Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

Since I don't bake all that often and don't really experiment with desserts (there is science to baking that you don't really want to mess with...) I turned to an expert to find a a delicious and decadent dessert for Thanksgiving. Who better to go to than the wonderful Paula Deen?! This dessert by Paula Deen is soo delicious and it is sure to become a family favorite just as it has in our family.

Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Enjoy!

Brined and Roasted Turkey (Thanksgiving)

Can you believe that it is almost Thanksgiving? This year has just flown by! (It is actually just a few days away from our first wedding anniversary and I can not believe the first year has gone by so quickly! Great memories already! Happy Anniversary Steven!)

Anyways, back to Thanksgiving!

I am such a holiday-loving girl and of course Thanksgiving is no exception! There is so much cooking to be done, time spent with family and of course, eating! What's not to love! For me, my favorite part of the holiday is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving which I aptly nicknamed "Cooking Day." This is the day when my mom and sisters and I get together and start cooking for Thanksgiving. Translation: My mom and I do a lot of cooking, Annie tries to cook and we all laugh at her and Katherine does a dessert or two and sits at the counter and reads gossip magazines out loud. It is truly one of my favorite days.

Because Thanksgiving is largely built around traditions (at least in our family) and there is a lot of pressure to please and impress, it is a time of the year that I don't really mess around with trying a whole lot of new things in the kitchen. I stick with the favorites.

Since the turkey is the star of the show, it has to be good, so my mom and I do the same turkey every year (and actually for the last couple of years, I did it all by myself!).

If you are looking for a new recipe, this is one to try! You will not be disappointed. The turkey comes out juicy and delicious!

Brine:
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Squeeze the oranges and lemons and add them, along with the thyme and rosemary, to the brine.

Turkey:
1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey
Brine, recipe follows
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths
1 large orange, cut into 8ths
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting

Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.

Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated (or in a cooler), for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Turn the turkey at least once during the process.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan and rub on all sides with the butter. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme. Truss the turkey with kitchen twine.

Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.

Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

I will post some more Thanksgiving favorites as it gets closer. If you have a family tradition or recipe that you would like to share, let me know! I'd love to post it for you!

Football Food Friday! Baked Taquitos with Chicken, Carmelized Onions, Lime and Cilantro

You will love this homemade version of the frozen food classic! These taquitos are easy, healthier and more flavorful than the kind you buy in the grocery store. I can promise you will love them! (The actually came from an idea that my husband gave me, so he technically deserves the credit!)

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, sliced very thinly.

Salt, pepper and garlic power, to lightly season

1 cup very loosely packed cilantro leaves

2 medium limes- zest of one, juice of both

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

5 medium sized tortillas

Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

About 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream (light or non fat is fine)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
zest and juice of 1/2 of small lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat two skillets with one tablespoon each of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions to one pan and allow to carmelize. Caramelizing takes awhile (about 20 minutes), so be patient and allow the onions to cook down to a deep golden-brown color, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, season cubed chicken with salt, pepper and garlic. Add chicken to the other pan and saute until cooked through, five to seven minutes.

When the chicken is cooked and the onions are carmelized, remove both from their pans to a cutting board. Finely mince the cilantro, and chop the onions and chicken as small as you can. Add the chicken, cilantro and onions back to one pan and heat on low. Add the lime zest and juice, cumin and chili powder, stirring to incorporate.

Cut the tortillas in half. Starting with one tortilla half, fill place a "tong-ful" (meaning the amount you grasp with tongs) :) of filling about 1/3 of the way up the tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling and secure with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas or until you run out of filling.

Bake for seven minutes. Broil on high for two minutes.

Prepare the sauce in a small bowl by combining the sour cream, zest, juice and cilantro. Sprinkle a tiny bit of the cajun seasoning. Taste a bit of the sauce to see if it needs to be adjusted. It should taste light and fresh with a touch of lime. If it is too much cilantro, add some lime and vice versa if it is too limey.

Remove from the oven and serve with cilantro lime sour cream or your choice of salsa.

Enjoy! Happy Gameday!

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season chicken

All-purpose flour, for dredging

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons capers

To butterfly chicken, hold the knife parallel to the counter and carefully slice through the middle of the chicken pulling the top back as you slice until it lays flat. Cut the two pieces apart.

Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter or your cutting board, placing one chicken piece on top. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top. With a large heavy skillet or meat mallet, pound the chicken until approximately 1/2 inch thick and more uniform in thickness. Repeat with other three pieces.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate and cover with foil. Melt 1 more tablespoon butter and add another tablespoon olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice and stock. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Reduce heat to a simmer, check for seasoning and allow to simmer for five to seven minutes. Add capers return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for two minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Pour sauce over chicken.

Enjoy!

Let me know what you think!

Football Food Friday! Bacon Wrapped Pretzel Rods

In honor of the greatest football weekend of the year, OU/TX,
I am posting one of my favorite football/party foods! This is such an easy recipe and these things will be gone the second you put them on a plate!

Ingredients:
1 package of thick cut bacon
Pretzel rods: 1 per strip of bacon
1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet (make sure it has sides) with foil. Take one strip of bacon and starting at one end of the pretzel rod, tightly wrap it around the pretzel finishing at the other end. Place on baking sheet, tucking ends under the pretzel rod to keep it wrapped up. Bake for approximately 20 mintues or until the baked is cooked and beginning to crisp. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before transfering to serving platter. Sprinkle pretzels with parmesan cheese and ENJOY!

Leave a comment to let me know what you think!

BOOMER SOONER!

Football Food Friday! Cream Cheese Sausage Dip

This is such an easy and delicious recipe that my sister, Katherine, gave me. I am telling you, it will be a crowd pleaser and you'll want to make this every gameday!

