Pumpkin Drop Cookies

I made pumpkin drop cookies the other day for work and they were a big hit! So, I thought I would share the recipe in case you were feeling like a cookie:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg

Glaze:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm pumpkin cookies.

Yummy!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, so it is not an original from me. I think I will be making these every year from now on. I have said it before and I will say it again...I love pumpkin!

Foodie Fridays

My friend Fran started a Foodie Friday on her blog, so I thought I would play along. And of course I have to be difficult because the first recipe I am posting isn't really a food. But oh well, it is a great glaze so I hope you will give it a try.

We have tried it on a lot of things but marinating chicken and steak in this teriyaki glaze seems to work the best. We usually have some left over marinade so we reduce it and put it on top of the meat.

Teriyaki Glaze

1 C. pineapple juice
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. honey
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ginger

Yep, that is all there is too it. I put it all in a bowl, whisk it together and pour it over the meat to marinate. Yummy!

Cheesy Chicken Bake

I was writing this recipe on a recipe card and thought it would be a great one to share. I got it out of my 365 Easy Chicken Recipes cookbook. It is very good and very simple to make! I don't even like swiss cheese but love this recipe.

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 slices Swiss cheese
1 (10 oz.) can of cream of chicken soup
1 (8 oz.) box of chicken stuffing mix

Flatten each chicken breast with a rolling pin and place in a greased 9x13" baking dish. Place cheese over chicken. Combine chicken soup and 1/2 C. water and pour over chicken. Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions and spread evenly over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degree for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

An easy cookie recipe!

I thought I might share an easy cookie recipe with you this holiday season. Last year, Frannie and I got together to make Christmas cookies to send to our husbands and friends in Afghanistan. She shared her Peanut Butter Blossom recipe that I have made many times since then. I actually made it a few weeks ago for Aaron to take to class. Men do like cookies!

I know the recipe probably sounds familiar. And I had made these cookies before Fran but she had a very quick and easy recipe that included Bisquick. I know right!? Bisquick? I don't know maybe that is how all of you have been making them but I had never heard of it. Trust me they are good!

So here is a recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms:

Mix:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Add:

2 cups Bisquick

Make into small balls of dough. Then roll them in a little bowl of sugar, just enough to coat them. Once all the little cookie balls are on the cookie sheet, bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Once baked, top the warm cookies with Hershey Kisses. I am going to try mini Reese's Cups this year so hopefully Sydney (my crazy 6 year old niece who doesn't like most chocolate) will eat them.

I hope this recipe helps give you at least one short cut for baking Christmas cookies this season. Enjoy!