Instant Pot Pecan Pie Cheesecake

October 25, 2022 Amanda Plott

With Halloween this week, and Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to play around with a new cheesecake recipe. Desserts around the holidays are always a source of debate in our family. What to make, who’s making it, and when to eat it. I’ve got a handful of favorites to serve around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I also like to come up with new ideas to throw out there. This Instant Pot Pecan Pie Cheesecake is definitely going in as a suggestion.

It’s pretty easy to make, especially for a cheesecake. The instant pot does the most of the work and quickly too. As it turns out, a pressure cooker is a really efficient way to make cheesecakes! This one though, kind of combines a cheesecake with a pecan pie, so it’s basically the best of both worlds…

Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake

September 19, 2022 Amanda Plott

Not all poke cakes are created equal! This Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake is basically taking a poke cake and mashing it together with the deliciousness that is pumpkin spice. It starts off with a boxed spice cake mix and adds even more spice to it a long with a TON of pumpkin. In fact, whipping up a cake mix or brownie mix with pumpkin puree is an old trick I’ve used before to lighten up a cake!

Once the cake is baked, it’s poked through and topped off with some sweetened condensed milk that seeps through and makes that cake sweet and full of richness. Then it’s all topped off with some whipped cream and even heath bits for added crunch texture!…

Healthified Pumpkin Pound Cake

September 16, 2022 Amanda Plott

I haven’t made a pound cake in a good long while, and I certainly haven’t have the change to make a seasonal one. So today was the day! This Healthified Pumpkin Pound Cake is as good as it gets! It’s dense and buttery and perfectly delish - just as as good pound cake should be. It’s got even more moister packed into its spongy goodness with the addition of pumpkin in there too.

And the added flavors of pumpkin spice makes this pound cake the perfect thing to enjoy as we roll into Fall and hopefully cooler weather. Yes, I’m still hopeful that my Fall inspired recipes lately will continue to cool things off here in Texas…

Apple Pecan Jar Salad

August 23, 2022 Amanda Plott

So, while it may be starting to cool off, it’s still very hot here. That being said as we slide into the end of August I am READY for Fall this year more than I even usually am. Which is saying a lot since Fall is probably my favorite season next to Spring - which we entirely skipped this year somehow and instead just went Winter straight into Summer. Bleh.

This Apple Pecan Jar Salad gives me all the vibes of Fall while also being light, cold, and crisp while we’re in the middle of this heat still. So it’s definitely a win-win situation. Plus, these jar salads are absolutely perfect for having on hand when you want and need a bite for lunch but also don’t have time to whip something up. Make ahead meals for the win!…

Giant Halloween Cookies

October 10, 2021 Amanda Plott

So far it seems that I have escaped the making of my chocolate ginger bat cookies this year. I think my daughter has been too busy with school and cheer that she hasn’t had the time to remember to ask me for them. And that’s totally find with me because that means that I have the time to make other Halloween inspired cookies - like these Giant Halloween Cookies!

These cookies are HUGE. I’m taking thick AND bigger than my spread out hand. That’s why I listed them as two servings per cookie. But, don’t let that stop you. These cookies are so good that you’ll want to eat the whole thing…

Brain Meatloaf

October 3, 2021 Amanda Plott

I’ve taken my classic meatloaf recipe and molded it into the shape of a brain for a fun Halloween inspired twist. My meatloaf is made with plenty of vegetables loaded into it, onion, bell pepper, and zucchini too! So it’s healthified and lightened up while still being scary good.

Usually meatloaf is made with ketchup, but I decided to use tomato sauce and tomato paste along with salt and pepper to lower the amount of sugar and also to be able to control the level of salt. It’s a good little swap that doesn’t effect the taste or texture and gives you a lot more bang for your buck!