Pumpkin Pie Spice Donuts

I have a big confession to make i hate donuts but homemade donuts are the only ones i will eat, my husband and i do not like anything from Dunkin Donuts also people look at us crazy when we say we don't like them. My mom showed me how to make homemade donuts when i was younger i just love them with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on them, this time i mixed pumpkin pie spice to give it that fall taste. A oil warning though make sure your oil doesn't get too hot it can make the donuts taste burnt. i put in a donut hole to check if it was ready also.

Donuts:
1 package (0.25 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 – 115 degrees F)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for rolling
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp granulated sugar, divided
1 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, softened
Canola oil for frying

equal parts Cinnamon sugar and pumpkin pie spice

Donuts:
In a large bowl, stir together active dry yeast, warm water, and a little sugar. Let the mixture sit until the yeast starts to bloom (little bubbles appear over the surface of the water). If the yeast does not bloom, the water may be either too cold or too hot. Discard the mixture and start again.

Add 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes (you can also use an electric mixer). Stir in lightly whisked egg and softened butter until combined. Gradually add 1 3/4 cup flour, mixing with wooden spoon (do not use electric mixer for this part) until the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Place the dough onto a board or counter liberally covered in flour. Roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness, flouring the dough and rolling pin generously and turning the dough 90-degrees between rolls to stop it from sticking. Using a 2 1/2-inch donut cutter or 3-inch (for main part of donut) and 1-inch (for hole) round biscuit or cookie cutters, cut out donuts. Place donuts and holes on two well-floured baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 inch apart.

Set wire cooling racks over 2 empty baking sheets. Using a large saucepan or Dutch oven, pour canola oil to a depth of about 2 inches. Using a candy or deep-fry thermometer to measure, heat the oil to 325 to 350 degrees F. Start with the holes so you can get an idea of how the donuts with cook. Place 6 to 8 holes into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. When donuts or holes are golden brown on both sides, use slotted spoon to transfer to the wire racks. Continue with the donuts and the rest of the holes, working with 3 to 4 donuts or 6 to 8 holes at a time.

When the donuts are slightly warm, dip them in cinnamon sugar pumpkin pie spice mix.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

that is a Ghost goblet by the way not a snowman lol

I thought this was such a cute and fun idea when i saw this recipe on the Rachael Ray site i haven't done many Rachael Ray recipes but this one came out great, as i was shooting the cupcakes they kind of looked like caramel apples. Since you actually add apples into the cupcake batter it makes them very moist. For the caramel topping i used those caramel bits you can find in the baking asile if you cant find them there should be tons of caramels since its the caramel apple season! 

1 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 rome apples (about 1 pound), peeled and shredded (i used a cheese grater)

1 1/2 cups caramel bits

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool. Spread the frosting generously on the cooled cupcakes.

Chicken Fajita Pasta

This dish was amazing and very colourful! i haven't done a fajita recipe in a long time this is a lower calorie way to enjoy chicken fajitas without all those toppings you can pile onto them and no tortillas, fajitas in restaurants can run up to 1,000 calories! 

Calories 330, Sugars 7,Protein 30,Fiber 6,Sodium 510, Fat 5. WW points 6, WW point plus 8

6 oz penne or fettuccine pasta

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 white onion, sliced into strips

1 Green bell pepper,sliced into strips

2 garlic cloves, minced

chicken breast sliced into thick strips

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese (optional, i forgot to add it)

Cook the pasta according to the package while preparing the sauce.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over med heat. Add the onion and pepper for 3 mins, or until softened. Add garlic and chicken and sauté for 3 mins or until chicken is mostly cooked. Sprinkle the cumin,oregano,salt, and pepper over chicken.

In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and cornstarch. Pour over the chicken and veggies and cook for 2 more mins, or until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through.

Add the cooked pasta,chopped tomato to the pan. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Here's my first Halloween recipe of the year! Halloween is by far my favourite holiday i love everything about it the smells,the food,cool weather,dark colours,the cozy clothes i could go on. I used my carrot cake recipe for the cookies but if you are in hurry and not into making your own you can also buy a box of carrot cake at the store same goes with the icing. I will be doing more Halloween recipes for the next 5 weeks I've noticed i didn't do much last year at all! 

( 1 cookie)Calories 160,Carbs 27,Fat 2,Sugar 19,protein 1 (WW points 3 WW plus points 4)

 For the cookies

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 cup raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes, and drained
1 cup (about 2 large) finely grated carrots 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, beat brown sugar, pumpkin puree, and eggs until well-combined.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix well. Stir in, raisins, and carrots. Mix until evenly distributed.

drop dough by rounded tablespoons on baking sheet bake for 11-14 mins or until puffed in the middle.

Cream Cheese Icing-

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup walnuts and press gently into frosting.

