Five Facts Friday - Pumpkins

1. Pumpkins are really a squash and is a fruit.

2. 80% of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.

3. Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

4. Pumpkins are 90% water.

5. In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of the pies, not the filling.

October - Eat Country Ham Month

Do you know what comes to mind when I think of Country Ham? Cracker Barrel. Growing up we always stopped at Cracker Barrel as a family whenever we were traveling. One of my favorite things to get (along with hashbrown casserole and fried apples) was their ham. Yumm-O! I also love their breakfast there. This recipe combines both! Winner Winner (not chicken dinner).

Cracker Barrel Ham and Egg Casserole

1/3 cup lean cooked sliced ham

1 slice sourdough bread (remove crust and cut to fit bottom of casserole dish)

4-5 eggs, beaten (enough to make 1 cup of eggs)

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Spray casserole dish with a non-stick spray and place sour dough bread on the bottom of the casserole dish. Beat eggs, add salt, pepper, evaporated milk and mix. Pour egg mixture over bread. Sprinkle diced ham and shredded cheese over egg mixture and cover with plastic wrap. Place casserole in refrigerator overnight or at least 5 hours.

Place casserole in a preheated oven at 375 for 20-22 minutes. Casserole is completely done when you shake the dish slightly and the eggs do not wiggle. (That is scientific for you).

Recipe taken from copykat.com

My New Favorite Way to Cook Bacon

My whole family loves bacon. I buy at least one pound a week (bacon has gotten so expensive!). The thing I don't like about bacon is cooking it. If we are having pancakes, we use our electric griddle. Pancakes cooked in bacon grease are awesome!

But if we aren't having pancakes, cooking bacon can be messy. The grease gets everywhere! I've ruined more than one shirt because bacon grease has spattered on it. Well, now I have found an awesome way to cook bacon and not have the mess. (Thanks to Rachel Ray) I use my broiler pan. Put as many pieces as you want on it, put it in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. Flip. Check it in about 5 minutes. It will cook so much faster on the second side. All the grease collects in the bottom and doesn't spatter all over your counter, all over you, all over your clothes, and ... well, you get the point.

The Secret Spa in Your Kitchen - French Vanilla Coffee Scrub

French Vanilla Coffee Scrub

2 cups coffee grounds

1/2 cup raw sugar or sea salt

2-3 tablespoons almond oil or grapeseed oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Apply scrub to wet or damp skin. Apply the scrub to skin and rub it in circular motions with fingers. Rinse off after application.

World Pasta Day

Raise your hand if you love pasta! Okay, everyone put your hands down now. Who doesn't love pasta? I have never made pasta from scratch but would love to try. If I were to make pasta, I believe I would try the recipe below from The Pioneer Woman.

Homemade Pasta

Five Facts Friday - Birthday Facts!

Since today is Harley's birthday and tomorrow is my Chris' birthday - here are 5 facts about birthdays.

1. Since your last birthday 31,536,000 seconds have passed.

2. More people are born in the U.S. on October 5 than any other day. Think 9 months earlier ... New Year's Eve.

3. The least common birthdate in the U.S. is May 22.

4. Close to 2 billion birthday cards are sent each year in the U.S. alone, accounting for nearly 58 percent of all cards sent.

5. More people celebrate their birthdays in August than in any other month (about 9% of all people). The two other months that rate high for birthdays are July and September.

National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

Can I hear a big YUM!!! Pumpkin Cheesecake! I was very glad to see this on the calendar because I was looking forward to chowing down on this recipe. However, it has recently been discovered that the Promersberger household with all of their handy dandy new fangled kitchen utensils and tools do not own a spring form pan. That being said, I was simply going to post the recipe without trying the recipe out. I am very happy to report that while on the Ladies' Retreat this past weekend, lo and behold, there it was for dessert Sunday afternoon - the Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake! I am still going to post the recipe but since I had a slice on Saturday, I can say that I happily tried the Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake out and loved it! Hope you enjoy too ... that is if you happen to own a springform pan. Otherwise, head to the Cheesecake Factory and devour a piece. No Cheesecake Factory near you? Order it online and have it delivered to your front door! Oh what an age we live in!

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust

1-1/2 cups graham crumbs

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

Filling

3 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Whipped cream

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 2/3 up the side of an 8" springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes at 350. Set aside.

Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer, add pumpkin, eggs and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 minutes or till the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.

Excuse me ... excuse me .... it's me .... your computer .... you're drooling on me.

Chicken!

The thought of cooking a whole chicken has always scared me. Chicken! Recently I decided to venture out into this great big world of cooking a whole fryer. It's not hard at all although I wish my skin would get crispier. If you have any tips on getting crispy skin - please let me know!

Here's what I did:

Poured olive oil over the skin of the chicky and sprinkled Italian Seasoning over it (after I removed the gross neck bag). I also stuck some butter under the skin - for good measure I guess. It got put in a 350 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. The skin was nice and brown and a little crispy but not crispy crispy.

HELP!!

The Secret Spa in Your Kitchen - Honey Lime and Yogurt Facial Cleanser

Honey Lime and Yogurt Facial Cleanser

*Leaves your skin soft and smooth.

4 tablespoons plain yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons lime juice

Blend all ingredients. If mixture is too thin, thicken with cornstarch. Apply mixture to face and massage into skin for a minute or two. Rinse with warm water. *Mixture makes about 1 weeks worth but needs to be refrigerated.

Food Fun: Tic Tac Toe

Enjoy playing with your food? Download the Snack Time Tic Tac Toe (download HERE) "board" to start playing.

