Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

                                                         Picture source: 100 Best Cupcake Recipes

These cupcakes were fantastic!  For the cake part,  I just used my favorite recipe for pumpkin bars and added a maple frosting from the book, 100 Best Cupcake Recipes.

For the cupcakes:
 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs at room temperature


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.  In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin, sugar, oil, and eggs on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.    Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.  Bake for 18 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Maple Frosting

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) softened butter
3 tbs. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbs milk (if necessary)

Beat butter in a large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add maple syrup and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.  Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add 1 to 2 tbs milk, if necessary, to reach desired spreading consistency (I did not add any milk).  Garnish the top with a candy pumpkin or candy corn.
Yield: about 2 1/2 cups.  

Roasted Broccoli

Roasted veggies are so delicious!  I discovered this dish many years ago and it is definitely my favorite way to eat broccoli.  This is a very simple side dish that can be served alongside beef, chicken, pork or fish.  Feel free to add other veggies to the broccoli.  Cauliflower, carrots and peppers would all be wonderful.

Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 heads fresh broccoli, separated into florets

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper and garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until florets are tender enough to pierce the stems with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle parmesan cheese (if desired) over broccoli before serving.

Baked Oven Fries

These fries were amazing!  They were easy to make and so delicious!  They will definitely be a regular in our house!

Baked Oven Fries

via:  Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges

5 tbs vegetable oil, divided

3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/4 tsp pepper, plus more to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes. Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this). Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

7-Up Biscuits

Image Source: Plain Chicken

This recipe is from Plain Chicken (love her!).  They were easy to make and came out so delicious!  The biggest challenge was that this recipe makes a very sticky dough.  It was not easy to pat them out and get them into the pan without having dough stuck to everything (even with using extra baking mix on the counter and my hands).  I think next time I make this, (and there will be a next time) instead of patting and cutting the dough I might just be a little more rustic and grab globs of dough and put it in the pan :-).  

7-Up Biscuits

via: Plain Chicken

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7-up

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 450.

Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.

Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan.  Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken Parmesan

I have to let you in on a little secret.   Well, I guess it may not be a secret to some, but I have recently made the decision to join Weight Watchers.  Over the years I have seen the weight on the scale slowly creeping up, however the number I see now I have not seen since I was NINE months pregnant with my little ones.  While I do hope to shed some of these extra pounds, I really just want to be healthier.  I love junk food and sweets and I hate to exercise.  This lifestyle may have been ok 10 years ago but the older I get the more I notice this is not ok.  I want to feel better and I want to have more energy.  I have learned a great deal about healthier food choices, especially appropriate portion sizes, through the Weight Watchers website.  What I love about their program is that you can still eat whatever you want...you just can't have as much as you want.  I have been experimenting with some of the Weight Watchers recipes and have not found one yet that wasn't a hit with my whole family!  That is a huge plus!

I debated about whether or not to post these recipes on my blog because I don't want to turn it into a "Healthy Food Blog".  And I have no intentions of doing that.  But when I thought about why I started this blog in the first place, I realized that yes, I want to share the recipes that I love with others, but first and foremost I started this blog as a way to keep track of all the recipes I love and want to use again.  I refer to my blog all the time when I meal plan and cook so in order for this blog to continue to serve me I decided to post the recipes I love because even if they are lower in calories and fat they are still delicious!

 Picture Source: Weight Watchers

This recipe comes from www.weightwatchers.com.  It is the best chicken parmesan I have ever had.  I've never been a huge fan of chicken parm as I've always found it to be too rich.  This was so fresh tasting and so delicious.  I served mine with long grain and wild rice and mixed vegetables.  So yummy!

Chicken Parmesan
via: Weight Watchers


Prep: 10 min        Ready in: 75 min.         PointsPlus Value: 8

29 oz canned diced tomatoes, with Italian herbs (2 cans) 
1 tsp Italian seasoning 
1/2 tsp dried basil   
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper   
1 Tbsp sugar 
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (I omitted this)
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4-oz pieces   
1/2 cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs, Italian   
4 tsp olive oil, divided 
1 spray(s) cooking spray
3/4 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese   
1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, fresh   

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 35 minutes. Stir in sugar and vinegar; simmer 5 minutes.
  
• Preheat oven to 350°.
  
• Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1⁄2-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.
  
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 chicken breast halves to pan; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and chicken breast halves.
  
• Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour tomato mixture evenly over chicken, and sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, 3⁄4 cup tomato mixture, and 1 ounce cheese mixture).

Basil Chicken Over Pasta

This recipe comes from my recipe binder, which means I'm not really sure where it originally came from.  It is a very simple and delicious dish.  It's also great with Italian sausage instead of chicken.

Basil Chicken Over Pasta


2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped (1/2 tsp jarred)
2 C. chicken, cooked and chopped
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 finely diced onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 3 tbs. dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/3-1/2 box spaghetti
Parmesan cheese

Boil pasta and drain.  Sautee onion in hot oil until tender but not brown (1-2 min).  Stir in tomatoes, chicken, basil and salt.  Reduce heat to medium, cover skillet and simmer 5 minutes.  Add pasta to skillet and stir to combine.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Recipe linked up to Mandy's Recipe Box Linky Party.

Fudge Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting

Picture Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

I found these cupcakes this morning and new I had to make them right away.  I am so glad I did because I honestly think they are one of them best things I have ever made.  Not only were they really quick and easy but they are so so so amazingly delicious!  I followed the recipe exactly and although it says you can substitute your favorite brownie mix for the brownies, I honestly don't see why you would want to.  The brownies are pretty quick to put together and they really are so tasty.  The cookie dough frosting was really easy too and it tastes just like cookie dough!  I will definitely be making this again.  Next time though I think I will make these in mini muffin tins because they are so rich.  Even I couldn't eat more than a few bites at a time.  The recipe says it makes 10-12 cupcakes, I only got 8 cupcakes out of this recipe.  

Fudge Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting

Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• cookie dough frosting (recipe below)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper cups.
2. Melt butter in the microwave in a large microwave safe bowl. Mix in the sugar until smooth and microwave for about 1 minute. Stir the mixture until smooth again. Whisk in the vanilla and eggs.
3. In a seperate bowl, mix together the salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, and flour. Slowly add to the wet ingredients and stir until completely combined.
4. Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake in the prepared muffin tin for about 8-10 minutes (mine took a little under 9 minutes). Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Notes

*You could easily use boxed brownie mix as a shortcut, but you would need to adjust the frosting accordingly since the cookie dough frosting recipe below only makes enough for 10-12 cupcakes.
*Depending on how full you fill the muffin tins, you could get anywhere from 8-12 cupcakes. I filled mine about 2/3 full.

Cookie Dough Frosting

makes enough to frost 10-12 cupcakes

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temp
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp milk (I used vanilla almond milk, but soy or regular would be fine)
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

1. In the bowl of a stand alone mixer with paddle attachment OR using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy.
2. Add the vanilla and beat well. Stir in the flour and salt until doughy.
3. Stir in the milk and beat until fluffy. Gently fold in chocolate chips + frost brownie cupcakes.

*I find these cupcakes are best served cold.  I kept mine in the fridge.  It also helped to avoid the cookie dough frosting from melting.