Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Oh my word. Am I excited about this recipe. It just screams fall... and its delicious!! I think my favorite part is smelling it while its baking. Amazing!! You just have to try it!! Its compliments of my friend Kate - she said it is a recipe from her mother. I can tell you - it is now a Watts family recipe as well!

Ingredients
1 large can pumpkin
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/8 t. cloves
1/2 t. salt
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 c. chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Directions
Mix eggs, milk, sugar, pumpkin and spices.
Pour into a 9 X 13 buttered baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix over the mixture.
Drizzle melted butter over top. Sprinkle nuts on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Can serve with whipped topping.

Baked Orzo with Chicken and Vegetables

Sorry for my long absence! Sam said its because we can't ever get home to have a meal! Well, finally we did the other night and I tried out a recipe which needed to be all of these things: cheap, tasty, convenient. (Meaning I can keep the ingredients on hand - since I get home late lots of evenings its nice to have recipes where I have non-perishable ingredients so I don't have to stop at the store! Although I do love fresh ingredients!) This is kind of my take on a chicken and rice bake, but I thought the orzo would be a fun, Italian touch!

I hope I didn't forget anything! Sam really liked this, so I was glad. Because that is the true test of whether I will make a recipe again or not! He didn't even notice the vegetables.



Ingredients

2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound orzo
small onion, chopped
1 can of chicken
tbs. olive oil
breadcrumbs (can use dried or I used 2 slices of bread shredded in my food processor).
2 tbs. butter
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of vegetables (I used peas and carrots)
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Bring the chicken stock to boiling. Once its boiling, add the orzo and turn heat to medium. Let simmer until orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed.

While that is cooking, saute onions and chicken over medium heat in a saute pan. If the chicken is in large chunks, I like to break it up so it is more shredded. Once the onions are softened a bit, remove from heat.

Saute breadcrumbs and butter until they are toasted.

In a large bowl, mix the orzo (no need to drain - a little extra stock is good!), chicken and onions, soup, can of vegetables, and Parmesan. Mix.

In a 9X9 pan, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the mixture in the pan. Cover with breadcrumbs. Put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, just until it is bubbling.




Enjoy this warm, gooey, cheap, convenient recipe!