Pumpkin Pie Cake

Here is another Thanksgiving recipe for all you people who have probably already shopped or already have these items in your cupboard. You won't find it boring or just like every other pumpkin pie and it will certainly wake up your taste buds. My daughter Becky makes this dessert every year when she goes to the fall family get-together. Try it out and let me know if you like it better than plain pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:
3 cups solid packed pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup evaporated milk (add water to make two cup)


1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cup melted butter

In large mixing bowl combine eight  top ingredients and pour in rectangular cake pan.Then sprinkle top of pumpkin mixture with entire box of yellow cake mix. Next sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Finally melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter and pour over cake mix. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Serve with Redi Wip or ice cream. Are you going to change your favorite pumpkin dish to Pumpkin Pie Cake?

My Michele Pumpkin Cake

This year I didn't have any grandchildren to help me cook for Thanksgiving. So sadly, I had to make this cake on my own. My sister Wilma sent this pumpkin cake recipe that looked very simple and interesting. She named it "My Michele Pumpkin Cake" for the friend who gave her the recipe. Thank you Michele. I hope you don't mind if I made a few changes.

                                       
I mixed this cake and had it ready for the oven in seven minutes--and I'm slow. Imagine what you can do with it--super easy and delicious. Your kids could make this cake with very little help. Remember to put the cake in the oven yourself and then remove it.  Make ahead and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
2 tbsp. water
1 can sweetened condensed milk
butter brickle pieces
"Readdi Wip" or your favorite whipped topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first three ingredients until smooth. You may need to add a little more water. Your batter should be about the consistency of pancake batter. Pour into a greased rectangular cake pan and bake until light brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and prick top with a toothpick (20-30 times) and pour one can of sweetened condensed milk over warm cake. Allow to cool for about an hour before serving or store in refrigerator for later. When ready to serve, top with Readdi Wip or whipped topping. Sprinkle with Butterbrickle pieces and/or caramel syrup. This is rich and decadent, so serve it in small pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.

Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

                        
Recently, during Hurricane Sandy, we lost our electrical power. We couldn't use the oven, so I thought of a cookie I used to make with the kids that didn't need to be baked. It was made with raw oatmeal and a chocolate concoction that was cooked on top of the gas stove.

As I recall during winter snowstorms we used to make these fudgy little morsels and decided we'd make some for the family while we sat out the storm.

Make sure you get these basic ingredients before the next big nor'easter hits.

 Ingredients:
2 Cups sugar
3 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 Stick butter
1/2 Cup milk
2 1/2 Cup instant oatmeal
1/2 Cup peanut butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:
In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk. Bring to a boil and stir for about two minutes. Remove from stove and add oats, vanilla, and peanut butter. Beat until blended and starts to thicken.

Drop mixture onto wax paper by the teaspoonful and allow to cool.

These are great snacks with a glass of milk. Play a board game with the kids--Candy land or Scrabble or get a little exercise with Twister. How about cards, Old Maid, or Go Fish.

These times, when the pace changes and you depend on each other for entertainment and fun, are unforgettable.

I have a niece who was having so much fun with her parents during a blackout that, when the lights came back on, she turned them off and said, "Continue." And they did.

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Jewish Apple Cake

One day in September I was chatting on Facebook when I saw a message from someone looking for an apple cake recipe. I went looking through my files and recipe books and found the one I used years ago. After discovering the perfect recipe it was time to shop for apples. The bright yellow and red Gala apples, my favorites, were displayed in green paper bags, covered with recipes, pretending to be fresh.  I got all tingly just thinking about it. When I got and home I tried one. What a disappointment-- leathery with tough skin, no juice running down my chin, apparently not this year's crop. The recipe for Jewish Apple Cake, with a picture of bright red apples at the top, laid on the counter and waited for the perfect apples.

This weekend we went to West Virginia and found the perfect Gala apples--crisp, juicy, sweet, tender,West Virginia grown, and this years crop. Now it's time to make Jewish Apple Cake, good anytime you have fresh juicy apples.You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy this cake, but it's certainly best in the fall when you have access to the best Mother Nature has to offer.

Jewish Apple Cake

Liberally grease a bunt pan with butter and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a large mixing bowl combine:

   1 stick of butter
   1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
   1 teaspoon vanilla

   add 2 large eggs one at a time and whip after each addition.

2. In a medium mixing bowl combine with wire whip:

   2 cups of flour
   1 teaspoon soda
   1 teaspoon cinnamon
   1/2 teaspoon salt

   Add to egg mixture

3. In a small bowl combine:

   2 large peeled chopped apples
   1 cup sour cream
   1 teaspoon vanilla

4.Begin with 1/3 of cake batter in bottom of pan, cover with half of apples mixture, then 1/3 cake batter, remaining of apple mixture then top with cake mixture.You will have 5 layers.

5. Crumble Topping:

   1/2 cup brown sugar
   1/2 cup flour
   1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
   4 tablespoons butter
Combine with a fork and sprinkle on top of cake batter and bake cake for about 45 minutes until golden brown and set until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-20 minutes.

6. Glaze:
   In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup brown sugar
   1/2 teaspoon vanilla
   2 tablespoons water

Drizzle glaze over cake after removing from pan. Allow to harden until ready to serve.

