The Thome home has been slammed with house showings, a sudden burst of buyers shopping in the cold.  Which in return we’ve spent a lot of our time cleaning, and the other half being kicked out of the house.  Prepping the house with two toddlers at your ankle is nearly impossible.  The only trick I have found is keeping them occupied in one room only.  Clean all the rest.  Clean the room they are in, and hit the road no matter how much time there is until the showing.  We’ve conquered a system, and at this point we are just as sick of selling this house as anyone else is on the market right now.

All of this busy stuff just brought Dan and I to realize how quickly Christmas is coming.  No shopping has been done.  Lists have not been made (which I am usually a list queen).  Food for Christmas day hasn’t gotten a minute of my thoughts.  So, we really need to get moving.  Making things ahead of time, to make the holiday schedule flow a little smoother is always top on my list.   I have a few go to appetizers that I make ahead that make last-minute guests feel like royalty.  When it comes to dessert, cookie dough is always easy to have on hand.  If you’re in the mood for something new and extremely easy …

CHEESECAKE BITES! Holy heavenly cheesecake, smothered in chocolate, in a tiny little package awaiting the first bite.

If “free time” is not in your vocabulary, but, “planning ahead” is.  These cheesecake bites should be your go-to dessert for the holiday season.  You can make these a day or two in advance and just keep them in your fridge until your ready to show them off.  No baking.  Only buying a 8″ pre made cheesecake, and melting a few bags of chocolate and your well on your way to creating a fancy pants dessert.

• 8″ cheesecake
• 3 bags of milk chocolate chips or dark 
• sprinkles 

directions:

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop directly into your cheesecake, all the way down to the crust.  Roll as neat of a ball as you can, and place it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Continue to roll and roll until your cheesecake is gone.

Place the baking sheets into your fridge for up to an hour, or in your freezer for 30 minutes to firm up a bit before dipping in chocolate.

Pour ONE bag of your chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds, and stir.  Continue to do so until the majority of the chips have melted.  This should take no more than 3-4x of 30 seconds.  Take out, stir to continue to melt the remaining chips.

Drop one cheesecake bite into the chocolate, and using a spoon to pour the melted chocolate over the top.  Using a fork to pick up the cheesecake bite, and place it back onto the prepared baking sheet, top with sprinkles.  Don’t sweat it.  These will not look perfect, and that is okay!  Once your chocolate is gone, wash and dry your bowl and continue with another bag.

Once they are all coated in chocolate, put them into the fridge until you are ready to serve.  ENJOY!

**Feel free to get wild with these.  The combinations are endless.  Dan wanted plain cheesecake so I bought what would get eaten.  Otherwise, strawberry swirled cheesecake dipped in white chocolate … turtle cheesecake dipped in dark chocolate….**

This past week was a tough one to get through.  What happened? Some things believe it or not, Dan and I will keep to ourselves.  But I must say we are super grateful for our friends and family.  Life can throw you through twists and turns you never see coming.  I usually bounce right back after something throws me off the track, but this past week slowed me down a little.  I’m glad to say we are a positive bunch around here.  And, our lovely friends and family keep us smiling each day.  SO grateful for the hubs, and my sweet energetic kids that keep the days packed with laughter.

What’s a girl to do when she’s having a tough week? Bake of course.  Dan should be grateful.  I am not a girl who turns to retail to let out her emotions and unload my tears onto a charge card.  Just hand me a bucket of flour, and sprinkle in some spices and I truly feel like I sat through an hour-long yoga session.

On the bright side Dan and I have been getting a ton of action over here.  C’mon guys, get your heads outta the gutter.  I meant in our house.  A lot of people have been coming to see it, and a few have had a lot of interest so PLEASE send all house selling luck this way!

These banana bread bars were made on a whim the other evening.  When momma was running low on steam, and chasing the kids around since 7am was taking its toll.  I needed them in one spot for more than 5 minutes.  I got 10.  These bars are such a cinch to make.  And the outcome is irresistible.

All you need is a bowl, a measuring cup, and a spoon.  Add your ingredients and your well on your way to having a delicious snack on hand for yourself or your kiddos this week.

ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup brown sugar  
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• pinch of kosher salt
• (edit May 2014. I now use 1/3 cup packed brown sugar – less sugar for the littles.  And 1 tsp of baking powder for extra fluff) 🙂

directions:

pre heat the oven to 350*  Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal of the bars

In a large bowl, mash together the bananas and melted butter until the bananas are smooth with few chunks.

Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla and maple syrup.  Stir.  Add the baking soda, cinnamon and salt and stir until it is mixed through.  Finally, sprinkle in the flour, stirring until the flour is completely incorporated.  Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish, and bake for 25-30 minutes.  The bars will have a nice golden hue.  Let them cool completely before you lift them out of the pan to slice.  Store bars in an airtight container.

