Candied Yams

Here it is, THE yams you have to make for Thanksgiving this year! My kids believe me when I tell them they are candy!

Thanks to Kathryn for posting some great ideas on what to do for Thanksgiving. She had a really cute idea on making mini cornucopias out of sugar cones, filling them with small treats and closing them off with cellophane. She has a great way of bending the points up to look more like cornucopias! Go see the comments under my last Thanksgiving Ideas post for the instructions!

These Yams are so good you’ll make them for every special occasion!

-3-4 Yams- peeled, cut up, and boiled for about 20 Min. Mash.

-or- 2 cans- 29 oz. Cut yams canned in light syrup, drained and mashed.

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1/2 C. Butter

-2 Eggs

-1/2 C. Evaporated Milk

-3/4 C. Granulated Sugar

Mash these first 6 ingredients together then add to a greased or buttered 9x13" cake pan.

Topping:
-1/3 C. Softened Butter
-1/3 C. Flour
-1 C. Brown Sugar
?-1 C. Chopped Walnuts? (if desired)

Mash these ingredients together until they are crumbs and sprinkle on top of mashed yams mixture.

DO NOT COVER

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Super easy and super yummy! And I don't like yams!

Triple Layer Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Here is a pumpkin pie to die for! Three layers of heaven! On the bottom is the pumpkin flavored chocolate layer, in the middle is the pumpkin layer, and on the top, sweet sour cream! It takes longer than the original pumpkin pie, but it's well worth it!~

Ingredients

• One pie crust (premade or homemade)
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup canned pumpkin

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Prepare, chill, and prebake a Pie shell in a pie pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 350º.

2. Melt the butter in the top of a double boiler set over, not in, barely simmering water. Add the chocolate and leave it over the heat until melted (5 to 7 minutes), and then whisk it until smooth. Set aside the top of the double boiler to partially cool the chocolate.

3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl, gradually adding 1 1/4 cups of the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Next, blend in the pumpkin, vanilla extract, spices, and salt until the filling is evenly combined. Pour slightly less than half of the filling into a separate bowl and stir in the melted chocolate until evenly blended. Pour the chocolate filling into the pie shell and gently shake the pan to settle the filling. Bake the pie on the center oven rack for 20 minutes. Then let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

4. Carefully ladle the remaining plain pumpkin filling over the chocolate layer and shake the pan to settle the filling. Return the pie to the oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. When done, the filling around the perimeter will have puffed somewhat, but not so much that it develops large cracks. Place the pie on the cooling rack until the filling levels, about 30 to 45 minutes.

5. Combine the sour cream and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Stir the mixture over very low heat for about 2 minutes, until it is fairly thin and slightly warm. Carefully pour it over the last layer and tilt the pan to evenly distribute the topping. Cool the pie thoroughly, then cover it with loosely tented tinfoil and chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I was down with a head and chest cold and a sinus infection which all spread to my family :( But now that I am feeling a little better, I am thinking about Thanksgiving Dinner! YUM! It has to be my favorite dinner of the year!

I was wondering what some of your Thanksgiving Traditions are. At our house they always revolve around food! It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without my candied yams, and of course Turkey! What also adorns my table? Cranberry sauce (or Lingon Berries), stuffing, and of course mashed potatoes and gravy! We couldn't do without pumpkin pie either!

I was wondering what some of your traditions are.... do you go around the table and tell what your thankful for, do you have special place settings, do you assign seats, do you dress up, etc. I need some more ideas to help make it special. This year we are going up to spend Thanksgiving with my husbands family, but I would love to bring along some great ideas! Leave a comment here to help me out! In return, I will post my Candied Yam's Recipe a little later after I make them this week, trust me, you won't have Thanksgiving Dinner ever again without them!

And the WINNER is .....

ANDREA E.!!!!!

Congratulations! I'll e-mail you the information on how to get your cute prize! I'm so excited for you! If you want to see what Andrea won click here! This seller on Etsy is so talented, I love her mother necklaces! You HAVE to check them out! Just click to see the sellers other items for sale.

