Mini pumpkin pies

It's fall. It's almost time for Thanksgiving. It's pumpkin pie time! I personally enjoy an individual pumpkin pie. It's mini, which means it doesn't look like you're eating as much! Eat up

Pie crust:

2 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening 

6-7 tbsp cold water

Add flour, salt & shortening to mixing bowl or food processor. While mixing add cold water in slowly 1 tbsp at a time until a ball is formed. Grease a muffin pan. Then take a small out of dough & press into muffin cup. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes. 

Pumpkin pie filling:

1 1/2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt 

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp ginger 

1/2 tsp nutmeg 

1/2 tsp cloves 

3 slightly beaten eggs 

1 1/4 cups milk 

16 oz can evaporated milk

Thoroughly combined pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices. Blend in eggs and both milks. Pour into pastry shell that has been baked for five minutes at 350°. Immediately bake in hot oven 350° for 20-25 minutes. Check for clean knife in middle of pie. 

Cannoli Cupcakes

I found this recipe on Pinterest and since I'm Italian....well how do you not squeal with delight at the thought of cannoli's and cupcakes together? This recipe is gold. OMG, they were delicious and reminded me of pastries from home in Jersey. I highly, highly recommend making these. Be sure to make a double batch if they are intended for sharing. You'll certainly want a bunch for yourself.

 

Cannoli Cupcakes:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ricotta impastata*
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1-2/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips for decoration (optional)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Put paper liners in a standard 12-cup muffin pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the yogurt and vanilla – scraping the sides of bowl as necessary. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.

Divide the batter evenly among the cups. Bake until the cupcakes are golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.

For the cannoli cream: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta, confectioner’s sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Stir in the 1/4-cup mini chocolate chips. Transfer to a quart-sized resealable plastic bag. Using scissors, snip off 1/2-inch from a closed corner of the bag. You will use the plastic bag as a pastry bag to fill the cupcakes.

Using a small knife, cut a deep, inverted cone out of the center of each cupcake. Set cones aside. Use the plastic bag to fill the cupcakes with the cream. Use a knife to smooth the top of the filling flush with the cupcake.

To make the cocoa whipped cream: In a chilled medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks.

Snip 1/2-inch from a closed corner of a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Insert a large star tip (such as Ateco 825) in the bag and poke it through the snipped end. Transfer the cocoa cream to the bag. Pipe swirls of cocoa whipped cream over each cupcake. Sprinkle each with about a teaspoon of mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to serve.

* Ricotta impastata is an Italian cheese found in specialty shops. It’s dryer and lighter than traditional ricotta. Of course, I couldn’t find it – so I let a 15 oz container of whole milk ricotta set in a cheesecloth lined strainer overnight to reduce the liquid content. Then, I pureed it in the food processor for about 3 minutes to whip to make it lighter. Worked like a charm!

Healthy Chicken with Tomato & Spinach

I'm still pretty amazed at how easy & delicious it is to cook without oils. I'm Italian so of course one of the hardest things about this diet was my pasta so I came up with this to get a little Italian back in my repertoire.  Hope you enjoy!

4 boneless skinless chicken breast, halved

1 bag of fresh spinach leaves

5 Roma tomatoes, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 lemons

1/2 cup of water

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

I found it was always easier to get my pan set up before I started cooking. Place chicken in large skillet, tomatoes, garlic, herbs & top with spinach. Then pour water in. Squeeze as much juice as possible from the lemons over the spinach. Cook on medium heat until chicken is no longer pink, occasionally flipping chicken & adjusting spinach. 

Deco mesh topiary

I love Deco mesh! I've become quite the addict since discovering it. I've noticed it's kind of hard to find though unless you're an online shopper. Most of my craft stores are very limited in their selection. 

I found this on the Michael's website & wanted to share some of the problems i ran into. Of course you don't have to use their supplies.  

This took much longer than the hour they stated. The floral pins also kept coming through the mesh. After more than a few, uh, very ladylike outbursts, I opted to cheat. Glue gun? Oh yeah! Armed with my alternative weapon, I managed to make sure every single piece was secure.  Just a little bit around the floral pin head is all you need. Good luck!

