Savory Beef Stew in a Pumpkin

Want your house to smell so good this Fall?

And have a delicious meal in its own serving bowl?

1. Get yourself a nice pie pumpkin.

2. Cut out the lid. Scoop out the seeds.

3. Place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet. Brush the outside of the pumpkin with vegetable oil.

4. Fill the pumpkin with your favorite beef stew mixture. (When I don't make it "from scratch" I use a frozen mix such as Stouffer's.)

5. Put on the lid. Bake at 350 degrees. Timing will vary on the size of your pumpkin. A small one usually takes 60-90 minutes. A large one takes up to 2 hours to bake. You'll want the pumpkin "meat" to be tender to scoop.

6. Serve on a pretty platter (oops! not shown here).

Scoop helpings so that each serving includes the beef stew and the baked pumpkin too. It's yummy and so healthy too.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars -- A Fall Favorite

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars


1 (16 oz) pkg pound cake mix
3 eggs
2 T margarine or butter, melted
4 t pumpkin pie spice
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin (about 2 cups) – (I noticed the small cans on the shelves are now 15 oz!)
½ t salt
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large mixer bowl, on low speed, combine cake mix, 1 egg, margarine, and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice until crumbly. Press onto bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. (You could use a 10 x 15 inch jellyroll pan for thinner bars.)
In large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in Eagle Brand, then the remaining 2 eggs, pumpkin, remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well.
Pour over the crust. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until set (wire or wooden skewer comes out clean).
Cool. Chill in refrigerator.
Cut into bars.
Store in refrigerator.


Enjoy! Happy Autumn!

Saturday's Sweets -- Pecan Mini Muffins

... taste so good & make the kitchen smell great on a wintery day here in the Midwest! This recipe was handed down from my sister to my mom to me in the last month. Try it, you'll like it! The muffin tops turn out like a crunchy praline topping. Wave the "no calorie wand" over them & enjoy!

Pecan Mini Muffins

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

2/3 cup melted butter

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix brown sugar, flour, & pecans; then add melted butter and dry ingredients to the beaten eggs.

Divide batter into small size paper muffin cups. Recipe makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Bake 23-25 minutes.

Soft-Baked Pretzels for Lent

Legend tells us that the criss-crossed pretzel shape was first made by monks more than 1,000 years ago. The pretzel design resembles arms crossed over the chest in penitent prayer. "Pretzel" may have come from the Latin word bracellae, meaning "little arms."

During Lent, we make these pretzel shapes in remembrance of Jesus' suffering and death, and thank Jesus for His love and sacrifice for us.

If you make your own, or eat a treat at Aunt Annie's pretzel shop at the mall, tell your children of the pretzel shape significance. Here is a recipe if you want to make homemade soft-baked pretzels with your family during this Lenten season. Sometimes we make cross and heart shapes too.

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package Rapid Rise Yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions:
Set aside 1 cup flour.
In large bowl, mix remaining flour, undissolved yeast and salt.
Heat milk, water and oil until hot to touch (125º to 130º); stir into dry ingredients.
Mix in enough additional flour to make soft dough.
Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 24 pieces.
Roll each piece to 16-inch rope.
To make pretzels, curve ends of each rope to make circle; cross ends at top. Twist ends once and lay down over bottom of circle.
Place pretzels on greased baking sheets.
Cover; let rest in warm, draft-free place for 5 to 10 minutes, until risen slightly.
Brush pretzels with beaten egg mixture and sprinkle with selected topping.
Bake at 350ºF for 35 minutes or until done. Cool pretzels on wire rack.
If desired, select one of the following toppings: flavored salt (hickory smoked salt, celery salt, onion salt or garlic salt) or seeds (sesame seeds, poppy or whole celery seeds).
Herb Pretzels: Follow recipe adding 3/4 teaspoon each: thyme, marjoram and oregano (leaves).
(This recipe from CDKitchen makes 2 dozen.)