Autumn Soup

We have one of those self-serve frozen yogurt places just around the corner.
It's within walking distance, which makes you feel even less guilty.

I "liked" them on FB, which means I get weekly updates of the available flavors.

You walk in, go to the back of the store, there they have an assortment of cup sizes. Then you come into contact with about 8 different fro-yo machines. Serve yourself as much or as little as you want.
Oh-I should add, there are usually a couple of sorbet flavors as well.

Then you head over to the topping bars.
Yes, multiple.
All the typical ice cream toppings, plus tons of candies, cookies, cheesecake pieces, cookie dough
Oh my mind is spinning!
Next bar is all the fruits...mmmm
Then a little drawer set with all the crushed nuts.
Then there are sauces. Chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, peanut butter.

Its.So.Close.By,
Oh the temptation!

Good thing I just ate a bowl of this soup, or I would be heading down there now.

Ingredients:

1 LB ground beef

2 Small potato (cut to 1 inch dice)

½ Cup celery (sliced)

1 Small onion (diced)

1 Med tomato (diced)

2 Beef bouillon

1 Tsp basil

4 Cups water

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Brown meat until cooked through

2. Drain and return to pan

3. Add 2 cups water and 1 bouillon

4. Add celery, onion, and potato

5. Simmer for 15 minutes (water should be about evaporated)

6. Add 1 bouillon and 2 cups water

7. Add tomato and basil

8. Simmer another 10-15 minutes

9. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday:  Flour me with Love , Pioneer Momma , Homemaking with Syle, Feeding Big, Kitchen Table Art, Mom Favorites, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms , A Southern Fairytale, The Chicken Chick, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, Uncommon Designs, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, The 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Memories by the Mile, Pint Sized Baker, Cornerstone Confessions, Lou Lou Girls, The New Mrs. Adventures, Kathe with an E, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Inside Bru Crew Life, Hope in Every Season, Hot Mommas Kitchen Chaos, My Joy Filled Life, Time Warp Wife, Minivan Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Stone Gable Blog, The Journey Back
Wednesday: Buns in my Oven, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch, Crafty Allie
Thursday: Sweet Bella Roos, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Katherine's Corner, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: Happy and Blessed Home, The Best Blog Recipes, The Grits Blog, A Little Claireification, Marley's This and That, The Better Baker, The New Mrs. Adventures, Coffee with us 3, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life
Saturday:  What's Cooking with Ruthie ,Six Sister's Stuff, Simply Gloria, Beauty Through Imperfection, Raising Memories , Diary of a Recipe Collector
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise , 3 Little Greenwoods, Denise Designed, Three Mango Seeds       

Pumpkin Dip

I have a confession.
I feel very strongly about this.

Pumpkin is not a food!

I can't help it, it's just the way I am.

I have an aunt who feels the same way. At Thanksgiving, while everyone else is gobbling it down...we shiver in the corner.

That being said...

I really like this dip! There is enough spice between the dip and the cookies...and the sweet sugar, that masks the pumpkin taste for me.

My mother handed this recipe down to me. She made it all the time for functions. She was able to find cute little pumpkins to serve it in...me...not so lucky. OH WELL, a bowl will work!

This one time we were driving about an hour to friend's house.

Dad took a corner...and so did this dip.

Oh the mess!

Pumpkin everywhere!

That car smelled like pumpkin pie spice for the rest of it's "life".

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese (softened)

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 Tsp vanilla

3 Tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together

2. Serve with ginger snaps

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This recipe was shared with:

Monday:  Flour me with Love, Kitchen Table Art, Feeding Big, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, A Southern Fairytale, Pioneer Momma, A Pinch of Joy, Mom Favorites, The Modest Mom Blog, The Chicken Chick, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word

Tuesday: The New Mrs Adventures , Pint Sized Baker, Memories by the Mile, Kathe with an E, Cornerstone Confessions, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Inside Bru Crew Life, Lou Lou Girls, Time Warp Wife, Minivan Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Stone Gable Blog, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, The Journey Back, Hope in Every Season
Wednesday: Recipes for our Daily Bread , Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Milk and Cuddles , Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Buns in my Oven, A Peek into my Paradise, Ginger Snap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Crafty Allie, The Newlywed Pilgrimage
Thursday: Katherine's Corner, Sweet Bella Roos , Lambert's Lately , Sweet Haute , What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Embracing Change  
Friday: Play Party Pin , Pure Grace Farms, The Grits Blog, Happy and Blessed Home, Coffee with Us 3, Simple Nature Decor, Daily Dish , The Better Baker, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams , The Diary of a Real Housewife, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative , Morsels of Life , Lady Behind the Curtain
Saturday: Beauty Through Imperfection , Six Sisters Stuff, Raising Memories , Belle of the Kitchen, 
Sunday:   A Peek into my Paradise , Three Mango Seeds        

Corn Cake Muffins

I didn't think it was possible...but I did it.
Today should be marked on the calendar as a personal holiday.

