more fall flavors...

with the perfect apple crisp! the tart apples with the sugar & spices. don't forget the crunchy topping! i promise that it is fall heaven!!! make this for your halloween parties this week!

{perfect apple crisp}

• 10 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg white

1/4 tsp salt

in a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 1 TBSP flour, cinnamon & nutmeg. toss with apples. Place apples in an ungreased 11x17 glass or ceramic baking dish. set aside

in a large bowl, mix oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder & soda, butter, egg white & salt. mix until all combined. spread evenly on top of apples.

bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until bubbly with a golden topping. let cook 5-10 minutes. serve with good vanilla ice cream.

flavors of fall... pumpkin spice cupcakes~

i made this recipe up yesterday for my hunny's birthday dinner & they couldn't have turned out better! not to mention they are easy peasy:) these are perfect for all fall long! ditch the pie & make these instead;)-

{pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting}

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

1- 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

2 1/4 cup flour

1 TBSP cinnamon

2 tsp. all spice

1 TBSP baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

in a large bowl, beat together sugars & oil. add eggs & vanilla. beat until incorporated. mix in pumpkin & buttermilk & beat well.

in a small bowl whisk together all dry ingredients until combined. add to pumpkin mix & beat until combined & creamy.

grease or line 24 muffin cups & fill 2/3 full. bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. let cool, top with cinnamon cream cheese frosting & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

{cinnamon cream cheese frosting}

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1 bag powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

2-3 tsp. cinnamon

2-4 TBSP water

beat together cream cheese & butter. add half the powdered sugar, salt, cinnamon & vanilla. beat until incorporated. add other half of sugar & water. beat on medium high until light & fluffy. pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar:)

the perfect pair... or should i say pear?

pears are in season & this is the perfect salad for fall! the sweet juicy pears with the crunchy pecans & salty cheese all works so well together, add a great tangy honey dijon dressing & you've got an amazing side dish for any fall get together! come over & get all the details!

{fresh pear & gorgonzola salad}

fresh spring mix salad greens

fresh pears, thinly sliced

toasted or candied pecans

crumbled gorgonzola cheese

~creamy honey dijon dressing~

1/2 cup good dijon mustard

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

2 TBSP sugar

1-1 1/2 cups oil

mix all ingredients except oil in the blender or food processor. blend until combined. slowly add oil in a slow steady stream until emulsified. serve on the side of the salad.

bear's white bean chicken chili...

now that the weather is really getting colder i have been craving soup almost everyday! this is a great recipe i got from my sister-in-law & she got it from her sister-in-law:) it is also great because it's a crock pot recipe! yummy & easy... perfect! you can also make variations on this. change up your toppings, be creative! & stay warm:)

{Bear’s White Chicken Chili}

2 cups chicken broth

3 frozen chicken breast

1/2 white or yellow onion, chopped

2 cans mild diced green chiles, undrained

2 cans great northern beans, undriained

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

sliced jalapeno peppers, optional

Cook in crock pot on high 3-5 hours. About 1/2 hour before serving, cut up chicken and put back in crock pot.

Right before serving, add:

1 cup sour cream

1/2 block cream cheese

top with extra sour cream, cheese, avacado, cilantro, corn chips, pico, ect.

Fast version:

Grill chicken. Bring all other ingredients to a boil. Boil until beans and onion are tender. Add chicken and serve as above.

dustin's peanut butter chip cookies...

i have been looking for a great peanut butter cookie recipe for a while & i got it from the most unexpected source! one of my brothers bff's, or should i say- my little girls "boyfriend":) dustin has been my brothers friend for as long as i can remember & he has been avi's boyfriend, in her eyes since she has been about 2. everyone loves dustin, & now you will love him too for sharing this recipe.

{dustin's peanut butter chip cookies}

Oven Temperature: 375 degrees

Makes about 50 Cookies

Cooks in 7-10 Minutes

Tips:

The cookies taste the best when they are made all in the same day. The batter is still really good after 24 hours, but it is best if mixed and cooked within the first 24 hours.

If you hate hard/stiff cookies, try placing an additional empty cookie sheet at the bottom of the oven to protect the cookies from direct heat of the elements. Next, place the cookie sheet with cookies, closer to the top of the oven than the bottom.

Take the cookies out just before they appear to be done, as they will continue to cook after they are taken out of the oven. (If the cookies are undercooked, you can place them back in the oven a little bit longer. It's better to undercook the cookies than to overcook them. The reason for this is that you can always cook the cookies longer if needed.)

Try only a few cookies at first to see how they will react to your oven.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Margarine (Must be room Temperature)

2 Cups Peanut Butter

2 Cups Sugar

2 Cups Brown Sugar

4 eggs

5 Cups of Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

3 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

A bag of Reese's Peanut Butter chips.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375.

Mix ingredients 1-4 together.

Once the ingredients are mixed together, slowly beat the eggs into the mixture.

After the eggs have been added, slowly add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture.

When the mixture has been mixed, add enough Reese's Peanut Butter chips to the batch so that you have about 3-4 chips in each cookie. (Feel free to add more.)

Please shape the cookies to about the size of a small shaped ice cream scooper. (Depending on the oven, you may need to increase or decrease the size of the cookies.)

Place the cookies on a cookie sheet, and place them in the oven for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes flatten the cookie with a fork or spoon. Once you have finished flattening the cookies, allow the cookies to cook for another 3-5 minutes until lightly brown around the edges.

When the cookies have finished cooking, take them off of the hot cookie sheet, and allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes (really to your preference).

lellie's crazy yummy carrot cake...

this is a recipe from my sister, which is surprising since she has been know to make some sketchy things, but this recipe is nothing short of perfection! it is amazingly moist & really versatile. the cake itself has no butter or oil in it, but leave it to us to make sure we pack the calories in with the caramel sauce & frosting:) you could skip the caramel & make a lower fat frosting & really cut the calories... if that is your thing;)

{lellie's carrot cake}

3 cups grated carrots, steamed

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 1/3 cup apple sauce

2 3/4 cup sugar

6 eggs or 3 whole eggs & 3 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 cup flour

1 cup chopped nuts, plus more for top if desired

grate carrots & steam in a zip & steam bag. place in mixing bowl. add all wet ingredients & sugar. beat until well combined. sift in all dry ingredients & mix until again. stir in chopped nuts.(batter will be very wet! don't worry, it'll be fine) pour batter into a greased & floured

11 x 16 glass baking dish or 2 9" rounds. bake at 350 for 40-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. poke holes in cake & pour hot caramel sauce over. let cool & top with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

{salty caramel sauce}

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 TBSP heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8-1/4 tsp. salt... to taste

combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. bring just to a boil. remove from heat & pour over hot cake.

{cinnamon cream cheese frosting}

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/4 cup heavy cream

3-4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

beat all together until light & fluffy. spread over cooled cake.