Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

-1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
-4 eggs
-1 cup vegetable oil
-2/3 cup water
-3 cups white sugar
-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
-1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 loaf pans
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the 3 prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in preheated oven.

I found this recipe on another blog and decided to make it today for some friends. Wow! It's good. Definitely a crowd-pleaser.

Pumpkin Cookies

Rachel asked me for a good pumpkin cookie recipe and so I gave her one that I had, but since then I found this one on a recipe blog.
They are pretty good. Here is the recipe.

Herbed Chicken Fettuccine

1 to 2 t. seasoning salt
1 lb boneless, skinless breast, cut into 1 inch strips
4 T. butter
2/3 cup water
2 T. teriyaki sauce (I have used BBQ sauce when I don't have this)
2 T. onion soup mix
1 envelope herb and garlic mix
8 oz. uncooked fettuccine ( I use only noodles I have)
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Saute chicken with seasoning salt and 2 T. butter. Add the water, teriyaki sauce, onion soup mix and 2 T. herb and garlic mix. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook fettuccine, drain. Add to chicken mixture. Add cheese, Worcestershire sacue, remaining butter, and remaining herb and garlic mix; toss to coat.

"The Perfect Cookie"

I made these yesterday, so I could try them out and they are soooooooo, soooo good. They are chewy and moist and I was very tickled to find this recipe for choco chip cookies.

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COCONUT COOKIES,
AKA "THE PERFECT COOKIE"
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 C brown sugar, packed
- 6 T sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 1 C flour
- 2 1/4 C oats
- 1 1/2 C coconut
- 12 oz semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat butter and sugars at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat till blended. Beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until blended. Stir in oats, coconut and chocolate.

Arrange 1/4 cup mounds about 3 inches apart on large buttered baking sheets. Pat down to 1/2 inch. Bake in upper oven, rotating occasionally, 15-18 mins. Cool one minute, transfer to cooling rack. For smaller cookies, adjust baking time...but they are great when they're BIG.
Sorry I will add a picture later, it is not working right now.

Peanut Butter Fudge

I made this yesterday and it is soooo good. I added mini marshmallows, but it is a fun easy snack and I usually have these things on hand. Perfect for a craving. If you have chocolate chips you could pour them on top let them melt and spread it on top then you would have a peanut butter cup type thing.

1 cup butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar
Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Pour into a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan lined with waxed paper. Place a second piece of waxed paper on the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Chicken Fiesta Soup

1 can chicken stock

1 small can diced green chiles
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of dark red kidney beans (or any bean that you really like)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 12oz can of white chicken breast or 1 large chicken breast
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp cumin

Dump everything into a pot (including all the liquids from the cans). Cook on medium heat until it comes to slow boil (about 30-40 minutes) and voila you are ready to eat. Serve with sour cream, chips and cheese.

Taco Bowls

I just found this on a recipe blog Jacque guided me to, and I haven't tried these, but I thought they were a fun variation and kids might love them.

20 6 inch flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
16 oz shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 350. Trim about 1/2 inch from edge of tortillas, push into muffin tins.

Brown ground beef, add seasoning and about 2/3 cup of water, simmer until water is absorbed. Put about 2 Tablespoons of meat into each muffin tin. Cover with cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are brown.

Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, avocados, etc.

Rachel's Meals

1. Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
2. Chicken Enchiladas
3. Chicken Enchilada Soup
4. Breakfast Sandwiches - "The Upstate"
5. Matt's Pasta
6. Chile Verde
7. Ranch-Parmesan Chicken

Mom's recipes

Just invite myself over to Alicia's house for dinner!

1. Chicken and Rice Casserole.
2. Taco Salad
3. Pork Chops
4. Roast
5. Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
6. Stroganoff
7. Roast Chicken
8. Taco Soup
9. Chip Beef on Toast

Alicia's 7 day Menu

OK, here is my contribution, if you need recipes for any of the following add that in the comment and I will get it to you.

1. Meatballs over rice
2. Chimichangas
3. Southwestern Turkey Panini Sandwiches
4. Potato Soup
5. Chicken Pot Pie
6. Chili and Cornbread
7. Taco Salad

Chile Verde

4 T cooking oil
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped cilantro
3-4 jalapeno peppers
4-6 lbs boneless pork, cut into 1" cubes
1 can chopped green chiles
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
3 minced garlic cloves
1 cup mild salsa
14.5 oz chicken broth

In a frying pan, brown the cut up pork in olive oil. Pour into crock pot. Sprinkle with flour to coat meat. Add all the remaining ingredients. Simmer on high for 6-8 hours. Serves 8.

I learned this at an Enrichment cooking class tonight. My friend actually halved the amount of pork and kept the rest of the ingredients the same. It was to DIE for and fed seven women with lots of leftovers. Really, you should try it!

Salsa

2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 green pepper
1-2 jalapenos
6 green onions
Fresh cilantro and stems
2 tsp garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin

Blend in blender until evenly chopped.

Recipe Blog Assignment

OK everyone, I have an assignment for you. Would everyone post a 7 day menu on here, not as a comment, but as a new post. This way we can all get meal ideas. If everyone (Mom-Jacque) will do this we will have 49 meal ideas (assuming no one duplicates), wouldn't that be great. That is 7 weeks worth of meals. These can be the last seven meals you just had, or your upcoming menu or just simply list seven meals you make. Now avoid including Papa Johns pizza night, or frozen burrito night, keep it homemade or as Sandra Lee says, keep it simple, keep it sweet and keep it semi-homemade, (I really hate her show by the way!)