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The first day of Fall just around the corner, pumpkin recipes are a popular trend among food bloggers right now. It is amazing what ingredients are paired with pumpkin. Keeping with the trend, this weeks shopping alert will include awesome pumpkin products and recipes finds as well.  A creative pumpkin appetizer that screams fall flavor, Parmesan Pasta Crackers with Pumpkin and Cauliflower, was found on Foodalogue, one of my favorite food blogs. Joan’s culinary and creative talent never ceases to amaze me!

My dear foodie friend Catherine, author of The Living Gourmet, shared her spicy Pumpkin – Tomato soup. Tomato soup recalls fond childhood memories for many. With the addition of pumpkin, I  classify this one as a childhood favorite for adults.

Another classic recipe with a pumpkin twist is this Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese. The recipe originated from cooking light and includes 2 cups of pumpkin or squash and a crumble topping. 

The breads, muffins, and sweets category proved to be swoon worthy and oh my gosh there was already an abundance of awesome recipes available. My top recipe finds include Dinner, Dishes, and Dessert who offered up a lovely Pumpkin Bread from the food network while Joelen of What’s cooking Chicago served up beautiful Glazed Pumpkin Cranberry Scones. Finally, Mommy’s Kitchen share these yummy Butterscotch Pumpkin Muffins {W/Cream Cheese Frosting}. I have to admit the Glazed Pumpkin Cranberry Scones is my favorite of the pumpkin baking recipes and one I will definitely attempt!

Pumpkin Shopping ~ Cookbooks, Crafts,  and Carvings

Don’t like pumpkins? Shop for funny t shirts! Parental Discretion Advised!!

Kathleen

Hey, there I'm Kathleen. My friends call me Kathy; to my kids I'm Momia. Life has afforded me many hats: Mom, wife, sister, friend, business owner... and most recently a midlife blogger. From college to marriage and babies, in the midst of business and wealthy boomers, midlife retrospection validates this extraordinary journey called life.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

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Born and raised by a full-blooded Italian woman, how could pasta NOT be my favorite food! Receiving an opportunity to share My Signature Pasta Dish in conjunction with SocialMoms.com and Carrabas Pasta Personality Promotion was a perfect fit!

My closest friends will tell you Baked Ziti is my Signature Pasta Dish. For me baked ziti is known as pasta for My American Friends! The history of this baked ziti dish stems from a long-lived family tradition. For many generations my family gathered on Christmas Eve to enjoy The Feast of Seven Fishes prior to attending midnight mass. Our Christmas Eve feast was originally held at Grandmas house, then passed on to my mother. Today I am the custodian of the tradition.

Moving to Florida in the early 1980s and without family for some time, I forged friendships that I consider family. Every Christmas my parents would come and stay at our house. Together my mother and I prepared Christmas Eve dinner. Friends attended our Christmas Eve celebration as well. As it went, my parents and several other family members moved south. I can remember having over fifty people for The Feast of Seven Fishes. This feast included what my friends called “hard core” Italian food. We traditionally served baked cod with lemon and capers, spaghetti with anchovy, fried smelts, baccala salad, and calamari marinara. Other fishy pasta dishes such as clams and linguine (Linguine con le Vongole) or spaghetti with mussels (Spaghetti con le Cozze) was included. Are you feeling the “hard core” concept?

Anyhow, to accommodate my dear friends, and some of the in-laws, I served up a big pan of Baked Ziti for

my American friends and announced it as such. This phrased turned out to be My Signature Pasta Dish among close friends as well as a longstanding joke. I hope you will enjoy my signature pasta dish with your family.

Baked Ziti for my American Friends Recipe

1 lb Ziti
1 lb ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 egg
3 tbsp parsley (flakes or fresh diced)
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce-
1 lb ground meat-turkey beef or pork
1/2 cup onion chopped small
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tbsp basil
1 20 oz can diced petite tomatoes
1 jar spaghetti sauce

First, prepare the sauce. While I like to make my own spaghetti sauce, when I have a big meal to prepare, I start with a jar sauce and “doctor it up” as my mom would say. Begin by browning the meat of choice in a pot big enough to hold the finished sauce. After browning the meat, drain off excess fat, if necessary. Next, add the onions and allow cooking for just a few minutes. Then add the jar sauce along with the diced tomatoes, and the fennel seed. Top off the sauce with basil. Stir well, cover, and cook on low for about an hour. Check and stir occasionally.

Now prepare the pasta. Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the ziti according to package instructions. Drain and add to a 13 x 9 baking dish or pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, garlic powder, egg, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Mix well. Add salt & pepper to taste and mix again. To this, slowly add about 1 ladle of spaghetti sauce. Mixture should be pink, not red. Add cheese mixture to Ziti and mix well. Top with a small stream of sauce and the second cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are slightly brown.

Carrabas Signature Pasta and Personality

In support of Carrabas, my favorite Italian restaurant, and Socialmoms.com I took Carrabas Pasta Personality Quiz. Evidently, Tagliarini Pasta with Picchi Pacchiu sauce is Carrabas choice for my personality.

