The Easiest Pumpkin Muffins Ever!

A few years ago I heard about this recipe for pumpkin muffins, it only requires two ingredients so I just had to try it and see for myself if they were any good. That would just be too good to be true for them to actually have taste and only have two ingredients....but, I was wrong, they are wonderful and so easy! And pumpkin is very healthy for you!  What is neat is you can use any flavor of cake mix to mix with the can of pumpkin, my favorites are chocolate and spice cake mix. When I use spice mix I even add in raisins and I always add in chocolate chips to any flavor cake mix! You do have to watch these muffins when they bake and see how your pan and oven respond to how long to bake them, I think with just the two ingredients it makes them prone to burn easier. I burned several batches when I first started making these a few years ago until I figured out the exact time. Be creative and try different cake flavors and add ins!
The Easiest Pumpkin Muffins Ever
One can pumpkin
one box cake mix
Do NOT use anything else, no oil, eggs, or water! Combine the two and stir, it will be very thick and strange! Fill muffin tins and bake 15-20minutes at 350

Triple Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are from yet another Taste of Home cookbook that I own...not sure which one....why you ask? Well..... because I have waaaaay tooooooo many of them(shhh...don't tell my husband)! These brownies are super easy and fast and for the chocolate lovers only.  They make a bunch, so they are perfect for those potlucks or school functions. Kids very easily help with these!
1small pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
1box chocolate cake mix
2C semisweet chocolate chips, make them Ghiradelli for extra richness!

Prepare the pudding according to package directions.  Stir in the cake mix.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Spread mixture into a greased 15x10x1 cake pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30min. Check with toothpick and let it pull back a bit from the sides. Right before serving dust with powdered sugar.  If you dust them way before serving, then when you go to serve them the powdered sugar will be gone and you will wonder where in the world did it go?  It's magic.... it will soak into the brownies and then you will have to redust....which isn't always a bad thing either!
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This is before the dusting of powdered sugar



Crockpot Baked Potatoes

What an easy way to cook baked potatoes! It is so funny, I've never even thought of doing potatoes this way until I was reading through one of my very favorite blogs, Finding Joy In My Kitchen, and she had this potato recipe.  This will be on my menu for next week while my mom is in town visiting.  She is a hard one to cook for because she is always on some new diet. She has been doing weight watchers for some time now and having lots of luck with it.  I don't know if it this or the fact that she hasn't ate sugar or flour for I think almost two years now, but she has lost too much weight I think.  I could NOT imagine not eating sugar or flour, I honestly don't know how she does it. I wouldn't do it, I wouldn't even try! I love my breads too much! Bread is like dessert for me.  I believe all things in moderation and to make your choices as healthy as possible a majority of the time. Like eat bread, but make it 100%whole grain and not white. Anyways, I think she will eat baked potatoes....they are actually healthy for you and if you eat the skin, then you get more fiber and nutrients. And if you top them with broccoli and not just cheese, sour cream and bacon bits, then they can be healthy! I've got to have my sour cream, I just use light and I can't tell a difference at all. Enjoy!
Crockpot Baked Potatoes
4-5 Russett potatoes
1/2T-1T olive oil
sea salt
Wash the potatoes and pat dry. Spray the crockpot with olive oil spray and coat each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Cover and cook potatoes on high for 4 hours. During this time rotate potatoes a couple times so that each potato has a turn touching the bottom or side of crockpot. Serve with desired toppings. We like steamed broccoli, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheese and also we like to top them sometimes with homemade chili and shredded cheese.


I think my husband likes a bit of cheese on his potato!



