Candy Corn Cheesecake

While candy corn is not my favorite….cheesecake is.  So today we stopped at Orson Gygi and bought a great cake pan to make this cheesecake that immediately brings to your mind the Halloween candy…but tastes much better…just my opinion!   The results are, of course,  a look of candy corn with the rich taste of cheesecake.  Taking that first piece out of the pan is always tricky and my photography skills are not always great!  I’m an “Old” rookie!

Ingredients:

• 2 batches favorite no-bake cheesecake recipe
• Yellow food coloring
• Red food coloring….Orange if you can find it!

Makes:

Cheesecake serves 12.

Tools:

You definitely need a checkerboard cake pan

Instructions:

step 1

Prepare 2 mixes of cheesecake batter following package directions. Prepare 1 crust and place in bottom of pan following package directions.

step 2

Position Batter Dividing Ring in pan. Fill center ring with batter to 1/4 in. from top of ring, level with top edge of pan. Tint remainder of batter yellow. Fill outer ring with batter. Tint remaining yellow batter orange and fill middle ring. Smooth each section with spatula dipped in warm water. Carefully remove ring and smooth again with spatula if needed. Refrigerate for 1 hour

step 3

Be good and only eat your share!

Come Friday Morning

 

May God Bless You both now, on your Wedding Day and the rest of your life together as a married couple.

Marriage is a beautiful thing, embrace it with love together. There will be times for better or worse, don’t forget the love and commitment for each other at the end of each day!

Congratulations on this beautiful October day.

Sofa Cushion Fun

The sofa is really suppose to be the main focal point in any living room……….

 

  Ours has many purposes other than seating!

Instructions

1. Clear an area next to the sofa

2. Prop sturdy sofa cushions near the sofa  to form the walls of the tunnel.

3. Build the roof by draping blanket over the walls.

4. Put a smaller pillow on the floor between two upright sofa cushions to construct a door.

5. Let it crash down and start all over again!   Hours and Hours of Fun

Pumpkin Biscotti

We have been really enjoying a few pumpkin recipes already this season ……….and with the pumpkin shortage that happened a few years back,

I can’t seem to help myself, with a few extra cans….which always seem to make their way into my grocery bag whenever I pass by them in the store.

Apparently my subconscious is worried I might have to go another ………two months without pumpkin this winter.  There are worse addictions…right?

Without further ado….here is the recipe for Pumpkin Biscotti!

Ingredients:

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Dash ground cloves

1 1/4 cups pus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2  (15-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

2 tablespoons water

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts

White Chocolate Chips drizzled…….

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Line cookie sheets with parchment paper

2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl.   Beat sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy.   Add pumpkin and water, beat until well blended.   Stir in cranberries and pistachios,

3. Shape dough into 2 logs, each about 14 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide, on prepared cookie sheets.   Bake about 40 minutes or until firm to the touch.  Remove from oven; cool 20 minutes.  Transfer logs to cutting board, cut into 1 inch thick slices.  Arrange slices on cookie sheets, cut sides up; bake 20 minutes or until dry and lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

4.  Melt chocolate chips in small microwavable bowl on High 30 seconds or until melted.  Drizzle over biscotti.

I CAN DO IT MYSELF

 

Speechless…………….Priceless…worth his weight in gold!

A Weekend to Remember

 

Fall such a short season with vivid color……………I’ll never understand why we have to lose something
before we understand the value of what we have?

The days turn cold and time moves on,
and as those things that really aren’t important fall away…but, maybe they are more important than we realize!

 and maybe to late we understand the value of the things that remain.

 Could it be standing there…unnoticed by us
in the light of day…..small things might be completely camouflaged…

do we take the time to see it or do we let it get away?

Hold tight to the things you love and give thanks for their love in return

Peanut Butter Pancakes

1 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons milk
Directions:
In large bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar and oil until smooth. Beat in egg, then milk.
Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until blended.
Lightly coat griddle or skillet with oil and heat it over medium-high heat.
Drop batter onto the griddle and cook until tiny bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, then flip and cook a few minutes more.

Summer's Last Hurrah

Yep, I smell Fall in the air.  And this morning it kinda smells like tomato soup. 