“Carrabba’s Tag Pic Pac is a classic with a tasty twist, perfect for someone who likes to put their own twist on things! You’re vivacious with zest for life. And since you like everything in life to be full-flavored, you won’t be let down when you taste this tagliarini pasta with Picchi Pacchiu sauce.”

I had fun completing their Pasta Personality Quiz on facebook. If you are a pasta lover like me, I’m certain you will enjoy taking the pasta personality quiz too!

What’s more, Carrabas is offering these delicious Signature Pasta Meals now through July 2011.

Featured Signature Pasta Meal:
Pasto Rambo – Named for the chef who created it, it’s made with shrimp tossed with imported Italian linguine, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes sautéed in our basil lemon butter sauce. Lobster is available instead of shrimp for an additional cost.

Other Limited Time Offers:
Parmesan-crusted Chicken – Topped with fresh arugula and grape tomatoes tossed in a hand-prepared lemon vinaigrette, served with choice of side. Substitution of wood-grilled chicken also available. Pairs well with Estancia Pinot Grigio.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin – Three pork tenderloin medallions wrapped with prosciutto, wood-grilled and topped with an apple and fig infused port wine sauce, served with the vegetable of the day. Pairs well with Coppola Pinot Noir.

Limoncello Bread Pudding – Back by popular demand! Brioche bread pudding made with fresh Madagascar vanilla beans and a rich custard, served hot out of the oven. Topped with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and drizzled with Carrabba’s homemade Caravella Limoncello liqueur sauce.

Buon appetito!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Carrabba’s blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

**Hugs**

Kathy

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Kathleen

Hey, there I'm Kathleen. My friends call me Kathy; to my kids I'm Momia. Life has afforded me many hats: Mom, wife, sister, friend, business owner... and most recently a midlife blogger. From college to marriage and babies, in the midst of business and wealthy boomers, midlife retrospection validates this extraordinary journey called life.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

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The Italian Bake is a family favorite. Using the biscuit recipe on the Bisquick box, mix enough batter to cover the bottom of a 9 x 11 greased baking dish. Bake in 350 preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook up the ground beef with tomato sauce and season with Italian spices. Top the prebaked Bisquick base with the ground beef mix and sprinkle with Parmesan, Mozzarella, or other cheeses. Bake until golden and bubbly. Serve with a fresh green salad.

Midlife has unfolded a new cooking direction for me. In the past, Bisquick was primary used for quick dinners, sweet breakfasts, or biscuits. Being a longstanding quick and easy style cook along with my love for desserts provoked experimenting with Bisquick dessert recipes. What is more, the Florida heat dictates the time of day for my baking. Hubby now calls me The Midnight Baker!

Scouring internet recipes and old cookbooks returned several outstanding and easy cake recipes to begin my experiments. These recipes were prepared numerous times with the initial baking per the original version. Subsequent trials were adjusted, and my final recipes are here!

ONE PAN COCOA APPLESAUCE CAKE

2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tablespoons baking cocoa

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 eggs

1 cup applesauce

1/4 cup light vegetable oil

3 Tablespoons Flax Seed

Makes 1 (8×8 or 9×9-inch) cake

Method:

Mix all dry ingredients except seeds, in an ungreased square baking pan. Beat the eggs and then add to the dry ingredients along with the applesauce and oil. Using a large fork mix until all ingredients blend and batter is reasonably smooth. Fold in flax seeds. Bake 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

This is one of the easiest, most moist and delicious snack cakes I ever prepared. The applesauce provides a great amount of moisture and flavor. The one pan clean up is an awesome feature, especially for a Midnight Baker like myself!

The original recipe came from Recipelink.com.

Source: The Best of Bisquick from Betty Crocker, 1983

BISQUICK OATMEAL NUTELLA LOAF

2 cups Bisquick

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oats

1 large egg

2/3 cup plus 1-tablespoon low fat milk

5 tablespoons Nutella

Heat oven to 400. Grease one 9 x 2 loaf pan.  Mix all ingredients with a spoon to combine then beat by hand for about 30 seconds. Spoon batter into loaf pan and bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or cold with extra Nutella for spreading.

The original recipe was written for 12 muffins, called for quick cooking oats, and had no sugar added. The muffins were dry and bland except for the oatmeal flavor. After converting to a loaf recipe and adding a bit of milk, it was still a bit dry and too crumbly. The addition of brown sugar and Nutella brought about a great flavor. The old-fashioned oats really intermingled well for both flavor and texture. To convert to muffins simply reduce the cooking time to 15 – 20 minutes.

The original Bisquick Oatmeal Muffin recipe was found at Food.com.

Do you have a favorite baking mix? Did you know Bisquick could be used for cakes? Hope you enjoy the quick desserts using Bisquick baking mix, I know I certainly do.

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Kathleen

Hey, there I'm Kathleen. My friends call me Kathy; to my kids I'm Momia. Life has afforded me many hats: Mom, wife, sister, friend, business owner... and most recently a midlife blogger. From college to marriage and babies, in the midst of business and wealthy boomers, midlife retrospection validates this extraordinary journey called life.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

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