::Pretzel Dip::

Once again, sorry for the lack of blogging! Yep, using that work excuse again! :) But really, we are really busy at work so I picked up 2 extra shifts this week.

My step-mom is the one who introduced me to this dip. I'll say like she said to me..."It sounds weird and looks kind of weird....but it's SO good, it's addicting!" I love pretzels and sometimes they make your mouth dry, so it's nice to have a good dip to go with them! This is probably one of the healthiest recipes I've had on here; yay! It sometimes makes you wonder how people think of recipes like this; who would think of mixing these ingredients together?

Enjoy!

::Clone of a Pretzel Dip::

1/2 cup spicy brown mustard (such as Gulden's®)

1/2 cup honey

3 tablespoons red raspberry preserves (such as Smucker's®)

1 tablespoon mustard seeds 1

 (15 ounce) package pretzels

In a bowl, thoroughly combine the spicy brown mustard, honey, raspberry preserves, and mustard seeds. Serve in a dip bowl surrounded by pretzels. Store refrigerated. Dip will thicken when cold.

(Best after it has sat a while)

Recipe from: allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Clone-of-a-Pretzel-Dip/Detail.aspx

The ingredients; so simple!



Honey...honey.



The mustard.



Honey & mustard...

Then add a little more sweetness...



Looks kinda pretty at this point...



Close up!

Mustard seeds!

Don't worry...I didn't scoop the seeds out of the container with a jam filled measuring spoon...I poured them in there!

Ready to mix!

All mixed up!

Ready to sit in the fridge a while.



Super tastey and unique!

::Pumpkin Blondies::

I bet those of you who dislike pumpkin are so disliking me right now. But, for those of you who love pumpkin, here is another great pumpkin recipe! Have you never heard of a "blondie" before and are wondering what it is? Well, funny actually, but...it's not a brownie, but a blondie. HAHAHA. Seriously. A "blondie" is made with "light" ingredients and instead of using chocolate chips, you use white chocolate chips. So, that is where the "blondie" part comes in. Along with the white chocolate chips there is a little bit of coconut too which all go great together! These are very moist, and sweet, but not too sweet. I brought these to work and one lady said toward the end of the shift "can I take some home with me?" Enjoy!

::Pumpkin Blondies::

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup white baking chips

1/2 cup coconut

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil; grease foil (or parchment paper). In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.

2) In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Add pumpkin; beat on low speed until combined. Beat or stir in flour mixture. Stir in baking chips and coconut. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3) Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Recipe came from the Mixing Bowl, Winter 2010 magazine.

Ingredients.

I didn't have a 9x9x2 pan like the recipe calls for so I used an 8x8....

Lined with parchment paper.

The "dry" ingredients...

Like my spatula? Can't believe it's almost Halloween already. I had to take a picture of this because my first year of college, around Halloween, my mom sent me this along with a cookbook in the mail. So, that means I have had this for about 5 years. Think of her evertime I use it and how lucky I am to have such a great Mom!

"Dry" ingredients all mixed together.

Can't forget about the butter! :)

Or the brown sugar!

All beat up!

Probably the star of the show! Pumpkin!

Did you know we had a pumpkin shortage in July...who would have thought?

1 cup pumpkin.

Funny story about the pumpkin...so I brought one loaf of the ::Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread:: to work and someone said..."I bet you baked a real pumpkin and didn't use canned."

Canned pumpkin :) with the butter mixture. (oh and the egg and vanilla is also in this mix)



..and the flour mixture added in!..but for more flavor...

The white chocolate chips and...

The coconut!

Ready to be baked!

Oh wait, I guess it has to go in the pan first :)

Now ready for the oven.

For some reason it's hard to photograph bake pumpkin "things" with my camera..the color doesn't seem right. But I guess around here things aren't about color..it's about taste!

Same with the color on this pic...it just doesn't do justice for the taste! Find out and see yourself!
Enjoy!
:)



::Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread::

I'm finally back, and each blog post I am more and more excited. I love hearing from all of you and all your wonderful comments and feedback; it's greatly appreciated!

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. The trees are turning and beautiful in color, it's time for more "warmer" type clothing, fun to snuggle inside under a blanket, and most importantly; the many wonderful tastes and flavors of fall. Some that come to mind are pumpkin, squash, and apple; to name a few. I am a pumpkin lover. I don't necessarily mean pumpkin pie; but pumpkin bars, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies; to name a few, again. :) So for the first fall recipe of pumpkin, I chose to make a ::Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread:: This recipe can be made without the cream cheese part; all you have to do is just make the bread part without the cream cheese (I know, hello obvious!). The thing I love about pumpkin and the recipes are that they always seem SO moist. This recipe makes two loaves; two very moist; two very yummy loaves! Enjoy!

::Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread::

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsps pumpkin pie spice

2 tsps baking powder

2 tsps baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 12-oz pkg semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 cup butter, softened

1- 29oz can pumpkin

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons vanilla flavoring

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two loaf pans with parchment paper. Coat paper with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Ad chocolate chips and, if desired, nuts.

2) In a mixing bowl, combie butter, pumpkin, sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium spped until smooth. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture 1 cup at a time, beating on low spped until combined.

3) Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes 2 large loaves.

The above it to make the regular ::Pumpkin Bread::...to make the ::Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread:: do the following....

Make bread batter as above. In another mixing bowl combine two 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 egg yolks, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium spped until fluffy. Sprea half of the bread batter into prepared pans. Carefully spread cheese mixture over batter pans. Top with remaining batter. If desired, using a spatula, cut through batter and cheese mixture to swirl. Bake and cool as directed above.

This recipe came from the Mixing Bowl, Fall/Winter 2010, magazine.



Pumpkin bread = pumpkin stuff!

This one calls for both "baking" ingredients...powder...and...

...soda!

Add all the "dry" ingredients in a bowl.

Along with the chocolate chips (and nuts if you want; but I didn't use).



FYI: Adding chocolate chips and nuts to the flour mixture will help them to not sink to the bottom of the batter.



Have to have pumpkin in pumpkin bread!

Gotta have that suga'!

Then blend together all of the "wet" ingredients.

And you will get something like this!

Then you add the "dry" to the "wet" one cup at a time.

A layer of the pumpkin bread batter and cream cheese and batter again in one pan....

Layering out the cream cheese in another pan.

All ready for the oven!

Baked! I have found that with this "orange" color for the pumpkin bread is hard to photgraph with my camera. But oh well...it's soooo yummy!

Another shot!

Gotta love that cream cheese layer! Makes it that much more moist!

Another close up! The pumpkin pairs nicely with not only the cream cheese, but the chocolate chips too!

Great fall baked good to bring to work for the breakroom; or hog to yourself for morning coffee?

Moist. Sweet. What more could you want?