Star Cookies

Mom used to make these every year at Christmas. I don't know where she got the recipe. It is not necessarily a Norwegian cookie, but I'm not sure! If it is, they must use a different name.

Mom made frosting out of powdered sugar and a little water or milk. So easy, we could make our own if we wanted some. She never frosted until just before serving, and a gumdrop, cut in half if large, went in the middle. 

Aunt Barbara gave me this recipe and it didn't have the raisins in it, because she doesn't care for them. While I don't generally care for raisins, to me they really make this cookie. So try it both ways if you aren't sure!

I use royal icing and frost as soon as they're cool. I don't care for gumdrops, so I use sprinkles or decorate with icing.

Despite the name, we cut into whatever shape we want.

The dough freezes well if needed - this makes a lot!

The following recipe is in Aunt Barbara's words as she sent to me, except I added the raisins back in, and the parts in parentheses!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lite corn syrup
2 beaten eggs,
pinch salt
3/4 tsp each:  cloves, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg
2 1/2 - 3 1/2  cup flour
1 teas baking powder

1/2 c ground raisins

1/2 c ground nuts

Cream shortening and sugar. Add syrup, eggs (beaten), spices, raisins and nuts. Add flour enough to roll about 1/4" thick.

chill dough 2-3 hours (not really necessary)
roll out about 1/4 inch thick  (- or thicker if you wish and I usually do make them thicker - Aunt B)

cut out with Christmas cutters - tree, star, Santa, etc. bake 7-8 minutes or until a finger tap does not leave a print

Frosting them is fun - powdered sugar, milk or cream and a tad butter melted with the milk - Just before serving cookies.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

6 strips bacon
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 - 4.5 ounce can diced green chilies, undrained3/4 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
2  cups cheddar cheese, grated

Tortilla Chips for serving

Cook bacon until crispy. Crumble.

Stir together yogurt, cream cheese, and 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese. Fold in peppers and bacon.

Put in an 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 until lightly browned around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve with chips or vegetables.

** Here is our favorite way to fix this! Prepare mini sweet peppers: cut off end, then cut in half lengthwise and de-seed. Stuff with cheese mixture and bake until browned. Yummm!!

Pumpkin Cake

A delicious paleo, gluten free cake. My pumpkin lovers heartily approved.

2 c. almond flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 large eggs

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

1/2 cup honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease 9x13 inch cake pan, or spray with non-stick spray. 

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, with electric beaters on medium, mix together eggs, pumpkin and honey until smooth.

Add dry to wet and combine on low speed until smooth.

Pour batter into cake pan and smooth with spatula.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Completely cool on rack before cutting and serving.

Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

** You could probably substitute sweeteners, but you need to compensate for the liquid. I have not tried any other sweeteners in this.

Ginger Cranberry Sauce

We have lamb for Christmas dinner, and we go out of town for Thanksgiving, so we always buy a turkey to fix later in the winter so we can have the yummy leftovers. Today is that day! I always make my own cranberry sauce, but haven't fallen in love with any one recipe so I usually wing it. I write in down in case it's good, and today, it is!

My husband and I are eating paleo at the moment, so that makes sweetening a bit more difficult. This batch turned out with exactly the right ratio of sweet and tart for me.

Ginger Cranberry Sauce

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup candied ginger, chopped (I used a naturally sweetened kind I got at the health food store. I can't remember the brand.)

1/2 cup orange juice

10 drops liquid stevia

Put everything in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Cool and enjoy!

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

This is an adaptation of this recipe.

I've been "eating clean" since October 1. For me, that means a "mostly" paleo diet, all natural, cooked from scratch, lots of raw stuff. With the holidays coming, I'm getting nervous about sticking to it. realistically, I don't expect to stick to it 100% and I don't want to even try. Life is short, and food is good! But, I do want to stay as healthy as possible. I've discovered that too much sugar makes me feel like crap. In the past I've had a hard time getting started again after the holidays are over, and I don't want that to happen. So I'm planning our Holiday menus and trying to figure out how I can take those recipes I can't do without and make them healthier.