Thanks to all of you who entered the drawing by posting me on your blogs! It means a lot to me that people are actually reading my ramblings!

Have a great day!

Just like "Golden Corral" Dinner Rolls Recipe! (Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls)

Hallelujah!! I have found it! The best dinner roll recipe ever! These are PERFECT for Thanksgiving dinner :) But, before I turn you loose, there are a few things you need to know about yeast!

1st- You cannot add yeast to water that is too hot! It will die! So when a recipe say's that the water or milk needs to be a certain temperature, make sure you use a thermometer!

2nd- Make sure that the yeast you are going to use is at room temperature.

3rd-Yeast always rises best in warm water with some sugar! If the yeast is not bubbling up, it wont allow the bread to rise, so start over!

With that being said, here is the recipe!

Ingredients

• 2-1/4tsp fast acting yeast (or 1pkg)
• 1/4c warm water (105°F-110°F) usually the hottest your tap gets is the right temp.
  
• 2tsp sugar
• 1c milk, just to scalding hot (do not simmer or boil) I microwaved my milk for 30 sec. then tested it, then 30 sec. more. It was perfect after that. It's important to take the break between each 30 sec.
  
• 1/3c sugar
• 1/4c butter
• 1tsp salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 ½ c bread flour (dough will be somewhat sticky, but the less you use, the lighter the rolls)
• the remaining stick of butter for rubbing on top of the rolls right as they come out of the oven!
  

Directions

1) Dissolve yeast in 1/4c warm water. Stir in the 2tsp of sugar. Let sit for about 5 minutes until mixture foams up.
2) Heat milk in microwave or in small saucepan on stovetop.
3) Add sugar, butter, & salt to hot milk and stir until butter is melted. Cool to 105°F-110°F.
4) Pour milk mixture into bowl of stand mixer.
5) Add the yeast mixture & egg and mix together.
6) Mix in all-purpose flour, beating to form a soft dough. Knead with mixer for 5 minutes, adding extra flour, if needed. (This is where a dough hook is your best friend!)
7) Place dough in warm oiled or buttered bowl, turning greased side up. Cover with parchment paper and let rise in warm place ( I turn my oven on to about 400 for a minute to warm up slightly then I put the bowl in there, like an incubator) until doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes.
8) Slightly punch down dough. Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into round rolls. I do this by dividing the dough in half, and stretching it out into a loaf then cutting them into 6 equal parts. ** See below for how to shape the rolls, it's super easy! Place them, not touching, in greased 13×9x2 baking pan.
10) Cover with parchment paper sprayed with non stick spray & let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 30–45 minutes.
11) Bake at 375°F for 18–20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
12) Brush tops of rolls with butter.

**To shape the dough, hold a section of dough in the palm of your left hand. Make a circle with your left pointer finger and left thumb. Using the thumb of the right hand, push the dough through the (tight) circle you are creating with your left hand. This reminds me of playing with play dough when I was little! :) When you get the dough pushed all the way through, pinch together the bottom and there you go! Add them to the pan pinched side down!

Tips for Taking Great Pictures on Halloween

Jack 'o Lanterns

We love jack 'o lanterns! Especially because each member of our family carves one for their personality! But, sometimes you just cant get the warm glow effect of the candle to come out in your pictures! Usually, the problem is your flash. Most cameras will pop the flash automatically, especially if it's dark. The tone of the flash is cold compared to the warm glow from the jack o' lantern, so the photo doesn't turn out like you want it to. To fix this, turn off your flash, raise your ISO to 400 or 800, and slow down the shutter speed. Also, try using a tripod or table to avoid a blurry photo.

Kids in Costumes

My number one piece of advice for photographing costumes is to take the pictures early! The makeup is still fresh, the masks are on, and the kids' sugar rushes have not yet hit their peak. Take several photos: group shots, individual shots, posed shots, and candids. Use backgrounds to enhance your photo, like a spooky tree or a decorated yard. Encourage your subjects to act the part of the costume...you'll be surprised at how quickly both kids and adults will get into it!

