Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bars

Clearly I'm excited for autumn weather and baking again. Especially after this excessively hot summer that we had I'm tired of the heat and counting down until the cool fall weather arrives.  That said, I've started my fall baking already and baked up the Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bars. I found this recipe in the Better Home and Gardens magazine and I'm extremely glad I did because these bars are phenomenal! The texture is more like a cake rather than a brownie but it's still great nonetheless. Plus, it's wonderful to have with your morning cup of coffee.

Cream Cheese Swirl Pumpkin Bars

(Source: Better Home and Gardens Magazine)

Pumpkin Bar: 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Swirl:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Add eggs, pumpkin, and oil; stir until combined. Spread batter evenly into an ungreased 15X10 inch baking pan. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl combine half  of an 8 ounce package of cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixture on medium speed until combined. Beat in 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk. Drizzle cream cheese mixture over pumpkin batter in pan. Use a knife to gently marble the mixtures together. 

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 2 hours. 

Marshall Field's Chicken Salad Sandwich

I had a craving for a good chicken salad sandwich and decided to make the Marshall Fields Chicken Salad sandwich recipe I found earlier this week. It's extremely simple to make and super quick for a weeknight sandwich. Unfortunately, I don't have a good picture to go with this recipe since I was to busy eating rather than trying to take a good picture. However, I did have some chicken salad left to put in the refrigerator to make a sandwich tomorrow :o) Hopefully the not so great picture doesn't deter you from making this tasty recipe!

Marshall Fields Chicken Salad Sandwich 

(Source: Marshall Fields Cookbook)

For Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar  (I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons since I like mine a touch sweeter)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

For Salad

1 1/2 cups shredded boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked (I used shredded Rotisserie Chicken meat)

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup thompson seedless grapes, halved (I used dried cranberries)

lettuce leaf, for serving

Mix all dressing ingredients together in large bowl. Add chicken, green onion, pecans, and grapes (or dried cranberries) if you are using them. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Arrange lettuce leaves on plates and top each with a scoop of salad.

P.S. This Chicken Salad tastes even better the next day after it's been sitting in the refrigerator for several hours. 

Naan Pizza

I love personal sized pizza, it's big enough to fill you up but small enough to not over eat. I recently started making personal pizzas at home using store bought Naan for the crust. I would have never thought of using Naan for the crust until I went to Costco one day when the sample lady was giving out Naan samples with marinara sauce.  After having a sample, I had to buy a package of Naan myself and make some pizza using Naan for the crust.

I've tried many many many store bought pizza crusts that failed to impress me when making pizza at home. However, the Naan has blown me away and I fully intend on using Naan whenever I'm making homemade pizza. When the pizza is finished baking the edges are perfectly crisp and the inside with the filling on top is tender but holds the toppings well without flopping down.  So go head to your local Costco and buy some Naan to make this delicious pizza at home :o)

Naan Pizza

Store Bought Naan (preferably from CostCo)

Pizza Sauce

Diced Onion

Diced Red Pepper

Chicken Sausage, sliced

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Dried Oregano

Spread some pizza sauce on the Naan and top with your favorite pizza toppings. Bake until the cheese is nicely melted and the crust is crisp. Enjoy! 

There are so many different toppings you can use so the possibilities are endless :o)

Cinnamon Roll Crust Sweet Potato Pie

Fall is right around the corner and all I've been thinking about lately is pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, sweet potato pie, hearty soup, hot apple cider, etc. I absolutely love the crisp fall air with beautiful fall foliage lining the side of the streets. Nothing beats taking a stroll through a forest preserve on a beautiful fall morning with some hot apple cider in hand and hearing the leaves crunch under your feet.

So with that thought in mind, I thought I'd start fall baking a little early this year by baking a phenomenal Sweet Potato Pie with Cinnamon Roll Crust. The pie filling recipe is one that I've used many times over the years so I knew it would be great. As for the Cinnamon Roll Crust recipe? I found it on Pinterest :o) It's a very creative twist for a pie crust but it's hard to tell after the pie has baked. Regardless, I highly suggest making this pie with the pie crust because it is pretty awesome together :o) (Even though it's 90 degrees in Chicago today, I still made this delicious pie)

Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust 

(Pinterest)

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Roll out pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Brush with butter and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon. Roll up tightly and slice into 1/2-inch rounds, like miniature cinnamon rolls. Press miniature cinnamon rolls, flat side down, evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch glass pie plate, making sure there are no spaces between the rolls. Set aside.

