Pumpkin Cream Pie

recipe

FOR THE CRUST:
■1-1/2 package Graham Crackers (about 15 Cookie Sheets)
■1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
■1 stick Butter, Melted
■ FOR THE FILLING:
■1 box (3 Oz. Box) Vanilla Pudding (Cook And Serve Variety)
■1 cup Half-and-half
■1/2 cup Heavy Cream
■ Pinch Of Cinnamon
■ Pinch Of Nutmeg
■ Pinch Of Ground Cloves
■2 Tablespoons Whiskey (optional)
■1/2 cup (plus 3 Tablespoons) Pumpkin Puree
■1/2 cup (additional) Heavy Cream
■2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
■ Extra Graham Cracker Crumbs, For Garnish

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Grind graham crackers in a food processor

(or, if you don’t have a food processor, place them in a large Ziploc and pound ’em with a rolling-pin.) Add powdered sugar

and melted butter

and process until totally combined. Press into the bottom and sides of a pie pan until nice and firm.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until warm and “set.” Remove from oven and allow crust to cool completely.

In a medium saucepan, mix dry pudding mix with

half-and-half

and cream.

Add spices.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly and thick. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey,

if using. Add pumpkin

and stir to combine. Place lid on pot and set aside to cool. When cool enough, place pot in the fridge to cool completely.

When mixture is cool, remove from the fridge. In a mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and brown sugar. Beat until very light and fluffy. Fold in pumpkin cream mixture

until combined. Pour into cooled crust.

Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. Serve with graham crackers crumbled on top.

Thai-style Grilled Chicken Breasts

Recipe

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fish sauce (see note)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves , minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Heat vinegar,

sugar,

and pepper flakes in small saucepan over medium-high heat

until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cilantro,

fish sauce, ginger, and garlic.

Rub chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill over hot fire until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and brush with 1/4 cup sauce. Tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.

Goulash Supreme

recipe

1 pound lean ground beef (I used Ground Turkey)
1 1/2 cups macaroni
1 quart stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces tomato paste (optional)

1. In large saucepan brown ground chuck, drain.

2. Add tomatoes,

onions, garlic,

paprika, chili powder,

macaroni and tomato paste, if desired. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, if mixture seems too dry. Simmer until macaroni is tender.

Chili-Lime Chicken Kabobs

Recipe

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced (I didn’t have limes, so I used a lemon)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
cayenne pepper to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces skewers

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil,

vinegar,

and lime juice.

Season with chili powder,

paprika,

onion powder, garlic powder,

cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce, and stir to coat.

Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade.

3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear.

Footnotes

Old-Fashioned Lattice-Top Apple Pie

Recipe

Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced

6 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

Milk
Additional sugar

For crust:
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor.

Add butter

and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; divide into 2 pieces.

Flatten each into disk. Wrap each in plastic; chill 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.)

For filling:
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add apples and toss to blend.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold edge under, forming high-standing rim; crimp. Add filling.

Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into twelve 1-inch-wide strips. Arrange 6 strips across pie. Form lattice by arranging 6 strips diagonally across first strips. Gently press ends into crust edges.

Brush lattice with milk. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until juices bubble thickly and crust is deep golden, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool on rack 1 hour. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand on rack.)

Southwestern-Flavored Ground Beef for Tacos

recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin

3 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet until shimmering.

Add onion;

saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic,

chili powder, oregano and cumin;

saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add beef or turkey and cook,

stirring often, until it loses its raw color.

Stir in tomatoes;

simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Cool and refrigerate (or serve warm for dinner as tacos or taco salad).

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese

So my inspiration for this recipe came from here ,  but then I started reading the recipe and I just went with it and did it my own way. But I can’t take full credit for it, as I got the idea from someone else’s recipe…

INGREDIENTS:

For the soup:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes and 1 35 oz can whole tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Salt and black pepper
1-2 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp of dried basil
1/2 a cup of heavy whipping cream

For the grilled cheese:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
4 slices bread

6 slices Sargento Colby-Jack cheese, or other semi-firm cheese

Prepare the soup:
start by preheating dutch oven with olive oil to medium high heat

Add onions

saute till translucent and then add garlic

saute until you smell garlic
then add bell peppers

then add canned tomatoes

then add in Red Pepper flakes

Sugar, salt and pepper

Then add in 1 cup of Vegtable broth to thin soup a little

Then add in 1 Tbsp of dried basil

then add in 1/2 a cup of heavy whipping cream

Stir

Purée the soup either with an immersion blender or, in batches, in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

While soup is simmering you can Prepare the grilled cheese:

Preheat the Panini grill to medium-high heat.

Mix olive oil and herbs together in a small bowl. Brush herb olive oil on each slice of bread. Turn two of the bread slices over; add three slices of cheese to each slice of bread (Or more) Close each sandwich with another slice of bread, Olive oil side up.

Grill the Panini

for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Transfer the Panini from the grill to a cutting board. cut up each sandwich into desired pieces. (for Normy I cut his in half and for mine I cute them in strips.

Roasted Potato Wedges

recipe

Potatoes (number And Variety Of Your Choosing: Russets Work Well)
■1/4 cup (approximately) Olive Oil
■ Salt To Taste
■ Fresh Herbs, to taste
■ Optional Ingredients
■2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
■ Garlic, Minced
■2 Tablespoons (to 3 Tablespoons) Balsamic Vinegar
■ Cayenne Pepper
■ Paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Wash potatoes.
Cut potatoes into wedges.

Toss with oil, butter, salt, pepper, and whatever else you’d like: garlic, balsamic, spices, etc.

These are the spices I chose:

Roast for 15 minutes.

Shake around. Stir.
Roast for another 20 minutes. Check ‘em. Keep cookin’ ‘em.
Take ‘em out. Check the seasoning. Add more if necessary.
Sprinkle with herbs.

Serve immediately.

I also made a buttermilk dressing to go with these and this is all your need for that:

Just follow the directions on the jar and you have one of the best buttermilk dressing/dips, I ever tasted

Cajun Roasted Chicken

Recipe

2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
6 -7 lbs chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the seasoning, brown sugar, oil, oregano, and salt.

Divide the mixture in half and add the garlic to one mix. Rub the garlic mixture under the skin. Rub the outside of the bird with the other mixture. Coat evenly.

Place on a wire rack in your roasting pan. 3Roast until your thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 180 degrees and juices run clear, about 2 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Dinner is served!