously about it, you could detect the tiny bit of sweet the bread had to offer in each bite.  It was hardly noticeable and I think made all the difference.

I keep wanting to make this again but don't ever think about it in time.  When you print the recipe, notice that you need quite a bit of rising time, but it doesn't take too long to bake!

Enjoy!

Frozen Crescent Rolls

I literally have been trying to write this particular post for months. Maybe years!  Oh wait, this blog’s only a year old…

I’ve had this recipe as a serious favorite ever since the first time I used it.  I acquired it while living in Peru and apologize ahead of time to whoever gave it to me.  I do not remember who you are!

The struggle to actually get this online was mostly due to the fact that I keep forgetting to take pictures, among other things.  But I definitely solved that this past Christmas.

It’s a very easy recipe but does take a bit of time to go through all the steps:

Making the dough, rolling the dough...

Cutting the dough, buttering the dough...

Rolling the dough...

Freezing the dough...

Eventually, defrosting the dough, letting dough rise, and baking the dough...

Bundling the dough up and bringing to big Christmas dinner!

 By the way, it doesn’t matter at all if your circle isn’t perfect, like the one below.  After cutting and rolling up, it all ends up just fine.  That is, unless your circle is just too far out of control…

For the full recipe, click here.

And prepare your mouths for buttery heaven.

Ribbon Pumpkin Bread

Taste of Home's Ribbon Pumpkin Bread has been on my mind for weeks.

Now I've finally made it, loved it, and can share the recipe with you!

Ingredients for Filling
6 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. flour
2 egg whites

Ingredients for Bread
1 c. pumpkin
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 T. oil
1 2/3 c. flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/3 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. For filling, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour and egg whites in a bowl; set aside.  In a mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, egg, egg whites and oil.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves; add to the pumpkin mixture.  Stir in the walnuts.

2. Divide half of the batter between two 8x4x2-inch loaf pans coated with cooking spray.  Spread each with filling; top with remaining batter.

3. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Mom's Banana Bread

Sometimes I just love seeing black bananas on the counter…it signifies banana bread!  I received special permission to share the BEST banana bread recipe I’ve ever seen or eaten.

For those of you who are allergic to nuts, this is a great non-nut bread option.

1/2 c. butter or margarine

1 c. sugar

1 egg

3/4 t. soda

1 1/2 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

3 large bananas, mashed

Cream butter & sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg.

Blend in dry ingredients and mashed bananas.

Pour onto greased and floured loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 50 (or so) minutes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Mediterranean Tuna

Once again, we were gifted with some fresh fish that Mike’s stepdad brought down from Alaska.  This time: tuna!

We also received a bunch of other produce, which included these tomatoes!  I love the little yellow grape tomatoes so much that we ended up not having very many for the salad…hehe

Here is the salad:

As for the grilled tuna, I have found what I like to do best is search for a recipe similar to what’s in my head, read through it, and then basically do my own thing.  It usually works, but not always. ;)

Here is “my” recipe:

1 medium tomato, chopped

Several lemon tomatoes (yum!)

¼ c. crumbled feta cheese

3 T. chopped fresh basil or oregano leaves

¼ c. olive oil

½ t. garlic salt

¼ t. pepper

4 tuna steaks, 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds)

In a medium bowl, gently toss tomatoes, cheese, and 1 tablespoon of the basil.  Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Spray grill rack with cooking spray.  Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat.

In a small bowl, mix remaining 2 tablespoons basil, the oil, garlic salt, and pepper.  Brush mixture over tuna.

Grill tuna uncovered and 4 inches from medium-high heat for 5 minutes.  Turn carefully; brush with any remaining oil mixture.  Grill 10-15 minutes longer or until tuna flakes easily with a fork.

Serve topped with tomato mixture.

2009 Flashback: Christmas Dinner

Dishes I made:
Mashed potatoes (small yellow potatoes) with brown gravy
Sautéed green beans
Sweet potatoes (with marshmallows/brown sugar/cinnamon)
Homemade frozen crescent rolls (with butter/jam)
Turkey ham
Carrots (sliced and cooked)

For Dessert:
Peppermint Cake
Vanilla Ice Cream

We invited Leanne Bennett, Alyssa Klassen, and Rachael Miller over for dinner.  The 5 of us ate a giant yummy feast, if I do say so myself. :)

P.S. This was all prepared on my tiny range with one oven rack! Ha.