Substitute for Pumpkin Pie Spice

I don't have any Pumpkin Pie Spice. I never use Pumpkin Pie Spice. I never make Pumpkin Pie. I don't like Pumpkin Pie. I don't like pie.
I needed Pumpkin Pie Spice today and I found this great recipe for it. I needed 1 1/4 t. (I was 2/3-ing a recipe) and it made the calculation for me. Awesome! If you ever need Pumpkin Pie Spice, check out this site.

Everyday Cassoulet

No wine. No oven. No duck. This easy cassoulet is something a little different and only took 20 minutes to make.

1/2 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 lb. sausage cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic
1 T. brown sugar
4 green onions, sliced

Brown chicken in skillet. Add sausage, beans, tomatoes and brown sugar. Cook 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Top with green onions. Serve with french bread.

Pumpkin Roll

Yes, more pumpkin. We love to make pumpkin things in the fall. Last night I asked John what he wanted for a treat and he said "pumpkin roll". An hour later we were eating it. I used the first recipe that came up when I googled "pumpkin roll" and it was easy and delicious. I'll definitely be making it again... this week.

For cake, mix together:

3/4 c. flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking power

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cloves

1/4 t. salt

Beat together:

3 large eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. pumpkin

Stir in flour mixture. Spread cake batter on a jelly roll pan greased, covered in waxed paper, and greased and floured. Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. Turn cake onto a kitchen towel sprinkled with 1/4 c. powdered sugar. Peel off waxed paper and roll cake up with towel. Set on cooling rack to cool.

Update: I have tried just rolling the warm roll in the waxed paper, unrolling to add filling, then rolling and peeling.  It worked fine.

For filling, beat until smooth:

1 package light cream cheese

4 T. butter

1 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

Unroll cake and spread with cream cheese mixture. Roll cake up. Recipe said to wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour, but ate it warm immediately.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

This is a special fall breakfast at our house. We call them muffins so we can feed them to our nieces and nephews for breakfast, but secretly they’re cupcakes ;)

spice cake mix
15 oz can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 1/3 c. water
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 t. milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix cake mix, pumpkin, eggs and water and beat thoroughly. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes – until toothpick comes out clean.
While the muffins are cooking, beat cream cheese with 1 t. milk and add powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth enough to spread easily. Frost muffins and eat warm.
Makes about 28-30.

Chicken Satay Stirfry with Orange Rice

I've made this Rachael Ray knockoff a few times and it's delicious. (Original recipe here) It isn't really a 30-minute meal though. I used brown rice, ground ginger, and much less chicken.

Rice:

1 1/2 c. brown rice

3 c. water

zest of 1 orange

Stir Fry:

2 T. oil

2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 c. shredded carrots

6 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 c. snow peas

Satay Sauce:

4 T. peanut butter

3 T. soy

3 T. honey

1/2 t. ginger

1 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 orange, juiced

Garnish:

2 T. chopped peanuts

2 T. chopped cilantro

Cook rice in water with orange zest. Geat oil in skillet over high heat. Add chicken, garlic and onion, stir fry until chicken is nearly cooked. Add remaining veggies and stir fry 5 minutes. Heat all ingredients for sauce over low heat, stirring. Transper stir fry to platter and pour sauce evenly. Sprinkle with garnish and serve over rice.

Pear-Walnut Muffins

1 c. flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ginger

1/8 t. salt

1 egg

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1/2 t. vanilla

1 pear finely chopped

3 T. finely chopped walnuts

2 T. brown sugar

Stir together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In a bowl beat egg; stir in oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Add all at once to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Stir in pear.

Lightly grease twelve muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; fill two-thirds full. For topping, combine walnuts and the 2 tablespoons brown sugar; sprinkle onto batter in cups. Bake in a 400 degree F oven about 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Eclair Cake

The. Most. Delicious. Dessert. Ever. I got this recipe from a roommate my freshman year of college and have probably made it 50 times. Don't be afraid of the "from scratch" crust, this is easy to make and worth every minute.

Crust:

1 stick margarine

1 c. water

1/2 t. salt

1 c. flour

4 eggs

Filling:

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

2 small packages french vanilla pudding

3 c. milk

Topping:

1 container whipped topping

chocolate syrup (see recipe below)

In a medium saucepan, bring water, margarine and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Add eggs, beating between each. Spread batter on a greased jelly roll pan and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Prick bubbles with a fork every 5 minutes.

Beat cream cheese with pudding and milk. Lumps will remain. Spread filling over cooled crust. Spread whipped topping on filling. Drizzle with chocolate syrup just before serving.

Chocolate Syrup

Eclair cake is the only thing I use chocolate syrup for, so I make my own. It's quick and easy.

1/3 c. cocoa

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

Boil for 2-5 minutes