Pumpkin Roll

Cake:

3 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

3/4 c. flour

2/3 c. pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. In a large bowl beat eggs until foamy. Add pumpkin and stir in sugar, soda and cinnamon until well blended. Add flour and stir until batter is smooth. Line cookie sheet with wax paper and spray with non-cooking spray. Carefully pour batter in sheet. Cook until tooth pick comes out clean (approximately 15 min.). Remove from oven; turn over on a cotton towel sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar. Roll up and allow to cool for an hour or so.

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese

2 T. butter

1 t. vanilla

1 c. powdered sugar

Mix filling ingredients and beat until smooth. Unroll cake and frost with filling. Re-roll and wrap with foil and place in fridge (best if sits over night).

This is Mike's absolute favorite dessert. I can see why. It's fabulous!

Oreo Truffles

1 bag of Oreos, (finely ground in a blender)

1 1/2 8 oz. packages of softened cream cheese

2 c. white chocolate chips

1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1- Combine the ground oreos and cream cheese in kitchen aid or other mixer using the paddle attachment until well blended and mixed. Place onto a cookie tray or large baking sheet and refrigerate overnight or until firm. (I used my tablespoon sized cookie scoop from pampered chef to scoop the perfect size ball).

2- Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave using about 70% power for 1-2 minutes. Using 2 small spoons dip the oreo balls into the white chocolate and place onto parchment or waxed paper. Allow to harden.

3- Melt the semi-sweet chips using the method above. Pour or spoon into a sandwich or ziplock baggie. Snip a small corner in the baggie and drizzle the chocolate back and forth over the truffles. Let harden once again.

Although we have our annual Christmas candy we make every year, we also like to try new recipes! This is one of the recipes I've been meaning to try for years. This year we did it, and it didn't disappoint!

Chicken Cordon Bleu In Pastry

1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup Kraft Philadelphia® - Cream Cheese Spread - Chive & Onion
4 thin slices deli ham
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
4 slices Swiss cheese

Directions
On an ungreased baking sheet, separate dough into four rectangles; seal perforations. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese lengthwise down the center of each rectangle. Place ham widthwise over dough. Arrange chicken in center of each rectangle. Wrap ham around chicken. At each long end, pinch dough together around chicken, forming points.
Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 170°. Top with slice of Swiss cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and pastry is golden brown. Yield: 4 servings

We made these the other night for dinner. What can I say...we love anything that has to do with Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Spanish Rice Dinner

Recipe and Picture from Taste Of Home

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1-1/2 cups cooked long grain rice (We pre-cooked the rice according to package directions because the last time we ate this the rice was uncooked and the liquid was thin).
  
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) cut green beans, drained
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 4 servings.

I was a little skeptical when I found this dish but I thought we'd try it anyway. It was a hit at our house.

Garlic Clove Chicken

Recipe and Picture from Taste Of Home

• 1 roasting chicken (5 to 6 pounds)
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 40 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried celery flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon each dried tarragon, thyme and rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Place chicken breast side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff onion in chicken; tie drumsticks together. Arrange garlic cloves around chicken. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drizzle over chicken and garlic.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 1-3/4 hours. Uncover; bake 30-45 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if chicken browns too quickly.) Cover and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Yield: 6 servings.

Just in case you didn't know...I hoard cookbooks. (The internet is slowly changing that though.)
I found this in one of my favorite cook books...Taste Of Home!

The 12 ways of Christmas

Amazing Andi over at LDS Creativity Corner is the inspiration behind the 12 "ways" of Christmas where you'll find inspirational gospel messages that will include 12 ways that we can increase our Spirituality and help to bring our hearts closer to the Savior.


I'm honored to be working with all of these amazingly talented women.

Melaine from LDS Handouts
Rachel and Robyn All LDS Freebies
Laura from Got Chikin
Melanie & Melissa from Green Jello With Carrots
Summer from Summertime Designs

Day 1 is hosted by Andi. She has inspired us with the Theme of "Seek"
to view her post please visit HERE!

Day 2 is hosted by me! My Theme is Service and sharing.

Download the free Family Night Lesson Here
Download the free 12 Way's of Christmas Service Chain Activity HERE

Check Back for day 3!

Corn Bread Pork Casserole

(We doubled this recipe for our family)

2 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup crushed corn bread stuffing (we pre-made our corn bread stuffing according to the box directions.)

Directions
In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, brown pork chops on both sides; set aside. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms until tender. Transfer mushrooms to a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine flour and broth until smooth. Stir in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic and pepper; pour over mushrooms. Top with pork chops. (We layered the sauce, then the pork chops, then the pre-made stuffing)
Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with stuffing. Bake 10 minutes longer or until meat juices run clear. Yield: 2 servings.

Bacon Ranch Pan Potatoes

6-8 potatoes, diced (or 1 pkg. simply shreds frozen hash browns, thawed before using)
1/2-3/4 c. chicken broth
Crumbled Bacon
Chopped green onion
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream or Ranch Dressing

Cook and crumble the bacon.

In a large skillet, fry the potatoes until browned. If using fresh potatoes, add 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken broth. Cover with lid to speed up cooking and tenderize them. While the potatoes are in the pan, sprinkle with the grated cheese, then with the bacon and onions. Serve with sour cream or ranch dressing.

Kalua Pork

(Recipe From My Kitchen Cafe)

10-12 pounds pork shoulder butt roast (don't substitute a leaner cut of pork or it will be dry)
1 bottle liquid smoke
2 tablespoons sea salt (or hula salt if you can find it)
1 1/2 cups water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim roast of large pockets of fat (but leave some fat on there to help the pork stay tender while cooking). Place pork in large roasting pan (the aluminum, deep roasting pans you can buy at the grocery store work great if you don't own a heavy-duty roasting pan). Rub 2-3 tablespoons of sea salt into pork. Pour the bottle of liquid smoke over and around the pork. Pour the water around the pork. Cover roasting pan TIGHTLY with two layers of aluminum foil.

Bake for 5-7 hours (don't uncover while baking - let the steam and heat work it's magic!).

Shred with two forks and serve with rice.

Um, can you say FABULOUS? I don't know where this recipe has been all my life! We bought a big old pork shoulder butt roast from Sams and we weren't quite sure what to do with it. All I know is that is was on a great deal! I am sooo glad I found this recipe. Since cooking this we have gone on to make our cafe rio meat, smothered BBQ sauce over the top for shredded BBQ pork sandwiches, and eaten with cooked cabbage and rice. Yum!

*You may need to cut this recipe in half depending on the size of your roast!

Pie Crust #2

Here is another favorite pie crust recipe!

3 flour

1 1/4 c. shortening, margarine or half and half

1 egg

1 T. vinegar

1/2 t. salt

5 T. cold water

Beat together and mix with flour. Chill in refrigerator until cold. Makes 2 large pie shells.

Easy enough right? The hardest part is patiently waiting for the refrigeration time!