Pumpkin Spice Whoopies

This is a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, and it is soooo good! Make sure you have someone to share it with or you just might eat them all and be sick!

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 c softened butter
1 pkg. spice cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 recipe Marshmallow-spice filling (below)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl combined softened butter and pumpkin and beat until smooth. Add cake mix, eggs, and milk; beat until combined, then for 1 more minute,

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil (grease if using). Drop batter by heaping tablespoons 3 inches apart onto cookie sheet; keep remaining batter chilled. Bake for 15 minutes or until set and light brown around edges. Carefully remove from parchment or foil; cool. Repeat.

Spread about 2 1/2 tbsps Marshmallow-spice filling onto the flat side of one cookie; top with a second cookie. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 hours. Makes 15 cookie sandwiches.

Marshmallow-Spice Filling:

1/2 cup softened butter
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 of 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar slowly. Mix in marshmallow creme and vanilla. Then add in spices.

Devin's Desert

This is the dessert I made for Devin's birthday party. It's pretty yummy!

Cake:

3/4 c butter, softened
2 eggs
2 3/4 c All purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c buttermilk or sour milk
1 small can sprite (8 oz, I think)

Allow eggs and butter to come to room temperature. Meanwhile grease 9X13 pan WELL. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl beat butter, than add sugar and vanilla, beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time mixing well after each addition. In a measuring cup, Mix 3/4 cup Sprite with Buttermilk. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to butter mixture until just combined. Pour into pan then pour the rest of the sprite on top.

Bake for 30-50 minutes (the recipe says 50, but mine was done in 30). Cool Completely

Pudding mixture:

2 pkgs white chocolate instant pudding
3 cups cold milk
whipping cream

Mix together pudding and milk and allow to set. Whip the cream. Fold in about 1 cup of the unsweetened whipped cream.

Sweeten the rest of the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla for topping.

To Assemble:

Put cake on bottom (it will crumble so let it!). Put fruit on top of that (any fruit will work, but I really like blueberries, they make it taste like a blueberry cheese cake to me.....oh and frozen works well too). Then put pudding mixture on top of that and top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Thai Chicken

I'm always on the search for easy, good, and inexpensive everyday kind of meals. This is one that I will definitely be making over and over again. It was delish and I don't usually like Thai food.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb chicken cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" squares
• 1 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
• Honey Roasted Peanuts
  
• cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Place chicken and bell pepper in a 9"X13" greased pan.

In a separate bowl mix broth, soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour mixture over chicken. Put in oven uncovered for 30 minutes.

Right before chicken is almost done mix cornstarch with warmed lime juice and peanut butter. Stir until smooth. When chicken is done Stir peanut butter mixture into chicken.

Put chicken back in oven for another 15 minutes.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.

Pot Stickers

These were really yummy if you like pot stickers. I made them as the main dish and served with rice.

Makes about 60 potstickers or one package of wonton wrappers

Ingredients:

• 1 package wonton/dumpling wrappers (2-inch circle)
• 1 C thinly sliced Napa /Bok Choy cabbage
  
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 t minced fresh or bottled ginger (I had ground ginger and used 1 tsp. and it worked fine but it would probably be better with fresh)
  
• 2 finely chopped green onion
• 1 t salt
• 1 t soy sauce
• 1 t rice wine vinegar
• 1 t sesame oil

1. Dice 1 C. cabbage into very tiny pieces. In a large bowl add all ingredients except for wonton wrappers and dipping sauce, mix well with hands.

2. Lightly flour 2 cookie sheets, get out a small bowl of water to dip your fingers in. Wet one side of the wonton wrapper, spoon 2 t. filling on the center of the wonton wrapper. Fold in half and pinch edges closed.

3. Place pot stickers on a lightly floured cookie sheet. Continue until mixture is gone.

4. Refrigerate until ready to serve

To serve:
1. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a non-stick skillet (Must be non-stick. They are called pot stickers for a reason). Place the wontons in the skillet on med-high heat (wait for the oil to get hot before placing them in.)

2. Add water to cover the pouches one-third of the way up. Cover and reduce temperature. Cook until liquid is gone. (7-8 minutes)

3. Flip and cook reverse side until crispy. Serve hot and dip in sauce to eat.

*A more healthy way to cook pot stickers is to drop the pot stickers into a pot of boiling water . When they float to the top they are done. Serve warm with sauce.

*These freeze really well. If you want to freeze simply freeze them on the cookie sheet for 1-2 hours. Then transfer to a freezer bag.

Dipping sauce:

• 4 T. soy sauce
• 4 t. balsamic vinegar
• 4 t. brown sugar
• 3-4 clove minced garlic
• Crushed red pepper flakes
  

Combine ingredients and place in small bowls for each person to dip their pot stickers in.

*This doesn't make a ton of sauce.