Pappa's Pumpkin Bread.

There was a time when I was a complete disaster in the kitchen - I was a freshman in the real world, living with two of my best friends, Shea and Phil. I had one failed, inedible experiment after another, but I was on a mission to make the perfect pumpkin bread!



My first attempt at pumpkin bread turned out SO DRY, it was like chewing on five Saltine crackers at once.



[Fast-forward through a few more failures] I finally asked my friend, Pappa, if she would mind sharing her mom's pumpkin bread recipe with me. Pappa sent me the recipe, I attempted to make it, and I ended up with an exploding mess.



At this point I quit all attempts at cooking and baking for a while. [Fast-forward to my sophomore year in the real world] I decided to give Pappa's pumpkin bread recipe another try - I'm so glad I did.



It is the most amazingly moist (sorry to all those who hate that word), pumpkiny delicious creation I've ever had the pleasure of eating.



What you need....

• 3 cups sugar


• 4 eggs, beaten


• 1 cup salad oil (vegetable oil works fine, too)


• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt


• 1 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon nutmeg


• 2/3 cup coke


• 2 cups canned pumpkin


• 3-1/2 cups flour


• 2 teaspoons baking soda

How to make it...

In a large bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, oil, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and Coke. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Stir in the flour and baking soda. Place in two well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.



If your loaf pans are small (i.e. 8 x 4) use three pans to avoid exploding pumpkin bread - no need to adjust baking time, it will still take the full hour to cook all the way through. K, byeeee!

Mini Pumpkin Spice Donuts.

All pumpkin everything, that's what I like. I've made so many different pumpkin recipes in the last few years (and weeks...I am so behind on my posts), some were amazing...some were not. This mini pumpkin spice donut recipe is worth a try!!

What you need for the donuts...

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg


• 1/2 teaspoon allspice


• 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves


• 1/3 cup vegetable oil


• 1/2 cup brown sugar


• 1 egg


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)


• 1/2 cup low-fat milk

What you need for the coating...

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted


• 2/3 cup granulated sugar


• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

How to make them....

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick spray (or in my case, the most adorable mini donut pan ever).

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

In a separate large bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth.



Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. The recipe said "be careful not to overmix the batter." Whatever that means...so yeah, don't mix it for a long time?

Using a pasty bag (or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off) divide the batter evenly among the muffin/donut cups.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the muffins/donuts from the oven and allow to cool. Repeat with remaining batter.

Once the donuts are cool, with the melted butter in one bowl and the sugar and cinnamon combined in another, dip each muffin/donut into the butter then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat.



The recipe I followed (it came with the adorable pan pictured above) said to serve immediately because the donuts would get soggy, but I thought they got better everyday!



The recipe makes roughly two dozen donuts.



I'll be posting the BEST PUMPKIN BREAD EVER in a few days, so stay tuned! K, byeeee.

 

Mac & Cheese.

Last night (and by last night I mean a week ago when I wrote this post....and forgot to publish it) I had a craving for macaroni and cheese and I decided I wanted to try and make my own. Although I had never made homemade mac & cheese, I had heard my dad list his mac & cheese ingredients enough times to know the basics of what I needed. So without using a recipe, I winged it, and it turned out really tasty!

Disclaimer: I LOVE having a ton of leftovers, so I generally cook a portion big enough for Thanksgiving dinner...this recipe is no exception. If you don't want to make enough to feed a family of 6, just cut the recipe in half!

What you need to make a TON of mac & cheese....

• 4 cups of shells


• 5 cups of skim milk


• 1 8oz block of cheddar cheese, shredded


• 2 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard


• 2 tbsp cream cheese (optional)


• 3 tbsp flour (optional)

How to make it...

In a saucepan, add pasta and milk (you cook the noodles in the milk, no water required).  Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil. Cook until pasta is soft - this took about 20-25 mins on low heat.

While the pasta is cooking, shred the entire block of cheese!



Once the shells are cooked, turn the heat off. Add cheese and salt. Stir to combine.  Stir in the mustard, to taste. Cover and let stand for a couple of minutes to thicken up, then stir again. If it's too thick/not creamy enough, add milk a little at a time, and stir.



If its too runny, you can add more cheese. I didn't have any more cheddar cheese and mine ended up being a little too runny, so I added some cream cheese. After a few more mins of stirring, I still wasn't satisfied with the consistency, so I added flour, a little at a time, to thicken it up. In total, I ended up adding just about 3 tablespoons of flour. If you don't want to have to add cream cheese or flour, I suggest using 4 cups of milk to start, then you can add more milk at then end to thin it out if necessary.



