Two Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

Lately on the internet, I've been seeing so many of these two ingredient recipes for muffins and wanted to try one of them myself.  My family is a HUGE fan of pumpkin muffins and after just recently cleaning out my pantry, I discovered quite a variety of cake mixes.  

All you need for the basic two ingredient pumpkin muffin recipe is your favorite yellow cake mix, I used Pillsbury and one 15 oz can of Pumpkin Pie Pureed Pumpkin.

I like to use the pumpkin pie canned pumpkin because of all the spices included in the can.  OR you can use Spice cake mix and regular canned pumpkin for basically the same effect.  Mix the cake mix and the canned pumpkin together.  It's pretty thick but mixes well.

Okay, I lied.  I added a third ingredient.........couldn't help myself....semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Spray a muffin tin, scoop the mix evenly into the tin.  Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  These are dense, heavy muffins.  Very moist and tasty and a great way to add pumpkin into your kid's treats.

If you want to get a little fancy, melt some butter, brush in on the top and sides of each muffin and roll into a sugar/cinnamon mixture to coat the outside....SO good.

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Mini Bacon Cheesecakes....OH Yeah.

When I found this recipe for Mini Bacon Cheesecakes in the Food Network magazine, I immediately ripped it out of the book and set it on my kitchen counter top.  The photo was hypnotic like....drawing me in....I knew it wouldn't be long.  

Yesterday was the day.

This is a modified version of the original, mostly because I didn't have chocolate wafer cookies and I was too lazy to drag myself to the grocery store, but it all went very well with the substitute Nilla Wafers and melted chocolate.....melted chocolate, how can that ever go wrong?  

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"BOTW" Pillsbury Chocolate Chip S'more Pizza

When I saw this recipe, a few things came to mind right away....summer, kid's dessert, campfire, okay okay....grown-up dessert and super easy dessert.

Best of the Web.....I think it's a winner, I hope you do too!

Photo and recipe courtesy Pillsbury

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'BOTW': Apricot Banana Bars

Betty Crocker's Apricot Banana Bars is my 'Best of the Web' recipe for this week.  Just a glance at the photo had me drooling.  I can't wait to try them out!

If you have a recipe you would like featured here, email it to me with a photo and if it's featured, I'll link back to your blog.  If you don't have a blog, I'll let everyone know who and where it's from!
TheWifeOfADairyman {at} gmail {dot} com

photo and recipe courtesy Betty Crocker

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Rainbow Cupcakes via 4H Cooking

Yesterday morning my house was filled with kids, cake batter and food coloring.  I, along with my co-leader, Karen taught our 4H cooking group how to bake rainbow cupcakes.  We used just regular white cake mix from a box....so easy.  I think the most time consuming part was when all 10 kids had to agree on two colors to use for the batch of cupcakes.

Here's how it all went down.

Mix up the cake batter with water, oil, egg whites, {recipe below}.  Fill the cupcake liners, in a standard muffin tin 1/3 of the way full, set aside.

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"BOTW" Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Mini Pies

What do you get when you add Pie crust + chocolate chip cookies?

That's right, Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Mini Pies.

Oh Yeah.

Four ingredients~easy as pie.  Thank you, Pillsbury for supplying the recipe!

photo by Pillsbury

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BOTW: No Bake Cherry Ice Cream Pie

Every once in a while I find the need for that go-to, easy, no bake dessert I can just whip up on a moment's notice.  One that looks as though has taken a good amount of time to prepare, one that I would be proud to bring to a potluck or party of any kind.  It's helpful to have ideas/recipes such a this one at my fingertips.

Without further ado, my 'Best of the Web' for this week is this luscious No Bake Cherry Ice Cream Pie.

No Bake Cherry Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust

Total Time: 4 1/4 hours (including 4 hours freezing time)

Ingredients

3 cups reduced-fat “light” vanilla ice cream, softened
11/4 cups chopped pitted fresh or frozen cherries, divided
1 9-inch chocolate-cookie pie crust
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Preparation

1.Gently combine ice cream and 1 cup cherries in a large bowl. Transfer to the crust and garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup cherries and chocolate chips.

Cover loosely with foil and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

recipe and photo found at Eating Well

What's your favorite, easy, go-to dessert??

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment, I love to hear from you!. Have a fantastic day!

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All I want for Mother's Day is......

....this Brown Sugar & Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Maple Espresso Glaze.

I think I have a problem.

And it involves butter, chocolate and sugar.

If we weren't in San Luis Obispo right now, camping out at in our friend's driveway in a motorhome, I'd bake this Bon Appetit recipe for myself for Mother's Day......yes I would.

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I Have a Craving!

Spin class at Rolling Hills Club kicked my behind this morning.  Maybe that is what's triggered my unstoppable craving for chocolate!  Or maybe, the mere fact that I worked out today justifies a sweet treat somewhere in my crazy mind.  Whatever the reason......I want chocolate and I want it NOW!

