It’s time again for another round of This Week’s Cravings.

Our theme this week is Homemade Pies which made me excited because I’ve really never tried a completely from scratch, homemade pie. Guess what? I still haven’t. But more on that in a moment.

I am so proud to be co-hosting This Week’s Cravings along with Tina over at MOMS CRAZY COOKING, Angie from Big Bear’s Wife  & Kristi from Veggie Converter.

We host this party every Monday, so be sure to check out the upcoming themes at the bottom so you can join in too!

Have you made any Homemade Pies and want to link up with us? Go ahead and link it up down below in the linky, just please make sure it’s a homemade pie and not something else. Also, please make sure you read the simple rules first so your post isn’t removed.

Now, onto the yummy recipe and the story behind it.

So at the time we made this delicious pie, I was fresh out of surgery from my severed Achilles Tendon. I am still on the long road to recovery, but that’s okay because mini-chef has stepped up to the plate and is helping me out. I should probably add her bio to my blog too – she’s done a lot on here.

Mini chef is my 13 year old daughter Brielle. She has big dreams and aspirations to attend cooking school someday, so having her in the kitchen is exactly where she wants to be. When she saw the upcoming theme of homemade pies, she decided it would be fun to make a super easy Grasshopper pie and pair it with a wonderful meal she made us all.
Here’s her recipe!

Homemade Grasshopper Pie Recipe

1-1/2 cups cold milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
2-3/4 cups whipped topping, divided
1 package (4.67 ounces) mint Andes candies, chopped, divided
1 chocolate crumb crust (9 inches) (she made her own with Smashed Oreos and butter)
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
2 drops green food coloring, optional

In a bowl, whisk together the milk and pudding mix for about 2 minutes. Let it stand for a few minutes or until it is soft-set. Next, fold in 3/4 cup whipped topping. Then fold in 3/4 cup of the Andes candies.

Spoon into your crust.

In a new bowl, combine the mint extract and the remaining whipped topping. Add some food color if you’d like. Spread the mint topping over the pudding layer and then sprinkle with remaining candies.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set. We usually allow it to solidify overnight – plus it tastes better and better.

Enjoy!!

Here are more pictures Mini Chef took:

<a href="http://dailydishrecipes.com/" target="_blank "><img src="http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k498/Hudgens6/Buttons/ThisWeeksCravingsButton.jpg" /></a>

Participate in upcoming linky parties:

• 1/16/2012 Week # 64 CHEESE LOVER DAY… YUMMY Cheese recipes
• 1/23/2012 Week # 65 Homemade Pies
• 1/30/2012 Week # 66 Recipe from Your Favorite COOKBOOK
• 2/6/2012 Week # 67 Nutella DAY (Peanut Butter, Almond Butter & More)
• 2/13/2012 Week # 68 Valentine’s Day Treats or Romantic Dinners
• 2/20/2012 Week # 69 Avocado Recipes & Homemade Salsa
• 2/27/2012 Week # 70 Smoothies & Shakes
• 3/5/2012 Week # 71 5-Ingredient Meal

This is a BLOG Party hosted by MOMS CRAZY COOKING and co-hosted by the blogs listed in the top paragraph.

If you are a regular link-up we’re excited to see what you made this week. If you are new please read and follow the simple rules, so that everyone can enjoy the linky party!

If you forget to follow the theme, your post will be deleted. Please don’t feel hurt, just come back and link up a recipe that follows the theme. Thanks a million, we look forward to blogging with you!

The LINKY PARTY is opened ALL Week!

PLEASE do not link more then 3 recipes per week.

This week’s theme is: Comfort Food: Casseroles & Soups.

Please only link recipes with our theme!

Easy Grasshopper Pie originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on January 24, 2012.

We made this recipe up ourselves one evening in the kitchen when we had a can of pumpkin and we were making our french toast casserole recipe. We decided that for a Fall treat, it would be nice to make it pumpkin pie french toast and so this recipe was born. I’ve tried it a couple of different ways since we first made it, but this is the easiest and tastiest way to make it. This makes one casserole, but we double it to make two. (remember I’m feeding five hungry teenagers here.)

Overnight Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

• 1/2 C Butter
• 12  slices White Bread
• 1/2 C Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 – 1/2 c.  pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 c Milk

Melt the margarine and pour into a 9×13 pan.

Mix the brown sugar and the pumpkin spice seasoning.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together.

Layer 6 pieces of bread into the casserole dish.  Spread a thin layer of pumpkin (as if you were buttering a piece of bread) on each of the six slices of bread.

