Cranberry Upside Down Cake

We're having Thanksgiving dinner at mom's tomorrow. For dessert I wanted to do something different & festive. I love pineapple upside down cake & thought a cranberry upside down cake sounded like a pretty good idea. I did take a shortcut with a boxed cake mix, but sometimes that's OK. I popped this in the oven just a little bit ago after putting Landon to sleep. Oh my goodness, that baby boy is such a blessing. I am so unbelievably in love with him and so, so thankful.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake
10 tablespoons butter
1 package fresh cranberries (12 ounces)
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 box yellow cake mix

Pan - 9x13, buttered or sprayed with non-stick spray.

Preheat oven to 350.

Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking for a few more minutes until the sugar starts to caramelize. Then remove from heat, and pour into your prepared cake pan. Sprinkle evenly with the fresh cranberries.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into cake pan over cranberries. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, or until the top of the cake has browned and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and cool for about 15 minutes.

Blessed & Thankful,

Thanksgiving

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. Time is flying by & I'm busier than ever. We have so much to be thankful for this year; we've been blessed with the most amazing little boy. Landon is growing fast & will soon be 3 months old. I'm loving every moment of being a mommy - it's the most amazing feeling. I haven't been spending much time in the kitchen, but I'm going to be making a few things for Thanksgiving. In the meantime, take a look at my recipes for a foolproof turkey and delicious stuffing. I'll be back tomorrow with a great recipe for cranberry upside down cake.

Be thankful,

Pumpkin Pancakes

My sister and I both love the pumpkin pancakes that show up on IHOP's menu in the fall. She spent the night with us last night and I wanted to do something special for breakfast this morning. I found the perfect recipe for pumpkin pancakes over at  For the Love of Cooking . The pancakes  are light, fluffy and taste wonderful topped with a bit of whipped cream. I did add 1/3 cup of sugar and about a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to add a little more flavor.

And it makes sense to eat breakfast at home instead of going out.  After tax and tip, we would have spent close to $30 for breakfast for three. Instead we had a great breakfast at home, avoided going out in the cold and saved a lot of money. Perfect!

Cranberry Coconut Squares

One of my favorite things about fall is cooking with cranberries and pumpkin. That's why I was excited when I came across this recipe for Cranberry Coconut Squares. Basically a lemon bar with a cranberry and coconut topping, they are the perfect combination of tart and sweet. My mom and I enjoyed them for breakfast.  If they are a little too tart for you, a dusting of powdered sugar adds a little more sweetness.

Haunted House Birthday Cake

My favorite girl turned 10 years old yesterday. Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday that Mike and I were celebrating our one year anniversary and had to hurry to the hospital to wait for our niece to be born. I know, what an amazing anniversary gift. Ally is the most special girl I know and I'm fortunate that we have such a close relationship. She's got the biggest heart you could imagine - I tell Amy all the time that she's an "old soul". I'm not exactly sure what I mean when I say that, but it just fits. And in her, I have my own mini-me. She's just like me in so many ways - her love of all things spooky, the gleam of mischief in her eyes...I could go on and on.

But I won't. I'm too anxious to show off her birthday cake. She wanted a haunted house theme and I think I pulled it off pretty well here. The look on her face when she saw it actually brought tears to my eyes.

For the cake I used an 11x15 pan with two boxes of cake mix. After covering the entire cake with a milk chocolate frosting, I got to work on the decorating. Here's how I did it...

Grass - coconut with green food coloring
Walkway - candy corn path filled with Halloween sprinkles
Graveyard - PF Milano cookies with a pretzel fence
Pumpkin Patch - candy corn pumpkins
Ghosts - Peep Ghosts
Jack-O-Lanterns - Candy from the baking aisle
Haunted House - a perfect find from the greeting card aisle

For the pumpkin patch in front of the cake, I spread a bit of leftover frosting to make the "grass" stick and added a few pumpkins. For the pumpkins lying down, I cut the candies in half.

Mike and I had so much fun doing the decorating after Landon went to sleep last night and the cake was a huge hit today. Give this idea a try for Halloween, adding your own special touches. You'll be surprised at how well it turns out.

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Now that I'm a mom (I'll never get tired of saying that!), one of my fears is that Landon will grow up to be a picky eater. I hope that's not the case & plan on introducing him to all sorts of interesting dishes. Of course, when it comes to vegetables, I already have one picky eater. The only green vegetable Mike likes is green beans. Forget spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc. But I do try to sneak these in on him when I can...remember the time I added spinach to my chicken parmesan? Anyway, I was watching TV the other day & saw the Sneaky Chef (Country Crock) adding cauliflower to macaroni & cheese. At once I knew that would be the way to get Mike eating this vegetable that I love. I went searching for a recipe and came across this one by Rachael Ray. And he really liked it - enough to eat two helpings. Try this out & let me know what you think.

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Salt
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 pound whole wheat pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the cauliflower and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the florets with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. In the same boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente then drain in a colander. Add the pasta to the cauliflower.

While the pasta is working, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Have Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and chicken broth and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese. Whisk in the mustard and season with pepper. Stir the cheese sauce into the pasta and cauliflower. Yum-o!

One Pot Sausage & Peppers

With a new baby in the house, I am really appreciating the ease of one pot and slow cooker meals. I don't want to spend hours in the kitchen, but I still want a hearty meal. This sausage & peppers recipe couldn't be simpler. It's a stove-top version of a slow cooker recipe I found at the McCormick website. I served mine mixed with cheese tortellini, but any type of pasta would work well. Or you could put the pot on the table with a basket of rolls to enjoy hoagie-style.

Sausage & Peppers
1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbs. EVOO
2 bags frozen pepper & onion medley, thawed*
1 can tomato puree
6 oz. tomato paste
3/4 cup water
One half package McCormick Slow Cooker Italian Herb Chicken Seasoning
Red pepper flakes

Heat EVOO in dutch oven. Add sausage, cooking until browned. Remove from pot & drain on paper towels. Drain grease from pot. Add sausage & pepper/onions back to pot, along with tomato puree, tomato paste, water & seasoning mix. Add red pepper flakes if desired. Stir well & cook over med. heat for about 15 minutes.

*I like to use fresh peppers, but they are ridiculously expensive here right now. I thawed my frozen peppers & onions in a colander lined with paper towels to absorb the moisture.