I wanted to find something to both satisfy my craving and stay somewhat healthy.  It's all about moderation, right?  So I went to my 'go to' site for healthy recipes, Eating Well, for the answer.  This looks like it's going to hit the spot.......What do you think?

Grilled Dark Chocolate Sandwich

Photo by EatingWell

 

Both simpler and more decadent than a chocolate croissant, a grilled chocolate sandwich is a marriage of bread and chocolate in which the two components are evenly matched.  What can be better than bread and chocolate?....two of my favorite things......okay, a glass of Zin would go nicely in the mix as well.

Ingredients
1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices thin whole-wheat or white sandwich bread
3 tablespoons bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate like I enjoy)
2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts, (optional)


Preparation
1.  Heat evaporated milk just until boiling. Add chocolate, let stand for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly.

2.  Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Divide the chocolate mixture on the unbuttered side of 4 slices, leaving a little border. Press chocolate chips and nuts, if using, into the chocolate. Cover with the remaining slices of bread, buttered-side up, and press lightly.

3.  Cook the sandwiches in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over, press with a spatula, and cook until nicely browned and the chocolate is barely melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve warm.

Nutrition
Per serving: 151 calories; 7 g fat (4 g sat, 1 g mono); 6 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 131 mg sodium; 28 mg potassium.


What do you do to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings?  Give in, try to stay healthy, or abstain all together?

Happy Friday!  Cheers! Pin It

Fat Tuesday.....For a 'Fat Boy' ~ A Horse Tale & Mardi Gras Recipes

Fat Tuesday....how fitting it be the chosen day to put my 'Fat Boy' in lock-down. (sorry about the bad lighting on the photos) I've owned Joey ~ my 19 year old quarter horse gelding for nine years. He is an eatin' machine and if I let him, he'll eat himself to death. He just doesn't stop. When a horse is out on pasture, in the winter, pasture is usually okay as it contains something like 85 or 90% water. But when that sun starts to shine and the days become longer, that winter pasture grass becomes very, very rich....not good for a horse's digestion. If a horse eats too much rich feed or pasture grass he has the potential to founder. Founder (Laminitis) is inflammation of the sensitive lamiae of the feet and can be extremely painful. This usually occurs in one or both of the forefeet. Joey had this happen to him a couple of years ago in all four feet. The vet wrapped all four of his feet, he was restricted to a very strict diet and on medication for a couple of weeks. He was able to go back out on pasture when the grass dried out at the beginning of summer. Every year at the first site of spring, Joey goes into lock-down. For him, this means a stall with a good size turn-out area. He's not particularly happy about this, but it's for his own good. Meanwhile......the heifers are still happy girls out on pasture. Here they are, just a few of them, on the hill behind our house. During the time we were getting Joey set up, Chloe became a bit bored in the house, she has this fascination with destroying pillows ..... __________________________________________ In honor of Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras..... Cocktail......The Hurricane Ingredients Ice cubes 2 ounces light rum 2 ounces dark rum 2 ounces passion fruit juice 2 ounces pineapple juice 1/2 lime, juiced 1 tablespoon grenadine 1 orange, sliced into wheels, for garnish Directions Fill the hurricane glasses with ice. Mix the rums, passion fruit juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, and grenadine in an ice filled shaker. Strain into the hurricane glasses. Garnish with a wheel of orange. Cheers! For Dessert.....Bananas Foster Ingredients 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 6 ripe bananas, peeled, sliced lengthwise and halved 1/4 cup banana liqueur 1/2 cup dark rum 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 pint vanilla ice cream Directions Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar completely dissolves, about 2 minutes. Lay the bananas in the pan and cook on both sides until they become slightly soft and begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the banana liqueur and then the rum and cinnamon. Tip the pan slightly and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long kitchen match or kitchen lighter to flambe. Put the pan back on the heat and shake it back and forth basting the bananas, until the flame dies out. Divide the ice cream among dessert bowls. Gently lift the bananas from the pan and place 2 pieces on the ice cream. Spoon the sauce over the ice cream and serve immediately. Enjoy! Happy Tuesday!

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It Can't Get Much Better Than Red Velvet~

You can't go wrong with this Red Velvet Cupcake recipe! One word....YUM!! Red velvet is my favorite flavor of cupcake, especially when it's loaded with cream cheese frosting. Talk about heavenly! Just try not to think about the two sticks of butter, one pound of cream cheese and the sugar in the frosting mix. I just pretend it's not there. These cupcakes are so moist and delicious....must be the sour cream in the mix. *New feature...'Subscribe by Email' just sign up to receive my individual blog posts sent to your email address. After signing up you will be emailed a link from Feedburner to click on to confirm your 'subscription.' Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes Ingredients 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup milk 1 (1 ounce) bottle Red Food Color 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 tablespoons sour cream 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar Directions 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. 2.Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined mini muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full. 3.Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry. Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip. Nutritional Information YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW......Trust me!

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