Last year one of my daughters, 2 grandchildren, and I picked apples in the fall and made a cake. Children love helping harvest as much as they do the cooking and baking. Check out the orchards in your area and see if you can find one where you can pick your own apples. The experience of walking through the orchard and finding your favorite apples and knowing they are this year's crop is a wonderful experience.

Wilma's Peanut Butter Chews

Years ago my sister Wilma made Peanut butter Chews with her children and now she makes them with her grandchildren. These cookies are so simple to make and so delicious they'll probably become a favorite in your family.

A couple years ago my sisters and I met in Texas at my son's house.I awoke early one morning for breakfast and heard Wilma spinning a yarn in the kitchen. Now if anyone can tell a story it's Wilma. I peaked into the kitchen to see my three grandsons, who used to bake with me, having way too much fun with Aunt Wilma.    I poured a cup of coffee, sat at the table and put on my listening ears.

"Now boys, the recipe for Peanut Butter Chews is a family secret and the only way I can tell you is if you promise not to tell it to a soul."

"Oh, we promise," they said.

She continued giving instructions until they finished the cookies.Then she told them to write the recipe on a card and someday teach their children how to make them.

"But wait. I thought we weren't supposed to tell."

"Oh, I was just pulling your leg," she said. They're so good you won't be able to keep them a secret. Now have a cookie."

Directions:                                

In a medium saucepan combine: 1 cup sugar and 1 cup corn syrup.

Bring the ingredients to a boil on medium heat and cook one minute. Remove pan from burner,and add 1 cup of peanut butter. Stir until smooth.
 
Add five cups of cornflakes and stir until coated evenly with the sweet chewy caramel. Drop on wax paper by teaspoons full until firm and cool. This recipe makes two dozen cookies that don't have to be baked. Try this  recipe with your kids or grand kids. Watch out, if you let the word out that you know how to make Peanut Butter Chews you'll be asked to bring them to every bake sale and party you go to!


Enjoy it, but don't ask me to bring them to your party!

A Beautiful Pea Green Boat

I can't see a green pepper without thinking of "The Owl and the Pussy Cat."  You may think that's strange, but after reading this post you'll understand.  Most children are picky eaters, preferring sweets to any other taste, but it's very logical since the first food they eat is mommy milk.  Human milk, in case you don't remember, tastes so sweet you would swear someone poured in some sugar.  Considering the bonding and joy the whole life-giving process of nursing gives, there's no wonder children prefer sweets.

Since we know humans need vegetables to have a balanced diet we have to figure ways to get kids to eat them.  We can hide them in a casserole or make them seem to be something they're not. I prefer the latter.  I have a creative granddaughter who loves poems, songs, and anything that rhymes. She has several Mother Goose and children's traditional song books.  These are her favorites and She loves the poem "The Owl and The Pussy Cat."  It begins, "The Owl and the Pussy Cat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat.  They took some honey and lots of money wrapped up in a five pound note..."

From reading this rhyme we quickly jump to lunch and vegetables. The princess eagerly accepts "A beautiful pea green boat" made of half a green pepper with oars made from two slices of the remaining side of the pepper.  We fill the boat with a scoop of humus and add cucumber slices (money).  You can also create miniature docks out of whole grain crackers!



Your children will eat a healthy snack without even realizing it if you use your imagination to create meals.  Add a figurine of an owl and a cat if you have one.  Try other peppers--yellow, red or orange.  How about some carrots or celery? Have you got a recipe to get children to eat vegetables?  Tell us about it! 

How to Make a Dump Cake

Are you a survivalist?  Perhaps you don't consider yourself to be one and yet find yourself putting stuff away for a rainy day.  I've always done that--buying canned and packaged food when it's on sale and working it into my menus.  Since I've moved in with my son and his wife, I help out by preparing many of the meals during the week.  They store even more food than I do and have made me more aware of rotating stored food by expiration date.  Yesterday I made a green bean casserole--one of our favorites--using canned green beans, mushroom soup, and dried onion rings.  When we go shopping, we replace the cans we've used with new ones.

My daughter-in-law recently noticed they had a lot of canned fruit while we were shelving the food in the storage area, so she asked me if I could make a dessert with some of it.  We perused the shelves and found several cans of pineapple chunks and a family sized can of sliced peaches that had been setting a while.  Then I spied a box of yellow cake mix and decided to make a dump cake.

I collected my items and headed up the stairs and in 15 minutes my dessert was in the oven.  This recipe is also great to make even if you don't have electricity!  You can also bake dump cake in a cast iron Dutch oven using coals from a fire -- just assemble the dump cake in the same way and cover the lid with hot coals until fully cooked.


                                             Dump Cake

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:
1 large can sliced peaches
1 medium can pineapple chunks or tidbits
1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (no substitute)
Cinnamon sugar

Spray oblong cake pan or large rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
Dump peaches and pineapple along with juices into the pan.
(You may substitute fresh or frozen fruit along with 3/4 cup of water.)
Sprinkle dry cake mix over top of fruit and pat down to cover fruit evenly.
Thinly slice butter and place on top of cake mix covering completely.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to taste.
Place pan in preheated oven and bake 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
Serve warm or cold with ice cream or whipped cream.
Best if shared with kids.  (Refrigerate leftovers.)