Pumpkin Donut Holes Recipe

Today while going through my email I found this fun recipe courtesy of Mr. Food for pumpkin donut holes.  I'm not usually fond of frying my food, but I said "what the heck" one day won't kill me. My kids wanted a special treat and so did I.

Yields: 2 dozen

Cooking Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• ³/4 cup canned pumpkin
• ¹/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¹/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¹/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1. In a soup pot, heat oil over medium heat until hot.
    
2. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients except confectioners' sugar; mix well.
    
3. Drop pumpkin batter by level tablespoonfuls into hot oil and fry 2 minutes or until golden, turning at least once. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter. Roll doughnut holes in confectioners' sugar; serve warm.

I didn't have self rising flour, and made my own by adding 1 cup of flour with 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt.  I also was nervous after reading the reviews of these which stated they were bland, and not too sweet.  I went a little heavy on the pumpkin, adding a few tablespoons more and also with the sugar as well.  We (well lets says my daughter) also rolled the donut holes greatly in the confectioners' sugar as you can see.

This is after they came out of the oil

These turned out great, the recipe was super simple,  the kids loved 'em and I was pleased that I didn't waste my time, tee-hee!

**disclosure:  recipe courtesy of MrFood.com, photos courtsey of ME!!

Lemon Bars

I was over at Gather.com checking out posts and came across this yummy recipe posted by Aunt Shanny. She is awesome for posting pictures and recipes that make you just drool over your keyboard.

The recipe ingredients included everything I had on hand....wow, first time I had EVERYTHING on hand!

I proceeded to make the crust and press into the pan which needed to be baked for 20 minutes before placing the filling....

Now I did have a picture of the filling before placed in the oven again but my camera decided to PMS on me!! Here is the finished product....

Our overall opinion of these was DELISH! Actually, I thought they were better the next day!! If you like to see the recipe and try it for yourself go here. Enjoy!

Kraft Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip Review

I was chosen to receive a Eating Good Living Gift Baskets from KRAFT FOODS! It included a $25 Visa gift card in order to buy ingredients to facilitate my review along with a tumbler, lunch tote, a coupon for free Kraft cheese, a coupon for free Jell-O Mousse Tempations, recipe cards, and a newsletter. My thank you goes out to Gather and Kraft for this opportunity to review.

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Makes 2 3/4 cups or 22 servings , 2 Tbsp each

1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped

1 pkg (10oz) frozen chossped spinach, thawed, drained

3/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

3/4 cup KRAFT Light Mayo Reduced Fat Mayonnaise

1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Mix all ingredients, spoon into 9" quiche dish or pie plate

Bake 20 minutes or until heated through

Serve with Triscuit Reduced Fat Crackers and assorted cut up fresh vegetables

Nutrition (Per Serving) 60 calories, 4.5g total fat, 1.5 g satruated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate, 1g dietary fiber, 1g sugar, 3g protein

Carb choices: 0 Diet Exchanges: 1 Fat

I did take a picture of the ingredients but somehow my camera didn't accept it but the only thing I did differently was my store didn't have the 2% Milk Shredded Mozzerella, so I purchased the Part-Skim Mozzerella. It was just as tasty and didn't noticed any difference. My family enjoyed it as a snack pairing it with tortilla chips, it really is yummy and satisfying. This is a perfect snack for those on strict diets as there is only 3g of carbs, and 1g sugars. If you pair this with veggies rather than crackers or chips you did yourself well.

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**Disclosure: I received the gift pack with the $25 gift card from Gather.com to purchase the ingredients for the review, no other compensation was received. The above opinion is my own, and yours may differ.

What's In Your Child's Lunchbox?

I just received the back to school issue of Parents Magazine, September 2010. On page 224 it had an interesting article about struggles of packing school lunches. My son has to pack everyday due to food allergies, plus I feel better knowing what he's eating rather then relying on the supposed "healthy" school based lunches. The articled contained some great recipes to help me keep his lunches from being "boring" since this is a constant battle. I feel like I'm feeding him the same old thing day after day.

Trail Mix Popcorn makes approx. 4 cups
1 2.9oz bag of microwave popcorn, cooked according to package directions
1 cup of raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries and/or cherries
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
2 Tbs butter
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, walnuts, and/or peanuts
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Oil hands to keep popcorn from sticking
2. In a large bowl combine popcorn with dried fruits and set aside
3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir honey with butter, nuts, sunflower seeds and cinnamon and mix until well combined
4. Carefully drizzle mixture over popcorn and fruit, stirring constantly until everything is well coated. Let sit overnight.

Now due to his allergies I'm going to substitute some things. I stay away from nuts so in place of the nuts I may add another dried fruit or just leave it out. I don't know if it makes a difference but I'll probably cook my own popcorn rather than use microwave. This seems like a perfect snack in place of chips.

Here's a recipe for a different sandwich:

Ham and Cucumber Sarnie

2 slices 100% whole wheat bread
2 thin slices low-sodium ham
6 slices cucumber
1 whole carrot (served on side)

Salt and peper to taste

My question is what "dressing" or condiment would go good with this sandwich? These are the only 2 recipes that caught my eye, there are several other yummy recipes but I know he wouldn't eat them. I'm constantly searching for ways to improve and excite his lunchbox. If you have any ideas or recipes feel free to share!