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What’s Cookin’ Wednesday (and a giveaway!)

If this isn’t the first time you’ve visited us here at Mommin’ It Up, this is probably not the first time you’ve heard of my cooking escapades.

There was the pumpkin cake last Halloween. And then there was the time I just about set the crock pot on fire. Ah, yes, that was a classic.

But then you also know that I’m trying to get better.

One thing I’ve learned in the last year or so of trying not to suck so much is that good equipment is important.

I upgraded my appliances, but I also needed to upgrade my cookware, which was of the finest just-married-first-big-kid-apartment quality. It was junk.

Last year I had the opportunity to try out ScanPan during our Holiday Gift Guide, and so when I embarked upon this cooking self-improvement course, I reached out to them to see if they would be interested in partnering with me. They generously sent me a few pieces to try out – and also the same pieces to give away!

Here’s a little bit of background on ScanPan products:
Scanpan is the first producer of nonstick cookware that is certified PFOA free, so it’s safe for you and the earth. The unique cooking surface is safe for metal utensils and allows for browning, searing and deglazing—things you can’t do with traditional nonstick. It requires little to no fat for cooking, so you can enjoy a healthy meal.

Pretty cool, huh? I like ScanPan because they’re high-quality and sturdy, and unlike some other non-stick pans, they don’t contain any pesky carcinogens. They heat up really quickly and they wash up easily.

The first ScanPan product I tried out was the 10 1/4 inch skillet.

This skillet is the perfect size for searing meat, making pancakes, or cooking up a grilled cheese.

Tonight, I used it to make BBQ chicken quesadillas.

I put a splash of olive oil in as the skillet heated up, but I actually forgot to add any more in after the first quesadilla was done, and the other three turned out just fine.

I took pictures of the whole process but apparently my phone ate them. Grrr…

Anyway, I’ve been using the ScanPan products for a while now, and I’ve been really impressed with the results, and I’m excited to share them with you.

I’ll be doing a What’s Cookin’ Wednesday for the next three weeks… with a giveaway each time!

So here’s how you can win the ScanPan 10 1/4 inch skillet:
Required entry: Leave a comment on this post and tell us what you’d cook in the skillet.

Extra entries:
— Visit this site and then leave a comment telling us what ScanPan product you’d like to try out.
— Tweet about this contest & leave a comment with a link to your tweet. Here’s an example: “Win a @scanpang skillet from @momminitup & @jennyitup!”
— “Like” us on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did.

This contest will end at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23. Good luck!

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Pumpkin Time

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the abundance of pumpkin flavored stuff! Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin candles… I love it all.

Today I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes (some that I’ve tried and some that I haven’t!) and I hope you’ll join in with some of your fall favorites as well!

pumpkin rollThe first recipe that comes to mind is for pumpkin rolls. I make lots of these around Christmas time and give them away (and keep one for myself, as well), but they are perfect for fall. People sometimes shy away from making rolled cakes because they seem sort of complicated – I couldn’t make heads or tails of the recipes I found when I first started looking (I know you’re surprised by that). I mean, most of them say to wrap up the cake in a dish towel. Makes no sense! Fortunately I came across this recipe – complete with pictures – and I’ve been making them ever since. However, it took me until last year to figure out that you have to dump the cake out of the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven (not after it cools, as I had been doing) to keep it from cracking. Now my cakes are even prettier! And seriously people, if I can do it, anyone can. The recipe is so detailed that I won’t paste it here, but make sure you click over and check it out!

I am also a huge fan of these pumpkin bars. The recipe came from an old college roommate – I’m not sure where it originated. They are fantastic!

Pumpkin Bars
For the cake part:
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil (applesauce works just as well)
4 eggs
2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
pinch of salt
1-1/2 t. cinnamon
2 c. pumpkin

Mix the sugar, oil, and eggs. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt, and add to egg mixture. Add cinnamon and pumpkin. Pour batter into a jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (a few minutes less if you use applesauce instead of oil).

For icing:
3 c. powdered sugar
3 oz. cream cheese
6 T. margarine
1 T. vanilla
pinch of salt

Cream all ingredients, and ice cooled bars.

Oh, and this doesn’t have to do with pumpkin, but it is an awesome recipe for the fresh apples around in the fall! I made it with applesauce (after googling how many calories are in a cup of oil, omg) and it was delicious… I served it warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream on the side.
Mom’s Apple Cake from Smitten Kitchen (you MUST click over and look at the pictures!!)
6 apples, Mom uses McIntosh apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.

Here are a couple of recipes that I’ve come across in the last few weeks that I haven’t tried, but want to!
Pumpkin Pie French Toast from Baking Bites
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from Musings of a Housewife.

So, what else do you have for me? I am anxious to hear about your favorite fall treats!

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Things I Love Thursday – Cooking on the Grill

Now I know you all know how much I loooooooooove to cook, and how great I am at it… but, like I promised, I am trying to get better! I even bought myself a new grill last spring in an attempt to cook more.

It’s working! I love using the grill, so I thought I’d share a few of my favorite things to make. I’d love to hear yours – make sure to leave a comment!

First, I love the steak marinade recipe from Tricia at Once a Month Mom. There’s nothing to it, and it turns out so well. I have made it twice – once with strip steaks and once with t-bones, and it was a hit both times. It is sooooo good. (And if anyone can tell me the secret to preventing flame flare-ups, that would be awesome.) (And speaking of fire, I didn’t get a picture of this unfortunately because my husband was totally not amused, but you should have seen our attempt at grilling ribs. Let’s just say that rib night very quickly turned into grilled cheese night. And yes, I burnt the first sandwich too.)

I have also discovered grilled corn on the cob, and it is amazing. Check out this site – I googled “How to grill corn on the cob,” and wouldn’t you know it, I came up with step-by-step directions on a site called GrilledCornontheCob.com. I love the internet.

Thanks to the internet, I have also discovered the joys of grilling fruit. First, I tried grilling peaches using this recipe. Nothing to it – and over ice cream… YUM.

Grilling peaches was so good that I went back to google and looked for more grilled fruit recipes. I discovered that it’s also possible to grill strawberries and bananas. I haven’t tried either, but I am dying to do so!


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What else do you have for me? I’d love to hear about your favorite things to grill! And for more Things I Love Thursday, head over to The Diaper Diaries.

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