Sweet Potato Pie 

(Very Best Baking)

2 large or 3 medium (about 1 1/2 to 2 lb. total) sweet potatoes, cut up into big cubes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1/2  cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup (5 fluid-ounce can) Evaporated Milk

2 large eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

Whipped cream

Prepared Pie Crust

Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly. Preheat oven to 350° F. Mash warm sweet potatoes and butter in large bowl. Stir in granulated sugar, evaporated milk, eggs and brown sugar. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake in 350° F oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Top with whipped cream. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

The Best Bagel Sandwich

I thought I'd share a bagel sandwich recipe that I make frequently. It definitely takes about 5 minutes to make and it's very filling. I'm a tad bit tired today so I'll just go ahead and post the picture and recipe for this amazing sandwich. I do recommend a good quality bagel because I think it's a make or break for a delicious sandwich :o)

Bagel Sandwich

1 good quality bagel (I recommend the freshly baked bagels from Dominicks)

Vegetable Cream Cheese

Dijon mustard

Deli sliced chicken

Romaine Lettuce

Thinly sliced tomato

Thinly sliced avocado

Muenster Cheese

Slice bagel in half. Spread thin layer of cream cheese and mustard on top of half of bagel. Then layer the other ingredients onto the bottom half of bagel and combine the two halves to create a delicious sandwich

Two posts in one day?!?! Yowza!!

I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time orrrr making a quick pasta dish for the work week. I love using Sunday evenings as "Cooking Evening"...basically making food to eat for dinner and make enough of it so I can eat it for lunch the next day.

I decided to make a creamy pasta dish for dinner tonight because I love anything with creamy tomato sauce. It's very similar to Penne Alla Vodka, but with wine! This recipe is absolutely delicious and one I'll continue to use years to come. The original recipe adds shrimp into the sauce but I decided to pass on the shrimp. If you're a fan of shrimp, I say go ahead and all the shrimp you want :o)

Penne Alla Wine

(aka Penna Alla Betsy by Ree Drummond minus the shrimp)

3/4 pounds Penne Pasta

3 Tablespoons Butter

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 whole Onion (small)

2 cloves Garlic

1/2 cup White Wine

1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)

1 cup Heavy Cream

Fresh Parsley, to taste

Fresh Basil - To Taste

Salt To Taste

Pepper To Taste

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm. Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add an 8 ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer. Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

*I like my sauce to have a little bit of spice, so I added a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

*I also added some shredded parmesan cheese into the sauce while it was simmering.

I'm baaaaack :o)

I've been a bad bad bad blogger lately and haven't been updating my blog often! However, in my defense, I've been incredibly tired to bake or cook because work is crazy hectic lately. Plus, this summer has been brutally hot! I think for the month of July, we've had more than 20 days of 90+ degree heat in Chicago. Definitely not the type of weather where I'm inclined to crank up the oven to 300 degrees in a nice cool home :o) However, the plus side is I get to try different recipes that doesn't include the use of an oven.

Which brings me to the Chocolate Raspberry Chex Mix recipe. It's similar to Puppy Chow minus the peanut butter. It has melted semi sweet chocolate ships, melted butter, Chex Cereal, powdered sugar, and the secret ingredient (drum roll please)....Raspberry Jello!!!! It's the craziest concept but it's crazy good :o) Plus, it only takes a few minutes to throw everything together. I think next time I'll try using white chocolate chips and orange jello to make Creamsicle Chex Mix ;o) 

Chocolate Raspberry Chex Mix 

(Variation of a recipe from Chex.com)

9          cups Chex cereal

1 1/2    cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/3       cup butter

1           teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2    cups powdered sugar

1           box (8-serving size) Raspberry-flavored gelatin

Measure cereal into large bowl. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butter uncovered on High 1 minute. Stir; microwave 15 to 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. In 2-gallon large food-storage plastic bag, mix powdered sugar and gelatin. Add cereal mixture. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper; cool about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Best grits ever!

