The 12 Days of Christmas Indulgences 2011

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Tomorrow is December 1^st, which means Christmas is only 24 days away.  Christmas is my favorite holiday because it means lots of time spent with family and friends, beautiful decorations, twinkle lights, oh yeah and lots of cookies, candies, and treats. 

This is my first Christmas season with the blog, so I wanted to share with you all the PammiCakes 12 Days of Christmas Indulgences.  Starting tomorrow, I will be sharing 12 holiday recipes with you.  They will range from cookies, treats, drinks and breads.  So get your cookie sheets ready, your mixing bowls in place and your Christmas sprinkles in hand, because we are going to be doing so serious baking, drinking and indulging over the next 12 days in preparation for the holiday.  {Well it really isn’t serious; it will be lots of fun}

So join me starting tomorrow to prepare for the Christmas holiday! 

Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

Pancakes are so fun and versatile.  So many different flavors can be added to pancakes to spice up any breakfast {lunch or dinner}.  Pumpkin is a very popular fall flavor, and when fall comes along, I love to incorporate it into any recipe I can for a special treat. 

These pumpkin pancakes are hearty with wheat flour, yet fluffy and delicate.  The pumpkin puree definitely keeps these pancakes moist and delicious.  I topped these pancakes with butter and maple syrup.  If you really want to get fancy, a dusting of cinnamon and/or powdered sugar would probably be pretty amazing too!

Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
Makes 8 pancakes

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
8 tablespoons pumpkin puree

Sift together all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Combine egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin puree in a small bowl.  Add wet ingredients to large bowl with all dry ingredients.  Measure out batter onto a hot griddle that has been greased.  Cook on both sides until golden brown.

Serve with warm maple syrup.

Baked Burritos with Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe

Don’t these burritos look delicious???  We love to go out for Mexican food, but I wanted to find an easy way to make tasty burritos at home.  This recipe couldn’t be easier because everything is already cooked and I just need to assemble the burritos together. 

To make this all work, I went to my freezer!  Last Sunday I roasted the largest chicken I could find at the grocery store and froze my leftovers in separate serving size baggies {about 1 pound each}.  In my freezer, I also have 1 cup containers of frozen tomatillo salsa verde that I made over the summer from my CSA vegetables. 

These are so easy to make on weekdays and have lots of flavor.  Who said you can’t make your favorite restaurant dishes?!?!

Baked Burritos with Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe

Serves 5

Preheat Oven 350^o

1 pound roasted, shredded chicken

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

5 flour tortilla shells

1 can of red kidney beans

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup tomatillo sauce

In a small bowl, mix together all of the spices; garlic powder, onion powder, cumin powder, and cayenne pepper.  In a large bowl with the shredded chicken mix in the spice blend and mix until the chicken is well coated.

On a working space, place one flour tortilla down.  Then down the center, sprinkle the cheese.  Then layer on top of the cheese with chicken, kidney beans, and salsa.  Add as much of each of these to your taste, but make sure to fill them up.  Next, roll up the sides and place the burrito onto a baking sheet.  Repeat until you have filled all of your tortillas.

Once all of your burritos are lined up on the baking sheet, pour the tomatillo sauce over all of the burritos. {My tomatillo sauce was frozen, so I placed it in a small sauce pan with a little water to defrost} Sprinkle more cheese on top.

Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.    

Tips:

1)      If you don’t have roasted, shredded chicken in your freezer you can purchase a roasted chicken from your local grocery.

2)   If you don't want to use shredded chicken, you can use cooked ground beef or pork. 

3)   Instead of meat, these can also be vegetarian with your favorite sautéed vegetables. 

4)      Feel free to add any of your favorites into the burritos to personalize them for you.

5)      If you don’t have tomatillo sauce, buy it at the grocery store or use salsa.

Turkey Day!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish you all a wonderful, fun filled Thanksgiving.  Today I will be enjoying family time at my Nana's house.  The feast will include turkey, my Nana's amazing stuffing, mashed potatoes, my Mom's broccoli casserole, sweet potato casserole, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce and lots more!

Safe travels to everyone and don't forget to save room for dessert. 

Check back into the blog on Saturday for a chicken burrito recipe that can easily be substituted with your leftover turkey!

Apple Crisp Recipe {And Apple Picking Party}

One of my favorite Fall activities is apple picking! Over the years, my husband and I have been hosting an annual Apple Picking Party with our family and friends.  I look forward to this event every year.  It is like Christmas morning for me in October.  It all started years ago with just Bill, myself and my parents.  This year we had 16 fun, excited and apple loving friends and family members join us in this ultimate occasion.



Bill and I hosting our Annual Apple Picking Party {Look at all of those apples behind us! YUMMY}

For the Apple Picking Party, we all meet at my favorite apple orchard, Nashoba Valley Winery, to kick off the fall celebration.  This place is amazing.  Throughout the seasons their orchards are always full of delicious fruits, such as apples, plums, and peaches.  In addition to their beautiful orchards, they brew their own beer, make wines, have tours of the wine making process, wine tastings, and a huge shop.  Another perk to picking your apples at Nashoba Valley Winery is that you can drink their beer and wine on their entire property.  So, this is how I am able to get all of the guys involved too because they can pick apples with a beer in hand! Who doesn’t love that?!?!

Group Action Shot

After our apple picking extravaganza, we head back to my house for lots of hearty fall foods and of course apple crisp dessert.  This is my mother’s recipe and it is always the perfect way to cap off the party.  I hope you enjoy and are inspired to host your own apple picking party next year!

Apple Crisp Recipe
Serves 8-10

Preheat Oven 375^o

4 cups sliced apples (6 medium)

2/3 – 3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

1/3 cup soft margarine or butter

Place apples in a greased 8 inch square or 1/2 quart baking dish. Blend ingredients together with a fork until crumbly.  Sprinkle the topping all over the apples. 

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.

Enjoy apple crisp warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.