Whoopie Pumpkin Pies

Who is ready for some Whoopies! LOL! 

I actually started this post last Fall and never got around to complete it....so now that Fall is almost here, it works out great! 

I decided to look for a pumpkin dessert recipe and I came across Whoopie Pumpkin Pies, YUM!!


I saw this recipe on Pinterest, that originated from the Food Network website by the Neelys.  I said to myself, "I have to try these!"  I know you want to know what to get and how to make them.....here you go!

For the cookies:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of kosher salt

For the filling:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of kosher salt

Directions

Make the cookies: Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper (or use 2 baking sheets and bake the cookies in batches). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the buttermilk and vanilla. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Drop 8 scoops of batter, about 2 tablespoons each, onto each prepared baking sheet, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake until the edges are set but the cookies are still soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks and let cool completely.
Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a small bowl with a mixer until smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon and salt and beat until smooth.
To assemble the whoopie pies, spread a heaping tablespoonful of filling on the flat side of a cookie and sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

This is what my version looks like.....

Enjoy! 

 

Arroz con Leche "Mexican Rice Pudding"

Hi everyone! 

It has been a while since my last post, huh?! Well I want to take a minute to share this recipe, Arroz con Leche, Yummmm......

Last night for some reason I decided to wake up like an hour and a half earlier than usual, so as I was laying there, Arroz con Leche came to mind, sooooo.....I came across a fast and easy recipe on the Food Network website by Marcela Valladolid.  

I have never made Arroz con Leche before, but I have tried it, my moms at least.  It sure was delicious!  

  This is all you need...

• 7 cups water
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk
• 1 cup whole milk*
• 3/4 cup golden raisins*
• Ground cinnamon, for dusting

*Instead of me using milk that the recipe called for I decided to use Lowfat Buttermilk and as far as the raisins go, will since I didn't have any, I couldn't use, but it still worked out, that's just optional. :)  Check out how simple this recipe is and pretty fast.....

Directions

Put the water, rice, and cinnamon stick in a medium-size heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and cook until the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Strain out the liquid, discard the cinnamon and reserve the rice. Return the rice to the saucepan. Stir in the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick, about 20 minutes. Add the raisins, and stir well. Transfer the pudding to a serving bowl. Dust the top of the pudding with ground cinnamon and serve. 

See, i told you it was easy and fast.  You can really taste the buttermilk, Mmmmm....check out my version!

 

Even though I made some minor changes to the recipe, it was still Good Enuf To Eat!

Up next will be some amazing Whoopie Pumpkin Pies, so you may want to keep a lookout.

Weekend Cookout

Hello!

How was everybody's weekend?  Saturday was the best day for me and my family! We had a cookout this past Saturday and I just have to share these 2 recipes, they are to DIE for!!

My hubby decided to make his fabulous, mouthwatering, Juicy Lucy's, very juicy indeed!  And for dessert me and my friend Vanessa decided to make Banana Pudding cupcakes, very yummy by the way!

Up first, my hubby's Juicy Lucy's, I helped out a little, but he makes them the best LOL! 

These are the ingredients he uses:

• 5 lbs of ground beef
• 1 lb of Italian sausage
• 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 lb of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, cut into blocks 1/2 inch thick
• Condiments of your choice

All this is enough to feed about 6 adults and 8 kids and still have some left over for the next day. :) 

Now for the FUN part, just an FYI....your hands will get dirty, haha!  Mix together the beef, sausage, onions, and a couple of pinches of salt and pepper.  Go ahead and roll them up into 2 inch meatballs.  Next you will flatten them about 1/2 inch thick patties.  Set aside.  Cut up the cheese into blocks about 1/2 inch thick.

Get about 3 blocks of cheese and place them on top of a patty and place another patty on top of the cheese and ta da! Repeat same steps until all done.  

Time to grill......I'm sure y'all know how to do this, grill to your liking.  When finished all that is left is to prepare these mouthwatering Juicy Lucys with your preference of condiments.

Don't these look YUMMY!

Up next, the Banana Pudding Cupcakes!

These cupcakes were very easy and simple to make! My friend Vanessa was a big help....these cupcakes were full of Banana Pudding flavor, hints the name, lol!  They came out soooo moist, not too sweet, which I like, and get this...instead of the eggs the cake mix asks for we used 2 ripe bananas, a great substitute! 

All you need to make these bad boys: 

• 1 box of yellow cake mix (prepare as directed, except NO eggs)
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder

For the Pudding you will need:

• 2 cups of cold milk (used 2%)
• 1 small box of Banana Cream instant pudding

And for the Banana Pudding toppings:

• 1 cup of cold milk (used 2%)
• 1 small box of Banana Cream instant pudding
• 1 8 oz tub of Cool whip (used regular)
• Vanilla wafer cookies for garnish

I stumbled upon this recipe on http://www.shakentogetherlife.com/2012/07/banana-pudding-cupcakes-and-cupcake.html?m=1 .  Wanna learn how to make these awesome cupcakes? I highly suggest to head on over for directions on how to make them! I know I did!

