The Daily Dish Recipes

It’s no secret that I am terribly excited that the Autumn months are upon us, because it just means more pumpkin recipes which come only second in nature for me to gingerbread. This amazing pumpkin custard recipe is actually pretty simple to make and tastes great on a cool fall evening.

Pumpkin Custard Recipe

2 c. canned pumpkin
1 c. soft bread crumbs
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 c. sweet milk
1 c. sugar
3 Tbs. melted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. orange extract
2 Tbs. sugar

In a large bowl combine canned pumpkin and soft bread crumbs. Add the egg yolks (reserve the egg whites). Mix well. Add the sweet milk and sugar and mix well. Add the butter, salt and orange extract and mix well. Pour into an oven proof baking dish. You can also pour into individual little custard cups. Bake at 325 degrees until the mixture thickens and browns. Then, beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir in 2 Tbs. of sugar. Spread on top of the custard. Place under your oven broiler until golden brown. Delicious!!

Are you looking for some good appetizer recipes to bring to seasonal functions and holiday parties? Want something quick and easy that tastes great?

Well please don’t look much further. In the coming weeks and months I plan to provide you with plenty of delicious dips and appetizer recipes that are sure to please any crowd.

If you are looking for something specific I hope you will leave a comment and let me know, and I will do a little kitchen testing and come up with something wonderfully perfect for you. Don’t worry about bothering me with it, I absolutely love cooking and coming up with festive, delicious things to make. I have no problem trying something out first to see if it tastes great and how I can make it better.

Keep watching for awesome recipes all next month and into November!

The crisp days of fall are upon us. The days are clearly getting shorter and it is getting dark much earlier than it used to. Not to mention that it is obvious when it takes almost an hour longer in the morning for the sun to come up. With the beauty of fall all around us, I was curious about any special fall meals or dishes that you prepare?

During the fall I tend to focus a lot on pumpkin desserts since I absolutely love pumpkin. I also tend to focus on apple dishes because they are in season. But beyond that, I am sort of stumped as to what might constitute a fall specific meal. I know that I do tend to cook hot meals much more frequently because it doesn’t bother me to have my kitchen warmed by my oven after the hot days of summer.

We also try to take advantage of every single opportunity to BBQ because its almost time to pack the BBQ up and leave it go until the Spring. So what types of things do you do in the Fall months that might be exclusive to this time of year?

So I haven’t tried it yet, but I will admit I am planning to, mostly because I am terribly curious about it. My friend told me about this amazing cake her co-worker makes that she refers to as a soda cake and I was just curious enough to request the recipe. I had no idea what that was so I asked for more information. I was wondering if it is like those recipes you see for 7-up cake or Orange Crush Cake.

According to my friend’s co-worker, you can take a packaged cake mix, dump it in a bowl - add a can of just about any kind of soda you can think of - mix it together well and bake per the directions on the back of the box.

I have to admit, my friend and I laughed when we talked about it - we wondered about the eggs, the oil - I mean, how does it rise and bake correctly?

As I said, I’ve never tried it. I am planning to. I am picturing a white cake mix with an orange or grape soda. Or perhaps a cherry vanilla doctor pepper chocolate cake or … okay so the possibilities are endless. Can you imagine a vanilla cake with a can of root beer? Does it taste like a root beer float? If you have tried this, please share your experience. Otherwise, plan to see me make this during the first few days of October. I’m too curious to just let it go.

I cannot remember for the life of me where I got this recipe. I remember being at some event and someone brought it and my kids about devoured it so I asked what it was. Whoever it was gave me the recipe the next day and we’ve made it a lot ever since. I was told it is originally a Hungarian Dish known as Paprikas Potatoes. I don’t really care what it’s actually known as, because it is the perfect compliment to any meal that potatoes can be served with. Yum!

Hungarian Potato Side Dish or Paprikas Potatoes Recipe

3 lbs. of peeled and sliced potatoes (1/4 thickness seems to work best)
2 Tbs. of bacon drippings (a good side dish to make when you need the bacon for another part of the meal) Apparently you can also use Shortening, but I’ve never tried it as we really like the flavor from the bacon.
1 small minced onion
3 pressed garlic cloves (you could also substitute with garlic powder)
1 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. of Hungarian Paprika (or just use whatever Paprika you have on hand!)
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. water
1 c. sour cream

In a large pot, add the bacon drippings, and saute the onion and garlic until they go limp over medium heat. Add the paprika and the salt. Stir for about a minute or so. Add the chicken broth and the water. Bring to a rapid boil and add the potatoes - bring back to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.

Stir in the sour cream and bring back to almost a boil. It is now ready to serve and tastes fantastic. Let me know what you think of it.

I mentioned yesterday that chicken seems to be a desired meal at our house. I’m always asked to make something with chicken so I try to change it up a bit because there is nothing worse that eating the same meal over and over again. One of the reasons I like this recipe, is because it also works with Turkey and tastes great.

Easy and Fast Chicken Bake Recipe

4 c. cooked and cubed chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. diced celery (optional)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper (optional)
2 c. cooked rice
Bread crumbs if desired (we use crushed crackers)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl combine sour cream and cream of mushroom soup until blended. Stir in the cubed chicken. Then add the celery and green pepper (if desired) and the onion. Stir in the 2 cups of rice just before baking. Pour entire mixture into a buttered 9×13 casserole dish. Place in preheated oven and bake covered with foil at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until rice is soft. You can replace the cream of chicken with cream of mushroom or even with a cheese soup instead. Allows you to create a different meal with a different flavor with almost all the same ingredients.

Chicken seems to be a desired meal at our house, and since eating the same thing over and over can get very boring and mundane, I try to mix it up by preparing something different each time. This is one meal my kids often request and is a perfect quick meal to make if you have company coming too. The chicken tastes like you spent hours when you probably only spent a few minutes preparing them. Watch tomorrow for another awesome quick and easy chicken recipe!

Simple Baked Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless are best
2-4 Tbs. of melted butter or margarine
3/4 - 1 c. Parmesan cheese (to taste)
2-3 Tbs. of butter or margarine (yes more butter)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Melt the first 2-4 Tbs. of butter in one bowl and the Parmesan cheese in another bowl. Dip each piece of chicken first in the butter, and then in the Parmesan cheese to coat. Place on a plate until all chicken has been dipped and coated. Melt the remaining butter in a baking dish and place the chicken in the baking dish. If you used chicken with skin still on (which is perfectly fine) place skin side up in the dish. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. Use a baster throughout cooking to baste with juices during the baking time. (every 10-15 minutes or so). Cover with foil if you notice the chicken browning to quickly. I usually cover for the first half hour and then remove the cover and watch it carefully.

This goes great with crackers, chips, bread cubes - well just about anything that sounds good with mushrooms. I love this dip and its super easy to make and is always a big hit at potlucks and brunches when I need to bring something to share. I’m notorious for bringing several somethings and nearly every time this is part of my repertoire.

Fresh Mushroom Dip Recipe

1 pkg. of cream cheese (8 oz. does well)
2 Tbs. minced parsley
2 Tbs. minced ripe olives (your call - green and black taste great!)
3/4 tsp. seasoning salt
3-4 drops of Tabasco sauce
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 lb. chopped fresh mushrooms

In a medium size bowl, combine the cream cheese, parsley, Tabasco sauce, seasoning salt and olives. Blend well. Fold in the sour cream and then place in refrigerator to chill approximately 2-4 hours. Stir in the mushrooms just before serving. Tastes great and honestly, you could add chicken chunks and other things in place of the mushrooms and it would taste great too.

These cookies are simply awesome. They are really easy to make and are not only good at Christmas but they are good anytime of year. Everyone thinks that Rum Bookies are good only at the holidays, but no sir - try them - you’ll love them and you might just decide to make another batch to share with your friends, family,  neighbor and co-workers.

Easy Chocolate or Vanilla Rum Cookies

2 c. graham crackers, crushed
2 c. chopped walnuts (or pecans if you desire)
1 1/2 tsp. rum extract (you can use 2 tsp. but try the recipe before adding any)
1 container of frosting (vanilla or chocolate or chocolate fudge - whatever you find that sounds good in the cake mix aisle)
Confectioners Sugar

In a large bowl, combine the graham crackers, chopped nuts, rum extract and frosting until well blended. Use a teaspoon to scoop dough and form into balls by rolling in your hands. Roll them individually through confectioners sugar and you’re done. Store them in an airtight container. They taste best after being in the refrigerator but that isn’t necessary. Enjoy!

I cannot even begin to tell you how awesome my house smelled for hours yesterday after these little beauties came out to cool. I thought it might be fun to whip up a batch of pumpkin cupcakes for my kiddo’s after a nice windy (but still warm) Fall day of play.

They were absolutely delicious - moist, sweet and spicy all at the same time. If you enjoy pumpkin bread, there is just no way you cannot help but love this recipe for Pumpkin Cupcakes from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella .

Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp
2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
1 1/4 c. pumpkin puree (this about 1 15oz can)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Insert cupcake liners into your muffin or cupcake pan.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and the sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Add the eggs to the creamed mixture only one at a time. Mix well after each egg. Beat well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, the ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Once blended, begin adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time. Alternate with the milk, stirring after each addition. Mix until completely integrated.

Add the pumpkin puree and the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Eat and enjoy. You can eat them alone or you can frost them with frosting. Cream cheese frosting goes VERY well with these cupcakes. We made a pumpkin frosting for ours. If you feel like it, you can do that too!