Pumpkin Dip

This dip is good with nilla wafers, graham crackers, pretzels, and apples.  Use gluten free dippers if needed.


Pumpkin Dip

16 ounces canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese (set it out 10-20 min. to soften)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Powdered sugar to taste

In a food processor, mix the pumpkin, cream cheese and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Add sugar to taste until desired sweetness is reached.

You could probably use a hand mixer or wooden spoon to mix this up as well...it will just be a little more work to get smooth.

Pull Apart Bacon Bread

Pull-Apart Bacon Bread is a great appetizer or snack. I like to have pizza sauce for dipping, or just spice up some tomato sauce. The small sized can is about the right size, as the bread has plenty of flavor on its own.

Pull-Apart Bacon Bread
12 slices bacon, diced
1 (1 pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Pizza sauce for dipping

In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes or until partially cooked; drain on paper towels. Roll out dough to 1/2-in. thickness; brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cut into 1-in. pieces; place in a large bowl. Add the bacon, cheese, dressing mix and remaining oil; toss to coat. Arrange pieces in a 9-in. x 5-in. oval on a greased baking sheet, layering as needed. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Cover with foil; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Football Brunch

If you’re having company to watch an early football game, have brunch! Think of it as a “classier” version of kegs and eggs (because I am a classy lady…stop laughing)! Some of these recipes can be prepared the night before and popped in the oven in the morning so you can sleep in (if you're not too excited...I can always sleep in though). You can have the regular snacks available too…it’s after noon, so anything goes. Tell your guests to come hungry so they don’t eat a big breakfast. I was surprised at how well this went over last year when I made brunch for a game---beer and breakfast food go together just fine.

Brunch Ideas:French Toast Strata, recipe below
Breakfast Casserole, recipe below
Breakfast Cookies
Cut up Fruit, with or without fruit dip
Croissants or bagels
Bacon or sausage (everyone loves bacon)
Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll

Snacks:
Honey Chipotle Almonds or Pecans
Spicy Pretzels
Caramel Apple Bars (these are delicious), click link for recipe

Beverages:
Coffee with Kahlua or Baileys
Bloody Mary’s
Mimosas (yay!)
Cherry Hammocks (cherry vodka and pink lemonade with a floating cherry – courtesy of S.T.)
Most importantly, beer…because on football Saturday or Sunday, it’s never too early to starting drinking.

French Toast Strata

1/3 cup SPLENDA or sugar
1 cup egg substitute or equivalent egg whites
2/3 cup skim milk
3/4 teaspoon imitation maple flavor* or 3 T. maple syrup
8 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
2 cups peeled apples, thinly sliced
1/4 cup low fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon SPLENDA or sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8X8-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Blend together 1/3 cup Splenda, egg substitute, milk and maple flavor in a medium bowl. Tear cinnamon raisin bread into pieces, approx. 1-2 inches each. Add bread and sliced apples into mixing bowl with other ingredients. Toss to coat bread. Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Cut cream cheese into 8 chunks and place on top of strata. Blend remaining 1 Tbsp. Splenda Granulated and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over strata. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven 40-50 minutes, or until lightly browned and set. Serve with extra maple syrup.

Breakfast Casserole
6 slices bread, cubed
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. link sausage, fried and cubed, or bacon or ground pork, browned
6 eggs, beaten
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
Hot sauce, optional

Beat milk and eggs, add salt and mustard (I add hot sauce now too). Butter a deep dish and layer bread, sausage, and cheese, three layers of each. Top with egg mixture. Let set in refrigerator overnight. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve with hot sauce.

Donating Cell Phones and Inkjet Cartridges

Most people have an old cell phone or three in a drawer somewhere. There are plenty of charities and organizations that can benefit from the donation of your cell phone. Ask your friends and family if they have any to donate while you're at it. I’ve run collections at work for Cell Phones for Soldiers, a local battered women’s’ shelter (through Action Ohio), and am currently collecting cell phones and inkjet cartridges to benefit Komen Columbus, which is the local chapter of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Cell Phones for Soldiers collects old cell phones and to provide minutes on prepaid calling cards for U.S. Troops stationed overseas. ReCellular pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone—enough to provide an hour of talk time for soldiers so far from their families and friends . There are 40,000 drop off locations around the US and Canada or you can mail them using a postage-paid label from the website (or your own postage). You can also get a donation receipt for tax purposes off of the website and there are instructions on how to erase the data from your phone before you donate.
If you know a soldier overseas who is in need of a calling card, you can request that one be sent to him or her by providing the APO.

