Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This might be my one and only pumpkin recipe this year.  I love pumpkin breads and muffins but I'm not a pumpkin pie fan.  I think its a texture thing for me.

Anyway, in my constant quest to find things for quick breakfasts I stumbled up this recipe.  Thank you Pinterest!  I figured since it had chocolate chips in it there was a pretty good chance my daughter would eat it, and I was right!  Yay!

I love how moist the bread is and how it stays that way even days later.  I store mine in a sealable plastic bag in the refrigerator and it's still as delicious as it was on day one.  The chocolate chips are great for obvious reasons but they do offer a little change in the texture and appearance too.  I'm thrilled with this bread and will make it again for sure.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, canola oil or melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. Lower the oven racks to the lower 3rd of the oven to prevent over browning.
2. Preheat the oven to 350º
3. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray, set aside
4. In a large bowl add the first 6 ingredients and whisk together. 
5. Mix the eggs and both sugars together in a medium bowl.  
6. Add the pumpkin puree to the egg/sugar mixture.  
7. Add the oil and orange juice to the wet mixture. 
8. Combine the wet and dry mixes together, do not over mix. 
9. Carefully add the chocolate chips. 
10. Pour the batter in the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes - tent aluminum foil loosely over the bread about halfway through baking to prevent over browning. 
11. Begin checking for doneness at 55 minutes by using a toothpick in the center. 
12. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing the bread from the loaf pan. 

Vanilla White Chocolate Drops

When I go grocery shopping, I usually get stuck in the baking isle for a while.  I love the chips area because, hello, so many choices and possibilities (yes I'm aware I have a problem). I almost always have a bag of white chips in my pantry but I don't usually use them that often.

So there I was, cleaning the pantry, when I noticed this bag of white chips I needed to use.  Oh the excitement that ran through me (yeah I know, weird).

I jumped onto the Internet and did a quick search and quickly found these.  I was sort of unsure at first but the idea of making a cookie with no chocolate was intriguing. I mean, NO chocolate! Whoda thunk it?

Then, as I was reading I saw that the dough is best when it's been refrigerated for 48 hours.  What? Really? Apparently it works because these cookies were a hit.  The original recipe says you CAN of course cook them immediately but they tend to be a super sweet cookie at that point.  If you let the dough refrigerate for 48 hours it mellows the sweetness.  How bout that?

Well, obviously I didn't compare but the refrigerated cookies were delish!  I brought them to a football party this past weekend and they all disappeared.

I love this recipe and I will make them again.

Vanilla White Chocolate Drops

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 2/3 unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the butter and sugar, beat until it is combined. 
2. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the white chocolate chips) and mix well. 
4. Add the white chocolate chips and stir with a spatula to combine.  Place the dough in a bowl with a lid and refrigerate for 48 hours. 
5. Preheat the oven to 375º
6. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat's. 
7. Use a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon to make a 1 inch ball and place on the cookie sheet. 
8. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes.  The cookies will remain pale in color but should be lightly golden brown on the bottom. 
9. Let rest about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. 

Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a weakness for cookies.

I have a weakness for caramel too.

These cookies were a perfect fit for me.  I did save myself some but I sent most of them to my gramma for her 95th birthday.  We both have a huge sweet tooth and I think caramel is right at the top of the list.

The cookies were the perfect chocolate chip cookie, chewy and delicious.  Add caramel to the combination and you have a little bit of heaven.  I have definetly got to try to stuff caramels into more cookies. ;)

Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Cake N Knife

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 - 14 oz bag caramels, unwrapped

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325º
2. Line cookie sheets with Silpats or parchment paper
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside. 
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer add both sugars and the butter and beat until combined.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix. 
6. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and blend on low until combined. 
7. Add the chocolate chips and mix in using a spatula. 
8. Use a cookie scoop to put a ball of dough into your hand, put a caramel square into the dough ball and then use your fingers to seal the opening shut. 
9. Place seam side up on the cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Leave on the cookie sheet to cool a little before moving to a cooling rack. 
10. Let cool a little before eating. 

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

In an attempt to find more healthy breakfast alternatives for my family I stumbled upon this recipe.  We all like all these ingredients to this could be a winner.

I loved the way the cookies turned out.  Full of peanut butter flavor and the chocolate combination was wonderful.  My daughter wasn't a huge fan but she's super picky.  I shared some with my neighbor and she loved them too.

These cookies are super easy to assemble and quick baking.  You need to love peanut butter to enjoy these cookies which (usually) isn't a problem here.  I love that there isn't any flour and that there is very little sugar.  Definitely will make these again, even it they are just for the grown-ups.

