mom's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin (canned or fresh)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. beat in egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. mix and sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon (i didn't sift it but i did mix it all together before pouring it into the butter mixture). add to creamed mixture; mix well. add chocolate chips and mix thoroughly. drop by teaspoons onto a well-greased cookie sheet. bake at 350* for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. remove from cookie sheet while still warm; cool on racks (or paper towels like me). makes 3 dozen.


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holly's yakisoba

my sister-in-law holly makes to die for yakisoba. this is her recipe, although the measurements are not perfect (she just throws a little of this and a little of that) and i have yet to make it even close to as good as hers is. and she claims her dad's is even better. oy. so let's get started.


you'll need a package of chicken, linguine noodles, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, sliced mushrooms, a bunch of green onions, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame seed oil, peanut sauce, vegetable oil, and sugar. this recipe moves very quickly, so make sure you have everything done (vegetables chopped, meat marinated) before you start cooking.

start by marinating your chicken. slice it into cubes and put into a bowl. add 1/4 cup oil, 1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil, salt and pepper, a teaspoon of minced garlic, and a tablespoon of soy sauce. stir to coat chicken, and leave it as you dice your vegetables.

julienne your carrots (i like a lot of carrots and this takes a long time, so sometimes i buy them already cut in a bag at the grocery) and put into a bowl; cut up your broccoli, put in a bowl; same with the mushrooms and green onions. make sure you have your sauces out and ready to go.

once you're ready, start a large pot of water to boil. once it's boiling, add 3/4 of a package of linguine noodles and cook according to package directions.

as your noodles are cooking, put some oil into your wok (or skillet) and stir fry the carrots and broccoli for a minute or two.


then pour a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup or less) into the mixture


and cover. allow the vegetables to steam for several minutes.


then flip your lid upsidedown and pour your carrots and broccoli into the lid.


add a little bit more oil and pour your meat (marinade and all) into the hot wok (skillet)

and stir fry until no longer pink.


add your mushrooms (dave hates mushrooms, so i skipped them this time, but you should NOT skip them. they really add a flavor to this dish that is delish), snow peas,

and green onions,


one bowl at a time, stir frying inbetween each. my brother says that the more oil this dish has, the better it tastes, so you could add more oil if you think it needs it.

now add your carrots and broccoli back in.


fill a ladel (or 1/4 cup measuring cup) full of soy sauce and then pour sugar into it until you can see the sugar making a peak at the top. pour that on top of your chicken and vegetables.


your noodles should just be finished, so drain them completely and pour them into the wok (skillet).


use two spoons or a big wooden fork and spoon to mix the veggies, chicken, and noodles together. add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup oyster sauce ( do NOT lick your finger if you get some on it. this stuff is not good by itself. too fishy),


a small amount of sesame seed oil, a little bit of soy sauce, and then sprinkle the whole dish with sugar. add some salt and pepper, then peanut sauce and worcestershire sauce to taste.


stir fry and mix well, and serve immediately.


this is so yummy, and i almost think it's better the next day. it takes some practice to get the veggies and chicken all ready in time so that your noodles are still hot (it makes a difference if they've cooled off) when you mix, but the more you make it, the better it tastes each time. i also highly recommend a wok, unless you have an enormous skillet. good luck!

holly's yakisoba

1 package of chicken breast tenders, cubed and marinated in:

1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp. sesame seed oil
salt & pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. soy sauce

3 carrots, julienned
2 stalks of broccoli, chopped
1/2 package of mushrooms, sliced
a handful of snow peas
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 package linguine noodles
sesame seed oil
soy sauce
sugar
oyster sauce
peanut sauce (spicy)
worcestershire sauce

start a large pot of water to boil. once it's boiling, add 3/4 of a package of linguine noodles and cook according to package directions. as your noodles are cooking, put some oil into your wok (or skillet) and stir fry the carrots and broccoli for a minute or two. then pour a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup or less) into the mixture
and cover. allow the vegetables to steam for several minutes. remove and set aside. add a little bit more oil and pour your meat (marinade and all) into the hot wok and stir fry until no longer pink. add your mushrooms, stir fry. add snowpeas, stir fry. add green oinions, stir fry. add carrots and broccoli, stir to combine. fill a ladel (or 1/4 cup measuring cup) full of soy sauce and then pour sugar into it until you can see the sugar making a peak at the top. pour that on top of your chicken and vegetables.

your noodles should just be finished, so drain them completely and pour them into the wok. use two spoons or a big wooden fork and spoon to mix the veggies, chicken, and noodles together. add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup oyster sauce, a small amount of sesame seed oil, a little bit of soy sauce, and then sprinkle the whole dish with sugar. add some salt and pepper, then peanut sauce and worcestershire sauce to taste. toss to mix noodles, veggies, and sauces.

superbowl sunday menu

i love having yummy food on superbowl sunday. the actual superbowl i don't generally care about (except for this year--go austin collie!!!) but the food? that's me all the way. here is the menu i'm preparing for the big game this year:

jalapeno popper dip, from our best bites:

spinach artichoke dip, from freeze happy:

sweet & sour li'l smokies, from our best bites:


for the main course last year we did subs and i'm thinking we'll do them again. they were SO good. really good deli meat, piled high on bread from subway (i loooove subway's bread) and all the fixins. but if i change my mind, i might try the drip beef (the first way), from pioneer woman.