Did you know that deactivated but charged cell phones can still call 911? The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) partners with The Wireless Foundation on the CALL TO PROTECT program. Through the collection of deactivated cell and wireless phones, they are able to provide victims of domestic violence with a way to get help in emergency situations. These donated phones truly provide a lifeline to victims and their children. Phones that aren’t distributed for emergency use are sold to help fund agencies that work to end domestic violence.
If you’d prefer to donate to a battered women’s shelter, you could call your local police department to see if they know of a way to donate locally. In Ohio, you can donate yours to Action Ohio http://www.actionohio.org/ through a local dropoff or by requesting a pre-paid label. When I ran a collection drive at work, they even came to pick up the boxes of phones for free.

Do you have a soft spot for animals? Visit a PetSmart store and look for the PetSmart Charities recycling display to pick up a free postage-paid envelope to send your recyclable ink jet cartridges or cell phones. PetSmart Charities will receive a $2-$15 donation for every cartridge or phone recycled through this program. They only accept certain phones and cartridges, so make sure to check the list on the website.
Now you can purchase recycled inkjet and toner cartridges online here through Recycling for Pets. For each purchase (which ship for free), PetSmart Charities will receive between $2-$5.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Wraps

My sister gave me this recipe and I've made it several times. It's good as an appetizer, but I sometimes make it when we need just a little something to eat instead of a full meal. I'll take a picture next time and post it because it was hard for me to visualize what they'd look like before I made them the first time.


Sweet & Sour Chicken Wraps

1 cup chopped chicken (I've used canned before, drained)
2 T. chopped green onion
1 T. crushed pineapple (can use more, drain it a bit first)
2 T. honey
1 T. soy sauce
2 tsp. mustard
1 can crescent dinner rolls
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375. Combine chicken, green onions and pineapple in small bowl, mix well. In another small bowl, combine honey, soy, and mustard; blend well. Pour over chicken mixture; stir to coat. Pull out 1/2 dough and lay out. Press two triangles together in center, then cut in 1/2 to make two squares. Spoon chicken into each square, pull corners together and seal. Brush w/ eggs, sprinkle w/seeds. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or golden brown.

Cal 170, Prot 8g, Carbs 16g, Fat 8g

Thanks, Summy

Spicy Pretzels - Tailgate Food!

If you need something super-quick and super-easy for a tailgate or other party, these pretzels are excellent.

Spicy Pretzels

1/3 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
1 (1 ounce) package dry ranch dressing mix
1-1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less for tender tongues)
1 (16 ounce) bag pretzels (regular shape or sticks)

Mix everything except pretzels in a large bowl, glass is easier to clean after the oil. Dump pretzels in on top of the sauce (but try not to pour in all of the salt from the bottom of the bag). Stir until well coated and you get the spice mixture off the bottom of the bowl. They are ready to eat right away, but get better if they sit for alittle while to let the flavor absorb. Store in an airtight container.

(2) Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast cookies can be a decent grab-and-go breakfast for those who are too busy to stop and eat something in the morning. They are also great for a snack at any point in the day. Below are two (very) different breakfast cookies recipes that I've made...one is healthy, while the other is no-so-much (as it contains bacon). I'd love to try other recipes for breakfast cookies if you have one!


Healthy Breakfast Cookies
3 mashed bananas (ripe)
4 oz. applesauce (small plastic lunchbox container)
2 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
1/2 cup raisins (or any other dried fruit you want to add)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp Splenda , sugar or other sweetener.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes to let the oats become hydrated. Heap the dough by tsp onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool. Let it sit for ten minutes. Makes about 20.

Breakfast Cookies (with bacon!)

1/2 pound bacon (could use turkey)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups of multi-grain flakes or corn flakes
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon until very crisp, drain well and break into 1/2 inch pieces. Beat together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine flour and baking soda; stir into butter mixture. Stir in bacon, mult-grain flakes and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Space 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove to rack to cool--about 2 minutes, then remove from rack.

Honey-Chipotle Pecans (or Almonds)

These are quite possibly my favorite way to eat almonds. The problem is, I can’t make these very often because I can’t. stop. eating them when they are around. People LOVE these…I take these to events when I am too busy (lazy) to make something more involved and people tend to like them more than anything else I’d bring (except maybe these, because they involve chocolate, and chocolate usually wins). They are super simple and quick to make, but you’ll want an hour or so to let them cool/dry when they are finished so they don’t stick together.
If you don’t have chipotle powder, get it SOON! World Market sells it with their bagged spices for around $1.00. Buy a reusable glass spice jar in their kitchen section for another dollar and you are all set (I cut the spice name from the spice package and tape it to the jar with clear tape). If you haven’t noticed, many of the recipes that I post have it as an ingredient. I may have an addiction…

Honey-Chipotle Pecans (or Almonds)

2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons dried chipotle powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups pecan halves (or almonds)
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a skillet or pan, warm honey with chipotle powder and cinnamon over low heat, then add the nuts and stir to coat evenly. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and spread nuts evenly in a single layer on the sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes – you should start to be able to smell the nuttiness, but don’t let them burn. Allow to cool slightly (1 minute). While they are in the oven, combine sugar and salt in a mixing bowl large enough to hold and stir the nuts. Add the warm pecans or almonds and toss to coat evenly. Spread out on fresh sheet of waxed paper and let dry completely. Store in an airtight container.

