Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves or allspice

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Wedding Mints

These are called wedding mints but can easily be made for any event or even made with different flavors. I got this recipe from Debbie, or rather I made her a batch and stole it. :) I know she made these for our wedding, but I don't recall eating them...or much of anything else really. I've never seen them or had them before then, but they are pretty good and definitely worth posting.
The recipe uses simple ingredients and is easy to make. The only down side is that they are a little time consuming.

Wedding Mints

3 oz. cream cheese (use the lines on the packaging)

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (plus 1 extra)

1 tsp. flavoring of choice.

(Debbie's recipe used 3/4 tsp, but trust me the full tsp is so much better!)

Blend in a food processor until combined.

Drizzle in the flavoring.

Add in the extra sugar until it no longer sticks.

* Place on wax paper and keep covered because it dries quickly. Debbie has some silicone molds that she uses to make shapes. Not sure what else you could use to form them, maybe just make them into balls or rounds even.

** We used our food dehydrator as a drying rack to place the molded mints on to dry.

*** Take a pinch at a time, (enough to fit the mold) and roll into a ball and then into granulated sugar.

***Press into the mold and then pop them out onto the drying rack. Try not to move them until they are completely dried.

***You can use any kind of extract to flavor them. May I suggest raspberry and of course the mint.

I wondered if they were ok to sit out since it has cream cheese in them...Just so you know, I've eaten plenty these last couple of days and no problems.

These are melt in your mouth good and no taste of cream cheese!

Enjoy!

Dinner Biscuits

Gotta love biscuits, they are so quick and easy to make. I've really come to like them since I don't really have to plan in advance when making them.

I've combined two different recipes and decided that I can finally post this after getting it down pretty good.

Make sure you don't over work the mixture. I toss it around only a couple of times until it's all combined and then dust the counter with flour. The dough should be super sticky, just dust it with some flour, too before cutting them out.

I plop it down so it's about 1/2- 2/3 inch high and cut with a medium biscuit cutter, still barely moving it unecessarily.

Biscuits:

2 C. Flour

1 T. baking powder

1. T sugar

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 C. butter & shortening mix

*Whisk together

1 C. Milk mixed with 1 beaten egg

*Stir into dry ingredients and move around with a spatula.

**Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden.

Pork Loin Roast

I was looking for a great pork loin recipe online and found one at about.com. The ingredients in this are surprisingly delicious. It calls for cinnamon, cumin, paprika, chili powder and a few others and with the glaze it is amazing. The original recipe used bacon strips cut in half on the roast but I didn't have any defrosted and didn't want to bother with it, but I can imagine it being super fabulous with bacon.

It's a pretty simple recipe and definitely worth a go!

(Don't start this until about 30 minutes left for the roast to cook. Should register at 160 degrees when done, I put half the glaze on and then again after 15 minutes. It seemed to slide off pretty quickly.)

Glaze:

1 cup. brown sugar

2T. flour

2T Cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

* Mix the dry ingredients together in a saucepot and then add the vinegar. Bring to a simmer for about a minute.

(I forgot to take a picture until this evening. This is a cold roast out of the fridge...so it doesn't look as good as it did when it was straight out of the oven!)

Pork Rub:

1 tsp. Chili powder

1/2 tsp. Paprika

1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1/2 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Cinnamon

* Mix it all together and rub generously all over the defrosted pork in a roasting pan.

** Pre-heat @ 350 for 60- 90 minutes

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 small zucchini
• 1/2 small purple onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 10 eggs, well beaten with 2 tablespoons water (can be done with hand mixer or in blender)
• 4 ounces goat cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the zucchini lengthwise in half and cut each half into very thin half moon shapes. Melt the butter in a large (preferably nonstick) skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and then add the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook just until slightly tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Spread the onion and zucchini evenly over the bottom of the pan and top with the beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and allow it to cook until just starting to set at edges. Crumble the goat cheese evenly over the top, and put it in the oven until golden on top, about 3 to 5 minutes. Slightly cool the frittata in the pan before slicing. Serve it from the pan or invert it onto a plate, then slice and serve.

Homemade Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

When ready to cook, form the mixture into small patties about 1/4-inch thick and 3 inches wide. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning once, until golden brown and completely cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the sausage to a serving dish and serve warm.

Homemade Toaster Pastries

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup blueberry or strawberry jam
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
• 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Colored sugar, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, bring the jam and cornstarch mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook stirring for 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Lay 1 sheet of pastry on a board and cut it into 4 equal strips. Put a heaping teaspoon of cooled jam in the middle of the upper part of the dough and fold over the bottom part. Seal the edges with a bit of water and crimp with a fork. Arrange the pastries on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other pastry sheet. Bake until golden about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pastries from oven and allow them to cool completely.

In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and whisk in, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice at a time, to make a thick icing consistency. Drizzle the icing over the pastries and sprinkle with colored sugar, if desired. Allow the icing to set for about 30 minutes. Enjoy at room temperature.