Cheesy Mixed Vegetable Bake

I've had this recipe for a while but was quite hesitant for some time. I don't know why. But I'm now kicking myself. Not only was this a cinch to put together, but it was so tasty and Evan loved it just as much as we did! A great casserole for any one of the cold nights that's coming your way!! Serve with some hearty bread and you're good to go! (You can also make this a side if you take out the chicken)

Cheesy Mixed Vegetable Bake

• 1 (16oz) pkg frozen California blend vegetable - nuke them to speed things up
• 2 cups cooked cubed chicken
  
• 1 (4oz) can chopped pimentos - I used a whole marinated red pepper chopped up
• 1 (10 oz) can cream of celery soup - I used the 98% fat free kind
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 (3 oz) can French fried onions
• 1 cup shredded cheese - I used Co-Jack and it was great!

-- Mix veggies, chicken, 1/2 of the pimentos, soup, sour cream, 1/2 of the french onions, 1/2 of the cheese.
-- Pour into a great casserole dish (I used an 8x8)
--Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
-- Top with remaining onions and cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes.
-- Sprinkle remaining pimentos on top.

As a note, I put the onions, cheese and pimentos/peppers on top and baked it covered for the 20 minutes and just took the foil off at the end and let the cheese fully melt and the onions crisp up.

Amish Pumpkin Cake

Oh yes. Pumpkin cake! With cream cheese frosting. It doesn't get much better than this! This is a very light pumpkin cake. What I mean by that is that the taste is not overwhelmingly pumpkin, just the perfect hint for the crisp fall weather! Whip up the frosting (I always add a little cinnamon to it) and enjoy! The recipe calls for a 9x9 pan, but since I don't have one of those, I used a funny little bunt-like pan (funny in the sense that it didn't have the hole in it) and needed to adjust the time accordingly (45 mins). It turned out great, though!

Amish Pumpkin Cake

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

-- At medium speed, beat sugar & eggs for 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin & oil. At low speed, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder & salt. Beat 1 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 in a 9x9 pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:

• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

At low speed, beat confectioner's sugar, cream cheese, butter & vanilla for about 2 minutes or until fluffy.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I love fall. I love the weather, the colors, the food, the fun. And I love pumpkin foods! I had heard from a few friends about Pumpkin Pancakes and I just had to try them! They are from Annie's Eats and like most of her stuff - they were amazing! Even my littlest guy ate one! Serve with home made maple syrup or nothing - yes, they were that good!

Pumpkin Pancakes

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• Dash of ground ginger
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or melted butter

-- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and then and mix all wet ingredients. Add wet to dry and stir til all wet.
-- Using a large spoon, ladle the batter onto a hot griddle and cook each side about 2 minutes or until done to your liking.

Harvest Apple Pie

This is my 100th post and I had to wait for a recipe to post that was really "100th Post" worthy. And here it is! This is no ordinary apple pie, it's like a caramel apple disguised as a pie! It's amazing! I got the recipe from a friend down in Dayton and just had to try it. It's quite different than my usual trusty apple pie, but just as good.

Harvest Apple Pie

• Pastry for 2 crusts (9 inch)
• 6 medium apples (I prefer Granny's for their tartness) peeled, cored, and sliced
  

Filling

• 1 T cornstarch
• 1/2 t salt
• 3 T butter, melted
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 3 T sugar
• 1/3 c. light corn syrup

Topping

• 1/2 c. light brown sugar
• 3 T light corn syrup
• 1/4 c chopped nuts (opt)
• 2 T flour
• 2 T butter, softened

-- In a large bowl, mix the filling ingredients. Dump the sliced apples in and stir to coat.
-- Fill the pie plate (with the bottom crust in, of course) with the apples.
-- Place top crust on, vent, and bake for 30-35 minutes at 425. Watch the top crust so it doesn't burn!
-- Combine the topping ingredients and spread over the pie crust.
-- Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until topping is bubbly. (Put a cookie sheet under the pie to catch the drippings and save you from cleaning your oven!)