When the cooler temperatures of fall arrived, I used to make lots of soup and baked goods.  I use the past tense because down south, the cooler temperatures don’t arrive until winter. 

One of my favorite recipes to make during the fall was pumpkin cookies.  I was given this recipe from a co-worker many years ago after she brought in a plate of cookies to share one day.

To make the cookies, you will need:

1 cup of shortening

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of pumpkin(you can use canned pumpkin or pureed cooked pumpkin)

1 cup of either dates, raisins, or coconut

1 cup of chopped nuts

Sift together in a separate bowl:

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups flour

Cream the shortening, sugar and the pumpkin together until well blended. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until well blended.  Add the dates, raisins or coconut and mix by hand until well blended.  Add chopped nuts if desired.

Using teaspoons, drop the batter onto cookie sheets.  Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  When done, the cookies should be slightly brown on the bottom.

I have made these cookies without the nuts and the raisins(or dates and coconut) and they still taste great!  My favorite part about these cookies is that they taste great, but they still aren’t too sweet. 

Enjoy!

I love shortbread cookies.  I especially love them because there are so many things that you can do with the simple batter: you can add flavoring or nuts to the batter to create a totally different cookie with ease.  If you are feeling creative, it’s easy to sprinkle the cookies with colored sugar for a festive looking cookie. 

One thing I do NOT love about shortbread cookies is rolling out the batter and creating the cookies using cookie cutters.  Because it’s time consuming to make the cookies, I didn’t make them for a long while.  Then, my grandmother shared with me her shortbread refrigerator cookie recipe.  When you make cookies this way, you don’t need  to knead or roll out the dough.  You also don’t need cookie cutters!

To make the dough you will need:

1 cup of butter(no substitutions)

1/2 cup of sugar

2 cups of flour

Soften the butter by letting it come to room temperature.  Cream the butter and the sugar together until very well blended.  Gradually, add the flour by blending it into the sugar and butter mixture.  I usually add 1/2 cup of flour at a time.  Continue to mix the dough until all of the flour is well blended into the sugar and butter mixture.

Split the dough in half and create a log of dough out of each half.  Wrap the dough in wax paper.  Make sure to cover well to prevent the dough from drying out.  Chill the dough overnight.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut 1/4 inch slices from the dough logs and put them on a cookie sheet.  Heat cookies until they are slightly brown on the bottom, about 30 minutes for most ovens.

Let the cookies cool slightly on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a baking rack or they will fall apart! If desired, sprinkle with colored sugar or other decorations when slightly warm.  If you want to decorate with icing or chocolate, wait until the cookies have totally cooled.

The best part about these cookies is that the dough can be stored for several days in the refrigerator without spoiling.  I love the fact that I can make the batter and not worry if I get too busy to make the cookies for several days.  The batter can also be frozen if needed.

Store cookies in a sealed bag or in a tightly covered container to prevent the cookies from drying out.  The cookies can also be stored in the refrigerator if desired.

My kids love peanut brittle.  I have never had success cooking the stuff until a friend shared her recipe with me.  Unlike other recipes, you don’t need to use a candy thermometer, which never seems to actually help me in the candy making process.  Making peanut brittle is difficult because it’s easy to either under cook the brittle making it chewy and sticky; or overcook(or burn) the brittle.

Instead of cooking the brittle over the stove top, you can use your microwave with pretty good results. 

To make the brittle, you’ll need:

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of corn syrup

1 cup of raw peanuts(not roasted or cooked in any other way)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon of butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 teaspoon of baking soda

Combine the sugar, syrup, peanuts, and salt in a bowl which you can use in a microwave.  Stir ingredients thoroughly.  Microwave on high for 4 minutes and stir. Microwave on high for 4 more minutes.  Add the butter and stir.

Microwave on high for two more minutes. Keep in mind that cooking times can vary.  Make sure that the brittle doesn’t get too brown.  Stir in the baking soda and the vanilla.  This should make the brittle foamy.

Spread on a buttered cookie sheet.  The layer of brittle should be very thin.   Allow to cool and then break into bits.

When the kids come home from school, they are usually starving.  Rather than feed them sugary or fatty snacks, I usually try to give them something moderately healthy that will fill them up until dinner time. 

Pizza is something that most kids like and it’s moderately healthy.  It is also filling.  I started making the kids “pizza snacks” when they were very young, and the tradition has continued.

Now that they are older, the kids enjoy making their own pizza snacks, which is a great help!

You’ll need:

Bagels or English muffins, sliced in half

Your favorite kind of shredded cheese

Tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce

Spices if desired

Pizza toppings like pepperoni, sausage, or mushrooms if desired

Line up the halves of the bagel or the English muffins on cookie sheets.  Use at least 2 halves for each person.  Ladle tomato sauce on each of the halves.  Cover the tomato sauce with a layer of shredded cheese.  Top the cheese with toppings and/or the spices to taste.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.  This may require more or less time depending upon your oven.

