Pumpkin Roll

Moist pumpkin cake is rolled up with a spiced cream cheese filling in this delightful spiraled pumpkin dessert. If you've been craving all things pumpkin lately, try this yummy and fun pumpkin roll. 

Here's how the filling gets rolled up in the pumpkin cake:

One 15x10 pumpkin sheet cake is cooled and then rolled up in a tea towel.

The cake is allowed to cool completely in the tea towel which it helps maintain it's shape and then it's slathered with a spiced cream cheese filling.

The spices in the cream cheese mixture are optional. I added them and thought it gave the cream cheese filling a nice warm flavor that went well the pumpkin cake.

I left a border with the filling because I thought it would squish out when I rolled it. The cream cheese filling is firm so make sure you spread yours all the way to the edge! It doesn't ooze out.

Once it's rolled up, the pumpkin cake is wrapped in plastic and chilled until ready to serve. This allows for the filling to setup and makes its easier to cut.

Right before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Slice, Serve, Dig in!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Pumpkin Roll
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on
towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine,
softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
2. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
3. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
4. BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Recipe Source: Libby's

* * * * * * * * *

My Notes:
* I always up the spices in pumpkin desserts. This one was no exception. I used a heaping half teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon or so of nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. The cake actually wasn't too spicy and it probably could stand for a pinch more of each.


* I added a sprinkle of cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg to the cream cheese filling. This was a welcome addition. 


* Sprinkle your tea towel with powdered sugar before rolling the cake to prevent sticking.


* Make sure the cake has completely cooled before adding the cream cheese mixture or it will melt slightly and make it harder to roll. 


* This dessert is great as is, but would be tasty with toasted pecans rolled up in the filling and maybe a drizzle of caramel on top right before serving! Or a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of nutmeg. OK, OK, I'm done.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

Here's a tasty fall cookie I was baking up around this time last year. 
Up next, pumpkin spice cookies with caramel frosting and candy corn cookies!

* * * * * * * * * * *

These cookies are so moist and delicious! With pumpkin, spices and cranberries, they are the perfect fall treat. 

A pillowy pumpkin cookie is loaded with tart cranberries, fresh orange zest and spiced with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. It's all in there and it's all so scrumptious! All the flavors really go well together. Don't change a thing! And please, please use FRESH cranberries! The fresh cranberries give these cookies a nice tang that balances out the other flavors. The cranberries also give the cookies a pretty jeweled look. Dried cranberries just wouldn't be the same.


I dipped the tops of the cookies in a powdered sugar cinnamon glaze. The glaze took this from a tasty pumpkin cookie and turned it into a decadent treat!


Try them, you'll love them!

* * * * *

Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies

INGREDIENTS:


1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 cup chopped walnuts**


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg and pumpkin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into mixture until well blended. Cut the cranberries in half and stir into mixture along with the orange zest and walnuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.


* I always up the spices and add a pinch more cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger and a pinch of cloves.

** You can add whatever nut you like. I left them out, but I 'm sure the cookies would be really good with them. Toasted pecans would be tasty too. 


*** I roughly chopped the cranberries in a food processor along with the orange zest and some of the sugar.

For the cinnamon glaze, I whisked together sifted powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg. You want the glaze to be thick so it will stick to the cookies and not run off too much.

* * * * * * * * *

The making of the pumpkin cookies...

Fresh cranberries take a whirl with grated orange zest and sugar.

This creates a lovely shade of red

Then the cranberries get stirred into the spiced pumpkin cookie batter. Oh man! This mixture smells heavenly.

On some of the cookie dough I sprinkled corse sanding sugar for a little crunch and sparkle.

The cookies bake up nice and fluffy.

And then you can enjoy them plain or dip them into a glaze. Either way, they're scrumptious!

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

repost

If you like pumpkin flavored treats, you'll love this layer cake!

Two light and fluffy pumpkin cakes are cut in half and slathered with a pumpkin cream cheese filling to make a rich and decadent four-layer cake.

The cake is topped off with toasted pecans and caramel sauce. A very delicious combination of flavors!

Cutting into the cake exposes all the creamy, pumpkin layers. Yum!

Heaven

This cake is delicious, beautiful and easy to make. What are you waiting for?

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake
Source: Kraft Foods
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans


HEAT oven to 350°F.


BEAT cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.


BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.


BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

Best Damn Pumpkin Dessert, Period!

Yes, that is the title. And, it's pretty accurate I must say.

I made these bars/dessert/plain goodness for a dinner we had with some friends. Everyone loved these and had seconds and thirds! 

A doctored cake mix is used for both the crust and topping. And sandwiched between the two, is a spicy layer of creamy pumpkin filling. This dessert is a cross between pumpkin pie and a pumpkin bar. The buttery, cakey topping makes this dessert stand out.

The crust and topping are studded with toasted pecans which gives this dessert a nice texture and flavor. The pumpkin layer in the middle is rich and creamy and has a nice balance of sweet and spice.

This dessert has a few steps, but it's really simple to make. It can be served plain or dressed up with ice cream or whipping cream. (Plus, the leftovers go extremely well with coffee in the morning!)

