Veggie Treasure Lasagna

Veggie Treasure Lasagna

My husband is extra picky about lasagna! He doesn't like the thick texture of ricotta cheese so I use half ricotta and half cottage cheese and find that to be a great solution! I love throwing in colorful veggies like squash, spinach and zucchini. Lasagna is so versatile you can change it up to however you like it! Add some red pepper flakes for an added kick or throw in some carrrots and broccoli florets for even more wholesome goodness!

Ingredients:

12 Uncooked Sheets of Barilla Rolled Flat Lasagne Noodles (these are the ONLY noodles I use! You just take them out of the box and layer them, no boiling required and they look and taste like handmade!)

(Sauce)

1 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1 14.5 oz can peeled diced tomatoes undrained
1 small can tomato paste
2 small 6.5 oz cans of plain spaghetti sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup red wine (optional-or add water in place of wine)
1 tsp Olive Oil

(Filling)

8 oz small curd cottage cheese
8 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzerella cheese
8 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1/2 tbsp parsley
1 egg
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 large zucchini sliced
1/2 large yellow squash sliced

(topping)

1 cup mozzerella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
dash of parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray

Pour 1 can 6.5 oz pasta sauce on bottom of pan

To make the sauce in a medium saucepan combine olive oil, onion & garlic and cook over medium heat. Once fragrant and soft, add squash and zucchini. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add diced tomatoes, remaining can of tomato sauce, tomato paste, seasonings, water and/or wine and olive oil. Let simmer on low heat stirring occasionally while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling use a large bowl and place the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan, mozzerella, spinach, parsley, egg and garlic powder in the bowl. Combine ingredients until mixed well.

Slice the zucchini and squash in thin large circles.

Layer 4 noodles over sauce in pan

Layer sliced zucchini & squash over the noodles

Layer 1/2 cheese mixture over the veggies

Follow with 1 cup of sauce

Layer 4 more noodles over the sauce

Follow with remaining mixture

Top with 1 cup of sauce

Layer 4 noodles over the sauce

Top with remaining sauce

Place foil over baking dish and place in oven approx 40-45 minutes until bubbly

Remove foil from pan and top with remaining cheeses and parsley

Place dish in oven uncovered and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted

Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

Makes approx 9 servings

(Note-The photos show me using a large pan - we like to make extra since we are a large family plus we pack leftovers for the next day's lunch!)

Great Easy Recipe!

It's called Chicken Nugget Casserole, but it is more like an easy version of Chicken Parmesian!

With just five ingredients, tossed into a baking dish to cook for a half hour, this dish gets rave reviews from me!

I used 14 oz Tyson Chicken Nuggets, 26 oz Organic Marinera, 1/3 cup shredded parmesian and 1/3 cup mozzerella cheese and some italian seasoning.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a greased casserole dish, place frozen nuggets, then add parmesian cheese, top with sauce, then sprinkle with mozzerella and italian seasoning. Place in oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is nice and bubbly!

Seriously, my 6 year old can make this!

I served this with a salad for dinner. It was really tasty! Definately a nice change from the naked nuggets with dipping sauce! Try it and let me know what you think!!

Hearts for Tuesday

Please visit my blog by clicking this picture to learn about Tuesday and how to send a message of strength to her family.

Free stuff from Kashi!

I love Kashi! They have great organic food that doesn't taste like cardboard. Kashi seems to be genuinely interested in keeping their products wholesome, healthy and tasting great! A while back when they were having their "Steal a cookie" campaign, I joined their website community and it wasn't long before they sent me a teaser in the mail saying I was getting a surprise from them. Their slogan was "Let's Keep It Real" on the letter. I was really excited to find out what it was, I even blogged about it on my main blog!

Just a few days ago I got this package from Kashi!!



Hmm...I wonder what is inside??



Oh goody! That Blackberry Graham bar looks SO Yummy!!



Heck Yessss! I get a FREE BOX of Kashi Soft Baked Bars!! Plus there are a TON of $2.00 off coupons! I'm supposed to share them with friends, but I am not sure I will because I want these all to myself!!

