Warm Bleu Cheese, Bacon, and Garlic Dip

I know that most people claim to hate bleu cheese, but you will change your mind completely when you try this hot dip.
It is truly divine.  Every single time I have made this dish for a party, people freak about how great it is and immediately ask for the recipe.  Give it a try! You know you want to...

WARM BLEU CHEESE, BACON & GARLIC DIP

7 slices bacon, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. half and half

4 oz. bleu cheese crumbles

2 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped

3 Tbsp. smoked almonds, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost crisp (about 7 minutes). Drain the excess fat, then add the minced garlic and cook until the bacon is crisp (about 3 minutes). 

In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the 1/2 & 1/2, and mix until combined.  Stir in the bacon mixture, bleu cheese, and chives.  Transfer to a 1 qt. about 2 cup size) baking dish and lightly cover with foil. Bake until thoroughly heated-about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, take off the foil and sprinkle with the chopped almonds. Serve immediately.

 

 We love to have this dip with great baguette bread, sliced or with unsalted crackers.  I'm sure it is also fabulous with veggies such as carrots, celery, and broccoli.

Pumpkin Spice Surprise Cookies

I discovered this awesome recipe a year or so ago, and had forgotten about it until the irresistible craving for pumpkin spiced foods hit me.  As I was going through my HUGE pile of recipes, I found this little "surprise".
I altered it some to meet my family's preferences (ok just mine), and I think I came up with a winner. 

PUMPKIN SPICE SURPRISE COOKIES

1 c. butter, softened

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

1/4 c. milk

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

approx 48 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

1/3 c. sugar with 1 Tbsp. cinnamon, combined

Preheat oven to 350 degree's.

 

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, sugar until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
Add pumpkin to butter mixture, then alternating ingredients beat in the flour mix and milk.  Dough should be rather stiff, but moist, and hold well when you roll a piece into a ball.
Take approx 1 Tbsp dough and roll it between your hands to form a ball. Then press 1 unwrapped Hershey Kiss into the middle of the dough ball, and press the dough around it to cover the chocolate completely.
Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture and then place on parchment covered baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let stand for 4-5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

(The original recipe called for the 'Candy Corn Hershey Kisses', and I added the canned pumpkin and milk because the first time I made these cookies they were too dry.)

Pumpkin Latte-No Coffee!

Another reason I love blogland!

Ava at The Retro Housewife Remix (don't you just love the name of her blog?) has given us permission to repost her awesome recipe. This fits in perfectly with my Pumpkin Spice addiction, and provides a fabulous drink for our non-coffee drinking friends!  I have made this recipe, and we all (me, the 2 adult kids, the brother, and the husband) all loved it!
The perfect drink to warm up all the frozen Halloween Trick or Treater's!
No Coffee Pumpkin Latte

• 4 cups of milk
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients on stove top and heat until desired temp.
(do not boil).
We added homemade whipped cream to ours
(beat whipping cream and powdered sugar).
This is great for kids since it has no coffee, and if you want coffee in yours go ahead and add some!

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

I have been baking and cooking like crazy the past couple of weeks while trying to get all my pumpkin spice recipes re-tested (LOL) and posted ( I don't really need to re-test them, that's just my excuse to make and EAT all the good stuff)!
This recipe was my family's favorite of the week. I liked it too...a lot...I mean really a lot...

PUMPKIN SWIRL BROWNIES

1 box brownie mix 

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 c. canned pumpkin
(from a 15 oz. can)

1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for a 9 x 13 pan. Pour batter into a 9x13 pan  that has been lightly sprayed with non stick baking spray (do not bake yet).
Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add the pumpkin and oil and mix until well combined.
Combine all the dry ingredients together, then mix in with the pumpkin mix. Combine well. Spoon large dollops of the pumpkin mix over the brownie batter, then using a knife or spatula, swirl back and forth thru the 2 batters to mix them together slightly. Be careful not to over swirl (whatever that means-ha ha).

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely, then cut into squares.

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