Cream Cheese Pumpkin Dip

It is officially fall and I am loving all things pumpkin!! I created this recipe last year by combining one I found on Pinterest with one that I already had and I think it turned out scrumptious. Sorta like if pumpkin pie made friends with cream cheese frosting! 

Ingredients:

8oz. cool whip

15oz. pumpkin puree

5oz. instant vanilla pudding mix

8oz. cream cheese

1 stick of butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 bag of cinnamon chips

graham crackers

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl blend cool whip, pumpkin puree, and dry vanilla pudding mix. In a large bowl beat together softened cream cheese, butter, powder sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the pumpkin mixture and fold together. Add cinnamon chips and mix well.

I am sooo disappointed that Honey Maid quit making their graham cracker dipping sticks, so you can buy the little Scooby snack graham crackers that are shaped like bones to dip... that can look spooky for Halloween! Just make it clear to your child that these are NOT dog treats! :) 

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

This is one of my favorite summer recipes. It makes a perfect appetizer or something just fun to make and eat! Enjoy! 

(Original Recipe from Six Sister's Stuff)

Ingredients for salsa:

3 kiwis, peeled and diced
1 cup raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 cups frozen peaches, thawed and diced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

Ingredients for Cinnamon Chips:

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all of the fruit, white sugar, brown sugar, and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Coat both sides of a flour tortilla with butter-flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges using a pizza cutter and dredge each wedge in cinnamon-sugar mix. Place in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Repeat until baking sheet is full.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Serve with chilled salsa.

Crock Pot Chicken Wings

It's been awhile since I shared a dinner recipe, because it's tax season for my honey and we tend to do the old reliables because it's easier. We were trying to clean out our freezer and found some frozen chicken drumsticks. Yes, it was that bad... in fact it was a risk opening the door!! I went on Pinterest and found this recipe from Crockin' Moms.

5 lb. chicken wings
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. French's mustard
4 tbsp. soy sauce

Cut each wing into 3 pieces - throw away the tip. Brown in skillet until golden brown and put in slow cooker, turn on low heat. Mix brown sugar, mustard and soy sauce in saucepan and heat until it becomes liquid. Pour over the wings and cook 2- 8 hours.

As you can see there is nothing to it!! I simply substituted with the chicken drumsticks. It was VERY yummy... I kept grabbing pieces with a fork leading up to dinner!

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day... Edit

Mrs. Pascoe shared the recipe for her ridiculously yummy Valentine's puppy chow.

I'm not sure if I can make this... because I will eat every last bite!!

Strawberries and Cream Puppy Chow

Ingredients

5 oz white chocolate or white vanilla candy melts

5 oz red candy melts (Found in craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby)

5 cups rice chex cereal, divided in 2 parts

1/2 cup strawberry cake mix

1/2 cup powdered sugar

M&Ms

Instructions

1. Put 2 1/2 cups rice chex cereal into a medium sized bowl.

2. Slowly melt white chocolate in the microwave, stopping it every 30 seconds or so to make sure it doesn't burn.

3. Add melted white chocolate to chex cereal and lightly stir to coat evenly. Be careful to not break the chex cereal too much.

4. Add the powdered sugar to the white chocolate covered chex cereal and lightly stir to coat evenly with powdered sugar. You could add the chex cereal and powdered sugar to a ziplock bag, then shake, but save yourself the bag.

5. Repeat the same process with the red candy melts and strawberry cake mix (instead of the powdered sugar).

6. Allow to dry completely and then combine the two kinds of puppy chow together and add M&Ms.

Peanut Butter Ball

I made this for our trip out to my husband's family farm. It is peanut butter the way it was meant to be eaten!! I got the recipe from this site The Girl Who Ate Everything. I like that she said if you don't like peanut butter, then we can't be friends... or at least you might not want to try this one I guess!!

Mine totally did not look like this, but since I have no picture of my own I had to use hers. I did form the ball one year, but this year I simply put it in a bowl and mixed in the chips. I sure wish Honey Maid still had the graham sticks!!

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (not all-natural)

• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar 

• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

• 3/4 cup peanut butter chips

• Graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, and/or apple slices for dipping

1. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until blended.
2. Spoon onto a large piece of plastic wrap; bring up all four corners and twist tightly forming into a ball shape.
3. Freeze for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place peanut butter and chocolate chips in flat dish. Remove plastic wrap from ball and roll ball into morsels to completely cover, pressing morsels into the ball if necessary.
4. Place ball on serving dish; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until almost firm. (Can be made ahead. If frozen overnight, thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.) Serve with graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, or apple slices for dipping or spreading.

Glazed Pecans

This is a Christmas favorite at our house. The smell of these cooking is buttery, nutty deliciousness! Enjoy!

You will need:
16 ounces pecans or walnut halves
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Turn slow cooker to HIGH about 15 minutes in advance. In hot slow cooker, stir together the nuts and butter.
2. Add the powdered sugar, stirring to blend and coat evenly. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to LOW and remove lid; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the nuts are coated with a crisp glaze.
3. Transfer the nuts to a bowl.
4. In another small bowl, combine the spices; sift over the nuts, stirring to coat evenly.
Let cool before serving.

The original recipe came from here. I like to double it up and share!