Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Three small pastries on a wooden tray

Ingredients 1 box yellow cake mix (plus the ingredients called for in the package directions) 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice     15 oz can pumpkin puree 2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, at room temperature 2 c confectioners’ sugar 24 pieces candy corn Directions Heat oven to 350 ° degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper…

Read More

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin muffins on a pink plate.

Long ago when I first started this blog, I very ambitiously attempted an entire week of cooking with pumpkin. That was actually very useful in helping to discover that some things just taste disgusting with pumpkin. It doesn’t matter how cool it sounds to make pumpkin chili, it’s just not. But fortunately, not everything was…

Read More

Pumpkin Roulade

Pumpkin spice roll slices on a blue plate.

When my son’s girlfriend, Lauren, comes over and we decide to check out what’s on TV, I make sure she gets the remote control. Those of you without daughters understand how exciting it is to get to watch “girl tv”. The guys might settle for a something on HGTV or maybe the occasional movie or…

Read More

Pumpkin Soup

A bowl of soup with bacon and sour cream.

Ingredients 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 15 oz can pumpkin 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock ½ tsp turmeric pinch red pepper flakes 2 Tbsp Sherry 1 Tbsp butter For serving: Sour cream and chopped pecans or walnuts Directions Heat olive oil in a large…

Read More

Puppy Birthday Biscuits

Two dogs sitting on a carpeted staircase.

It’s nearly impossible to believe that last week our beautiful basset hound turned ten years old. A little less than ten years ago we traveled to the outskirts of Mississippi to pick her up. Originally christened Angel by her owner, it was rapidly apparent as we made the drive back home that the name would…

Read More

Quick Cucumber Pickle

Three jars of pickles sitting on a table.

Ingredients 3 cucumbers, peeled and seeded 3 cloves garlic, peeled 3 sprigs fresh dill or fennel or 1 tsp seeds 1 cup rice wine vinegar 3-4 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp red pepper flakes Jars for pickles (3 one-pint jars work for this amount) Directions Pack cucumbers tightly into jars, adding garlic and…

Read More

Quinoa with Dried Cranberries and Almonds

A close up of some pies on top of a table

Ingredients 1 cup quinoa * 2 cups water 2 bouillon cubes, vegetable or chicken 1/3 cup dried cranberries (you can substitute raisins or other chopped dried fruit) ¼ cup almonds, chopped and toasted (I toast mine in the microwave) 2 Tbsp orange juice Directions In a medium sized saucepan bring water, quinoa, and bouillon cubes…

Read More

Ragu Sauce — Family Style

A plate of pasta with meat sauce and cheese.

Ingredients: 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 lb lean ground sirloin 1 lb ground Italian sausage 1 onion, diced 2 carrots, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 can tomato paste 2 cups broth, beef, chicken, or vegetable ½ cup red wine 1 bay leaf 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp basil 1…

Read More

Rainbow Cookies

Sprinkle cookies on a blue plate in the garden.

Follow the Rainbow Nutritionists and diet gurus are always telling us to “eat the rainbow” no doubt meaning, veggies and fruits that are different colors. Well, they should be more careful tossing that phrase around, because I’ve just thought of a terrific way to eat the rainbow that is so much easier than picking out all that…

Read More

Raspberry Brûlée

A small pizza with fruit on top of it.

Ingredients 6 oz box of fresh raspberries 4 oz raspberry liquor (Chambord is a popular brand, but there are lots of others) 1/2 cup sour cream 4 Tbsp brown sugar * This is a guideline of amounts. Make it fit the dishes you use. Honestly, I never measure for this dessert, it’s a visual dish.…

Read More