Best of the Month December 2013

A review of my most popular blog posts from December.

I've been trying to get out my best of the month posts on the last day of the month but I totally forgot this month.  I was so excited to get my Super Bowl post out (and figure out what I was making for the big game) that it just slipped my mind.  Well I'm posting it now.  It's only a little late.

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole 

Pin it:

A pasta casserole made with my favorite burger toppings of bacon, cheese, jalapenos, and barbecue sauce.  This received 264 views and 46 +1s.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Pin it:

Soft, moist, and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies that taste like pumpkin pie.  127 views and 53 +1s.

Christmas Sugar Cookies from My Sweet Mission 

Pin it:

This is a guest post from Heather at My Sweet Mission for day 4 of The 12 Days of Bloggy Christmas.  These are crowd pleasing traditional sugar cookies.  133 views and 13 +1s.

10 Hand Made Gifts in Under 30 Minutes from The Ruffled Stitch 

Pin it:

This is also a guest post from The 12 Bloggy Days of Christmas.  This was day 9 from Darcy at The Ruffled Stitch.  A collection of simple hand made gifts that take less than 30 minutes to make.  97 views and 7 +1s.

Cornmeal Stars with Orange Glaze from Yesterfood 

Pin it:

These orange flavored sugar cookies with a crunch of cornmeal are from Joy at Yesterfood.  This guest post was the 1st Day of Bloggy Christmas.  66 views and 19 +1s.

Well that was my December.  I hope you enjoyed looking back with me.  And thanks to all my readers and all the members of the 12 Bloggy Days of Christmas:

           

Read more ...

Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Soft, moist, and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies that taste like pumpkin pie.

It seems like pumpkin is the official flavor of fall.  When things start cooling down out come the pumpkin lattes, seasonal pumpkin beers, and every blog is full of pumpkin recipes.  Living in Hawaii, we don't get much of a change of seasons.  The temperature cools slightly from highs of 80s to highs of 70s and it rains more.  I'm not complaining I love the weather here but I don't always have the same fall food interests when the rest of the U.S. does.  I did have a can of pumpkin puree in my pantry and decided to use it in cookies.

I had the great idea of adding pumpkin to oatmeal raisin cookies.  I wanted them to be very pumpkiny so I used the whole can of pumpkin in a basic oatmeal raisin cookie recipe (from my Better Homes and Garden cook book).  The dough was much wetter than a usual oatmeal cookie dough but it kept it's shape when dropped onto a cookie sheet.  They didn't puff or spread at all and were difficult to tell if they were done, but they tasted amazing.  They were chewy and very tender and moist with great pumpkin flavor.  Even my last few cookies a week later were still soft and moist.  Even though they did not look perfect I think these were a success.

Ingredients:
(modified from BHG)

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I mixed dark and light)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups flour
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Then add the baking soda, salt, and spices mixing well.

Stir in the egg, vanilla and pumpkin until combined then add the flour and mix well.

Lastly stir in the oatmeal and raisins.

Drop by the teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes until set.

Let cool on pan for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes about 5-6 dozen cookies.

Enjoy.

Read more ...