Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I must have been feeling adventurous or something because I tried roasting pumpkin seeds and making pumpkin puree for the first time this fall and we loved them! I kind of think the pumpkin seeds taste like popcorn! I got this recipe via Pinterest from Oh She Glows...thank-you!!

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds: from Oh She Glows

1. Clean the seeds. The annoying-but-necessary task is that you have to meticulously clean the seeds until there are no signs of pumpkin guts. After picking off the strands, give them a GOOD rinse with water in a colander.

2. Boil for 10 minutes in salt water. Using Elise’s method for inspiration, I added the pumpkin seeds to a medium-sized pot of water along with 1 tsp salt. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes over low-medium heat. Apparently, this method helps make the pumpkin seeds easier to digest and produces a crispy outer shell during roasting.

3. Drain the seeds in a colander and dry lightly with a paper towel or tea towel. The seeds will stick to the towel, but just rub them off with your fingers. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be bone dry – just a light pat down.
4. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (I only needed to use about 1/2-1 tsp). Massage oil into seeds and add a generous sprinkle of Herbamare (or fine grain sea salt will do). Try to spread out the seeds as thin as possible with minor overlapping.

5. Roast seeds at 325F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Roast for another 8-10 minutes (if your oven temp is off, this could vary a lot!). During the last 5 minutes of roasting, remove a few seeds and crack open to make sure the inner seeds are not burning (you don’t want the inner seed brown). Cool a couple and pop them into your mouth to test. They are ready when the shell is super crispy and easy to bite through. The inner seed should have only a hint of golden tinge to it. They should not be brown.
6. EAT! Remove from oven, add a bit more Herbamare, and dig in! Ah, so good, so good! There is no need to remove the outer shell; it’s quite possibly the best part.

Butternut Squash Soup

One day my sister was nice enough to give me a butternut squash. So when I saw a pin on pinterest for a butternut squash soup recipe I decided to try it. I admit I was nervous (for myself and my kids!) but I was so excited when we all liked it!

Butternut Squash Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• Hot pepper sauce

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in large saucepan
2. Add the chopped onion and rosemary and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add chopped squash, chicken stock, heavy cream, salt, white pepper.
4. Add little bit of hot sauce { according to your taste }
5. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes – or until squash is tender.
6. Use blender to puree the hot soup.
7. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

That same day I decided to try roasting pumpkin seeds for the first time, too! It was a success!

Vanilla Pudding Sauce

I made yummy syrup for Mason's birthday dinner where he requested Breakfast For Dinner. It was pretty easy and super yummy. I loved mixing it up! (Sometimes I get tired of the same ol syrup!) I got this recipe from Kara via Pinterest.

Vanilla Pudding Sauce

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg thoroughly, and gradually stir in. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture comes to a boil. (Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat; if it gets hot too fast, the egg will cook. And scrambled eggs in vanilla sauce would be bad. Really, really bad.) Boil for at least 1 minute, still stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.

Creamy Berry Salad

Creamy Berry Salad

Mix together:
-frozen mixed berries
-tub of Cool Whip
-container of yogurt
-cheesecake pudding mix

Chill before serving

Berry Blend Smoothie

I adapted this recipe from here and I'm excited to try their other ones, too!

Berry Blend Smoothie

1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
½ cup mixed berry juice (I used Raspberry Guava-just 'cause that's what I had on hand-and it was good!)
½ cup milk
1 cup ice


Mix together and enjoy!

Taco Pizza

Our pizza lover {aka. Katelyn} has deemed Friday nights as pizza and movie night! This really is a fun family thing to do together but I don't know how long I can eat a pepperoni pizza each week! So, I've tried pull-apart pizza's {which we love}, homemade pizza's {sometimes that's just too much work}, take-out {that adds up!} and pizza rolls are on my list too but I have been keeping my eye out for some other ideas, too. When I found this Taco Pizza recipe via Pinterest I knew I had to try it. But little did I know that it would be a favorite!! Seriously, Steve said it was 'really good' {and that's sayin' somethin'} AND HE ATE THE 3 PIECES THAT WERE LEFT OVERS!! He. Never. Eats. Leftovers.

I'll let that speak for itself! Thanks Holly for introducing our family to our newest favorite recipe!!

Taco Pizza

1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used colby and monterey jack cheese)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
4 green onions, chopped

Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning to the ground beef according to package directions.
Unroll pizza dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I used a 10×15 inch cookie sheet). Let dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Press dough over the bottom and up along all 4 sides the of cookie sheet. Bake pizza dough for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven.
Place refried beans into a microwavable-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir well and then spread beans evenly over the top of the warm pizza crust. Top with the cooked ground beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese and then add the tomatoes, black olives and green onion.
Return to oven and bake another 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. {if it lasts that log!}

Grinch Kabobs

I have been loving preparing after-school lunches for my kids lately. I think that the time right after school until dinner is done is [one of] the most important times to be available for your kids. I LOVE their hugs as soon as they get home and the kids tell me about their school day. I love to make those fun snacks I find on Pinterest for their after school snack. The kids love it when I make something a little special! I will be making this one at Christmas-time for sure!

(To be honest, I found this on Facebook and don't know who to give the credit to...sorry.)

Grinch Kabobs

Stack a mini marshmallow, strawberry, banana slice and green grape on a toothpick for a fun and festive snack!!