 (12") Deco mesh, whichever color you prefer 

FloraCraft® Styrofoam® Ball, 3"

Styrofoam® Block - Green

Celebrate It® Ribbon - Color/Style of Choice

Celebrate It® Tulle Spool - Color of Choice

Wooden Dowel, 12"

Ashland™ Clay Pot, 6"

Floral Pins

Low Heat Glue Gun

Scissors

Craft Knife

Step 1 Cut mesh into 6" wide strips. Each pot will use approximately 40-50 strips total, depending on how tightly they are curled.

Step 2 Roll curls lengthwise, then twist and fold at center to create a V shape.

Step 3 Pin through center and push into Styrofoam® ball. Repeat until ball is full, with no Styrofoam® showing except small gap.

Step 4 Push dowel into gap on ball. Remove dowel and fill hole with glue, then reinsert.

Step 5 Use craft knife to trim green Styrofoam® brick to fit inside the clay pot, level with the top. Glue corners of brick to pot if necessary.

Step 6 Insert other side of dowel into the center of the brick, deep enough to prevent wobbling, then remove. Fill hole with glue and reinsert dowel. Secure dowel to brick with additional glue if necessary.

Step 7 Fold and gather tulle around Styrofoam® brick, and pin as needed until foam is covered.

Step 8 Tie ribbon around pot and secure with glue if needed.

Healthy Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Ah shrimp. Yum! Butter, lemon & dill! Oil & seasonings on the grill. Delicious but not so healthy. As I'm not allowed oil or butter at the moment, I had to come up with something else. Truthfully, I may not go back to the butter later. Bet this works great on weight watchers too. Enjoy! 

1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined

2 lemons

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp dill weed

Once shrimp is ready, toss in a skillet with the juice of 2 lemons, garlic, water & dill weed. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the shrimp turn that beautiful pink color. Eat it alone, over a salad, etc. it's all yummy! 

Getting my health back!

Many of you have seen the awful attempts at weight loss I've tried. With such a love of food, it becomes incredibly difficult. We all make excuses. We all find reasons for why it's ok to, "start tomorrow". I personally tried to convince myself that popcorn was totally a vegetable! And cake was part of a bread serving, right? 

I was always really thin & active, but I've always eaten whatever I wanted without consequences. It finally caught up with me. I wanted to make sure I got healthy not only for myself, but my son too. I need to show him that it's ok to eat cake once in a while, but it shouldn't replace a good meal. 

A friend of mine had been so sick with so many problems. She was on so many medications. The Drs. Basically gave up on her not knowing what to do. I think that saved her life. She got angry then she found this diet & took her life back. She's lost so much weight, alleviating so many of her health issues along with medications. I'm so proud of her. It gave me hope that I could do it too. She has helped me so much with this program. 

I am happy to say that I am down 25 lbs because of Omnitrition! I'm still not done. It's not always easy, but it's so worth it. I'm not allowed any oils, sugars or starches. Everything I love! I won't lie. I've had a few fits about it that would rival my toddlers. I miss bread & baking! BUT it's not forever. I know that this program has shown me the proper way to eat so that I can enjoy foods I love later, but will know how to eat them in moderation, which I've never been able to do. I've also discovered how to make healthy food that's delicious. It doesn't taste like I'm on diet, because it's real food! Not a box full of preservatives.  I'm so excited! I have so much more energy. I have fewer headaches. And my self esteem is managing to peek it's head out again. 

I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to change their lives not just what's on the scale. I cant wait to keep going until i am to my goal weight! http://www.omnitrition.com/joylarson 

Healthy "oatmeal"

I've been being really good on a new diet lately. (more details to come) Someone, that's a genius by the way, shared this with me. This breakfast is even awesome as a dessert. Love! Love! Love! Eat up folks, it's healthy!

Cut up a medium apple & crunch up a Wasa cracker in a bowl. Add 1 tsp water, however much cinnamon you like & a few drops of Stevia Sweet Leaf English Toffee. Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes. 

Not so cozy

My son decided a couple of weeks ago that he longer wanted to sleep. He also decided that he was going to make the great escape from the crib. Ah....and so the terrible twos begin.
It's been interesting to say the least. The tears, the screams and my favorite, the giggle that says, "I win again Momma." Ash is getting closer to getting back on schedule, but he seems to mostly want comfort now.
 I can't help but laugh most of the time. He's just so cute about it. As he lays down and then barely opens his eyes to check to see if I'm still there making sure he'll nap. He cracks me up as he sneaks down the hall all super stealth to peek into the office. He then tried scooting his butt down the hall and smiling at me when he came around the corner. Last night, he climbed in the bed with my husband & I for the first time. Aww, my super sweet snuggler! Three headbutts, 2 kicks & nearly getting knocked off the bed later, not so sweet, not so cozy. I will definitely be hooking up the coffee IV today.

S'more pockets

I love s'mores! I saw something like this & I just had to try it. S'mores are messy so I'm loving the craze of creating all the different kinds of s'more desserts. These babies are so delicious & easy to make. The marshmallows melt into the bread making it sweet. Though when I first saw that I was a little disappointed until I tried it. I won't actually admit that I ate the entire batch in 24 hours, possibly less, instead I'll add that my son did help with the eating. 

1 can reduced fat crescent rolls (not buttery)

Bag of mini marshmallows 

Hershey bar or chocolate chips

Lay your crescent roll flat, add some chocolate on the crescent roll, then a few mini marshmallows. 

Bundle them up so that there are no open spaces & then bake according to roll directions. Drool as you wait & enjoy!

Cream cheese sandwiches

I remember having a love of food & cooking early on. I had my little kid cookbooks so that I could feel like I got to make stuff too. In my most adventurous & silly cookbook, Strawberry shortcake, I remember these delicious sandwiches. I still love them & enjoy sharing them with my son. 

Cream cheese sandwich:

Take one slice of bread & cut off the crust. Then smear some cream cheese onto the bread. Sprinkle some Real bacon bits on top. Roll the bread jelly roll style. Spear a green olive on a toothpick & then the sandwich to keep together. Serve. 

Lemon & Mixed Berry Cupcakes

I decided that I'd make yummy cupcakes for my sons birthday in a few weeks instead of making a huge cake again. Texas summers are always too hot so I wanted to come up with something refreshing. These came out better than I'd hoped. Yummmmmmm! Lemon cupcake: 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tbsp lemon peel 1/2 cup low-fat milk 4 tsp lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
	Line muffin cups with liners.
	Cream sugar and 1/2 cup butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and mix 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract into mixture with the second egg.
	Beat in flour, lemon peel and baking powder until thoroughly combined; beat in milk, lemon juice, and lemon extract to make a smooth batter. It was a thick batter.
	Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
	Bake in the preheated oven until cupcake edges are slightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely. Made about 16 cupcakes.  Mixed berry buttercream: 1 cup butter, softened 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 cups confectioners sugar 1/4 cup mixed berry, purée
	Beat 1 cup butter with 1 tsp vanilla extract. Beat in confectioners sugar, 1 cup at a time, to make a creamy frosting. Purée mixed berries in small food processor. I used frozen. Beat in mixed berry purée to buttercream. Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie!

Ahhhh pizza! I love pizza & so does my family, but I don't like all the grease. Fold it & hold the pizza up for 5 minutes until most of the grease pours off.....Delicious, but not healthy. I started making pizza at home & I love it! Knowing exactly what goes into my pizza makes me happy to feed my family. The Cooking Light magazine pizza dough recipe is by far the best I've had. Have fun with it! Use a little garlic olive oil in the dough instead of just plain. Make a chicken pesto pizza instead of cheese! 

Barilla jar marinara sauce is really good or you can just use fresh or canned tomatoes. Add about 3 tbsp of tomatoes or sauce on top of dough that you've baked at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then add as much shredded mozzarella as you like. Add pepperoni or mushrooms or whatever toppings you prefer. We just made a plain cheese pie. Bake about 15 minutes still on 350 degrees & enjoy!

Pizza dough:

1/2 tsp sugar 

1 pkg dry yeast about 2 1/4 teaspoon. 2/3 cup warm water 100-110°

1 1/2 cups of bread flour

 2 1/2 tbsp cornmeal divided. 

2 tsp extra Virgin olive oil 

1/2 tsp salt 

2 tbsp bread flour

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl let stand five minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups level with a knife. Add flour 1 1/2 tbsps cornmeal, oil,  and salt to yeast mixture stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface knead 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsps bread flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray turning to coat top cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Punch dough down and shape into a ball in a  bowl with cooking spray place still in bowl turning to coat top cover and let rise another 30 minutes. Roll it into a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface place on a 12 inch pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with 1 tbsp cornmeal and bake according to recipe directions.