Pumpkins & Apples

Since it's finally October, I can talk about all things apples and pumpkins now....right?!  Or am I too early?  Or too late?  I can never remember the proper blogging etiquette.  

I know I've mentioned it before, but just as a refresher, I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin.  I've never had a PSL (is that what all the cool kids are calling it these days?), I don't really enjoy pumpkin pie, and unless they're sitting on my front porch, I'm just not a huge pumpkin fan in general.  However, I have plenty of friends and family members who love the flavor.  And even though I'm not a huge fan of the taste, I do enjoy cooking & baking things with pumpkin for the people in my life who DO like it :) 

When I found this recipe, I knew I wanted to try it out.  And I figured the pumpkin could be substituted for apples instead, so I knew this recipe would be a winner in more ways than one.  And seriously, it was a HIT!  Grand slam, outta-the-ballpark, WINNER.  I've baked this more times than I can count in the last couple of weeks and taken it to get-togethers, potlucks, and just-for-fun type occasions.  And if you know anyone who loves pumpkins or apples, this would be a wonderful little treat to bake for them, too!  

PUMPKIN SPICE  & APPLE SPICE PULL APART SWEET BREAD

via Pillsbury

PUMPKIN SPICE PULL APART SWEET BREAD

1 (16.9 oz.) can Honey Butter Pillsbury Grands Flakey biscuits, 8 

3/4 cup pumpkin pie filling

2 TBSP. butter, melted

1/3 C. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 C. powdered sugar

1/4 C. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

APPLE SPICE PULL APART SWEET BREAD

1 (16.9 oz.) can Honey Butter Pillsbury Grands Flakey biscuits, 8

1 (15 oz.) can apple pie filling

2 TBSP. butter, melted

1/3 C. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. apple pie spice

2 C. powdered sugar

1/4 C. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Choose the flavor you want and let's get to baking!

As you can see, not much is needed.  If you choose apple instead of pumpkin, you'll just switch out the can for apple pie filling and the pumpkin pie spice for apple pie spice instead.  YUM.

Now take each of the biscuits...8 total...and separate into two layers.  They easily pull apart because, well, they're flaky layers already.  You'll need 16 pieces for this recipe.  I went ahead and laid mine out on wax paper for easy clean-up and whatnot.

Now spread the pumpkin pie mix...or apple pie filling...on the top of each biscuit.  The recipe calls for 3/4 C. of the pumpkin pie mix, but I didn't follow that.  I just added what I thought would be tasty.   As for the apple pie filling, I went ahead and used the entire can spreading an even amount atop each biscuit.

Melt the butter and pour about 1/2 - 1 tsp. of melted butter on top of each biscuit.

Now mix together the sugar and pumpkin pie spice (or apple pie spice) until combined.  Sprinkle evenly on top of the pumpkin pie/apple pie filling.

pumpkin

apple...my favorite!!!!!

Now get ready to get your hands dirty.  For real.  

Stack four biscuits, one on top of the other.   You'll have four separate stacks altogether.

I made sure to place the top biscuit upside down on the last stack.  This will be the "heel" of your loaf :)  

Be sure to grease your loaf pan before adding in the biscuits.  

You'll have to do some finagling to fit everything in.  Place one set of biscuits in the pan at a time.  You'll need to keep the biscuits in place with one hand while adding the next set with the other.  You'll see what I mean when you start adding...it gets pretty messy really quick!  

You might have a bit of the sugar & spice mix leftover.  If you do, you can sprinkle a little bit more on top of the biscuits once they're added to the pan.  Waste not, want not, right?!?!

Bake on 350 for about 40-45 minutes or until the center is cooked through.  I baked mine right at about 40 minutes on the convection setting.  The center was baked through, but the top was a bit crispy, LOL!  I like a crispy crust, so that worked for me :)

Does that not look amazing?!  

The pumpkin pull apart bread doesn't bubble over quite like the apple bread so I would suggest placing a baking sheet underneath the loaf pan if you plan on baking with the apples.

Remove from oven and let cool.  While the bread is cooling, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until combined.  This glaze basically tops it all off and really sets the stage for a delicious sugar coma to take place.    Pour evenly over the top of the bread.  I didn't use all of the glaze because I felt like it made a ton, so I would say add to taste :)  You really can't screw it up!