This is another popular family recipe from my grandmother!  The story goes that a friend gave her the recipe one Christmas after giving her a batch of the cookies.  Our family bakes these cookies every Christmas mostly because of that tradition.  However, my kids love the cookies so much that we make them throughout year.

These are very rich cookies and are quick and easy to make.  The kids will love putting their thumb prints into the cookies and filling the prints with jelly or jam.

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

Clean hands!  If the kids want to help, have them wash their hands well

1 cup 10x or confectioner’s sugar

2 cups of flour

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese

jam or jelly(I like to use apricot and strawberry jam)

2 sticks of butter, softened

One important thing to note: for this recipe to “work” you need to use butter, not margarine or any other mixed butter product.  I’ve had some success using reduced fat cream cheese, but I recommend using the regular version.

Cream the sugar and the butter together in a mixer until well blended.  Add the cream cheese and mix until well blended.  Gradually add the flour and continue to mix until blended.  Do not over mix the batter!

After mixing the batter, I like to put it in the refrigerator to firm up the dough a little bit.  You can refrigerate the dough for several days if you don’t have time to make the cookies after mixing up the batter.

Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts.  Press your thumb into the center of the dough ball.  Fill the indentation with your choice of jam or jelly.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until the cookies are slightly brown on the bottom.  The top of the cookie will stay very light, so watch the cookies carefully.

After taking the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool on the tray and set a little bit before removing them from the tray or they’ll just crumble.  Store them in a plastic bag or container by themselves.  The cream cheese tends to “absorb” other flavors.

Do not over fill the thumb print, or the jelly will bubble up over the cookie and bake on the cookie sheet.  If this happens, let the jelly cool and then scrape the hardened jelly off the cookie sheet with a knife.  Make sure that the cookies have totally cooled and that the jelly is also cool before eating the cookies.

One last note: I usually double or triple this recipe because there never seems to be enough cookies to satisfy everyone!  I’d recommend doubling the batter if you are going to make this recipe for your family.

This is another one of my children’s favorite meals.  Luckily, it’s easy and quick to make.  My children love this dish so much, they often request that we make some to take to potluck suppers and other events. 

This recipe can be tailored to suit your tastes.  If you like spicy foods, you can use hot sauce or other seasonings with the meat to spice up the dish.  If you like your food to be on the mild side as we do, you can skip the spices and add mildly flavored sauce to the food. 

When my daughter first started cooking, this was one of her favorite meals to make, mostly because it was “fool-proof”.  This dish is very easy to make and always tastes good! 

To make this dish, you’ll need:

Salsa(mild, medium or hot depending upon your taste)

2 cans of refried beans(any variety will work, including fat free)

1 pound of ground beef, turkey, or chicken

2 cups of crushed tortilla chips

1 1/2 cups guacamole dip

1 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce and tomatoes

2 cups of shredded cheese(I use the Mexican blend available at our store, but mozzarella also works well)

In a large casserole dish, place the crushed tortilla chips.  Cook the ground meat and drain the meat well.  Place the meat over the chips.  Layer the refried beans over the meat.  Spread the guacamole dip over the beans.  Mix the shredded lettuce with some salsa and layer over the dip.  Heat in the over at 450 degrees for at least 15 minutes, or until the beans are warm.  Sprinkle the cheese over the salad and continue to heat the dish until the cheese melts and turns slightly brown.

This is one of my absolutely favorite “frugal” recipes.  With school starting soon, expenses have increased and frugal, simple meals like this one are great budget savers.  The best part is that children really seem to love this meal, especially with a salad and some fruit. 

I’ve made this casserole a day ahead of time and kept it in the refrigerator when we are really busy.  That way, the older kids can just pop it in the oven while I’m off with the younger ones.  However, the meal is simple enough that it could be made by a teenager, should your teenager choose to cooperate and participate in the process!

To make the meal, you will need:

1 large package of tater tots(I buy the store brand as you get more at a cheaper prices)

2 cans of mushroom soup(if your family doesn’t like mushrooms, I’ve used cream of celery soup too. Use “store brand” for more savings.)

1 cup of milk

2 pounds of ground beef, turkey, or chicken(if your kids will eat ground turkey, you can use this to make the meal even cheaper)

Salt and Pepper to taste

To make the casserole:

Put the tater tots in the oven to start to brown them.  While they are browning, cook up the ground meat.  When the meat is cooked, drain off the fat.  Add the milk and the soup to the meat and heat on medium.  Mix the meat thoroughly with the soup and the milk.

Spread the meat in a 9 x 13 pan.  Cover with the tater tots.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat in the oven at 450 degrees until the tater tots are finished cooking.  Depending upon the brand used, this time can vary.  See packaging for more details on cooking time of the tater tots.