So now I really really love Kashi. Deep, faithful love. I bought a box of their Strawberry Soft Baked Bars and they were fantastic! Best of all, I can give them to my 11 month old without feeling like he is eating junk. I feel better about giving him Kashi cereal bars and crackers than I do about giving him some of those snacks designed for babies because they have so many artificial ingredients in them!

Oh and the Blackberry Graham bar? That was delectable. Yum Yum! I had to wrestle it from my husband, we were both fighting for that sucker! I ended up giving him a little piece and then I savored the rest of it. With Kashi you can taste the healthy. Does that make sense? It tastes good for you and tastes delicious at the same time!

So here is a little morsel for you! You can get your own $2.00 coupon right now! Heck you can get 10 if you want! Just print it off the Kashi site HERE!

Also you can check out their informative Ingredient Decoder! This handy little booklet gives you descriptions of many of the most popular artifical ingredients in foods today. This helps you understand what exactly you are consuming!

So get moving!! Visit KASHI now! If you want to get cool stuff from them, make sure you sign up for their community!!

I promise to post more recipes and fun stuff soon! My main blog is hogging all my foodie time!!

Banana Poppers for the Finicky Baby

My 10 month old little boy, Micah is just barely cutting his first tooth, yet he seems to think he is too big for baby food. We have tried every which way to get him to eat baby food and he flat out refuses. I have been pretty creative when it comes to giving him regular food - baby style.

Here is a quick and easy recipe for any baby:

Banana Poppers



Take 1/3 cup of cereal (I use Annie's Organic Cinna Bunnies Cereal)
Place it in a ziploc baggie
Using a large wooden spoon, crush the cereal into fine crumbs
Slice a banana into small chunks, and place inside baggie
Seal baggie and shake until banana chunks are covered in crumbs

Serve and watch your baby scarf these suckers down! Micah normally feeds his food to our dogs, but the dogs go hungry when I serve him this for breakfast!

Micah Likes It!



You can also use softened peaches, cooked apple, softened pears, whatever you wish! I have also done this with soft frozen yogurt. Most cereals are packed with vitamins and whole grains so you can feel good about serving this to your baby!

I admit, I sneak a few off his plate - they really are tasty!

Great Alternative to Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's in Fall which is my favorite season and it's a holiday to celebrate everything you are thankful for. A time to reflect on what is important in your life and spend time with good friends and family.

One of the greatest perks of Thanksgiving is EATING! It's the only time when it is a-ok to stuff yourself full and roll over to the couch for a nap...only to get up an hour later and stuff your face again!

Here is a great Pumpkin Bar Recipe! Of course I tweaked it to make this special. Never follow a recipe to the letter - make it your own and have fun!

Pumpkin Bars With Egg Nog Frosting

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 cup Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Turbinado Sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugars, oil, applesauce and pumpkin until texture is light and well mixed. Stir together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until the batter is smooth. Spread into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool completely before you add frosting.

Egg Nog Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tbsp egg nog
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions
Whisk together sugar and butter until well blended or use a mixer and mix on medium speed for approx 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and egg nog and continue mix until light and fluffy, adding more egg nog if needed depending on your preference. Sprinkle in nutmeg and stir well.

Spread over cooled pumpkin bars and add a pinch of turbinado sugar to the top of each bar if desired.


Hope your Thanksgiving is filled with family, food fun and Blessings!

Homemade Coffee Creamer

If you are like me and the millions of other folks affected by the slow economy, then I bet you have shaved some of your day to day luxuries. I used to treat myself to Starbucks coffee once or more a week. Then it changed to drinking coffee at home, to no coffee at all. Now that the weather is cold I am craving a nice warm cup 'o joe in the mornings. The funny thing is I hate the actual taste of coffee. I love the smell of it brewing but I could never drink the stuff plain. I laden it with creamer and not just plain creamer but the flavored stuff.