a yummy treat, that i haven't quite decided on yet. here are a few in the running:

frosty orange dream squares, from from our kitchen to yours:


black bottom banana cream pie, also from from our kitchen to yours (although this might not be fair since dave is allergic to bananas):

warm brownie cups, from light refreshments served:


or maybe just a brownie mix 'cause i'm 8 1/2 months pregnant. i'll let you know.

what are you planning?

jessica's orange julius

the summer after my freshman year of college i went to phoenix to visit my roommate jessica. (here's a picture of us goofballs from that trip at the mesa arizona temple). while i was there she made me an orange julius--better than the real thing, and cheaper to boot. i looove this drink and had sort of forgotten about it until thursday night. we record about 12 shows that night and i always want something yummy to have while watching shows--and this was exactly right. the sweetness of the sugar, tanginess or the orange juice, and crunch of the ice chips was perfect. go make your own tonight--it's soo delish.

all you need is a can of frozen concentrate orange juice, sugar, water, milk, vanilla, and ice cubes. most orange juice cans are 12 oz. but you only need six (ounces). so grab a spoon and scoop half the can into your blender--and use the blender your ex-boyfriend gave you for your wedding. it makes it taste better.


next add a cup of milk,


then a cup of water (i reused my milk measuring cup, hence the cloudy water. i swear our water is clean),


and 2/3 cup of sugar.


pour in a teaspoon of vanilla and then blend for 15 or 20 seconds.


once it's well blended, add 2 cups of ice


and blend again until the ice is chopped up and mixed well with the rest of it.


pour into a fancy glass and serve. you can get about 6 small-ish servings (or 4 generous servings)...or in my case, 1 very very big orange julius. okay, so i shared with my husband. a little bit. now picture this with an orange-slice garnish and a dollop of whipped cream and it would be the perfect party drink.


jess's orange julius

6 oz. frozen concentrate orange juice
1 cup milk
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups of ice

combine orange juice, milk, water, sugar, and vanilla in a blender. blend well for 15-20 seconds, then add your ice and blend until ice is all chopped up. serve immediately.

p.s. if you don't like orange, you can use any frozen concentrate juice with this. in fact, the time jess made this for me it wasn't orange. it was some sort of strawberry-banana juice blend, and she cut up a real banana and added it to the mix to make it even healthier/thicker like a smoothie. the possibilities with this are endless.

my version of applebee's clubhouse grill

i was a hostess at applebee's my junior year of high school. one of my favorite things to eat there was the clubhouse grill...basically just a glorified grilled cheese sandwich. here's my version. it's one of the only things i willingly eat at home for lunch. i would rather skip lunch most days if i can't go out. for some reason i don't really like lunch foods (unless it's a burger and fries).

basically, just butter your bread. on the non-buttered side, pour your favorite bbq sauce. put the pieces of bread together to spread the sauce and get some on both sides. then open and put your favorite cheese in (i used colby jack) followed by deli ham. applebees puts mayo and tomato on, but i leave those off. cook in a pan on the buttered side over medium heat until the cheese melts and the bread browns. enjoy!


so really, this is just a ham and cheese sandwich with bbq sauce. and it's SO good. make one today!

jenn's chicken enchilada soup

my friend jenn gave me this recipe a few weeks ago and we're just trying it for the first time today. you need black beans, diced tomatoes, frozen corn, an onion, a bell pepper (color of your choice), enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, milk, pepper jack cheese, and chicken breasts.

let's get started! pour your tomatoes,


black beans (drained and rinsed),


10 oz. frozen corn,


1/2 diced onion and bell pepper...


into the crock pot.

the recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts, but i've learned a trick. if you filet each breast in half, it's like you have four, when really you only have two. we could never eat that much chicken, so i always half the amount the recipe calls for and filet the breasts in half. works like a charm.


voila! one is now two!


place those on top of your veggies in the crockpot.


now in a separate bowl, whisk together your enchilada sauce and cream of chicken soup.


then slowly whisk in your milk until it's all combined.


now pour the liquid on top of your chicken breasts in the crock pot,


like so.


and now my favorite part: cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. isn't that always the best part of crock pot cooking? i love it.


a few minutes before you're ready to eat, take the chicken out.

shred with two forks,


like so!
now pour it back into the soup,

and add your cheese.

stir to mix/melt,

and serve. enjoy!


fyi, i felt like a little something was missing, so i think in the future i might buy some of those tortilla strips that you get on salads/soups in restaurants...just for a bit of crunch. i don't know. i just felt like it needed something. but that's just my opinion. it was still super yummy.

delish! thank you jenn!

jenn's chicken enchilada soup

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 10 oz package frozen corn (or a little more than one cup)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 10.75 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
4 chicken breasts

in a crock pot, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. place chicken breasts on top of mixture. in a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. gradually whisk in milk until smooth. pour sauce mixture over ingredients in the crock pot. cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. remove chicken and cut up or shred into bite-sized pieces. add chicken back into soup. top with pepperjack cheese and serve.