Candy Corn Cupcakes with a Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Aren't these just the cutest cupcakes ever?! When I signed up for the Awana snack sheet last week, I knew that these were what I wanted to make for all the Awana kids. I had come across this recipe in one of my frugal saving emails I subscribe too and I quickly pinned it to my Pinterest recipe board ( Pinterest is my newest obsession) so I wouldn't lose the recipe. 

Pumpkin Pudding Trifle

I have been hanging onto this pudding recipe for a few years now and I kind of forgot about it, I have to admit.  Josh and I had bought a bag of ginger snaps awhile back and they weren't getting eaten very fast, and then voila, I remembered I had a ginger snappy pumpkin dessert recipe that I had to make.

Weekly Menu 10/24-10/30

And....I'm back! I promise, it will be awhile before I disappear like that again! We had a wonderful few days in California last week visiting Josh's grandparents and we really just spent time getting to know them and helping out where we could since Josh's grandmother is sick. I had meant to write a post or two while I was gone, but I was never on the computer for very long and I think traveling just makes you really tired. I was falling asleep by 9pm every night, lol!

I have a few repeat dinners from the previous menu. Josh and I had intended on going grocery shopping and making the meals I had planned out, and then last minute Josh pulled a fast one on me and decided that there wasn't a huge point in going shopping because things would spoil and not get used. So we got creative around the house instead and today we finally went grocery shopping :)

This is kind of my last week of freedom so to speak. Awana started last week and I can't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I'm actually leading the Sparks class this year along side my sister  ( in law). And next week...not this coming week, but starting November 1st, we are officially starting homeschool 2nd grade with Grace and pre-school like things with Eden. As I type, Josh is finishing our our yearly schedule for the books and stuff. So beginning next week, I'll become a lot busier than I was. At least we're not traveling anywhere for awhile, lol!

Monday

Rosemary Roast Chicken with potatoes and veggies

Tuesday

Spaghetti and Meatballs, corn and garlic bread

Wednesday

Slow-Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Thursday

Home-made Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes and peaches

Friday

Pan-Seared Swai with mashed potatoes and veggies

Saturday

Navy Bean Soup and rolls

Sunday

Josh cooks up something wonderful :)

I'm baking up some treats this week. I'm super excited about these. I signed up for snacks for this Thursdays Awana night and I've got some festive cupcakes lined up for them and I'm making a sweet dessert for us Monday night :) And since I never got around to making the kids muffins...that is on the list too.

Desserts and Treats

Pumpkin Mousse Trifle Pudding

Candy Corn Cupcakes...with maybe a chocolate frosting???

I'm still not sure about which muffins to make and if I'm going to make them or not. What are you guys making this week?

Tamale Pie

We all have those nights when we don't feel like cooking and even more, we don't feel like spending the money on fast food or a dinner out. I've got a family favorite that will help solve this familiar problem we all face from time to time.  Tamale Pie!

Before Josh, I had never eaten Tamale Pie, let alone even heard of it. But there the recipe was in my cute little Bridal Shower Recipe Box that Josh's sisters had made for me. The first time I made this dish, it was for a potluck lunch at the bank I was then working at. Cooking was still so new to me and at the time and I was also newly pregnant so food in general never sounded great to me. But, I went ahead and made it for the potluck and it was a hit! I have found myself making it many times over since that Potlucking day.

5 ingredients! How much easier can a recipe get? Oh my dear friends, it gets easier. I promise!

This process right here, is probably the hardest it gets. Take the Tamales out of the can, roll them out of their wrapper and place them in the baking dish. Smash the Tamales with a fork and press it down onto the baking dish to form a layer. Usually, I use an 8x8 baking dish; but that dish was being used for something else. And since the recipe is called Tamale PIE, I decided to use a pie dish.

The next few steps were such a cinch, I didn't bother taking pictures. But you take the corn, and spread that into a layer on top of the smashed tamales, then add sliced olives, and a small can of tomato sauce on top.

Cover your pie with Fritos! Yes, Fritos...as in the chips. They are sacred and delicious, and right up there with Crunchy Cheetos.

Smother your pie in cheese! Pick your poison...Pepper Jack would be good, if you like that spicy kind of cheese. A mexican cheese blend works well too. I just used good old Cheddar Cheese to start things off.

Stick your meaty, chippy, cheesy pie in the oven and bake it at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Half way through the cooking process, add more cheese. I added some of the mexican blend I had laying around.

When the kitchen smells like spices and the pie is bubbly, that's when it's done. All you have to do is serve it up in whatever dish ware you prefer to eat it in. If you're eating the pie alone, a bowl is the way to go. If you want to serve it along side a simple salad, a dinner plate is your man! Either way, this meal is super easy and super flexible...which means it's the perfect lazy man's ( or woman's) meal! Oh and kiddos love it too. My 3 year old ate 3 helpings tonight :)

Tamale Pie

Source: Rief Family

Smashed up beef tamales (smash with fork)

1 can corn (drained)

1 can sliced olives (drained)

1 can tomato sauce ( 10 oz)

Frito Chips

grated cheddar cheese ( enough to cover top)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Layer first 4 ingredients in a buttered or greased 8x8 square baking dish. ( Or you can be a rebel and use a pie plate .)

