Scotcheroo's - Original Name

The original recipe, via Jan Petteys, called for butterscotch chips...hence the name!

On a whim, I decided peanut butter would be a tasty addition for the topping instead of butterscotch...and the result was family approved!

I have many recipes in my arsenal from Jan, she is one fine cook and a great friend!

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 bag chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Combine sugar and syrup in a large saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter and mix well. Add the Rice Krispies and stir until completely blended. Press mixture into buttered 9 x 13 pan.

Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter , stir until well blended. Immediately pour on top of cereal mixture.

Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Bars

This dessert is very good but I am longing for a caramel apple pie...which is coming soon...be sure and stay tuned!

This particular recipe has a lot of butter in it so believe me it isn't the healthiest of dishes but once in awhile we must indulge!

Caramel Apple Bars:

2 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups butter (I use unsalted), softened
1/2 cup caramel sauce (I made my own, but store-bought would be fine)
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup chopped apple (peeled)
1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Combine the first 5 ingredients, then add butter and combine well. Press this mixture into a 13 x 9 glass baking dish.
Bake for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
Meanwhile:
Peel and chop apples to make at least one cup (I would use more apple the next time...at least a 1/2 cup more), add the chopped nuts and sprinkle over the baked crust.
Mix the caramel (store purchased) with the 3 tablespoons flour and drizzle over the nut mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with ice cream and caramel sauce!!!!

Caramel Sauce Recipe:
This is superior to store bought!

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup half-n-half
Salt, a pinch
1 tablespoon Madagascar Vanilla

Combine all ingredients (except the vanilla) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the ingredients together and cook until thickened (7 minutes or so). Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken a bit more.

Enjoy!!!!

Pumpkin Cookies

These cute little pumpkin cookies have white chocolate chips embedded for an additional taste to accompany/accent the pie spice!

I just love this time of the year when you find all kinds of pumpkin recipes floating around on blogs and in magazines.

There was a Wild Rose Concert at Trinity Lutheran Church on Sunday afternoon and parishioners were asked to provide cookies...a great opportunity to try a new recipe!!!

I combined a couple of recipes and came up with this cute little morsel.

1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
15 oz. can pumpkin
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 oz. bag white chocolate chips

Cream the softened butter and both sugars until smooth.
Beat in the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin.
Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing until well blended. By hand, stir in the white chocolate chips.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

On a parchment lined cookie sheet, drop generous teaspoonfuls of batter. Bake 10 - 12 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then remove to rack for further cooling.

Frosting:

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Combine the butter and brown sugar in saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil and continue cooking for about a minute. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Beat into the above mixture 1/4 cup milk and mix until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

Spread frosting on cooled cookies...or fancy them up a bit by using a decorator bag & tip of your choice and finally top with a little fall Wilton leaf.

Have a nice glass of cold milk ready and indulge in a couple of pumpkin cookies (they are small you know)!

Happy Fall Everyone!

The Soup Is On!!!!

I apologize for the poor quality of the photo's in this post...Please don't judge the soup quality on the pics!

We have the nicest little gift shop locally and they carry Wind & Willow soups/dips, etc. and I hope you have the opportunity to try a few of the products!
Olsen-Sayles gift shop currently has some interesting soup mixes from W & W. I recently purchased Irish Pub Potato Soup Mix and doctored it up a little.

I followed the cooking instructions except I decided to add diced/cooked ham, saute'ed onions, and corn. When serving, garnish with sliced green onions, chopped parsley, croutons, fresh black pepper, and tortilla strips.

The soup is absolutely delicious!!!!!!

Shepherd's Pie

This particular Shepherd's Pie is quick and easy and is a nice fall dinner with salad and fruit!

Begin by chopping about 1/3 to 1/2 cup sweet onion
Add the onion to 1 1/2 pounds ground round (or chuck) in a nice sized saute' pan...cook slowly and remove all grease. Add one large can fat free cream of mushroom soup to hamburger mixture and allow to warm.
Meanwhile, peel about 6-7 nice sized potatoes, quarter them and place in large pot of boiling water. While the potatoes are cooking, measure out about a cup and a half of frozen corn...place in boiling water and cook briefly, drain and add to hamburger mixture. When potatoes are done, mash with a bit of milk until smooth...add a "lump" of butter and keep warm.
Place desired amount of mashed potatoes on serving plate and top with the hamburger mixture.
Enjoy!

Bittersweet...it must be fall!

As you can see in the above photo, the bittersweet are just beginning to reach maturity and I love decorating with the berries!

Several years ago I decorated a basket on our porch with some bittersweet in the fall and the following spring there was a "clump" of bittersweet growing by our garage (presumably the birds transferred the berries to the ground). The clump has grown and is now a mass of vines covering a small tree producing a lot of green berries in the summer, turning yellow in late summer and then to the final stage where the berry opens and reveals a bright orange flesh in the fall!

The bittersweet is quite invasive but a good pair of garden nippers easily controls the growth!

It feels like summer in Northern Michigan today...the temperature rose to 76 degrees...now that is my kind of weather!

Bacon & Cheese Filled Crescents

This tasty recipe is adapted from the collection of Hoosier Homemade and I would highly recommend it for a quick & easy dinner selection! Accompanied by a green salad and some fruit it is a hearty little meal!

1 - 2 tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
10 - 15 slices cooked, cooled, and crumbled bacon
1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
3 - 6 tablespoons Hellman's (I used Light)
Green & red onion chopped to taste

Combine the bacon, cheese, onion, & Hellman's (using enough mayo to hold the mixture together)

Unroll the crescents and place a heaping teaspoon of the mixture onto the wide end and roll up into a crescent shape.

Place on a foil lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes.

I prepared just one tube of crescents, and saved the remainder of the filling mixture for another evening meal.

I plan to prepare this recipe again...changing a few things along the way....diced ham and blanched asparagus or broccoli...sounds tasty!!!

Pumpkin Mat

I tend to be a seasonal person...and I can never get enough projects going for one particular season! Fall is so beautiful in our little neck of the woods, we are surrounded with hardwoods that delight the eye this time of year. Gazing out every window in the house provides eye candy...who needs Halloween candy? That's a whole other story...I love treats~

The above creation was inspired by a pattern from Annelle's Originals and is made of woolfelt which is very easy to work with! The finished piece looks sweet on the kitchen island but will be moved to our dining table soon, with a candle in the middle.

Fall is such a fun time of the year to enjoy nature!