Healthy Breakfast Cookie

Recipe from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 4 Tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp old fashioned oats
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup peanut butter + chocolate chips combined or pick your favorite

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Stir together the peanut butter and honey without heating up either of them. 
3. In a large bowl combine the oats, salt, vanilla extract and stir together.  Add the peanut butter mixture in with the oat mixture and stir together. 
4. In a separate bowl whisk the egg and then add it to the mix. 
5. Now add your mix-in's.  You can use chips of any flavor, raisins or other dried fruit, coconut, etc. 
6. Stir together, the dough will be thick and hard to stir. 
7. Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to get a ball of dough out and make sure it's a tight ball when you place it on the cookie sheet or else these tend to crumble. 
8. Bake for 7-9 minutes, slightly underdone will keep them from crumbling as much. 
9. Let cool completely. 

Pork Carnitas

I love it when I find a meal to make where I can utilize my Dutch Oven.  You know it's gonna be good if you break out the Dutch Oven.

Give yourself a little time to make this meal, you won't be sorry.  The meat just falls apart and is SO flavorful.

This was my first attempt at making Pork Carnitas but I'm thrilled with how it turned out. Luckily I found the recipe with enough to get dinner on the table, but that was pure luck.  Allow yourself about 3.5 hours from start to finish.  There aren't a lot of steps and it's very easy to put together.  That slow cooking time is essential for tender meat.

My husband loved this one!

Pork Carnitas

Recipe from My Kitchen Escapades

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 whole onion, peeled and halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves

Directions

1. preheat the oven to 300º, adjust your oven racks so your Dutch Oven will fit in the lower half. 
2. In a Dutch Oven, add all of the ingredients including the used orange halves. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat with the cover off. 
3. Put the cover on and place in the oven for about 2 hours or until the meat is falls apart when you pull at it with a fork. 
4. Remove from the oven and turn the broiler on. 
5. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and place on a foil lined jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet with sides. 
6. Discard everything else that was in the Dutch Oven except for the cooking liquid. 
7. Return the Dutch Oven and the cooking liquid to the stove top and boil on high heat until the liquid thickens and you have about 1 cup of it. 
8. Meanwhile, use two forks to pull eat meat chunk into three pieces.  Place under the broiler and cook until the edges begin to get crisp, then flip the pieces over and follow the same process until that side has begun to crisp as well. 
9. Once the meat has crisped up and the liquid has reduced you can combine them together and serve. 
10. I served mine over brown rice. It is more traditional to serve in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings. 

Four Ingredient Chicken

When I recently saw this recipe on Facebook I knew I wanted to try it.  I mean, it's four ingredients so how hard could it be?  Not hard, at all.

See, I'm not a huge fan of chicken.  So when I eat it, it has to be covered in some sort of delicious sauce or be accompanied by gravy.  This recipe fit the bill for me.

I couldn't find Russian dressing at the supermarket I was at so I quickly did an online search and found out it was easy to make.  I happened to have all the ingredients at home so I just made it first and then added all the other ingredients into it.

I used my hands to make sure the chicken was coated with the sauce on all sides. Then I made sure the chicken pieces were evenly spaced in the pan and popped it into the oven. An hour later I had a delicious meal that I plan to make again.  The sauce is extremely flavorful.  I made mashed potatoes for the meal accompaniments and the sauce tasted so good with the potatoes too.

This meal does take a little bit of prior planning since it takes and hour to cook and you probably won't have every single ingredient in your pantry or refrigerator.  However, I plan to stock these ingredients now just in case I have a craving for this one, which might happen....often.

Four Ingredient Chicken

Recipe from Facebook via Kathy Kehoe

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)
• 1 package french onion soup mix
• 1 - 8 ounce bottle Russian dressing (or make your own, recipe below)
• 1 small jar apricot preserves or 1 cup

Homemade Russian Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp minced onion

Cooking Directions

1. mix all of the ingredients together (not the chicken).
2. Place the chicken in a 9x13 inch dish and pepper (no salt needed)
3. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the sauce, get all sides well coated. 
4. Bake at 400 for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until chicken is done.  Baste several times while cooking. 

Mexican Corn Dip

I've been wanting to try this recipe for quite some time. My chance finally came up recently and it was SO good!

I have to admit that I may have just dug into this with a spoon.  I mean, it makes a fantastic dip, it also tastes great straight off the spoon. :)

The slight bite and heat from the jalapeño was delicious.  The cheese pieces and the creaminess from the mayonnaise was outstanding. There isn't anything about this dip I didn't like.  The flavors all meld together so well.  I just loved it.

Mexican Corn Dip

Recipe by Damn Delicious

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 ears corn, rinsed and shucked
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp crumbled cotija cheese
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• juice from 1 lime

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the corn and jalapeño and cook until charred, about 8-10 minutes. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.