Top with Fritos and cheese. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Add additional cheese halfway through the baking time. 

Weekly Menu 10/10-10/14

How do you all like the new look of Catz in the Kitchen? Josh and I spent quite a few hours working on it the other day and I'm still in the process of playing around with different ideas and fixing certain things. If you haven't noticed the "About Catz in the Kitchen" with my little picture is missing which is frustrating because I'm not sure where it went. I never removed it, it just up and left and I can't add it back. Sooo, I'm trying to figure that little gem out.

Aside from creating a new look, my family and I have been sick this past week. So a lot of the dinners I had planned didn't work out well, so that explains why you will see some repeat meals. This won't be traditional menu week you are used to. Josh, the kids and I are leaving Saturday morning to fly to L.A. to spend some time with Josh's grandparents whom we haven't seen in about 2 years.  We leave this Saturday and won't be returning till Wednesday early evening sometime, and then the very next day, our church launches it's yearly kids club, Awana and this year I'm going to be leading one of the classes with my sister in law. But I will try very hard not to keep you hanging while I'm gone :)

Salted Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies: Crazy Cooking Challenge

Crazy Cooking Challenge #2

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Back in August, I was invited (along with a lot of other bloggers) to join in on a monthly crazy cooking challenge. Each month a food is given and we must scour the blog world and find a recipe for that food. We all find a different recipe for the same food and link it up on the specified date. The purpose is to have fun and gain new readers as well as gain exposure for the blog you pulled the recipe from.  If this challenge sounds like fun to you and you would like to join in, just click on Crazy Cooking Challenge to find out more information.

Pumpkin is in the Air

It's that time of year again...time to embrace all things pumpkiny. I don't know about you, but pumpkin is one of my favorite things about Fall.  Every year, I think all of us foodie go into a panic if we don't see the cans of pumpkin on the shelves of our grocery stores. We hear rumors of again another pumpkin shortage and we start feeling desperate.  I remember last year I was freaking out because I went to every grocery store in my town and could not find one can. I even got so desperate that I was begging Josh to let my buy a huge case off Amazon. He said, "No." So I waited patiently, and finally the canned pumpkin began lining the shelves and I bought a lot of cans. I think I snuck one or two cans in every grocery trip because I was paranoid they would run out again.

It wasn't such a bad idea, I had canned pumpkin that lasted me till March of this year. But this year, I'm planning to again, sneak cans of pumpkin into my cart. There are so many more recipes I want to try this year and I can't wait to get started. My stash right now is still pretty small and I'm feeling slightly hoarderish, because I am afraid if I use them all up without building a decent stockpile first, the store will run out.  I know that's silly...but hey, I'm a panicky person. 

I thought that since the stores are now shelving our beautiful orange bounty I should do a post on some of the recipes I've made in the past that you might want to try if you are wondering where to start first :)

Weekly Menu 10/3-10/9

Happy October everyone! It finally feels like Fall and I'm so happy about that. My house is decorated with all of my Autumn harvest decor and the weather has gotten much cooler and alas, the rain has returned. I even put away all the indoor fans today :)

I'm so sorry for not posting while I was away. We got back from Sunriver Saturday evening and we were wiped out from our emotional goodbye of Central Oregon as well as the long drive back home. But we had such a fantastic time away as a family. 8 days of beautiful weather and memory making as a family. I know  that some people would welcome the break from their spouses upon their return of vacation, but I think Josh and I were kind of mourning the reality that awaited us. But, we're back home and though I know we would both much rather still be on vacation, that is not the case and so all we can do is jump back into our everyday crazy blessed life and ride the wave. I for one, am excited to start cooking again!

A lot of the meals this week you might recognize from our previous menu, but we never got around to making them due to time and weather.

Monday

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Nothing fancy kids, the soup is out of a can and it's a leftover meal from our vacation. We gotta go grocery shopping tonight so it's convenience at it's finest.

Tuesday

Coconut Chicken with Rice and steamed broccoli

Wednesday

Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese with green beans

Thursday

Slow-Cooker Sloppy Joes with ground turkey breast instead of beef

Friday

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Quesadillas 

Saturday

Tamale Pie with a side salad

Sunday

Panini's of some kind, served with chips

I plan on doing some baking this week. My brother in law is leaving for Ecola Bible College on Sunday and even though he has a meal plan down there, I want to send him with some home-baked goodies. And since the family will be headed to the coast to get Jeffrey all settled, they will also be stopping in on Jessica, my other sister in law who is attending the same school and I'll be sending some yummy things for her as well...she doesn't have a meal plan, so I want to make her life a bit easier.

Desserts/Treats

Pumpkin

 Bread

Blueberry Muffins

And Cookies of some kind, but I haven't decided which kind yet :)

What are you cooking up this week?