THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS BLOG PARTY #6 and Pumpkin Apple Cinnamon Cake Donuts

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Blog Party #6

Christmas Baking: Sweets, Treats, Candy & Gift Ideas

December is here and that brings Christmas cheer everywhere. The beautiful trees are decorated, the houses have sparkling lights on them and all around I think everyone just seems like they are a little bit happier when Christmas is near! My house is all decorated (yes we have 3 trees this year), my shopping is all done, I still need to wrap my gifts (that will be tomorrow) and now I am happy that I can concentrate on the more important things. Family, Baking for friends, and donating my time & efforts to a few things that are dear to my heart which are Operation Christmas Child (my family packed over 120 shoe boxes for kids this weekend) and Operation Baking Gals (baking for soldiers).

My baking days will be next Saturday and Sunday (make sure you come back often to look for lots and lots of Christmas Baking recipes). I bake for about 40-60 people/families each year and I plan on sharing all my recipes here along in my 12 days of Christmas Goodies Blog Hop Party I will be hosting here starting at the end of this week!

Here is my first Christmas Baking recipe, I made these for the kids last week and there was not one single one left-over. I would say they were a HUGE HIT and will for sure make it into my family scrapbook/cookbook we are creating with our FAVORITE RECIPES from my blog.

Pumpkin Apple Cinnamon Cake Donuts

from Cherry Tea Cakes

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

½ teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon (we used regular cinnamon)

½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup peeled, cored and chopped apple

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Vietnamese cinnamon (again used regular cinnamon)

apple cider or water

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 12 doughnut molds.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into doughnut molds filling roughly half full.

Bake for roughly ten minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool, and decorate accordingly.

To make the apple cinnamon glaze mix powdered sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add cider or water until you reach the desired consistency. Dip each doughnut in and allow glaze to set.

This recipe also shared with: Meatless Mondays, Made by You Mondays, Mouthwatering Monday, Home for the Holidays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday , Market Yourself Monday and Homemaker Monday

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We are into the 6th week of THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS we hope you are enjoying coming back each week to check out all the recipe and of course link up too. This has been so fun reading other bloggers recipes and having a quick reference back to specific recipes. Here is a complete list of the past weeks and a list of what's coming up too!

Everyone is invited, if you don’t have a blog, then please post your recipe HERE in the comments for others to see.

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This week's theme

Christmas Baking: Sweets, Treats, Candy & Gift Ideas

This is your chance to share what you are Baking for Christmas this year? The holidays are here and the busy time has begun. Do you bake for your office, kids classroom or neighbors? How do you share your holiday baking with everyone? I can't wait to hear what all of you do? Please link directly to your post, NOT to your home page and you MUST include a link back to one of our hosts of "This Week's Cravings", using the button (or a direct link). NOT EVERYONE IS following the rules, please LINK back in your post (not on a separate page of linky parties), because then your readers can NOT click to find all these yummy recipes everyone is sharing! 

Here is just the start of my baking supplies, my cupboard was so full I had to pull out another table!
Let the FUN TIMES begin!

This Week's Cravings Past & Future Recipe Links

November 22 - Recipes for "What to do with Thanksgiving Left-Overs"

November 29 - Crock-Pot Recipes

December 6 - Christmas Baking: Sweets, Treats, Candies & Gift Ideas

December 13 - Eat, Drink & Have a Merry Christmas!!!

December 20 - Christmas Brunch Ideas

This is a BLOG HOP PARTY so please hop around

and read the other Crock-Pot Ideas!

Click for complete list of guidelines for This Week's Cravings

Family Meal Planning (12-05-10)

Click here to see previous week's Family Meal Planning!

Thanksgiving is OVER.. and now Christmas season is beginning. I wanted to re-cap my Thanksgiving menu with all of you and I will be posting these receipes (over the next few weeks). These recipes will all work great for your Christmas Holiday Dinners too. (and yes if it's marked off, that means it was NOT a repeat recipe and therefore will not be making it to my blog)

Deviled Eggs

Spinach Artichoke Casserole

Turkey Apples & Butter

Sausage & Cranberry Stuffing

Sweet Potatoes & Apples

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese (made Pioneer Womens, BUT family perfers our recipe)

Smashed Crock-Pot Mashed Potatoes

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Green Bean Casserole

Grandma's Homemade Rolls

White Chocolate Layer Cake

Pumpkin Cranberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Treat

Can you believe it's December? AHHHHH, where did the year go? I always feel like this, like the year just flew by and I am wondering where it went. My twin daughters turned 17 this year and I am cherishing every moment and just am in amazement that they will be turning 18 next year and then going off to college, so soon! Well, let's just plan on this week's menu instead of planning my daughters' entire future! (thanks for listening) :-)

We have been collecting recipes for 5 weeks now with THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS and we have an amazing on-line recipe collection of some great themes. We like to have themes each week on our linky, so that if ever in the future you need a specific recipe, this will be an easy reference for all.

Crock-Pot Recipes (lots of recipes for those all day shopping sprees)

Thanksgiving Dinner & Side Dishes (these will work for other holidays too)

Thanksgiving Cookies & Treats (this may work for other holidays too)

Pumpkin Recipes (pumpkin recipes are perfect for this season)

Here my PLAN for this week of Family Meal Planning...my mother-in-law is in town for a month which I am so grateful for and I know she will be helping me making some of my husbands favorite things.

Check back at the end of the week and we will link the actual recipe!