I've baked and sampled both the pumpkin and the apple and I definitely think the apple is better, but that's my most favorite flavor to begin with, so don't take my word for it!  Mr. Spouse LOVED the pumpkin and I think he preferred that one to the apple.  In all honesty, you can't go wrong either way.  They're both delicious!!!!  

This would be a great little breakfast to bake for overnight guests, but it also makes a great little treat to gift to neighbors, friends, and co-workers....especially this time of the year! 

I love how the layers pull apart easily so you won't need a knife to cut into it.  Just the perfect little serving sizes.  I'm keeping all of these ingredients on hand so that I can whip these up at a moment's notice.  You'll see what I mean when you try it for yourself!!!  

Delicious Any Way You Slice It

I'm about to kick-off an extended weekend with family and I couldn't be more excited.  My mother-in-law and father-in-law are flying in tomorrow and we can't wait!  The boys have been counting down the minutes 'til their arrival since we found out they were coming a few weeks ago.  I love it when they come to visit!!!!  The last time we saw them was in July at the airport in Indy and we said "see ya later" through tear filled eyes.  Needless to say, we can't wait to hug their necks tomorrow.

My in-laws are pretty much amazing and I just love the way they love our boys.  Even though we only see them four times a year (not NEARLY enough), when we're all together it's like no time has passed and I love that my boys feel the same way.  They adore their grandma and grandpa.

(let's refer to this set of pics as "the ones where my youngest didn't want to be in pictures"...)

Since they'll be visiting through the weekend, we'll be hosting our weekly Sunday Funday with my side of the family so that everyone can see each other while my in-laws are in town.  I love it when both our families are together!  Family visits mean LOTS of food and here's what's on the menu this weekend....

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER

Chili Pasta Bake  and Apple Dumplings for dessert (both new recipes! I'll report back next week!)

SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST

Comfort Bake

Blueberry Crunch Coffee Cake

(These recipes are new, too!  Can't wait to share next week!!)

SUNDAY MORNING BREAKFAST

Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls

(be on the lookout for this recipe in the next couple of weeks!!!)

SUNDAY FUNDAY FARE

Daddy's brisket (hands down, the BEST around)

Homemade Fiesta Cream Corn

Cucumber & Onion Salad

Baked Beans

Parmesan Potatoes

Eclair Cake

Reese's PB Poke Cake

photo via Six Sisters' Stuff

MONDAY MORNING BREAKFAST

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (recipe below!)

WEEKEND MUNCHIES

S'Mores Popcorn

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Whew!  That's an awful lot of food and I need to finish up this post so I can start prepping it all.  I love being able to pre-prep our food so I don't spend too much time in the kitchen away from the family.  Another reason we'll be eating out Saturday afternoon and night :)  

As you might have noticed, we'll be eating Chocolate Chip Banana Bread for breakfast on Monday morning and my bananas are *almost* ready for this recipe!  If you love banana bread, you MUST try this version!!!!  It's definitely the best....and the easiest...I've attempted.  I'm not a fan of the nuts and this recipe calls for NONE.  Yay.  And it makes a TON.  6 loaves to be exact.  I baked some last week when my bananas were starting to brown and sent two loaves to school with Mr. Spouse, gave three away to my grandma, aunt, and cousin, and then...of course...kept one for myself :)  Ahem...for us.  This recipe is not only delicious, but perfect for gift giving, too!!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

via House of Smiths

3 C. flour

1 1/2 C. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

3/4 C. butter (1 & 1/2 sticks), softened

1/2 C. buttermilk

4 large bananas, mashed

chocolate chips (optional)

cinnamon (optional)

frozen strawberries, thawed (optional)

peanut butter morsels (optional)

Okay....that's a lot of "optional" ingredients, but let's get to that in a second.  

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).  Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix together eggs, butter, buttermilk, and bananas using an electric mixer.  

Now mix the dry and wet ingredients together using that same electric mixer.  Don't fret when your batter turns out a smidge lumpy.  That's a-okay!

Grease your loaf pans.  I use SIX of the smaller disposable pans (3.75" x 2.5" x 8") so that I can use all of the batter at once.  Again, you'll get about 6 loaves of bread using this recipe.  Evenly pour out the batter into each pan and go ahead with your "optional" ingredients.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes (mine baked a little closer to 40 minutes with this last batch!)

