Pumpkin Sandwich Cake...

I just found this at bhg.com... it looks really good and is different, so I am going to make it for Xmas dinner... thought I would share it with ya...

Ingredients....
3/4 C. flour
1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 C. granulated sugar
3/4 C. canned pumpkin
1/2 C. whipping cream
1/2 of an 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 Recipe of Chocolate Cream icing, below...

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottoms and sides of two round cake pans (the usual size). Line bottoms with wax paper and lightly flour. In bowl, combine flour, pie spice, baking powder, and salt... set aside.

2. In a second bowl, beat eggs and sugar with a mixer until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add flour mixture, beat just till combined. Spread cake batter into pans. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes- remove and cool thoroughly.

3. For filling, in a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream to soft peaks, set aside. Then, in separate bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, beat in powdered sugar. Fold in whipped cream. To assemble, place one cake layer on serving platter. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over this, and top with second cake layer. Refrigerate while you prepare the icing.

4. Chocolate cream icing: In small saucepan bring 1/2 C. whipping cream just to boiling over med high heat. Remove from heat. Pour over 1 C. semisweet chocolate chips in medium bowl (do not stir!) Let stand 5 minutes and then stir until smooth. Cool 15 minutes.... (if icing is too thin, cover and chill for 30 minutes.. if too thick, add tsp. of milk or cream.

5. Remove cake from fridge and spread icing over top and sides. Sprinkle lightly with pumpkin pie spice... Chill for at least 1 hour before serving for it to set. Store in fridge!

Spaghetti and Meatball Stoup...

This is from a Rachael Ray recipe.... it is quite good- it's called stoup because it is a really thick soup, kinda like stew....

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
1 quart chicken broth
One can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
One can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
3/4 pound ground beef sirloin
Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (a generous handful)
1 large egg
1/4-1/3 cup fine Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (a generous handful), plus more to pass around the table
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound spaghetti, broken into thirds
1 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded

Preparation:

In a large soup pot, combine the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, the onion, carrots, garlic and bay leaf and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, using a fork, combine the ground beef, parsley, egg, bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cheese; season with salt and pepper. Roll the meat into balls the size of a large walnut and drop each one into the soup pot (you should have about 16 meatballs). Simmer the stoup for 10 minutes.
Stir the broken spaghetti into the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the basil and season the stoup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more cheese around the table.

Breakfast......

I used to hate breakfast, but I am coming around to it these days.... on the days I get up and go to the gym in the morning, I am really hungry by 7 or 8 a.m. So, trying to eat healthy and eat something that tastes good is hard in the morning, I think....Here's some of my ideas.

- Take a whole-grain english muffin, cook some turkey sausage up, cook an egg ( I scramble it) and stack it all together- delish!

- Get out the old blender and put in some o.j., yogurt, and any fruits you have laying around, preferably frozen... add some ice and you have a smoothie- I also add wheat germ or oatmeal ground up for extra oomph.

- My mom's best thing for breakfast is her irish oatmeal- you put some in a bowl, add some fresh cut apples, nuts, or other things you like with lots of cinnamon- microwave until done.

Chunky Chicken and White Bean Chili

I found this in a BHG magazine and I threw it in the crockpot for a few hours- it was goooooddd.

-Chicken ( I use a rotisserie chicken- it's way easy and cheap)
- 2 cans cannelini beans
-1 can diced green chilies
-1 can chicken broth
-6 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Fresh cilantro, chopped

Throw cooked, shredded chicken into crockpot (probably about 4 breasts worth). Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. I doubled the recipe and made a pretty good size pot. Also, for garnishment, put on toppings like hot sauce, tomatoes, and then add lots of tortilla chips. Yumm.

Fruit Pizza

This is a great dessert- I have had kids ask me to make it for their birthdays, even.....

1 (20 oz) pkg. refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Assorted sliced fruit ( I like strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, cherries, mandarin oranges, etc.)

-Freeze cookie dough for 1 hour to make it more easy to slice.

- Heat oven to 375. Slice cookie dough into thin slices... spread over a foil-lined pizza pan, press lightly to form a crust.

-Bake 12 minutes or until golden, then cool.

-Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in small bowl until well blended. Spread over the cooled crust.

-Arrange your sliced fruit into a pretty pattern, and oi la!