Pumpkin Spice Pudding Shots

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If you have a Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering coming up, make a batch (or 3 of these for a little ‘party favor’! YUM!
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Ingredients
  • 1 small Pkg. pumpkin spice instant pudding
  • ¾ Cup Milk
  • 3/4 Cup RumChata
  • 8oz tub Cool Whip
Steps
  • Whisk together the milk, liquor, and instant pudding mix in a bowl until combined.
  • Add cool whip a little at a time with whisk.
  • Spoon the pudding mixture into shot glasses, disposable shot cups or 1 or 2 ounce cups with lids. Place in freezer for at least 2 hours

 

Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon. (The Captain likes to top with Red Hots!)

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(almost famous) Peanut Clusters

This recipe is easy and makes MANY MANY MANY! Perfect for teacher gifts or hard-to-buy for friends on your list.

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1 bar German Chocolate cooking chocolate

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

48 oz almond bark (24 oz  almond bark and 24 oz milk chocolate bark)

1 16 oz dry roasted unsalted peanuts

1 16 oz dry roasted salted peanuts

Place all ingredients in CrockPot. Cook on low for 1.5 hours or warm for 3 hours. DO NOT TOUCH. Turn CrockPot off and let it sit for 20 minutes. Cover counter top or table with waxed or parchment paper. Stir mixture completely. Drop by spoonfuls onto paper or into small paper muffin cups. Let harden and store in airtight container. Give away and save some or your family to enjoy. (they also freeze!)

Pumpkin Cookies

Been making this recipe for years! It really helps you turn the corner and say “Welcome, Fall!”

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.

Mix in dry ingredients.

Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls and flatten slightly. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then frost. (we use cream cheese frosting)

CrockPot Potato Soup

This is the BEST Potato Soup I’ve ever made and by FAR the easiest! There’s something about potato soup that makes you feel like you’re wrapped up in a warm blanket. This recipe came from my daughter-in-law’s mother. Thanks, Marcia!

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pkg southern style hash brown potatoes
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onion
  • 1/2 pound bacon cooked & crumbled
  • 4 1/2 cups hot water
  • 4 1/2 tsps chicken bouillon
  • 8 oz. cream cheese – softened and cut in chunks
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt

TOPPING:

  • Sour cream
  • Extra crumbled bacon

 

Combine in CrockPot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkles of crumbled bacon. Sourdough bread on the side is a good choice!

30713194_10213757226819214_7957683773594664960_nThanks, Nancy for this photo! She combines shredded and cubed hash browns in hers.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

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Pure vanilla is so expensive to buy. Have you been shocked at the price in the store so you just go ahead and buy the cheaper imitation version? Yep, me too. Well, at least I used to. Now I make my own. And I even make enough to give away for Christmas gifts! It takes a little time, so you need to start soon!  

 

INGREDIENTS:

A Fifth of 80 proof Vodka (or glycerin)

Tahitian Vanilla Beans (I get mine at saffron.com)

Glass bottles

A small funnel

 

The ratio is 5 beans per cup of vodka.

Use any glass jar that has a lid. Even a quart-sized canning jar. Pour three cups of vodka into the jar.

Slice the (15) vanilla beans in half lengthwise. You’ll see tons of what looks like brown goop. That’s actually the good stuff! Scrape that out with a knife and add to the jar of vodka.

Place the scraped out vanilla flecks and beans in the jar with the vodka and screw the lid on tightly.

Now wait. Give it a shake every now and then during the process.  It will become dark within just a few days, but it’s not really going to perform like vanilla until after about 6 weeks. And vanilla extract only gets better and stronger with age. I actually make 2 batches every year so I have enough to give and enough to use myself!

After at LEAST 6 weeks, pour into 2 or 4 ounce bottles.

Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler

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Want to know what FALL tastes like? Make this! I’m a sucker for anything pumpkiny and when you throw pecans in the mix, mmm…so good!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/4cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup pure pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups hot water

Topping

  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS 

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Coat an 8-inch square (I use a round stone) baking dish with cooking spray.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; mix well and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, butter, milk, and vanilla; mix well.
  5. Pour flour mixture into pumpkin mixture and stir until combined.
  6. Pour batter into baking dish. (it will be thick!)
  7. In the medium bowl you used for the flour mixture (why dirty another bowl?) combine pecans, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar; mix well. Sprinkle over batter.
  8. (this feels really weird, but it’s magical) Slowly pour hot water over the top; do not stir. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is set.
  9. Serve warm.
  10. Top with whipped cream. (optional for some…required for others!)

CrockPot Baked Apples

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It’s CROCK-TOBER! Time to make you a CROCK star! This is a really easy recipe and gives you the taste of apple pie with these two bonuses.

1. It’s way simpler. 2. It has fewer calories!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 6 Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
  • 1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons caramel vodka (optional)

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, nuts, butter, and cinnamon. If you don’t want to use nuts, you could use ¼ cup granola!
  • Core the apple most of the way through. I take one ribbon of skin off around the middle…because my mom always did!
  • Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot.
  • Pour the juice or cider (and liquor, if using) into the crock-pot, around the apples.
  • Set the crock-pot on high heat and cook 2½ to 3 hours until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.
  • Serve warm with a dollop of fat-free whipped cream or ice cream!

This is my first blog post.

This is the post excerpt.

 

 

IMG_20170427_190831376Hey there. Thanks for stopping by. This is really my very first post. I’ve been trying to find a way to keep giving you all my Cookin With Brook recipes. So many people have been asking for them.

I keep losing them. And what I mean by that, is…every radio station I’ve worked at has housed them on their site and then either deleted them or have not given me a chance to take them with me. So I end up starting over.

WELL…not any more. I’m going to make sure I keep them safe and secure. Right here. It’s going to take awhile to build them all back up again, but I will. Believe me. I love sharing my family’s favorite recipes with you and I appreciate how much you love them! Thank you.

Keep your eyes here to see more and more. And if by any chance you’ve ever printed any of my other ones or have them somewhere, please email them to me! It will help me get this built!

THANKS! ~Brook