Here is my first effort. You can compare it to the original at the above link if you like. This dish received rave reviews from the family today.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp 

1 cup almond flour or meal
1/2 cup quick oats
1 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar or substitute - I used Monkfruit in the Raw
pinch of sea salt

1 stick butter, softened

Combine dry ingredients until well combined. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

2 pounds apples (about 6 medium)
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 Tbsp. sugar or equivalent sweetener

Peel, core and slice fruit (I leave the peel on). Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sweetener. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

You could lower the carb count by eliminating the oats (replace with almond flour or flax meal) and replacing the brown sugar with sweetener. I decided they add to the authentic taste without too much "cheat". Since I am trying to compromise, that works for me.

Pumpkin Hummus

I happened on this while looking for pumpkin dessert recipes. It was wonderful! It's even better the next day - so much so that I would make it ahead from now on.

I personally like it a little chunky so I mixed it by hand. Use a food processor if you like it smoother.

I would add even more garlic and lemon juice, but that's just me. Taste it first and decide for yourself.

Makes about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree 

1/4 cup tahini

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

1 Tbs fresh minced parsley

Mix all ingredients together. If you like it smooth, use a food processor. If you like it more chunky, do it by hand.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This is SO much better the next day, that it's worth the wait to make it a day before you need it.

Tapenade

I need to come up with a catchy name for this.

It's a combination of several different recipes I found online the day I was looking for something made with olives to spread on crackers. It was adapted based on ingredients I already had, as well as my personal tastes (I don't like anchovies).  I think it lends itself quite well to adaptation, so play with it as much as you like! I will probably never follow this recipe exactly again, but wanted to get it down so I can use it as a base. it was a huge hit with adults and kids and I will definitely add it to my go-to list. it also keeps well - my last batch was in the fridge for 2 weeks and it may last longer, but we ate it up too fast to know. :)

I used plain, inexpensive olives and it was great. I don't see any point in using fancy olives, but maybe it will just be that much more awesome!

Olive Tapenade

1 cup pitted black olives
1 cup pitted green olives
1 clove garlic
1 tsp capers
1/4 cup roasted pepper

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Olive oil as desired, optional

Place in bowl of a food processor and pulse until garlic is chopped. Add feta cheese and stir to mix. If you like, add some olive oil.

Serve with crackers or small toasted rounds of french bread.

I put any leftovers back into the olive jar and refrigerate.

Pineapple Compote

My friend Aphra and her husband, Peter, were the managers at a gorgeous retreat center a few years ago. I always loved Sunday breakfast because this delicious dish was always on the buffet. Finally I asked her for the recipe! The new managers don't make it, and Sunday mornings are simply not the same! This was another of her mother's recipes.

Pineapple Compote

1 - 15 oz can pineapple chunks in juice
* add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (see note)

3/4 cup sugar
3 T flour
1/2 stick butter

10 Ritz crackers, crumbled

Mix everything but the crackers in a casserole dish. Sprinkle crumbs on top.

Bake at 350 for 37 minutes.

*note - pre-grated cheese will not melt properly. However, they used it at the center and I always loved the texture so I would use it again to get the same result. It's your call!

Corn Casserole

I was looking for a gooey corn pudding like the one a lady from church brings to potlucks. I can't remember who it is, so I can't ask. I wanted something in between the scalloped corn my Mom used to make, and plain cornbread casserole, so I set out to adapt one for myself based on several recipes. Here is what I came up with, and it's delicious! I'm very happy with it. The only bad part is it's hard to stop from eating it all myself with a spoon!

Ingredients

• 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
• 1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased square (8x8). baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until the top and edges are golden brown. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Jalapeno Cheese Ball

This started out as several different recipes that I spent quite a few tries tweaking. I believe I have finally perfected it! It's hard to make it come out spicy. This was successful. You can adjust any of the spicy ingredients to your taste, and vary the types of cheese as well.

Edited to add: on Day 2 the spiciness is increased. It really is very spicy. Using regular pepper jack will bring that down a lot but you may want to lessen the amount of juice (none of that is necessary at all). Play with it to your own taste but i wanted to let you know that sitting overnight increases it!

Recipe Ingredients

2 cups Cream cheese, softened
2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups Pepper jack cheese, shredded (see note below)
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. jalapeno peppers, minced
3 Tbsp. juice from jalapeno jar
½ tsp cayenne pepper

Chopped or ground nuts, or crushed corn or tortilla chip crumbs, if desired

Recipe Directions

Combine all of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and the lumps have been worked out of the cream cheese.