These are a perfect fall/football snack.

Farmer’s Market Stuffed Peppers

This is my favorite time of year at the farmer’s markets. Red peppers are here. I’m not a huge fan of green peppers, but love the other peppers. Zucchini, squash, and tomatoes are still available, along with corn on the cob. Several varieties of hot peppers are available too. I often find myself with a fridge full of farmer’s market goodies and no exact plan for them. Here’s a plan.
**As with most of the recipes that I post, do what you like. I rarely follow a recipe exactly and there’s no need for you to do so either, which is why I don’t dictate exact measurements or ingredients. And you can also make up words like I do (thick-slice or liquid-y, which I chose to use instead of salsa-y).

Farmer’s Market Stuffed Peppers
Bell Peppers, halved and seeded (I like red)
Can of Black Beans
2 Tomatoes, chopped (or a can, drained)
Corn cut from 2 cobs (or 1 can, drained)
Zucchini or yellow squash, diced (or/and any other veggies you have around)
½ - 1 onion (red, white, whatever)
1 lime
Cooked chicken, diced or shredded (unless vegetarian), seasoned as you prefer (I used mexican)
Cilantro (desired amount)
Preferred seasonings, such as garlic, red pepper, pepper, cumin, chipotle, hot sauce, italian
Salt and pepper
Poblano pepper or other hot pepper, roasted, peeled and diced (optional)
Flavorful cheese of some sort: goat cheese, feta, bleu, smoked gouda

I think these taste better if you grill some of the veggies first, so if that is an option for you, thick-slice the zucchini/squash and onion so that you can grilled them without having them fall through the grate (or you can grill them diced if you have a grill pan). Just cook until they are slightly softened and grill-marked. While you’re at it, grill the chicken if it isn’t already cooked. And if you are using a hot pepper, you can blacken it on the grill and place it in a bowl with saran wrap for 10 minutes…the skin will peel right off—wear gloves and dispose of the seeds). Grill the fresh ears of corn, if you are so inclined. If you aren’t grilling, sauté the onion in a skillet and add the diced zucchini/squash for just two minutes or so---enough to soften slightly.

While those veggies are cooking, cut and dice the tomatoes and remove corn from cobs (or open the cans and drain) and drain and rinse the black beans. Toss all of these into a medium bowl. Squeeze the lime over the veggies, chop the cilantro if using (Trader Joe’s carries containers of small frozen cubes of cilantro—they thaw quickly in whatever you stir them into…only $1.99 or so), and put into the bowl . If the other veggies/chicken are done by this point, dice them if need and mix them in. Stir the rest of the seasoning in. Don’t worry about the amount…just sprinkle and taste and sprinkle again if needed. When the filling is done, stuff the peppers with it. You may have a lot of filling left, depending on the quantity and size of peppers—use it in a salad later (which is what I originally made the filling for), or just eat with a fork.

I grilled mine---I wrapped them in foil (not all the way around…just made a bowl) and put them on the grill for 20-30 minutes until the pepper looked softened. Or cook them in the oven for 30 minutes or so (just until the pepper is to the softness that you prefer). Shortly before they are done, sprinkle the cheese on top and put back on grill or in the oven until the cheese melts. I sprinkled a little more sea salt on top of mine to bring out the flavors of the cheese.

These are basically peppers stuffed with black bean and corn salsa, but less liquid-y than salsa. They have a very summer-like flavor, in contrast to traditional stuffed pepper, which are more late fall/winter fare to me.

Box Tops for Education

**This is part of a series of posts highlighting ways in which you can donate to community organizations and help others even when your budget doesn't have room for monetary support.

Before you throw away or recycle (hopefully) an empty package, see if there is a "box top for education" logo to be clipped. Save these "boxtops" from participating products to donate to a local school so that they can earn money through Box Tops for Education. Each clipped box top is worth 10 cents. Click on the link to find a local school where you can drop off your box tops if you don’t have any kids in school. I try to give mine to a lady whom I work with for her daughter’s school or take them with me when I visit family for my nieces and nephews schools. Participating products may include snacks, baby and child care items, cereal, beverages, frozen food, snacks, storage items, disposible dinnerware, school items, and more.