* * * * * * * * * 

Pumpkin Dessert

Inspired by: Slight Detour

Preheat oven to 350

CRUST:

1 Box yellow cake mix (Reserve 1 1/4 cups and set aside)

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

Mix cake mix (minus the 1 1/4 cup), melted butter, beaten egg and nuts until combine. Press into a 9x13 greased pan.

FILLING:

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg
A pinch ground ginger and cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Mix together above filling ingredients until smooth (mixture is runny, but just keep beating it with a fork until you have a smooth consistency and all the spices are blended in). Pour filling over the crust.

TOPPING:

Reserved 1 1/4 cups cake mix

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

5 Tablespoons butter, softened

Mix together topping ingredients until crumbly. Gently scatter mixture over filling.

Bake @ 350 for 50-60 minutes. Cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

My Notes:

* My pumpkin dessert was done at 57 minutes. The topping was golden brown and the filling was set (no giggle) when I took it out of the oven.

* I served a scoop of Dryers Pumpkin Ice Cream on the side. Eggnog or vanilla would be tasty too.

Caramel Pecan Bars

These caramel bars are incredible! The crust is so buttery and rich and the honey pecan topping is just divine. Plus, these are a snap to put together (after making Ian Garten's version that is).

They would make a nice bite-size treat for Thanksgiving. Come to think of it, you could probably throw a pinch of pumpkin pie spice in the recipe (maybe in the crust?) to add a nice festive flavor. Yum!

Once they're complete cooled and cut, it's hard to have just one. In fact, it's impossible!

My only problem with these was with the amount of butter in the crust. It was way too much! It pooled on top of the crust while it was baking and the bars came out of the oven oozing with butter. Once they cooled to room temperature they setup up fine, but I think 3/4 cup butter (in the crust) or even less would be perfect. The buttery flavor would still be just as delicious.

That aside, these are so good and very addicting. They would be a perfect treat for Thanksgiving or any holiday table.

Caramel Pecan Bars

Makes about 24 squares

Shortbread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, cut into one inch cubes

Caramel Pecan Topping
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup, opt.

3 tablespoons heavy cream

3 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and line with parchment paper, if desired.

Mix the flour and sugar together in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and cut into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter until the butter is the size of small peas. Press into the prepared baking dish and bake until it just starts to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Decrease oven to 300.

In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, honey, maple syrup (if using), brown sugar, and heavy cream. Add the pecans and stir until all the pecans are coated. Pour on top of the baked crust and spread evenly. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

Cool completely before slicing.

Cranberry Orange Chess Pie

 A yummy, sweet layer of orange scented custard is topped with tart cranberries for a nice balance of flavors in this delicious chess pie. 

This pie is simple to make and so different and festive and very scrumptious! I would recommend it anytime, but especially for your turkey day table or your Christmas buffet.

Chess pies are also known as sugar pies for their overly sweet nature. But, the sweetness in this pie is perfectly offset by the orange zest, cider vinegar and cranberries.

If you want to try something a little different come turkey day, I would highly recommend this festive chess pie. Also, this Cranberry Vanilla Custard Pie or this Pumpkin Roll would be tasty additions too!

Cranberry Orange Chess Pie

William Sonoma: Pies and Tarts

1 (9in) pie shell, partially baked*
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/4 to 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place oven rack in the lower third of the oven.

In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, melted butter and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Stir in the flour, the buttermilk, vinegar and orange zest, mixing well. Stir in the cranberries. Scrape the mixture into the partially baked pie shell.

Bake the pie until the top is golden brown and domed and the filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 8 servings.

How to Partially Bake a Pie Shell:
Line pie shell with aluminum foil and weigh down with pie weights or raw rice. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes at 375. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

* This would be lovely topped with a dollop of whipped cream and freshly grated orange zest.

Pumpkin Roll

With Turkey day around the corner, I thought I would repost a few favorite and festive recipes of mine.


First up, Pumpkin Roll.


Moist pumpkin cake is rolled up with a spiced cream cheese filling for this delightful spiraled pumpkin dessert.

Here's how the filling gets rolled up in the pumpkin cake:

One 15x10 pumpkin sheet cake is cooled and then rolled up in a tea towel.

The cake is allowed to cool completely in the tea towel and then it's slathered with a spiced cream cheese filling.

The spices in the cream cheese mixture are optional. I added them and thought it gave the cream cheese filling a nice warm flavor that went well the pumpkin cake.

I left a border with the filling because I thought it would squish out when I rolled it. The cream cheese filling is firm so make you spread yours all the way to the edge! It doesn't ooze out.

 Once it's rolled up, the pumpkin cake is wrapped in plastic and chilled until ready to serve. This allows for the filling to setup and makes its easier to cut.

Right before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Slice, Serve, Dig in!

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pumpkin Roll
Source: Libby's
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on
towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine,
softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
2. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
3. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
4. BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

* * * * * * * * *

My Notes:
* I always up the spices in pumpkin desserts. This one was no exception. I used a heaping half teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon or so of nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. The cake actually wasn't too spicy and it probably could stand for a pinch more of each.