Flatbread Tacos

Anyone out there like to hunt? This weekend is opening weekend for the youth turkey hunt in Kansas. My husband and 11 year old son are going and my husband is so excited to be taking our son on his first turkey hunt! He got all of his hunting clothes out and the fake turkey decoy and I have had a fake turkey looking at me in my living room for a week now! Every time I enter the room that darn thing scares the poo out of me!  The last couple of days my 5yr old daughter has been playing and talking with it and I'm pretty sure today she is going to dress it up!  The last turkey hunt my son went on he was only 5 and he went with me and my husband and we got up at 4a.m. and walked over a mile to get out in the pasture where we needed to be before the turkeys came down out of the trees to have their coffee.  My son was SO excited and didn't complain a bit waking that early or walking that far. We got to our site and sat down very still and waited and watched the turkeys come down out of the trees and called them in. The entire time you have to be very still or you will spook the turkeys, during this time I was holding our son on my lap and he suddenly started getting very heavy, sure enough, I look down and he was sound asleep! But, poor mom, I had to continue to be very still as my arm was dead asleep with him on it and it hurt SO bad, but I knew if I moved while the turkeys were coming in toward us that my husband would be SO mad at me...so I continued to be very still because I could see the turkeys strutting toward us, and I was pretty proud of myself for being so strong and still just so my hunter husband could get his trophy turkey! Until......all of a sudden...yup, my son started SNORING! Right as those darn turkeys came up over the hill and in shot range, my son scared them off with his snoring! UGH! My husband was mad because he almost got his prize turkey and I was mad because I had just endured an hour of traumatic arm pain holding my sleeping son!  Needless to say, my son woke up and wandered why it was taking so long for the turkeys to show up and my husband and I sorta laughed all the way home!  I guess that is why he is now 11 and going again for his first turkey hunt...he shouldn't be snoring this time! Although now he probably will complain about the waking at 4a.m. and walking a mile!!! Remind me later, when my husband goes coyote hunting to tell you a funny story about that! Of course he would like to tell that story because it pertains to me and him laughing his butt off at me! He loves to tell everyone that story!
On to the recipe! This is a recipe that I found at the blog An A for Effort and thought it was an awesome idea! I never thought to use premade biscuit dough for a flatbread.  I think she got the recipe from the blog Your Home Based Mom. Go check out both of these blogs, they are each awesome and full of wonderful recipes! I wish Pillsbury was compensating me for advertising for them, but they aren't! (maybe one day!)But, I have found that Pillsbury has a new line called Simple with their biscuit dough, crescents,etc. That means that they have cut most of the "bad" stuff out of the dough, so it's healthier. In our small town, it isn't always in stock and they don't carry the whole line of Simple products, but we usually have the biscuits.  I usually make my own biscuits,etc...but, when I need dinner quick, I am happy that I have the option to choose the Simple Pillsbury brand.  I wish more major brands would realize all the "crud" they put in our foods(which I'm sure they know this) and realize people would much rather buy their products "free" of these ingredients.  I was surprised that the Simple biscuits tasted so great....usually you take the "crud" out and you wander if it still tastes any good, but these are great! As consumers, we need to take a few extra minutes and really look at our options at the store.  Companies are slowly realizing that consumers want the option to choose healthier products, those products with less "crud" in them. Not necessarily organic, but just free of all the chemicals, preservatives, dyes, etc. None of that stuff needs to be in our foods and I really believe it plays a BIG role in our health problems. As a consumer, take that extra time to look for those companies that are trying to help us and supply healthier products for us...those smaller companies can not make it without the consumer buying their stuff. It is hard in smaller towns because we don't have the supply/demand and don't always get those options, but in the bigger cities you people have those choices to help the smaller companies to supply healthier options. You will be surprised if you take a few extra minutes and view your selections that there are many small companies trying to provide healthier choices.       This recipe uses canned biscuits to make a quick tortilla, or flat bread, for tacos. But, after eating them last night, you could even use them to put butter and jam on them, or honey, or powdered sugar, or cinnamon sugar. All sorts of ideas! Make sure you don't put any oil in the pan, it is a "dry" fry.
Flatbread Tacos
1pkg Pillsbury Grand (I use the Simple)biscuits
Your favorite taco toppings...ground beef, beans, shredded cheese, tomato, lettuce, etc.
I used my leftover Crockpot Salsa Chicken and topped the flatbread with this and it worked great!
With your hand or rolling pin, press out each biscuit into a flat even circle, around 6inches
Put in "dry" skillet and cook until lightly browned on each side, it won't take long. They do puff up a bit while cooking. Top with your favorite taco toppings!

