Spiced Pumpkin Pillow Cookies (With Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting)

Fall brings to mind chilly evenings, warm knits and delicious baking smells! My most favorite fall cookie is the spiced pumpkin pillows! They are delicious, fluffy cake-like cookies and the drizzle adds just a hint of spiced creamy sweetness. 

Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
* 1/2 tsp salt (if using salted butter,leave this out)
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
* 1 cup cooked mashed pumpkin, canned or fresh
* 1 large egg
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease your baking sheets, unless you are using an air-bake sheet.

2. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt (unless using salted butter) into a bowl (not your mixing bowl).

3. Cream sugar and butter (in your mixer bowl) until blended.

4. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture, beat until blended.

5. Drop Tablespoonfuls onto your baking sheets, approximately 1 inch apart. Doesn't have to be perfectly spaced but the cookies do spread a little.

6. BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are firming up and the center is no longer jiggly. Cool the cookies on your baking sheet for a minute or two; then place onto to wire cooling racks.

7. Pipe 'drizzles' of frosting over the cookies.
TIP - You can use a piping bag and tip, or just put your frosting in a plastic sandwich baggie and snip off one little corner, for a fast (and disposable) version of a piping bag!

Makes approx. 30 good sized cookies.

I eat these for breakfast with coffee, after lunch for a treat or as a midnight snack, with tea!

Happy Baking!

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Grilled Cheese 'Witch Fingers'

This is a fun way to present an old standby, grilled cheese sandwiches! They are incredibly easy to make, and will 'bewitch' your little ghouls and boils (er, girls and boys).  ;)

Ingredients:
Bread
Cheese (we used colby, but the type doesn't really matter as long as it has some fat in it. Low fat cheeses have a hard time melting!)
butter
small leftover piece of ham (for fingernails)
Paring Knife(optional)

1. Make your grilled cheese sandwiches. If you have never made that before (though I am sure most of you have) spread a thin layer of butter over two pieces of bread, and (buttered sides OUT) make your sandwich in the pan.  The pan should be on medium heat, and after a minute or so (when the first side is nicely browned) flip your sandwich to brown the other buttery side.
VOILÀ ! Grilled Cheeses.
2. Cut your sandwiches into thin 'fingers', with one end coming to a finger-like point. Add a small triangle of ham, or other lunch meat, as the fingernail. You can add 'finger knuckle wrinkles' (is that what they are called? lol) with a paring knife if desired.
3. Serve with Tomato rice soup - we use Campbell's, which is nice and thick and creamy (especially if you use a can of milk instead of water when preparing).
4. Try dipping your 'fingerlings' into the blood-thick soup. It is delicious! In a pinch, we will just dip in ketchup (well, my husband and offspring will, I won't!)


This is a fun way to get some food into your little monsters before sending them out to trick-or-treat the neighborhood! (Full bellies=less candy consumed before you can check it over!)

I apologize for the horrible picture quality - my camera is claiming to be dead. I am convinced I can revive it, pull a Frankenstein or something, but until then...web-cam pictures. Bleh! :D


This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Pancakes From a Mix

I love homemade pancakes, the kind where you start with flour and go from there...they always taste wonderful! But to be honest, I don't always have the time to measure out a bunch of ingredients - I want to toss something together and feed my hungry boils and ghouls (er, boys and girls). So I came up with the lazy way!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pancake mix
1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
1 large egg
1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp Vanilla
3/4 cup canned or pureed pumpkin (or fresh cooked)
1/2 cup water

Step 1 - Prep your Griddle
If using an electric griddle, heat to 375 Degrees F. If using a pan, heat until drops of water dance and evaporate immediately (med. heat). When the griddle/pan is ready, lightly grease the griddle with butter. You don't need a lot!

Step 2 - Measure & Mix
In a medium bowl, mix the pancake mix and spices together. Measure flour by lightly spooning it into the measuring cup, then leveling off with the back of a knife. In another bowl, whisk the egg and the brown sugar together. Stir in the oil, the pumpkin, and most of the water. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined adding more water to obtain the right consistency.

If you have time, refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes before you start cooking the pancakes.

Step 3 - Cook the Cakes
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour your batter. Pour fast, leaving a 2" space between each pancake. Let them cook until the edges start to look firm/crispy, and bubbles form in the middle.
Using a flat spatula,carefully slide it under each pancake. Using your wrist, quickly flip the pancakes.
Let the pancakes cook for another minute or two. the second side may be a little lighter in color than the first, this is okay!

Don't worry if your first attempts aren't perfect, you will get better with practice!

Step 4 - Eat!

They can be kept warm in a 200 degrees F oven, but they're best eaten right out of the pan. Serve with your favorite toppings, like syrup...or smear with honey butter!

These are a great Sunday morning breakfast, but we like to make them on Halloween for dinner, so we have full bellies before trick or treating (less candy eaten on the sly that way).

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Make a Chalkboard Pumpkin

My daughter and I made a few chalkboard pumpkins from craft pumpkins. Use them to count down the days til Halloween, or draw a different jack-o-lantern face every day of October! 

Materials:

Craft pumpkin

chalkboard paint

paint brush

chalk

1. Wipe down the pumpkin to remove and dust or dirt.

2. Paint with chalkboard paint. We did 2 coats and let dry overnight.

3. Draw on a funny face with chalk!

Super easy and super fun!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Super Easy (and FAST) Semi Homemade Minestrone Soup

When we want something hot, filling and (semi) homemade, I whip up a pot of my Super Easy Minestrone Soup!

2 cans, 6 spices, noodles and frozen veggies...you can't mess this up. 