Now here's where the optional ingredients come into play.  This bread is AMAZING on it's own, but after making so many loaves, we started to add in a few things here and there to jazz it up just a bit.  Chocolate chips are my family's personal favorite.  Once I have the batter poured into my loaf pans, I add those extras in and mix well (in the pan) until combined.  Works great!  Then I can get several different loaves with one batch of batter and one little mess :)  

Some combos we've tried and loved:

Chocolate chips and coconut flakes

Chocolate chips + peanut butter chips/morsels

Peanut butter chips/morsels

1/2 C. frozen strawberries, thawed (strawberry banana bread is GOOD!!!!)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (just the right hint of cinnamon!)

Anyway you slice it, this bread is DELICIOUS!!!  

Strawberry BREADfast

My boys are really excited about the months to come.  In particular, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.  'Tis the season.  The other day my littlest said, "Mom, we should really start making more bread.  Is it time for that pumpkin bread yet?!"  While I didn't have any of those ingredients on hand, I did have everything I needed to make Strawberry Bread.  I've been meaning to try this recipe for a while.  Since we just got new neighbors I figured it would be the perfect time to whip up a couple of loaves. We took the extra loaf over when we introduced ourselves yesterday.  Grant really enjoyed it this morning for breakfast excitedly exclaiming, "This is the best BREADfast ever!!!", with a giant laugh that followed.  He cracks himself up.  So "punny".  But he's right.  This is a pretty great BREADfast if I do say so myself ;)

GLAZED STRAWBERRY BREAD

3 C. all purpose flour

2 C. sugar

1 TBSP. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. vegetable oil

3 eggs, beaten

2 (10 oz.) pkgs frozen sliced strawberries, thawed

GLAZE

1 C. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 TBSP. milk

Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix together the oil and the eggs then stir in the strawberries.  Since I gave my strawberries time to thaw out, I drained the juice reserving about 1/2 cup.  Add the strawberry mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Then add the reserved strawberry juice and mix well.  Pour the batter into two greased and floured 5x9 in loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 2 loaves.

Delicious!

I'm often deterred from making many bread recipes because so often they come out dry and bland.  This recipe is neither.  I think this recipe would be great with fresh strawberries as well and I plan on adding a carton to the existing recipe next time I bake it.  I absolutely LOVE strawberries and love how the flavor isn't lost in this bread.  Not too much, not too little.  Just right!  And apparently it makes a pretty good BREADfast, too ;)

Tastes Like Fall

Happy Monday, friends.  And...

Seriously...where'd October go?!  That was a fast & furious month full of memories.  Sweet memories.  Some of my favorites were on Friday night...trick-or-treating with my sweet little family.  The only thing that would've made it better was if Mr. Spouse could've been with us.  We sure did miss him.  The joys of Friday night lights {NOT!!!!}  

I used to plan out the boys' costumes months in advance.  I wanted them to be fun & different...more for me than for them :)  But now I LOVE that they have such big opinions about what they want to be.  My oldest insisted on being a taco for Halloween.  A taco, y'all.  He doesn't even like tacos.  But whatever.  I typically wait 'til the last minute to buy or put together costumes because their little minds are always changing.  And {shocker} change they did.  My oldest eventually decided being a ninja was a lot cooler than a taco and my youngest dressed up as a Skylander.  I took my love of leopard print to a new level and painted my face to match my obsession.  My sister & nephew joined in on the fun and my little baby came dressed as Elliot from E.T.  I DIE!!!!  He won Halloween.  

I even managed to make the boys an "exciting" lunch on Friday.  That's what my oldest called it..."exciting".  Ha.  That made me laugh.  Because I know everything else I pack for them is a bit dull and uneventful.  You know, just trying not to set to bar too high for myself ;)

Now it's November and time definitely won't slow down from here 'til the new year.  The weather is finally starting to feel more like Fall and I'm lovin' it.  Cool and crisp.  And here's a recipe that tastes like Fall, too.  A deliciously moist, albeit dense, chocolate chip pumpkin bread.  And I'm topping it off with a sinfully decadent salted caramel frosting.  YUM!!!!  

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD with SALTED CARAMEL FROSTING

3 C. all purpose flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 C. pumpkin pie filling

4 eggs

2 C. granulated sugar

1 C. vegetable oil

4 oz. applesauce {one of those little applesauce cups :)}

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels 

FROSTING

1 container of whipped buttercream frosting

1/4 C. caramel sauce {I used caramel sundae  topping, found in the ice cream section}

1/2 tsp. sea salt

HELLO FALL.