You can also bake the mac & cheese at this point. Just place in a baking dish and top with a generous sprinkling of cheese (or bread crumbs? or whatever you put on top of baked mac & cheese). Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until cheese has melted and begins to brown. This mac & cheese made a perfect side dish to my pan-fried pork chops.

Once you taste this mac & cheese, you'll be really glad you have a ton of leftovers. K, bye!!

Mexican Grilled Cheese.

Who doesn't love a classic grilled cheese? Well, this isn't exactly a classic grilled cheese, but it's still really delicious. This Mexican Grilled Cheese creation came to life based on the ingredients I had in my fridge and my lack of desire to go to the grocery store. That being said, I ended up liking it so much I made it again the next night!

What you need....

• 2 slices of bread


• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped


• 2 slices Pepper Jack cheese


• 1 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened


• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning mix


• 1/2 cup salsa for dipping


• 1 jalapeño, sliced (optional)


• 100 calorie pack wholly guacamole (optional)

How to make it....

Stir the taco seasoning and butter together until spreadable and smooth. Spread the butter mixture on one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice of bread, buttered side down, on a preheated pan over medium heat. Top with a slice of cheese, cilantro, and slices of jalapeño.

Place the remaining slice of bread, buttered side up, on top. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip, cooking until cheese is melted and bread is lightly browned.

Serve with salsa and guacamole for dipping.



I couldn't decide which one I liked dipping my sandwich in more, they were both so good!



I originally thought I'd be putting this under fat girl nomz, but once I added up all the calories I realized it really wasn't that bad!! 

So if you weren't convinced to give this a try before, now you don't have any reason not to! K, byeeee!

Debbie's Breakfast Casserole.

As of today, it is officially college football season! LET'S GO........HOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/SrTmaypDWFI]

That being said, its only appropriate that I share my favorite tailgating breakfast (...slash breakfast for any occasion). I am naming this deliciously simple recipe after my wonderful mother, who so kindly prepares this breakfast casserole for my brothers and I on game weekends!

This easy breakfast casserole is extremely inexpensive - all the ingredients only cost about $9 - and did I mention its a great base for drinking?!! It's so easy to prepare the night before and pop it in the oven/reheat it on the grill in the morning so it's ready when everyone wakes up/arrives at the tailgate.

What you need....

• 1 package southwestern hash browns*


• 1 lb regular or turkey sausage


• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese


• 1 dozen eggs


• 1/2 of a medium Onion, diced (optional, but I always add it)

How to make it...

Place hash browns in a 9x13 greased pan.

*I use the Simply Potatoes brand found in the refrigerator section (near the eggs in most grocery stores). If you are using frozen hash browns, place hash browns in a 9x13 greased pan and cook in 350 degree oven for 30 min or until all the water is absorbed and they are turning brown.  Otherwise, you can skip this step.

Cook the sausage in a saute pan until browned. Add the onion and cook until they have softened. (You can obviously add whatever other veggies you'd like to this casserole, but I like to keep it simple.)


Spread crumbled sausage and onions on top of the hash browns. Layer cheese over sausage. Whip together eggs with a little milk (not a lot otherwise your casserole will be soupy...speaking from experience here) and pour over casserole.



Bake at 350 for 30 mins or until browned.



If you're feeling REALLY lazy, you can buy Jimmy Dean fully cooked sausage crumbles, skip the onions, and you'll have a breakfast casserole in no time.  With or without onions, pre-made or freshly prepared, it is going to be delicious (and I have about a dozen friends who can vouch for this statement). K, byeeeee!

Maribetso.

During my [first] senior year of college I decided that graduating on time was overrated. I made the decision to stay in school for another year and pursue a second degree (read: party and avoid the real world for as long as possible). It was really late in the year and most people had already figured out their living situation for the following school year. I ended up getting really lucky and found an awesome group of girls in my sorority to live with....downtown....in the perfect little apartment. Until my [second] senior year of college, I had never had pesto. My roommate, Nina (far left), introduced me to her mom's homemade pesto sauce and my life hasn't been the same since.



Every pesto recipe I've tried since college has not measured up to Maribeth's pesto. Aren't Maribeth and Nina the prettiest mother-daughter combo ever!?!



Sooooo I finally got smart and asked Nina if Maribeth would mind sharing her secret. As it turns out, I had all the ingredients right, but my ratios were off. Now I get to share the deliciousness with you all!

What you need...

• 2  cups fresh  basil,  lightly  packed


• 3/4 cup olive  oil


• 1  cup grated  parmesan  cheese


• 1 - 2 garlic  cloves


• 1  tsp. salt

How to make it...