Next, sprinkle half of the brown sugar and pumpkin spice mixture over the top of the pumpkin that is spread on the bread.

Now repeat all steps again – layer the rest of the bread on top, then the pumpkin, the rest of the topping.

Pour the egg mixture over the top of all of it and then sprinkle the remaining brown sugar/pumpkin spice mixture over the top.

Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 4-8 hours. Honestly, the longer the better. In the morning, cover the dish with tinfoil and bake in a 350 degree over for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover the dish and bake an additional 15 more minutes. It should be golden and set.

Remove from oven and serve hot. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar if you want. This can also be served with syrup, butter, whipped cream or just eaten plain. It is delicious!

P.S. We are going to try it with some other “flavors” and I will let you know what we come up with, that actually works and tastes good.

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on November 18, 2011.

I am so excited to have my bestie Sheri of Me and My Tadpole guest blogging today with a super yummy pumpkin cookie recipe. Yes, please. Now.

Sheri is amazing, she is an awesome mom and wife, my best online friend – sweet, funny, snarky, supportive and beautiful. No really, she is all of those things but she is one more thing – she is pretty talented too. In fact, her newest endeavor involves having her own business name, Sheri Lee Photography. This girl can take a photo!

If you haven’t seen her beautiful photographs, go – go now and check them out. Tell her I sent you and be sure to let her know you stopped by. Oh, and she of course, the other thing she is really good at is cooking – I mean just check out her Oatmeal Fudge Bars or her super cute Thanksgiving Teepee Cupcakes. If you check out those teepee’s – scroll to the bottom picture. I’m the little marshmallow on the left. That’s right guys, I made it into a family photo, thank you very much. Sheri, you’re amazing. I love you to death. Now, let’s move on to these really yummy cookies!

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting by Sheri Schluter
Recipe from Sheri @ Me and My Tadpole, originally from lifesambrosia.com.

When I think of Fall, I immediately think of pumpkins and orange. Two of my favorite things. Pumpkins really are so versatile. We use them as fall decor, spooky fun on Halloween and in many different types of recipes. Pumpkin is so easy to use in most anything you are cooking or baking, as its flavor is most often complimentary rather than dominant.

When using pumpkin in baking, I am looking for the most full on flavor I can get. I refuse to mask flavor with spices like Allspice and Oregano. Those spices have their places but not in any pumpkin recipe of mine. I want pumpkin from my first taste to my last taste with no aftertaste of something else.

With that said, I can say these cookies are just that. They are the best pumpkin cookies I have ever had the luxury of tasting. These cookies are very light and fluffy with amazing flavor in every bite.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup pumpkin

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 4 Tbls. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking pan with non-stick spray.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

Using a mixer, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in sifted flour mixture until well combined. Fold in pumpkin.

Drop by *tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheet a couple of inches apart. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until cookies start to brown slightly on the edges. Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely.

While cookies are cooling, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Beat in vanilla. Add in powdered sugar and beat until it is a stiff spreadable mixture. Frost cookies and serve.

*For standard size cookies, drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet. For bite size cookies, drop by teaspoons.

Yields 24 standard size cookies or 36 bite-sized.

Guest Post: Pumpkin Cookies w/Cream Cheese Frosting originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on November 17, 2011.

These are so yummy during the Fall! We make the Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins all year long, but on holiday’s I like to change up the ingredients to fit the holiday. This recipe for Pumpkin Pie Spice Donut Muffins is super easy and my daughter is the one who made the ones pictured in the photo. So it’s easy enough for kids too.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. all spice (or you can just use pumpkin pie spice which we did)
• 1 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. shortening
• 2 lg. eggs
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (no sugar or spices added)

For the outside coating:

• 2 sticks of butter,  melted
• 1 1/2 c.  sugar
• 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

In a bowl, blend the sugar, shortening and eggs until you get a creamy mixture. Add the canned pumpkin, mixing the entire thing until smooth. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl and get that down in there too. In another bowl, mix all of your dry ingredients – the flour, the spices, baking powder & baking soda.

Blend everything up real good.

Now take turns adding the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture alternating between the dry stuff and your buttermilk. Mix well in between each addition. Make sure that everything is mixed well, including all the batter that gets stuck to the sides of the bowl.

Don’t forget to scrape that bowl!

We make these in mini muffin pans, but you could totally do this in a large muffin pan. Grease your muffin tin thoroughly. We use shortening, but you could do this also with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full.