Slow-Roasted Tomato Soup

1 -  28-ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

drizzle of olive oil, about 2 teaspoons worth

4 Tablespoons butter

1 onion chopped

1  cup reserved tomato juice

1/2 cup cream sherry

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 300 Degrees. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil; set aside.

Drain tomatoes, saving the juices for preparing the soup (you should about 1 1/2 cups reserved). Slice the tomatoes in half and place cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for one hour. Remove tray from oven and let cool 10 minutes.  Sauté onion in butter.

Transfer cooled tomatoes and onion to a blender.  Add the tomato juice, sherry, and blend until smooth. Pour soup into a 2-quart pot and heat until warmed, but not boiling. Stir in the cream and cook for one more minute.

Ciao tomato vines

Arrivederci Summer

 

Benevenuto Autumn

Puffins’

Today we whipped up some Mini Pancakes cooked all at the same time WAHOO!   They were amazingly wonderful and the kids gobbled them up quickly.  These are actually even easier than pancakes!  No standing over a griddle flipping forever!

Mini Maple Syrup Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.

In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops.

Bake for 8-9 minutes. Actually took about 12 minutes, just watch them to turn lightly browned.

Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. Serve immediately with warmed butter if you like or even just with maple syrup.

Little Man even shared them….with friends!

Cobbler Heaven

Summer is leaving us with the fragrant beauty of peaches …..simply intoxicating when they are in season! From peach cobbler to fresh slices over vanilla ice cream, they are the stuff childhood summer desserts were made of. As if you needed any excuse to fall deeper in love with the juicy fruit, just feast your senses on this delicious………….Easy Peach Cobbler

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup self rising flour
2 cups peaches
Directions:
Melt butter into the dish you plan to cook inches.

In a separate bowl, mix sugar, milk, and flour.

Pour this mixture into your butter. DO NOT MIX!

Sprinkle your 2 cups of peaches over the top of your mixture. Still not mixing the ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Our Morning Walk

This little guy?gal was splashing away in the gutter of a home that was watering….yes his/her partner was there as well spreading wings but she/he flew away before we could snap the picture…

Then as we turned the corner we hear overhead this flock of geese ………

They have been flying over for several days now, but we aren’t usually out of bed when we hear the honking sound.  

Today’s walk ……Worth every minute that we spend discovering nature and…..Legend has it that the tallest dandelion a child can find will be equivalent to the number of inches that child will grow in the coming year!

  B E L I E V E

Fudge Puddles

 

 

Cookie Crust recipe:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

In a large mixer bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla Next, in a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mix. to the creamy mixture. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour (or if you're impatient, chill the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes). Remove from fridge and form into 1" balls. I use a small melon baller scoop to make mine a uniform size. Grease a mini-muffin pan and add 1 ball to each muffin cup: Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and make an indentation in the center of each ball. Let them cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack.

It's time to make the fudge filling. Immediately start filling the cookie cups with the filling. It will start to harden just a bit as you do it, so make sure to give it a good stir once in awhile.

Fudgy Filling recipe:
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. milk chocolate chips                             1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla extract

Melt all this in a double boiler and then fill your cookie pockets.

When You’re With Me Baby The Sky is so blue…..

Happy Birthday Mommy

Today Mommy, I wish you a very Happy Birthday

Mommy, I loved you yesterday, I will love you tomorrow and everyday.

My Mommy is an amazing mom. She is a superwoman in my life . She listens to me when I need to talk, she talks to me when I need to listen.

Mommy you are my best friend, I know you will always be my number one cheerleader, and you are my rock that is beside me everyday!

I hope you don’t mind that Grandma and I found a few pictures of you dancing to share with everyone for your birthday…..

After all, it’s not everyday that your mom turns…oh, wait…haha…. Don’t worry mom, I won’t divulge your age. 

“Dance like there's nobody watching,

Love like you'll never be hurt.

Sing like there's nobody listening,

And live like it's heaven on earth.”

Here she is today…Vintage Beautiful!

Mommy you are my heaven on earth….love you to the moon and back!

Are the Seasons Changing Again……….

Midnight
Not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory?
She is smiling alone

Once again God paints our sky to remind us of the abundance of blessings that we have.