Check out my Banana Pudding Cupcake....

I wanna Thank my husband for the AMAZING Juicy Lucy's and my friend Vanessa for helping out to make some YUMMY Cupcakes!



Enjoy and stay tuned for more Good Enuf To Eat recipes!

Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons

Hi!

Guess what?! I was sooo EXCITED when the mail arrived this past Saturday.....anyone want to guess why?!!  Y'all Give Up....OK, OK, I'll tell you why.  The new October Food Network issue had arrived, YAY!  It's so funny how excited I get over a magazine, well, it's not just any magazine, it's the FOOD NETWORK magazine! Hahaha!  Check it out--->

As soon as I got my hands on it, the Tomato Soup on the cover got my attention! Love when that happens, and i still have tons of pages/recipes to look through, yum!

Well...I decided to make the Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons last night for dinner, it came out very yummy.  My family was very pleased with it. 

What's that you say....you want the recipe, I'll be glad to share it with you. Its easy and it can be pretty fast to make, it took me a little longer because I kept on having to look at the book and of course I didn't have everything out, so in and out of my pantry and fridge I went.  LOL! A little tip, make sure you prep everything before you get started, that will make things a lot smoother and quicker.  I'll definitely be doing that for my next first attempt recipe.

Now the moment y'all have been waiting for, drum roll please, haha!  Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you the...

Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons

by Ina Garten "The Barefoot Contessa"

 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano*
• Large pinch of saffron threads**
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream***
• Grilled Cheese Croutons (see below)

Total Time: 50 min

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 40 min

Yield: 4 to 6 serving

 

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.

Grilled Cheese Croutons

• 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices country white bread
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated***

Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up.
Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute and cut into 1-inch cubes.

*Whole peeled tomatoes and crushed them myself.
**Did not add.
***Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated.


Just an FYI, don't over boil, like I did. It lost it's color and a lot of the juice, but it was still very delicious! Definitely will try this again without over boiling it. Haha!  Also, it's OK if you don't have a panini grill, I don't, so I just improvised and used a regular round griddle, it worked out just great.

This is my soup version......

~My kid's Serving Size: about 1 cup~

What my daughter, Lisset had to say about my soup "I don't like it, I LOVE IT!" 

My side piece (my hubby) said it needed more juice but other than that it was very good!"

Can't wait to try this recipe again! I should master it next time and hopefully make it look like the picture on the magazine, we shall see, but it's still Good Enuf To Eat!

Enjoy!

*Stay tuned, more yummy recipes to come*

~PB&J French Toast Sticks w/ Butter Flavor Syrup~

Hi Everyone!

This morning I woke up craving PB&J with French Toast. Hmmm...weird right?! Not so much! Haha! I looked at the clock and saw that it was 9:30 am, "Yikes!", knowing that we have a busy day ahead of us, I needed something pretty simple & quick.  Since it was my first time, I decided to google for a recipe that combines both of them and that my kids would like and I came across a simple one by Rachael Ray.  It sure was pretty simple and I had everything that the recipe called for right in my pantry! Yay me!

So if you are ever in the same situation and are looking for something simple and quick, I highly recommend this recipe!

This is all you need...

Ingredients
1/2 cup peanut butter**
8 slices sandwich bread
1/2 cup jelly (any flavor)**
5 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup maple syrup, warmed**

Directions
Spread the peanut butter on 4 bread slices and the jelly on the other 4 slices, and combine to make 4 sammies.
In a wide, medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When the butter is almost melted, dunk two of the sammies into the french toast batter and let the excess drip off. Place in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes for each side. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 sammies. Let cool slightly and cut into sticks; serve with the warm maple syrup.

Pretty simple, right?!

Enjoy!

**I used the Goober PB&J Grape flavor, since that's what we get, it's a lot easier and my girls love it. Instead of the Maple Syrup the recipe calls for, I used Kroger Brand Butter Flavor Syrup.**

The Story of Us...So Far...Photo Book

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A little something about my Family! 

Who is Hilda?

Hello World!

Welcome to Good Enuf To Eat!  I'm Hilda, a full-time working mother of 3 beautiful girls and been married for going on 11 years now.  I’ve always been interested in yummy food, especially the best part of the meal, the DESSERT, haha!  This coming fall I’m hoping to pursue my Culinary and Baking/Pastry education since there are lots to learn!

I’ve decided to start this blog to share my learning experience as my cooking and baking progresses.  To be clear from the beginning, a lot of these recipes are not my recipes.  I get them from various places for example, to name a few, Food Network Channel from some of my favorite chefs (Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray, Ina Garten and a few others), Books, Pinterest (love it!), or any place I see or hear that has recipes, if it interests me I will go for it.

Over time y’all will know what my tastes are and with that said, please feel free to suggest any recipes for me to consider.

Enjoy!