Serve as a dip/spread, or make into a ball:

Lightly spray food release on your hands and gather the cheese mix with your hands to form a ball.

Roll the cheese ball in ground nuts or chip crumbs until completely coated. This makes 1 HUGE or 2 normal sized cheese balls.

Notes:

• This can be made 2-3 days ahead. Seal cheese ball in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until ready to use. Before serving, allow chilled cheese ball to sit at room temperature for an hour to soften.
• To use as a dip or spread, allow it to soften a bit before serving.
• Pepper Jack Cheese - I used 3 Alarm Pepper Jack, available at Sam's Club. This was the secret to the perfect amount of spicy, in my opinion. If you use regular pepper jack, you will need to add more jalapenos to get it spicier. Do not add more pepper juice unless you're making dip, as it will make it too soft.

Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

This is a Frugal Gourmet recipe. I make it for almost every holiday meal.

Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
30 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
8 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
4 Tbsp olive oil
6 Tbsp milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Place the artichokes on the bottom of a 3 quart casserole.

Squeeze as much moisture as possible from the spinach, and layer on top of the artichokes.

In an electric mixer blend the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and oil till fluffy. Gradually beat in the milk. Spread this mixture over the top of the spinach. Do not stir in! Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and the cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 40 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.

You can make this dish ahead - put it all together and refrigerate. If still chilled when you bake it, slightly increase the cooking time.

Cranberry Sauce

I still have a few of my Holiday recipes to post from Christmas dinner. This year we had ham - just a honey-baked spiral ham that I had only to heat up. So no main dish recipe this time! Here is the cranberry sauce I made. My sister-in-law Ceri made it at Thanksgiving and gave me the recipe. Awesome! I halved it because it made too much for my needs.

Cranberry Sauce

2 bags (12 oz. each_ fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup apricot jam
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger or 2 tsp fresh, chopped fine
1/4 lb. dried apricots, finely diced

Stir all ingredients together in a large, heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and the sauce starts to thicken. Cook for 8 minutes. It will thicken more as it cools. Cool to room temperature, cover, and chill.

Rainbow Peppers

These were very good with jalapeno peppers as well. Be sure to not use too much cheese, it's much better with just a sprinkle!

1/2 each medium bell peppers, different colors, seeds removed (total 4 halves)

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
2 Tbsp chopped ripe olives
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Cut each pepper half into 9 pieces. Place skin side down in an ungreased ovenproof skillet. Sprinkle with cheese, olives, and pepper flakes (if using).

Broil 3-4 inches from heat for 5-7 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender and cheese is melted.

Yield: 3 dozen

Puppy Chow

I have been seriously neglecting this blog!!

But I've been having fun trying some new recipes. I'll do my best to post them over the next few days.

Here is one of my kids' favorite holiday snacks. I don't know why we only make it around holidays - but then maybe it wouldn't seem so special if it was an everyday thing? We have used it for a teacher gift for the past couple of years now. Last year we bought little tins to put it in. This year I found cheap holiday coffee mugs. You could just put it in a Ziploc with a bow! It's inexpensive, but special, so it makes a perfect gift when you have lots to give! John also takes it in to work. Both years, several people have asked for the recipe. Enjoy!

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 peanut butter
1/4 cup butter

Melt for one minute in microwave on high, stir, then do 15 seconds at a time as needed until fully melted (I only need to do this once).

9 cups any plain, unflavored Chex cereal - I use half and half corn and rice. Have this ready in a large bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture over it and then toss gently with 2 wooden spoons, gently so as not to crush the cereal. When the cereal is evenly coated, pour into a large Ziploc (the recipe calls for a "2 gallon" but I have never seen these. I use a 1 gallon and it's tight; you could divide in half as well and do it in two bags, but 1 works) with 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar. Shake until evenly coated. At this point I pour it into a clean bag for storage and add up to a cup each (I don't measure, just pour) of stick pretzels, honey roasted peanuts, and M&Ms.

