Pumpkin Cookies

A friend of my mom's gave her a recipe for these pumpkin cookies. My mom called me to share this recipe because she knows I love pumpkin and have been looking for something pumpkin to make lately. This cookies are aaaamaaaaazing. They are soft, like little pumpkin pillows. They get better each day. Also, don't skip the frosting. They are wonderful on their own, but the frosting really make them fantastic.

Pumpkin Cookies

2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 c sugar

1 c shortening (I used butter)

1 c mashed pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients and drop by teaspoon full on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes 55 cookies.

Frosting

3 TBSP butter

4 TBSP milk

1/2 c brown sugar

1 c sifted powdered sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla

Boil the first three ingredients for two minutes, stirring constantly. Cool. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Frost cooled cookies.

ENJOY!

Corn Chowder

I've never even had corn chowder before but this recipe looked so good and seemed easy enought to try. It was perfect for a chilly evening and easy to through together on a time crunch. The original recipe is from Barefoot Contessa, but I used this recipe, adapted from Barefoot Contessa's recipe, by Proceed with Caution since she cut down on the fat quite a bit.

Cheesy Corn Chowder

2 Tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (1 large onion)
1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (1 pounds)
5 cups corn kernels, fresh (5 ears) or frozen (1.5 pounds)
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, old bay and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender (it took a lot longer for me, I just let them simmer). If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the milk and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Blueberry Cheesecake

My second cheesecake of the day! Actually, I made this one first. This, like the pumpkin cheesecake is a terrible picture. It's almost embarrassing to post, but I didn't have a chance to take a better one. I made this recipe and just cut it in half because I figured my husband would be the only one eating it. He liked this one better than the pumpkin. I think they both were good and can't pick my favorite.

I couldn't get it to swirl like I thought I would be able to, but it was still very tasty. I made my own crust using half Nilla wafers and half graham cracker crumbs in this crust as well, and would cut down on the sugar. After pressing it into the pan, I baked it for about 5 minutes. I made my own filling.

Blueberry Cheesecake
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 9-inch graham cracker crust
1 (21 ounce) can blueberry pie filling, divided

1-In a mixing bowl, beat cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
2-Add eggs, beating just until combined.
3-Pour into crust.
4-Drop 1/2 cup of pie filling by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the cream cheese mixture; cut

through with a knife to swirl the pie filling.
5-Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set.
6-Cool on a wire rack.
7-Chill for 2 hours.
8-Top with remaining pie filling.

Blueberry Pie Filling

2 pints blueberries (4 cups)
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1-Combine 1 cup berries with 3/4 cup sugar in pan.
2-Simmer on low heat until sugar is melted and mixture is very liquid; about 5 minutes.
3-Combine cornstarch and water in bowl.
4-Add to pan with blueberries.
5-Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to full boil and is clear and thick.
6-Pour hot mixture into large bowl.Cool until warm.
7-Fold in remaining 3 cups of blueberries, lemon rind, cinnamon,nutmeg and butter.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I made two cheesecakes this weekend. The first was my husband's birthday cake. He decided he wanted a blueberry cheesecake. This I made for the non-blueberry eaters. I found this recipe on recipezaar.com. It is supposed to be The Cheesecake Factory's pumpkin cheesecake recipe. It was soooo good. The only change I made to the original recipe was using a whole teaspoon of cinnamon. I also decided to use a mixture of Nilla wafers and graham crackers for the crust. If I do it again, I think I would cut down on the sugar in the crust. Otherwise, this cheesecake was amazing! I know it's a terrible picture though!

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar, plus
1 tablespoon sugar
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
whipped cream

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2-Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1T

sugar in a medium bowl.
3-Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the

mixture into paste.
4-Keep it crumbly.
5-Put foil partway up the outside part of an 8-inch springform pan.
6-Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the

springform pan.
7-You don't want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake.
8-Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until you are ready to fill it.
9-In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla.
10-Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
11-Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth

and creamy.
12-Pour the filling into the pan.
13-Bake for 60-70 minutes.
14-The top will turn a bit darker at this point.
15-Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool.
16-When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.
17-When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces.
18-Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup

Everytime we go to Olive Garden my husband gets the same thing; this soup. He's been wanting me to make it for him for a while and since today was rainy and chilly, I figured it was a good soup night. He worked late tonight so I had it ready for him when he got home. This recipe makes a HUGE pot of soup. At least 10 servings.



Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage - crumbled
1/2 lb. smoked bacon - chopped
1 qt. water
(2) 14.5 oz. cans (about 3 2/3 cups) chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, cubed
2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed
1 med. onion - peeled, chopped
2 cups chopped kale OR Swiss chard
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper - to taste

-In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside.-In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, set aside.-Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.-Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes.-Add kale and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through.