Cookie Carnival : Pecan Pie Cookies

I am super excited to start participating in the Cookie Carnival again. I missed the last 2 months due to disliking ingredients and just not having enough time. Cookie choice was put to a vote and these Pecan Pie Cookies were the winners. Boy am I glad they were!



The recipe comes from Land O Lakes and was super simple to make. I think I almost liked these better than pie... almost!! They were delicious!

Head on over to the clean plate club for more of these wonderful cookies!

Flavor of the Month - Traditions

The holiday's are ALL about traditions for me. We started a new tradition of having lasagna on Thanksgiving since it was just the four of us. When my parents were here at the beginning of the month, we had our traditional turkey dinner. The spotlight of the meal (for me at least) is my Granny's green bean casserole. This isn't your run-of-the-mill casserole with that canned mushroom goop and those crunchy onions. This is pure heaven! I've had that other stuff and I just don't like it. I can just about guarantee once you try this it will be your go-to green bean casserole!



Granny's Green Bean Casserole
printable recipe

Ingredients
2lb green beans (fresh or frozen)
1 slice bacon (optional)
3tbsp butter
2tbsp flour
1tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper
1tsp sugar
1tsp dried minced onion
1C sour cream
8oz grated cheddar cheese
2C cornflakes
non-stick spray

Directions
Boil beans, with bacon if using until just tender, drain well (discard bacon). In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, sugar and onion; cook on medium heat until bubbly. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Fold in the beans and mix well. Pout into a greased casserole and cover evenly with cheese. Spread cornflakes over top and light spray with non-stick spray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

We love this stuff so much, I don't just keep it for the holidays! If I get a craving I make it! My Granny passed on her love of food to me and I'm so proud to be sharing her recipes with you!

For more traditions stop by Bake at 350.

Making traditions out of the non-traditional

There are certain traditional foods that signify the holidays. I mean, what is Thanksgiving with out a turkey and the trimings??? Well, when you move half way across the US from the rest of your family it becomes necessary to start new traditions. This really hit home for me when I realized that we were gonna be completely on our own this year. My parents came for a visit at the beginning of the month, so we decided to have Thanksgiving dinner one night, but I'm not overly interested in that production all over again for just the four of us. I decided it was time start our own traditions with a quirky twist. My hubby tells tales of my mother-in-law serving lasagna at Thanksgiving. I figured, I'm part Italian and I do love lasagna... What the heck. Our new Thanksgiving tradition is going to be lasagna!!

printable recipe

Why not throw "normal" traditions out the window and start your very own Holiday traditions!!

Happy Lasagna Day everybody!!

ICEarth: Apple

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right. Probably not these apples, but aren't they cute!!



I was rather excited when it was announced that the challenge for this month's Iron Cupcake Earth was apple. My nickname is Apple so I wanted to make something creative, not to mention the next Twilight movie comes out this month!! I came across a recipe in a Betty Crocker cookbook that had cupcakes that looked like apples! I thought it was too perfect, but I didn't want to use the box cake mix and canned frosting. So, I adapted this recipe and topped them with my cinnamon cream cheese frosting that I colored red. I added pretzel stick stems and white chocolate leaves.

An Apple a Day Cupcakes
printable recipe

Cupcakes
1 1/4C flour
1tsp baking soda
1 1/2tsp apple pie spice
pinch of salt
1/3C butter, softened
2/3C sugar
1 egg
2/3C unsweetened applesauce
1tsp vanilla

Frosting
1/2C butter, softened
8oz cream cheese, softened
3 1/2C powdered sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together first four ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer, add egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Stir in applesauce. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on wire rack for about 5 minutes. When completely cooled top with frosting. For frosting cream butter and cream cheese in mixer. Add vanilla and cinnamon and beat to combine. Gradually add powdered sugar, a little at a time, and combine well. Beat at high speed until smooth.

And now some ICE sponsor info! These are the great prizes I can win. I'll let you all know when voting is open and then beg you to vote for me!!!
Our Generous IronCupcake:Earth Prize Providers:
The Demy™ by Key Ingredient
Hello, Cupcake by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson
Bella Cupcake Couture
Cupcake Stackers by Gourmac
The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! by Anne Byrne
Beautiful Baking Liners by Vestli House
Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Bakery & Cupcakey Supply

I'm a wreckerator!

For anybody who doesn't happen to follow me on facebook, and hasn't seen these yet, I thought I'd share my attempt at creating a special cake for my daughter's 4th birthday. It turned out "special" all right...





So, here we have a lopsided cake with scary, horned butterflies that is outlined with "poopy" (that's what the birthday girl said it looked like!). In my defense this is the first time I have really tried any kind of decorating other than slapping frosting on a cake. I have had some nice comments from people saying that they've seen worse, but I decided to submit these photos to Cake Wrecks. If you've never been to this site, be prepared to be there for awhile. It's hilarious and you would be able to stop looking!!!