"Puppy Chow"

As always, this is an adaptation of the original recipe I found. I've been making this for several years at holiday time. Last year I was broke and decided to do it for teacher gifts. I bought little containers for about 50 cents apiece, which held about a cup. I have to say I got more response from that teacher gift than I EVER have before! I think 10 people asked me for the recipe. So I plan to do that again this year, even though I am not so broke. :)

It keeps well if sealed properly. I keep it in a big Ziploc in the pantry and the kids rarely get it zipped up right. We've never had to throw any out for being stale. It is a very QUICK and easy snack to whip up for parties or after school, and you can make it as simple or fancy as you like (the original is simply the coated cereal, no added items). It makes you looks like SuperMom! And that's always a good thing! :)

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 peanut butter
1/4 cup butter

Melt for one minute in microwave on high, stir, then do 15 seconds at a time as needed until melted (I only do this once).

9 cups any plain, unflavored Chex type cereal (generic or other brand is fine) - I use half and half corn and rice. Have this ready in a large bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture over it and then toss gently with 2 wooden spoons, very gently so as not to crush the cereal. When the cereal is evenly coated, pour into a large Ziploc (the recipe calls for a "2 gallon" but I have never seen these. I use a 1 gallon and it's tight; you could divide in half as well and do it in two bags, but 1 works) with 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar. Shake until evenly coated. At this point I pour it into a clean bag for storage and add up to a cup each (I don't measure, just pour) of stick pretzels, honey roasted peanuts, and M&Ms.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Yesterday's entry got me really thinking about Thanksgiving. My family - 2 of my 3 brothers, their familes, and up until now my parents - gets together every year. We've done this for almost 10 years. This will be our 5th year staying at a resort in Hot Springs. The resort we use is not the fanciest place in town but it's perfect for the kids - it's on the lake, there is a playground and a peninsula with tennis courts, mini golf and LOTS of space to run around and play ball. There is a small island nearby and last year the lake was low enough for us to just walk out and explore. Hot Springs gives us plenty to do as well. We've enjoyed the Mid-America Science Museum (a hands on children's museum) for several years. There are also Duck Tours, hikes, walks around Bathhouse Row, and much more!

The first year we went to Hot Springs was 2005. We were in the middle of one of the most horrible times of our lives, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We were just looking forward to getting to a place where every tree wasn't broken or knocked over! At that point in my life I was ready to get back into cooking, something I had largely given up (other than the most basic dishes so my family could eat) way back in '00 when I went on bed rest. I searched around for some new and different things to try.

This dessert was one of them. The adults loved it, the kids not so much. That was the year I decided to let them choose a dessert for holiday meals, after all shouldn't they have something they like, too? They just aren't into the fancy stuff. So for them I still make plain apple crisp, at their request, every holiday meal. But the adults loved this, and I plan to make it again this Thanksgiving. It came from the Food Network website. Enjoy!

Apple Cranberry Crisp

• 4 large, sweet, firm apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces (about 2 pounds)
• 1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed well
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups grated white cheddar
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, cranberries, walnuts, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and toss well to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Blend the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour the fruit mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until bubbly and the apples are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream on top.

BLT Dip

This was a huge hit at Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, among kids and adults alike. It comes from Mom's church cookbook. 

 BLT Dip 

 6 slices bacon (cooked crisp and crumbled) 

1 cup sour cream 

1 cup mayonnaise 

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped 

3 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley 

Salt and pepper to taste 

 Thick wavy cut potato chips

 Reserve 1 Tbsp bacon for garnish. 

Mix sour cream, mayo, tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper and chill for one hour. Garnish with reserved bacon.

 Serve with chips.

Pumpkin Stew

I'm not much of a recipe follower, as you may have noticed...I like to tweak and adjust things and add things that I feel would add to the dish. Sometimes this works well, sometimes not so well, but I can't remember a time when it was utterly inedible so at least there's that!

I found this stew recipe online. I used to have a pumpkin stew recipe I was fond of, but I have no idea what happened to it and stew is pretty much stew no matter what, so I mainly needed to see the details of the method. You cook the stew inside a whole pumpkin, you see, and then when you serve it you scrape out bits of the pumpkin into the bowl. It's looks really cool, and tastes great while being something a bit different - stew is stew, but there's something about ladling supper out of a giant orange gourd that adds to the atmosphere...as well as the little different taste!

