Pumpkin "Dump" Cake

It's Day 2 of Pumpkin Weekend!!!

I love pumpkin! Actually, I don't really. I don't like pumpkin spice milkshakes or pumpkin spice lattes (I know, I know, I'm crazy). But I love pumpkin in any sort of baked goods! I was a little wary of a recipe with the word "dump" in it, but it's called a dump cake because you pretty much just have to dump everything in the pan, and it turned out really yummy! It's got more of a "pudding cake" consistency... somewhere between pumpkin pie and pumpkin cake. Delicious!

Perfect in a bowl with vanilla ice cream!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:

1 15oz can pumpkin

1 10oz can evaporated milk

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. 

2. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and pour the pumpkin mixture in it.

3. Sprinkle the entire box of cake mix over the pumpkin mixture. Then, sprinkle on the pecans.

4. Drizzle the butter evenly on top.

5. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes until the center is set and the edges are lightly browned.

Ingredients!

Mix, mix, mix!

Pumpkin Mixture

Pumpkin mixture in the pan...

Cake mix goes on top... 

Then the pecans...

Then the butter...

Ready for the oven!

Mmmm!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Continuing on with Pumpkin Weekend, here's a great ice cream recipe!

We all know how much I love my ice cream maker. I love it so much that I don't even remember the last time we actually bought already-made ice cream. There was even a big sale on Blue Bell ice cream at the grocery store the other day and I didn't even get any (if you're not from a State that gets Blue Bell, just know that passing up a big Blue Bell sale is a big deal).

Anyway, so of course - there had to be pumpkin spice ice cream to celebrate Fall!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash of ginger
Dash of nutmeg

Directions:
1. Whisk everything together in a big bowl until combined.
2. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the ice cream maker's directions (I left mine in there for 35 minutes or so).
3. Freeze for at least a couple hours before serving.

Ingredients

All whisked up!

Waiting...

Yummy!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Bread

It's Day 1 of Pumpkin Weekend!!!

I've been meaning to try this Paula Deen recipe for forever, and after I saw it on a couple blogs last week I just couldn't wait any longer! Let me tell you... I shouldn't have waited as long as I did because it's so yummy!

This is what fall tastes like.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:

1 15oz can pumpkin

1 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)

2/3 cup water

4 large eggs

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Beat pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs with an electric mixer.

2. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture (technically you're supposed to sift everything, but as long as your make sure the spices and baking soda aren't in clumps, you'll be fine). Stir until combined.

3. Pour batter into two lightly-greased 8x5ish loaf pans.

4. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean.

5. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Mixing the wet ingredients...

Mmm, pumpkin!

Adding the dry ingredients...

Into the oven they go...

Cooling for 5 minutes in the pan...

Mmmm!

Cooling on the rack...

Delicious!

Yum.

Enjoy!

Nutella Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love Nutella. And I love cookies. So I pretty much knew I couldn't go wrong with a combination of the two. These are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside and just so yummy... your tummy will thank me for this recipe!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 cup Nutella
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Mix the Nutella, sugar, flour, and egg together really well. The mixture will be a little crumbly, and this is okay. Don't be afraid to get in there and mix with your hands!
2. Mix in the chocolate chips (again, you may have to use your hands!).
3. Form 1-inch balls out of the dough and place on a cookie sheet.
4. Flatten the dough with your hands or the bottom of a glass.
5. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes.

Mixing...

See? Kinda crumbly. It's okay.

Adding the chocolate chips.

Spheres of dough...

Flattening with a glass...

Ready for the oven!

Ta-da!

Delicious!!

Enjoy!

Cod with Italian Crumb Topping

We've been eating a lot of chicken lately. I've been making an effort to cook more "healthy" things, and that somehow ended up meaning I cooked a ton of chicken all the time. Then that led to me getting pretty darn good at cooking chicken, which led to more chicken for dinner.

A few days ago I was at the grocery store buying (yet another) bag of frozen chicken, and I realized I was stuck in a bit of a chicken rut. So I bought some cod fillets! You know, because fish is healthy too.

Anyway, I found this lovely little Italian crumb cod recipe, and (with a few adjustments) it turned out great!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp cornmeal

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

4 (3oz) cod fillets (or you could probably use tilapia too!)

2 tbsp mayo (the low fat version is fine)

1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Place your cod fillets in the dish.

2. Mix the mayo and lemon juice together in a bowl, and brush the mixture onto your fish fillets.

3. Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, cornmeal, olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper in a bowl. Spoon this crumb topping onto the cod fillets.

4. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Crumb Topping Mixture

Mayo + Lemon Juice

Mayo Mixture

Cod Fillets

Brushing on the mayo mixture...

Brushed with the mayo/lemon juice mixture

With the crumb topping spooned on top, ready to go in the oven!

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

Easy Garlic Rice Pilaf

This recipe uses Minute rice, which I know makes it kind of not like a real recipe, but sometimes you just need a really quick side dish, you know? It tastes a million times better than plain old white rice, and it's just as quick and easy!

Recipe loosely adapted from here and here.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced (I use the jar kind)
1 cup white Minute rice
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Saute garlic in butter for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in rice and parsley, cover, and remove from heat.
4. Let stand for 5-8 minutes, until rice has absorbed the liquid.
5. Fluff the rice, season with salt and pepper and serve!

Easy side dish? Check!