Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

This is a cold-weather favorite around our house. I hope you enjoy it too.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup mashed pumpkin
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted



1. Mix together dry ingredients.
2. Combine milk, eggs, pumpkin, and melted butter.
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just blended.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto hot griddle and spread thin. Cook until bubbles form on top and edges look dry; turn and cook other side.


Serve with butter and apple cider syrup or maple syrup.



Apple Cider Syrup

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

2/3 cup apple cider or unsweetened apple juice

1 cinnamon stick
dash nutmeg

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, and apple cider or juice until blended. Add cinnamon stick.

2. Bring to a boil; stir and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened.

3. Discard cinnamon stick; add nutmeg. Serve warm.

Mrs. M's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Anyone who knows me knows my favorite thing to do in the kitchen is bake yummy treats. It's not so much that I'm a cookie monster myself, but I have found that most people will smile if you bring them homemade cookies, cakes, pies, or cinnamon rolls.

With that in mind, don't forget to share the love with these recipes (not that I'll tell if you eat the entire bowl of cookie dough yourself....)

My chocolate chip cookies are famous around here. I teach and advise a student group at the local high school, and I have found that attendance at monthly meetings rises dramatically if I promise to bring my homemade cookies. I have even had students join my program solely for the purpose of having regular access to my chocolate chip cookies. To me they're just me they're just another cookie, but everyone raves about them so I'll let you judge for yourself.

Mrs. M's Chocolate Chip Cookies (as named by my students)

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream together butter, sugars, and pudding mix. Add eggs and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Add salt and baking soda, beating after each addition. Slowly add flour, scraping down sides of bowl as you go. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoon (or, better yet, use a cookie scoop) onto cookie sheets (I prefer to line mine with parchment paper). Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until centers are set and edges are golden brown. Enjoy (and don't forget to share!).

Slow-Cooker Enchiladas

Another favorite of my husband, this recipe can be thrown together the night before and refrigerated, then cooked in the crock pot all day while you are at work, church, or just going about your business.

Sometimes we use the meat and bean mixture as taco or burrito filling instead of making the slow-cooker enchilada. It's very good and very filling, not to mention more economical than just using meat! (If I mention that it's more nutritious because it has beans and vegetables then my family probably won't eat it... so I won't say that). I also use the blend of seasonings in this recipe for other tex-mex dishes (like my Meatless Mexican Lasagna).

I believe the original recipe came from Taste of Home magazine, but it's been so many years since I copied the recipe down that I'm not certain anymore. I all know is that it's a good one!

Slow-Cooker Enchiladas

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (I hate chopping onions so I substitute 2 Tbsp. dried minced onion)
1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (I puree mine in the blender to please picky eaters)
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer medium, but use what your family likes best)
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (6 or 7 inches)

In a skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and onions are tender; drain. Add beans, tomatoes, water, and spices; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Combine cheeses. In a 5 qt. slow cooker, layer about 3/4 cup beef mixture, one tortilla, and about 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or until heated through. Enjoy!

Meatless Mexican Lasagna

This one's for you, Amy! I adapted this recipe from a similar one I found in Taste of Home magazine. My husband, a meat-and-potatoes guy, loves this recipe and I love the fact that it is very adaptable. Sometimes I use the seasoning combo from my recipe for Slow-Cooker Enchiladas (I'll try to post that one next), and sometimes I cheat and use taco seasoning mix. You can also add more or less corn or other veggies as you like. As I said... very adaptable.

Here's the way I make it:

Meatless Mexican Lasagna

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans (dark red or light red... whatever), rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (my husband doesn't like tomatoes, so I puree mine)
1 cup frozen corn
~1 Tbsp. taco seasoning (adjust according to your taste preference; you can also substitute chili powder, onion, garlic, and cumin if you want to get fancy or don't like the mix)
8 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar, monterey jack, or colby cheese (more or less, depending on how cheesy you like it)

Mix together everything except tortillas and cheese.

Grease an 8" or 9" square pan; line bottom of pan with four tortillas. Spread half of bean mixture over tortillas, top with remaining tortillas, followed by remaining bean mixture. (If you have room you can do another layer of tortillas, but by this point my pan is usually full). Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. (If cheese browns too fast, cover your pan with foil). Enjoy. (How easy is that?)

If you have a larger family to feed, double the ingredients and make it in a 9"x13" or lasagna pan and add about 10 minutes to the cooking time.

Let me know if you like it, please!

Welcome

Welcome to my latest blog. I hope you will return often to steal my recipes. Everything I post here will be a tried and true favorite... none of those "Gee, I thought it sounded good but haven't tried it yet" posts on this blog. I love to feed others and I love to swap recipes. I'll add some of my favorites as I have time. If you have a recipe that is begging to be added to the mix, email it to me and I'll try it out and post it... with due credit to you, of course. Thanks for stopping by!