Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

These are soooo good!  Perfect for that pumpkin craving!  :) 

I found this recipe at www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

*Makes 24 muffins

For the muffins:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice*
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and whip until smooth. Form into a log on plastic wrap or greased foil, making sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, 1-2 hours.

To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In another large bowl combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well 1/3 of the way with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into 24 equal slices. Place a slice on top of the batter in each muffin well and gently press (don’t press all the way to the bottom but just slightly into the batter). Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top of the muffin (about 1/3 of the way down) comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

*My tip: if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use the following combination: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cloves. Mix together and you have the equivalent of 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

I made these last Sunday for our Conference breakfast!  Yum yum yum!  

The Cinnabon Rolls

1 cup warm milk 
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted 
4 1/2 cups bread flour or regular flour (bread flour makes for a lighter cinnamon roll)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pkg yeast (1/4 ounce) 


Filling:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened 


Icing:
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt 


Microwave milk for 45-60 seconds in the microwave. Dissolve yeast in warm milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour. Mix well. Knead dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. Put in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size. *Our house is so cold I have a hard time getting things to rise. If I turn on the oven and then put the rolls on top of the stove, the oven generates enough heat for them to rise.


In a small bowl, thoroughly combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Spray surface with cooking spray or sprinkle flour on it. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread dough with 1/3 cup softened butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough starting with the longer side and cut into 12 rolls (or more smaller rolls). Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. *After this I would put them in the refrigerator for the next morning if you are doing them the night before. 


Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on while they are still warm so that the frosting melts into the roll.

Cheesy Garlic Bread Swirls

I received the Our Best Bites cookbook in the mail the other day and it has so many recipes I want to try! Here is what I made tonight:
Cheesy Garlic Bread Swirls
Recipe by Our Best Bites

French Bread Dough:
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4-5 1/2 c. flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg yolk

Garlic Butter:
1/2 c. (1 stick) of real butter, no substitutions
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning

Shredded mozzarella cheese


Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk (set white aside for later) and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead, either by hand or in mixer (my personal and very lazy choice) for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.

While dough is rising, combine butter and garlic bread seasoning. Set aside.

Now…here’s a little trick I’ve been using a lot lately. I really, really hate cleaning up flour on my work surface after I’ve been working with dough, but I obviously have to use SOMETHING to keep it from sticking. If you spray a little non-stick cooking spray on your work surface and your rolling pin, your dough won’t stick and clean-up is super easy!

Anyway, roll your rough into a rectangle that’s about 18-20 inches by 6 inches. Smear garlic butter over the entire surface of the dough and then sprinkle with cheese.

Roll up jelly-roll style and then use dental floss to cut into 12 equal slices. Of course, I kind of forgot to take pictures of this whole process, but if what I’m saying makes no sense, check out the orange roll recipe to see what I’m talking about. Place each slice in a muffin tin. Cover with a clean cloth. Preheat oven to 350 and allow rolls to rise while the oven is heating.

When the oven is ready, bake for 18-22 minutes.

You’re going to need to keep a CLOSE eye on these puppies during the last 10 minutes or so–once you notice the cheese getting brown, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the rolls (you don’t need to press it down or anything, just lay it on top). This will keep the cheese from burning, although it will get pretty brown on top. It’s okay, though, because the insides are still all ooey-gooey.

New Favorite Frosting Recipe!

I have a secret love affair with this frosting!!! Oh, guess it's not really a secret now! haha Every frosting recipe I have tried hasn't been the greatest...I like butter cream frosting but I LOVE a good whipped frosting ....and this recipe incorporates both!

Whipped Buttercream Frosting
Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling
recipe by ourbestbites.com

3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best, but I used non-fat when it's all I have and it's actually fine)
1/2 C real butter
1/2 C sugar (that's granulated sugar, not powdered sugar)
1 t vanilla extract, or other flavor if you wish.

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. I think this is the critical point for any of you who have had problems with this recipe. I have a feeling people are under-cooking this part. Let it cook, while stirring, until it looks like pudding (you should be able to see the bottom of the pan when you stir it). Even though it's thick, you can still it through a mesh strainer (just whisk the mixture in the strainer to push the thick stuff through) and then let it cool completely to room temp. or chill it in the fridge. It needs to be cooled completely. If you don't let it cool completely, it will melt the butter and you'll have runny frosting.

