Pancake Pen

This post is in behalf of Kelli who doesn't blog.  She got me a Pancake Pen for my birthday and it is one of the coolest things ever (that is if you like fun pancakes). You can make pancakes into just about any shape you can imagine.  Mickey Mouses have never been so easy!  Plus, it's easy to stick in the fridge if there is leftover batter so you're ready to make more pancakes the next day.  Thank you Kelli for sharing something so great!

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/pancake-batter-dispenser-pen/

Layers of Heaven -- pumpkin style

A friend of mine came up with this recipe and it was delicious!  Just like a chocolate torte, but pumpkin flavored for the fall.  Sooooo good!!

Gingersnap Crust:

Combine 1/2 cup melted butter and 2 cups finely crushed gingersnaps in a medium mixing bowl; toss to mix well. Spread evenly into a 9x13 pan. Press onto bottom and up sides to form a firm, even crust. Chill about 1 hour or until firm. (Or, bake in a 375 degree F oven for 4 to 5 minutes or until edge is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack before filling.)

Filling:
1 8 oz package of cream cheese

2-3 C powdered sugar

2 3 oz packages pumpkin spice pudding

2 C cold milk

1 quart heavy whipping cream

1. Whip cream with about 1/2 C powdered sugar until stiff. Set aside

2. In another bowl beat together softened cream cheese and up to 2 C powdered sugar (do the sugar to taste. Add about 2 c of the whipped cream, folding together. Spread on the cooled crust and put into the fridge.

3. Mix pumpkin pudding with 2 C cold milk for 5 minutes. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes, until set. Combine with 1 - 1/2 C whipped cream. Spread over the cream cheese mixture.

4. Top with remaining whipped cream and sprinkle the top with either crushed gingersnaps or toasted nuts, depending on what you did for your crust.

5. Let set for at least an hour. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Gratin

I didn't know I loved butternut squash so much until my mom made this recipe. It is so yummy. Since then I have bought precut, packaged butternut squash from Costco to make this and just eat it soft with butter and brown sugar. If you buy precut squash from Costco, it is super easy. Otherwise the peeling and cutting is the hardest thing about this. YUMMY!!

1 1/2 T. unsalted butter (I don't buy unsalted so I use just butter)
1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs (or not fresh)
1/3 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese (or not :)
3 lbs. (about 5 cups) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup half and half

Mel butter in small saute pan, add bread crumbs and toast them, stirring until golden brown 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool Toss in a small bowl with parmesan cheese. SEt aside.
Heat oven to 375*. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Put squash in a large bowl. Stir in garlic, butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and pour half and half on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan bread crumbs. Return to oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown and crisp.
Remove from oven and serve. This can also be made ahead of time and reheated just before serving. Makes 4-6 side dish servings.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

I thought I would have been much better about contributing some recipes to this blog, but my attempts to get a good picture of the food have discouraged me! Enough of that, I made these this week and was reminded again of how they are one of my favorite foods right now - fast, healthy, and yummy! I got his recipe (along with just about every other one I am cooking lately) from www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com. If you haven't been to this site, check it out! I also love her recipes for baked ziti, manicotti, orange chicken, and I can't think what else right now. She has really some great dinners. Anyway, on to the chicken wraps:


For some reason, I can't seem to paste the recipe into the post, so go here instead to view it. I have made it with several variations depending on what I have on hand - brown rice, white rice, and most recenlty with Quinoa which was delicious - faster than brown rice, and probably just as healthy if not more so. We also decided that we like it best with Monterey Jack cheese, but will use cheddar in a bind. Hope you like it too!

Quick and Easy Stir Fry

I needed something quick and easy. Something that involved things I already had in my kitchen. Here's what I tried. Delicious!

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 cups cut-up vegetables *
2 cans (4.5 ounces each) white chunk chicken breast in water, drained
4 cups hot cooked rice

Stir the cornstarch, 1 cup stock, soy sauce and ginger in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.
Heat the vegetables and remaining stock in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
Stir the cornstarch mixture in the skillet. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the chicken and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve the chicken mixture over the rice.
*I used broccoli, sliced carrots and green and red pepper strips.

Nutritions:
calories 320
totalfat 2g
saturatedfat 1g
cholesterol 28mg
sodium 879mg
totalcarbohydrate 57g
dietaryfiber 3g
protein 18g