Recipe Reshare | Dinner In A Pumpkin

This is one of my favorite things to make every Fall.

I actually just made it this past weekend and it was delicious as always!

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

Ingredients:

Either 1 medium size pumpkin, or 4 small individual pumpkins

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

¾ cup chopped celery

¾ cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 – 4 ounce can of mushrooms

1 can of cream of chicken soup

2 cups cooked rice

If you want to make the faces on the pumpkins you will also need the following:

Black whole olives for the eyes

Steamed carrot (or several small carrots) used for the nose

Whole cloves for the mouth

Fresh parsley used to stick out from under the lid for hair

Toothpicks

Directions:

Using a sharp knife, cut the lid from the pumpkin(s) and scoop out the pumpkin seeds and excess membrane with a spoon or scraping tool.

In a large skillet, combine ground beef, chopped green pepper, chopped celery, and chopped onion and cook over medium heat until ground beef is browned.

Add the next 7 ingredients into the skillet and mix well. (salt, pepper, soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, soup, rice)

Place the mixture into the pumpkin cavity, making sure pumpkins are sitting on a foil-lined casserole dish or baking sheet so they fit well without much room to move.

Place lid on the pumpkins and bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours.

Just before serving, embellish the pumpkins by placing the black olives for eyes, carrot for nose, whole cloves for mouth, and parsley for hair. Hold the “face” in place with toothpicks.

To serve, place each individual pumpkin on a plate. If using one larger pumpkin, scoop out part of the baked pumpkin along with the mixture and serve on a plate.

Warning! The mixture and the pumpkins will be VERY hot! Eat and handle with caution!

You and your family won't be disappointed!

**When removing the inside of the pumpkin, mainly remove the seeds and leave the rest of the pumpkin goodness.

You will thank me for this tip when eating your delicious meal :)

XOXO ~ Vanessa

Recipe Reshare | Key Lime Pie Shooter

Key Lime Pie Shooter



Yes, I know the above picture is a martini glass!
Just hear me out...

I found this little gem on the FREE Drinks & Cocktails App for my old droid phone
a couple of years ago and loved it from the first sip!
(App can also be found for free on iPhone as well)
I actually made the mistake of thinking it was a cocktail instead of a shot.
So glad I did!
While I am sure this would make a great shot,
I personally feel it makes a better drink :)
Definitely more of a dessert drink, but super delicious!

I just double the recipe below and then strain into a cocktail or martini glass.

Here is what you need to make the shot...

3/4 oz. Licor 43 
1 splash Vodka
1/4 oz. Rose's sweetened lime juice
1/2 oz Milk or cream
(I use milk since that is what we have at our house)

Pour ingredients into mixing cup filled with ice.
Shake and strain into glass.
It is seriously that simple!
Sometimes I add crushed graham crackers to the rim of the glass (like the photo)
or just sprinkle on top :)

Side Note: Many more recipes using Licor 43 to come, so just go pick up a bottle today.
You will thank me later :)

While we are on the topic of Key Lime Pie,
below are a couple of recipes if you would prefer the actual dessert over the drink.



Recipe for the above photo here courtesy of Food Fashion & Flow



The super simple recipe for the above photo can be found here,
courtesy of Cookin' Up Good Times From the Midwest to the West Coast

Enjoy!!! :)

XOXO ~ Vanessa

Recipe Reshare | Nutella Fruit Dip

There are some things in life that I am ahead of the game,

and then there are other things that I don't show up until the game is over!

I think on this one I fall right in between!

source

I have not used or made anything with Nutella ever.

A friend brought over this super simple dip awhile back and I have been dying to find a reason to make it myself.

I probably ate the entire bowl that night she brought it to my house!

Two ingredients people!

Nutella & Plain Greek Yogurt

That is it!

Mix 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt in a dish with 1/4 cup of Nutella.

Refrigerate or serve immediately.

I guess you do need a third ingredient to eat it with, even though the kiddos over the weekend were eating it straight with a spoon :)

Serve with sliced strawberries, grapes, apples, bananas, you name it!