My two favorites are Coffee Mate Chocolate Raspberry and Pumpkin Pie Spice. It costs about $3.50 for a large container of this stuff.

Recently, I had an idea. Why not make my own creamer? I have a bunch of sweetened condensed milk in my pantry for desserts and I thought I would play around a bit.

I got out one of my Mason jars and emptied the sweetened condensed milk into it. I like the fat free version of SC milk, it makes me feel less guilty! Then I used half a tsp of pumpkin pie spice and poured 1.5 cups of 2% milk into the jar. I took some half & half, about 1/2 cup's worth and poured that in. Last, I put 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree in the jar. I took a spoon and stirred in to loosen the condensed milk a bit. Put the lid on and I shook it real well. The SC milk was still stuck to the bottom so I ran some warm water over the bottom portion for about 2 minutes and shook it until the SC milk was mixed thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.

Creamer holds up well in the jar. Chill in the fridge for up to two weeks.

This turned out even better than the Coffee Mate stuff! I'll have to play around a bit for some fun flavors, like my beloved Chocolate Raspberry. Plus it was a lot cheaper than going to the store and buying the Coffee Mate.

The best part is Coffee Mate is full of saturated fats and it has partially hydrogenated oil in it. Now I can drink my cream with a little coffee and not feel like I am giving myself a slow death by ingesting all that ickiness!

For all the eco friendly folks out there, by making your own creamer in a mason jar you save another plastic container from ending up in a landfill. Every little bit counts, right?

Try this! Let me know if you come up with any tasty variations of this coffee creamer!

Micah Feeding Daddy

Spaghetti Squash: Great for babies!

I took the above video of Micah and Dad eating. It's cute because he is feeding Dad but Dad has no manners and he spoiled my cute video, lol!

We made spaghetti squash the other night and my 10 month old refuses to eat his baby food now because he wants to be like everyone else and eat big people food. My baby is all gums! Not one tooth! So finding something good for him to eat that won't choke him up can be complicated.

I steamed it and put sauce on top. I saved some plain squash for Micah to try and I made sure it was very tender and easy to cut. A tip I learned for cutting spaghetti noodles is to take a small cup and using the rim you can press it into the noodles and cut them a lot faster than with a knife. So I cut up the squash the same way into tiny pieces for him.

He absolutely loved it! He had two helpings and I had to give him a bath afterwards he was such a mess!

Is it Friday Already?

Wow. I've neglected my DD blog! My OTHER blog is taking up my posting time! I need to learn to give equal attention to both!

I've also started working evenings and weekends and I think that has a lot to do with my poor blog management skills.

So hopefully you will forgive me...

In the meantime I have a dilemma. I have to make a main course for like 20 people. We are in brokesville right now and I am at a loss as to what to make. Yes, me...lost in my own kitchen!

I need a budget friendly giant recipe to feed a small army! I am turning to you for help! I have to cook this on Monday. It can't be a stew, chili or lasagna since that has already been served recently.

I am pondering making pulled pork sandwiches since I have a bunch of pork in my freezer...but I like having a few options to choose from!

I'm depending on you fellow bloggers to come up with something CHEAP & YUMMY!! - Tried & True recipes are even more Fabulous! Please don't let me down!!

It's Not Delivery!

It's faster than delivery. It's cheaper than delivery. It's even HEALTHIER than delivery!!

Who knew homemade pizza could be so easy! For those of you who don't know your way around the kitchen I'll tell you right now it does not involve using Bisquick!

I made pizza frm scratch tonight and it seriously took me less than a half hour! My whole family loved it! I can honestly say I do not think I will ever order another pizza again!

Here is the recipe! If you try it I would love to hear your feedback!

I just made pizza tonight and it was SO easy!

Pizza Dough: (Picture to come soon)

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp italian seasoning (oregano, basil, etc)
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
1 cup warm water

Pizza toppings:

2 tbsp olive oil
Pizza or tomato sauce
diced tomatoes
turkey pepperoni
olives
mushrooms
mozzerella cheese
marble cheddar cheese
green & red peppers

Anything your heart desires just throw it on!