I have a large family: 5 children who are eating “regular food”.  If you have a smaller family, or a family with a small appetite, you can adapt this recipe by using a smaller bag of the tater tots and only 1 pound of ground meat.  Cut the milk to about 1/2 cup and use only 1 can of soup. Also note that if your family doesn’t like creamy soups, you can use canned cheese soup instead of that!

This is a great recipe which you’ll be using over and over again!

My children love to eat fudge as a special treat, but  I’ve found that fudge is pretty tempermental and that it’s not quite so easy to make.  However, I do seem to have better luck making the “no-cook” fudge varieties.  This is one of my favorite recipes for fudge because it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to make. I have never had this recipe fail me!  That’s a bonus.

If the fudge doesn’t turn out like you’d hoped, I have found that failed fudge tastes great as an ice cream topping.  No one need know that it was really supposed to be fudge!

To make this easy, ”no-fail” fudge recipe, you’ll need:

1/2 cup of peanuts

1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

2 1/2 cups of peanut butter chips

6 ounces of cream cheese

3 cups of confectioners’ sugar

2 Tablespoons of milk

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Line a 9 inch square pan with foil.  Un-shell and chop the peanuts finely.  Melt chocolate in a double boiler.

If you don’t have a double boiler, simply place the chocolate in a saucepan that is sitting in a frying pan filled with water.  As the water in the frying pan boils, the chocolate in the saucepan will melt without any risk of burning. Use a separate saucepan to melt the peanut butter chips in the same manner.

Beat together the cream cheese(do not use the reduced fat version), sugar, milk and vanilla.  Beat the melted peanut butter chips into the cream cheese mixture. 

Press half of the peanut butter mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Cover the mixture with foil to prevent the fudge from drying out.  Cool the peanut butter mixture to solidify and then remove the foil.  Spread the melted chocolate over the peanut butter fudge in the pan.

Freeze for 5 minutes to set the chocolate quickly.  When the chocolate layer is cooled and set, press the remaining peanut butter mixture over the chocolate layer.  Top with the chopped peanuts for decoration.

Cover. Put in the refrigerator to set the fudge.  When set, cut into squares as desired.

This is a healthy alternative to fried potatoes and goes well with most any meal.  My children also love the oven-roasted potatoes and have no idea that it’s healthy for them!

To make the recipe, you will need:
2 pounds of small red potatoes(tastes better with red potatoes, but I’ve used white potatoes too with good results)

2-3 Tablespoon of vegetable oil or olive oil

1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

To make the recipe, you need to peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges or large chunks.  Place the peeled potatoes in a 13 inch by 9 inch by 2 inch baking pan.

Drizzle the oil over the potatoes and mix to make sure the oil is on all of the potato wedges.

Sprinkle the potatoes with rosemary, salt, and pepper.  If desired, you can use italian seasoning or parsley instead of the rosemary! Stir gently to make sure that all the potatoes are coated by the oil and the spices.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are brown and tender when you pierce them with a fork.  This makes 6 servings, but I would definitely recommend doubling or tripling the recipe, especially if you have a large family or very hungry children!

My children don’t like rosemary very much, so I do use other spices to season the potatoes.  I’ve used parsley, garlic powder, and/or italian seasoning with success. If your children like a particular kind of seasoning, I’d enourage you to try that. 

When making this dish for a gathering or church supper, I usually leave the red skins on the potatoes simply for decoration.  If you decide to do this, be sure to wash the potatoes and the skins thoroughly.

This is another recipe passed down from my grandmother.  These sandwiches are great for a quick lunch and they are easy and quick to make.  My children enjoy helping me make them too!  Add a salad or some soup for a complete meal!

I use plain, egg, or onion bagels for this recipe. 

You’ll Need The Following Ingredients:

At least one bagel per person( I usually plan that each person will eat 2 bagels though)

One piece of cheese for each bagel(your choice of cheese variety)

One tomato, sliced

Oregano(optional)

Sliced ham lunch meat

Separate each bagel into 2 pieces by cutting them in half horizontally.  If you buy pre-sliced bagels, you can skip this step as your bagels will already be sliced. 

Put the separated bagel slices on a cookie sheet.  You should be able to place 8 bagel slices on each cookie sheet. You can also use round pizza pans if you wish.

On each bagel slice, place 2 pieces of ham, and a tomato slice.  Top with the cheese.  Sprinkle the oregano on top of the cheese.

Place each cookie sheet into the oven and broil.  Remove the bagels from the oven after the cheese has melted.  This should take about 5-10 minutes depending upon the kind of cheese that you use. A word of caution: if you keep the sandwiches in the oven too long, the cheese will burn.  Be sure to watch your sandwiches to make sure that the cheese doesn’t burn!

After removing the sandwiches from the oven, make sure to let them cool slightly before serving.