All you will need is the Tic Tac Toe "board" and a few different snacks to play. Some good snacks to use are Town House FlipSides (has a pretzel side and an original side), Cheez-It Duoz (sharp cheddar crackers and Parmesan crackers) or E.L. Fudge cookies (2 characters: Fast Eddie and Buckets).

Play the game of Tic Tac Toe, using your snacks as the game pieces. Have each Tic Tac Toe player take a turn to place their snack down, trying to match 3 in a row.

Pictures taken from snackpicks.com

I'll Be Back!

When you read that title, please read it in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice.

I'll be back tomorrow! Enjoy the few hours left in the weekend!

National Dessert Day

In 2008 Americans decided that their favorite dessert was the brownie. Google did not know what we like here in 2010. So it's a Throwback Thursday. Throwback to 2008 at least with a yummy brownie recipe.

The Ultimate Brownie

5 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

2/3 cup butter

1-3/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Fudge topping (optional)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease square pan 9x9x2 inches. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Cool. Optional: Ice with fudge topping.

It's Where I'm at Today

My Chris was not feeling well on Monday and Tuesday. Today he says he feels much better and attributes it to his many dosages of Airborne. This is not to be confused with The Airborne which will not help you with fighting your cold. They do fight - just not colds.

Yesterday I felt the beginnings of blah-ness and today, well today, I'm just blah. So we are downing the Airborne tablets like no one's business. It's no fun being sick with a 13 month active child. Plus I have the Ladies Retreat this weekend and we all know it is no fun being sick away from home.

Airborne is a tablet that is chocked full of minerals, vitamins and herbs. The tablet gets tossed into a glass of water and dissolves making fun bubbles at the top. There are many different flavors such as Zesty-Orange, Lemon Lime, Pink Grapefruit (our favorite) and Very Berry. Walmart used to have their own brand of Airborne type stuff but apparently it got recalled due to a FDA recall.

What "quick fix" ideas do you have for The Airborne to fight off colds?

The Secret Spa in Your Kitchen - Tomato Juice Rinse

Tomato Juice Rinse

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup tomato juice

Mix. Comb through clean, wet hair. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse.

*This restores pH balance to hair, making it shiny and more manageable.

Healthy Eating

Growing up I HATED was not especially fond of ground turkey. I have grown to like it and especially am fond of these easy to make and yummy tasting turkey meatballs with an odd twist of salsa. The salsa adds such a fun twist to what you would normally consider an Italian dish.

Salsa Turkey Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 small onion, minced (1/4 cup)

1 egg

1 jar (16 ounces) thick 'n chunky salsa

2 medium green onions, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients except salsa and green onions. Shape mixture into twenty 1-1/2 inch meatballs.

Place in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or meatballs are done.

In 2-quart saucepan, place salsa and meatballs. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until salsa and meatballs are hot. Sprinkle with green onions.

Craft Hope Project Update

Way back in September ... well, actually it was just last Wednesday ... I mentioned that Craft Hope (click HERE) was announcing their new project. For reasons unknown to me, the project was not announced until Tuesday of this week.

Project 10 is a pick-a-project project. That looks odd typed out. They are encouraging you to make a project and donate it to a worthy cause. Some suggestions are knitting a scarf for a homeless person, making pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer, or a tug toy for a local animal shelter. Whatever you are good at making - just craft to make a difference this holiday season.

Sneaky! Sneaky!

I have a very picky-eating family. One of the biggest problems that I have, is trying to get vegetables into everyone. When I saw this pasta sauce, I was excited! First of all, it's the brand we usually use, so I knew we all liked the flavor. Second, it claims to have 2-1/2 servings of vegetables per serving (did that make sense?). Third, they have 2 choices for this Veggie Smart pasta sauce: chunky and smooth. Smooth is a necessity in my family. So there you have it. Let's sneak some vegetables into yummy pasta!

It's a Warm Your Belly Kind of Meal

This soup is not your typical clear liquid chicken noodle soup. Instead it is a creamy yummy chicken noodle soup that my Chris claims as one of his very favorite soups. It's guaranteed to warm your belly on a cool Fall night.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 quarts water

8 chicken bouillon cubes

1 12 ounce bag uncooked wide egg noodles

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 cup sour cream

Parsley

In a large saucepan, bring water and bouillon to a boil. Add noodles; cook, uncovered until tender, about 10 minutes. Do not drain. Add soup and chicken; heat through. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Sprinkle with parsley.

The Secret Spa in Your Kitchen - Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub

Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub

1/2 cup sesame oil

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Combine ingredients and mix well. Store in a clean, dry jar.

*Use as a pre-shower or bath exfoliator for silky smooth skin.

National Cinnamon Bun Day

Cinnamon Rolls

5-6 cups flour

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) quick-rise yeast

2-1/2 cups warm water

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (Next time I would add more)

Frosting

6 tablespoons butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons milk

Combine 4 cups flour, dry cake mix, yeast and warm water until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 45 minutes).

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 14-inch x 10-inch rectangle. Brush with butter; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up jellyroll style, starting with a long side. Cut each roll into 12 slices; place cut side down in two greased 13 x 9 inch baking pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 20 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes. For frosting, in a mixing bowl, cream butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Frost warm rolls.

October is ...

Wow! There is alot going on in the month of October. October is ...

-Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

-Apple Jack Month

-Breast Cancer Awareness Month

-Clergy Appreciation Month

-Cookie Month

-Eat Country Ham Month

-National Pizza Month

-National Popcorn Popping Month

-Seafood Month

And my personal favorite ...

-Sarcastic Month