Tag: pumpkin

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler

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Pumpkins Pumpkins everywhere! Isn’t it grand? In fact, if I’m not careful, I will be able to trick or treat as a pumpkin without putting on a costume. Fall is just the best time of the year. Moods change from wanting to find the nearest pool to wanting to bake. Actually, that is not a true statement for me at all. Because I would be the last person anyone would choose to see in a bathing suit, my comfort zone is always the kitchen. But, if I were rich and could afford an island where NO ONE lived or could see, I would love to swim. So I guess because Moo Moos are my costume of choice (and necessity) I love Fall and baking and eating all the great pumpkin recipes which are posted everywhere. I have never made this, but it sounds delicious, so I just printed it up. Taken from Lauren’s Latest on Pinterest, I think it will be one recipe that I will “fall” in love with.

Ingredients
1 cup plus 3 tables flour
2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas nutmeg
1/2 teas cloves
1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 teas vanilla

Topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups very hot water

Directions (be sure to read all directions before baking!

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices. Set aside.
In a smaller bowl, stir pumpkin, milk, melted butter and vanilla together to mix.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to create a thick batter. Pour into a small 8″ lightly greased casserole dish with high sides. (Place baking dish on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over.)

For topping, in a separate bowl, stir sugar, brown sugar and pecans together. Spread over the top of the batter evenly. Pour hot water over the entire thing. DO NOT STIR! Bake for 40 min or until middle of cobbler is set.

Serve while still warm with more toasted pecans if desired and vanilla ice cream. Of course, I don’t need to tell you that the ice cream needs to be Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, right?

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Pies · Uncategorized

Paula Deen Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake

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Yesterday, Peter Pumpkin began bringing in boxes of Fall Decorations. Of course, all I could think about was Pumpkin Cakes, Pumpkin Pies and Pumpkin Lattes. So I got the cream cheese out of the fridge and took out a can of pumpkin and remembered the recipe I had seen in Paula Deens cookbook and after making it, decided that this will be one of our “go to” recipes during this upcoming Fall Season. Thanks again, Paula for all the yumminess you have given to us! We owe our growing waist lines and added pounds to you, but very thankful for you sharing your love of great cooking with us.

Combine for Bottom Crust:

1 Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1 egg
1 (8 oz) stick unsalted butter, melted

Stir until all ingredients are combined. Press dough into bottom of a lightly greased 9×13″ baking pan.

Combine
1 can pumpkin puree
1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese
3 eggs
1 (8 oz) stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled a little
2 teas vanilla
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice seasoning
1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar

Combine the pumpkin and cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the 3 eggs, the 1 stick of melted (cooled) butter and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie seasonings and mix well.
Pour over cake mix batter. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey. Cool before serving.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream.

Breads · Cakes · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Pumpkin & Cream Cheese Muffins

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

These will be called Cupcakes in our house, as I am so not a muffin person, but would eat these no matter what they are called. If they are not served and waiting for us at the Wedding Feast in Heaven, I don’t know what would be….they are heavenly! I ate one with butter melted all over it, as soon as I could put the pot holder down and get a napkin out. Honestly, they are just so good. Perfect for breakfast with butter and jam. For lunch, I would just eat one, just plain, while I am making sandwiches. Then for dessert at night, I think I will frost them with a little buttercream frosting. That makes them the perfect little muffin, snack, dessert for the Fall Season! Every day I scan FaceBook for new recipes and this one caught my attention. Then my daughter saw it on FB and tagged me saying that she wished I would make them. So here they are folks, I think you’re gonna like this.

Ingredients (this made 21 muffins for me, but maybe you could get about 23 if you didn’t fill the cups as full as I did)

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tables (yes tables not teaspoon) pumpkin pie spice

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix that has added sugar and spices already in it)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, room temp

1/2 cup oil (vegetable)

1 tables vanilla (there it is again, not teas)

Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup sugar

2 teas vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Place paper liners in cupcake pan. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugars and pumpkin and whisk together until there are no lumps. Add the eggs and oil and vanilla. Whisk until batter is smooth and combined. Add flour mixture slowly, whisking until no more lumps are there and batter is mixed thoroughly.

