This is for Wanda.....Shortcut Pumpkin Bread

My friend, Wanda, is "famous" for her pumpkin muffins....it's the easiest muffin recipe you will ever find! The recipe uses a boxed cake mix and canned pumpkin...that's IT...and they are perfectly moist and good!

When I came across the recipe for Shortcut Pumpkin Bread, I knew I needed to share it with Wanda. This recipe uses more than two ingredients, but it's still super easy.

Shortcut Pumpkin Bread (Parents Magazine - October 2010)
Prepare a yellow-cake mix according to package directions OMITTING water.
Stir in 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 cup mashed bananas, and 1 tsp cinnamon. (For Wanda-skip the bananas and add more pumpkin :)!)
Pour into a greased 9" loaf pan; bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.
In a mixer bowl, beat 4 oz. softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup softened butter until creamy.
Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and slowly add 1 cup powdered sugar.
Frost cooled bread; chill. Makes 16 slices.

more Pumpkin...Ice Cream this time!

I'm still thinking about pumpkin around here....maybe that's what my craving is during these last five weeks of pregnancy! I had some pumpkin puree left from the pie I made the other day and decided to try out some ice cream...it's really custard. The recipe didn't call for any additional "add-ins" but I thought the addition of chocolate covered graham crackers would make it more like a pumpkin pie. After tasting this 'custard', I came to the conclusion that it is very rich and I think I prefer my pumpkin warm, or at room-temperature. Not to say this ice cream wasn't decent, it just isn't one I would make again.

Pumpkin Ice Cream/Custard

1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve. Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 4 to 6 minutes. Do not allow the custard to boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool. Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the custard. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours. Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturers instructions. Add the bourbon during the last minute of churning. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving. Makes about 1 quart.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Ice Cream, by Mary Goodbody (Simon & Schuster, 2003).

Here's what else I'm dreaming about....

Pumpkin-chip Cookies

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Soup.....we'll see how many of these things actually get made!

Streusel Pumpkin Pie

I love pumpkin and am always anxious to break out the pumpkin recipes at this time of year! I needed a dessert recipe to take to a meeting this past week and came across this recipe from Pampered Chef. It's a basic pumpkin pie with a streusel added for a little flair, and it's super yummy!

Streusel Pumpkin Pie
1 unbaked pie crust
1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Streusel
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbls all-purpose flour
1 Tbls butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves. Roll out pastry crust and place in pie plate. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust. Cover edge of pie with 2-inch wide strips of aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, for streusel, combine pecans, brown sugar, flour and butter in small bowl; mix well. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Sprinkle top of pie with streusel, leaving a 2-inch opening in center. Continue baking 40-50 minutes, or until center is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 8 servings.

Herb Biscuits

I recently came across this recipe which I tore out of an old Woman's Day magazine, and wondered why I hadn't tried it sooner?! I often make the garlic cheddar biscuits from Bisquick mix but never thought to change it up and add herbs (or anything else for that matter). I put a little too much pepper in these biscuits, but overall I thought they were great....a quick and easy biscuit to accompany a variety of meals.

Herb Biscuits

3 cups Bisquick

1 Tbls chopped fresh chives, rosemary, thyme, dill or parsley

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until soft dough forms. Knead on surface sprinkled with baking mix, until dough holds together. Roll dough until 1/2-inch thick; cut with a 2-in round cutter. Place biscuits 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12.

As a bonus...here is another variation which I haven't tried yet, but sound delicious! I'll have to wait another month or so and try these once I'm on my pumpkin kick.

Pumpkin-Pie Spice Variation

Omit herb; mix 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice into baking mix. Reduce milk to 1/2 cup; stir 1 cup canned pure pumpkin and the milk into baking mix. Prepare as above.

TWD: Thanksgiving Two-fer Pie

I've skipped out on the last two weeks of Tuesdays with Dorie as I wasn't too excited about the recipes, but I couldn't pass up on this week's pie. My husband LOVES pumpkin pie, so even though this is a twist on the original version, it was enjoyed by both of us! What a great way to combine the two traditional Thanksgiving pies, pumpkin and pecan. Of course, we had to top ours with plenty of whipped topping! We are looking forward to eating the leftovers on Thanksgiving!


Thanks to Vibi for choosing a great (and appropriate) recipe for this week! Happy Thanksgiving!

Can't get enough Pumpkin!

