Pumpkin Pie Squares & a Sweet Swap

I made these little pumpkin pie squares for a sweet swap that I hosted last night. They were heavenly. If you love pumpkin pie, you will love these! The coconut, graham cracker crumbs, & pecans just add so much to these bars. With a crunchy crust, a soft pumpkin center, and a chewy topping...what could be better!!! I love pumpkin and coconut. My husband doesn't care for either, so this was a perfect opportunity for me to make something that I love, and be able to swap mine for something that he would enjoy. We had some great treats. Some of the yummy sweets were Oh Henry Bars, Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, Layered Cookies, & Fudge Jumbles. It was a lot of fun. If any of you are up for a sweet swap, this is the perfect time to do it with the holidays right around the corner. If you do a cookie swap, it is easy to freeze your cookies and pull them out when you have unexpected company. Just make sure that you freeze them in freezer ziplocs.

My mother-in-law introduced me to this recipe. It was on the Eagle Brand web site. They have got some great festive treats that will be perfect for the holidays. Check it out at www.eaglebrand.com .

Pumpkin Pie Squares
Eagle Brand

1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 can pumpkin (2 cups)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, or 350 degrees for glass dish. In medium bowl combine butter, coconut, graham cracker crumbs & nuts. Mix well. Reserving 1/3 of the crumb mixture press remainder on bottom of ungreased 13x9 pan. In large bowl, combine remaining except reserved mixture; mix well. Pour over prepared crust. Top with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or til knife inserted comes out clean. Cool. Serve warm or chilled. Store leftovers in the fridge.

***I made extra topping, because it was delicious. I also used 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of 1/2 tsp each of ginger and nutmeg. (I didn't have the ginger). My improvising worked out well. Enjoy!!!

More Fall Comfort Foods

Well, I hope that everyone had a fun halloween. I can't believe that it's already November! I really do enjoy this time of year. Last week the weather was amazing! We were at a park enjoying the sunshine almost everyday. This week it's going to be cold and rainy. I don't do very well when I have to be indoors all day. Anyway, we had a great halloween and my boys got enough candy to last us until next halloween. They had a great time trick-or-treating around the neigborhood. They also got to stay up late for a halloween party we had with our neighbors. It was a very busy day for all of us. I'm so glad that it's daylight savings and that we gain an extra hour. If my kids are up really early tomorrow, I'll probably change my mind.

Well, here are 3 recipes that I tried this week. They were all delicious and easy. The first, pictured above, is a white chicken chili that I got from www.thecookingdivaideas.blogspot.com/. It was thick and good.

White Chicken Chili
1 lb. chicken, cubed
1/2 tsp. pepper1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt1 TBSP. oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 cans great northern white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. cumin1 can chicken broth
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. whipping cream (or evaporated milk)
1 can chopped green chilies

Saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is done. Combine beans, broth, chilies and seasonings in large pot. Add chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cream (or evaporated milk). This is very yummy and works great with breadsticks as a side.


This french bread was absolutely amazing! I don't think I will ever buy french bread from the store again. This recipe I got from Laura at Real Mom Kitchen(http://realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/. She made it to go with my Lasagna Rolls. It was a perfect combination! It was very easy to make and it turned out to be very light, not heavy like most homemade breads. Thanks, Laura for a great recipe, I love it!

French Bread
2 ¼ cup warm water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp soft shortening or vegetable oil
6 cups flour

In large mixer (I just do it in my kitchen aid with the dough hook), combine water and sugar then sprinkle with yeast. Allow to soften. Add salt, oil, and half flour; mix well. Add remaining flour. Leave mixer in dough. Allow to rest 10 min. Stir dough down and allow to rest 10 min. Repeat until dough has been stirred dough 5 times. Turn dough on floured surface. Knead 2 or 3 times. Divide dough in 2. Roll each dough into 9x13 inch rectangle. Roll from long side and pinch edges. Place on baking sheet with pam or cornmeal. Cover and allow to rise 30 min. With sharp knives cut 3 gashes at angle on top of dough. Bake 400 degrees for 30 min, check at 20 minutes (It only takes 20 minutes in my oven).



I had to put a dessert at the end of this post! This was the easiest cheesecake I've every made!(I think its the first cheesecake I've ever made). My husband said it was better than the pumpkin cheesecake we'd had a couple weeks ago at The Olive Garden. Anyway, it was good and super simple. This recipe also came from http://www.thecookingdivaideas.blogspot.com/.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 graham cracker crust

1 12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 c. pure pumpkin

2 eggs

Mix the cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin pie spice on medium speed. Stir in pumpkin. Add eggs and mix until well blended. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.