It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You'll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat on the highest speed you can get to without it spraying all over the place for 7 minutes. Yes, 7 whole minutes, maybe even 8 or 9. I know that seems like a long time, but that's when the magic happens!

You will be scared because it will look like a weird goopy mess at first and you'll wonder what on earth you did wrong. Keep beating and something amazing happens. It goes from that goopy mess to something thick, velvety smooth, and perfectly fluffy.
Use it to fill cupcakes or other pastries, or as a frosting on top. You can't go wrong putting this on just about anything :)

One batch makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes .


After trouble-shooting with a lot of people, here are some helpful Notes:

1. Use real butter, and a good name-brand. Cheap butter does weird things.

2. If you beat for the 6-8 minutes and the mixture still looks strange, beat longer and at a higher speed if you can. It should come together, but it takes a little patience!

3. Store at room temperature in a sealed container. Frosting may separate in the fridge, but you can store it overnight if left at room temp and in a well sealed container.

Creamy Fruit Dip

1 (8 ounce) container cool whip
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
4-8 oz cream cheese, Softened

In a mixing bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and Marshmallow fluff until smooth
Fold in the whipped topping
Serve chilled w/ your favorite fruit!

Toffee Apple Dip

My Sister makes this dip all the time and I love it! So thank you Jamie for the awesome recipe!
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8-oz.) package toffee bits or just 1/2 a bag if you want it more dip like
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Cream together everything but the toffee
2. Mix in toffee until well incorporated
3. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Chocolate Explosion Cookies

Kelli always buys these Chocolate Explosion Cookies from his store and I found a similar recipe that has white chocolate chips and toffee in it! He loved them ...now hopefully he will stop buying those super expensive cookies!! haha

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1/4 c. Smart Balance margarine (or similarly high-quality margarine)
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. packed DARK brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 c. Heath bits
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips*
1/4 c. white chocolate chips*

*You can use 1 c. chocolate chips instead of splitting it up between the semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, but the white chocolate chips make these cookies extra-special.

Preheat oven to 375. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Combine brown sugar, white sugar, butter, margarine, and vanilla in a large bowl until well-blended. Add in eggs and beat well. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until combined. Add in chocolate and white chocolate chips and then mix the toffee bits until they're just combined. Drop dough (I use a cookie scoop) onto the cookie sheets and bake 8-10 minutes (10 is perfect in my oven, but each one is different) until the cookies are lightly brown. Allow to cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. The cooling rack is very important in this recipe because the toffee will make the cookies stick to the pan if you're not careful.
I found this recipe at Our Best Bites!

Baked Ziti

I made this last night and everyone loved it!

Baked Ziti

1 pound ziti
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook ziti until al dente, drain and set aside. Cook the ground beef with the onion and drain fat. Add spaghetti sauce and let simmer for at least 15 minutes. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer 1/2 the ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 the sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella, remaining sauce and top with parmesan cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I found this recipe At See Jane in the Kitchen!
Notes from Jane:
This always gets rave reviews and every time I have made it for someone else they asked for the recipe. It is one of those dishes that taste even better the next day. I just made this for a birthday dinner and doubled it. I assembled it in the morning and put it in the fridge until it was time to eat. If you put it in the oven cold be sure to add at least 30 minutes to cooking time. Also, if you make it for a crowd and double it, only use three jars of sauce, not four.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2 C flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. cream of tartar

¼ tsp. salt

½ C butter,softened

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 C milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 C sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine softened butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Combine this mixture with the dry ingredients and mix lightly just until combined.. Do not over mix.

Mix together cinnamon and sugar.
Fill your muffin tins with batter and then top each muffin with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Use a lot!
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
I found this yummy recipe here: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com

Lemon Creme Chicken

I found this recipe on on http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com and we all loved it!
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten with a tbsp of water
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Fresh mushrooms
1 tbsp capers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons, juiced
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 1/2 – 1 cup)
2 tbsp Olive oil
6 tbsp Butter, divided

Preheat oven to 350º and preheat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil & butter.