I love this time of year and all the pumpkin recipes that come out! It must be something about filling your house with the smell of warm spices and sitting down with a comforting treat and hot chocolate (or coffee if you prefer). This is seriously the easiest recipe I have ever made. I have to give credit to my friend, Wanda, for publishing the recipe on her blog and for making them one morning when I was at her house. Wanda made her muffins in shaped muffin tins and the tops were so smooth. I'll have to ask her how she got the tops smooth, as mine turned out lumpy, but the flavor was just as good. Okay, grab your pen and paper to take down this recipe.....actually, you can probably just memorize it, it's that easy!
Pumpkin Muffins

1 box spice cake mix

1 can pure pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix both ingredients together (add a Tbls of water if you are having trouble mixing). Fill muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes. I tested mine after 15 minutes and they need about three minutes longer. Cool on wire rack, remove from muffin pan after 5 minutes. Enjoy!

TWD: Reverse order

I am usually a "rule-follower" and I'm sure I am breaking the TWD rules by doing my October baking (and posting) in somewhat of a reverse order. However, all of the recipes chosen for this month are ones that I am able to use for functions in which I've been asked to bring something....just not in the order we have been asked to bake them. So while everyone else made Caramel Peanut-Topped Brownie cake (see mine in two weeks!) for today's post, I made Pumpkin Muffins (which everyone else will be posting about in two weeks). I am a sucker for fall foods and pumpkin is a favorite which means I of course, loved these muffins. I shared them with my Monday morning Bible study group where they received rave reviews. I chose to leave out the raisins which were to be mixed in the batter before baking, as I'm not a fan of raisins in baked goods. I'm trying to come up with an excuse to make these again this fall!

Up next week....Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes (while everyone else does Lenox Almond Biscotti)

Fall favorites

We were invited to a friend's house for dinner this past Tuesday evening, and I asked if I could bring anything and she suggested bread or a dessert. I happened to have everything on hand for Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip cookies....I had been waiting for a few weeks to make these, but didn't want them just sitting around my house! My friend, Sarah, made these cookies for our Bible study when we both lived in Montana (she now lives in Pennsylvania). I LOVED them and immediately asked for the recipe, and after a bit I decided to 'invest' in the cookbook in which she found them, "Best-Loved Cookies." They ended up being the perfect after dinner treat as Gina had prepared a Thanksgiving feast (just a couple months early)! Pumpkin White Chocolate Drops

2 cups butter or margarine, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

1 can (16 oz) solid pack pumpkin

2 eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 bag (12 oz) vanilla baking chips

1 container (16 oz) ready-to-spread cream cheese frosting

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets (or use silpat mat). Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat until smooth. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda; beat just until well blended. Stir in chips. Drop dough be teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake about 16 minutes or until set and bottoms are brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Remove from cookie sheets to wire rack to cool. Combine frosting and brown sugar in small bowl. Spread on warm cookies. Makes 6 dozen.

Thanks Gina for the wonderful dinner Tuesday night, and Sarah for the original recipe!!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

I love Fall and I am always anxious to pull out my 'pumpkin' recipes and bake! This past weekend my husband and I had some friends over for dinner and while the hubby took care of the main course (sushi), I made the dessert. Sushi and pumpkin really don't go together, but I was really in the mood for a Fall dessert. I came across this recipe from the October/November 2007 Taste of Home issue. I baked it the day before as it needs to refrigerate over night and my house smelled wonderful while baking! Some people do not like cracks in the top of their cheesecakes...I personally don't care if I have small cracks. The nice thing about this particular recipe, you cover the top with an almond topping, so it hides any imperfections. My only complaint (before tasting) is that mine did not rise as much as a cheesecake should. I'm sure it has something to do with the altitude, but I wasn't sure what changes to make to the recipe to account for this other than decreasing the sugar a bit (which I did!). Hopefully if you choose to make this cheesecake yours will stand a little taller!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies (about 32 cookies)

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 squares (1 oz each) white baking chocolate, melted and cooled

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Almond Topping:

1/2 cup chopped almonds

2 Tbls butter, melted

1 tsp sugar

In a small bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in melted white chocolate. Combine pumpkin and spices; gently fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour over crust. Place pan on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until center is just set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the topping ingredients; spread in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring twice. Cool. Carefully run a knife around edge of springform pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Transfer topping to an airtight container; store in the refrigerator. Just before serving, remove sides of pan; sprinkle topping over cheesecake. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 12 servings.