Oh so Yummy Pumpkin Bars.

I made these years ago but decided to make them again for a family dinner.  I forgot how amazing they tasted! Everyone said they were delicious and longed  for more. I have been requested to make them again for Thanksgiving. I recommend you try to make them for your family! 

Paula Dean Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Eggplant Parmesan. Yes Please!

So I decided to finally start back cooking since I found some old cookbooks I had lost and noticed so much stuff I wanted to make. I was flipping through them last night and found a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan, I was very excited since I have always wanted to try it. This recipe does take some time to make so make sure you have at least 2 hrs of free time. The are a few steps but it's worth it. I served this to just my boyfriend tonight and  myself. I also did make as much as the recipe called for. This was very yummy. I am in love with Eggplant even more now. It's very nice with a glass of wine!  Italian bread with some melted Italian cheese's are a great side. Also a salad with a vinaigrette dressing works well with this dish also.

Recipe:
2 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs (I used the Italian kind)
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese; divided
2 Medium eggplants (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 eggs, beaten with 3 tablespoons water
1 Jar ( 1 pound 10 ounces) Ragu Robusto! Pasta Sauce (I bought the Parmesan and Romano)
1 1/2 Cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese (about 6 ounces)

Step 1 : Preheat over to 350 F. In a medium bowl , combine bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Dip eggplant in egg mixture, then the bread crumb mixture. On lightly oiled baking sheets, arrange eggplant slices in a single layer. Bake 25 mins or until eggplant is golden.

Step 2 : Take the eggplant out of the oven and keep the oven on. In a 13x9 inch baking dish (I used a much smaller one about 11 inches) evenly spread 1 cup of Ragu Pasta Sauce. Layer 1/2 of baked eggplant slices, then 1 cup then 1 cup sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; repeat layers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 mins or until cheese is melted.

This Recipe came from the cookbook:
Incredibly Easy Italian

Dear Fans

Dear Readers of this blog. I have yet neglected to update this thing. Or even more cook anything in awhile. I plan to try to cook something this weekend. I found some old cookbooks I lost years ago. I think I will use them next. :) Good to know some strangers who don't read my blog are asking for my recipe's that I have posted. So people are talking about me and my blog. It's nice to know.

Well other then school and work. Time is nada during the week. Weekends go by too fast and trying to squeeze going to the grocery store is hard! I still live with my parents and don't have a place to have the kitchen just to myself so that is also hard. I miss cooking actually. Kinda was a stress reliever. Got my mind off of other things and made me feel better when I have people saying my food was so yummy. So I am going to set a goal like I am with working out. I am going to at least cook one dinner every weekend. And gradually work in more during the work week. It needs to be done. I have a hard time keeping up with stuff because things just get in the way. So I will update this again this weekend when I decide on what I am cooking. :) Keep reading!

An Interesting Read.

I got this off the Yahoo News page. I thought it would be interesting for you all to read. :)

-Christina

5 Things You Should Never Put in a Dishwasher




ShareretweetEmailPrintWise Bread, On Tuesday July 20, 2010, 10:34 am EDT

I finally got to use a dishwasher eight years ago, when I moved in with my then-boyfriend (now husband). I was ecstatic and dumped everything in it. Over the years, though, I have discovered that you can save money - and time - by being pickier about what you put into the dishwasher. Along the way, a few things were ruined before their full value was enjoyed because I didn't know they shouldn't be washed by a machine. (See also: Household cleaning hacks that can save you money.)



Here are five things I learned never to put into the dishwasher.



[Slideshow: 20 Things You Should Never Buy Used]



Wood: This includes wooden spoons, salad bowls, chopsticks, and cutting boards. Wood will swell and crack in the dishwasher. My cutting board broke in half, and the bottom of my salad bowl dislodged and made a slit so that I could no longer use it for anything that could leak (the glue used to seal it looked like it got dissolved or washed away).



Knives: I still put my cheap butter knives in there, but never the larger, nicer ones. The harsh detergent will cause nicks and scratches on the blade, dulling it. Also, putting and removing sharp, large knives is likely to cause damage to the dishwasher rack itself.



Crystal/Hand-blown Glass: These items are not just sensitive to heat (they can crack), but abrasive detergent can chip and etch them as well, causing them to lose their brilliance. They should be gently handwashed and dried with a soft, lint free towel.



Pots & Pans: It's generally not a good idea to put pots and pans in the dishwasher. After running a few cycles on them, I noticed some of my pots and pans had loose handles and seals were coming off (like my wooden salad bowl above). Additionally, here are particular types that should definitely not go into the dishwasher:



--Nonstick/Anodized Aluminum: The coating will wear out and break down and it will no longer be non-stick. This includes bakeware.



--Cast Iron: It will rust and lose its seasoning. After rinsing with water, heat on the stove to completely dry.



--Enameled Cast Iron: These are very prone to chipping. Plates and bowls may hit against the pot during the cycle.



--Aluminum: It's extremely vulnerable to nicks and scratches. This includes thermoses and water bottles.