Combine flour, salt, sugar, seasoning, garlic powder and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out in a thin layer on a large non-insulated greased pizza pan.

Pour olive oil in a dipping bowl and using a marinating brush lightly spread olive oil around edge of crust. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce all over crust leaving about 1 inch for the crust. then add diced tomatoes.

Top remaining with whatever you desire!

Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Watch for the edges of the crust to turn golden and cheese is bubbly.

Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Dinner in 30 minutes or less and everyone loves Pizza! There will be no leftovers stewing in the fridge after this meal!!

Leftover Challenge

Today is cleaning day for me, which means I should be cleaning right now instead of blogging! I had to take a break after doing the dishes because I am frustrated right now. We have been so hard to save money and I just threw a ton of it down my garbage disposal.

I try and make home cooked meals every night. Sometimes if we are out and about we may stop for something but most of the time we dine at home, which saves us a ton of money. Lately I have been trying to cook portions the right size for my family because we are terrible at eating leftovers. Still, I find we have tupperware containers all over the fridge full of food no one wants to eat.

What is the big deal about leftovers anyway? Why do people avoid them like the plague? I honestly look forward to some leftovers. Like if I make pasta, chili, soup or anything like that it tastes even better after a day or two of sitting in it's juices. Last night my husband made garlic cheesy potatoes and I could not wait to eat the leftovers for breakfast.

I have a 5 day rule on my leftovers. Anything after 5 days gets tossed. So today was tossing day and I threw out pasta noodles, baked beans, veggies, baked potatoes, and some chicken. I feel disgusted every time I throw food away, not just because of the money going down the drain but because there are people in this world who go hungry each day and the idea of throwing food away just makes me feel so guilty.

So with that being said, I am going to challenge myself to get these leftovers eaten all week. come Monday, I don't want to throw food down the sink. My plan is simple, if I cook something and there is food left over, I will pack what I can for my husband's lunch at work and if there is more leftover, I will either eat it the next day or serve it to my family along with whatever else I make for dinner that night.

I am not sure how well this will go since we are good about eating leftovers already. Though I have never tried serving them with dinner the next evening so we will see if that works.

This whole situation has got me curious...

Do YOU eat your leftovers? What do YOU do about them?

Food That Warms The Belly!

All summer long I have been excited for Fall. I love when the weather has a nice crispness in the air and the trees make that rustling sound as the wind blows them down our sidewalk.

What I don't like is when Fall turns into Winter and it gets so cold your nose and toes feel like they are going to fall off!

It is times like this when a nice big bowl of chili is perfect!

Here is a recipe I made last night. The Pumpkin adds a nice rish texture to the base of the chili, plus it is chock full of nutrients so eat it up!

Pumpkin Chili

1 lb ground turkey breast
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 clove chopped garlic
1/2 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can Great Northern Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can Butter Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 small can of tomato paste

Brown the turkey, add onions, garlic, green pepper and spices cook approx 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, pumpkin and tomato paste and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat. Add beans and continue simmering for 1 hour stirring as needed.

Serve garnished with cheese.

For truly good chili never follow recipes perfect. Each person has their own unique taste so if you want to add other veggies or spices go for it!

Great chili is even better when paired with Corn Fritters. These are not exactly fat free but they sure taste good! I found a great recipe here:
Corn Fritters

I had a foster mom who made these every time she made a big pot of chili. I remember fondly the tradition in her home for Christmas. On Chistmas Eve she would whip up a pot of chili and make these delicious fritters. We all sat at the table together to enjoy this warm comfort food. After dinner we would all go in a back room and read Twas The Night Before Christmas as her son "Santa" would stomp on the roof and ring a chain of bells. We all would grin with anticipation until we got the go ahead to come out and see all the presents he left during his visit. She was awesome because we got to open not one, not two...but ALL our gifts on Christmas Eve!!

Every time I eat fritters I think of that moment. Which gets me wondering...what foods trigger fond memories for you? I'd love to know!!

