Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies

    These are the easiest cookies you will ever make and they turn out moist, soft and delicious to boot!  It only takes a few ingredients and you can have cookies in the oven in about 5 minutes.!  I do mainly from-scratch cooking but with having MS and having an autistic son, I do not have the time or energy to cook from scratch all the time.   This is the perfect recipe for times like that. 

 

      Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree

1 box spice cake mix or yellow cake mix (15 oz.-18 oz.)

2 c. mini semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

1 lg. egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

 

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  

 

 

 

    In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, the egg, vanilla, cinnamon and cake mix.  Do not use the mixer to mix the ingredients.  Just use a large spoon to gently mix the dough.  Be sure not to over-mix them.  Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans if using them.  The dough will be sticky and that is okay.

 

    Drop by spoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 9-10 minutes.  The cookies are done with they look done and the tops should spring back slightly when touched.  The tops should not look glossy. 

 

 

    Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.  Best to eat them the same day they are cooked.  Makes 36-40 cookies, depending on the size.  Each cookie has 18 carbs.  

 

 

    Here are a few more pumpkin recipes I think you will love: Pumpkin Sheet Cake, Pumpkin Supreme Pie, and my No Bake Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie.  

 

 

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Homemade Dog Treats--Recipe #2

    I recently did a blog post over making homemade dog treats.  Today I am sharing another recipe for dog treats that is different than the first one.  Our dog Chrissy prefers the first recipe but Cheddar and Esther prefer this recipe.  Try them both out and let me know which recipe your dog(s) prefer.  

 

Esther, our cock-a-poo.

Chrissy, our Great Pyrenees.

 

Homemade Dog Treats--Recipe #2     

 1 1/2 c. quick oats

1 c. apple sauce

1 c. wheat flour

1/2 c. peanut butter (no Xylitol or  sugar substitutes)

2 lg. eggs

1 can carrots, drained and mashed up

1 can chicken (10 oz. can), drained

1 T. coconut oil

 

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  Set aside.

    In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients.  Stir well.  The dough should be a bit sticky and stiff.  Lightly flour your countertop and roll the dough out to 1/4"-1/2" thickness and cut out dough with cookie cutters. Place on tray.

     Bake for 15 minutes or until desired crunchiness is achieved.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Store in an airtight container for up to a month in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. 

Our guard dog Cheddar.

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Homemade Dog Treats--Recipe #1

    Our dogs love getting a treat each day.  Every day at the same time each day, we give our dogs one treat and they certainly look forward to it too. 

Bub's dog "Chrissy" who is a Great Pyrenees.

"Esther" is Ronny's dog and is a cock-a-poo.

"Cheddar" is my "puppy" and our family guard dog. 

    When we say "treat time", they come running over and then sit down so prettily in front of the boys and gently take a treat from their hands.  They love them!  Not only do they enjoy the treats we bake for them, the treats are also good for them.  Their coats look so shiny and nice and the treats are easy to make too!

    Be sure to check your peanut butter label before making these for your pups.  Dogs love peanut butter but not all peanut butter is safe for them to eat.  In fact, some peanut butter can be deadly for dogs.  When checking the label be sure that it does NOT contain any Xylitol in it.  Xylitol can kill your dog.

Homemade Dog Treat Recipe #1

2 c. whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 c. pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/3 c. peanut butter (no Xylitol or sugar substitutes)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside

    In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients.  Stir well.  The dough should be a bit sticky and stiff.  Lightly flour your countertop and roll the dough out to 1/4"-1/2" thickness and cut out dough with cookie cutters. Place on tray.

 

    Bake for about 15 minutes or until the desired level of crunchiness is achieved.  

    

    Remove treats from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container for up to a month in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

****NOTE****  

    Nutmeg can also be toxic to some animals so be sure to just add the cinnamon and no other spices.  

    Be sure to check out some of my pumpkin recipes for humans. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, Traditional Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Supreme Pie, and my No Bake Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie.

 

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How to Make Your Own Celery Powder at Home

    I have owned my dehydrator for many years and one of the things I really like to dehydrate and make is different vegetables and herbs and turning them into my own homemade seasonings and spice mixes.  Today, I am dehydrating celery to make my own celery powder.

 

         My husband hates celery but doesn't mind, or just doesn't notice, when I add it to soups, stews, chili, or even when I sprinkle it over meat.  I also use it in my potato salad and in my salad dressings.  I love celery powder because it is a great way to add flavor to dishes without it being over powering.  Also, I prefer to make my own celery powder because when I make it, I use only celery and in the store-bought variety, there are a lot of ingredients that I prefer not to put into my family. 

         Celery and celery powder are rich in Vitamin K and Vitamin C.  They also contain calcium and have a reasonable amount of fiber.

         All you need to make celery powder is your dehydrator, some celery, and something to grind the dehydrated celery into a powder.  I just use my coffee grinder or my mortar and pestle. You can also use a spice grinder, your blender, or even a food processor.

         Take a bunch of celery and wash it.

 

     Cut up the celery.

 

    Lay out the cut up celery onto your dehydrator trays and turn on the dehydrator.  I recommend a setting of 125-135 degrees.  I put mine on at night before I go to bed so it is done in the morning.  It will take 8-10 hours to completely dry.  Once your celery is dehydrate, place the dried celery into your grinder and grind it into a powder. Store the powder in a small canning jar.  I have found that one bunch of celery makes approximately 2 oz. of celery powder.  If you want to turn the celery powder into celery salt, just take 1 tablespoon of the celery powder and mix it up with 1/4 cup of sea salt. 

 

    

    I also make my own tomato powder, mushroom powder, garlic powder and spinach powder.  Be sure to check each of them out and let me know what kinds of powders you like to make.