This is the flatbread topped with my Crockpot Chicken Salsa

Orange Fluff Jello

Boo Hoo....Kansas Jayhawks lost last night...what an upset! But, another great basketball season!  Since there has been no sun outside for awhile I made this bright and cheery jello.  I call it orange fluff, but I know there are many versions and names to this dish.  It is very versatile and you can use any flavor of jello along with the corresponding fruit.  Our favorites are the orange and strawberry. 
Orange Fluff
1small pkg orange jello
1small pkg tapioca instant pudding
1small pkg vanilla instant pudding
(I sometimes don't have tapioca, so I use two vanilla)
3C water
2 (15oz)cans mandarin oranges, well drained
1 (8oz) tub cool whip, lite
Combine jello and both puddings with the water and heat in saucepan until thickened, this takes several minutes and lots of stirring.  Cool mixture and stir in oranges and cool whip and refrigerate.  Try using strawberry jello with strawberries, yum!  You could even use one can mandarin oranges and one can fruit cocktail, just drain them well.

Old camera+dark cloudy day=bad picture! But, I'm sure it still tastes cheerful!

Banana Blueberry Nut Bread

OK...I have a serious problem....it is snowing! I am not a happy camper...although I know better this early in the season, I had my mind set on warm weather! The grass is green, the birds have been chirping, the trees and bushes are blooming...and now snow, UGH! So what is a spring fever momma to do? BAKE! That's what I'll do!  I found a new blog called homeecathome and it is full of great ideas and yummy recipes.  I was looking for a banana bread recipe, I have several, but wanted to try a new one, and came across Faith's Banana Blueberry Nut Bread and it was perfect....go check out her site, you will enjoy it!  And I'm enjoying this bread on a snowy day! 
Banana Blueberry Nut Bread
source:homeecathome
1/3C butter
3/4C sugar...I used all brown sugar
1 egg
1C, or 3medium, mushed up bananas
1/2C milk
2C sifted flour, I used 1C flour and 1C white wheat flour
1Tbsp baking powder
1/2t salt
1/2C quick cooking oats
1/2tsp vanilla
1C blueberries...I used frozen
3/4C chopped walnuts, optional
Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour 2 regular bread pans, or 1 large loaf pan. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg, bananas, and milk. Measure flour, reserving 2T to coat the blueberries. Stir baking powder and salt into flour mixing well. Stir in oats. Add flour mixture into wet mixture and stir. Stir in vanilla.  Add reserved 2T flour to blueberries and mix and fold into batter. If using nuts, add them in to the batter.  Transfer batter to bread pan(s). I like to generously sprinkle cinnamon/sugar over the top of the batter before baking, that always makes things better! Bake for 50min, if using one large pan, add 5-8min to the cooking time. Cool on a wire rack.

I used a large bread pan and it took about 60-65min

Cherry Chip Bars

GO KU!  GO KU!  GO KU! ELITE 8, HERE WE COME!
This recipe uses a cake mix and comes together quickly. You can double the ingredients and make it in a 15x10 cookie sheet.
Cherry Chip Bars
source: The Ugly Binder
1box cherry chip cake mix
1 egg
1/4C water
1/3C flour
1/2C oil
chocolate chips, desired amount, I used almost a cup
Mix all together and put in a greased 13x9. Bake at 350 for 15-20minutes, or until light brown.



If you look really, really close, you can see specks of cherry chip!

Update:  I just tasted this for the first time and I would say you need to like cherry chip cake mix before "liking" this...I do like it, and I did realize I would need to like this cake mix, but it wasn't all I thought it would be. I think I will try other cake mix flavors, like chocolate or spice, that would be really good with the chocolate chips. Even add nuts if you like!