Lindsay, Author at Laughing Lindsay

Easy Autumn Pumpkin Apple Butter Dip Recipe is Perfect for Fall

September 26, 2013 By Lindsay 29 Comments

Earlier this year, I posted the spiced apple cake with orange glaze recipe that used Musselman’s apple butter. Recently, I received another jar of it to post about it and I made some autumn pumpkin apple butter dip using it. It’s so easy that I had to share.

Pumpkin Apple Butter

Like I said, this little pumpkin apple butter dip recipe is so simple, I’m not sure how I didn’t think of it before now. However, the people over at Musselman’s did, so that’s what matters. It’s a delicious dip that is great for multiple baked goods. We made some scones (stay tuned for that recipe) for them, but I could definitely see it going well with some honey pretzel sticks. They suggest serving it with gingersnaps or graham crackers, which could also be good. Additional serving suggestions from them include pancakes, waffles, french toast sticks, and spreading it on bagels. Yum! Just thinking about the possibilities makes my mouth water.

So, let’s get to this ridiculously easy pumpkin apple butter dip recipe!

Easy Autumn Pumpkin Apple Butter Dip

A delicious yet super quick dip that tastes great.

4.63 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 3

Total Time 5

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

2 cups MUSSELMAN’S® Apple Butter
1 cup solid pumpkin

Instructions

Measure out ingredients.
Put them into a bowl.
Mix together well.
Enjoy with your baked good of choice.

Keyword Easy, Pumpkin

Was I right? Is that not the easiest and simplest recipe I’ve ever posted? My boyfriend was actually surprised that I would do this recipe to feature on here because it is so simple. However, I think simple is usually good. So, I hope at least one of my readers is able to try this pumpkin apple butter recipe and enjoy it. It’s certainly the perfect dip for fall. Just smelling it reminds me of cooler days and sweet treats.

A Letter to My Mom on Her Birthday

September 15, 2013 By Lindsay 2 Comments

I swear that time just keeps on flying by me. Today, September 15th, is my mother’s birthday. So, to celebrate it, I thought I’d write a letter to my mom on her birthday.

Letter to My Mom on Her Birthday

Dear Mom,

I know that we often have a difficult time communicating with one another. In many ways, we are the exact opposite. We have very different perspectives on how things should be done. We even disagree on which way the toilet paper should be facing on the roll (I’m totally with dad on this one). We’ve managed to embarrass the other one countless times over the past 23 years. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you are my mother and I love you.

Even though you really do annoy me sometimes, I couldn’t imagine having a different mother. You have always been and will continue to be my biggest cheerleader. You taught me from an early age that I was expected to be a strong, independent female. You admitted your mistakes, in hopes that I could learn from them and not repeat them (I like to think that I have managed to do just that). You’ve always managed to make me feel loved (even in the middle of a fight, I never doubted it).

I don’t think that you will ever read this. However, I hope you know that I truly appreciate everything you have done for me. The past few years years have been terribly difficult for us and I still worry about you without dad now. I just hope that you are able to find some fulfilling hobbies in the near future and to live a happy, healthy life.

So, happy birthday mom! I hope today is filled with nothing but good things… good food, good laughs, and even a good movie. You deserve it.

<3 Lindsay

Easy Pumpkin Plate Craft Fall Activity for Kids

September 11, 2013 By Lindsay 1 Comment

You might not know it, but I love pumpkins. I love the way they look (they are so cute and round) and everything with it tastes delicious. To share my love of pumpkins this year, I decided to do a post that was out of the ordinary for me. I’m going to share my very easy pumpkin plate craft fall activity for kids (of any age). Take a look at how cute it is!

Pumpkin Plate Craft

A pumpkin plate craft is great for a cool, fall day because it’s so easy to make. I like this craft because most of us have a spare paper plate or two laying around (the house or the classroom). So, this activity uses things that you won’t have to go out to purchase (those are always my favorite types).

Materials Needed

Paper Plate
Orange Crayon or Colored Pencil
Scissors
Black Construction Paper
Glue
Ink pen or pencil
Jack-o-lantern printable or stencil

Steps

Color a plate orange.
Print out the jack-o-lantern face.
The one I used is below and you are welcome to print it out and cut as you see fit. Alternatively, you could just have the kids color the paper orange. I made it on PicMonkey, which has some other options.
Cut it out and trace around it onto a piece of black construction paper. Then, cut it out and glue it onto the plate. Viola! A super easy pumpkin plate craft for fall.
Optional: Cut out a piece of green construction paper to make a stem or handle for it.