Know what I did?
It required great strength and courage.

I went to Target.
I went with a list.
I only bought what was on the list and then left the store.

This has never happened to me before. I go in for a package of paper and leave $300 later.
How I managed such self control, I will never know.

Please, hold your applause!

Ingredients:

1 Pkg (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix

1 Pkg (9 oz) yellow cake mix

2 Eggs

⅓ Cup milk

½ Cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Grease a muffin pan

3. Combine all ingredients until blended

4. FIll muffin tins ⅔ full

5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Flour me with Love, Homemaking with Style, Kitchen Table Art , Pioneer Momma, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, The Chicken Chick, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, A Southern Fairytale, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor , Uncommon Designs, Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom  , Skip to my Lou, Mom Favorites, 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word , Feeding Big    
Tuesday: The New Mrs Adventures , Pint Sized Baker, A Bowl Full of Lemons , Cornerstone Confessions , Inside Bru Crew Life, Lou Lou Girls, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Our Table for Seven, Yesterfood, Time Warp Wife, Mini Van Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Kathe with an E, Hope in Every Season, Stone Gable Blog
Wednesday:  Buns in my Oven, Lemoine Family Kitchen , The Newlywed Pilgrimage , Crafty Allie , Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Recipes for our Daily Bread , Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Gooseberry Patch
Thursday: Sweet Bella Roos, Katherine's Corner , Miz Helen's Country Cottage , Lambert's Lately, Sweet Haute, What's Cooking Love , Think Tank Thursday , Embracing Change, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday:  The Grits Blog , O Taste and See , Play Party Pin, Coffee with us 3, A Little Claireification, Marly's This and That, Endlessly Inspired, Diary of a Real Housewife, Love Bakes Good Cakes, The Country Cook, Craft Dictator, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life
Saturday: Beauty Through Imperfection, Weary Chef , What's Cooking with Ruthie, Six Sister's Stuff, Simply Gloria, Sewlicious Home Decor, Raising Memories
Sunday: A Peek into my Paradise, Denise Designed

White Bean Dip with Parmesan and Sage

Would you believe before I tried this recipe I had never heard of Cannellini beans, much less knew what they were?

I stood in the grocery, checking out the canned beans until I finally found them.

I found out the following trivia

• They are a member of the kidney bean family
• They are mistaken for great northern beans frequently
• They are available canned or dried all year long
• They have a fluffy, yet smooth texture when cooked

Now that I am familiar, I will be using them more often. Cannellini beans are a great source of iron and we could always use more of that in our diet!

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) Can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)

¼ Cup firmly packed finely grated parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 Clove garlic (minced)

¼ Tsp kosher salt

⅛- ¼ Tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves

1 Tbsp minced chives

Directions:

1. In food processor, combine beans, cheese, oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper

2. Puree until smooth

3. Add sage and pulse to combine

4. Serve with pita bread, pretzels, or vegetables

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, Mom Favorites, Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Feeding Big, A Southern Fairytale, A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Uncommon Designs, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, The Chicken Chick, Boogieboard Cottage, Enchanted Home Schooling Mom, Skip to my Lou, 21st Century Housewife, Sew Can Do, Mom's the Word
Tuesday: Kathe with an E , The New Mrs Adventures, Cornerstone Confessions, Inside Bru Crew Life, Pint Sized Baker, Memories by the Mile , Lou Lou Girls, Time Warp Wife, Minivan Dreams, Mandy's Recipe Box, Hope Studios, Hope in Every Season , Stone Gable Blog, Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos , Our Table for Seven     
Wednesday:  Dizzy Busy and Hungry , Buns in my Oven , Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, White Lights on Wednesday, A Peek into my Paradise, Gingersnap Crafts, Mom's Test Kitchen, Crafty Allie, Mostly Homemade Mom, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Lemoine Family Kitchen         
Thursday:  Miz Helen's Country Cottage , What's Cooking Love, Lambert's Lately, Saving 4 Six, Sweet Haute, Katherine's Corner  , Sweet Bella Roos, Embracing Change, Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: O Taste and See , The Grits Blog , Coffee with us 3, Pure Grace Farms, Simple Nature Decor, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Marly's This and That, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, Lady Behind the Curtain, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Beauty Through Imperfection, Craft O Maniac, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life
Saturday: Six Sister's Stuff , Simply Gloria, Raising Memories , Weary Chef, Sewlicious Home Decor
Sunday:   Three Mango Seeds, A Peek into my Paradise  

