Easy Game Day Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter Cookies

Football season has begun and with that comes our beloved tailgating & fall traditions! During football season you'll find my husband doing one of three things:

                                                           1) Brewing Beer
                                                           2) Watching multiple games on TV
                                                           3) Tailgating with friends

He lives for this time of year. The delicious smell of wort during the mash process, a brat in one hand and cold beer in the other....ahhh, this is living, this is Game Day, y'all.

I'm very similar to my Groom. I love sipping hot apple cider and baking during this time of year. Baking pumpkin bread, cookies and well breads of all kind! We are a family of comfort of food and drink during Football season. And we've got our game faces on as we prepare our next brews and bakes for the upcoming weekend!

I pretty much always having homemade cookies in our cookie jar and it's almost always double chocolate chip cookies {my kids favorite}. Today I got a little ahead of myself and decided to bake something with a little more protein to see us through this busy weekend, but also filled with fall flavors. In one day we have flag football and cheer for our littles, ACT test for our college bound high school senior, watching the Hogs beat TCU, a sleepover for our daughter and my parents annual chili supper at the lake with family and friends. Brewing beer and baking pumpkin bread will just have to wait till next weekend. But weekends like this are what fall is all about, wrapped into a warm blanket, and we are ready to cozy up!

{This recipe makes 2 dozen cookies}

Today's fall bake is so easy, and if you've never tried making peanut butter cookies this way you have no idea what you are missing. I know some people say they can't bake, but you can't mess this recipe up unless you go out of your way to burn them. These cookies are great for busy weekends, game days, tailgating, or any time you just want to have a cookie jar full of fall flavors. If fall flavors are not for you, you have a problem....try using regular or crunchy peanut butter instead.

-Preheat oven to 325-

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin spice peanut butter 

{by Peanut Butter & Co.}

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

Directions

Cream all 3 ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Mix well so that the egg is blended.

Put mix into the refrigerator uncovered for 30 minutes 

Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper

Scoop out cookie dough and roll into a ball

Flatten with a wooden spoon or 

make a criss-cross pattern with a fork

Put in the oven and set timer for 18-20 minutes

{mine only need 18 minutes max}

Let cool on a wire rack until ready to consume 

with a big ol' glass of milk.

Or save a few for breakfast and have with coffee-

it's life changing y'all-trust me

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Cake

Ingredients

1-10 inch metal Bunt pan

Non-stick spray

1 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe yellow cake mix

1 (3.4oz) box Jello-O instant vanilla pudding

3/4 cup coconut oil for cooking and baking

3/4 cup water

4 eggs

1 tsp butter extract

1 tsp pure vanilla

Filling

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup walnut, chopped

7 tsp cinnamon

Almond Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 to 2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350

Spray Bunt pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside

In large bowl mix together the cake mix and the vanilla pudding

Add the oil, water, eggs, butter extract and vanilla. Stir by hand until ingredients are blended. Pour half of the batter into the pan.

Make the filling. Mix together the sugar, walnuts and cinnamon. On top of batter, add the filling mixture and swirl into the cake batter.

Bake 1 hour. Cake is done when it springs back with a light touch from the top. Remove and let it sit 5 minutes.

Loosen the cake by gently running a knife around the side of the pan. Gently invert onto a cake plate and let it cool until slightly warm. Make glaze by mixing together the powder sugar, milk and almond extract.
Pour glaze over top and sides of cake. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

{This recipe comes from my go-to cookbook, "Rosalie Serving Country"}

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

My guilty pleasure is buying magazines at the grocery store. It can be anything from Southern Living, At Home Arkansas, Women's World, People...you name it, I've probably thumbed through it and took it home because I just had to have it! This new magazine from Taste of Home is great for fall cooking and busy schedules "Casseroles, Slow Cooker & Soups".  I'm so glad I picked up this little gem  because I'm already loving all the food & drink recipes that I see. And I don't know about y'all, but I am so ready and excited for fall!! I am itching at decorating our home with pumpkins and leaves and lighting candles and sipping cider....I'm ready, are you?! 

Today's recipe comes from page 100 of the slow cooker section. By the way, the magazine is on news stands until October 10th.  But I must tell you, as we all do, I changed it just a tad bit. My son, Matt, loves pulled pork but with more of sweet sauce. So I added a 1/2 cup brown sugar to the sauce. Feel free to add what you want too, make it your own! If you like it spicy, chop up some jalapenos and add to it! Add whatever your taste buds desire!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 boneless pork loin (4lbs)

1 can (14 1/2oz) beef broth

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce, divided

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce, divided

1 cup ketchup

1 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup prepared mustard

10 kaiser rolls, split

Cut roast in half and place in a 5 quart slow cooker.

In a small bowl combine broth, 1/3 Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup hot sauce.

Pour over roast

Cook,covered, on low for 8-10 hours, or until tender

Remove roast, discard cooking juices.

Shred pork with 2 forks.

Return pork to slow cooker

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, mustard and remaining Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Pour over pork and mix well. 

Cook, covered, on high 30 minutes or until heated through. 

Serve on split rolls with slaw, pickles and sweet tea!!

Enjoy!

Baked Ziti & The Bread

Baked Ziti, it's a Smith family favorite. Especially for my son, Matt, who runs cross country and track. He's a carb loading man and Mama's baked ziti is the perfect meal for him.  If you like to eat cheese, pasta and meaty sauce you'll fall head over heels for this baked ziti! Oh did I mention the bread?! Oh can you hear the hallelujah choir singing? The bread is crack y'all. I mean, you'll be addicted once you eat it. Great for any Italian dinner or to slop up your next soup!
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Baked Ziti

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

12oz uncooked ziti
1lb ground turkey meat
1lb ground Italian mild sausage
1-28oz jar spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
1 carton Ricotta Cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Boil pasta, cook and drain ground turkey and Italian sausage, and stir in spaghetti sauce.
In a large bowl combine eggs, ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Drain pasta and add to cheese mixture and toss to coat. Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover and bake for 40 minutes
Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake 5-10 minutes longer
Let stand 15 minutes

Enjoy!

The Bread
(from the Pioneer Woman)

Preheat oven to 325

Ingredients
1 loaf French or Italian bread, any variety
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened

Put an oven rack on the lower level an preheat the oven.
Slice the bread you want in half and lay the halves cut side up on a rimmed  baking sheet.
Smear 1 stick of butter on each half. {I'm not kidding.}
Then use a knife to smear it over the entire surface of the bread, covering every inch.
Bake for 5-10 minutes, until the butter melts and the bread has to chance to warm up.
Then turn up the broiler, return the pan to the oven, and let it broil until the butter turns a beautiful deep golden brown and almost starts to blacken.

{Be sure to watch the bread the entire time during this process. Because if you are anything like me, if you turn your back for a moment, it'll burn!}

Immediately cut The Bread into strips.

**serve with soups, salads, pastas**

Enjoy!