Pumpkin Brownies

This recipe is another one of Grandma Lewis's Recipes. When Madi and I were going through her cook book to find the Chicken Noodle Soup recipe i stumbled across this Pumpkin Brownie Recipe. I have been really looking forward to making them.However, I decided to wait and make them while I was in Pocatello so that I could share them with my family. These brownies have been going pretty quicky. They are like a pumkpkin pie placed on top of a pan of brownies....I'd say its a pretty amazing combination. This is a great treat to make for a big party or office treat because it makes A LOT. Another great thing about this recipe is how easy it is to make. Making stuff from scratch is always a good time....but every now and then it is nice to just open a box throw it in a bowl add a few ingredients and BAM your done. This is one of those easy recipes.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Filling

1pkg (8oz) Cream Cheese
1 can (15oz) Canned Pumpkin
2 Eggs
6 tablespoons suga
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Brownies

2 Boxes of Brownie Mix

Directions

1) Mix filling together set aside
2) Make the brownies as directed
3) Pour 3/4 of brownies in a greased 9x13 inch pan
4) Pour filling on top of brownies
5) Pour remaining brownies over pumkpin and swirl.
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clear.

Grandma Lewis's Chicken Noodle Soup

My roomates Grandma gave her the perfect Christmas present and we finally put it to good use. Grandma Lewis used a picture book and has turned it in a book of all her favorite recipes. The book started out with just a few in each categorie and each month Madi get 3 or so new recipes in the mail to add to her book.

Since it rained off and all today Madi decided we should make chicken noodle soup. This is a meal I have actually never made so I was excited to learn a new recipe. Especially since this is a recipe Madi grew up loving. The best part about this soup is that it involves making home made noodles. I had always thought making noodles from scrath was a difficult process but I was WRONG. They were super easy and AMAZING! I am looking forward to making noodles from scrath more often.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Noodles

To 4 cups of borth mix one egg to 2 tablespoon milk and 1/2 tsp garlic salt and 3/4 to 1 cup Flour.

Mix all those ingredients together.
Cover an area with flour and roll out dough



Once the dough is fairly thin cut into strips



-Madi used this handy noddle cutting tool...SO COOL-



This noodle recipe can be doubled or tripled depending on the amount of broth.

Broth

4 cups of water
3 celerie sticks
2 cups of carrots
Chicken boloun to taste



Chicken

We used a rotisour chicken to save time.  However, If you have the time I am all for boiling chicken and then shredding it (thats how my mommy taught me)

Cook the broth until the veggies are soft. Add the noodles and allow to cook through (8-10 minutes) the thicker they are cut the longer they take. Then add the chicken and allow to get hot. BAM CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP!!!



Madi and I had fun making our soup....We put on my fun aprons (didn't get a picture sorry) jammed out in the kitchen and had a good time! I love to cook....But I love it more when someone else is doing it with me.

The next treats I am looking forward to making from Grandma Lewis's cook book is Pumpkin Brownies. So many ways you can put my two favorite flavors together!

Cheese & Pumpkins?

Fall is finally hear and I could not be more excited about it. Our summer seemed to go on forever and was way to hot for my liking. So to say the least I was jumping for joy this week when the skys were gray and I could wear my sweaters and scarves. I know I will regret this part of my blog by January but for now I am loving this weather. Fall is here in full force and so is my urge to cook all day every day. I don't know if its all falls fault that I want to cook all day or the fact that is it midterm time and when ever I get stressed I like to cook instead of study...OPPPS!

So for this cozy football filled Sunday... I made quick and easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bites & Potato, Broccoli, and Cheese Soup. Yesterday I bought a new cook book called 50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker.... Because all recipes in the book call for a crockpot I treated myself to a new Fancy Crockpot.The crockpot I have been using for the last couple years is the one I am sure my parent got as a wedding gift in the 80's. So it was time for an upgrade.

Potato, Broccoli, and Cheese Soup

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 large potato, quartered
- 6 cups water
- 1 medium head broccoli, quartered
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- salt to taste
- Sour Cream

Step 1- In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat and saute the onion until lightly brown,
Step 2- Transfer the onion to crockpot and add the potato and water. Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours, or until the potato is quite tender. Add the broccoli during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Step 3 - Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the ingredients to the desired texture. String in the cheese and add the salt to taste.
Step 4 - Ladle the soup into the bowls and garnish each with cream.

With just what the recipe calls for it wasn't as flavorful as i would have hoped for so I added more cheese and some garlic salt and it helped it out. As for next time I would probably add less water to begin with to make it thicker!



-Things got a little messy when I was trying to mix it all up and smash the potato's down-

I served the soup with some garlic bread. This is the perfect meal for cuddleing up on the couch and watching football or whatever your favorite sunday show may be!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bites

Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 eggs
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
- 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat over to 350 degrees

Step 1- In a medium bowl, using a whisk, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, caiiamon and all spice
Step 2- In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg and egg white, pumpkin and vanilla.
Step 3- Slowly fold in dry ingredients
Step 4- Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Step 5- Drop spoonfuls of dough on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. (I used an Ice-Cream Scoop instead of a spoon)



Step 6- Bake for 12-14 minutes

These bites are AMAZING. I love Pumpkin flavored things so I was pretty sure I was going to like them..but I LOVE them. They are so fluffy. They may be my new favrotie thing I have ever baked. My Merlot cupcakes have been in the lead until today. You can't go wrong with pumpkin and chocolate.





As for the random name of my blog today you can thank my roommate Madi Lewis....I was lacking a little creativity and this is what she said randomly and we both started laughing and so I decided to just go with it!