I was first introduced to grits when I was on a family vacation in Florida. It took me several years to really appreciate grits because 99% of the time it lacks flavor! However, over the last year or two, I collected several recipes for grits...and the one I made today is absolutely delicious. 

It is packed with vegetables, spicy, and flavorful! 

Jalapeno Monterey Jack Grits (Big Cedar Lodge Restaurant)

1 tablespoon butter

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño chili

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup quick-cooking grits

1 1/2 cups grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese (about 6 ounces)

Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add both peppers, jalapeño, and garlic; sauté until peppers are tender, about 5 minutes. Bring stock and cream to boil in heavy large saucepan. Add grits in thin stream, whisking constantly. Whisk until grits are cooked and mixture thickens, about 6 minutes. Add sautéed pepper mixture and cheese; stir until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper. Top off with shredded Parmesan cheese. 

Magnolia Bakery Corn Muffin

The first time I learned about Magnolia Bakery was in an episode of Sex and the City. I've never actually had a cupcake or muffin from the bakery. However, if the baked goods are exactly like the recipes in the recipe book, I think Magnolia is a must try the next time I'm in NYC.

I decided to make the Corn Muffins from the Magnolia Bakery book and it is by far the best corn muffins I've ever had. It's not very dense, it's moist, and it holds crumbs quite well. If you're a fan of corn muffins, this is a must try! 

Magnolia Bakery Corn Muffin

1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease well 9 cups of a 12 cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, making a well in the center. Stir in the liquid ingredients until just combined, being careful to not overmix. The batter may be lumpy. Fill the muffin cups about three quarters full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden or a cake tester inserted into center of muffin comes out with moist crumbs attached. Do not overbake. 

Chocolate Pizzelle

I've been a bad blogger lately, I haven't updated this blog in a while! In my defense, I've been incredibly busy and having a hard time finding time to bake/cook.

That said, I think everyone will enjoy this delicious cookie. It's a Pizzelle cookie which is an Italian cookie that is very similar to a waffle cookie. Instead of shaping the dough using a cookie scoop and baking in the oven, it's made by using an Italian Pizzelle press. It's definitely time consuming but well worth the time. Plus, who doesn't enjoy a batter that is packed with cocoa?

Chocolate Pizzelle 

(Food Network)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temperature

Vegetable oil spray

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting cookies

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, orange zest, and salt together in a large bowl. In another medium bowl, briskly whisk the eggs, sugar and melted butter together until smooth and evenly combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Gradually whisk the liquid into the flour to make a thick batter. When the pizzelle batter starts to clump up in the whisk, switch to a rubber spatula to finish mixing it together. (If you have a large pastry bag, put a big round tip in it, and fill with the pizzelle batter.) Preheat a pizzelle iron until a drop of water sizzles on the hot surface, about 10 minutes. Lightly spray the hot surface with nonstick cooking spray. Pipe or spoon about a tablespoon of the batter into the center of each cookie imprint. Close the iron and cook until whiffs of steam comes from the iron, about 30 to 45 seconds. Open and remove cookie from the iron, cool on a rack. Repeat with remaining batter.

Hawaiian Bread

Whenever I have bananas at home with tons of brown spots, the first thing that pops into my head is Banana Bread! However, this time I wanted a different twist, and after searching around online I came across Hawaiian Bread! It's very similar to Banana Bread except it has crushed pineapple and shredded coconut. This bread is ridiculously good...it's moist, packed with flavor, and transports you to the beaches of Hawaii!

Hawaiian Bread 

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts (I used chopped walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in bananas, pineapple, and vanilla, until combined. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add to oil mixture, beating until combined. Stir in coconut and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Waffle of Insane Greatness

I love having breakfast food for dinner, especially since it's very rare for me to have breakfast during regular breakfast hours. I'm usually too busy to make breakfast before work during the week or I'll grab something simple such as yogurt to fill me up. When I find that special time to make breakfast, I loooooove eating fresh waffles. I'm not talking about the waffles you buy in the frozen food section and pop into the toaster. I'm talking about making waffles from scratch and using the waffle iron.

I've tried many waffle recipes which resulted in a waffle that loses it's crispiness quickly. I've tried waffle recipes that result in limpy waffles or rock hard waffles. So it was quite a journey to find a waffle recipe that I love. The type of waffle that is crispy outside and soft inside.

I found Waffles of Insane Greatness on Food Network and it is absolutely superb. The waffles are EXACTLY what I love about good waffles...crisp exterior and tender interior that doesn't get limp quickly.

This will be my go to recipe from now on, and I'm betting my bottom dollar you'll love it just as much :o)

Waffle of Insane Greatness 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk or buttermilk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter and syrup, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes. Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Blueberry White Chocolate Scone

I've been wanting to eat a ton of blueberries lately...blueberry bread, blueberry shake, blueberry cookies, blueberry ice cream, blueberry muffin, etc.

So is it surprising that I made white chocolate blueberry scones?!? Absolutely not! I originally wanted to make blueberry cookies buuuuut as I was strolling around the grocery store I came across scones. So I completely dropped the cookie idea and bought ingredients to make blueberry scones.

I didn't really like scones when I was younger because I felt like they are hard as bricks (ie: Starbucks scones). As I got older I started to eat scones from a variety of bakeries, breakfast places, cafes, and slowly grew to really enjoy scones. The white chocolate blueberry scone is light, slightly sweet, and tart. Basically, the perfect scone to enjoy on a beautiful spring morning :o)

Blueberry White Chocolate Scone 

(Source: Kraft Online)

3 cups flour

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided

1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

1 cup blueberries

1 (6 oz) package of white chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 3/4 cup of the milk, the egg and lemon peel; stir just until mixture forms dough. Stir in blueberries and chocolate chunks. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, pat each half into a round, 9 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Cut each round into 8 wedges. Place wedges on ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining 2 Tbsp. milk; sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar. Bake 25 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thai Noodle Salad

I found a box of dried spaghetti pasta earlier this week and wanted to make something other than spaghetti. I turned to one of my favorite websites, Epicurious, and found this amazing noodle salad recipe. This noodle salad recipe is absolutely amazing!!! It's the perfect balance of peanut, salty, sweet, and spicy. None of the flavors overpower the other and it can be eaten as a meal or a side dish. Added bonus? It's super quick and easy to make to boot! The perfect dish to make during the week :o)

Thai Noodle Salad 

(Source: Epicurious)

12 ounces linguine 

4 tablespoons oriental sesame oil (I used 1 tablespoon)

8 green onions, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce

1 cup sliced red pepper

1 cup finely shredded carrots

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Transfer pasta to large bowl; add 1 tablespoons sesame oil and toss to coat. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 green onions, garlic, and ginger; sauté until onions soften, about 2 minutes. Add honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili-garlic sauce; whisk to blend. Simmer sauce 1 minute. Cool to room temperature. Pour over pasta and toss to coat. Add sliced red pepper and carrots; mix well. Transfer to platter; sprinkle with remaining green onions.

*Feel free to double sauce if noodles are too dry. 

Chicken Salad with Tart Green Apple and Currants

Several posts ago I did a chicken salad recipe with grapes which was ridiculously delicious. This time around I made a chicken salad with Granny Smith Apples and dried currants. If I was told to compare the two and decide which one is the best then I think I'd have a tie! The Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwich draws it's sweetness from the honey and grapes. The Green Apple Chicken Salad Sandwich has a tartness from the Granny Smith apples and draws hints of sweetness from the dried currants.  This one is slightly more tangy than my first one but equally delicious. I think it tastes eerily similar to the D.C. Chicken Salad served at Corner Bakery (try it and let me know!). I also recommend making this up to 1 day in advance prior to eating this because the flavored blends together marvelously over time.

Green Apple Chicken Salad 

(Source: Newspaper but I can't remember which one)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cooked boneless and skinless chicken breasts, diced (or rotisserie chicken meat shredded)

2 small celery stalks, cut into small dice

1/2 red onion, cut into very small dice

1/2 green apple, cored and cut into medium dice

1/3 cup currants (raisins may be substituted)

Salt and pepper, if desired

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar and Dijon mustard to form a dressing.  To the bowl, add the chicken, celery, onion, apple and currants. Toss everything together, taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. Chill before serving. This makes about 1 quart chicken salad.