Recipe #33: Iced Pumpkin Cookies

My mom went a little overboard with baking again...I thought we made way too many kinds of cookies, but these, Iced Pumpkin Cookies ended up being my favorite. For the record I was wrong, we should've doubled the recipe.

They are light with the perfect amount of pumpkin and the glaze was perfectly light and sweet. Too bad they're gone, because now I'm craving another. Make them, you won't regret it.

From Gina on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg

Glaze Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk

Prep: 20 m
Cook: 20 m
Ready In: 1 h 20 m

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Make these, you won't be disappointed! Enjoy!

The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

Like most of you, I love HGTV's Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines. He's hilarious and goofy, while she's talented, serious, and calm. They balance each other out. Their strong faith and sense of family is really special. I've been waiting for Christmas break, so I could finally read their book, the Magnolia Story.

It's about their lives growing up to now. I hadn't realized that Chip was such an athlete, having gone to college on a baseball scholarship. He graduated in marketing from Baylor. Joanna was interested in news, did an internship in New York, and graduated from Baylor in communications.

Chip and Jo met in her dad's Firestone store. Though there were lots of reasons they shouldn't have worked out, they did. Chip is a risk-taker, doer, dreamer, and thinker. Joanna is more of a planner and calculated. Chip has always been an entrepreneur.

The book chronicles their start flipping houses, building homes, doing renovations, and Joanna's first little shop. They moved around a lot, but always stayed in Waco. They took a lot of risks along the way, but they all worked out and got them to where they are. Their story is really one of faith, family, hard work, and following your dreams. Chip and Joanna Gaines are inspirations and great role models. Their book is a great read.

Recipe # 32: Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

I needed to bring something to a work social and wanted to use ingredients that I already had so, that led me to make cranberry white chocolate cookies.

Thankfully, they were easy to make!

The BEST Soft & Chewy Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel
Prep time: 1 hour 15 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 1 hour 25 mins
Serves: 24

Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (I like to use Madagascar Bourbon)
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar & white sugar with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg to combine. Lastly, beat in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and pinch of salt until a soft dough has formed. Stir in the cranberries and white chips by hand.
Refrigerate the cookie dough for AT LEAST 1 HOUR. You can chill it overnight if you'd like, but one hour chill time is mandatory to prevent cookies from spreading and to create that light, soft and chewy texture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone liners or mist lightly with cooking spray. Remove chilled dough from fridge and roll into Tablespoon-sized balls. Place onto the cookie sheets about 1-2" apart from one another.
Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure an even cook. Cookies may appear slightly undone, but do not over-bake them! They will continue to set up more as they cool. Allow cookies to set on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes or so before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If you'd like to make them prettier, garnish cookies with additional white chips on top of still-warm cookies before serving.

I always do my own thing, so I didn't refrigerate the dough, I didn't add unsalted butter (so I didn't add the pinch of salt), and I didn't add extra chips to the still-warm cookies. My grandma and coworkers really liked them!

Conway, Arkansas; A Hidden Gem

On our way back from Thanksgiving in Louisiana, my dad and I stopped for the night in Conway, Arkansas. I didn't expect much for a town right off the highway, but it's now a place I hope to return to and explore more.

As we made our way to our hotel, we saw downtown and a ferris wheel all lighted up. It was a welcoming sight.

Our first stop was to check into Fairfield Inn & Suites Conway. My parents stayed there on previous trips.

Next, was to find a restaurant. We headed to downtown. I read reviews for Mike's Place and we decided to give it a try. It had really good reviews on Yelp. The restaurant featured beautiful paintings on the walls, wood floors and brick walls and arches. It looked like they'd combined three storefronts to make the restaurant. The menu looked fantastic and the staff was great.

Once I saw that they had $3 bread pudding, I decided to get a smaller meal and definitely get dessert. They had great rolls as you waited for your food. I ordered a house salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. The salad was huge; so good!

I ordered a cup of sausage and chicken gumbo. It was fantastic! It had okra and a depth of flavors. I could go for a cup now!

After that, I had the bread pudding with bourbon glaze! It was large and wow! Despite how tantalizing it was, I just couldn't finish it. I should've taken the remaining and had it for breakfast. We all have regrets...

After dinner and packed to the gills, we walked around downtown Conway. They are known for their art galleries and I enjoyed the window shopping. Most of the paintings were landscapes or Christmas-themed. They did not disappoint. Downtown, Santa gave rides in a horse-drawn carriage. Such a charming downtown and town in general.

They also had weird names for things...

I definitely wish we had a restaurant like Mike's Place in Manhattan, KS. I can't wait for the next time I happen through Conway, Arkansas.