(not all recipes will become reality so if there is not a link, we haven't made it yet)

Grandma's French Toast

Monroco

Pumpkin Smoothie

Grandma's Fried Chicken

Pumpkin Oatmeal

G'ma Spaghetti

Magic Muffins

Homemade Lasagna

Turkey Pot Pie

Blueberry Muffin Tops

Crock-Pot BBQ Chicken and Skillet Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

Crunch-Berry Pancakes

Beef Stew

This post is linked to: I'm an Organizing Junkie: Meal Plan Monday

Also don't forget to link up with us

"THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS"

Deviled Eggs

Fridays at MOMS CRAZY COOKING is Recipe Only!

I found this recipe over at Angel Foods Kitchen!

Ultimate Thanksgiving Left-Over Casserole

I actually created my very own recipe last night. I am such a creature of habit and I follow every recipe exactly. I do what it says and don't like to sway too far. But... last night I had this brilliant idea and made an awesome Thanksgiving Left-Over Casserole (ha, someone else probably has made this before, but that's okay, this is my creation this time). This casserole was SO good (and I normally don't like casseroles, I don't like my "food" to touch each other). This tasted just like a Thanksgiving dinner AWESOME, DELICIOUS, MOUTH-WATERING and perfect to make with all the left-overs we had. You may only have one or two more days until those left-overs are ready to be thrown out, so if you have anything left then I encourage you to make this recipe, you will not be disappointed.

Ultimate Thanksgiving Left-Over Casserole

recipe by Tina Hudgens

Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Turkey

1/2 cup Gravy

1/2 cup Chicken Stock or Chicken Broth

I used a 9x13 pan (yes we had that much left over), but however much you have left. If there is enough for an 8x8 pan or smaller that would work just fine too. First spread the mashed potatoes in the bottom of the pan. Just as they are (cold from the refrigerator). Next take 1/2 the stuffing and mix it with your cranberry sauce. We used our homemade whole cranberry sauce, but whatever you have. The can stuff will work. Then spread the stuffing on top of the mashed potatoes. Next is the turkey; layer your left over turkey, I just shredded it with my hands and layed it all over the top of the stuffing. Top it with the other half of your stuffing. Then pour on top the gravy and chicken broth (I did this because I didn't want it to get dried up and it DID NOT... so I guess this trick worked)! Cook in the oven for about 1 hour and serve hot.

We all LOVED it... I even took some to a friend the next day, I guess that is serving left-overs as left-overs again. Kinda funny! She said it was so warm and comforting. So, I think this is a WINNER!

Now, we just have to have LEFT-OVERS to create this recipe again! I will be doing this again the day after Christmas with our Christmas dinner left-overs (I will make extra to make sure there is enough).

We are looking for recipes to put in the crock-pot

please link up if you have any to share. 

"THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS"

This post is linked to: The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap, Gold Star Wednesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Home for the Holidays

Skillet Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar and HOLIDAY HOTTIES WEIGH-IN #2

Holiday Tips to Get it Done from Better Homes and Gardens: Write out a meal plan for ALL days there are guests at your house, not just the day of the big meal. (I will be hosting for the 2nd time my husbands family at my home for 10 days, they will all travel down and they will all stay in our house, we have lots of beds and lots of floor space for kids. There will be about 17+ people there. I have already starting planning the menu for the entire 10 days they are here.)

With all the YUMMY Thanksgiving recipes, my HEALTHY recipe for the week would be my

Pineapple Crisp for Breakfast or the Pumpkin Smoothie (which I had again this morning)!

Watch for this logo for healthy recipes this Holiday Season here on MOMS CRAZY COOKING.

My Holiday Hotties Teams are AWESOME!!  We are checking in with each other daily on our facebook group and this really helps when you want to grab that second helping, reach for that sweet or otherwise slack off. You always think of your TEAM! I hear the average person gains 5+ pounds during the holidays and I KNOW that is NOT going to be me this year! NO WAY, NO HOW!! My weigh-in last week Wednesday was 159.4 and today I am at 160 (I am a little BUMMED, but I know its because of what I ate yesterday... UM Spaghetti at a Restaurant and Ice Cream... WHAT WAS I THINKING???). This week our challenge from The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans was exercise minutes. I did NOT do so well with Thanksgiving, and shopping for 24 hours straight and decorating my house for Christmas (exercise was NOT on my schedule at all) I think I really need to STEP this up like no other, so TODAY, yes TODAY I am going to go to the gym with my daughters (WISH ME LUCK)!!!  I am in the adventure for the LONG-HAUL, and I know SOMEDAY soon I will reach 150 lbs (which is my first milestone I am trying to hit)!!! And now onto my NON-healthy recipe I am sharing and NO we DID NOT eat this this week. My daughter made this some time ago and it's just now in my LONG-LINE of posts. (But it is soooo good for a treat!)

Today I am sharing a wonderful potato dish. My daughter made this (from a recipe) all by herself, of course she refused to let me take a picture of her making them. But even so, they are delicious. She wanted to make them on Thanksgiving, but I couldn't give in. I wanted the traditional Mashed Potatoes (although, since our mashed potatoes did NOT cook properly, I should of just let her).

Skillet Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

from Kraft Food & Family

4 slices Bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (we use turkey bacon)

1 onion, chopped

2 lb potatoes (about 6), thinly sliced

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

6 tbsp Sour Cream

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon, reserving 3 tbsp drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Add onions to skillet; cook and stir 5 min. Stir in potatoes; cover. Cook on medium-low heat 20 to 25 min. or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Top with cheese and bacon; cook, covered, 1 to 2 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream.

We are looking for recipes to put in the crock-pot

and I would love to see some HEALTHY Crock-Pot Recipes,

please link up if you have any to share. 

"THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS"

This post is also linked to: What's on Your Plate, Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop and Tasty Tuesday Parade of Food