Proud To Vote!

I posted more about my thoughts on voting today on my other blog: Mad Boastings of a Cheapskate Mom

Catsup

Or Ketchup? Well I meant to say Catch Up, lol!

I think the nasty strep has left our home. Finally. My two older boys are still on antibiotics but they both are playing and going to school again so Mommy gets a break and I can come here and play again!

When I was sick my hubby did the shopping and he bought like 10 kiwi's from the grocery store. I have no idea what to do with kiwi fruit so when they started to turn I decided to get creative. Don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to food. I love using other people's tried and true recipes especially on Allrecipes but sometimes you can have more fun being creative.

One morning last weekend I was pondering what to do with my kiwi fruit when my 5 year old asked me to make pancakes. Ah-ha! I will make kiwi pancakes! So I pulled a basic pancake recipe from allrecipes: Good Old Fashioned Pancakes and doctored it to add the kiwi. I used 4 kiwis and 1/3 cup of applesauce, put that in the food processor and added it to the pancake batter. I used whole wheat flour and turbinado sugar. I also like to use the free range brown eggs with omega 3's.

I sliced up 3 more kiwis and garnished the pankcakes by spooning some reserved kiwi puree and adding slices to the top. I served with 100% Pure Maple Syrup (from Wisconsin!) and a pat of butter.

Here are my Kiwi Pancakes!



Another view - yummy I am getting hungry!



Speaking of Catsup or Ketchup I am so pleased to announce that Heinz has made Organic Ketchup!



I bought two big containers of it at Cosco. It is really tasty. It is made with all organic ingredients. The only question I have is that it says "Organic certified" and one of the ingredients is Natural Flavoring which I doubt is organic. So I wonder if this will be the new trend saying "Organic Cerified" but maybe there is some room for frankenfood ingredients...who knows? In the meantime this ketchup is awesome!

Enjoy your Monday!

Strep-o-Caca

Our family has an unwanted visitor that is lingering around and refusing to leave. It's Strep. No matter how many vitamins we take, or how clean our home is, this little booger keeps attacking my family and taking them down one by one.

First it was my husband. The day after we got back from Wisconsin he woke up with it. Then my oldest son got it this weekend. I got it the day after he did. Fortunately I got treated right away before it got too bad.

Last night I was on the computer and I heard a weird noise. It sounded like someone was peeing but missing the toilet. I went upstairs to find my 5 year old sound asleep standing on his bed and peeing on the floor! I tried to wake him up and he would not. I had to clean up the mess and he slept through all of the commotion. When all was as it should be, I went to bed with the thought that something wasn't right with him.

Sure enough he woke up at 5AM crying. He had thrown up and was running a fever. Strep has hit him, I am sure. Out of all of us, he has got it the worst. I hope my 9 month old does not get it.

So, I have had my hands full lately dealing with this rude visitor. Once we get back from the Dr. I will be scouring and scrubbing and sanitizing today to kick this mo-fo out of my house for good.

As far as food goes, I may have to make something warm and comforting in my crock pot today...

The Supermarket Tour

I uncovered this gem online earlier today. I am in the process of reading this and feel it is worth sharing. There is a lot of valuable information regarding how supermarkets lure you to buy foods that are not good for you. It goes into great detail to explain how produce is altered with many chemicals and processes before we put it in our baskets. I always thought apples were safe to buy non-organic because of their hard skin, and I was WRONG!

I love how it refers to genetically altered foods as Frankenfoods, lol!

Take a look!

The Super Market Tour (Adobe Document)

Sunday Shocker

My 11 year old has strep throat. It seems to be making it's way around my family and I am knocking on wood, avoiding cracks in the sidewalk and throwing salt over my left shoulder in hopes of steering clear of getting strep!

My husband had it last week and he bought some sore throat drops. He gave them to my son to ease the discomfort. Austin, being the savvy label reader he is came downstairs to show us the cough drops have Hydrogenated palm kernal oil and hydrogenated coconut oil in them!!