Branson, Missouri

So, this year my family decided to to spend Thanksgiving in Louisiana, since we wanted to visit my sick uncle. It's a 17-hour drive. We decided to split it into two days with a stop in Branson, Missouri. Things changed and just my dad and I went.

We arrived early afternoon and hit the very packed Tanger Outlet Mall. They were having terrific sales. From there, we checked into our hotel at the Clarion. It was super festive there with an enormous Christmas tree. There were also super cute Christmas wreaths on the balconies.

We got lost and walked six-tenths of a mile. It was cold outside. We were relieved to happen upon Shorty Smalls. They're known for the World's Largest Country Fried Steak. We split it and it was huge!

Afterward, we visited the Grand Village Shops, a must-see! They had lots of Christmas decorations to buy and got me in the Christmas spirit.

Later, we went to see the Baldknobbers Show and it was SO good with lots of Christmas songs in the second half.They did a lot of old and new country songs too. It was a high energy show with comedy.

The next morning, we had breakfast at Buckingham's. They stuff were great and the food was okay. I miss when it used to be Sadie's!

I really enjoyed our fast stop in Branson and hope to visit again.

Louisiana Thanksgiving

With my uncle's health failing, we decided to head to Louisiana for Thanksgiving.

Down South food for Thanksgiving is a bit different.

In the south, they don't have mashed potatoes and gravy for Thanksgiving. Instead, they have potato salad. For me, potato salad is for summer barbecues.

I also, had for the first time, carrot souffle. It was so good and sweet; my fav! It was a great addition to our Thanksgiving dinner and I plan to make it for Christmas. It was store bought, so I couldn't get the recipe, but here's what I found on Pinterest.

Also, the green bean casserole had cheese instead of cream of mushroom. There was Cajun fried turkey, roast and rice, stuffing, ham, and thankfully a salad. ;)

The weather was terrific and it was great so get to see so many family members. Now, I have baby fever!

How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances

So, this actually works. I tried it today after getting tired of my appliances looking streaked and covered in water spots.

Here's the recipe:
Mix 1/4 cup vinegar to 1/2 cup baking soda.
Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Stir all of your ingredients so they form a paste.
Once your paste is made, take a soft cloth and dip it into your mixture and rub it in small circles over your dishwasher/appliance.

This also worked on my tarnished silver jewelry. :)

Recipe #31: Mexican Pasta Salad

I enjoy making pasta salads for events, but am extra nervous about using mayonnaise. I never want to be responsible for anyone getting food poisoning. I was excited to to find this recipe, Mexican Pasta Salad that doesn't include mayo.

INGREDIENTS

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil
1 tablespoon white wine (or white balsamic) vinegar
1 tablespoon Wildtree Chipotle Lime Rub
2 cups uncooked pasta, prepared according to package directions
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cup diced cherry tomatoes
2 avocados, diced

I improvised, as always. I used dried cilantro. I also, used kidney beans instead of black beans.

I ended up liking this recipe, but I would say that it's best made and eaten in the same day, as the avocados discolor.

My finished product

Recipe # 30: Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

I've been tailgating a lot this year and have been waiting to make different things for each. I've also been embracing fall and thus wanting to make desserts with pumpkin. Roughly 3 weeks ago, I made Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze and this time I decided to try pumpkin AND chocolate!!!

I used Pinterest to find this easy recipe. The upside is that it's low fat! The recipe is essentially a boxed Devil's Food cake mix and a can of pumpkin. No eggs, oil or water.

The cake comes out so moist, but slightly crumbly. My friends liked it and so did I. :)

Recipe #29: Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

I had a can of pumpkin and wanted to make an easy cake with purchasing as few extra items as possible. I found a great recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it, as always.

Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze
From: Noble Pig Vineyard & Winery

Instructions
1. Empty the contents of the boxed cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer beat until well incorporated. The batter will be very thick, but will come together nicely.
2. Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 X 2 pan. This is the small, rectangular-sized pan from your Pyrex set.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over bake.
4. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a platter.
5. Make the glaze while you're waiting.
6. Combine powdered sugar, apple cider and pumpkin pie spice. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or cider if needed. Pour over the cake while still warm. Reserve some to pour over each slice when served.

My Tweaks
So, my cake seemed too dense, so I added an egg.
I also, decided to make it into a poke cake. I used roughly 8 ounces of apple cider and kept it in it's original pan.

My friends really liked it. Next time, I won't add the egg and will add less liquid as the cake was crumbly. I'll probably tone down on the powdered sugar since it was a bit too sweet.

This weekend, I'll be experimenting using a chocolate cake mix and possibly no glaze, we'll see. :)