Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup oil (I use canola)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In mixing bowl, beat together sugar, pumpkin, oil and vanilla.

Sift together dry ingredients. Add to mixing bowl ingredients and stir until smooth. Blend in raisins and nuts.

Drop by spoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes 3 to 4 dozen. No eggs are needed in these moist, soft cookies.

These are the BEST cookies. A must to make each Halloween season! This recipe is from my mom.

Pumpkin Crunch

1 package Yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nuts
1 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350°. Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bow. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Then sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle with butter. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, served chilled.

Serve with whipped topping.

I got this recipe off the Internet. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon. 

Impossible Pumpkin Pie

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Bisquick
4 T. margarine or butter
2 (12 oz.) cans evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 (29 oz) can pumpkin
2 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13" glass pan. Beat all ingredients until smooth, about 2 minutes, with a hand mixer. Pour into pan. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean - about 50-55 minutes.

April Steimle gave me this recipe to make for the Young Married fireside this past Sunday. It was so good and so easy. She served it with a spoon full of Cool Whip on top.

Pumpkin Cookies/Chocolate Cookies (Weight Watcher's Recipe)

These cookies pictured above were made with  chocolate cake mix, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and a 15 oz can of pumpkin

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1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin

1 spice cake mix

1/2 cups chocolate chips

Mix pumpkin, cake mix and chocolate chips together. THAT'S IT!

Bake on greased (I use *parchment paper) cookie sheet at 350* for about 15 minutes. (These cookies are so moist, I always cook them for the full 15 minutes)    Makes 24.

This is from my fabulous neighbor Annie. So amazing. And it's a Weight Watchers recipe, so you can eat an entire batch by yourself without feeling guilty. Well, maybe just a LITTLE guilty.

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Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

Makes 24 muffins.

2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely chopped

Topping ingredients:
2 TBS flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 sugar
4 tsp butter

Combine first five ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl mix eggs, pumpkin and oil until well mixed. Stir in apples gently. Add to the dry ingredients, stir just until incorporated. Do not overmix! Spoon into muffin tin. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 400* for 20 minutes.

From the kitchen at Aspen Grove. When I worked there, my coworker Michelle snuck into the kitchen and stole the recipe for me. I absolutely love these! And, when 'tis the season, how can you resist?

Pita Pockets

1-2 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1 small can mushrooms
2 chopped tomatoes (1 can diced)
1 small can green chiles
1-2 cup grated cheese (cheddar/mozzerella, etc)
Pitas (Or tortillas. Or sliced french bread)

Brown hamburger with chopped onion. Drain grease. Add green pepper, mushroom, tomatoes, chiles. Simmer to blend flavors. Remove from heat, put grated cheese on top. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Stuff in a pita.

This recipe is great because it is very adaptable. Add more (ie: garlic, chopped celery), substitute, or take out ingredients. If you don't have pitas, it's good wrapped in a tortilla with lettuce. Jess says it's also yummy eaten sandwich-style on French bread with Italian salad dressing. EXPERIMENT!

From my roommate Jess. Yummy and easy. (If it's not either of those, I won't make it!)

Nutty Crunch (cabbage) Salad

10 oz cole slaw package
½ cup slivered almonds (toasted)
2 Tbs sesame seeds (optional)
green onions chopped (optional)
2 packages Top Ramen noodles crushed

Dressing:

¼ cup sugar
¾ cup oil (I use ½ cup)
½ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon pepper
1 package flavor from top Ramen Noodles

For a main dish, add cut up cooked chicken and a can of drained mandarin oranges.

I got this recipe from Pam Secor.

Cheesecake Tarts

2 – 8 oz packages cream cheese
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 TBS lemon juice
1 package Nabisco vanilla wafers

Put 1 vanilla wafer in a cupcake paper

Cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and lemon juice. Mix

Fill papers 2/3 full.
Bake 20 minutes at 375.

Chill and fill with canned pie filling (cherry, blueberry, etc.)

Makes about 20 and uses ½ can of filling.

Remove papers before serving.

I got this recipe from my mom. It's a nice elegant dessert

Chocolate Waffles

Mix:
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar

Add:
2 eggs and mix until light and fluffy

In another bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cup flour (for thicker waffles or for higher altitudes, add extra 1-2 TBS of flour, as needed)
1 tsp baking powder
4 to 5 Tbs cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Add flour mixture to butter, egg, sugar mixture.

Add to Above:
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Bake in waffle iron and serve topped with vanilla ice cream.

Uncle Douglas use to make this during his dating days to impress girls with his delicious cooking talents. Rachel served this last night at a party and everyone loved it. She also served it with whipped cream, mini chocolatechips, peanut butter, and bananas.

Tahitian Coconut Bread

2 cups fresh grated coconut
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp baking powder
4 cups flour

Combine coconut, sugar and water. Blend flour and baking powder together. Mix all ingredients to a doughy texture, adding a little flour as needed so it is not too sticky. Separate into 5 equal parts and roll into the size of a hot dog bun. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 350* for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Makes 5 loaves.

We got this recipe at the Hawaiian Cultural Center when we dropped Kristine off at BYU-Hawaii.

Stewed Chicken

Put 1 chicken in crock pot or in pot on stove along with several carrots, some celery stock (including leaves) and an onion cut into quarters. Cover with water and salt to taste. Cook until tender. Remove chicken and vegetables. Strain broth. Cut chicken off bones in larger bite size pieces. Put back in broth.
Heat broth to slow boil and thicken with a mixture of cornstarch and water. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

My mother always made this when anyone in our family was sick. She called it her, “Mormon, Jewish Chicken Soup. She always has a batch in her freezer for times of need.

Potato Bar

Ideas to serve over baked potato for a potato bar:

leftover chili
tomatoes
leftover roast and gravy
cheese
sour cream
chopped olives
cottage cheese
salsa
butter
green onions
broccoli
cooked bacon
ham (cut up lunch meat)

This is a great fall or winter dish. Easy to make. It is a good and easy recipe to serve when you have company. Any combination of the above list can be served.

Spaghetti

16 oz package of spaghetti noodles cooked as directed
26 oz can of spaghetti sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
14 oz can tomatoes (pureed if desired)
1 lb ground beef that has been cooked with onions, if desired.

In a large pot, put in spaghetti sauce, cream of mushroom soup, tomatoes, cooked beef, cooked noodles. Mix and heat through.

I got this combination of ingredients from Scott's mom and have been serving this spaghetti recipe during our whole married life.

Ideas for Dinner Side Dishes

• Orange smiles
• Tomato and cucumber salad: cut up tomatoes and cucumbers into a bowl. Pour on Italian dressing
• Waldorf salad: cut apples, diced celery, crushed or tidbit pineapple (drained) chopped walnuts (optional), miracle whip or vanilla yogurt.
• Carrot coins

These are just random ideas to serve as dinner side dishes. The cucumber tomato salad is a great on to serve in the summer with the abundance of garden produce.

Sloppy Joe

For meat mixture:
Brown 2 lbs ground beef with 1 cut up onion. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

For BBQ sauce, combine in jar or bowl:
1 cup ketchup
½ cup water
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs prepared mustard
2 Tbs worcestershire sauce

This is a great meal to make when you don't know what else to make. This works for me because I always have frozen chubs of hamburger in my freezer from Costco. I'll also try to have hamburger buns in my freezer. If I don't, toasted bread or some kind of hard roll would work. I also like to add a slice of tomato and cheese to this dish if I have them on hand.  I have also used 2 lbs of ground turkey instead of ground beef and you can't really tell the difference in taste, but your pocket book will feel the difference with rising beef prices.