I guarantee the bowl will be empty by the end of the evening, if not sooner!

I actually doubled the recipe and it was the perfect amount for 6 adults and 5 little ones :)

Wondering what else you can make with Nutella?

Check out this page for 100 recipes all in one place!

What recipes do you make with Nutella?


XOXO ~ Vanessa

Recipe Reshare | 3 Cheese Penne

Doesn't it look super yummy?

Here is a dish I made that Mic and I were both begging for more! 

Skinny Mediterranean Pasta

What you need:

8oz. whole grain penne pasta

2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning

(I only used one can)

1 onion finely chopped

(I only used half an onion)

3 cups fresh spinach

4 oz. reduced fat feta cheese crumbles

1 tablespoon olive oil

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne noodles and cook according to package. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until tender. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. 

Add tomatoes and heat through.

Then add the drained pasta and 2 oz. of feta cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Heat through and serve with remaining feta cheese on top.

This pasta dish was SO GOOD!

It will be added to our weekly dinner menu for sure!

Easy to make, tastes good, and it is healthy!

Another win in my book :)

I think next time I might use fresh tomatoes instead just to up the clean eating factor.

Don't forget to check out my other Healthy Life posts here and here.

And I would love to hear what healthy recipes you are making! Add a link to the recipes in the comments below :)


XOXO ~ Vanessa 

Recipe Reshare | Pretzel S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Are you hosting or attending a party/cookout for July 4th?
I have a great dessert recipe for you that will please the kiddos and adults!
Trust me, your pan will be empty by the time you leave ;)

I actually shared this super easy recipe about 5 years ago, but it needs to be repeated it is so good!

The name alone is a mouthful!

These bars are AMAZING!!!

When I was trying to figure out what dessert to bring with me to the Ohio Bloggers Meet & Greet 
I knew I wanted to bring something that was true to me.

I talk about s'mores a lot. I mean A.LOT!!!

I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to all things s'mores for crying out loud!

And I truly hope to host an annual S'mores Party in the fall :)
(We did host one back in 2014, but we moved and I haven't been able to have another one 😞)

Doesn't that sound like so much fun?

Think about it...all desserts are s'mores of some kind and maybe even a few s'mores drinks!!! I am dying just thinking about it!

Anyways, back to the recipe.

I was looking through Pinterest when my daily/weekly email from Pillsbury showed up on my phone.

And what do my eyes see on my screen...a beautiful photo of Pretzel S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!

It is like Pillsbury and I were on the same wave length.

Once I saw the photo and how super easy the recipe was I was sold!!!

I stopped by my local Kroger, picked up the ingredients, and rushed home to get things made.

So the pictures won't lie...I used Kroger brand for most of it.

What can I say...I am cheap. Or at least I buy what is on sale.

Here is what you will need...

2 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough with mini kisses

1 cup of pretzels

Directions

Preheat oven to 350* right away.
Line an 8 in. square pan with foil (I used a 9x11 dish and it was fine).
Spray foil with cooking spray.
Gently press cookie dough into the bottom of pan with fingers creating an even layer.

Bake 18 minutes or until center is set.
Remove the pan from the oven and add marshmallows, a layer of pretzels, and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Place pan back into the 350* oven for 5 minutes.
To get the toasted marshmallow look, place under the broiler on low.
Watch it carefully!!! Even a few extra seconds can burn your marshmallows!

Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool completely (about 30 minutes) before cutting into squares.
Tip: Spray your knife with cooking spray to easily cut through the marshmallow.

Serve immediately or store in an air tight container up to 5 days.

As you can see from the photos above...

I used what I could find at the store for cookie dough and I subbed the square pretzels for a different look.
I also used more marshmallows and pretzels until I reached the look I desired.

They came out amazing!!!!

Want to give it that July 4th look?
Just toss a some red, white and blue M&M's, or any other candy in those colors on top in place/along with the chocolate chips!
And voila!
Totally festive!

Do you have any unique or fun s'more recipes to share?
I am always on the lookout for fun ways to enjoy a s'more :)


XOXO ~ Vanessa