[See 20 Tips for Cleaning on the Cheap.]



Gold Trim: Watch out for any plates, bowls, or cups with gold trim. They will be removed by the harsh detergent and water pressure.



Final tips: It's not always as easy as looking at the label to see whether something is dishwasher safe. Keep in mind that the environment inside a dishwasher is hot, humid, and wet. The detergent is abrasive. The water spray is not gentle (it's trying to spray off that caked-in spaghetti sauce). The top rack generally gets a gentler wash than the bottom. If you keep these things in mind, you'll be able to make better decisions about what to put in and what to keep out of the dishwasher.



Lynn Truong is the co-founder and Daily Deals Editor of Wise Bread, a blog dedicated to helping readers live large on a small budget. Wise Bread's book, 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, debuted as the #1 Money Management book on Amazon.com.

Chef Chrissy's Surprise Italian Delight ♥

So this was my made up dish. I had so much leftover cooked pasta from making my previous recipe that I need to use. So for lunch today I mixed together my leftover ingredients from my previous recipe and added pasta sauce.

Ingredients:

1 box cooked or uncooked penne pasta
1 jar of chopped garlic (I bought a jar of chopped garlic)
1 container of chopped feta cheese
 Olive Oil
Chopped Basil
Pasta Sauce ( I used  Ragu Super Vegetable Primavera)

1. If the pasta isn't cooked then cook it. If it is then add the a squirts of olive oil and then add pasta sauce of your choice to the bowl with the pasta and mix together.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of the chopped garlic. Mix together.

3. Add as much chopped feta cheese as you like and mix together.

4. Then chop up the fresh basil and then garnish or mix together with the pasta.

And there is my creation. Hope you like it!

Pasta with Eggplant and Balsamic Vinegar

OMG this is sooooooo yummy! And I didn't miss the meat with the cooked eggplant. I also love the flavor of the balsamic vinegar on it. I also added my favorite salad dressing in there too: Kraft Olive Oil Basil Parmesan Vinaigrette. :)

Ingredients:

2 or 3 Small Eggplant ( about 1 pound)
salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Peel the eggplant, cut into small cubes, and salt them.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta ( Make sure to salt the water! And add Olive oil) While waiting for water to boil. Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.When hot, add the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, golden, and slightly crisp on all sides. About 5 to 10 mins. Then Add 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic and cook stirring constantly, until soft and turning golden, about less than a minute. Add the 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar; give a good stir and let it bubble until it thickens slightly but doesn't evaporate, just a few seconds.  Remove from heat and put in a bowl and set aside.

3. When water has boiled cook the pasta until tender not mushy. When it's done, drain it. Toss the pasta and eggplant together and drizzle some olive oil, a few sprinklings of black pepper, and 1/2 cup of feta cheese. Garnish with the basil and serve.

I am still alive!

SO sorry guys! I totally have been ignoring this blog and cooking because my free time has gone pretty much bye bye :( BUT I have made two new things recently. One I got from an iPhone app and the other I made up myself. <3 So I am going to post the recipes RIGHT NOW!

It's been a while. Sorry about that.

So I haven't done much cooking since the Meatloaf with a Sweet Side. Good to hear that my fans have tried the recipe. :)  I have recently cooked Baked Ziti for my bff Asuka. <3  I used Prego sauce this time because I was told it was suppose to better tasting then Ragu. It was good but honestly I couldn't tell much difference. I served this with a salad and used a mixture of Kraft Balsamic Vingerette with Olive Oil Dressing and Kraft Olive oil and Parmesan and Basil dressing.  I also had too much pasta left over from not fitting in the casserole dish. So I had some lunch today with the noodles and sauce and melted Italian cheeses on top. Yumo! I am going to cook sometime this week but not sure when or what. I am working full-time for now and have to make time to go get groceries. I may post a poll up and let you all chose what I cook next. So check for that in a few days. I want to say I appreciate all my fans and all that have tried my recipes I have posted. It keeps me from getting discouraged. :)  Just so you know Baked Ziti is my most requested dish. <3

Meatloaf with a Sweet Side and Mini Meatloaf Sweet Sandwiches

So I felt like treating my love to his favorite meal, Meatloaf. We have recently discovered this meatloaf that has a sweet sauce you make for it. It makes the meatloaf heavenly and excites your taste buds. :) We also love to make sandwiches with our leftover meatloaf. I recommend it to anyone who wants to jazz up their meatloaf.  You can serve meatloaf with any kinda of vegetables.

Meatloaf with a Sweet Side Recipe


Ingredients:

1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large egg
2/3 cup milk
3 Tablespoons catsup
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Mix the onion soup mix, ground beef, egg and milk together.

3. Form the combination into a well packed loaf shape in a 13 X 9 X 2 loaf pan.

4. Combine the rest of the ingredients and spoon onto the top of the meatloaf.

5. Bake uncovered, for about an hour. When done, take the meatloaf out of the pan and place on a serving plate. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meat loaf Sweet Mini Sandwiches:

What you need is any type of bread. Loaf or Rolls
We used Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

A piece or meatloaf or cut a piece of meatloaf into sections to fit the rolls (like we did)

Before you cut the meatloaf spread the pizza sauce and put a piece of provolone cheese on it.

