Caramel Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Post-thanksgiving recipe for great no-bake caramel pumpkin mousse pie. Very light and tasty, not too heavy in calories. Recipe has 10 servings and about 262 calories per slice. Perfect for holidays. My mother-in-law made it for the Turkey Day and it was gone in no time. I have all the ingredients and I will make it this week, so photo will be added. But trust me - this is by far THE BEST and the EASIEST pumpkin dessert I have ever had.

1 graham cracker crust
6 TBSP caramel topping
2 oz chopped pecans
1 cup 2% milk (or skim milk)
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
8 oz light whipped topping

Pour 1/4 cup (4 TBSP) caramel topping into the pie crust, sprinkle with half of the amount of pecans.
In a large bowl whisk together milk, pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Spread mixture evenly onto the crust. Chill at least one hour.
Top with remaining whipped topping, drizzle with remaining 2 TBSP of caramel topping and sprinkle with the rest of pecans.

Makes: 10 servings, 262 calories per serving (source: Calorie Count.com)

My Favorite Pasta

Whenever I want to make a quick and easy dinner I think of this pasta dish. It's great if you cook for two or for a crowd. I've made it about thousand times and we love it every time we eat it.



It's almost like a simple meat sauce, but I spruce it up with onions, garlic, mushrooms, sometimes I add zucchini and/or yellow squash. You can serve it with thin spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, or any kind of pasta you wish.

This particular sauce I made using about a 1/2 pound of ground beef, and a package of Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage , and that makes this taste superb. I never keep proportions making this dish, it's always a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and every time comes out better than the last time. That night I used a large jar of Prego tomato sauce. Sometimes I make my own sauce by adding canned crushed or diced tomatoes and some tomato paste. This time we were starving and I always have a jar of tomato sauce in my cupboard, so whay not to use it.



So, to start I sliced a medium onion and crushed few garlic cloves, add some olive oil to the pan, heat on medium, add the onions and garlic, saute together until onions become translucent. Quarter few mushrooms, depends on your likings - I love them, so I put quite a few of them, I cpooed them roughly, to keep larger pieces. I want my sauce to have this nice, rustic feel. Add mushrooms to onions and saute together. Once done, I transfer it to a bowl and add meat to the pan. Cook the beef and sausage until done, I like the sausage without casings, but it's your preference... mix the mushroom onion mixture with meat, add tomato sauce, stirr wel to incorporate everything. I usually spice it up with a little crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper. I like to cook it all together for at least 15-20 minutes, it makes the sauce taste better, and the flavors mix in. Actually if you can make it the day ahead, it's best the next day!
You can serve it like that or you can add some heavy cream to make it more creamy, if you add creme, make sure you bring it to a boil. Check if it needs salt or pepper, season to taste. Cook your favorite pasta aldene, and serve the sauce over the pasta, sprinkled with paresan cheese and some fresh basil leaves.
Garlic bread and nice bottle of Argentinian Gascon Malbec wine would go nicely together.

Bon Apetit!