Heat your oven to 400 and lightly grease an 8x4" loaf pan.  I used 3 disposable 8x3" loaf pans I picked up at the grocery store and they were the perfect size.  3 loaves later, I was one happy, stuffed camper :)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, mix together the pumpkin pie filling, eggs, sugar, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.  Slowly combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients.  Once it's nice and combined, go ahead and fold in your chocolate chips.  I'm not shy, so I added almost the entire package.  I may have left 1/4 cup in the bag to eat with my peanut butter, but the rest of those morsels found themselves covered in batter.  You can add as many....or few...as your taste palate prefers.

Evenly portion the batter out into your loaf pans and bake at 400 for about 60-70 minutes or until you insert a toothpick into the center of the bread and it comes out clean.  Mine baked for closer to 65-70 minutes.  

Remove from the oven and give it some time to cool...unless you're like me and you insist on cutting a slice and eating it warm with a cold glass of milk.  While you're waiting for the loaves to cool completely, mix up your salted caramel frosting.  Just place the whipped buttercream, caramel sauce, and sea salt in a bowl and stir.  Easiest, tastiest frosting ever!!!  

Once the bread is completely cool, frost it.  Then dig in.  And I mean DIG.RIGHT.IN.  Show no restraint.   My oldest...aka: the world's PICKIEST eater...absolutely LOVED it.  I mean, y'all...he LOVED it.  I was certain that pumpkin was a flavor profile he would vehemently detest, but I was SO wrong.  So I guess you could say this recipe is definitely picky kid tested and approved :)

It's definitely a dense bread.  Not insanely heavy, but dense.  And oh, so moist.  The original recipe called for 2 cups of oil {ohmiword} and I decided to cut that down to only a cup and some applesauce.  While I'm not the biggest fan of pumpkin, I do love the combo of that flavor & chocolate.  And then the salted caramel!?!?!  Well, HELLO FALL!!!!  So delicious!

And because this recipe yields several loaves at once, it's the perfect little something to whip up and take to your kids' teachers or gift to your neighbors.  I can personally tell you that the way to a teacher's heart is right through her/his stomach :)  Okay...well maybe that's just the case for this teacher ;)  Either way, it really does make a pretty great little Fall gift!    Try it & see for yourself!

No Need to Knead

Bread and pasta....my two favorite carbs.  I could eat a loaf of freshly baked French bread and not even think twice about it.  I remember visiting Europe with my grandma and each time we went, we made sure that every meal consisted of some type of bread.  When we were in Italy, every meal consisted of bread and pasta...those were some of the best meals I've ever had.

As much as I love bread, I don't eat very much of it very often these days if at all.  We have a bread maker I was gifted a few years ago and it's still sitting in the bubble wrap it came in.  I've always wanted to bake a steaming loaf of fresh bread.  My Mawmaw made the most amazing bread from scratch.  I can still smell it when I think about her.

I had every intention of baking a loaf when we got the bread maker, but every recipe I came across called for yeast and/or kneading.  I typically don't keep any yeast in the pantry and I'd always forget to pick some up at the store.  And kneading?!  No thanks.  I'm a little too lazy when it comes to cooking in the kitchen and I'd prefer not to take the extra step {lame, I know}.

Since I've been cooking breakfast for my boys in the morning, I really try hard to mix things up.  They share the same love for bread that I do so I wanted to find a bread recipe that would double as a great for breakfast for them or as a late night snack for me.  Then I came across this one and I knew it was kismet.  And the best part?!  I had all the ingredients on hand so it was on the table and in our bellies the very next morning.  

CINNAMON SUGAR RIBBON BREAD

via Averie Cooks

1/3 C. sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

1 C. light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 C. buttermilk

2. C. all purpose flour

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp. baking soda

For this recipe, you'll need a 9x5 in. loaf pan.  Grease that up just a bit and sprinkle with flour.  Set aside.

Now go ahead and preheat your oven to 350.

Mix together the cinnamon & sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter.

While the butter is melting, combine the egg, brown sugar, oil, & vanilla.  Don't pour the butter into the mix until it's had a chance to cool off {for risk of cooking the egg!!}  Once the butter has had a few minutes to cool, add to the egg/brown sugar/oil/vanilla mixture and whisk together until combined.  Then whisk in the buttermilk.

After all that whisking, it's time to stir.