Place  all  ingrediants  in   a food  processor (or blender) and  blend  until  smooth.



Sever over pasta or gnocchi...or just eat it with a spoon!



Other pro tips for Maribeth...

"Store  in  the  refrigerator,  covered,  until  ready  to  use.  Mix  well  before  serving,  use  hot  or  cold. Can  also  be  made  ahead,  placed  in  airtight  containers, and  frozen. When  making  a  salad,  I always  use  Italian  Dressing,  along  with  the  pesto  sauce."

I make a ton of pesto sauce at once and freeze it! IT'S SO GOOD. And on that note, I'm going to go defrost and devour some maribesto. K, byeeeee!

World's Worst Blogger.

I haven't cooked in months, which makes maintaining a food blog pretty hard.

In lieu of cooking, my diet has consisted of:

andand occasionally (woopsie)

and an embarrassing amount of

and some

and definitely not enough

or

That  being said, its [almost] time for me to stop being the world's worst blogger. Notice I said almost? Well, I'll be traveling (for work and play) for the next two weeks, and I don't see myself being too enthusiastic about cooking during that time...but maybe I'll surprise myself?

Either way, its time for me to set some goals and share them with my readers (which at this point might only be my mom...thanks mom!) to be held accountable! So here they are:

1. Stop being so lazy and cook!


2. Step outside of my comfort zone and don't just try things that seem easy


3. Post on my awesome-totally-only-read-by-my-mom blog at least once a week!!

And there you have it. I'll be back in a few weeks ready to cook and blog! K, byeee!

4th of July is Berry Fun!

Make your 4th of July berry fun with these easy treats!!!



What you need...

• 12 ounces white chocolate chips


• Strawberries


• Blue sugar or edible glitter

How to make them...

Put 12 ounces of white chocolate chips in a bowl and melt [in a microwave or on the stove, following the instructions on the package].


One at a time, dip strawberries into the chocolate.



Then dip the berries into blue sugar or edible glitter and set them to harden on waxed paper.



Super easy right?! While you're at it, make some Drunken Gummies and you are sure to have a fabulous 4th of July. GO AMERICA! K, byeee!

Drunken Gummies.

I haven't cooked anything in weeks. I've been too lazy to go grocery shopping and am currently living off frozen food and canned soup. That being said, I have a food blog that demands some attention SO I'm sharing the only "recipe" I've made in weeks: alcoholic gummi bears.

What you need (its really complicated)...

• 750ml of cheap flavored vodka of your choice


• 4 bags of gummi bears

How to make them...

Put the guumies in a tupperware container large enough to hold them all.



Pour the vodka over the gummies until they're all completely submerged.



Stir the gummies ever couple of hours, adding in more vodka until you've used the entire bottle. I really wouldn't waste your money on good vodka, as long as you use flavored vodka they will turn our very delicious. Let them soak for two days and voilá, you have some drunk gummi bears.



So that was embarrassingly easy, right? Well on that note, I'm off to try and find the motivation to cook something for real. K, byeeee.

Pan-Fried Pork Chops.

Let me start by saying these are not fake-fried, healthy pork chops. These are terrible for you, awesomely delicious, pan-fried pork chops.

I had never had fried pork chops until I started dating Elliotte. The closest thing I had ever had was shake and bake. Needless to say, Elliotte was appalled by this. It had been years since the first (and only) time we'd had fired pork chops together, so Elliotte decided to make them for me again.

When it comes to frying pork chops, Elliotte is a pro. Through him I've learned that pan-frying creates delightfully crunchy and moist pork chops without requiring quite so much oil. I forgot that this was his technique and I kept talking about how we didn't have a pot big enough to fry them in....and he looked at me like I was crazy. "Mallory, don't you remember from The Help, you use a pan."

First he poured 1 inch of oil into a large skillet to heat. I kept asking (like a little kid), "Is it ready yet?" And he kept saying no. I didn't understand how he would know when it was hot enough, but then I learned...he tested the oil by splashing a few drops of water into the oil. Elliotte could tell it was ready when the oil bubbled continuously once the water hit it.


While the oil was heating, Elliotte dipped the pork chops in flour; followed by egg wash; and finally a mixture of flour, salt, group pepper, and cayenne pepper.



Carefully, he placed the chops, 2 at a time, into the hot oil, and cooked until the outside was golden brown, turning only once.



To ensure the chops were cooked through, Elliotte took 1 chop out and made a small cut at the thickest part to check for doneness. If necessary, adjust time accordingly for the rest.



Drain (or blot) on paper towels before serving, removing excess grease.

Then enjoy!! K, byeee!