I love you, Mama

I usually don't repost recipes I've done before unless I've changed it or made an improvement. But this is a dish that cannot be improved upon, made perfect by the woman I think is absolutely perfect, who I love so much!

So here you go...Mama's Biscuits & Gravy.

Butterscotch Crumble Apple Pie

Mike loves apple pie. So when I saw this recipe in our local newspaper's food section on Wednesday, I knew I had to try it. Sweet & tart Granny Smith apples topped with a butterscotch crumble... yum! I put this together Sunday morning while Landon was being such a good baby (he knows Santa is watching). Once I got the pie in the oven, the house will filled that wonderful apple pie aroma. And once I got the crumble on top it smelled even better.

I served the pie warm later that evening with a bit of vanilla ice cream. Mike thought it was one of the best apple pies he's ever had, but it was a bit too sweet for me. If I make this again, I'll reduce the crumble by half to see if that makes a difference.

Butterscotch Crumble Apple Pie
4 cups peeled, sliced Granny Smith apples
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
Topping (recipe follows)
Whipped cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine apple slices and lemon juice in a medium bowl; toss well
Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt; stir well.

Add sugar mixture to apple mixture, stirring gently to combine.
Spoon apple mixture into pastry shell. Cover edges of pastry with strips of aluminum foil or pie shield to prevent excessive browning.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and sprinkle topping over apple mixture.
Bake an additional 25 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Topping
1 6-ounce package butterscotch morsels
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt.
Combine butterscotch morsels and butter in top of a double boiler; bring water to a boil.
Reduce heat to low; cook until morsels and butter melt, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat; add flour and salt, stirring well. Let stand 10 min. until crumbly.

***I skipped the double-boiler method & melted my butter in the microwave and then adding the butterscotch morsels. After stirring, I put back in microwave for 10 seconds.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

We're having Thanksgiving dinner at mom's tomorrow. For dessert I wanted to do something different & festive. I love pineapple upside down cake & thought a cranberry upside down cake sounded like a pretty good idea. I did take a shortcut with a boxed cake mix, but sometimes that's OK. I popped this in the oven just a little bit ago after putting Landon to sleep. Oh my goodness, that baby boy is such a blessing. I am so unbelievably in love with him and so, so thankful.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake
10 tablespoons butter
1 package fresh cranberries (12 ounces)
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 box yellow cake mix

Pan - 9x13, buttered or sprayed with non-stick spray.

Preheat oven to 350.

Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking for a few more minutes until the sugar starts to caramelize. Then remove from heat, and pour into your prepared cake pan. Sprinkle evenly with the fresh cranberries.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into cake pan over cranberries. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, or until the top of the cake has browned and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and cool for about 15 minutes.

Blessed & Thankful,

Thanksgiving

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. Time is flying by & I'm busier than ever. We have so much to be thankful for this year; we've been blessed with the most amazing little boy. Landon is growing fast & will soon be 3 months old. I'm loving every moment of being a mommy - it's the most amazing feeling. I haven't been spending much time in the kitchen, but I'm going to be making a few things for Thanksgiving. In the meantime, take a look at my recipes for a foolproof turkey and delicious stuffing. I'll be back tomorrow with a great recipe for cranberry upside down cake.

Be thankful,

Pumpkin Pancakes

My sister and I both love the pumpkin pancakes that show up on IHOP's menu in the fall. She spent the night with us last night and I wanted to do something special for breakfast this morning. I found the perfect recipe for pumpkin pancakes over at  For the Love of Cooking . The pancakes  are light, fluffy and taste wonderful topped with a bit of whipped cream. I did add 1/3 cup of sugar and about a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to add a little more flavor.

And it makes sense to eat breakfast at home instead of going out.  After tax and tip, we would have spent close to $30 for breakfast for three. Instead we had a great breakfast at home, avoided going out in the cold and saved a lot of money. Perfect!

Cranberry Coconut Squares

One of my favorite things about fall is cooking with cranberries and pumpkin. That's why I was excited when I came across this recipe for Cranberry Coconut Squares. Basically a lemon bar with a cranberry and coconut topping, they are the perfect combination of tart and sweet. My mom and I enjoyed them for breakfast.  If they are a little too tart for you, a dusting of powdered sugar adds a little more sweetness.

Haunted House Birthday Cake

My favorite girl turned 10 years old yesterday. Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday that Mike and I were celebrating our one year anniversary and had to hurry to the hospital to wait for our niece to be born. I know, what an amazing anniversary gift. Ally is the most special girl I know and I'm fortunate that we have such a close relationship. She's got the biggest heart you could imagine - I tell Amy all the time that she's an "old soul". I'm not exactly sure what I mean when I say that, but it just fits. And in her, I have my own mini-me. She's just like me in so many ways - her love of all things spooky, the gleam of mischief in her eyes...I could go on and on.

But I won't. I'm too anxious to show off her birthday cake. She wanted a haunted house theme and I think I pulled it off pretty well here. The look on her face when she saw it actually brought tears to my eyes.

For the cake I used an 11x15 pan with two boxes of cake mix. After covering the entire cake with a milk chocolate frosting, I got to work on the decorating. Here's how I did it...

Grass - coconut with green food coloring
Walkway - candy corn path filled with Halloween sprinkles
Graveyard - PF Milano cookies with a pretzel fence
Pumpkin Patch - candy corn pumpkins
Ghosts - Peep Ghosts
Jack-O-Lanterns - Candy from the baking aisle
Haunted House - a perfect find from the greeting card aisle

For the pumpkin patch in front of the cake, I spread a bit of leftover frosting to make the "grass" stick and added a few pumpkins. For the pumpkins lying down, I cut the candies in half.

Mike and I had so much fun doing the decorating after Landon went to sleep last night and the cake was a huge hit today. Give this idea a try for Halloween, adding your own special touches. You'll be surprised at how well it turns out.