Pumpkin Patch Muffins

Ben and Melissa gave us a beautiful pan that makes little pumpkin-shaped cakes/muffins last year. This is the recipe that came with it from Williams and Sonoma...adapted quite a bit - the sugar is cut way down.

3 1/3 C. flour ( can use half whole wheat)
1/2 C ground flax
1 Tb bk powder
1 tsp bk soda
2  tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon (can use more!)
1 3/4 tsp nutmeg
14 Tb softened unsalted butter (can use salted)
1/2 C. br sugar
3/4  C. sugar
4 eggs
1 C plain, unsweetened yogurt
2 C. pumpkin or squash  puree (fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned)
Raisins - handful

-Beat butter and sugars until fluffy.
-Add in eggs and mix well. Add squash and yogurt, mix gently.
-Mix dry ingreds together.
-Add wet to dry ingredients. Add raisins and mix just til combined.
-Bake at 350 in sprayed muffin pans or mini cake pans for ~18-22 min til golden brown.

Yield: 24+ muffins + 12 mini-muffins

Black Tie Mousse Cake Close to Home

I love Olive Garden's Black Tie Mousse Cake. Oh yum! I tried making a Copycat recipe from Food.com and was happy to eat the results - ha! Just don't look at the nutritional info and enjoy!

I included their recipe and what I modified in purple below. Wonderful recipe. Thanks, Food.com! I would have just linked to them, but I couldn't figure out a simple way to include the changes or notes I had. This was the fanciest dessert I've ever made. Very fun and time consuming!!

BOTTOM LAYER

• 1 (18 ounce) box of ordinary cake mix (devil's food) Dark Chocolate Fudge 

SECOND LAYER

• 1 teaspoon knox unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

THIRD LAYER

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon knox unflavored gelatin
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract  
   
• FOURTH LAYER

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional) Almond Bark
• 1 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for edges/"crust" 

1 There are FOUR layers to make:

2 BOTTOM LAYER (cake):

3 Bake according to directions on box using 2 round (9-in springform) pans, then cool. Once cooled, use the cake from one pan as one layer (you do not need the second cake from the second pan. In other words, you only need half the box cake. I doubled the whole recipe, except for part 4.) Place this round cake at the bottom of a CHEESECAKE PAN. Press it with your fingers and flatten the cake a little. This is the bottom layer out of four layers.

4 SECOND LAYER (the chocolate mousse):

5 Melt chocolate and cream cheese together. Let cool. Soften gelatin with cold water for 1 minute (sprinkle over water in bowl), then add boiling water, stir until dissolved and clear. Let this cool while you start whipping the heavy cream and sugar. As cream starts to thicken, add gelatin. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Add 1/4 of the cream to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Then fold this into the remaining cream. Once you have it completed, spread this chocolate mousse onto the cake and refrigerate (freeze).

6 THIRD LAYER (the custard):

7 Beat egg yolks until pale. Add sugar, flour, and gelatin (sprinkled over eggs), then beat until mixed. Bring cream and vanilla extract to a boil. Add a small amount of cream to egg mixture while stirring. Gradually add until all of the cream has been added and then pour entire mixture through a strainer into the pan. Continue to cook until custard begins to thicken. Cool slightly, then pour on top of the chocolate mousse layer and freeze while getting the fourth layer ready. (This step is very time consuming but oh so yummy).

8 FOURTH LAYER (the icing):.

9 Please note: this makes a lot of icing so feel free to half this part of the recipe (I just happen to like a lot of icing on top). (I would cut this in half if only making one cake. I like icing and it makes a ton). Bring butter and cream to a boil, pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool until it starts to thicken. Remove cake from freezer, remove the cheesecake pan collar, then pour some of the icing and use a spatula to spread it evenly across the top and sides of the cake. While this is still wet, put chocolate chips onto the side of the cake. Optional: Melt half a cup of white chocolate chips (in the microwave) and swirl into the icing if you want yours to look like the picture. (I used almond bark, which tasted great but hardened really fast.)

10 Refrigerate FREEZE the cake. Be sure to see the picture. Serve cold. Delicious! I wish I would have cut this while mostly frozen. It is very hard to cut out of the fridge without making it look messy.

Frozen Bananas & Banana Milkshakes

Oh the yummy possibilities with frozen bananas! I've been blessed to hit our grocery store twice in the last few months when bananas were on sale for 39c/lb...with a whole bunch of bunches on the reduced rack for 29c/lb! That adds up in a hurry with bananas! This time I purchased ~7 large bunches for around $4.50.

