REALLY EASY PUMPKIN COOKIES

My favorite recipes usually have 5 ingredients or less (yes, I am a lazy person), so here is a pumpkin cookie that is really easy, and on top of that, it's not too bad if you're on a diet (unless you're like me and eat 15 of them at a time--then they're terrible if you're on a diet). FYI, these cookies don't save that well, so you'll probably want to eat them the same day you make them.

(source: Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package spice
cake mix*
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack
pumpkin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended. (It seems a little dry at first, but keep stirring). Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can add chocolate chips, craisins, nuts...etc. to the mixture prior to baking. Some people also suggested making these into "cookie bars" and added a cream cheese frosting. (bake at 325 for 17 minutes).

*If you don't have spice cake mix, you can use white cake mix, and add 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, and a couple dashes of nutmeg.

Makes 24 cookies. Without any extras like chocolate chips, it has 98 calories, 2.7 g of fat, and 1 g of fiber, per cookie.

Banana Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Bread

I love different kinds of warm breads in the fall. This bread turned out really moist and scrumptuous. Enjoy~

1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas
2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon


1-2 cups chocolate chips

Powdered sugar, for dusting


Beat oil and sugar together. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating slowly until incorporated. Add in vanilla, bananas and yogurt. Mix until well blended.Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add into wet ingredients, mixing ONLY until barely combined. Add in chocolate chips, mix a few times until distributed. Over-mixing will make bread dry, so try to mix as little as possible once the flour is in.Pour into two 8x4 inch loaf pans or one 9x5 inch pan. Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar on top. Bake at 350 F for about an hour, or 1 hr. 15 min. for 1 big loaf. Be sure to check center with a knife.

BYU Mint Brownies

My mother-in-law got this out of the BYU Alumni magazine.

90 minutes prep and cook. Cool 1 hour. (9X13 pan)

Brownies:

1 cup butter/margarine

1/2 cup cocoa

2 T. honey

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

12 oz cholate icing made or bought

Mint Icing:

5 T. butter

dash salt

3 T. milk

1 T. light corn syrup

2 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 t. mint extract

1-2 drops green food coloring

1.) Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and add nuts. Pour batter into 9 by 13 baking pan. Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes then cool.

2.) Prepare mint icing: soften butter. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat till smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3.) Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Tender Egg Biscuits

These are really soft and tasty. Best if eaten the day they are made.

3 cups flour
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup cold butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is size of small peas. Stir in milk and egg. Knead once or twice on lightly flowered board. Roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, and bake at 450° on ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes. Makes about a dozen biscuits.

Tropical Berry Spinach Salad

I'm always in search of simple salad recipe and I recently found this on the back of a Fresh Express bag of spinach. Give it a try!

Salad:
1 bag (9 oz.) spinach
1 pint strawberries, sliced
3 Kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 handful (about 1/4 cup), chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

Dressing:
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar
2 Tsbp. raspberry preserves

Mix dressing and refrigerate for at least 15 min. Toss together with salad and serve.
Serves 4.

Easy Peasy Shredded Beef

I got this recipie from my mother-in-law's neighbor, and it is one of my all time favorites. And, it is also one of the easiest things I have ever made. (Alas, no picture, we ate it too quickly)

Start with a rump roast, anywhere from 2.5-5 pounds. Put it in your crockpot (no need to brown, or salt and pepper or anything else) Mix up one packet of Au Jous gravy mix and pour it over the top, plus an extra cup of water. Let it cook on low for anywhere from 4-6 hours, remove the hunk of meaty goodness, and strain the floaties out of the remaining sauce and return it to the crockpot Add another packet of Au Jous to the sauce (just the dry seasoning, not more water). Shred the beef with two forks, and put it back in the crockpot, let cook on low for another hour, or until it is heated through.

You can serve this as a sandwich, with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, in burritos or taco's, on top of salads, or anywhere else you like shredded beef. Try it, you won't be disapointed.

Black Bean Soup

Now that fall is upon us, and it's geting a little cooler (well except for today) I'm in the mood for a good soup. Here's one that Richie and I love. You can either make it a little thinner like a soup with a little more chicken broth or make it as a thicker chili type dish with less chicken broth. I like mine thick.

10 slices bacon, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans (we use 2), drained but not rinsed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

We add shredded chicken and/or a half cup of rice after it's simmered to give it a little more depth.