Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls by Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman)

I saw the show on these a while back, I am thinking last fall, and have been thinking about making them ever since, along with her caramel roll recipe.  Well, lo and behold, she posted it today again and since I had all the ingredients, luckily for me!, I went ahead and made them.  I found them very easy to make if you follow the directions, and also found them super yummy with a cup of flavored coffee!  I am resisting going and getting another one actually...Here is the link to her recipe.  She even has a step by step tutorial on making them on her blog.  Just make the one block of cream cheese for the frosting..it actually had leftovers with that amount of frosting. 
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls/

Chicken Abigail by Pol Martin

Yet another oldie, but goodie recipe from the Pol Martin cookbook! I made this quite a few times in my 30's and Dave's brother, Ron, used to make this after I gave him the cookbook for special occasions. He and Kim both loved it as well as myself! It's called Chicken Abigail and once you get all the ingredients it's really fast to put together. You are supposed to garnish it with thin slices of lemon, but I didn't want to waste a lemon..cheap me!  I definitely would if making it for guests though because it really dresses it up nicely.  The Madeira wine can sometimes be harder to find, but it gives it just the right flavor..make sure it's Madeira and not Madera Sangria-wrong!  I guess you can substitute marsala if you absolutely can't find the Madeira.  I couldn't find the pearl onions at Walmart-just the cocktail onions-those are pickled, so just used thinly sliced sweet onions. 

Here's the recipe:

ABIGAIL'S CHICKEN BY POL MARTIN:

3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup heated chicken stock
2 large whole chicken breasts (or 4 half breasts) diced.
1/2 lb small mushrooms cleaned (I just buy a jar of the tiny button mushrooms)
1 green pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
1/2 cup cooked pearl onions (or as above)
1/2 cup Madeira wine
2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper
few drops tabasco and Worcestershire sauce
pinch nutmeg

Heat 1 Tbsp butter in large skillet.  When hot, stir in lemon juice and chicken stock.

Add chicken and season.   cover ad cook 8-10 minutes over low heat.  Pour chicken and sauce into a bowl, set aside.

Replace pan on the stove and add remaining butter.  when hot, add mushrooms and peppers and onions; cook 3 minutes, uncovered, over high heat.  remove vegetables from pan and set aside in bowl. 

Pour wine into pan and cook 3 minutes over high heat.  add cream and spices; mix and continue cooking 6-7 minutes over high heat to reduce.  replace chicken mixture and vegetables in the pan, season and simmer 3 minutes to reheat.

Serve over buttered toast triangle or toasted French bread slices.  I like to serve this with a green salad. 

Mini Turkey Meatball Vegetable Soup by Skinnytaste

I made this soup once last year and have been thinking about making it again ever snce..well I finally made it again today.  I could eat just the meatballs alone..they are delicious!, but the whole package is super nice too and feels so good for you besides.  A loaf of crusty bread and butter and maybe some cut up mixed fruit and it's a whole meal that really good for you and not fattening besides.  Don't get me wrong..it takes a while to make, but it's worth it on a day you have some time.  Next time I am going to double it and freeze some-it would be so good if I had a cold or wanted some for a work lunch all ready to go.  Here is the link to her recipe.  I didn't have all the fresh herbs (walmart didn't have all of them), so substituted with dry ones (basil, parsley) using like 1/2 tsp of each instead.  I think the taste was perfect with that amount.  Try it, you'll like it!
http://222.skinnytaste.com/2014/10/mini-turkey-meatball-vegetable-soup.html

Swiss Steak (recipe for Pol Martin)

When I was young, many, many moons ago, there was a book sale at work.  The girls were at home still and they had a cookbook that I thought looked super good for them.  I ended up buying 3 of them, one for each daughter and one for Dave's brother, Ron, who loved cooking.  Somehow I ended up getting one back, one got lost and his brother has since passed away and I don't know what happened to that book.  He actually made several recipes from it and so have I.  It's called "Easy Cooking for Today" by Pol Martin.  If you like good, comfort food, this is the best cookbook.  He is/was? a Canadian chef.  He has a couple other books out there too, but I'm not as impressed with those.  I bought them online a few years back, used, and I am glad I didn't pay a lot for them.  Anyway, here is the Swiss Steak recipe.  I usually always serve it with baked potatoes and salad, but tonight it's going to be the potatoes and squash because someone gave me a couple today in exchange for a few gladly given away black walnuts from the trees, and it sounded good.  It's one of those darkish fall days today..