I never fathomed this stuff would be in sore throat lozenges of all things! I'd rather chew on eucalyptus leaves than put that stuff in my body!



It is really scary. You really do have to read the ingredients on everything nowadays!!

Knowledge is power!

No Fuss Breakfast

It's hard to eat healthy on the go. With my boys I often find myself pulling my hair out trying to get them presentable and packed up for school. It can be extra hard to prepare a quick wholesome breakfast for them to take on the go.

That is where these breakfast sandwiches come in handy. I'm not talking about those greasy Jimmy Dean Microwaveable sandwiches! If you have eaten those you should take a peek at the ingredients, they are loaded with chemicals and saturated fats!

I prefer to make my own and believe it or not you can make these warm breakfast sandwiches in 5 minutes!

All you need is:

1 English Muffin
1 Egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp butter or spread
1 slice cheese of your choice (I used swiss)
dash of salt and pepper

Get a small bowl and spray the bottom with cooking spray
Add egg and milk and beat slightly - just enough to mix and break the yolk
season with salt and pepper if desired
Place in microwave and cook for 1 minute
While cooking pop muffin in toaster
Egg should be ready after 1 minute but microwave cooking times vary so you may need to add 30 seconds if egg is not firm
Spread butter on muffin
Add cheese to bottom half
Get a fork and separate egg from bowl - Egg should look like this:



Place egg on top of cheese. Leaving the top off, put muffin in microwave for 15 seconds just to melt the cheese. Remove and place top on sandwich. Enjoy while hot!



This holds up well in the car on the way to school. Especially on chilly days like it was for us this morning! It makes for a nice car ride when both my boys can't argue because they are enjoying their breakfast! ;)

Picture Share!

Here are some pictures from our cuisine yesterday.

My son wanted pizza for lunch so I grabbed the bag of Pita Pockets and did not cut them in half. We brushed olive oil seeasoned with herbs on the crust, then tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and chose our toppings. I chose green olives and Zach chose Bologna and green olives! Yeah - he's 5 so it seems everything he eats has either bologna or a hot dog in it! We topped our individual Pitzas with more cheese and herbs, popped them in the oven and broiled them for about 5 minutes.

We sprinkled some fresh parmesian cheese (from Wisconsin!) on them and Viola! Lunch is served within 10 minutes time!

Here are some pictures of our Pitzas:

My Green Olive Pitza





Zach's Bologna & Olive Pizza
(It actually looks pretty good!)



Later that afternoon it was super rainy so we made Orange Almond Pumpkin Cookies.

I used a basic Pumpkin Cookie recipe and added the Orange and Almonds at the last minute and they turned out Yummy!


(Pumpkin)

Here is the recipe:

1 stick of butter (I used Smart Balance 50/50 unsalted)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 small can organic pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used Pumpkin Pie Spice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped Almonds


DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, applesauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and white sugar. Mix in pumpkin, egg, orange extract and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; mix into the creamed mixture. Stir in almonds. Drop dough by small spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool on wire racks.

Zach & I frosted the cookies like pumpkins. Here is the frosting recipe:

Orange Maple Butter Frosting

2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/2 teaspoon maple flavored extract
(I used 1 tbsp of pure maple syrup - Also from WI!)
Food Coloring to desired color(s)

Beat the butter or margarine, confectioner's sugar, milk, orange and maple flavorings in a bowl until smooth. Add more milk or confectioner's sugar as need.

Divide the frosting in two bowls, add green food coloring to one for the pumpkin stems and add yellow and red food coloring to the other for orange!

Frost and enjoy! These are DELICIOUS...and that's NO Lie!!!!!

Finally here are the Photos for my Smothered Burrito Recipe. I took them last night during dinner. They turned out so yummy! I did not have black beans on hand so I used white great northern beans and it was a hit with the whole family - except my picky 5 year old who ate another Pitza! Grrrr


(Burrito)


(Burrito)

Enjoy your Hump Day!!!