Using piping bag or Ziploc bag pipe icing into cooled cookies then stick a little candy corn pumpkin on top. or you can use Halloween themed Kisses they didn't have any at the store or i would of used those!

I found this cute platter at goodwill this summer i knew i would use it at some point! i love it!

Veggie Burrito Salad

This salad is like the pizza salad i posted a couple weeks ago,I've been expanding my lettuce and mixed greens since i hate them but I'm really trying to switch over to good greens. This salad is kind of like a deconstructed burrito i also did a burrito bowl in march, that was also amazing! Everyone knows Mexican food or Mexican inspired foods are my weakness so any healthy way for me to eat it is great!

Ingredients

2 handfuls of baby spinach

1/4 cup cooked black beans 

1/4 corn

1/4 ripe avocado, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper,sliced

1/2 Roma tomato,sliced

1 green onion,thinly sliced

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (sounds weird but it works)

toasted tortilla pieces ( to make cut 1 tortilla into wedges, and toast on a baking sheet at 350 degrees until golden brown about 8 mins) 

2 tbsp. light or fat free ranch

keep in mind you can add and subtract the ingredients to make it how you like.

Calories 270,Carbs 27,Fat 15,Protein 15,Sugar 1,Fiber 7 WW points 1, WW plus points 8 

See how i tucked the tortilla wedges under the salad 

Stormtrooper Sandies

As most of you know today the Blu ray Star Wars box set came out today! i was lucky enough to get it yesterday from amazon i geeked out all day and night on star wars i watched all of the bonus discs. i must say i had goosebumps when i put in A New Hope which is my favourite movie of all time, the sound is so clear and the picture amazing of course! i decided to make these cookies today, excuse the lighting in the photos we haven't had any sun in days its pretty gloomy outside which i love but not for photos. This cookie recipe is from the star wars cookbook and everyone knows i have done many recipes from the cookbook i still haven't made everything yet! Click here to see all of the pass recipes i have done from the Star Wars Cookbook.

before going into the oven

3/ cup butter 

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioners' sugar

Put the butter in a bowl. With an electric mixer set on high speed, beat the butter until soft and light in colour.

Gradually add the sugar in a slow,steady stream, and beat until creamy and lemon yellow. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and stir just until blended. 

Put the flour and salt into a sifter and sift them into a small bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating it in with the mixer on low speed until it is fully incorporated. the dough will become very stiff and you may have to knead the last bit of flour by hand.With your hands, pat the dough into a ball and flatten the ball into a thick disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

preheat oven to 400 remove dough from the fridge and unwrap. Dust your work surface with flour. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough 

Using cookie cutters of any shape you like, cut cookies out of the dough. Carefully transfer the cookies to the baking sheet, leaving a little space around each one. 

slip baking sheets into oven and bake until cookies begin to brown, 8 to 10 mins. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks with a spatula and allow them to cool. Sift a little confectioners' sugar over the cookies.

Baked Mozzarella Bites

Yesterday i got a email from ecollegefinder.com telling me i'm a nominee for best foodie blog award on their site, i just had to give then some sentences on why my blog would be best for a college student. i know i have a lot of easy recipes but i thought these mozzarella bite would be amazing for a little study snack right?! They are much better than the deep fried ones you get at restrurant which i have never liked. These are easy to make takes about 5 mins to make altogether you just use those string cheese sticks! 

4 servings ( 3 bites) Caloires 90, Fat 5, Protein 7, Fiber .1,Soduim 162, Carbs 6. (WW points 2)

• 1/3 cup panko 
• 3  sticks part-skim mozzarella string cheese
• 3 tablespoons egg substitute
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce 

•  Preheat oven to 425°.
•  Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup panko to pan, and cook for 2 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and place the panko in a shallow dish.
• Cut mozzarella sticks into 1-inch pieces. Dip cheese in egg substitute; roll in panko. Place cheese on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 3 minutes or until the cheese is softened and starts bubbling.
•  Pour the marinara sauce into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute.Serve on the side.

Asparagus Shrimp Salad

Happy September everyone, we are getting closer to the end of deployment my husband turns 26 this month and we have our 6 year anniversary on the 15th i'm not sure what i'm going to get him yet. I had this dish for dinner tonight i wanted something light,this takes about 20 mins so its good for a fast weekday dinner or lunch. 

per serving (1 1/2 cups); 225 calories,fat 9,fiber 2,sodium 586,protein 29

1 pound of asparagus, trimmed 

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound of medium shrimp, (cooked)

1 cup tomatoes sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Fill a large skillet with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and cook,covered,until crisp, about 5 mins; drain and rinse under cool water.

Then, whisk together the lemon juice,oil,salt, and pepper in a bowl; set aside.

Transfer the asparagus to a large bowl. add the shrimp,tomatoes and onions. Drizzle with the dressing and toss. top with the hard boiled eggs.