Pumpkin Cake!!

I LOVE baking with Pumpkin in the Fall. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, cookies...anything...I love it! Today I decided to make pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. I think I'll need to make my husband take some to work or deliver some to neighbors, otherwise I might sit here and eat the whole pan!

For the Pumpkin Cake:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus!!)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(and one little "helper" if you so desire)

Preheat the over to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan.

Combine eggs, sugar, oil & pumpkin in large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth.

Hand mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt & baking soda.

Cream together the wet and dry ingrediants until just mixed. Do not overmix.

Pour in baking pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean)

Let cool completely.

While the cake is cooling cream together softened cream cheese, butter & vanilla.

Sift in confectioners’ sugar and stir until smooth.

For the heck of it I added a little bit of orange food coloring!

Don't forget to lick the spoon ;0)

Spread frosting on to cooled cake.

Or garnish with a few walnuts and enjoy!!

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen

Apples, Apples, Apples....

What could be more fun on the first day of Fall than apple picking?! Well...we ended up with way more than I anticipated (mostly thanks to one little pair of hands ;0) 35 lbs.total to be exact!! That's alot of apples!! I have literally been cooking with apples for the past 5 days and STILL have a paper grocery sack full left.
Saturday I made baked apples in the slow cooker. Delish...especially with vanilla ice cream!

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 apples (I used Fuji)
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
Preheat a large crock-pot on high heat. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts,butter, and cinnamon. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the apple juice or cider.  Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse. Be careful not to over cook...they will explode!

We've ate our fair share of apples the last few days as well! (I've been finding lots of half eaten apples throughout the house.)

Monday I made Apple Butter. I like apple butter that is thick and full of spice so this was an all day process.
I used 11 Fuji apples, peeled & cored

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus...this stuff is fabulous!)

Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well. Cover and cook on high 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook 8 to 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown. The longer you cook it the thicker it becomes. To test, take a spoon full out and let sit for a few minutes. Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk or masher, if desired, to increase smoothness. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

                Today we made Caramel Apples. M&M's and butterscotch chips were the preferred topping of choice.

And at an attempt to dwindle our apple supply I made homemade applesauce today as well. I definately need to invest in a peeler corer stand for next year! I started with 12 apples peeled and cored (again using Fuji apples). You will also need brown sugar, cinnamon (Pamperd Chef Cinnamon Plus!) and water.

Finely chop the apples. Smaller you dice them the easier it will be to get smooth applesauce.

Add the diced apples, 2/3 cup water, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons Cinnamon Plus

Cook on high for about 2 hours then reduce to low. Let it slowcook for about 6 or 7 hours, stirring occasionally.

When the apples have softened enough, mash them up. I used my Pamperd Chef pastry blender. You may have to mash for awhile to get the consistancy you want.

After it has cooled a bit, jar it up and freeze it or refridgerate it or enjoy warm! This is about the amount of applesauce it makes. Enjoy!!

Avoid fruit and nuts. You are what you eat. ~Jim Davis

Why am I blogging?!

Welcome to my blog!! So...why did I decide to blog? Good question...I need more to do than just sit and watch soap operas and eat bon bons is the answer ;0) Just kidding!
One of the few things that has stayed constant in my life is my love for cooking and baking. I remember baking Christmas cookies and candies every year with my Grandma and I'm sure that is when my passion started. I have always enjoyed peoples reaction to a good meal. Luckily, I married a man who likes to eat and isn't picky, so for the most part I am free to cook and bake as much as I like.
I guess this blog is a way for me to virtual share my recipes and reviews for some of the meals I prepare and desserts I try. I am anxious to hear your reactions and get inspiration for some new things to try!

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story