HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Makes: 7 dozen!

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir into the pumpkin mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips. Stir in the walnuts if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 75 | Total Fat: 3.2g | Cholesterol: 5mg

allrecipes.com 

the famous pillsbury halloween design sugar cookies

Amy and I just got done baking the famous Pillsbury Halloween sugar cookies...yum! This reminds me of my days at Bethany when our friends would bring these to share with the class :) now, it's our turn to share them with our AP lit English class as we celebrate Halloween & the witches of "Macbeth"

We bought these brake-and-bake cookies at Fresh & Easy for $2.49 (2 dozen cookies)

Beef Dip - A Random Recipe from "Bethany's Best - 2001"

This bread bowl dip is always a favorite appetizer of mine when at a party... you'll absolutely love it too! Thank you Marcia and Dixie for submitting it into Bethany's cookbook!

ingredients:

1 loaf round bread or sourdough

1 (8oz.) cream cheese
3/4 c. grated cheddar cheese
3-5 diced green onions
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 small jar chipped beef
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

directions:
Mix all ingredients except bread. Cut round opening in top of bread and remove the interior of the bread and save round topping. Put mixture in bread, replace round opening, wrap in foil and bake at 300 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. Use interior of bread & cut vegetables (&/or another loaf of bread) for dipping. 

This picture is actually of a different kind of dip, but I didn't have a picture & you get the idea :) plus, I can't compete with Marcia's beautiful arrangement when she makes it :)

ENJOY!

Sprucin' Up Trader Joe's Pumpkin Muffins

Happy Fall Everyone! here's a favorite seasonal breakfast of mine...

To spruce up these already wonderful pumpkin spice muffins,  simply add about 5 chocolate chips and a small dollop (about 1 tsp.) of low-fat cream cheese to the top of the batter.

Follow box instructions... I find that 12-13 minutes does the trick for 18 muffins. Enjoy!!

* if you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby or can't find the pumpkin bread mix, use any ordinary pumpkin muffin recipe, it should work just the same!

Brownies (Minus the extra calories!)

We got this recipe from Elizabeth and love them just as much as normal brownies... they taste so good and are really moist... the best way to have brownies :)

Ingredients:
1 box devil's food cake mix
1 c. of Greek yogurt
1 c. warm water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray Pam on an 8x8 baking pan.
Mix well.
For the baking time, follow the time labeled on the back of cake box (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
Makes 16 squares.

*if you aren't convinced that they are healthier (because they taste so good!), weight watchers says one brownie is only 2pts :)

Lunch Table Oktoberfest :) & Pumpkin Spice Cookies

This week my lunch table girls and I celebrated fall and its wonderful pumpkin… aka: the lunch table Oktoberfest :)

On Monday us girls were talking about a future girls night out for youth group and what we could do… we thought since it is fall everyone could bring something pumpkinish or fallish, but then we all started craving those foods, and one thing led to another…

Katie brought pumpkin scones to share on Tuesday (they were bomb!), Brittney brought pumpkin bars on Wednesday (a recipe from Paula Deen, how could she go wrong?), A&A brought pumpkin spice cookies on Wednesday (Thursday we had a Spanish honor society meeting) and on Friday we went to a bagel shop—our first time eating off campus! haha :)—while we didn’t eat anything “oktobery” the shop did have pumpkin bagels, who would have thought! 

Anyways, I wanted to share a recipe with you. It is the cookies I brought to lunch (I even made some for dad to take to work... they were gone in 1 day! :) ). In the words of Katie and Amy, "they are so good... like the top of a muffin!" 

PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES:

ingredients:

for the cookies

2-1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 can (15oz) pumpkin purée

1 can chopped pecans (or walnuts)

for the icing

1 c. powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. maple syrup (or maple flavoring)

cooking directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Line cookie sheets with wax/parchment paper. 

cookies: In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, & baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugars for about 3 minutes, or until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Scrape sides of bowl. On low speed gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended. Fold in nuts.

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. 

Makes about 4 dozen.

Bake for about 14 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden. 

Immediately slide parchment paper onto a wire cooling rack. Let cookies cool completely. 

icing: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, and maple flavoring. Using a small whisk or fork, blend until icing is smooth and thin enough to drizzle from a fork. Drizzle icing over cooled cookies.

Let icing set before storing cookies between cookies layers of wax paper. If you want to freeze them, don't ice them until defrosted and ready to eat.

I got this recipe from American Lifestyle Magazine and they are a new favorite :) "These slightly spicy, soft, chewy, cake-like cookies are a perfect fall treat."

Mock Sou Berag (Armenian Mac & Cheese)

1 lg. pkg. extra wide egg noodles (or 2 small bags whatever is cheaper)

1/2 cube butter, melted in a saucepan

Salt and pepper to taste

1-1/2 to 2 lbs. Monterey Jack cheese, grated lg.

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 bunch italian (flat) parsley, chopped

2 serving spoons cottage cheese

Boil noodles and drain. Add salt, pepper and melted butter. In a bowl, mix grated cheese, eggs, parsley, cottage cheese, salt and pepper. In a large flat baking dish, alternate layer of noodles, cheese mixture patted flat, noodles and cheese mixture. Be sure to put plenty of cheese to cover noodles, if necessary. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or unitl slightly golden. Cut in squares and serve hot. Serves 12.

Got this reciepe from a friend! It always sounds good on a rainy/cold day like today! 

35 minutes in an 9x12 pan usually works great.