Put in microwave to heat up meatloaf and melt the cheese

If you want to cut the meatloaf for the rolls then do so, if not just put in on the loaf bread. And now you have a meatloaf sandwich! :D

Hearty Noodle Casserole

Yay! I made something new! This was delicious! I served it to my parents and grandparents tonight. It took two casserole dishes though. I have one full one left. Whew! What I like about this recipe is it has bunch of veggies in it. I added mushrooms, green  bell pepper, and tomatoes. I also put beef in the recipe instead of Italian Sausage because I hate Italian Sausage. haha Okay on to the recipe! Make sure to have a large bowl! Serve with a Salad and Italian or French Bread.

Hearty Noodle Casserole
1 pound Italian Sausage, Casting Removed or Ground Beef
1 Jar (26 1/2 ounces) pasta sauce (I used the 2lb 13oz size jar)
2 cups (16 ounces) ricotta or cottage cheese)
1 package (12 ounces) extra wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mozzarella Cheese, Divided  (I used Italian Blend Cheese)
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms (Drain the liquid out of the can)
1 can chopped tomatoes (Drain the liquid out of the can)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
 Chopped Fresh Basil

1.Preheat Oven to 350 F. Cook Sausage or beef in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up meat, until cooked through. Drain Fat.

2. Combine sausage or beef, pasta sauce, ricotta cheese,  cooked noodles, half of mozzarella cheese or Italian Blend, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and chopped bell pepper in a large bowl. Spoon into 3-quart or 13x9 inch baked pan. Top with leftover remaining mozzarella or Italian blend cheese.

3. Bake, uncovered, about 25 mins or until heated through. Garnish with Basil.

Serving size 4 to 6.

Baked Ziti for the future in-laws.

I apologize that I haven't updated in a while just haven't been cooking much.  Anyway I finally cooked for my boyfriends parents. I decided on Baked Ziti since I have seem to have master it. Jeremy's mother was so happy she didn't have to cook and was thrilled that I did. They all seem to love the Ziti. I was glad they did! I always change up the sauce flavor each time. Has anyone else tried making Baked Ziti?

 Here is me at the grocery store shopping for the ingredients!

Baked Spaghetti for Asuka!

I made Baked Spaghetti again for my best friend Asuka. It was a late birthday dinner from me to her. I think by me altering the recipe to my liking made the baked spaghetti so much better this time. I am disappointed I have half left. Anyone want any baked spaghetti? haha I make way too much apparently and always have leftovers. If you are going to make Baked Spaghetti then I recommend you get the biggest jar of pasta sauce you can find. I used Ragu and used it all! I like mine saucy. :D The recipe has so many calories though. 576! Did you know you should only eat 400 calories each meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). I had no idea. But I really want to try it. Also you are suppose to have something with Olive Oil in it each day. All my dinners have Olive oil in them. I also use an Olive oil facial cleanser. lol Yeah but you are suppose to have your daily dose of Mufa's (Moo-fah) to be or stay skinny. Also you need to exercise!! And it makes sense. Here is a link explaining it and showing you how to use Mufa. http://www.ehow.com/way_5318448_mufa-diet-plan.html

and

http://www.mufamagic.com/weight-loss/mufa_details.php










What do you think about me doing some videos of me cooking? Would you all watch them? :) The blog entry is just me blabbing sorry about that. xD

Step By Step Baked Ziti

I have made Baked Ziti so much that I decided to walk you through each step. (With Pictures) Just so you know I used what pasta I had.

Ok here I go!

Step 1: Boil the water for the pasta! I put a little Olive Oil and Salt in my water before boiling. Put in the Rotini in a bowl for now you will need the bowl later to mix in the sauce. 

Step 2: After the water has boiled add the Rotini wait for reboil then turn on low for 9 mins. 

Step 3: While the pasta is boiling make the ricotta cheese spread for the Ziti. In a bowl You Need 2 eggs beaten, 1 half container of ricotta cheese if you are making this smaller then my original recipe. And 1/4 cup Parmesan. Mix together and set aside. 

Step 4:  When Pasta has cooked for 9 mins then drain the pasta. Once it is drain add it back to the empty bowl you had set out for it before. 

Step 5:  Preheat Oven to 350F.Add the pasta sauce and some Olive Oil. 1 Jar Chunky Pasta Sauce 1 pound and 10 ounces. I would actually get the biggest you can find and put in as much sauce you want. I like mine really saucy. I used a little more than half of one of the big jars. Put whatever you have left of the pasta sauce in the fridge. 

Step 6: Spoon some of the pasta in the bottom of the casserole dish. Then add the Ricotta mixture on top of the bottom layer. 

Step 7: Add the rest of the pasta and then top that with Shredded Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan. After that put it in the oven for 30 mins and then it is done! 

The finished product!