There are a couple of other ways to participate in the Box Tops for Education. You can make purchases at your favorite online stores through the Box Tops Marketplace or purchase books from Barnes and Noble.com through the Reading Room. My Class Essentials is a new program in which teachers can register for supplemental educational that they need for their classrooms. Parents (or other supporters) can search for a classroom registry list and either purchase the needed items or donate money to the registry. The school will earn 2% cash back with each registry purchase.

Each school can earn up to $60,000 per year through these Box Tops for Education programs! With school funding constantly being cut, every little bit can help.

Caramel Apple Bars

If you need a dessert for tailgating, a football party, or for Labor Day, these Caramel Apple Bars are perfect for the start of fall--and apples are abundant at the farmer's markets! I supposed I should mention that they are also DELICIOUS! I made theses several times last year when I had an abundance of tart apples from my Wayward Seed Farm CSA. (still kicking myself for not signing up in time this year...) Anyway, as I said, I used very tart apples but sweeter ones may be fine--they will just be extra-sweet bars. I don't know that I used shortening, because I'm not a big fan. I usually just use butter in place of it in recipes, so I imagine that I did the same for these--I just can't remember for sure.


Caramel Apple Bars

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium)
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 bag (14 ounces) caramels

Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, the oats, salt and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour; spread over mixture in pan. Heat caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted; pour evenly over apples. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. For 36 bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm. Store covered in refrigerator.

Calories 145; Fat 5 g; Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 130 mg; Carb 24 g Fiber 1g; Protein 2g

They aren't terrible for you...if you can limit yourself to just one. Good luck with that.

Sweet Grilled Bananas

If you are grilling out over the holiday weekend, consider making grilled bananas for dessert. These are very easy and you can make them as healthy (or unhealthy) as you like. Set out the toppings and let everyone customize their own!


Sweet Grilled Bananas

-Bananas
-Topping ideas:
semisweet chocolate or carob chips
chopped strawberries, peaches, or other fruit
granola or graham cracker crumbs
mini marshmallows
chopped walnuts or pecans
caramel
candy bar pieces
peanut butter
nutella
coconut
cool whip or ice cream for just before serving
Obviously, use gluten-free toppings if you can't have gluten

Preheat grill to medium heat. Hold each banana in your hand, curved side up, and halve it lengthwise through the top of the peel without cutting through the bottom side. Arrange each banana on a piece of foil, cradled so it sits up.
Using your fingers, gently pry open each banana, making a space down the center for the toppings. Arrange toppings down the center of each banana.
Fold foil around each banana, leaving the top open, to form a bowl that will protect it from direct heat. Arrange bananas on grill and cook until banana is tender and marshmallows and chocolate are melted and hot (if using), about 10 minutes. Set aside to let cool slightly before serving, topping with cool whip or ice cream, if desired.

When I made these I used chocolate chips, mini marshmallow, and graham cracker crumbs for toppings. I served them with 1 scoop vanilla bean ice cream. They are very sweet, so the ice cream really isn't necessary.

What toppings would you use?

Kroger Community Rewards

Over the next month or two, I will be highlighting ways that you can support organizations or help others in your community even when you don't have extra money in your budget to make donations. Let me know if you are aware of other such programs!

If you live in Ohio or Michigan* and shop at Kroger, you have an opportunity support a school, church, or non-profit organization in your community every time your Kroger Plus Card is scanned through Kroger Community Rewards. Kroger has designated up to $5,000,000, to be distributed to the participating organizations this year. There doesn't appear to be a "master list" of programs available, but I typed in "colum" (for Columbus) in the search box and a lot of options came up. If you live outside of Columbus, try typing in the first couple of letters of the city in which your Kroger is located to see if any organizations are registered. If you can't find any local programs to support, consider supporting one the Columbus organizations. Within 7-10 days of registering you will see the name of the organization that you selected at the bottom of your receipts. The Kroger Plus Card may only be registered for one organization at a time, but it can be changed whenever you choose. Participants must re-enroll on an annual basis for the organization of their choice. Some of the organizations that I noticed are the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus, Columbus Metropolitain Library Foundation, Columbus Chapter of the Red Cross, The Children's Theatre, The Columbus Zoo, The Columbus AIDS Task Force, along with many others.

If you are the coordinator of an organization which could benefit from this program, click here for more information about signing up.

If you shop at Kroger, please considering registering your Kroger card. It takes very little effort and could really help these organizations in this economy. Let me know if you do in the comments!

*This program is not available in Cincinnati, Dayton, Springfield, or Lambertville