Now bake ‘em!

Bake these little gems at 350 degrees for about 20-24 minutes. (we usually pull them around 21)

Allow them to sit for about 2-5 minutes, and then remove and allow to cool for another 10-15 minutes on a cooling rack. You don’t want them to be cold, you just want them to be easy to handle. If they cool quicker than 10 minutes…

Go For it. Get ‘em covered in sugary/spicey goodness!

Now for the coating: Blend the sugar and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl. Place the melted butter in another bowl next to it.

Dip each muffin into the butter for only a second or two, completely submerging it. Now roll the muffin into the Sugar & Spice mixture. Coat it really well, rolling it around so every inch is covered.

Now you can eat them. Or you can save them. But I recommend you eat them. Because as soon as others get a bite, they’re gonna go fast!

Happy Fall!

Pumpkin Pie Spice Donut Muffins originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on October 1, 2011.

To some it may seem silly to bother heating up your crock pot to cook baked potatoes, when just as easily they can be added to the microwave, however – having done BOTH, the crock pot baked potatoes turn out PERFECT every time. Microwaves tend to vary in how long it takes to cook each potato and I find that often they aren’t cooked all the way through and there is no perfect way to tell. Not only that, but sometimes I think they seem very dry.

Now, take a baked potato hot from the crock pot and you’re talking soft, moist and amazing.  Plus, Crock Pots expose your kitchen to no heat, unlike the oven, making it the perfect vessel in which to cook lots of delicious meals in the dead of summer heat. Oh, and don’t forget, you can totally substitute sweet potatoes for the baking potatoes.

You need:

• a crock pot
• olive oil
• salt, pepper or for sweet potatoes – sugar and/or cinnamon
• baking potatoes or sweet potatoes
• tin foil

Hot Summer Cooking: Crock Pot Baked Potatoes originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on July 20, 2011.

Gingerbread is my favorite. Pumpkin is a close second, even though in the Fall, I always say Pumpkin is my favorite. It’s not. I assure you. Gingerbread anything wins hands down. I cannot get enough, and whatever I can bake that is gingerbread flavored, that’s what I do. Plus, it makes the house smell heavenly for a few hours. This gingerbread recipe I got awhile back and I love it because its a nice moist bread with a strong, rich flavor. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

Moist, Dark Gingerbread Recipe

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. lowfat buttermilk
1/2 c. dark molasses
1/3 c. butter, melted (unsalted butter is better for taste and flavor)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
powdered sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Either spray your 8-inch square pan with some nonstick cooking spray, or you can use tin foil, parchment paper or waxed paper to line the pan. In a bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, buttermilk, molasses, melted butter and egg. Stir the flour mixture into the sugar/molasses mixture. Pour batter into your prepared pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

If you’d like, you can sprinkle the finished gingerbread with some powdered sugar for appearance. Slice and serve. Delicious hot or cold! Serve with some vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.

Photo Credit: Chotda

Moist, Dark Gingerbread Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on December 2, 2010.

This is such an easy recipe and its very good. It tastes a lot like pumpkin pie, so if you’re a fan, there is no doubt you will absolutely love this recipe. Pumpkin Pudding is the perfect dessert for holiday dinners, but don’t stop there. Fix this recipe for an autumn dinner for your family and watch them go nuts. It really does not freeze well, so serve same day. (Can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use up to about 12 hours)

Easy and Delicious Pumpkin Pudding Recipe

1 T Pumpkin Pie Filling
1 tsp. cinnamon
5 raisins (or 1 Tbs. chopped nuts)
2 T. milk
1 T. instant vanilla pudding
1 T. Whipped topping

In a small bowl, add the pumpkin pie filling. (use a larger bowl if you are doubling, tripling or so on .. the recipe). Add the cinnamon, milk and instant vanilla pudding. Stir until blended. Add the raisins (or chopped nuts if you desire – we don’t care for raisins in our pudding). Stir for at least 30 seconds or so.
Serve in a cute pudding dish or bowl, top with whipped topping. Enjoy! This recipe is for a single serving. We sometimes add nutmeg or pumpkin spice to the recipe to make it taste a bit more like pumpkin pie. It’s delicious!!!

Photo Credit: The Dabble @ Flickr

Easy and Delicious Pumpkin Pudding Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on November 24, 2010.