At night, use the night mode on your camera. It still uses the flash, but it allows for the ambient light to come through also! Sometimes it actually might make the pictures a little more "scary" because of the cool lighting it creates! Above all else, come at your subject in a bunch of different angles. Get down on the ground, kneel at their level, take from above with them looking up at you, etc. Some of my favorite shots are of my kids running away from me down the road with their trick or treating bags flailing in the wind! Be sure to try out some different editing once your done too! Sometimes those ho hum pictures become masterpieces if changed to black and white or sepia!

Have fun, and stay safe!

Happy Halloween!

Snickerdoodles (along with some of my favorite Kitchen tips)

Ever since I saw these on the Bakerella site, I had to make them! Not to mention, they make your house smell sooooo good! Here is the original recipe which I used from Bakerella's site.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper. (I used one 14 X 20 and was able to get all 20 cookies on one sheet. Place about 3 inches apart and they won’t bake into each other.)
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes.
• Add egg and mix until combined.
• Add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
• In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.
• Use a small 1 1/4 inch ice-cream scoop to form balls. Release in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll until covered. When coated, you can shape them in a nice round ball and place on the baking sheet. (reserve any leftover cinnamon sugar to top the cupcakes)
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies begin to crack. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make scrumptious snickerdoodles!
Here are my all time favorite storage containers for sugar and flour! The one on the top is for my sugar, purchased through Tupperware! They close tight and keep things fresh. I have all the different sizes for all sorts of things like hot chocolate mix, homemade pancake mix etc. The 5 gallon bucket under the sugar holds my flour. It's only about $1 or $2 for the bucket and $5 for the screw on lid at Wal-Mart. I use these to hold those huge bags of flour and rice!
This little (very cheap) plastic shalt shaker (found at Wal-Mart) is what I use for my cinnamon sugar so my kids don't make a huge mess while making cinnamon toast! In this recipe though, you will need to put the cinnamon sugar in a bowl so you can roll the dough around in it.
My little Bosch Compact is my best friend while making cookies, and you HAVE to have one of the scoopers from Pampered Chef to scoop out perfectly shaped cookies!
Once you have scooped out a ball of dough, roll it in a mixture of cinnamon sugar.
There you go, the perfect Snickerdoodle!

Pilgrim Pies (Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting :)

Mmmmm.... these are so good!

Ingredients for the Cookies:
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups light brown sugar
1- 15 oz can pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Start by combining in a large bowl with a mixer the oil and brown sugar until well blended. Next add the vanilla then the eggs one at a time until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and powder, salt and spices. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture one cup at a time until well blended. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out on to a ungreased baking sheet (I use my stoneware pizza pan) about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for about 13 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese softened
1/2 c. butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar

Beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar a half a cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.
To assemble the pies:
Turn half of the cookies upside down, frost the bottoms and top with another cookie!
Makes 10-12
Enjoy!

Here it is.... the item to be given away!

Here is the item I am giving away!!

Isn't it the cutest thing? Scroll down for more information on the giveaway!

Also, you can ADD YOUR NAME INTO THE DRAWING AGAIN by linking to my blog in one of your blog posts! Just send me the link to the post through commenting on this post!

Good Luck!

Things to do on Halloween for families!

I am alway's looking for new things to do on Halloween, since it is not my favorite holiday, my brain just doesn't get creative! Here is a great web site with tons of ideas. You can also sign up for their weekly e-mail's packed with great ideas for every season!

Here is a list of not-so-scary Halloween movies for the family

Here is a "We still have to eat dinner on Halloween easy casserole"

And since Halloween is on a Saturday, I thought it would be fun to make Pumpkin Pancakes for breakfast!

When we are done trick or treating, we alway's make homemade donuts and hot chocolate! Click here for the Krispy Kreme recipe!

Have fun trick or treating~ :)