If using mushrooms, wash and slice them.
Pound each chicken breast until flat and even, about 1/2 inch thick. Season both sides with salt & pepper. Grate or shave a generous amount (about 1/2 cup)of the Parmesan with a vegetable peeler or grater and add into the bread crumbs and toss together. Save some Parmesan for the sauce.

Using 3 plates or pie tins fill one with flour, one with beaten egg and one with bread crumbs with shaved Parmesan. Lightly cover each chicken breast in each; flour first, egg second and bread crumb mixture last.

Place coated chicken breasts into a preheated skillet with olive oil and melted butter. Brown 2-3 minutes on both sides. Remove from skillet and place into casserole dish. Then place in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Do not overcook or the chicken will be tough.

Add 2 more Tablespoons of butter and mushrooms into skillet and cook until mushrooms begin to brown. Add capers and garlic to mixture. Deglaze the skillet with the chicken stock & lemon juice, scraping the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add 2 more tbsp butter and the heavy cream. Mix together well and turn to low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken and will coat the back of a spoon. Right before serving sprinkle in some shaved or grated Parmesan and stir till it melts.
After removing the chicken from the oven place on a serving platter. Pour the creme sauce over top and serve.

Orange Julius

Orange Julius
Ingredients:
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
12 ice cubes

Directions:
1. Combine ingredients, except cubes in blender.
2. Blend 1-2 minutes, adding ice cubes one at a time until smooth.

Creamy Corn Chowder and Italian Bread Bowls

While attending BYU-I my close roommate Ashley and I would meet up once a week on campus and have Corn Chowder and bread bowls! With it snowing yesterday here in Texas, I was really craving that little taste of Rexburg! I found this recipe and had to give it a try! My family LOVED this! Miss you Ash!! :)


Italian Bread Bowls - From my friend Kelsey's Blog
Ingredients:
2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, oil, and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume. About 40 minutes.
4. Punch dough down and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise n a warm place, free from drafts until double in bulk. About 35 minutes.
5. Preheat over to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.
6. Bake in preheated over for 15 minutes. Brush with remaiing egg mixture, and bake 10-15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
7. To make bowls: cut a 1/2 inch tick slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centers leaving 3/4 inch thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

Creamy Corn Chowder from Our Best Bites
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. water
2 1/2 c. milk (skim or 1% work just fine and lighten it up considerably)
2 regular-sized chicken bouillon cubes, 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube, or 2 tsp. chicken base
1/2 lb. bacon (optional)
1 small onion, minced
2 red potatoes, diced into small cubes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can corn, drained or about 1 1/2 C frozen fresh corn
Salt and pepper to taste
A few dashes of hot sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)


Fry bacon until crisp. In the meantime, melt butter over low heat in a soup pot. When melted, add flour to make a roux and whisk until it comes together in a little ball. Add water and whisk until completely combined and there are no lumps. Add milk and chicken base or bouillon and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes, onions, and garlic, and simmer (but don't boil!), stirring very frequently, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add crumbled bacon and corn and heat through. Add a few drops of hot sauce and then salt to taste. The reason why I don't have an exact measurement is that while the soup REALLY needs salt, bacon also really differs in its saltiness, so it can be super easy to make this soup waaaaay too salty. Start with about 1/4 tsp., give it a few minutes, and then add more if you need it.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with extra bacon and/or cheese if you want.


Serves 6-8.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (No Bake!)

My husband was commenting on how much peanut butter we had in the pantry...so I decided to put it to good use! The first time I tried these my adopted brother Danny made it and my whole family couldn't get enough of it! So yummy and addictive! He gave me the recipe, but I wasn't able to find it! However, I found a similar recipe on one of my favorite recipe blogs http://www.ourbestbites.com

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 lb (3 1/2 C) powdered sugar
1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 C (2 sticks) real butter, melted
1 12oz bag chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark, you pick!)
2 tsp peanut butter for chocolate mixture

In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and butter and beat until combined. Press into a parchment (or waxed paper or foil) lined 9x13 pan.

Place chocolate chips and and 2 tsp peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over peanut butter mixture and spread out evenly. Place pan in the fridge just until chocolate is set and then cut into bars. Tip: If the bars chill until the chocolate is too hard to easily cut, use a sharp knife and score the cuts first, then gently cut through. Can be stored in the fridge or at room temp. They will stay firmer if stored in the fridge.