Carolina City Girl's Friend's Mom's Pumpkin Bread

A couple days ago I stumbled upon a new blog I am in love with (http://carolinacitygirl.blogspot.com/)! Of course it has nothing to do with the fact she is a fellow Meredith College alumna (it actually has a lot to do with that). She too loves all things Meredith and yummy! In one of her post she highlights her roommate's mother's pumpkin bread recipe. I have been searching the world over for an easy recipe so when I found this one I just couldn't resist. With the fall season still upon us I thought I'd give it a try!

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
3 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
2/3 c. water
4 eggs
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
optional: 1 1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans or use non-stick spray for about 32 muffin tins.

Mix first 5 ingredients with an electric mixer for 1 minute on low speed. Sift the dry ingredients together, then slowly incorporate into wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until moist, then mix for 1 minute at medium speed. If using white chocolate chips, fold the chips into the mixture using a spatula. Pour into greased loaf pans or fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 60-75 minutes, using a toothpick to check when done. For muffins, bake for about 20 minutes.

Carolina City Girl's trick to keeping chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom... toss in a tablespoon of flour before adding to the batter! (One more reason to love her!)

Poor Man's Cobbler

A few years ago my mother in law gave me this recipe. It was passed down to her from our dear "Aunt Peggy." It was always one of the hubs favorite so I had to learn how to make it. It is called "poor man's cobbler" because the ingredients are one's people always had around "back in the day." My grandmother calls this same recipe "A Cuppa Cobbler" because you use a cup of flower, a cup of sugar, and a cup of milk. The flour you use is KEY so make sure to use self rising or it will NOT work. Trust me I tried to use all purpose the other day and needless to say it did not turn out the way we wanted it to!

Ingredients

1 stick of butter or margarine
1 cup of self rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 bag frozen fruit of your choice (I personally think blueberry and strawberry work best)

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in baking dish and place in oven. Let butter melt. In a separate bowl mix flour, sugar, and milk together. Once butter has melted pour fruit into the dish (you don't even have to take it out of the oven). Next pour the flour/sugar/milk mixture on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until nice and golden brown. Serve with ice cream or cool whip for an extra sweet treat!

Pig Pickin' Cake

Nobody knows a pig pickin' like me. I love everything about them. The BBQ, fixin's, friends, and family make them something special! With warm weather around the corner I thought I'd post my version of this yummy cake perfect for grilling season and of course a Pig Pickin'.

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup oil
Eggs (according to package direction)
11 oz. can mandarin oranges
1 can crushed pineapples with juice
9 oz. Cool Whip
1 box instant vanilla pudding

Cake Directions

Grease three cake pans and flour. COmbine cake mix, oranges, oil, and eggs until blended. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes.

Icing Directions

Fold in cool whip to pineapples and pudding powder. Mix until stiff. Ice the top and sides of all three layers of the cake.

Put in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

White Trash

Aside from the crockpot candy I realized I do not have many recipes for sweets on here. So without further hesitation here is my recipe for an easy, yummy sweet treat! I call it "White Trash" because I use a white trash bag to mix it in but my friends who make it refer to it as "Muddy Buddies," "Puppy Chow," or "Monkey Munch." Whatever you call it I promise you'll love it! This recipe is perfect for the holidays or when you need something sweet to munch on!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
9 cups corn or rice (Chex) cereal
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Melt together butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. Pour mixture over Chex. Place the mixture in a large bag (brown paper grocery bag or freezer bag work well) and shake well with powered sugar. Move to wax paper to cool.

OMG Y'all!

This afternoon my mama called and gave me the most EXCITING news a girl could ask for! In just a few weeks my mama, my grandma, and me are going to see PAULA DEEN LIVE! Am I dreaming? I can hardly wait!

There is a "Celebrity Chef" tour going on in a town near by and Paula Deen is one of the chefs. She will be doing demos, taking questions from the audience, and telling stories. As a fan I am thrilled to be able to go to such an event! To top it off her family will be there too! I have met her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, and they are a hoot so it should be a ton of fun!

A BIG thank you goes out to my wonderful MAMA who I love dearly! She certainly made my day. I cannot wait to spend that special time with her and my grandma!

Now the question is... do I wear an apron or not. ;)

Snow Day Turkey Chili

I have always been a big fan of chili but I have never found a recipe I could make myself that I liked. From the crock pot to the dutch oven I was unsuccessful every time. Today I was determined to make some yummy chili! I took a few recipes I found on the internet, tweeked them, and created my own recipe. Needless to say, my search is over! This recipe is easy and quick! I also love the added cinnamon. It is certainly a surprisingly delicious "secret ingredient." Serve this with some corn bread and you are good to go!

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 whole medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15-16 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 - 16 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons (heaping) tomato paste

Directions

In a dutch oven (or other larger boiling style pan) cook ground turkey, onion, garlic, and peppers until the meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain the grease (fat). Stir in undrained tomatoes, drained kidney beans, drained black beans, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook uncovered for 5-10 minutes more or until desired thickness.

Hamburger Dip

Something wonderful happened here in our southern subberb. IT SNOWED! There is nothing better than being "snowed in" with lots of yummy comfort foods. I can always remember my mom making chili, hot cocoa and snow cream on snow days. Those were my favorites! I decided to begin a tradition of my own snowy day favorites. I braved the crowds (y'all know us southern folk have no clue how to drive on ice so we stock up so we don't have to venture out) and headed out to get supplies for turkey chili, hamburger dip, snow cream, and chicken pie (see recipe below). I thought those sounded like the perfect combo of warm and comfort!

My recipe for hamburger dip is so easy a trained monkey could make it. My husband loves his cousin's so much I just had to try it on my own. I made it for a tailgate party we hosted at our house a few months ago and it was a hit. It was an experiment and I was so happy it turned out to be great. Today for "lunch" we are going to snack on it while we watch some ACC basketball. Let's see... snow, college basketball, and hamburger dip. I can't think of a better combination! If I were you and I were going to have a Super Bowl party (GO COLTS) I would certainly make this!

Ingredients

1 pkg Velveeta cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
1 lb hamburger

Directions

Brown hamburger and drain grease. Place all ingredients into a crock pot. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, for about an hour or until the cheese has melted. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

*Quick Tip: Add a little sausage for a kick!