I used to just throw whole bananas in the freezer with peels on. My current, favorite way of preserving them is to peel, chunk, throw on a cookie sheet and flash freezer overnight. I first read about trying this on moneysavingmom. Next morning, just throw in a ziploc bag and they'll last a couple months in the freezer.

Here are great things to do with these yummy chunks-o-nana:
-Throw into smoothies - so sweet, we don't add sweetener to our smoothies anymore.
-Thaw and mash as baby food.
-Thaw and use in banana bread.
-Banana Milkshakes: Yumm-o! Our current favorite...




~8 Banana chunks (enough to fill your blender 1/2-2/3 full)
Milk (we use whole)
Vanilla extract (I don't use pure for this)



-Fill blender 1/2-2/3 full by loosely tossing in frozen banana chunks.
-Pour milk in 'til one inch below top of bananas.
-Blend until really thick and smooth. Add more milk if not creamy enough.
-Add vanilla and blend a bit longer.
-Drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired and enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows

These were really neat to make...science in action! Who would have thought marshmallows can be made at home - neat! Very easy, very messy, and very highly recommended. Check out the recipe at Taste of Home's website. I used just a touch of almond extract, since I didn't have clear vanilla. A little went a long way.

I preferred them with chocolate instead of a sugar coating. I melted on low:
-2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
-2 Tb shortening

...stirring frequently til smooth. My favorite were the ones totally covered instead of just a drizzle...but oh was that hard to achieve! I'd like to try using a small paint brush next time and "paint" the marshmallows a lil' bit brown...if you know what I'm saying.:) Mmmm! 10/10!!

Sweet, Simple Cherry Pie

Filling:
4 C. Sour Cherries, pitted (if fresh - drain excess juice)
1 1/8 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Cornstarch
-Mix in a bowl and allow to sit 10 min, stirring occasionally.
Crust:
2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Shortening
1-2 pinch Salt (1/2 tsp?)
1/3-1/2 C. Cold Water (can add a little ice to make really cold)

-Mix flour, salt and shortening with a fork. Add in cold water until dough sticks together well to form a ball but is not too wet.
-Roll 2/3 dough into pie shape and form into pie crust to fit your pan.
-Roll remaining dough into pie shape.

Pie:
-Pour cherry mixture into pie shell.
-Cut remaining dough into 1/2 inch diameter thin strips.
-Top pie filling with 1/2 of strips. Fold alternating strips back onto themselves.
-Weave remaining strips in...see here for better instructions!:)
-Pinch edges of lattice to bottom crust.
-Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
-Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (see here for a great way to make this)!

Ginger Cake

1/2 C. boiling water + 2 Tb.
1/2 C. canola oil
1/2 C. br sugar
1/2 C. molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 C. whole wt flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bk powder
1/2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon

-Boil water. Pour water carefully over oil. Set aside.
-Beat egg, sugar and molasses. Mix with oil/water.
-Mix dry ingredients.
-Add wet ingreds to dry ingreds.
-Bake at 350 for 30 min in 8-in greased pan.

- Serve with applesauce (unsweetened or sweetened) and whipped cream!

Y: 8

Mmmm! This dessert was a treat we enjoyed while having dinner with Blake's parents in Minnesota! The recipe is from his mother, Elaine. Her recipe was called "Ginger Bread," but I switched it to cake.

Graham Cracker Crust

18 single graham crackers (~ 1 1/2 C crumbs)
2 Tb sugar
1/3 C. melted butter

Crush crackers in bag using rolling pin. Mix with other ingreds. Press into 9" pie plate. Chill as is, or bake at 350 for 8 min.


Recipe shared from Mennonite Country-Style Recipes & Kitchen Secrets by Esther Shank

Chocolate Revel Bars

These are highly recommended for a dessert! Makes a large quantity without too much effort. Recipe shared from a cookbook created by my Aunt Kathie.

1 C. Butter
2 C. Br Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp Bk soda
1 tsp Salt
3 C. Quick oats

15 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
12 oz. Semisweet choc. chips (~2C)
2 Tb Butter
2 tsp Vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Mix dry ingreds, then oats. Add to wet ingreds.

In heavy pan (on low heat) or microwave: heat swt/cond milk, chocolate, 2Tb butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Wet hands and pat 2/3 of oatmeal mixture into greased 11x15 pan. Spread chocolate mixture over dough. Sprinkle remaining oats mixture over chocolate.

Bake at 350 for ~ 20 min.