Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Crunch Pie

Want to switch up the traditional? Well, I'm glad I did. Try this creamy version of pumpkin pie, with a touch of chocolate and cookie crunch.

1 deep dish pie shell (homemade or store bought)
1 3/4 cup canned pumpkin (or fresh)
2 lg. eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup smooth cottage cheese
1 cup chocolate chips (or dark chocolate bar diced)
1 cup crisp cookies crumbled in large chunks (graham crackers, nutty krust, etc)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger

Make pie dough of your choice. I made one big enough to fit a round cake pan, so it would be deep dish. With a mixer on low blend the pumpkin, eggs,cottage cheese,sugar and then add the spices. Slowly pour in the evaporated milk into the mixture. After mixing well, pour into the unbaked pie shell, leaving a TBS or so of the mixture in the bowl. Crush the cookies into medium size chunks and toss them into the left over pie filling remaining in the mixing bowl. Add the chocolate chips. When the cookies and chips are coated in the mixture, gently place them onto the top of the pie. (a 1/2 cup pecan pieces might work nicely as well)Bake the pie for about 1 hr at 350 or until it is solid in the middle and does not wiggle. Hope you like it!

Easy Spicy Chicken Chili

6-8 boneless chicken breasts
2 TBS oil
4 green onions diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 TBS minced garlic
2 cans kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 large can tomato puree
4 TBS chili powder
6 TBS taco seasoning (two packets)
3 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
1 TBS vinegar
2 TBS sugar
1 TBS red pepper flakes
Salt to taste (1 tsp+-)
Stock from cooked chicken( or water to desired thickness)

Brown chicken breasts in 2 TBS of oil then dice them and set aside. Use remaining oil and juices to brown diced onions, bell pepper and garlic. Place the chicken and browned veg. into a soup pot on medium heat. Once they are sizzling pour in diced tomatoes, juice and all. Move it around with a spoon about 30 seconds, then pour in two cans of beans, juice and all. Add leftover chicken stock or about 2 cups water. Add the vinegar, sugar and all the spices. Stir it gently until all the spices get wet. Add the can of tomato puree and let the chili simmer until desired thickness. We like it thick but if thinner consistency is desired simply add more stock or water. (Adjust the spices if you do not want as hot a chili) Works great in a crock pot!

Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream! Em, Em Em!

Cranberry Pecan Apple Bread

Recently I noticed I had a can of cranberry sauce left in the cupboard from the holidays that needed to be used. So, I thought I would try and make it into some nice bread for breakfast. It was easy, delicious and a nice change from the traditonal banana bread.

5 cups flour
1 cup sugar
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups milk
2/3 cup butter
3 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup diced apples

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Fold in the entire can of cranberry sauce. Mix the remaining dry ingredients and add them to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Fold in the pecan pieces and diced apples coated with a splash of lemon juice. Spoon into greased loaf pans. Bake at 350, until brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes three loaves.

Chocolate Peanutbutter Muffins

2 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 TBS baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c peanutbutter
1/2 c butter softened
2 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c buttermilk
1 c chocolate chips

Topping:
2 TBS butter softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup +/- flour

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl use a hand mixer to blend the peanutbutter, butter, eggs and sugar. When light and fluffy add the buttermilk a bit at a time alternating with the flour mixture. The batter will be thick. Fold in gently the chocolate chips. Spoon into greased muffin tins.

Use a fork and cut in the sugar and flour to the butter for the topping. It should be a crumbly mixture. If it is too wet add a bit more powdered sugar. Adding a mixture of diced peanuts is nice too. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over each muffin and bake at 350F until they are golden brown.

Cream Cheese Peppadews

This is a fun party food I made for New Years Eve. I already had the ingredients on hand and thought it would make a sweet and savory start to the evening. They were a "bomb," you know how kids say it these days! That means they were great and got a lot of talk.

1 jar of hot sweet peppadew peppers (drained)
1 tub of cream cheese
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup minced onion
whole macadamia nuts

After the peppers are drained, put them on a paper towel to remove any excess liquid. Add garlic and onions to the cream cheese and mix it together well. Spoon the cream cheese into a pastry bag with a large open tip that will fit into the opening of the peppers. Squeeze the cream cheese into the peppers 3/4 of the way full. Find a nut just the right size and use it to seal off the pepper. Quick and different!

Blueberries are in season!

I am enjoying taking fruits and vegtables that are in season and creating new things with them. Blueberries are my key ingredient these days since they are readily available. Try this fabulous breakfast treat!

Blueberry Swirls

your favorite cinnamon roll dough (or prebought dough)
1 brick or tub of cream cheese
1C +/- fresh blueberries
1/2C sugar
4 TBS of milk
lemon zest (optional)
1C icing sugar
water, milk or lemon juice for icing sugar mixture

Prepare cinnamon roll dough to the directions and roll it into a rectangle about 1/2inch in thickness. Using a mixer beat cream cheese, milk and sugar until smooth and spreadable. (optional) add lemon zest to the mixture and spread it over the cinnamon roll dough. Drop the blueberries randomly across the cream cheese and roll the dough up cinnmon roll style. Slice the roll into desired thickness and place on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise for 1/2hr(in warm conditions, cooler temps may require 1hr or more.) Bake until golden brown at about 425F. Let them cool on a baking rack as icing is prepared.

Add a few drops at a time, of just enough water, milk or lemon juice (depending on your taste)to form a liquid icing. Some people like it thick and slather icing on and others such as I, like to just drizzle it on. If you let the icing sit for a few minutes and you see it hardens just on the outer edges, then it's ready to pour.

Enjoy this treat!

Just Peachy Salsa & Mango/Orange Marmalade

Just Peachy Salsa
fresh cilantro diced
3-4 tomatoes
1 peach or nectarine minced
1 lg. chili pepper/or red pepper flakes
1 TBS taco seasoning
1 TBS lemon juice or vinegar
1 TBS sugar
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. whole grain mustard
salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 med. onion minced

Whiz all the ingredients in a food processor or chopper. We prefer chunky salsa, so it only takes about 20-30 seconds.

Mango/Orange Marmalade

I am not an expert in the area of jams or jellies. I have played around a bit lately though, since so many fruits have been in season where I live. Yesterday I had about 6 large oranges left from another project and a ripening mango. So I thought why not try to make some marmalade for those of my friends that like oranges. I'm sure it is not the "proper" way to do so, but it worked and is delicious and I don't like orange flavored anything.

4 Lg oranges peeled and sliced into thin wedges
2 Lg oranges halved and sliced into thin slices
1 Lg Mango minced
6+- Cups of white sugar(depending on the juice content)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp all spice

variation (add 2 tsp red pepper chili flakes) spice it up

I tossed all the ingredients into a saucepan over a med. heat. As it boiled I could see it needed more sugar to thicken it. At this point, I had only used about 4 cups of sugar. I added two more cups of sugar and removed about 1/4c of juice from the pot and quickly mixed it with 2 TBS of corn starch to avoid any lumps. (use a fork) I poured it back into the mixture and let it cook about 1hr or until it began to thicken.