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Doing Laundry All Year Long Without a Conventional Washer or Dryer

    Whenever someone hears we have not owned a "conventional" washer or dryer for the past 10+ years they always are in awe and have so many questions for us.  I have done posts in the past that answered a few of their questions but decided to answer them all in one complete post.  

 

    Doing laundry without a "real" washer or dryer is not that hard or time consuming. Not only that, but you save a lot of money on water and electricity by doing without them too. Some are amazed that we line dry all year long, even in the winter time but it can be done. 

 

    First things first is to make some homemade laundry detergent.  I know a lot of people make their own homemade laundry detergent but mine is slightly different than others.  Instead of Fels-Naptha soap we prefer to use Ivory soap.  Ivory does not cause skin allergies or reactions as much (or at least in our experience) and Ivory is easier to find in stores and is generally less expensive. To read the directions to make our homemade laundry detergent, click here:  link to our homemade laundry detergent.

    I also make homemade fabric softener.  It takes only 2 ingredients plus water to make it and our clothes come out soft and smell fantastic.  With line drying, towels and other items can come out a bit "crunchy" but by using my homemade fabric softener, even the towels come out soft.  To find the recipe for the fabric softener, click here:  link to my homemade fabric softener.  

     Instead of a washer, we use a washtub and washboard, the old-fashioned way.  We heat up water in the house and add it the the washtub and scrub our clothes on the washboard.  Clothes that seem to delicate for this, we use a plunger in a bucket to get them clean.  Our clothes come out clean and our whites are not dingy. 

 

    We dry our clothes on a clothesline all year long.  Whether it is sunny, windy, or below freezing, we still line dry our clothes.  If we have to wash clothes and it is raining out, we wash the clothes in the sink with the washboard and lay out the clothes on an indoor clothes rack but that rarely happens.  Drying in the winter time when temperatures are below freezing is called "freeze drying" and was done long before there was electricity and absolutely no reason it cannot be done today.  If you would like to read more about it, click here:  Line drying clothes in the winter.  

    Hope you found this interesting and informative.  Do you do laundry this way too or perhaps a bit differently?  Regardless, I'd love to hear how you do laundry.  

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15 Vintage Recipes--Ones Your Grandma Used to Make

    Today I am sharing a list of old-fashioned, vintage recipes...the ones your grandmother used to make.  They all are tried and true and are just as good today as they were 50 years ago.  I make all of these for my family and they love them.  Try them out and bring back some fond memories for your family too! 

Vintage Breakfast Recipes:

 1.  Homemade Bread Pudding.  It is simple and delicious but many of today's younger generation have never even heard of it. 

 

 

 2.  Chocolate Gravy.  If you are from the South, more than likely, you know EXACTLY what chocolate gravy is and have found memories of your mama or your grandma making this for you as a child.  If you're not from the South, you may be wondering what it is.  Well, it's exactly what it sounds like...chocolate in gravy form.

 

3.  Breakfast Rice.  Breakfast rice is a delicious, comforting and filling breakfast. It's great on days you don't have a lot of time.   We have it once or twice a week and it is always good.  It's easy to make and we often make it when we go camping too.  It is also a way to use leftover rice.

 

 

Vintage Main Dish Meals:

1.  Chili Mac.  Chili mac is a mash up of two great foods...chili and macaroni and cheese.  Yum.  It is the ultimate casserole in my opinion.  It has so much flavor because it pairs two comfort foods together.  Your whole family will go crazy for it.

 

 

 2.  Homemade Moist Meatloaf. 

 

3.  Chicken ala King. One of those dishes that I think counts as a comfort food.  A food that makes you feel warm & cozy and makes you think of the good ole days!

 

 

4.  Goulash. I don't know about your family, but my family LOVES goulash.  It's one of those "feel good" kinda meals.  It ain't fancy but it sure is delicious and filling.

 

  

5.  Homemade Chicken and Dumplings. My family loves Chicken & Dumplings.  If they had their way, they would eat this 3-4 times a week and never tire of it.  I know everyone makes theirs differently but this is the way I have been cooking mine for years and people always swear this is the best they've ever tasted. Hope you'll try it out for your family and they love it too.

 

6.  Salmon Patties. Salmon patties were a meal my Mom made about once a week when I was growing up.  If it's been a long time since you have had some, why don't you follow my recipe and make up a mess!

 

 

7.  Loaded Boiled Cabbage.   This Loaded Boiled Cabbage recipe is a meal into itself.  I sure hope your family enjoys it as much as my family does!

 

 

8.  Old Fashioned Cream Tuna on Toast. So good. A family favorite.

 

 

9.  Tuna Noodle Casserole.  An easy-to-make, inexpensive and yummy meal. 

 

Vintage Desserts & Misc.:

1.  Glazed Cinnamon Apple Fritters.  These apple fritters fry up perfectly.  Warm, sweet and just the right amount of cinnamon!  The batter turns out perfectly so you can make nice and fluffy fritters similar to a dumpling or you can also make them nice and flat...your choice. 

 

2.  Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich.  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is probably the most well-known, most loved and the easiest sandwich to make.  What could be better than that?  I'll tell you what...a FRIED peanut butter and jelly sandwich!  Oh, my gosh. I did not know what I had been missing all these years.  

 

 

3.  Southern Fried Hand Pies.  Fried pies are so darned delicious.  They are easy to make and turn out perfectly every time if you follow my recipe.  Some people call these kinds of pies hand pies or fried pies...we just call them Southern Fried Hand Pies.  No matter what you call them, they are wonderful.  You can use homemade pie filling like we did or just open up a can of store bought.  They are truly delicious!

 

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