Holy habit begins.  This idea for these pancake sausage bites happened while out to breakfast in Columbus with friends of ours.  At the restaurant, they were sausage links, on a stick, and deep-fried to fill every nook of a hangover a OSU game may bring on.  They were amazing.  I knew I had to get my butt home to figure out a new way to make them, healthier, and yet just as delicious.  These are THE-BOMB-.-COM!  Ladies, if you have a man in your life that you’d like to lock down.  Make these.  Moms, if you want your kids to gobble up their breakfast and ask for seconds.  These are the token.  Men, if you want to make an easy breakfast that will be sure to impress your family.  Here it is.

I tend to talk a lot when I am eating.  “MmmMmmM..’s” left and right, “Oh, man, this is so good!” It is actually a really annoying trait to have.  I am relieved to say that the entire Thome household had a full mouth and words dripping out.  The annoying trait has been passed on.  We all loved them.  We ate nearly all of them.  And I am sure they will be made again and again.

directions:

pre heat the oven to 350* spray a 24 count mini muffin tin with non stick spray

The recipe is super simple, remember these? Breakfast Bites | thethomehome

I revisited it, and switched up a few things for this recipe:

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 1/3 cup milk (soy or regular)
• 2 containers of applesauce (8oz)

The night prior, I cooked an entire package of savory sausage links.  Let them cool, and placed them into the fridge ready to go in the morning.

Whip up the batter.  Mix together your dry ingredients, then add the wet, stirring until everything is combined.  Take out your sausage links from the night before (if your feeling ambitious, cook them up in the morning).  Cut the sausage links into 1/4 inch chunks, each link was cut about 5 times “bite size”.

Spray your mini muffin tin with non stick spray, and spoon about a teaspoon into the bottom of each cup.   Place 3-4 pieces of the sausage on top of the batter, and then top the sausage off with another spoon full of batter (until the batter is at the tippy top of the muffin cup).  Like this…

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until your sausage bites are golden and cooked through, test with a toothpick making sure it comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar if your feeling fancy like I was the other morning! Serve with maple syrup for dipping! Gobble these up!

Did I say I was done sharing pumpkin flavored recipes? I take it back, I take it all back.  Just don’t listen to me when I say I am done with something, I am a creature of habit and whatever I give up will more than likely creep back around at some point.  These pumpkin doughnuts are fantastic, too good not to share.  I pondered about purchasing a doughnut pan for a while now.  Was it worth it? Would it get enough use? So glad I snatched one off the shelves, because with just one use I feel like I has paid for itself.  This batch of doughnuts made 16 doughnuts.  They were moist, fluffy, and cake like.  To top it all off – a much healthier version of the treat we all love to indulge in.  My doughnut pan only has room for 6 at a time, but the doughnuts bake in 15 minutes, so it was not a pain to do a few rounds.  Make sure to add a doughnut pan to your pantry this week.  You will be so glad you did, especially when I keep tossing delicious recipes your way to use with it!

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour

directions:

preheat the oven to 350* spray your doughnut pan with non stick spray

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, eggs, salt, spices and baking powder until combined evenly.

Add the flour, stirring until the flour has incorporated to create a smooth batter.

Lastly, take a pastry bag, or a zip loc bag, and fill half of the batter into the bag.  Cut the corner off one end, and pipe a thick circle of batter into each doughnut circle, 3/4 full.  Continue with all 6, sprinkle with sugar sprinkles, and place them into the oven at 350* for 15-18 minutes.  Turn the doughnuts out onto a wire rack and let cool.  Continue doing the same steps with the left over batter, making sure to re-spray your pan in between batches!

Feeling naughty? Stir in chocolate chips into your batter before piping.  Make sure to cut a larger hole in your piping bag to squeeze them out!

Store in an airtight container and enjoy for the next few mornings!

 tweaked:

Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts: King Arthur Flour

Happy Halloween!

Our painted pumpkins were super cute for a few days on our front steps this week.  Unfortunately, the rain has washed the pretty colors away, so I am glad Dad snagged a quick picture of them the other day.  Last night we ended up carving two more pumpkins, but the kids we far less interested in the process than I could have ever imagined.  Owen was terrified of the pumpkin guts, until mom joked around and put them on her face (I’m gross I know) – then I got a few chuckles and the tears subsided!

Brody was in his costume of choice at 7:30 this morning, and threw a pretty fantastic crying fit when we told him he had to take it off while we ran errands.  Oh, I know, we’re mean.  But, it was wet, and raining, and well, we wanted his costume to be someone decent for this evening! Brody is “Iron Man” … and Owen is “Bumble Bee” the transformer.  Long gone are the days of darling costumes … I had 3 Halloween’s of Brody in different costumes that were so sweet.  Nemo, Mickey Mouse, and a little monkey.  Owen, was Batman and Spiderman so far .. he’s always followed in his big brothers foot steps.  Rough and tough, too cool for school they are now.