Swiss Steak:
3-1/2 lb cube steaks (he used round steak and tenderizes it himself, but not me!)
1 cup flour
3 Tbsp bacon fat or vegetable oil
1 yellow onion peeled and sliced thinly
1 garlic clove smashed and chopped
28 oz tomatoes (I used fresh or a quart of canned)
1 Tbsp beef base
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 bay leaf
a little dried or chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in large frying pan.  Salt and pepper meat on both sides and dredge in flour, shaking off excess.  Brown well on both sides.  Put in an oven proof pan with sides.  add onion and garlic to fry pan and oil if needed.  brown onions until light golden brown and place them on top of steak.  Then add tomatoes to the fry pan with beef base and seasonings.  simmer about 10 minutes and then pour over the steak and onions.  cover with foil and bake in the oven for 1-1/2 hours.  (that's why I have baked potatoes, less dishes and same cooking time pretty much). 

Tomato Basil Soup!

Since fresh tomatoes are abundant right now and I don't grow them anymore, I decided to go to the "Green Barn" today and buy a few to make two of my favorite fall foods..tomato basil soup and Swiss Steak-the steak to make on Wednesday and will be posting it at that time.  I still might pick up a bushel of tomatoes and can them Wednesday too..they are so good over the winter to have on hand..we'll see if I have the energy, hopefully so.  Anyway, here is the recipe for the soup!  I plan on freezing some for lunches at work and a bowl for my supper.  I can't wait!

Tomato Basil Soup:

8 fresh large tomatoes peeled (the easiest way to do this is to dip them in boiling water for a few seconds to loosen the skin, then set aside until you can touch them comfortably-doesn't take long, and then the skins peel off very easily).  Chop up discarding any hard parts, and put in a bowl until ready to use.  Otherwise, you can use two 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes. 
1 can (14-1/2 ounce) chicken broth (I use this amount of water and add chicken base)
18-20 fresh basil leaves, minced (can also use 1/2 tsp or so of dried basil)
1 large clove garlic minced
2 Tbsps chopped onion
1 stalk celery chopped
2 tsp sugar
1 cup whipping/heavy cream
1/2 cup butter or magarine
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan/kettle, add butter, onion, celery and garlic to a low simmer..cook until softened.
Add tomatoes and broth and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add basil and sugar, reduce heat to low and add cream.  you can eat it this way, but I prefer to use an emersion blender and blend it smooth, or put small amounts in a regular blender and blend each batch until smooth..add salt and pepper to taste.

British Themed Bachlorette Party Hat

My daughter, Kim, is going to a bachelorette party for her friend today and they have to wear a dress and a hat to go to a British style dinner club.  She asked me to make her a hat, because they were so expensive online, that she could wear.  She had found one she liked so I tried to copy it.  I think it turned out cute.  She is wearing a solid black dress so I had some color freedom based on that.  Here is the finished product.  Hopefully she will post some pictures with it on tonight so I will add one of those if she does..I am sure she will get lots of looks in the car driving there!

 

 

CARAMEL APPLE OATMEAL COOKIES

We just got back from a 10 day RV trip to South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado.  Lots of relaxation, gorgeous scenery and no breakdowns!  Thus the reason I haven't been on here for a while.  BUT I did find a delicious cookie at a trucks stop that I just had to recreate once I got home to take in to work tomorrow for the ladies who helped out with my work while I was out.  I had never had this one before and I think it's delicious and a great breakfast cookie with a cup of Joe for them.  The only difference in my cookie is I didn't use coconut..some people don't like it much, so thought they would be just as good without it and they are to me!  I found the recipe online..there was only one review and it wasn't good.  The baker said hers never set up, ran all over the cookie sheet and she threw it out, but I didn't have any trouble.  I am wondering if she missed some ingredient or didn't chill the dough long enough?  Add some coconut if you like, that's what my Wyoming cookie had and I liked it.  The only thing I did differently on her cookie was cut the nutmeg to 1/2 tsp because I am not a big fan of nutmeg.   My baking time varied..I used two cookie sheets at a time because I didn't want to be baking them all night..you can only fit like 6 of the monsters on each pan and the time took anywhere from 17-20 minutes.   Here is the link..  oh and make sure you spray your pan or use parchment paper..the caramel will stick. 
http://hoosierhomemade.com/easyrecipe-print/27887-0/