* I added a sprinkle of cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg to the cream cheese filling. This was a welcome addition. 


* Sprinkle your tea towel with powdered sugar before rolling the cake to prevent sticking.


* Make sure the cake has completely cooled before adding the cream cheese mixture or it will melt slightly and make it harder to roll. 


* This dessert is great as is, but would be tasty with toasted pecans rolled up in the filling and maybe a drizzle of caramel on top right before serving! Or a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of nutmeg. OK, OK, I'm done.

Beef and Barley Soup

This hearty soup is full of fork-tender beef, diced carrots, onions, cremini mushrooms and of course, barley. It's a delicious fall soup!

Beef and Barley Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1 pound London broil, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 

1 large onion, chopped 

1 medium carrot, chopped 

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced 

2 tablespoons minced garlic (from 4 cloves) 

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

3/4 cup dry red wine 

4 cups chicken stock 

3 cups water 

3/4 cup hulled or pearl barley, rinsed and drained* 

1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley 

Garnish: grated fresh horseradish 

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oil in a medium Dutch oven or a large pot over medium-high heat. Season beef with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, and cook onion, carrot, and mushrooms until golden, stirring occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add garlic and tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add wine. Return to heat, and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits from bottom using a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Return beef to pot, and add stock and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Add barley, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover, and cook until beef and barley are tender, 20 to 25 minutes more. Stir in parsley. Divide soup among 6 bowls, and garnish with horseradish.

Source: Martha Stewart 

*If using pearl barley omit 1 cup of water in step four.

And for dipping...

Pastrami Tomato Cheese Sandwiches

I love these sandwiches! They're a family favorite. We start making them around Halloween and then whip them up every time we have a pot of soup bubbling away on the stove.

Pastrami Tomato Cheese Sandwiches

1 loaf french bread, sliced thick

2 lbs. Pastrami, thinly sliced

3-4 Tomatoes, sliced

Mozzarella or Monterey Cheese, sliced or shredded

S and P

Preheat oven to 325.

Butter top sides of sliced french bread and place on a baking sheet. Top bread with 2-3 slices of pastrami then a slice or two of tomato. Salt and pepper tomato. Top tomato with cheese and bake until cheese is melted and golden brown.

* I didn't add measurements to the recipe, as you can make as many or as little sandwiches as you want. 

But, if you have one loaf of french bread (not the skinny long loaves, unless you want to make mini appetizer-sized ones! Yum!) you'll need about 2 lbs of thinly sliced pastrami (I like peppered pastrami) and about 5 tomatoes. 

One medium sized bag of shredded cheese should be good or one block of cheese that you can slice/grate yourself. Just pile the pastrami on the buttered bread (two to three slices of pastrami), and add enough tomato to cover the top (one or two slices).

Old English Wassail

This recipe for Old English Wassail is from my good friend Betty who made it for a November cooking club in 2008.  Everyone loved it and demanded the recipe for this wonderful fall drink. 

The Wassail has a delicious aroma from its apples, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and citrus. It is perfect to have simmering away when company arrives.  A bottle of dark or spiced rum served on the side also make it a nice cocktail.

This drink is not only easy to make, but it is also great because it can simmer until ready to serve creating a wonderful aroma throughout the house.  Keep it on the stove and have a ladle and mugs (and rum if serving) nearby so everyone can help themselves.

The Wassail makes a great Halloween/Thanksgiving drink (and cocktail), and is also comforting whenever the weather calls for a warm, inviting drink.  

  

Simmer - Sip - Smile

Old English Wassail from Betty


Pour in a large sauce pan...

1/2 gal. Apple cider or juice

1 large can pineapple juice ( I use Dole the other brands didn't taste as good)

3 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

4 Cinnamon sticks

Whole orange, cloved*

1 apple cut in quarters

Simmer with lid on for 1 hr.

* Stick 20 whole cloves into the orange and add it to the pot. See picture above.

Apple Pie

Simply Delicious

This is the best apple pie I've ever had! The crust is flaky and buttery and the apples in the filling are perfectly tender and engulfed in a silky carmel like sauce. When you take your first bite, your eyes get a little wide and then you can't help but smile and exclaim WOW! Thanks to my friend Judi for sharing this recipe with me and allowing me to share it with all of you.

Granny smith apples are piled high in a homemade pastry shell.

A lattice top is weaved over the apples

And a wonderful yet simple sauce made of brown sugar and butter is poured over the top.

The glaze makes for a gorgeous crust once baked.

This pie is so pretty and rustic not to mention delicious.

Cut a slice and enjoy! 

Here's the recipe as it was given to me. Leave a comment if you have any questions.

Apple Pie

Crust:
Combine melted 1 cup butter in a pan add 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar. Stir in 6 tbs ice cold water. Roll into 2 balls and store in fridge for 4 hours. take out 10 minutes before ready to roll them into crust.

When making pie heat oven to 425. Prepare bottom crust to pan. Place 6 small granny smith cored, peeled, and slice apples in pan. make latticed top. In a sauce pan melt 1/2 cup butter and add 3 tbs flour, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and heat to boil. Pour over pie.  Bake in over at 425 for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes.