Ringing in the Fall!

Although I still feel like we were jipped on our summer I have to admit I have been getting very excited for fall! One of my favorite fall treats are Pumpkin Chocolate chip cookies.
There are many recipes out there but this one is SO easy that I generally use it. The other bonus is my little man can make them with me since it is not as time or labor intensive as a cookie completely from scratch.
All you need is what you see in this picture (and the egg is actually optional!)Yes all of these things had been opened and used prior to the picture, box top cut off of box ets. just keeping it real!
The batter will be sticky but don't worry just plop it on the cookie sheet, sticky batter equals moist cookies (I use a cookie scoop to make it easy.)EASY PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 Box Spice Cake Mix
15 OZ Canned Pumpkin
1 egg (optional)
1 bag of chocolate chips (or as many or little as you would like to add)

Mix all ingredients until combined, plop blobs on cookie sheet bake at 360 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Try to let them cool a minute or two before shoving them into your mouth. I dare you to eat just one!
I actually never took a picture of the end result hahaha I guess I ate them too fast. But trust me they are worth trying and fun to share with your neighbors to celebrate the coming Fall!

What are you favorite traditions in the Fall?

Banana (zucchini) Bread

I have been making this egg free-dairy free banana bread for at least the last two years. I came across it when my newborn had severe food intolerance issues that required immediate diet restrictions for me. The restrictions were difficult for the first month or so but once I found resources it wasn't really that bad. This recipe is one that I have continued to make even thought the restrictions are gone.

I will warn you that this is not your cut a slice smear butter on banana bread. I would say it is more like banana cake and butter isn't needed.

I do feel terrible because I cannot remember or find where I found the original recipe. I'm pretty sure it was on a blog that a mom with a food allergy child wrote but I can no longer find it.

You can make this and freeze it for a month or two. It makes for a perfect snack since it is whole wheat, low fat, and has vegetables in it!

I will give the original recipe and write my changes in brackets or italics.

Egg free Dairy free Banana Bread
1/2 C. Shortening (I use 1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce)
3/4 Cup Organic Can Sugar (I use 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, not a mistype I use less than called for.)
1 1/2 C Wheat Flour -can use all purpose or do a mix (I always do all wheat)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (I make this heaping I LOVE cinnamon and on occasion I throw in some nutmeg)
4 small ripe bananas- can substitute 1/4 C. of Sugar for one banana (I generally use 3 large bananas and finely grate one 1/2 of a zucchini or an entire zucchini if it is small, you do not have to put in the zucchini. If you have 3 to 4 large ripe bananas you will be fine.)
1 tsp Vanilla - optional (I always put this in)

Preheat Oven to 325 Degrees F (300 degrees F if doing mini Muffins)
Lightly grease pan (s)
Cream shortening (or applesauce) and sugar. Slowly sift (I have sifted it before but I have skipped this step many times for lack of time and it still turn out) in flour baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Mash Bananas in a separate bowl (you can have some chunks but try to make them small otherwise you will have this problem):See that hunk of banana in the bottom and a hollow mini muffin? (I love this because those are the ones I get to eat right away wink wink.)
Add bananas into the mixture and add vanilla. (do not over mix just until everything is moist)
You can add nuts, choc chips, raisins or other dried fruit (I have never added any of these things.)
Pour batter into greased pan(s) or spoon it into muffin tins. Bake 60 minutes for a large loaf, 30 to 40 minutes for mini loaf, and 25 min for mini muffins (remember these are only at 300 degrees). Until a toothpick comes out clean.

And you are done!

You can enjoy these hot just watch out for the scorching banana chunks if you are too eager beaver. Or you can enjoy them cold if it is just too hot to want to eat anything warm.

Leslie's Breadsticks (made pizza dough)

I am always on the look out for a quick, simple but still yummy recipe for just about anything. I will try any recipe once. When it comes to Bread dough I have a hard time because I generally don't think about making bread for a meal far enough in advance to let it rise once let alone twice.
My good friend Leslie shared her breadstick recipe with me but I needed pizza dough so I used it for that and I think it is one of my favorites so far. Forgive the photo I'm not the best at pictures it looked SO ymmy in real life! On mine I used half a tub of the New philly cooking cream (the original flavor) I added at least 1/4 cup of minced garlic and Italian seasoning to it. Sorry I tend to not measure. (There is an Italian cooking cream that I'm sure would work well but I had the original on hand.) Then I topped it with thinly sliced tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, sliced sweet onion and an Italian blend of Cheese. (I think the blend was mozzarella, smoked Gouda, and parmesan. (I wish that I would have put more Basil it seemed like a lot but the flavor was not as strong as I would have liked. I also think some cooked chicken would have been fabulous on it.)
As a warning this dough recipe makes a LOT of dough. I made a HUGE round pizza pan and a half a cookie sheet worth of pizza, and that wasn't rolling it super thin. I'm going to try to half it next time.
Here is the awesome recipe with anything in () is what I did. (The bread sticks are super yummy too!)

1 1/2 Cup Very Warm Water
1 Tbsp Yeast
1/2 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
4 Cups of flour


Dissolve yeast in water. (I usually sprinkle in a little of the sugar my mom always told me it helps the yeast.)
Mix all other ingredients together and then add the yeast mixture.
Kneed until smooth. (Super easy in your kitchen aid, I do not have one and used my hands and it turned out fine.)
Let sit 5 minutes. (Yes only 5 minutes no an hour YAY!)
At this point you either start pulling pieces off and rolling them into bread sticks OR you roll out your pizza dough (The dough should be elastic-y, I was amazed how perfect this dough felt for the first time making it. )

Breadsticks: Roll into breadsticks place on cooking sheet spread with butter garlic mixture Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. bruch with garlic butter mixture sprinkle with cheese and enjoy!

Butter Garlic spread for breadsticks: (Leslie said this is WAY too much butter I think she uses a 1/2 cup of butter instead. You can play around with the topping to make it the way you like it.)
1 cup of butter
3 tbs Johny's Garlic spread


Pizza: Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes (It depend on your pan and your oven and how soft or cripsy you like your pizza. I actually liked how the cookies sheet baked the crust better than the dark pizza pan I have. Or you could try a pizza stone!)