In a medium bowl, with electric mixer cream together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Using a large cookie scoop or measuring cup, fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full with the pumpkin mixture. Then place about 1 1/2 -2 teas of cream cheese mixture on top. Swirl with a toothpick into pumpkin batter.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until muffin tests done. Let cool (I didn’t do this, as I just couldn’t wait. I slapped on a dab of butter and grabbed my glass of tea and gobbled it upI

Breads · Breakfast · Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake

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img_2954Since it is officially Fall, there are now 6 cans of pumpkin in the pantry, 3 lbs of cream cheese in the fridge and I’m ready to bake. Spotted this beautiful Fall Baking Magazine at the store so, of course, couldn’t pass it up. This will be perfect to take to card night next week, (along with s’more bites to throw in our mouths ever time we change tables, which allows me to pass right by these little gems). Janece, this ones for you!

Ingredients

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, unless you buy the small sticks of butter, in which case would be two sticks)

1 tables water

2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts (will use pecans)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

3/4 cup sugar (granulated)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teas baking powder

1 teas cinnamon (will make this a heaping teas as we love cinnamon)

1/4 teas ground ginger

1/4 teas salt

1/8 teas cloves

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8″ square baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, cook brown sugar, butter, and the water over medium heat until mixture bubbles, about 4 minutes. Pour sugar mixture into bottom of prepared dish; sprinkle with walnuts (pecans) and cranberry. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, oil and eggs. Whisk until well blended. Set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves. Add pumpkin mixture, stirring to combine. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula.

Bake until cake tests done, which will bake about 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert pan onto a serving platter. Remove parchment paper. Serve warm with a spoon of whipping cream, or a drizzle of caramel (or BOTH)

 

Desserts

Texas Sheet Pumpkin Cake

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The Pioneer Woman just posted a recipe that she made by altering the Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake. It sounds delish and since the Pioneer Woman says it is wonderful, it must be, because if you can’t believe the Pioneer Woman, who can you believe?

So in case you don’t take her daily email here it is….Many of you have ask if we just have desserts for Thanksgiving since I do seem to post more desserts than any thing else. We do have other things on the table, like, brown sugar coated brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes with sugary marshmallow topping, ham with brown sugar-pineapple sauce and strawberry-pretzel salad,

So see, I can cook something besides desserts,  As long as the recipe has sugar in it.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

2 sticks butter

2 cups pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie filling)

3/4 cup boiling water

2 cups flour

1/4 teas salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 teas baking soda

2 teas vanilla

1/2 teas maple extract (opt)

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 pound (about 3 1/2 cups) sifted powdered sugar

1 tables half and half or milk (might require a little more than this, add slowly)

Preheat oven to 350 Spray a sheet pan (jelly roll pan) with baking spray (such as Pam). Set aside

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter. Whisk in the pumpkin puree until it is totally blended. Whisk in boiling water until mixture is combined well. Set aside.

In a measuring pitcher, combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and maple extract (if using). Whisk together and set aside..

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Pour in the pumpkin mixture and stir until halfway combined. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir until combined. Pour into the pan and smooth until mixture is evenly distributed. Bake for about 20 min or cake tests done. Remove and allow to cool.

Frosting:

Mix together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar until well combined. Add half and half as needed to all the frosting to be of spreading consistency. It should be somewhat thick but thin enough to spread over cake.

Cut into squares to serve. Keep leftovers in the fridge, as frosting will get to soft if left out.

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

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Another super easy, yet so yummy pumpkin dessert. Brought to you by Jell-O!  J E L L-O

Preheat oven to 350.
1 pkg (2 layer size) Duncan Hines yellow  cake mix

4 eggs, divided

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 ( 8oz) cream cheese, softened

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 pkg  (3/4 oz) pumpkin spice flavor instant pudding (if you can’t find the pumpkin spice, use French vanilla

1/3 cup cold milk

1/2 teas cinnamon

1 envelop Dream Whip Whipped Topping Mix

Line a 13×9″ pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Blend cake mix, 1 egg and butter; press onto bottom of pan.

Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, remaining eggs, pumpkin and dry pudding mix with mixer until blended. Pour onto crust.

Bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer pan to cooling rack; cool completely.

Mix whipped topping with milk and beat until blended. Beat on high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks. Spread onto dessert.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I cheated and used real whipping cream. Add 1/3 cup sugar with 1/2 pt of whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Nothing is better than REAL whipping cream…..so easy and makes such a difference.