Ingredients
1 package of breakfast sausage (the kind in the tube-like packages) or other favorite sausage
2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature
2 cans of Rotel

Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Drain any excess fat and put the sausage into your slowcooker with the temperature turned to high. Add Rotel and cream cheese stirring occasionally until cream cheese is melted and everything is mixed well. Once it is all melted, turn slowcooker to low or warm.

*Tip* Cut the cream cheese into small cubes for faster melting.

Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

As always, leave a comment to let me know what you think! Also, use the comments to give a shout out to your favorite team!

Football Food Friday! Chorizo Stuff Jalepeno Poppers

Football Food!

A delicious accompaniment to any gameday festitivity and if you like it hot, this is a great recipe for you!

This is a slightly ambitious recipe in terms of preparation but it is still very simple to follow.

In addition to the ingredients below, you'll need a peeling knife or paring knife and a jalepeno roaster.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. of ground chorizo sausage
4 oz. cream cheese (half of a package) at room temperature.
18 jalepeno peppers

Preheat outdoor grill to medium high heat.

In a skillet over medium high heat, brown the chorizo and drain off any excess fat. Transfer the chorizo to a mixing bowl and stir in the cream cheese until well incorporated. Set aside.

To prepare jalepenos, cut the tops off and carefully hollow out the centers of the peppers, removing the seeds and ribs. This is where the pointed tip of the peeling knife comes in handy, but a paring knife should be fine! I would suggest holding the peppers with a dish towel or wearing rubber gloves because if you did not know, jalepenos can actually burn your skin, so be careful and wash your hands when you are finished!

When you have prepped all the peppers, begin stuffing them with the chorizo mixture. You will more than likely have extra chorizo left over, so use it the next day in scrambled eggs or a breakfast burrito!

Gently place the jalepenos, stuffing side up, in the roaster and place on grill over indirect heat for about 10-12 minutes until peppers are cooked through and slightly charred.

**If any of the peppers are small enough to fall through the roaster, use a doubled over piece of foil and poke a hole in it and then place the jalepeno in the hole. This will hold it up and prevent it from falling through.

Remove from roaster and serve alone or with ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Let me know what you think!

Football Food!

It's that time of year when the leaves start turning (barely), it gets a little cooler (really?) and everyone is excited for the big game (or in my husband's case, beside himself). It's FOOTBALL season!

Whatever your team is (SOONERS!!), you know you are always thinking, "What should we make for the game?" Football food, as my family calls it, is always the answer!

So, get excited for some delicious football food recipes for the rest of the football season (Sorry I am off to a late start!)! I am going to post them on Fridays so that you have enough time to go to the store before the big games on Saturday and Sunday!

Mediterranean Flatbread Pizza

For those you know might be thinking, Pizza?? Caroline doesn't even like cheese, why is she making pizza?!?

And all of you are correct, I don't like cheese in the general sense, but there are a few exceptions. While I won't get into the idiosyncrasies of my pickiness, (because let's face it, it might take awhile!) there are a few cheeses that I like, goat cheese being one of them and that's what my flatbread recipe calls for!

This recipe is super duper fast and easy and is pretty healthly and the great thing about it is you can add your favorite ingredients for a new flatbread pizza everytime! This is a great recipe to make with your husband/boyfriend, kids or friends and can be served for dinner or would be great to serve at a party!

Ingredients:
1 store-bought pizza dough
Olive oil
Garlic power, for sprinkling
About 1/2 cup store bought spagetti sauce of your choice
1 small onion
1 small can of black olives, drained
1/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
About 1/2 cup of goat cheese crumbles
Turkey pepperoni (it's 1/3 less fat than regular and tastes the same!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Slice the onion very thinly and add to the pan to caramelize. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Caramelizing takes awhile (about 20-25 minutes), so be patient and allow the onions to cook down to a deep golden-brown color, stirring occasionally.

Lightly spray a flat baking sheet and roll out the crust onto the sheet. Roll out with a rolling pin as thin as you can get it. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Using a fork, pierce the dough all over to prevent the dough from bubbling up and rising too much when you bake it. Bake the crust for about 8-10 or until it is just starting to turn golden. It will not necessarily be cooked all the way or totally golden brown but pre-cooking the crust will ensure that the end result is extra crispy! Allow the crust to cool for a few minutes before putting the toppings on.

Begin with the sauce, spreading thin and leaving a very small border around the edges. Add onions, artichoke hearts, olives, goat cheese distributing evenly over the crust. Place pepperoni over the toppings. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until crust turns golden brown.

Enjoy!

As always, leave a comment if you have a question or just to let me know what you think!

Honey Glazed Sesame Chicken

Sorry for the long break without any new recipes! I hope you missed me! ;)

This is a VERY simple recipe that is delicious and healthy! I was going for something similar to PF Chang's or Pei Wei without frying the chicken, so I hope you like this lighter but just as tasty version!

Serves 2 (but you can easily double!)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Whisk first five ingredients together in a small bowl. Put chicken pieces a shallow dish or bow and pour half of the mixture over the chicken. Reserve the rest of the mixture for later. Cover the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to two hours. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and cook chicken pieces until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan.

Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a small skillet over light heat or on a sheet pan in the oven. This will bring out the flavor of the sesame seeds.

Add remaining soy sauce mixture to pan and bring to a light simmer. This will allow the sauce to thicken. Once the sauce has thickened a bit, add chicken back to pan, tossing to coat. Sprinkle sesame seeds over chicken and serve over brown rice and/or with steamed vegetables.

As always, leave me a comment if you have any questions or just to let me know what you think!