Pumpkin Latte....the perfect fall coffee.

This is the Pumpkin Latte recipe I found over at Sand and Sisal.

Sand and Sisal

It is super easy.

And much cheaper than Starbucks!

Hope you try it!

Pumpkin Scones

Shugary Sweets

Who doesn't love a pumpkin scone from Starbucks during the holidays?

It is one of my favorites, and I have tried to develop my own recipe.

I have done O.K.

But, then I found this recipe from Shugary Sweets. Yum.

I halved the recipe today. Which is a bit challenging when there is no measuring cup for 1/6 of a cup of heavy cream, I just eye balled it the best I could and everything came out fine.

My one critique would be ... I don't know if you NEED two glazes.

I might choose to only do the flavored glaze next time, but it does make it look

kind of pretty with the contrasting glazes.

What is next on my fall treat list?

Pumpkin Lattes....

Lasagna - Pioneer Woman Style

I made the Pioneer Woman's "Best Ever Lasagna"

One word Delicious!!

What makes it unique?

Cottage Cheese instead of Ricotta (my kids like this better not so pungent!)

Breakfast Pork Sausage mixed with Ground Beef...we really liked the sauce.

The actual baking time pretty quick....just enough time to get kitchen cleaned up,

garlic bread and salad prepped!!

Try it you'll like it!!

Also, her new Food TV show debuted this weekend

it was pretty good; fun to see a life on a ranch!

Another Pioneer Woman Hit!

Day two of trying a new Pioneer Woman Recipe...another keeper.

Here is the photo from her website.

Here is the link to the recipe.

Beef with Snow Peas.

Critique:

All 3 kids liked it!!

It was very easy! Much faster to make than the barbeque yesterday! Much of this prep could be done ahead and then stir fry right before time to eat.

I ended up letting the meat soak in the marinade/sauce for about 45 minutes to time eating with when the kids would be home from their evening activities.

Additions:

Right at the end I tossed in some leftover steamed sliced carrots, just to heat thru. It provided an additional veggie....and the color contrast was very appealing.

Note:

Flank Steak is not as cheap as it used to be, but still cheaper than dinner out for 4 at a Chinese restaurant...even a cheap Chinese restaurant like Panda Express; and I am sure this is healthier.

Tonight...Leftovers!! :)

Happy Cooking.

A KEEPER FROM PIONEER WOMAN!

Do you get tired of your standard meals?

Do you get stuck in a rut, looking for new ideas?

I know I do.

Next question ....have you heard of the Pioneer Woman?

She has a great blog, covering homeschooling, photography, and cooking among other things!

She is a funny writer.

She has a cookbook, a children's book,

she will have her own Food Network show starting this fall,

and they are making a movie about her and her family based on another book she wrote

Black Heels and Tractor Wheels.

On top of that she has 4 kids!

She is a busy woman!

So this week before grocery shopping a picked out 4 recipes to try from her blog.

The first up was this one just posted on Monday.

Peach-Whiskey Barbeque Chicken

It was fabulous!

A definite keeper!

I am not going to post any pictures because she has done all the work (see recipe link above)!

I am going to provide you with a critique:

1. Allow enough time for browning the chicken this takes a little longer than you would think. Allow 10-15 minutes per batch. After that the dish comes together pretty quick.

2. BE CAREFUL WITH THE WHISKEY! I have had some bad luck with adding alcohol to dishes and it not cooking off. I reduced the whiskey from 1-1/2 cups, to 1/2 cup and than added a cup of chicken broth. (I could still taste it a little bit....so if you don't want to taste it at all just substitute chicken broth where you see whiskey....it would be cheaper too.)

We will definitely be making this again.

The kids said keeper, everyone left the table stuffed!

A sure sign of a good meal right!?

Let me know if you try it!

Giant Bubbles!

So back around 4th of July I wanted to make these giant bubbles.

I had seen it on a blog to do it yourself.

We had one years ago made by Klutz.

I tried to take the easy way out and buy one but they don't make them anymore according to the gal at the store.

Fortunately my friend Heather had a post on how to do it.

And we were off to home depot for supplies. (See Heather's link for how to details)

This took all of 5-10 minutes to put together.

I did hammer tap the screw eyes into the dowels to get them started, than just hand twisted.

Ellie surveying the progress.

Big bubbles here we come!

I have to confess we did not use the glycerine or the distilled water.

I am told the glycerine will help the bubbles stay together better.

But this was entertaining. And almost addictive!

Ellie and will hunt for glycerine today to see if it makes a difference.

We will let you know!!

Scones -- Peach, with Toasted Coconut and Pecans

Do you have a go to breakfast baked good?

For me it is scones.

I have a basic recipe I use from a May 2000 issue of Country Home

and I just change out the mix-ins based on my availability.

Today we tried coconut, pecans and peaches.

We toasted the pecans and coconut on a little cookie sheet in the toaster oven.

Watch closely coconut can quickly go from toasted to burnt.

Whisk together dry ingredients, 2 cups flour, 2 Tbsp. baking powder, 2 Tbsp. sugar.

Cut in 1/3 cup butter (use the real stuff...margarine just isn't the same.)

Gently mix-in your coconut, pecans, and peaches, coat with the flour mixture.

Stir in 3/4 cup milk. Your dough will be thick and sticky.

Turn out onto your counter and just form it

into a circle approximately 7 inches and 3/4 inch thick.

Cut into 8 wedges.

Brush with a little additional milk and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

I did a little longer with the peaches because they were sort of a wet addition.

Enjoy!!

Recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup butter

1/2 - 1 cup of mix-ins (suggestions below)

3/4 cups milk

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar. Cut in the butter with pastry blender, or two knives until mixture resembles coarse peas. Add in desired mix-in. Add 3/4 cup milk and stir just until dough clings together. On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a 7 inch circle 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 6 to 8 wedges. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with additional milk and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake in a 425 oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Other mix-in combos:

Chocolate Chips (kids favorite)

Chocolate Chips, 1Tbsp Orange Zest

Chocolate Chips, Coconut

(do you see a theme?)

Strawberries

Dried Fruit....

You get the idea, use the base recipe and make it your own. You could even go 50/50 on the flour and use 1/2 oats 1/2 flour!!

Enjoy!