Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I love Fall. It's my favorite season of the year - the rainy days, the cooler temps, the changing colors, snuggling by the fire, scarves, hot chocolate, and an excuse to roll up my sleeves and get gooey! We didn't pick up quite as many pumpkins as a few years ago, but we were given several & I had fun roasting pumpkins seeds again this year. My recipe is basic & easy. I have a friend that made Ranch, BBQ, and Teriaki flavored seeds - so I'm thinking of giving that a try next year.

First remove the seeds from the pumpkins. (You get about 2 c. of seeds per pumpkin.) Rinse them off & remove as much of the pulp as possible. Boil seeds for 5-10 min. Drain.

Measure & spread on a baking sheet. For every 1 c. of seeds, mix 1 Tbsp. of melted butter & 1 tsp. of Worchestershire sauce. Drizzle over seeds & sprinkle generously with seasoning salt. (I like to use Lawry's.) Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until they are nice & crispy.

Allow seeds to cool on baking sheet before storing them in an air-tight container or Ziploc bag. I've also stored seeds in the freezer for up to 6 months. Enjoy!

Anniversary Dinner

After being married for 13 years, I'm beginning to take on my husband's practical mindset. :) Okay. Not all the time, but I have my moments. And today was one of them.

I decided that instead of spending the money on a babysitter & dinner out - it would be more practical & cost-effective to enjoy dinner in, especially on a school night. So I splurged some on the ingredients & tried out two new recipes. They both turned out delicious.



The first one I found in Taste of Home, and altered it just a bit. It made lots - enough for leftovers or lunches later on this week, which means another meal I won't have to make! ;) We lit candles, added a salad & sparkling cider to make our anniversary meal complete.

Greek Chicken Pasta

4 c. uncooked penne pasta (approx. 1 box)
1/4 c. butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. rotisserie chicken, cubed (I just used leftover grilled chicken)
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained
1 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c. chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 c. sliced pitted Greek olives (or can use black olives instead)
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Chop chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, & olives. Drain pasta & set aside. In the pot used for cooking pasta, melt butter. Take off heat & stir flour until blended. Add the chicken broth & return to heat. Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 2 min. until thickened. Stir in pasta, chicken, artichoke, tomatoes, olives, cheese, & parsley. Serve warm.

I also made this Lemon-Blueberry Swirl Cake for dessert. One word: Yum.

(I think I ate too much.)

Sinfully delicious

With this being Sunday & all, I decided I shouldn't have to go to too much work for something yummy to eat. I found this recipe in a Kraft foods magazine & wanted to try it out. Bad idea. They are way too easy to make & sinfully delicious. And now that I have stumbled, I'm leading you down the wayward path of sugar & calories right along with me!

Crunch Bars

35 Saltine crackers (1 plastic pkg. - 1/4 box)
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 pkg. (8 squares) Baker's Semi-sweet Chocolate, chopped OR 1 1/2 c. semi-sweet choc. chips
1 c. chopped Walnuts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place crackers in a single layer in a foil-lined 15x10" pan. Cook butter & sugar on medium-high heat until butter is melted & mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil; cook 3 min. without stirring. Spread onto crackers. Bake 5-7 min. until topping is golden brown. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate. Let stand 5 min. or until chocolate is softened; spread over crackers. (OR I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave & spread them right away.) Sprinkle with nuts. Cool. Break into pieces. OR - Be impatient & just pick up a hot piece, burn your tongue, but decide it was totally worth the pain to taste the goodness!

Lemon Crumb Cake

2 c. buttermilk **

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 (15 3/4 oz.) can lemon pie filling

TOPPING:

1 c. flour

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. cold butter

1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

In a large bowl, beat buttermilk, sugar, eggs, butter & vanilla until well blended. Combine flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda; slowly beat in until blended. Pour into greased 9x13" pan. Drop pie filling by teaspoonfuls over batter. In a small bowl, combine flour & sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in almonds; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min. Cool for 10 min. on wire rack. Serve warm.

** If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own. Pour 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice (or vinegar) into a 1 c. measuring cup & fill the rest of the way with milk. Let it set for a minute, then add to the recipe. **

I found this recipe in Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine. Though I'm not sure that it technically qualifies under the "healthy" category. But it sure was yummy! I am & will always be addicted to chocolate, but I am gradually falling more in love with other flavors.

Moist Caramel-Apple Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding

1 c. water

4 eggs

1/3 c. oil

3 apples (Granny Smith)

caramel ice cream topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel apples; chop coarsely. Beat cake mix, pudding, water, eggs & oil on low speed until blended. Beat on high speed 2 min. Stir in apples. Pour into greased fluted tube pan. Bake 50 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake for 15 min. & invert onto cake plate. Drizzle ice cream topping over cake.

Abbie made this cake over the weekend. It was moist & delicious, despite the fact that I forgot to set the timer & it was plenty "crispy" around the edges! :) We substituted regular apples for the Granny Smith & it was just as yummy. Definitely a new Fall favorite!

Spinach Manicotti

1 (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 (10 oz.) pkg. chopped spinach
½ c. minced onion , chopped
1 egg
2 tsp. parsley 1 ½ c. water
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
½ c. parmesan cheese
2 (26 oz.) jars spaghetti sauce
1 (8 oz.) pkg. manicotti shells

Saute onion until tender. Combine ricotta, spinach (thawed & squeezed dry), onion & egg. Season with parsley, pepper & garlic. Mix in 1 c. mozzarella & ¼ c. parmesan. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture. In a separate bowl, mix spaghetti sauce & water. Spread 1 c. of sauce in a 9x13” pan. Arrange manicotti in a single layer. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella & parmesan. Bake @ 350°for 45-55 min. or until noodles are soft. (Serves 6-8)

I love this recipe, because it really is not that hard to make, and the uncooked shells are pretty easy to stuff. I usually have a little extra filling, so you can buy an extra box of shells & keep the empty ones until you make this again. This freezes well, so I often double the recipe & freeze the shells...adding the sauce & water later.

Menu Plan Monday!

With the kids back in school, it's time...time to get organized & back to weekly menu plans!

Here's what's cooking at our house this week. For more great ideas, check out these great menu plans.

Monday - Tuna cakes , fried okra & grilled potatoes wedges

Tuesday - Mexican Casserole

Wednesday - Ham & Bean soup & cornbread

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - Chicken & Rice casserole

Sunday - Tender Pork Chops, pasta, & mixed vegetables