Ingredients:

3 Cups Water

3 Vegetable (or Chicken) Bullion Cubes

1 Can Red Kidney Beans (undrained)

1 Can Diced Tomatoes (undrained)

2 Cups Uncooked Pasta

2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning

1 Teaspoon Celery Salt

1 Teaspoon Parsley (optional)

1 1/2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Frozen Italian Vegetables (our mix included carrots, yellow zucchini and broccoli)

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups water to boil and add bullion cubes.

2. Add beans (liquid and all), tomatoes(liquid and all) and herbs. Cook for around 10 minutes, stirring once. 

3. Add the pasta and vegetables, cook until tender. 

4.  Salt & pepper to taste. 

I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on the top of each bowl before serving. 

Makes: (4) 1 1/2 cup servings 

(enough for my family of 4, when served with warm crusty Italian Flat Bread!)

Happy Cooking!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Make Your Own DIY Handmade Shower & Tub Cleaner

I just got back to doing this (I don't know why I stopped, perhaps all the free cleaning supplies I've gotten with coupons?!?) but now my shower and tub are ALWAYS spotless! 

Easy Home-Made Shower & Tub Cleaner: 

(I guess Grandma DOES always know the best way to do things!) Happy Cleaning!

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Make Red Angry Birds Pumpkins

We had a Halloween party, and one of the activities was angry bird pumpkin painting! The kids had a blast, and everyone got to take theirs home. They were easy and a lot of fun!

Materials:

Foam pumpkins

Red craft paint

White craft paint

Black craft foam

Yellow craft foam

Red feathers

Googly eyes

Directions:

1. Paint your pumpkin red and white, as shown.
2. Once the paint is dry (play another game while you wait, or paint the pumpkins ahead of time and let the kids add the details) glue on the googly eyes, foam beak and eyebrows. Add the red feathers on top.
3. Let everything dry.

(We did paint the pumpkins ahead of time and let the kids add the details. They had more fun and got to play more games that way.)

Happy crafting!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

10 Easy & Cheap Costume Ideas

If you don't have the time or cash to invest into a Halloween costume, I have put together 10 easy and cheap costume ideas. If you want a full costume or just an accessory, you'll find what you need here!  Start digging through your closets and drawers, pull open one of these 10 Instructables, and see what you can make!

The Birds Costume by JorIsa

LMFAO ROBOT COSTUME byTChin1108

Easy Candy Corn Costume by eclipsed

LEGO Halloween Costume(using recycled materials) by boston09

last minute swat costume by paintball soldier

Dilbert costume by pluralmolecule

Wee Gnome Halloween Costume byjessandstavro

DIY Fairy Wings HOW-TO and BONUS Costume Essential bythreadbanger

How to make a superhero cape! byjessyratfink

Star Trek 2009 Uhura Costume bygiannyl

Happy crafting!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Easy DIY Costume - Little Raven - for under $6

My daughter was invited to an early Halloween party, and she neglected to tell me until last minute (of course). I had to do the best with what I had on hand, and come up with something that was "you know...scary, but not too scary,mom". What we came up with was a little raven! She loves this costume, and likes to wear it around the house, chanting "nevermore!" over and over (and over and over and over and over!)

Lil' G, trick or treating 

Materials:
Black hoodie (old, had on hand)
Black feather boa ($2)
Googly eyes ($2)
Stiff craft felt, black ($1.75)
scissors (on hand)
black thread and needle (on hand)
Hot glue gun (on hand)

Instructions:
1. Thread your needle, and use to attach the boa to the back and arms of the hoodie, in a T shape on the back. This gives you 2 wings and a tail! I just anchored it in several places with tight stitches.
2. Cut a triangle 'beak' out of the stiff black felt. Sew it and a few feathers along the top of the hood. It doesn't have to be perfect!
3. Use the hot glue gun on med-low, and attach the googly eyes to the hood.

There you go, an adorable costume in 5 minutes! The pieces all stayed put all night. For a quick "I need a costume NOW" fix, this was great. My daughter was the hit of the party, and several moms asked me to make birdy costumes for their kids! This can be adapted to pretty much any bird. 

Happy crafting!

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

ABOUT ME AND CONTACT INFO

~A Little About J.Rae~

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, in a household where the words "budget" and "coupons" were used a lot. I learned how to use what we had to the best of our ability, and let nothing go to waste. Now that I am running my own household, these odd skills have come in handy! 

I spent the first half of my childhood raised by my stepmother, a woman with ties to the Amish community. She taught me how to sew, how to re-use common objects for practical (and sometimes just fun) uses around the house, and how to really clean a home. 

The second half of my formative years, I spent with my Mother ~ a free spirited, sometimes crazy, always tough woman who taught me that sometimes, the chores can wait! Your kids are only young once! 

I started a family of my own and we moved to a rural town in Central Illinois, near Springfield. I realized that though I've lived most of my life in the suburbs, and a large part of my adult life working in Chicago...I am a country girl at heart! The pace of life is a bit slower here, the people are friendly, and I secretly have always wanted to be a homesteader. 

We are saving up for what we call our "Forever House", which will hopefully have just enough land for me to grow our own veggies and herbs. I love to cook, so this is a big deal to me. I am married, addicted to coffee and a Pisces. When not writing for Little Mom on the Prairie, I write for Little Mom Saves, and am a freelance copy writer for several companies. 

~What You Can Expect~

You will also find my original recipes and crafts, as well as round ups of crafts from some of my favorite blogs. I have started writing about working from home, as well. I hope to add more to my gardening page ASAP.

I might sometimes share a special deal from Little Mom Saves, if I think it is just too good to pass up, or if it is craft/recipe related. 

Thanks again for visiting! If you like what you see, tell your friends!

If you have any questions feel free to email:

ilovethefree@yahoo.com

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.