Pumpkin Pie Filling

Crescent Rolls, 2 tubes

1/2 block of cream cheese

1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

3 - 4 tablespoons sugar (granulated or powdered)

Mini Pumpkin Pie Croissants Preparation

These start with the crescent rolls. Roll each crescent roll out and cut lengthwise in 2. This recipe will make 32 mini croissants. Each croissant will get a generous tablespoon of this luscious pumpkin pie filling:

Beat cream cheese and canned pumpkin together until fluffy and creamy.

You do want to stuff them a little full and they are messy to roll up. Now here is the fun part! Mix together 4 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice and roll each pumpkin pie croissant in it!

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes. These are sweet but not so-much-so - sublime little bites of pumpkin pie heaven that are easy and portable and the perfect addition to any fall celebration.

Jan's Tweak: After reading several reviews suggesting that these are a little bland, I added extra cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to the pumpkin pie spice. 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of cloves.

Picture and Recipe Source: The Big Oven

Hoda and Kathie Lee were talking this morning on TODAY about how wonderful Alice’s Tea Cup Pumpkin Scones are.  So I Googled it, found them right away.  Don’t you just love the internet?

Cookie Madness posted the recipe, check it out here….

Photo reprinted from cookiemadness.net

What a great idea, preheat your oven to 325 degrees, put your eggs in a muffin tin so they don't roll around and bake them for 30 minutes. Submerge in ice water when you take them out, easy breezy.

Source ~14news

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper, for seasoning chicken
• Crisco shortening, for frying
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (2 1/2 pound) chicken, cut into pieces

Directions

Heat shortening in a cast iron skillet to 350 degrees F.

Beat eggs with water in a small bowl. In a shallow bowl, season flour with pepper. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then coat well in flour mixture. Carefully add to hot shortening, in batches if necessary, place lid on top of skillet, and fry until brown and crisp. Remember that dark meat requires a longer cooking time (about 13 to 14 minutes, compared to 8 to 10 minutes for white meat.)

Note:  This is Jan’s tweak to this recipe, I always soak my chicken overnight in buttermilk, it makes it moist and tender and gives it a bit of a zippy flavor.  You can use sweet milk, too – either way it just adds to the taste.

Recipe and Photo courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients

4 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
4 chicken breast halves, or 2 cups leftover cooked chicken
Seasoned salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken base (you buy this in a jar at the grocery store)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 small yellow onion, minced
1 cup frozen green peas, cooked
1 cup chopped cooked carrots
Pinch fresh grated nutmeg, optional
Special equipment: 4 (2-cup) individual baking dishes

Directions

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut each sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Brush beaten egg onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes, or until dough has risen and turned light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pies. Leave oven on at 350 degrees F.

Filling:
Rotisserie chicken works well for this, if you’re in a hurry. or you can season your chicken with salt and pepper, and saute in the oil in a large skillet until thoroughly cooked.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and then slowly add flour, stirring until consistency of peanut butter, but not brown like a roux. This works best for me if I use a whisk, then add cream whisking continously so it doesn’t lump. Add chicken base, garlic, and onion and stir until thickened. Add peas, carrots, nutmeg, if using, and cut up chicken. Remove from heat. Fill 4 individual oven-proof bowls with chicken mixture and then top each with a pre-cooked lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Any remaining pie filling may be frozen.

Note:  Use salt sparingly, as the chicken base is quite salty.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Photo:  Food Network

Pretty awesome, aren’t they?  Check your local grocery stores…

Okay, I was skeptical, but I do think he’s onto something by twisting off the bottom and making a sandwich.  Cupcakes are difficult to eat…

Photo cropped and reprinted from Pioneer Woman’s website         

Pioneer Woman has done it again.  Pizza on a bun, is this heavenly or what?  Just had to share this in case you don’t follow Pioneer Woman, although I don’t see anybody wouldn’t want to, the woman is a legend, at least she is in my household!

Here’s the click, ladies, enjoy…

When I cook cranberries, I always think of my friend Veronica.  She taught me how she makes them and it’s so simple. 

A bag of cranberries (I buy multiples at Christmas and freeze them)
1 cup Splenda
1/8-1/4 cup water

Simmer until they pop, then squeeze in the juice of an orange.  So easy, and so good!

We’re having them tonight, using a bag of frozen berries from the freezer…

You have to serve this with mashed potatoes and corn, it’s just the way it’s done.  Trust me, the mashed potatoes make it wonderful.  This is so simple, a recipe from my childhood, back in the days when goulash was a staple in our diet.  It’s fast, quick, and the perfect food on a cool fall evening.

1 lb. ground round/sirloin/chuck – whatever you want to use works
1/2 bell pepper, finely diced
1 onion (1/2 cup) finely diced

Brown the above, season with salt and quite a bit of ground pepper, about 1/2 teaspoon.

Meanwhile cook elbow macaroni or your pasta of choice to el dente, I use about a half a pound of pasta, but you can add more if you like.

Meanwhile open a large can (28 oz.) of crushed tomatoes, put in a saucepan, add the drained meat mixture, add the drained pasta and simmer for just a few minutes.

AND, add sugar.  I use Splenda, about 1/4 of a cup, because we like it sweet.

That’s all there is to it, I eat it like I did as a child, with a scoop of mashed potatoes in the center of my plate and the goulash spooned over the top.

Mother always added the corn directly in her goulash mixture, I cooked mine separately and put it on the side.

And don’t turn your nose up at the potatoes, I know it’s two starches, but this is comfort food people, and trust me, you will be comforted after you eat this.

Of course, real mashed potatoes are always best, but instant potatoes work, or those great Bob Evans refrigerated ones.  Just fix whatever, and enjoy, your family will love this!

Some people add herbs and garlic to their goulash, but to me it’s best just to keep it simple with the green pepper and onions.  It’s peasant food, comfort food, warm memories, and delish!  Pinky swear it is…