The Greatest Pumpkin Bars. Ever.

I pretty much love anything made with pumpkin.  Once there is the tiniest sign of Fall (which is hard to spot in AZ) I start to crave pumpkin treats and pumpkin bars will definitely do the trick!

I have tried many different recipes for pumpkin bars and have found them all to be pretty similar.  

Until the day I tried the ones from Magnolia Bakery.  From Magnolia Bakery's cookbook that is, which is written by Allysa Torey and Jennifer Appel.  They were the original owners of the famous Magnolia Bakery.  Magnolia now has new owners but I'm sure it is just as delicious as ever and if I ever get to New York I will definitely be stopping by!

What makes these pumpkin bars different is they are so wonderfully moist!  And the homemade cream cheese frosting really puts them over the edge.  I definitely recommend you try this recipe!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing
Via The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Bars:

1 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
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans (I omit these)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.  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.  Stir in the pecans (if using).  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before icing the top with cream cheese icing.  Garnish with pecans as desired.


Icing:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
3 tbs butter, softened and cut into small pieces
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add the vanilla and beat well.  Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating continuously until smooth and creamy.  Cover and refrigerate icing for 2 to 3 hours, but no longer, to thicken before using.

Meal Plan Monday ~ Week of Oct. 24

It's been a long time since I've posted my meal plan for the week.  Sadness, I know.  Things have been so busy lately.  It seems like since school started in August there has been at least one late training a week, and usually more than one.

My district is piloting the new teacher evaluation process which will go into effect for all teachers in 2014.  This means that we all had to be trained in all areas of the evaluation process by October, and there are quite a few parts to it. 

Last week I had trainings until 5:00 on Monday and Tuesday and parent/teacher conferences until 7:00 pm on Thursday.  So basically Wednesday was the only day I was able to be home at a decent time in the evening.  I generally do not cook on days that I am home that late.  I just don't have the energy. 

The silver lining is that the majority of the late meeting madness is over!  This means that I will be able to get home at a decent time, cook dinner, help the kids with homework and maybe even have time to read my blogs and work on a knitting/crochet project.  And this makes me very happy!  :)

So here is my meal plan for the week.  As usual, it is partially Pinterest inspired and anything in red will be added soon!

Sunday - Chicken and dressing casserole , sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce (Thanksgiving anyone?)

Monday - Meatloaf, au gratin potatoes, veggie of some sort

Tuesday - Chili Mac with cornbread topping, salad

Wednesday - BBQ Chicken Calzones, chips, fruit

Thursday - Italian ham and grilled cheese sandwiches and vegetable soup.

Friday - Mom's night off :).

Dessert this week is Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Have a great week everyone!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are a variation of Vanilla Pudding Cookies, which are amazing!  Just like their plain chocolate chip cousins, the pudding mix makes these cookies wonderfully soft and moist!  And the best part?  Since they are made with oatmeal, I am pretty sure they count as breakfast!  :).

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Via Taste of Home

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I omitted these)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Combine the oats, flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. 

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks.

Yield: about 7 dozen

Easy Parmesan Knots

Last Sunday I had a very sweet friend over for a visit.  Because she loves food just as much as me, I made Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, lettuce wedge salads and these delicious rolls. 

Because they are made with very simple ingredients - canned biscuits, oil and a few seasonings, they came together really quickly.  You could easily vary the seasonings to suit your tastes.

Easy Parmesan Knots
via Real Mom Kitchen

Ingredients

1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I did use the green can stuff)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Roll each biscuit into a 12-in. rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; brush the warm knots with the mixture.

Fiesta Chicken Casserole

Today's recipe is another winner from Plain Chicken.

It is a great weeknight meal as it was quick and easy to put together and very tasty.  I used my favorite canned chicken from Costco which made this simple dish even easier!  You could also use rotisserie chicken.

This also makes great leftovers for lunch the next day!

Fiesta Chicken Casserole
via plain chicken

3 cup cooked chopped chicken
1 cup instant rice (uncooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used 98% fat free)
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles, undrained
1 Tbsp Southwestern or Taco seasoning
2 Tbsp milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips or Doritos (I used Doritos)

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine chicken, rice, soup, Rotel, seasoning, milk and 1 1/2 cups of cheese.  Pour into a lightly greased 9x9 pan.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Top casserole with crushed chips and remaining cheese, bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Twice Baked Potatoes

On Sundays I love to cook a really yummy meal.  One that takes a little more time and effort since I don't get to make things like that during the week.  If you love baked potatoes with all the fixins you will love these.

These potatoes are a bit time consuming making them the perfect weekend side dish.  Or you can make them ahead and just heat them up for a quick and delicious side dish during the week!

My recipe is for four people but you can easily adapt it to make as many as you need.  Just increase the sour cream.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients: 
 
4 russet potatoes
8 oz. sour cream
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 tbs. butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped green onion (optional)
olive oil
salt
paprika

Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Scrub the potatoes under cold running water until clean.  Rub the skins with olive oil and sprinkle with salt (I prefer Kosher salt but regular salt is fine too). 

Bake the potatoes directly on the rack of the oven for 90 minutes or until a knife goes in easily.  (If your potatoes are really large they will probably take closer to 2 hours to cook).  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10-15 minutes.  Then cut them in half lengthwise and allow to cool until you can handle them without burning your hands.

Once cool, scoop the potato out into a bowl, leaving about 1/4 inch border.  You do not want the skins to collapse.  Mash the potato with butter.  Mix in the sour cream, bacon, cheese and green onion. 

Fill the potato shells with mashed potato mixture.  At this point you can wrap them up and put them in the fridge to use another day.  If making the same day, put potatoes on a cookie sheet, sprinkle some paprika on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through.  I like to then pop them under the broiler to crisp up the tops.

NOTE:  You can also bake your potatoes in the microwave to save massive amounts of time.  But I really think cooking them in the oven helps them keep their shape and makes the skin (which is most nutritious part) so much more delicious!

Slow Cooker Chocolate Cobbler

I found and pinned this recipe a while back and have had it on my "to make" list for quite some time.  Finally, today I got around to making it!

I decided to go all out on dinner tonight.  We had steak, twice baked potatoes, fresh corn on the cob and chocolate cobbler for dessert.  It was A-MA-ZING!! 

This recipe uses very simple ingredients that you probably already have in the house.  It's very simple to make, you just throw it all into the slow cooker and a few hours later you have a chocolate cake with a delicious fudgy sauce.  It's literally a crock pot full of heaven!

I recommend having this cake with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream but it would still be delicious by itself.  The nice thing about this cake is that it has wonderful chocolate flavor but it's not overly sweet or rich.  It really is my idea of the perfect dessert.

Chocolate Cobbler in the Slow Cooker
via Eat At Home

Ingredients

1 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 Tbs. cocoa

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 Tbs. cocoa

1 1/2 cups hot water 

Instructions

Spray the inside of the slow cooker crock with cooking spray.  

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, 3 Tbs. cocoa and 3/4 cup white sugar.  Stir milk, melted butter and vanilla into the flour mixture until smooth. Pour into the greased crock.  

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the white sugar, brown sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle over the top of the batter in the crock.  

Pour hot water over the top of ingredients in the slow cooker. Do not stir!  Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Remove the lid and let stand for several minutes before serving. 

At first, it will be a bit too liquidy, but should thicken up after several minutes.