Pita chips

One of the girls from the office brought in homemade spinach dip and a cucumber dill dip today. It made me want to whip up a batch of these pita chips.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 whole-wheat pitas, cut into 1/8's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine olive oil and spices in a large bowl. Add pita wedges and toss to coat, Spread in 1 layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, tossing once, or until pita is brown and crispy. Cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Brownies

I never thought I'd love the combination of chocolate and pumpkin together. I mean, I like chocolate with things like strawberries, nuts, raisins, caramel...you get where I'm going. Pumpkin is great with cinnamon, cream cheese, nutmeg, ginger....so why would I have ever considered putting these two things together?

I'm not even sure why it struck me to combine the two and make a delicious fudgy brownie with a velvety pumpkin filling. I mean, I had heard of the WW recipe for mixing a box of cake mix with a can of pumpkin for a light dessert, but I wanted something to really make a flavor statement with the distinct separation of flavors. And one can never have too many brownie recipes...I mean, come on!!

This pumpkin brownie recipe is the perfect way to blend the savory essence of pumpkin with the richness of chocolate.

Here's how I start....Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix 4 oz of softened cream cheese and 3 Tbl white sugar until well blended, add 3/4 of a cup of pumpkin, 1 egg,1/2 Tbl cinnamon, & 1 tsp. nutmeg and mix until smooth.

In another bowl, mix together 1 box of your favorite fudge brownie mix. (You can easily substitute your "from scratch" recipe here). I mix the brownie mix, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup of applesauce and 2 eggs just until blended.I used a disposable baking pan, because I had planned to share these with the office. *Note: they didn't make it to the office, because I couldn't keep the kids out of it!!


Pour the brownie batter evenly in the bottom of your baking dish. Drop spoonfuls of the pumpkin mixture into the brownies and using a knife, cut through the batter several times to marble it. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the brownies are set.

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Apples ain't only for the teacher!!! When I worked in the mall (many years ago) in Savannah, our store was located directly across from the Savannah Candy Company. I was mesmerized by the beautiful assortment of candy and caramel apples! Through the glass windows, you could watch their employees hard at work in the kitchen, the scent of sugar wafting through the air was irresistible. Their pralines were sinful, confections lined up in candy jars along the window in beautiful bright colors. Fudge in every kind of flavor imaginable. But my favorite part was watching the girls give these gargantuan apples a royal treatment, dipping apples into creamy caramel, then given a jacket of nuts, crushed oreos, milk or white chocolate or crushed butterfingers.

Apples are so versatile! From making a savory apple stuffing paired with chicken or turkey, or you can turn them into a decadent dessert.

I make this fabulous Caramel apple Cake that is simple and delicious! It's a fall favorite and I think you'll love it.

Here's what you do....

Start with a buttered cake pan or glass dish.

Next use a basic caramel sundae syrup. I like the Smucker's squeezeable :)

Now for the apples, you need apple pie filling (you can easily substitute your own apple filling here if you have time)... canned Apple pie filling is a quick alternative, which is what I used here. top the apples with drizzled caramel sauce and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Next, mix together a basic yellow boxed cake mix (for ease), and pour evenly over the apple filling. Here, if you like a from scratch recipe, you can use your favorite basic mix.Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for about 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cake board, while the cake is still warm, allowing the apples and caramel to melt into the cake.

Serve warm. And enjoy!!

Sour Cream Cornbread

I am more than ready for the autumn. There is no time of the year quite like it. Football, crunchy leaves, carnivals, not to mention my favorite holidays...Halloween and Thanksgiving!!

There are so many recipes that just taste better with the flavor of harvest time veggies and gourds...I love pumpkin and butternut squash. I love beans flavored with ham, and chili and soup. One of my favorite sides is homemade cornbread. I especially love cornbread dressing. This recipe for sour cream cornbread is a great compliment to any of those hearty dishes on a cool crisp autumn day. These cornbread muffins can be frozen, too. They're great served warm with fresh butter.

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
8 ounces sour cream, regular or light
1 can cream-style corn
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter

Heat oven to 375°. Grease your muffin tin (or spray paper liners)

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and sugar.

In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, corn, eggs, milk, and melted butter. Combine the two mixtures and stir until just blended.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4-full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the muffins are firm and lightly browned.

Makes 18 to 24 muffins.