Stir in the flour, nutmeg, and baking soda.  You'll want to stir until it's combined, but make sure not to over stir.  It'll be lumpy and that's A-OK.

Take half of the batter and pour it into your loaf pan.  Reserve the rest and set it aside.  Sprinkle about 3/4ths of the cinnamon/sugar mixture evenly over the batter.  This is going to create the delicious ribbon going through the center of the bread {it's just as tasty as it is pretty}.

Now you can involve your kids if you so desire.  My youngest was BEGGING to help me and he usually doesn't have to beg too hard because I do love when they want to help in the kitchen....even though their assistance usually results in eggshells in the batter, flour sprayed all over the kitchen, and spills on the floor.  Crazy enough, I wouldn't have it any other way...especially now that they're old enough to clean up after themselves ;)

Now top the cinnamon sugar with the rest of the batter and then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top of that.  As you're doing this, just remind yourself that there's no such thing as too much cinnamon sugar.  Especially for this recipe.  Plus, it won't all stick to the crust.  

Bake at 350 for about 45-55 minutes {mine took almost an hour}.  Just like you would with a cake, stick a toothpick in the center of the bread to make sure it's ready.  You may get a few crumbs, but pop it back in the oven if your toothpick is covered in batter.

When it's all ready, remove from the oven and set aside for about 15-20 minutes before inverting.  We covered ours with foil and let it cool overnight so it was ready for breakfast the next morning.

When it was all said and done, we ended up with the most delectable, cinnamon sugar crusted slice of heaven.  SO very good.  And even better with a little tiny spread of butter.  Ohmiword.

I was so happy when my boys ate it all up.  Delighting in my cooking isn't something they're known for, so watching them eat every last crumb sure did make my little mommy heart happy. Of course, I'd be even happier if they would devour vegetables like they do pancakes and bread, but I'll take what I can get when it's 7:00 in the morning.  

Full bellies.  Happy mommy.  A definite winner.  

And I have to say it pairs up pretty well with a tall glass of cold milk, cozy blanket, and Netflix {specifically, Breaking Bad}.  

Heads Up, 7-Up

Did y’all ever play that game in grade school??  {Did I just date myself by calling it grade school??}  We used to play it all the dang time…well into 5th & 6th grade.  I always peeked, too.  One of my favorites.  This post has absolutely NOTHING to do with that game, but every time I see or say the word “7-Up”, that’s what I think of.  I also think of the episode of Seinfeld when George came up with the name “Seven” for his unborn child, but that’s a whole other post :)  I’m sure y’all have seen the 7-Up biscuits floating around Pinterest.  I saw ‘em and about fell out.  Couldn’t wait to try them!  And ohmiword…just as good as everyone said they would be! 

7-UP BISCUITS

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7up

1/4 melted butter

If this recipe doesn’t scream EASY, I don’t know what does.  4 ingredients?!  SOLD. 

In a large bowl, mix together the Bisquick and sour cream and then add in the 7 Up.  This will make a really funky, soft dough.  Yes, that’s the description I’m goin’ with. 

Now melt a the butter and pour it into a 9 in. square pan.  All I had handy was an 8x8, so that’s what I used.  Not sure if that changes the consistency of the biscuits, but trust me when I say that mine turned out pretty much amazing, so if all you have is an 8x8, then go with it!! 

You can sprinkle some additional Bisquick out on a cutting board and then pat out the dough.  If Go ‘head and cut ‘em while your at it, or if you’re like me, just wait ‘til they’re nice and baked :)  Place the dough on top of the melted butter.

In all honesty, I probably should’ve cut the dough into biscuits first, but they were still amazing.  Just had to use a little more elbow grease I was ready to eat.  Bake at 450 for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Ignore this not so flattering picture because I swear it doesn’t do these biscuits justice.  If I didn’t think Mr. Spouse would’ve been disgusted with me for eating the whole pan by myself, I totally would have.  These are AMAZING.  Are y’all fans of Popeye’s biscuits?!!  If y’all are, then y’all will LOVE these.  They taste like a copycat for sure!!!  I paired our biscuits with a heaping plate of Buffalo Chicken mac & cheese {recipe coming soon!!} and ohmiword…to die for.  If we’d have had any left over, I totally would’ve used ‘em to sop up some white gravy the next morning…y’know, if I knew how to make white gravy.  Light and fluffy…full of flavor…these biscuits are a MUST with your next meal!!