Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Moist and delicious little things! Cute too. Recipe from allrecipes.

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• Cookies:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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• Cream Cheese Filling:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I added more)

Directions

1. For cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. (A total of 72 cookies are needed for the recipe.)
3. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
4. For cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

My Tuna/Edamame Casserole

I know, I know, tuna casserole, yuck! Well, not this one. My kids have been bugging me to make it again, it is that good. I love that I usually have these ingredients on hand, and making this helps me utilize my food storage. It really is quite good, and the edamame adds a little something extra. Make sure you add enough milk to make it moist enough. No one likes a dry tuna casserole!


16 oz. elbow macaroni
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 soup cans of milk
1 c sour cream (or more)
1 1/2 c frozen edamame, defrosted in microwave
2 cans tuna, drained
1/2 red or yellow onion, diced
black pepper (no salt needed)
juice of half a lemon
2 c cheddar cheese, grated, divided
1/2 pkg. club or ritz crackers, crushed

-Cook macaroni as usual. Drain. Add next 8 ingredients and mix well in a bowl. Then mix in 1 c of cheese. Pour in 9 x 13 sprayed with cooking spray.
-Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese over top, then sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
-Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until bubbly and maybe even a little golden.

Beefy Mushroom Barley Soup

I found this recipe at Winco next to the vat of bulk barley!  It is really yummy.  Kids and hubby liked it.  Instead of stew meat, I used leftover roast from my "spicy crockpot beef" recipe and used the juice I froze from previous roasts.  So I didn't use bouillon. It was heavenly with it.  And I didn't have to take time to brown stew meat!

1 # cubed beef stew meat
1 T vegetable oil
2 cups water
2 T butter
2 large carrots, diced (I used more, it seemed sparse)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 # fresh mushrooms, sliced (I diced fine for the whiners in my fam)
6 cups water
3 cubes beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup pearl barley (I used 1/2 cup and thought it was perfect)
1/4 cup sour cream (I used slightly more)

Brown small cubes of stew meat in veg oil over medium heat until juices become a rich brown color.  Add 2 cups water, and simmer meat while preparing the vegetables.  In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Saute carrots, onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms.  Add meat, 6 cups water bouillon and barley to veg mixture.  Cook until barley is soft.  (this was quite a while give yourself an hour simmering time just in case you need it) Adjust liquid and seasoning as desired.  Remove from heat, and stir in sour cream.  Serve immediately. We had this 2 nights and lunch for me one day, too.

Spicy Shredded Crockpot Beef

I made this at Lava for the family.  We put it in tacos.  It is our very favorite and last night I used it as French Dip!  YUM!! is all I can say. Often I use 2 roasts and we eat it for a couple days or I freeze extra.

4# roast (I use chuck or arm or a nicer one, too.  It is a good way to use up roast!)
2 T Tone's Roasted Garlic Seasoning  (I got this at Costco. Just add fresh or powdered garlic if you don't want to get it.  But, it is worth getting!)
1 t red pepper flakes (this makes it moderately spicy, so add more or less depending on what you like.)
1 T salt

Put meat in crockpot.  Add seasoning and a little water.  Crockpot all day. (6-8 hrs) It will shred easily when it's done.  I have been freezing the juice to use this winter in soup or gravy.  It is so yummy.  I could drink it!  :) 

For tacos:  Small round corn tortillas.  You can either put Pam on them or not.  Microwave them in a stack in paper towel 40 seconds for 10. Put meat in, then cilantro and white onion and salsa of your choice.

For French Dip:  I decreased the red pepper flakes by about half.  I had a packet of au jus (mine is just western family and I like it) I added maybe a teaspoon to the roast to make it a little more "beefy".  It was really good.  The broth gets very concentrated from sitting all day, so I add water til it's right for dipping sauce.  Get some hoagie rolls or mini french bread.  Put it under the broiler til brown, add mozzarella/parmesan or swiss cheese to bread and stick under the broiler til melted.  Put meat on, and get dipping!  Kids loved them and so did we!  4# roast feeds my family of 6 one dinner and lunch for me and little ones next day.

Someone told me if something is too salty, throw an onion in it and it will take some of the salt out of your dish.  I have heard the same thing about potatoes.  Just FYI if you get yours too salty!