Serves 18

Breakfast · Cakes · Holiday Fare

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Strusel Coffee Cake

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Tomorrow morning we are having several friends over for breakfast and I wanted to serve a coffee cake.  I found two different ones so I combined them and it is in the oven at this moment. Cannot wait to try a bite (or a huge piece)

The cake portion is from Taste of Home

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin

1/4 cup oil

1/2 teas vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour

2 teas ground cinnamon

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

Filling:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1 tables sugar

Topping (this is from a new cookbook that a friend of mine just completed, thank you Mary)

Crumble Topping

 1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teas ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter, cold

Directions

In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, pumpkin, oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 13×9″ baking dish.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. Drop by tablespoons over batter and swirl into pumpkin mixture with a knife. Combine topping ingredients and cut up butter with pastry blender or 2 forks until mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle over cake mixture and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Serves 12-15

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts

Friday ROAD TRIP of Christmas Countdown

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Well this past week has found the Griswalds at Wallyworld, the Storage Unit and now ta da, we get to go to Big Bear, which is up in the mountains a couple of hours from our house for a Chocolate Tour. The tour takes you to 4 decorated houses with different chocolate treats at each place. Frosty and Noel will be in heaven. We have our Tums packed in our back pocket, our cell phones on silent and the GPS loaded with our destination. That just makes us sound so much cooler that “we have the map in the car”. Of course, where we are going, the GPS probably won’t work, so we do have our map tucked between the cooler filled with Energy drinks, Dr Peppers and chocolate covered pretzels, just to get us ready for our chocolate tour.

Will be so excited to return to tell you about the weekend. But have to tell you about our little experience last night. We had been invited to some friends house, (before I tell you this, don’t you really wonder how things like this always happen to us) for dinner. We had absolutely the best baked chicken I think I have ever had. She is giving me the recipe and will post it when she does. We finish dinner and she serves Pumpkin YumYums. Oh my, pumpkin layer over cream cheese layer over a buttery crust with whipped cream. To die for. Will post that when I get back also, but if you just have to make it this weekend, all it was was the 4 layer chocolate pudding dessert that people used to call Chocolate YumYums….but instead of the chocolate layer she mixed a can of pumpkin with 1-2 teas of pumpkin pie spice (depending on how much spice you like) with a small package of instant french vanilla pudding with the 1 1/2 cups cold milk. Beat the pumpkin with the pudding and spread over the cream cheese mixture which you make with 8 oz of cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 cup of Cool Whip. Well, I have gone this far, I might as well give you the whole recipe. Whip up the cream cheese, sugar and Cool Whip and spread over cooled crust. The crust is made up of 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 stick of cold butter and 1 cup chopped pecans. Cut butter into flour and add chopped pecans. Spread over a 9×13 pan and bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Watch it closely. When it is cooled completely, spread CC mixture over crust. Pour pumpkin over CC layer and top with whipped cream. Put in fridge and let it sit for about 4 hours before serving. Now, back to my story.

We finished dinner and went into the den to watch a video. There were about 14 of us there. We were watching so intently (it was part of our Bible Study lesson) but I kept smelling something burning. I tried to get our hostess attention to tell her that I truly smelled something burning, but thought, well, she has the dishwasher on, I bet a plastic bowl is too near the heating element. But the smell kept getting stronger and stronger. All of a sudden one of the other guests turns around and yells, “the table is on fire”..The flames were shooting up about 4 feet into the air and we all ran for water and began to pour water on her table. So now not only does she have a burned dinning room table, but a soaked rug as well. But Frosty, being the Christmas Giver that he is with a most generous heart told her not to worry, he would buy her more candles to replace the ones that caused the fire..He is just the best!

The fire did not even dampen our night at all. We had a most enjoyable evening with precious friends and the most amazing dinner. Frosty was excited that he had got a home cooked meal, and he didn’t even have to buy the groceries. That always makes it taste better. Am headed to finish packing, will talk to you on Monday with new Christmas recipes and maybe a funny story or two. After all, when we drive to the mountains for the weekend, you know some story will come out of it.

Cakes · Desserts

Pumpkin Pound Cake

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

This weekend will be ever so busy and I needed a cake I could bake now and freeze for Sunday so I wouldn’t have to bake all weekend. Found this on Land O Lakes Butter web site. With six eggs and butter, how can it not be good?

Pound Cake

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups Land O Lakes® Butter, softened

6 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Eggs

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 cup milk

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Butter, softened

4 to 6 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.Combine sugar and 1 1/2 cups butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding eggs one at a time, until well mixed. Add pumpkin; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture alternately with 3/4 cup milk, until well mixed.

Spoon batter into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt® pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons butter and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in small bowl. Glaze cooled cake.

*Substitute 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and cloves.

