My kids FAVORITE thing to eat for breakfast is French Toast.  I make it for them every Sunday, and any day in between that they can talk me into it!  (which is a LOT!)

Last fall I came across a  recipe for Pumpkin French Toast!  How perfect is that for this time of year!?

As soon as September hits, I start making these tasty yum-yums, and score big points with the family.

Pumpkin Pecan French Toast

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 4 eggs
• 2 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 10 slices wheat bread
• Butter, for griddle
• sugar pecans for topping (You can make your own, or buy them in the salad topping section.)
• powdered sugar for topping
• syrup for topping

• Preheat an electric griddle to 350 degrees.  Whisk together half and half, pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pie spice until well combined. Pour into a shallow dish.
• Butter griddle and dip bread into egg mixture (allowing a few seconds for it to absorb) then rotate and coat opposite side. Transfer to griddle and cook until golden brown on bottom, then flip french toast to opposite side and cook until golden brown. Serve warm with butter, pecans, powdered sugar and maple syrup.

Last week we did our Back to School dinner.  I showed you all the preparation, the theme, and the setting. Now on to the FOOD!!!








Hollie and I thought, what is more back to school than Mac-n-Cheese?   But with our fancy table we needed to fancy up the food a bit too, so we decided on a Mac-n-Cheese bar.

We took our favorite Mac-n-Cheese recipe, or you could even just buy a box of it if you are stretched for time, then we came up with a bunch of toppings to pile on.

We had bacon bits, chopped jalapeno, fried onions, Dorritos, sliced Apple Chicken Sausage, crab lumps, mixed veggies, and black beans.  We found that you can really add anything to macaroni and cheese to gourmet it up!

Our favorites were:
Hubby- Dorritos
Me - black beans, jalapeno, and bacon bits
B - Apple Chicken Sausage and fired onions
C - Crab
A - mixed veggies


So yummy!  We each had a few small bowls with different combos and tried to come up with the best concoction.   After our bellies were more than full, we decided that this was definitely a make again dinner!!

What is your favorite combo?

I say I'm not a romantic.  But I think I kind of am!  I love my guy with all my heart, and I get so giddy when he shows me how much he adores me.  But, the last few Valentines Days it's been so hard to spend our day as a "couple."  We usually have soccer practice to get to, a dance class to teach, and homework to help with.  So we have started a new tradition.

We started a Family Valentines Date night.  We get a pizza for the kids, and they eat it watching TV, in the other room.  Jason will make him and I a nice romantic dinner of steak and lobster cakes!  (He knows the way to my heart!)  And then after dinner, we have Family Fondue Night!


We make Chocolate Fondue with all the fixings!  Shortbread, Pound cake, Pretzels, Heart-shaped Marshmallows, Raspberries, Strawberries, and Bananas.  We sit around candles and we share a yummy treat, and we take turns telling everyone why we love each other.  It's one of my favorite traditions.

We feel it's important to show our children how much my Hubby and I love each other.  We make sure we do date nights, and that we hold hands and cuddle in front of our children.  We want them to know what a loving healthy relationship looks like.  We also want them to know how much we love them.  How our family only works because of the love and respect we each have for one another.  I love taking this night and focusing it on how much our family loves each other and how important it is to show it.  Not just on this one day, but everyday.

I love that we turned our Valentine's Day into a family day of love.

I made a goal to try a new recipe once a week.  I like to try new foods, and I have a dream to someday be a good cook, so this is great practice for me.  PLUS, you get tried and true recipes!

I say this dinner was a success.  Hubby and I loved it, my daughter had two huge bowls of it, my picky eater didn't hate it, and my oldest even ate it.  It's the perfect meal on a cold winter's night.  I made it one night after I taught a dance class, and paired it with some corn bread and it was so yummy!  I found the recipe online, and added the corn to it because my Hubby thought it would be a nice addition, and it was!

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cans  great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can  chicken broth
• 1 can chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 can of corn

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute the chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies, corn and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. 

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Cheesecake Bites





I modified this recipe from the Kraft Food & Family Magazine! (The Kraft recipe called for a Nilla Wafer crust, I opted for a chocolate crust. And I cut my recipe by more than half. The original called for 4 pkg. of cream cheese, I only used one, and 1/4 everything else to go with it. It made PLENTY!! You can't eat but more than 1 or 2 of these bars. They are soooo rich!  SO good that you don't need any other cheesecake recipe........EVER!)

This is an easy and tasty dessert!

15 min prep 5 hours (baking and refrigeration)

1 small bag of Pecan Pieces
1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter
1 pkg. of Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 squares of baking chocolate
Caramel Ice Cream topping.

Preheat oven to 325.
Line 9x9 pan with foil, with foil extending past the pan.
Remove 1/4 of the pecans from bag and put chocolate graham crackers in a blender and blend until crumbs. Place crumbs in pan, and add the melted butter. Mix until moist then press firmly to bottom of pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in bowl. Add sour cream, flour and vanilla. Then add egg. Pour over crust. Bake for 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Then drizzle the rest of the pecans. Then drizzle the caramel topping over it. Melt the chocolate (according to label instructions.) and then drizzle chocolate over. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting into bars. Serve and ENJOY!!
Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I've got cheesecake in my Tummy!

Every Halloween we do a little get together over at my house with my sister and her family and my parents. We have the kids dress up in there costumes and we bring soups and treats and play games.

My sister brought over the best soup ever!!! I have made it a few times for church gatherings and I'm always asked for the recipe, so here it is.

Olive Garden Copy Cat Zuppa Toscana Soup
(4-6 servings)

1 lb. Italian sausage
2 large russet potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices.
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 bag Oscar Mayer bacon bits
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C kale, chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1 qt. water
1 C heavy whipping cream

-Cook sausage in 300 degree oven for approx 30 min.
-Drain on paper towels & cut into slices
-Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water & garlic in pot & cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
-Add sausage & bacon and salt & pepper to taste.
-Simmer for another 10 minutes.
-Turn to low and add kale & cream.
-Heat through and serve

It's that time of year again!

Time to bake with PUMPKIN.

One of our favorite pumpkin treats around these here parts is my Pumpkin Cupcakes. I like to jazz them up a bit, depending on the occasion, and boy did we have an occasion. My boy turned 12!!! I can't believe I have a twelve year old.

Anyhoo, on to the recipe!




2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners (I found some fun halloween ones at the dollar store.) set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about 3/4. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Let cool completely.


Then I found this and it is a LIFE SAVER!!!



I get the cream cheese one and circle it on top of each cooled cupcake. Then I sprinkle a dash of cinnamon, drizzle on some caramel topping, and crushed pecan and this is seriously a dessert that you will be famous for. I am!