Food Friday: Pumpkin Cookies

Mmmm! Here's another recipe that I haven't yet tried, but looks super easy! I'm thinking of trying it out this weekend. If I do, I'll post a comment to let you know how they turned out. Happy Halloween everyone!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c cooked pumpkin or pie filling
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add to bowl. Mix. Drop by tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 15-minutes or until golden brown.

WFMW: Swivel Sweeper

When my father-in-law came to visit last June, he bought us a Swivel Sweeper. Normally, I don't pay much attention to products that boast "As Seen on TV!" labels on them...but I must say, this particular product has made keeping our floors clean so easy!

We have wood floors throughout most of the main level of our home, so I'm always chasing after dust bunnies and crumbs left over by the kids that I babysit. The Swivel Sweeper makes it so easy to clean these things up without a lot of work or effort on my part.

I will say, though - the product says it can be used on both hard floors and carpet. I have found, however, that using it on the carpet does not work as well. Maybe that's just me? I still highly recommend the Swivel Sweeper, though!

Clean floors always work for me!

Continuing with Fall Clean-Up Ideas

With fall in full-swing, Jason and I are busy cleaning up our gardens and preparing them for winter. The idea that I want to share today is a short and easy one.

Behind our property, is a row of tall cottonwood trees. In the fall, they drop all of their leaves...right into our backyard! Raking them up is no fun, but we've recently learned how to use them to our benefit.

Instead of raking up the piles of leaves and disposing of them...we just rake them right into the vegetable garden. The fallen leaves provide protection from winter's harsh weather and come spring, we'll just move the leaves aside and tuck them around new plant growth to prevent weeds and to retain moisture. The leaves will eventually break down and nourish the soil.

What are you doing to prepare your yard for winter? I'd love to hear any tips you might like to share! Feel free to leave your comments.

A super easy idea that makes a big difference!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine, butter or shortening
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream the butter. Gradually add sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Blend in beaten eggs. Sift together the dry ingredients. Combine pumpkin and milk. Add dry ingredients alternately with pumpkin mixture.

Pour into a bundt pan and bake at 350* for approxmiately 30 minutes. Let cool for 1 hour.

Drizzle with sugar glaze (1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk, mixed until smooth.)

WFMW: Extending the Life of Jack-O-Lanterns

I am pleased to say that Fall has arrived here in the Midwest! It’s definitely my favorite time of year, as I enjoy cooler temperatures, bright yellow mums…and pumpkin carving!

It may not always look like it, but a lot of time and effort goes into carving my pumpkins. (My pumpkins usually need extensive repair done to them before they’re ready to light up the front porch!) You can imagine my disappointment then, when just days later, my jack-o-lantern is showing signs of mold and shriveling. Thankfully, a friend gave me a tip to help extend the life of my jack-o-lanterns.

Try spraying your finished jack-o-lantern with a diluted bleach solution to prevent mold. Then, to keep the cut edges from getting that shriveled-look, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly.

Sounds easy enough! Enjoying my pumpkin display longer is what works for me!

Planning Ahead with Plant Markers

As much as I enjoy the fall season, it is always sad to see my butterfly garden wither away as it prepares for winter. One thing I plan to do differently this year, is to mark each plant before it becomes unrecognizable. (I wish I had done this last year - it would have made planning the addition of more plants much easier!)

Using the abundance of paint sticks that we have accumulated over the years from all of our paint projects, I broke each one in half and wrote the name of the plant with permanent marker on the stick and placed it in each plant area. This will enable me to have a much better idea of what plants I have and how much room will be available if I choose to add more to the garden next year.

Note: Don't have any paint sticks readily on hand? Most home improvement stores will hand them out free-of-charge, if you ask. You could also use smooth river rock as an alternative plant marker, too!

Food Friday: Turtle Pumpkin Pie

Did anyone happen to see this recipe in the November issue of Woman's Day? I haven't tried it out yet, but I think this would make a great dessert idea for Thanksgiving! It definitely looks easy enough.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided
1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Pecan Pieces, divided
1 cup cold milk
2 pkg. (3.4 oz each) JELL-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tub (8 oz) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

Directions:

Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans.

Beat milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin and spices with whisk, until blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups COOL WHIP. Spread into crust.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with remaining COOL WHIP, caramel topping and pecans just before serving. Makes 10 servings.