So, what do you think of my pumpkin craft plate? Will you be making one with your kids or do you prefer to do it old school by decorating on or carving a real pumpkin? Interested in another easy Halloween idea? Check out my Halloween Cereal Treats!

Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

August 27, 2013 By Lindsay 2 Comments

It’s been a while since my last recipe (where are you food companies?). So, I thought I’d share this super quick and easy coffee cake recipe that I just made yesterday. It’s so painless that I came up with it by myself and did it yesterday morning on a whim. I guess I need to start listening to my inner thoughts because this turned out great! Let me know if you try it and what you think of it.

Coffee Cake Recipe

What makes this recipe so easy is the ingredients. I’m all for taking shortcuts in the kitchen, as long as the food still tastes good. So, I opted for biscuit dough for the “cake” of this recipe. Check it out!

Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

It's an easy coffee cake recipe containing biscuit dough.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 5

Ingredients

1 can or other forms of prepared biscuit dough
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1- teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter softened

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare and arrange half of the biscuit dough in the bottom of a pan.
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter.
Pour half of that mixture on to the biscuit dough.
Place the remaining half of the biscuit dough on top of that.
Pour the remainder of the sugar topping on top.
Bake 20-25 mintues for a 8x8" pan or 13-15 minutes for smaller pans, like I used.

Keyword Easy

I will admit that I attempted to soften the butter and it ended up melting some. So, my topping wasn’t so much of a streusel topping as just another layer of goodness. Either way, this easy coffee cake recipe is terrific and I really like it. Next time, I will leave the butter out to soften prior to using so it will make more of a streusel-like topping instead of a glaze. So, what do you think of it? Will you be trying it?

The Smores Cookbook by Susan Whetzel

August 21, 2013 By Lindsay 88 Comments

Right before I attended the Mixed Conference last year, I learned of a fellow southwestern Virginia blogger. Her name is Susan Whetzel and she blogs at She’s Becoming Doughmesstic (which is a lovely food blog that makes me jealous of her skills). She was actually one of the conference founders, but I didn’t get a chance to really chat with her much during the conference. Nonetheless, I could tell she was really nice and I was thrilled when I learned that she had written The Smores Cookbook. It just came out this summer and I’m happy to tell you more about it.

Smores Cookbook

It’s kind of sad, kind of funny. Susan lives about 1.5 hours away from me. However, I had to go to Chicago to see her again. Haha! While I was in Chicago, I was lucky enough to be able to attend Susan’s The Smores Cookbook event at the Hard Rock Chicago. You probably saw me Tweeting about all of the chocolate-y goodness on Saturday night since Hershey’s was kind enough to sponsor the little get together. Long story short, I won a very nice s’mores gift basket and Susan gave me 2 signed copies of her new book! Yay! So, I’m going to keep 1 for myself and I’m giving the other away to a lucky reader.

In case you aren’t already hooked just by hearing that it’s called The Smores Cookbook and need more info, let me fill you in. The Smores Cookbook features all kinds of s’mores recipes. Think of things like S’mores Chocolate Bread Pudding, Crock-Pot S’mores Brownies, Chocolate Graham Pancakes, and S’mores Eclairs. Yum! My mouth waters just thinking about those delightful dishes. Every recipe in the book is fairly straight-forward and is accompanied by a delicious-looking picture. Oh, and the foreword is written by Chef Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes. So, the book obviously has his stamp of approval (as well as mine).

Susan has created countless ways for us to re-imagine the classic s’mores. One of my favorite chapters in the book is all about drinks. There’s a S’mores Milkshake, S’more-tini, S’mores Frappuccino, and S’mores Hot Chocolate. It just so happens that I have the perfect mug for the last one (I purchased this cup back at Christmas time without even knowing it would come in handy for a post)…

Like I said, it worked out well. So, are you as excited about The Smores Cookbook as I am? I hope you want to support Susan in this new endeavor by purchasing her book.