Anyone sick of all things pumpkin flavored yet? Love it? Hate it? For the lovers, such as I, here is one last pumpkin treat for you.

Pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies! YUM! I made these for my cousin’s wedding this past weekend.  All the aunts and cousins made a cookie of their choice and at the reception that had a table swimming in treats for the guests to take home with them.  We did it for our wedding, but never got to see the reaction of the guests, so it was really cool to see how into it the guests were.  Every wedding should have this! A really sweet way for the family to come together and have their own little part of the wedding!

These cookies turned out fantastic, soft and fluffy, packed full of flavor, and stayed soft for days!

ingredients:

• 3 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• sugar coating
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

directions:

Pre heat the oven to 350* Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and spices) together, and set aside.

With a handheld mixer, whip together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the pumpkin puree, mix well.  Add one egg, and the vanilla extract and mix until everything is combined thoroughly.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, slowly.  Mixing until your cookie dough forms.

Using a cookie scoop, roll a ball, and then dip each ball into your sugar-coating.  Place onto the cookie sheet.  When your cookie sheets are full (each cookie 1 1/2 inches apart) Take a drinking glass, wet the bottom slightly, and place it in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Flatten the tops of the cookies slightly prior to baking.  Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are barely golden.  Let cool on a wire rack, and store in an airtight container.

barely tweaked:

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles | Annie’s Eats

Stumped on what to do for dinner tonight? Have little to no time to throw something together?

We fly through tortilla wraps in this house.  For tacos, quesadillas, homemade tortilla chips, or my favorite peanut butter and honey combo… the possibilities keep them on the shelf here.

This wrap is a great way to utilize your fresh picked apples this fall.  A tangy and sweet chicken wrap that the whole family will love.

You can either prep chicken breasts and make them the night prior like I did (using our lemon Dijon marinade) Or if you are really tight on time, simply pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store and slice it up!

SUPER simple.  Extremely delicious!

ingredients:

sliced chicken breast 

feta cheese

dried cranberries

diced apple

baby spinach

raspberry vinaigrette

tortilla wraps 

directions:

Simply take the cooked, sliced chicken breasts and place in bowl.  Add one diced apple (we used green).  A handful of dried cranberries + feta cheese.  Toss everything together with a few tablespoons of raspberry vinaigrette.  Lay baby spinach on the bottom of the wrap, spoon the chicken mixture on top, roll and enjoy!

Rainy day baking usually always equals success in my kitchen.  I don’t know what it is about spontaneously whipping something up that provides such a great result.  Last week I was day dreaming about making a carrot cake version of our favorite go to bread.   When after prepping the ingredients, and trying to bust it out before meeting up with a dear friend, I excitedly pulled them out of the oven and one of them splattered straight to the ground.  I am sure a muffled curse word followed, as I was hoping to share the other loaf with family.  This disaster kept me out of the kitchen for the next 24 hours.   Thankfully, one made it to the cooling rack safely, and was just as delicious as I thought it would have been.

These pumpkin scones were just the thing needed to save me from my big baking uh-o. It has been raining a lot here lately, which has made it extra cold and cozy at night.  So, making these scones and turning on the oven was exactly what I needed.  I know some people shy away from scones because they tend to be dry.  These scones however are so light, moist and still have the favorite crumbly texture of a scone.  The glaze of course takes the scones right over the edge, adding just enough sweet to the pumpkin spice scattered throughout the dough.

I was shocked to see how quickly these came together, taking little to no effort.  The longest part was flash freezing them for 30 minutes in the freezer prior to baking.  Can’t go wrong with a King Arthur recipe.  These glazed pumpkin scones will definitely be making another appearance this fall!

ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 heaping tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup cold cubed butter
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• for glaze..
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk
• heaping dash of vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

directions:

In one large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

Next, add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture, barely incorporating it with your fingers until the butter is scattered throughout.

Add the pumpkin puree, and eggs, stirring until a dough forms.

On a well floured surface, pour the dough out and form a ball.  Split the dough in half.  And create two 6″ circles about 1 inch depth for each.  Place the circles onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and then proceed to cut your triangles to the size you desire.

Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 30 minutes prior to baking.  In the meantime, pre heat the oven to 425*

When you are ready to bake, line two pie dishes with parchment paper, place your scones into the dishes, and bake at 425* for 22-25 minutes, until the scones are just golden.

Let cool completely before you glaze them.

For the glaze, mix 2 cups powdered sugar with a heaping dash of vanilla extract and about 4 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.   You’ll want the glaze to be of a thicker consistency.   Dunk the tops of each scone into the glaze, and leave them on a wire rack to drip and harden.

Store the scones, and they are best eaten within two days.

Recipe tweaked from:

Harvest Pumpkin Scones: King Arthur Flour