This recipe came from Taste of Home Magazine, but to be honest it's identical to 6 other recipes I found elsewhere. I don't know who came up with it first! I made it almost exactly according to recipe because I was put into a rush by a kid coming home and informing me he had to be at a football game 15 miles out of town tonight and I had to take him. I didn't get to eat till we got home, and while it was delicious I did think of a couple of things to try next time - I'll note those on the bottom.

Ingredients

* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 3 tablespoons oil, divided
* 1 cup water
* 3 large potatoes, peeled if desired (I don't) and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 4 medium carrots, sliced
* 1/2 large green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 6 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
* 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 pumpkin (10 to 12 pounds)

Directions

* In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 2 tablespoons oil. Add water, potatoes, carrots, green pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in bouillon and tomatoes. Wash pumpkin; cut to 6 to 8 in. circle around top stem. Remove top and set aside; discard seeds and loosen fibers from inside.
* Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan. Spoon stew into pumpkin and replace top. Brush outside of pumpkin with remaining oil. Bake at 325° for 1 to 1-1-2 hours or just until the pumpkin is tender (do not overbake. Mine took an hour but it was a bit smaller than recommended here. Stab it with a knife and if it's soft, it's ready!). Serve stew from pumpkin, scooping out a little pumpkin with each serving. Yield: 8-10 servings.

***********

Notes: I don't like instant beef broth, Next time I will use real instead of water. I will also add a splash of red wine to the cooking pot. I would also like to see some mushrooms in there and maybe a touch of flour so the gravy comes out thicker.

Pumpkin Bars

This is an old favorite that I had lost track of. You know what I mean? I used to make it all the time, take it to potluck dinners, get asked for the recipe. I think I actually found it on the cake mix box in the first place. I know I wrote it on a recipe card. A few years ago one of the kids got into my card box and dumped it all over the place! I knew that about half the cards had been lost then, but I didn't look too hard because by then I had switched to the Blank Book method of keeping recipes and found it to be much easier (free bonus - babies can't scatter the pages as easily as they can the cards!) so I assumed I had moved all my favorites to the book. Wrong!!

I forgot all about it until last week when the paper started publishing pumpkin recipes. Then I went on a mission! First I looked in my book, but it wasn't there. I wasn't about to despair, though. Google is my friend! I can't tell you how much I LOOOOOOOVE Google! I searched first for "Cake mix box recipes", "Pound cake box recipes" and finally just "Pumpkin bars". I'd forgotten that the official name is "Pumpkin Cheesecake bars" - I left off the word "cheesecake" because the kids detest cheesecake and it doesn't taste at all cheesecakey, anyway.

So here it is! I made it last night and it was a hit. Mary doesn't care for pumpkin, but she tasted it. Nope, still not a fan, but she so hated to hurt my feelings! Stephen ate 3 pieces, and I believe Matthew ate closer to 6! What the heck, they are small pieces.

• 1 (16 ounce) package pound cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees C (175 degrees C). Coat a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, on low speed, combine cake mix, 1 egg, margarine, and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice until crumbly. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.
3. In another large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, then remaining two eggs, pumpkin, remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and salt; mix well. Pour over crust; sprinkle with pecans if desired.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until set.
5. Cool, then chill in refrigerator. Cut into small squares. Store covered in refrigerator.

I must say that I am still a huge fan of the blank cookbook. Some of my favorite things from Mom's house are the handwritten recipes along with her comments. Something about having your loved one's handwriting is very comforting. So I will continue with that as well as this. Here's what the cookbook looks like:

When I was searching for an image (too lazy to take my own!) I found many blog entries praising the handwritten cookbook. This entry was especially touching (plus, it's exact the same book I have!). This blog is nice and it's much easier for me to type actual journal entries than to write them, but it's not the same. For those family favorites and traditions, I absolutely recommend writing your own cookbook to leave for future generations!

Apple Crisp

This is one of my most requested desserts. It's earned a place on our holiday menu, since the kids don't care for pies or the other fancy desserts that the rest of us wait all year to enjoy!

IMPORTANT NOTE!! I double the topping. I fear the reaction if I ever don't! But it may be too much for you. So the recipe is for the original amount. Try it both ways and see for yourself.

Topping:

1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter till it resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

Fruit:

2 lbs. apples (about 6 medium)
2 T sugar

Peel, core and slice fruit (we like it with peel on). Place in 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar. Sprinkle with topping. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired.