~Halloween Graveyard Dessert~

My family acquired this recipe many years ago. I still remember the first time we made this; we couldn't get enough of it. I spent the weekend at my parents' the other weekend, and I requested we make it together, as it is an October tradition! I must say, my brother Andrew makes it the best (because he is a perfectionist and he just makes it look perfect), but Supermom and I got it down last time. It is such an easy recipe; it just takes time to make it because each layer needs to refrigerate/set up. Halloween Graveyard is definitely a good go-to recipe for a family dinner or party. In my opinion, any dessert that calls for Oreos will probably be fantastic. This one is no exception!

Look at all of those layers of yumminess.

Once the Oreo layer is refrigerated and jello has refrigerated, pour the jello mix into the pan...and refrigerate again.

Once the jello layer has set up, spread the cool whip over it carefully so you don't ruin the jello.

Make sure the cool whip layer is even.

Add the rest of the Oreo crumbs onto the top. You can stick Milano cookies into the top that say 'R.I.P' on them to make it a true 'graveyard.'

you'll need:

2 1/4 c. crushed Oreos (or more), divided

1/2 c. sugar, divided (I like to use xagave (better for you than sugar)

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 8 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened

1 8 oz. reduced fat tub of cool whip

2 c. boiling water

1 6 oz. orange jello mix

1 1/2 c. cold water with ice

get busy:

Mix 2 cups of crushed Oreos with 1/4 c. sugar and melted butter. Press mixture into a 9x13 pan. You want enough butter for the mixture to be wet, but not so much that it's soupy. Refrigerate. Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/4 c. sugar and 1/2 of the whipped topping. Spread over chilled crust. Boil 2 c. water and stir in jello mix for 2 minutes. Add ice water and stir until thickened a bit.

Put jello in fridge for 30 minutes to thicken a bit before spooning over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 2 hours or so or until jello is set. Spread on remaining cool whip. Sprinkle with remaining Oreo crumbs. Enjoy!

Thanks Mom for making this with me. Love you lots.

~Portobello Mushroom Lasagna~

Oooooohh my goodness!!! Best recipe I have tried in months! I have to thank my awesome sis-in-law Kelli Hoover for this one. I wasn't sure how it would taste because the ingredients overall seem so simple. Quite the opposite, the lasagna was actually such a burst of flavor in my mouth. I kind of messed up making this one (I know...so untoward and unlike me, right?). I didn't buy portobello mushrooms (oops) and I forgot to put parmesan cheese in the middle layers (oops again!).

I made crispy parmesan asparagus with this lasagna, and I have to say, it went together quite well.

Once you make the sauce and cook the noodles, pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Then you add noodles and cover the bottom, add more white sauce, mushrooms, noodles, parmesan, and repeat, repeat, repeat. I made half of the recipe in a 8x8 and I will still have some delicious leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

More layers, more noodles

And the finished product. Yaaayyyyy!

you'll need:

kosher salt

olive oil

3/4 pound whole wheat lasagna noodles

4 c. whole milk

12 Tbs. butter (1 1/2 sticks) divided

1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms

1 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 375. Bring a large pot of water to boil with 1 Tbs. salt and a dash of olive oil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Drain; set aside. For white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan; set aside. Melt 1 stick of butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for one minute under low heat, stirring with a whisk. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tsp. salt and some pepper over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes or until thick. Set aside off heat.

Separate the mushrooms stems from the caps; discard stems. Slice the caps 1/4 inch thick. Heat 2 Tbs. oil and 2 Tbs. butter in a large saute pan. Half the mushrooms and cook under medium heat for about 5 minutes or until tender. Repeat with remaining mushrooms and set aside.

To assemble, spread some of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Arrange a layer of noodles on the top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese. Repeat 2 more times. Top with a layer of noodles and sauce and sprinkle some parmesan cheese.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and brown. Mine was done in 42 minutes. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before eating it. This has become one of my favorite recipes. Hope you like it!

~Pumpkin Cream Cheese Rolls~

I seriously love trying new recipes. I tried 3 new recipes today (and even though I overcooked one and half-botched another, they all still turned out amazing). Lately, nothing makes me happier than a dish turning out well. This afternoon I made pumpkin spiced cream cheese rolls. They could serve as a dessert or for breakfast, but since I had already had a snack and a smoothie, I decided I couldn't wait till dessert to inhale these pumpkin-tasting goodies. They are really easy to make; I think it took less than 15 minutes to get them in the oven. If you want an easy roll recipe, here it is.

(Picture courtesy of picky-palate.com) I didn't get a good picture of my rolls.

Roll out both crescent rolls to form 4 long lines/rectangles. Pinch together the seams.

Add cream cheese, pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar and mix together.

Spread the mixture onto the crescent rolls.

Leave a half inch on the edges so you can roll them up. Roll them the long way.

I used floss to cut the 1 inch pieces, and even though it was mint-flavored, you couldn't taste it on the rolls at all.

I left a hole in the middle so in case I wanted to put something cute or fruit in the middle, I could.

Tada!

you'll need:

rolls:

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls (8 count each)

4 oz. fat free cream cheese

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. canned pumpkin (I use Libby's)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg (if you have it, I didn't and it was still yummy)

icing:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbs. canned pumpkin

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the crescent rolls into 4 long rectangles. Pinch the seams together, and make sure to do a good job, otherwise it will affect the rolling later. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread the mixture over the crescents leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Roll up the crescent rectangles starting at the long end. Use floss to cut 1 inch pieces. You should finish with 16 rolls. Place rolls in 2 separate 8 inch greased pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Don't let them overcook like I did!

Remove rolls and let them cool a little, then spread the icing over them.

Icing: In a small bowl, mix together all 4 ingredients until smooth; spread over rolls.

These were really fun to make and tasted oh so good. Not to mention, our home smelled phenomenal.

~Butternut Squash Soup~

Another wonderful recipe my sister found! This soup makes for a perfect fall dish coupled with some homemade rolls. I made it last night, and it took less than 30 minutes from start to finish to make. I personally really enjoy butternut squash. I mentioned before that I was on a pumpkin kick as of late, and this is really no exception. Butternut squash is in the pumpkin family, so I'm keeping it going folks!

Cut up the squash in cubes. The smaller you cut the pieces, the faster it will cook. I have found it is much, much easier to cut the squash if you peel the squash until you see the orange show through.

This is what it should look like after you add the chicken broth. Bring it to a boil, cover, then reduce the heat so it simmers.

Once the squash is soft, transfer it to a blender and puree it until it is smooth. Then pour it back into the saucepan.

Bring it back to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the cheese. Voila!

you'll need:

5 leeks (white portion only), sliced

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 4 cups)

2 Tbs. butter

4 c. chicken broth

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c. sour cream

2 Tbs. thinly sliced green onion

get busy:

In a large saucepan, saute leeks in butter until tender. Stir in the squash, broth, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender.

In a blender, cover and process mixture in small batches until smooth; return to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add the cheese and stir until the soup is heated through and the cheese is melted. Garnish with sour cream and onion if you want. I didn't do that last time, but it tastes great either way.

Make 6 servings. I made the full recipe and froze half of it for another night, so now I have a meal all ready for another night. Enjoy!

~Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta~

Oohhhh, I love cooking with alcohol. Ha, that sounded a little weird, but not only do I love mushrooms, but mushrooms and pasta is a bite of heaven in my mouth. And if I see wine or vodka in a pasta dish, I will try it guaranteed. This one was amazing!! Such a burst of flavor in my mouth, thanks to the mushrooms mmmmm. I made this with whole wheat penne, but I think I prefer normal pasta because whole wheat seemed to dull the overall flavor a bit. To each her own, I guess. Coupled with this pasta, I made baked asparagus. We love asparagus these days.

you'll need:

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

12 ounces of mushrooms (or more!)

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. chicken broth

3/4 c. heavy whipping cream, divided

1 lb. pasta (I recommend penne)
3/4 c. Marsala wine

1/2 c. fresh Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

4 Tbs. butter, divided

salt and pepper to taste

fresh Italian parsley (optional) for garnish

get busy:

Season cut chicken with salt and pepper. Melt 1 Tbs. butter in a large skillet and cook chicken until lightly browned. Put the chicken on a plate when it's done.

Meanwhile, boil water for the pasta. In the same large skillet, melt 1 Tbs. butter and add the garlic, mushrooms, and onion until all are sauteed. Add the chicken to the skillet with the sauteed vegetables. Add the chicken broth, Marsala, and cream and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce until it thickens.

Drain the pasta, return to the pot, and add the last 2 Tbs. of butter. Add the chicken mixture and a 1/2 c. Parmesan and cook about one minute. Serve with parsley and/or Parmesan.

Makes enough for about 6 adults. Since I love pasta so much, I made the entire recipe so I could have leftovers.

Side note: Next time I will try carmelizing the onions. I think it will add even more flavor.

~pumpkin pancakes~

Alright, I admit I am on a pumpkin kick as of late. I made the pumpkin bars the other night, I had pumpkin cake at Relief Society tonight, and I made pumpkin pancakes for dinner last night. Yes! They are so good; they literally melted in my mouth, AND they are much healthier than normal pancakes because you use whole wheat and if you can, you should use real maple syrup because it doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup and butt-loads of sugar. But if you don't have real maple syrup, which I didn't last night, I just made my own. Lots of sugar still, but no HFCS. Somehow that makes me feel better.

My sister, Ashley, gave me this recipe. If you like pancakes and you like pumpkin, you cannot go wrong with this one.

you'll need:

1 1/2 c. milk

1 c. pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 Tbs. vinegar

2 c. whole wheat flour

3 Tbs. brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

get busy:

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. That's it!

The rest you should already know how to do. Heat up a griddle and get cookin'!

This recipe makes 12 servings.

~fabulous pumpkin bars~

This time of year I find myself working out more and more so I can eat fabulous fall treats and not get fat. I have been dying to make these since I saw the first fall leaf turn orange. I snagged the majority of this recipe from allrecipes.com. They don't take very long to make at all, and they are soooo good! Every time I walk by them I slip a bite (or two) in. Lately all I want to do is cook and bake, cook and bake. Such a fun time of year! Now, if it would only get a little colder so I can wear boots and a scarf...

you'll need:

4 eggs

1 2/3 c. sugar

1 c. vegetable oil

1 can (15 oz.) packed pumpkin

2 c. flour (whole wheat is healthier)

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

icing:

1 package (8 oz.) reduced fat cream cheese, softened

2 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 to 2 Tbs. milk

get busy:

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin together in a bowl. Next, add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 (or 10x15 pan if you have it) and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Icing: Beat cream cheese, sugar, butter, vanilla and milk in a small bowl until smooth. Spread over the bars only when they are cool.

Serves 24, or a hubby and wifey for a week...or less :-) enjoy!