Daily Thoughts

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

FYI, this time of year brings the need to bake something pumpkin. For those of you who are new to this blog, if you want a fabulous recipe that combines both cream cheese and pumpkin, be sure to type in this recipe in the search box at the bottom right under the archives. This was posted back in Oct of 09 and it is such a great dessert for this season.

Also another FYI. Randy and I decided that we would see just how little money we could spend on food and entertainment yesterday, just for the fun of it. Thought we would share in case you are wanting to do something a little different other than eating at Cheesecake Factory or heading to the movies for a Saturday.

A friend of Randy’s had told him about a fantastic donut shop over in Glendale, so off we go to see if these donuts are actually worth driving the 10 miles for. We got to the donut shop, still with his coffee and my Dr Pepper in hand and both of us ordered a HUGE cinnamon roll. It was so light, not greasy and just the perfect amount of cinnamon and glaze. We were absolutely thrilled to have found this place. Breakfast….$2.00. It was then and there that we decided to see just how  cheaply we could entertain ourselves until 5:00 p.m. We then proceeded to Costco to pick up a few items, all the while sampling the “free goodies” that they are known for. We indulge in free popcorn, free fruit juice and free granola bars. We left Costco and headed to our car dealership because we are beginning the search for a new car for Randy. He has had his car for almost 11 years and since it takes him about 2 years to actually pull the trigger on which car to buy, we feel like we need to begin the search now. So, we enter the dealership and the smell of popcorn permeates the showroom floor. Now, I know, we have just sampled the free popcorn at Costco, but can you really ever resist popcorn, especially if it is free. So while RC is talking to the sales guy, I sneak over to where people are sitting, waiting for their cars to be serviced. I have just walked into a little bit of “snack heaven”. There are coffee machines, juice machines and the popcorn machine. Otis Spunkmayer cookies are just laying out on a tray. Well, you guessed it. I find a napkin, pick up a couple of those little cookies and put them in my purse for afternoon coffee and grab a container of popcorn. I make Randy at least “seem” interested long enough for me to finish the popcorn so I can mosey on over to grab another little sack of popcorn. DO NOT JUDGE ME! The donut didn’t fill me up for long.

Randy sends the sales guy over to find a certain color of car while he makes his way over to the coffee machine. Who needs Starbucks when we have car dealerships? He grabs a cup and decides on the hazelnut latte. I tell him that if he will go get a couple of the cookies, that our afternoon snack will be covered. He does.

Since my purse won’t hold anymore snacks, we leave with a booklet in hand and tell the young man that we will be back if we decide upon that brand of car. It is now around 11:00 and we head to run a few errands. After about 45 minutes, Randy tells me he has a surprise for me. I cannot imagine what it might be. The last time he said that, all the surprise was, was that a certain favorite restaurant of ours had reopened from being closed for vacation. So I have learned not to get too excited about his “surprises” . Sure enough, we drive on over to Monrovia and he pulls up in front of where we go get a massage ever so often. I am thrilled, I cannot believe that he is treating me to a massage. When I look at him and smile and tell him how sweet he is, he just looks at me and says, “oh no, we aren’t going for a massage, we are going to our cheapie mexican food place next door.” Are you serious, we have had donuts, free samples at Costco and the car dealership and he is hungry? I couldn’t believe it. But he reminded me that we were suppose to be at a party at 5 and if we were going to be eating dinner at 5, we needed to hurry up and eat lunch so we would be hungry by that time. So, here we are at ll:30 eating once again. I order a cheese enchilada and a shredded beet taco, he orders a number 2 combo. My lunch was $2.70 total, that’s right, you read correctly. $2.70 and since you get free chips and hot sauce, we don’t order a lot. Why pay for food when the hot sauce bar and chips are sitting right in front of you. We leave stuffed and head to another car dealership. Since we are thirsty, we figured we would go to one that we know always offers you a free bottled water. The day is unseasonably warm and we are trying to act truly interested, even though our clothes are beginning to stick to our backs. We are not going to leave until we get our free water. After looking at a couple of cars, I guess Victor (our sales guy) figures that if two old geizers are out in 100 degree weather looking at cars in the middle of the day, we really must be interested. Guess we finally earned our water. As soon as we get it, we sit in one more car, ask a question or two and then tell him we just can’t take the heat anymore. So we head to our car, deciding that it should last a few more years and head home. We are hot, we are tired and we are stuffed. We had entertained ourselves all day for under $20.00…Saved enough money to buy a membership to Sams for the following week. We aren’t allowed in Costco anymore, they know our faces and our appetites now. We go to the dinner party right at 5, we didn’t want to chance missing a free meal.