Pumpkin Cake, Take Two

Remember my pumpkin cake? It got a little upgrade this week! With a little extra frosting and pecans I am pretty sure this is now a dessert Martha would be proud of...

Turkey Chili

I can't believe Thanksgiving is finally here! I am so beyond excited! I think it is so silly when people complain about splitting up their holidays between multiple families, because we honestly couldn't be happier about it! We get THREE dinner leftovers. Our first Thanksgiving dinner was celebrated at my dad's house. We had a very traditional Thanksgiving, it was fantastic...all of Grandma Denton's recipes! I contributed by bringing pumpkin cake. (Click here for the link.) Our family is all about getting creative, and so for Thanksgiving dinner at the Vance house, we are mixing it up and having turkey chili instead of a traditional turkey. As much as we love Thanksgiving leftovers, chili is something we can freeze for a while and wont be stuck having turkey everything for the next week. Don't worry though, all of our side dishes are sticking to Thanksgiving traditions!

Turkey Chili

Ingredients: 

2 lbs lean ground turkey

3 1/2 cups canned pinto beans

3 1/2 cups canned red kidney beans

3 1/4 cup tomato sauce

3 1/2 cups petite cut diced tomatoes

2 cups diced celery

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 cups water
(I suggest adding a cup of chopped onion to the chili, but Marc is very allergic to onions so I can't!) 

Additional Toppings:

sour cream

shredded cheese

tortilla chips 

Directions: In a skillet, brown the turkey and drain any access fat. Add the turkey and all ll remaining ingredients into the crock-pot. Cook on low for four hours. 

Additional Information:  

Based off of twelve servings per batch, there are 320 calories per serving. Along with being delicious, this recipe is very budget friendly, each serving costs about $1.10.

How cute are these bowls? I found them at Goodwill for 79 cents each! They are perfect for our shredded cheese and sour cream toppings!

The Easiest Pumpkin Cake Recipe Ever

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients: 

1 29oz can of pumpkin pure

2 boxes of Pillsbury moist supreme yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1 tub of cream cheese frosting

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350. Using an electric mixer, combine canned pumpkin, cake mix, and eggs. Pour the mixture into two greased pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Cool, ice, and enjoy!

Christmas & Crochet

I am just going to admit it, my tree is up. Before you go on and judge me, let me just say that for one, my tree makes me happy. And right now I am extremely stressed out, so shouldn't that be enough of a reason to put it up? And if I do need any more reason than that, my house currently looks like Santa's workshop with orders EVERYWHERE. I have crocheted more in the past two weeks than I have all year! It has been a ton of work, but I love the fact that one of my favorite pass times can make us a little extra money, which is always nice, especially around this time of the year. Here is a peek into what my life currently looks like. P.S. It is our second Christmas together, which is perfectly symbolized by our two red cups on the tree!

Banana Bread

What do you do when your bananas all brown overnight and Halloween chocolate chips are on sale? Chocolate chip banana bread of course! 

Banana Bread:

Ingredients: 

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 medium bananas
2 eggs

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350. Mash bananas and cream with sugar, butter, and eggs. Once smooth, combine with flour and baking soda. If desired, fold in chocolate chips. Fill 2 greased bread pans about half way full. Bake for 40-45 minutes. If you don't plan on serving the banana bread right away, I'd bake it closer to 40 minutes to keep the inside moist. Enjoy!