Pumpkin Snickerdoodles - Little Pillows of Heavenly Yumminess!

Soft on the inside, and crispy spicy sweet on the outside, these cookies are a delightful Autumn treat. I found the recipe by accident, online. I did make a couple of slight changes because I wanted to and like a bit different spice combination. I would love to take credit for these, but it goes to The Recipe Girl, okay, except for my changes. Mine turned out a little fluffier than hers did, but hey, these look like the old fashioned fluffy Snickerdoodles I'm used to so I love them. She says her yield is 3 dozen, but I got 6. I hope you give them a try!

PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLES 
 Yield 6 dozen

COOKIES:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pure unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg

ROLLING SUGAR:
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice

1. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into liquid mixture a little at a time just until incorporated.
3. Cover dough with plastic and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.  Mix rolling sugar ingredients in a small bowl.
5. When ready roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball and roll the balls in the spice sugar and make sure they're coated really well. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If desired, flatten slightly with two fingers.
6. Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chipotle Cranberry Marmalade

I created some delicious pepper jelly a couple of years ago, no, I was inspired by a recipe I found in Matthew Mead's new holiday publication, well, okay I had some cranberries I needed out of the freezer, and I was craving pepper jelly, and I really wanted to make something delicious with the mandarins we had but couldn't eat before they went bad. So it was all those reasons that I created this new recipe, but couldn't settle on how to start this. There you have it, I have all the reasons in the opening sentence. Lol. This is great on turkey sandwiches, or cream cheese and crackers, there are a lot of ways you could use this.
Here's the recipe:

Chipotle Cranberry Marmalade

10 mandarins  - peel all but three and thinly slice. About 3 cups
2 1/2 cups frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cups minced onion
1 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 t. canning salt
4 T. instant pectin
3 whole cloves
2 allspice berries
5 cups sugar
7-8 half pint canning jars, sterilized

In a large pot combine fruit, onion, salt and vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes and then crush with potato masher. You should have about 4 cups pulp and juice combined. Sprinkle the pectin over the pulp in the pan. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Boil hard stirring constantly, for one minute. Take off of the heat and pour into sterilized jars. Water bath process for 15 minutes. Yield 7-8 half pints

Chipotle Cream Cheese & Spinach Tortilla Appetizers

The other night I had a Stansbury Art & Literary Society Open House. We had been gone all weekend, so after work I had to scramble to find something to create an appetizer with. This is while I was trying to finish projects for the open house as I had a commission piece to finish. I poked around the fridge, and spied some orange marmalade and Dijon mustard. Hmmm I thought, that would be a good combo in something, but what? Easy is what I needed, and something quick. I ran to the store and picked up tortillas and cream cheese. Back home I found a couple of cooked slices of bacon from breakfast, so I had my sweet, salty, savory bases covered, which is my favorite combo for just about any food. These were a big hit with everyone. The topper was that I got another commission for a sunflower painting!

Chipotle Cream Cheese & Spinach Tortilla Appetizers 

1  package green spinach and herb appetizers
1  8 oz. brick cream cheese, softened
3 heaping tablespoons orange marmalade (peach or apricot would work nicely as well)
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 green onions, minced finely
1/4 t. Chipotle chili powder
2-3 slices bacon, cooked til crisp, crumbled

In a mixing bowl whip all ingredients except tortillas together. Divide mixture between 3 tortillas, spread to the edges. Roll up each rather tightly, and cut into 1/2 inch slices. You should get about 8 to 10 slices, with end pieces to snack on. Yield 24 - 30 appetizers

ENJOY!

Autumn In Wallowa County

It was hard to leave, but we will be back!

Chasing Rainbows ... a Fun Photo Shoot

 We went to a ward picnic the other day. Rain had been drizzling or pelting down most of the morning and when we got back from Costco there were rivers of water rushing down our street. Hubby and the bishop said a prayer that things would clear for the party and sure enough, we had sunshine over the area behind this chapel until the party was over. I took my mother-in-law home early as she was cold and is a tiny frail thing, but not before I chased some rainbow shots. The above one was taken as we were leaving the parking lot.

 We ventured down a country road. Do you see a pot of gold out there in the field?

 A little closer view.

 The mountains that watch over our valley on the east side.....

somewhere in this glorious shot are the mountains to the west. This is God stuff.... I hope you enjoy!

Maple Apple Spinach Salad

This is a spectacular salad for dinner or potlucks.

I've taken it many times, and each time I get multiple requests for the recipe. It has all the flavors of Autumn, crisp juicy apples, sweet maple syrup, pecans or walnuts and savory bacon.

Not to take full credit for this, I found a version of this recipe on a tag on a bottle of Maple syrup. I changed the amount of syrup from 1 cup to 1/3, which is much more to everyone's liking. The dressing has just enough sweet, sour, salty to make the salad a real winner.

Maple Glazed Apple Salad        Serves 6

1/3 c. pure maple syrup
4 small apples cored and chunked
8 c. washed spinach or mix with some romaine
3 T. Cider vinegar
1 T. Dijon or hot and sweet mustard
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T bacon grease
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. cubed sharp cheddar cheese
½ c. chopped pecans or walnuts
½ t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Broil or fry bacon until crisp. Whisk vinegar, remaining syrup, mustard, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Combine greens, nuts and cheese in large bowl. Add apple slices and then pour over salad . Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Acorns and Maple Leaves

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for the cooler weather! I've had Fall colors and clothing on my mind, anticipating pulling out my favorite Autumn tops and sweaters. I've been stealing time between work and church duties to create some Autumn themed folk art and jewelry. I've created a  pair of lovely earrings and a one of a kind necklace, all designed to dress up your Autumn wardrobe. You can find more pieces like these in my Simply Sheryl's etsy shop