Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits

November 12, 2012 by 14 Comments
Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait

  Welcome to the very last Secret Recipe Club post for 2012! Due to the busyness of the holidays,  the club is taking a break in December, but we will be back in January.   This month I was assigned the blog Eat Little, Eat Big.  She has so many unique recipes on her blog that I had a fun time just poking around.  This chicken curry recipe caught my eye -- you know I love a good chicken curry! My kids really love smoothies and chai oat smoothies sounded very healthy and appropriate for fall. Plus it'd be a great way to use up my homemade chai tea concentrate. But I really wanted to find something to make for a Thanksgiving dessert. Deciding what desserts to serve on Thanksgiving is difficult for me.  There are just way too many options! I want something pumpkin and pecan, but apple pie sounds good, too.  A few years ago we switched out our pumpkin pie for pumpkin cheesecake and it's been a regular part of our Thanksgiving menu ever since.  This year, though, I am in ... [read more]

Filed Under: Desserts, Halloween, Recipe, Thanksgiving Tagged With: , , ,

Sweet Potato Muffins: A Thanksgiving Breakfast Recipe for Iron Chef Moms

November 11, 2012 by 4 Comments
Sweet Potato Muffins

Sweet potato muffins are a fun idea for Thanksgiving breakfast.  You have to cook sweet potatoes for the big meal later that day anyway, so why not do double duty and make breakfast while you're at it?   All three of my kids like to cook.  Only one of them is actually old enough to cook on her own, though.  I often have to resist the temptation to run my kids out the kitchen when they are "helping" me cook.   Ella actually owns several kid-focused cookbooks that she loves to use to find recipes for us to make together.  When I was asked if I'd like to review the new Food, Faith, & Fun: A Faithgirlz Cookbook, I knew the book would be a big hit with my chefs. Food, Faith, & Fun is a cookbook that combines faith with recipes.  The first few pages of the introduction offer  a Biblical perspective on food and eating, which we used to talk about our bodies and how food affects us.  The rest of the book is a compilation of fun, kid and teen friendly recipes ... [read more]

Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast, Recipe, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

October 24, 2012 by 21 Comments
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin snickerdoodles are a fun way to add  a taste of fall to an old favorite cookie.   This is an easy cookie recipe that uses homemade or canned pumpkin puree.   The dough does need to firm up in the fridge for an hour so you can come back at any time to finish up your delicious fall treat. Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies.  Don't get me wrong, chocolate chip cookies are still the best right out of the oven, but I love that snickerdoodles have a depth of flavor that isn't overly sweet.  Adding pumpkin puree to make these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles  is kind of a brilliant revelation.  It's the perfect way to make an old standard new! This Pumpkin Snickerdoodle recipe is pretty straight forward and easy.  I made the dough after breakfast and then left it in the fridge until after lunch.   I did learn not to flatten your dough too much or the cookies are kind of flat.   The Pumpkin Snickerdoodles got better as they sat and the flavors melded ... [read more]

Filed Under: Desserts, Halloween, Recipe, Thanksgiving Tagged With: , ,

Thanksgiving Craft: Turkey Toes

November 14, 2011 by 1 Comment
Turkey Toes Thanksgiving Craft

These would be so cute on your Thanksgiving table.  I saw them on Pinterest for sale from some catalog company for way too much money so I made my own.  I could not find a "normal" sized canning jar so I opted for the larger 2 quart jar and apparently people around here opted to snack away!   You could also put these in clear bags, staple, tape, or tie the Turkey Toes label on them and hand them out as favors or gifts for your neighbors. I put together a PDF of the little graphic I used to make these. There are four circles to a sheet.  If you'd like to print one out, simply subscribe to this blog via email or RSS feed (you can do both or either via the links on the top right of the blog). The link to the printable will be at the bottom of the email or feed! It's my little way of saying thank you for reading and subscribing! ... [read more]

Filed Under: Crafts, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Pumpkin Cheesecake

October 27, 2011 by 8 Comments
Pumpkin Cheesecake

I made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving in 2010 and it was a huge success! So much so that I'm sure we'll be eating pumpkin cheesecake every year from now on. I make the cheesecake a week or two before Thanksgiving and then freeze it right in the pan (so use a pan you don't need!).  Because I like to make the cheesecake in advance, I choose to use a 9" cake pan instead of a spring form pan.  The first piece can be tricky to get out whole, but after that, it's a cinch! In order to get a nice smooth mixture, make sure to have all ingredients for the cake at room temperature. Pumpkin Cheesecake   Save Print Prep time 20 mins Cook time 1 hour Total time 1 hour 20 mins   Serves: 6-8 Ingredients Crust: 1½ cups gingersnap cookies (about 30 cookies processed in a food processor) ½ cup finely chopped pecans 6 Tablespoons butter, melted ¼ cup sucanat (or sugar) Cheesecake: 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature ¾ ... [read more]

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe, Thanksgiving Tagged With: , ,