Recipe adapted from Cookin Canuck

Strawberry Cream Cheese Brownies

These brownies were a visual disaster for me!

Well, let's start with the fact that I couldn't find any strawberry extract. I used a tablespoon of strawberry preserves, and that seemed to work out aright.

Cooked my first layer of brownies...and went to add the second, strawberry layer.
Gah!
Instead of drizzing nicely and covering the top as a second layer, it all glumped to the middle and sunk!

I could have cried.
I sat there with a spoon and a butter knife scooping out strawberry mixture and trying to spread it to other parts of the brownie.
Eventually I gave in and cooked it.

But now, the middle had so much cheesecake mixture it wouldn't cook! The outside edges were cripsy, but the inside was gloopy.
I put tin foil around the edges and kept on cooking.

Sad to say, this batch was going to an aunt of mine.
I, tearfully, explained my failure.

Cousin, taking one for the team, cut into it and tried it.
I took a bite of his.

OK. It may have been a disaster cooking, it might not have been pretty, but it was delicious cooked!
I am SO making this again to get a better picture.

Ingredients:

1 (19.9 oz) Fudge family style boxed brownie mix

8 oz Cream cheese (softened)

1 Egg

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

½ Tsp strawberry extract

Red food coloring

Optional:

Fudge sauce

Whipped topping

Strawberries

NOTE: You will also need eggs and oil to make brownie mix

Directions:

1. Make brownie mix according to box directions

2. Bake for 20 minutes

3. Beat all other ingredients until well blended

4. Pour strawberry batter over basic brownie mixture

5. Cook for an additional 25 minutes

6. Optional: Cool topped brownies with drizzled fudge sauce. Dallop whipped topping and place strawberries for garnish.

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This recipe was shared with:
Monday: Flour me with Love, Pioneer Momma, Homemaking with Style, The Chicken Chick  , Kitchen Table Art, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms , A Pinch of Joy, The Modest Mom Blog, Huckleberry Love, Uncommon Designs , Jambellish, A Mama's Story, All Things Fee, Boogieboard Cottage , I Should be Mopping the Floor, Mom Favorites, Skip to my Lou, Mom's the Word, A Southern Fairytale, 21st Century Housewife  , Sew Can Do      
Tuesday: Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos, Pint Sized Baker , The New Mrs Adventures, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cornerstone Confessions , Inside Bru Crew Life , Kathe with an E, Lou Lou Girls , Memories by the Mile , Our Table for Seven , Time Warp Wife , Mandy's Recipe Box , Mini Van Dreams , Hope Studios, Hope in Every Season , Stone Gable Blog, Sweet Silly Sara  
Wednesday: Recipes for our Daily Bread, Dizzy Busy and Hungry, Crafty Allie, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, Buns in my Oven, Milk and Cuddles, Raising Homemakers, Gingersnap Crafts, A Peek into my Paradise, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lemoine Family Kitchen, Mostly Homemade Mom
Thursday: Play Party Pin, Sweet Haute, Sweet Bella Roos, What's Cooking Love, Saving 4 Six, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lambert's Lately, Embracing Change, Katherine's Corner, The Nourishing Gourmet
Friday: O Taste and See, Craft Dictator, Coffee with us 3, The Grits Blog, Daily Dish, The Better Baker, Endlessly Inspired, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Thirty Handmade Days, City of Creative Dreams, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Lady Behind the Curtain, The Girl Creative, Morsels of Life, Beauty Through Imperfection
Saturday: Six Sister's Stuff, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Simply Gloria, Weary Chef, Raising Memories, Sewlicious Home Decor
Sunday: Three Mango Seeds