Ok, so it might not be YOUR perfect Chili recipe, but it is ours. It is just spicy enough to be ‘real’ Chili, but consumable by children – which is important in my house. And you could easily add peppers or more chili powder to make it a bit spicier. I usually add until its the desired taste. They key to this recipe however is cooking it as long as you can. It gives it more flavor.

So here it is:

The Cook’s Perfect Chili Recipe

1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 c. beans (we like Kidney)
1 can Rotel
1 lb. ground turkey
3 16 oz. cans tomato sauce
3 Tbs. chili powder (or more to taste)
2 Tbs. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet brown the ground turkey with a little bit of the chopped onion and some salt and pepper. Drain and remove meat and set aside. Saute the onions and peppers in the skillet without cleaning it. In a large stock pot, place the ground turkey and the sauteed peppers and onion. Add tomato sauce and chili powder. Cook on medium heat for approximately 1 1/2 hours or so. I usually start mine at about 3:00 and we sit down to eat at about 6pm. This allows it to simmer on the stove about an extra hour (sealing in the flavors).

We had this for dinner tonight, and I think everyone had at least two or three bowls. Yummy!!

Perfect Chili Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on September 14, 2010.

There are so many reasons to love this recipe. First of all, it only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare it. It is a very frugal recipe and I have been able to use it to use up stale bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, etc. and eggs and milk that were about to expire. I love any recipe that combines things that go bad quickly, so I can use them up before they go stale. I also love this recipe, because it can be prepared the day before and refrigerated until the next morning. It is perfect for company or house guests, or even for home parties and brunches. You will be able to enjoy your company, while food is cooking rather than being locked in to the kitchen or having to prepare a bunch of stuff before everyone arrives. It is also a super cheap recipe, and usually all ingredients are on hand at our house.

Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe

1/2 c. butter or margarine
12 slices of bread or 3 cups of cubed bread (I prefer white, but have made it with whole wheat – doesn’t taste the same)
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon or baking spice (or you can substitute with pumpkin spice blend which we do often)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1/4-1/2 c. syrup (depending on taste)

Pour melted margarine or butter into a 9×13 baking pan. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and your choice of spice. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, milk and vanilla.
In the bottom of your 9×13 baking dish, layer with the first 6 pieces of bread. Sprinkle half of your brown sugar/spice mixture over the bread. Layer the second half of bread on top of this. See the bottom for instructions on using cubed bread. Pour the egg mixture over all of it, and then sprinkle the remaining brown sugar and spice mix. Take your half cup of syrup and drizzle it all over the top of the casserole.

USING CUBED BREAD: If you use cubed bread, I recommend putting in half, sprinkling with half the brown sugar/cinnamon mix and then put in the remaining cubes of bread. Pour the egg mixture over the entire thing and then use the rest of the brown sugar/spice mix on top. Syrup can be drizzled over in the same fashion as above.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. For the record, I have made this a couple of hours before wanting to serve it, and let it refrigerate for only 2-3 hours and that works fine too.
When you are ready to make it, cover with tin foil, and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the tin foil and continue baking 15 more minutes. The casserole should be browned and set.

When you are ready to serve, you can sprinkle the top with nuts and/or powdered sugar. Serve with warm syrup and fresh fruit for a yummy breakfast.

Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on August 25, 2010.

While we tend to make these and eat them anytime of year, they are the perfect summertime treat or dessert. My children love these and after you have made them you can freeze them. An easy dessert to pull out in time for unexpected company or extra kids.

Banana Cake with Orange Icing
Serves: 25 approx

1 lb. approx margarine or butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

6 eggs

2 cups (5 large) overripe bananas, mashed

4 cups flour

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Icing:

3 1/3 cups icing sugar

2 1/4 tsp margarine or butter, softened

1/3 cup orange juice

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease two large square cake tins and line with baking paper. Beat the margarine and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mxing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Stir in half of the flour, then half of the mashed bananas. Repeat with remaining halves. Pour the mixture into prepared tins. Bake for 1 hour, 10 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through the cooking time. Cake is baked when skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in tin for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. When cold, spread with icing.

To Make the Icing:

Melt the margarine in the microwave. Add icing sugar, using the orange juice to form a slightly runny paste. Pour over cold cakes, letting the icing run down sides. Decorate with chopped nuts if desired.

Tip - Can be cut into individual servings after they’ve been iced and can be frozen. Reheat in microwave. The icing kind of melts to form a glaze not dissimilar to a microwave pudding!

Summertime Banana Cake with Orange Icing Recipe originally appeared on The Daily Dish Recipes on July 24, 2010.