pumpkin whoopie pies with cinnamon cream cheese filling

This buttery, rich pumpkin version of whoopie pies is like delicious personal little pumpkin cakes. They are so comforting and Fall-ish!
Who doesn’t love a whoopie pie? Seriously… who?!
Perfect with a big mug of hot black coffee… in front of a glowing fire, if you have one!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling Recipe

Ingredients:
for the cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup melted butter, slightly cooled
3 cups chilled pumpkin purée
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
for the filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamonDirections:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until well mixed. Whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.
Using a small scoop, drop dough about 1 inch apart onto parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the top is slightly crackly and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets while you prepare the filling.
Using your mixer, beat the butter until totally smooth. Beat in cream cheese until combined. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon just until smooth (don’t overbeat!).Turn half of the cookies upside down and dollop with 1 teaspoon of the frosting. Sandwich with another cookie, and press gently to even out the filling. Store in the fridge!

simple sweet potato shepherd’s pie

I had a bag of Steam n’ Mash sweet potatoes in my freezer that were calling my name, so I threw together this easy, comforting dish. We all loved it, including my 6 month old baby who had his pureed with this great baby food mill! :o)

Simple Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs ground beef
3 cups frozen corn, peas or mixed veggies
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 - 1 1/2 cups beef stock
salt & pepper
ground ginger
orange & lemon zest
mashed sweet potatoes*
cinnamon
paprika
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef in a bit of olive oil, seasoning it well with salt, pepper & spices. Remove to a 9×13″ baking dish, and set aside.
In the same pan you browned the beef in, saute the onions until soft - adding a little more olive oil, if needed, and scraping up the browned bits in the pan. Add the garlic and saute for a few seconds, being careful not to burn the garlic!
Stir in the condensed soup and stock, stirring well to combine, and simmer on low.
While the sauce/onion mixture is simmering, scatter the frozen corn on top of the ground beef in your baking dish. Pour the sauce evenly over the top, then ‘frost’ with your mashed sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and paprika, and drizzle with olive oil, if desired.
Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly browned and the sauce is bubbling.
TIP: This is a great make ahead dish: Just prepare the dish without baking it and place it in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to use it. If refrigerated, bake time will be more like 50-60 minutes!
*my super-simple mashed sweet potatoes:
1 bag Oreida Steam n’ Mash sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup milk
ginger, lemon & orange zest - to taste

don’t hold me back

On October 8th, Bjorn sat up unassisted for the first time! As you can see… he had a little motivation from daddy. :o)


But he has been unstoppable ever since! He’s not getting up to sitting from laying down yet, but if he’s at all reclined, he wants to SIT!

I Love My Daddy…

… SO much!

our lazy days comfort food…

When I am just too lazy tired to make anything for dinner that requires any effort, these are our go-to meals. Yep. I’m admitting it. And I’m not going to be ashamed. My boys love this stuff… and the excitement this lazy food generates is sometimes motivation enough to serve it!
Now, I don’t serve them this stuff every night… but it’s definitely at the top of our special treats list! (Just ask Navy - we don’t eat much that comes out of a box or a can around here, so it’s always a fun treat if we do! Not to mention a nice break for me!) :o)