Our Window Sill Garden!

     I didn’t realize it had been so long since I wrote a post for this blog. I’ve been sick (and taking care of sick ‘ens ) so I’ve spent my time catching up the family blog. But let’s have some fun on here today, okay? :)

     I think I’ll start with our most recent project (and we’ll work backwards in future posts :) ) -- Our Window Sill Garden!

     The girls and I were at Target some time back and decided to walk through the seasonal springtime stuff. We found the displays of seed packets and of course the girls just HAD to get some. So we did. :) But where were we going to plant them? Yea, I didn’t think that part through when I told them they could each pick a packet. So we brought the seeds home and they got put on the counter. And that’s where they sat. And sat. And sat. Well some time went by and the seeds were still on the counter when Abby brought home a bean in a baggie with dirt and a wet cotton ball from preschool. She taped it to the sliding glass doors and that is where it stayed. A few days later we noticed it was growing really well! Especially for just a bean.

Brace Yourselves...Pumpkin Flavored Everything is Coming!



photo from memegenerator.net

I know, I’m late to the pumpkin party.

I’m chronically late for everything. I joke about how I’ll end up being late to my own funeral. haha

Despite not having blogged about anything pumpkin at all, it sure has been present in my kitchen since I first saw the pie pumpkins in the grocery back in September. We’ve been making pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bread – LOTS of pumpkin bread.

We’ve bought so many pie pumpkins (and had some given to us) that I lost count of how many I’ve peeled, chopped and steamed. Then the day before Halloween, I took the girls to get our pumpkins for carving. While I was at the stand, I saw such a multitude of tan pumpkins all around that I bought one. I figured, at the time, that it was a good size and I should get a fair amount of pumpkin puree from it. I sorely underestimated this pumpkin.

 

Muffins with a Side of Mondays

    Last fall toward the end of pumpkin season, I bought up some of the last pumpkins I could find at the farmer's market. I took 'em home, steamed them, pureed them, and then froze them so I could break out the fresh pumpkin during the summer--when most pumpkins are unavailable since they are still growing. 

    The first container out in order to thaw was the white pumpkin puree. (Sometimes called Cinderella pumpkins.) I placed it in the fridge on a Tuesday, and on Thursday we had nachos and quesadillas for dinner. Seeing the now-thawed pumpkin, I used some of it in the cheese sauce (along with pureed peas) to increase the nutritional value of probably the one thing my girls would devour. :) They didn't suspect a thing. ::Insert evil laugh here::

    Coming back into the kitchen ready to make muffins, the remaining puree was looking out at me asking to be picked.....so I obliged. :) 

And we came up with---

White Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

Thanksgiving Dessert--My Contribution to the Family Dinner

The orange pie pumpkin was used for the cheesecake. 

The tan pumpkin was used in making pumpkin bread.

I still haven't decided what to make with the white pumpkin.

Baking Time For Thanksgiving

    Once Halloween passes, all thoughts turn to Thanksgiving. While I have only ever made one Thanksgiving dinner for just me and my hubby and baby (just one at the time), I do contribute to the larger family dinner. Usually my mother-in-law asks me which dessert I want to bring. I don't recall actually having brought a savory dish. Over the last couple years, I have made a Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake to contribute to dessert and with each success, I can't wait for the next year.

    After Halloween passed this year, my anticipation of the family Thanksgiving dinner grew. I couldn't wait to make the crowd pleasing Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake! This year I decided to make two: one for my mom and my step-dad and their dinner, and one for the dinner at my in-laws' house. Every year, however, I seem to forget how time-intensive cheesecake-making is. Making two wasn't any faster. Maybe next year it'll stick.

  

  Maple Pumpkin Cheesecakes

    *recipe has been adapted from the recipe found in Better Homes&Gardens New CookBook*

  

    First up, making the crusts. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Kyleigh helped me with the crushing up of the graham crackers. We put a little more than one package of graham crackers into a ziplock bag and Kyleigh smashed away with a small. pan. (Very therapeutic...and less expensive, too!) We were aiming for two cups of crushed graham crackers. We measured using the dry measuring cups, but put in the liquid cup to make it easier to picture. I melted half a cup of butter and measured out half a cup of granulated sugar. Add the crushed crackers and the sugar into the bowl of melted butter. Stir up well until all the sugar and crushed crackers have been mixed up with the melted butter. 

    Press the mixture into an ungreased spring-form pan about 1- to 1 1/2-inches up. Bake at 325 degrees F for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

    While the crust is baking then cooling, it is time to get to work on making the filling. Since I knew I had two to make, I adjusted the ingredients. I'm guessing I did something really right because this year got the best raves! (The original recipe can be found at the end of this post.) 

    Start with four 8 ounce packages of cream cheese. Beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy. 

    Once the cream cheese is a smooth creamy consistency, add in two cups of pureed pumpkin, one cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon maple extract. Beat until well combined. 

    Once all ingredients have been incorporated, scrape off the beaters and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Fold in five whole eggs. Scrape down the edges of the bowl again.

    Gently pour the filling in to the crust. Pour only a little at a time so as not to go over the top of the crust. The recipe calls for the cheesecake to be baked in a shallow baking dish but I did not have one that the cheesecake pan would fit in. So I decided to bake it in the next larger sized spring-form pan that I have. There is also a water-bath option if you wanted to go that way.

    Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 to 70 minutes; until the center appears nearly set when gently shaken. 
    Cooling Phase1: Remove from oven and cool on wire racks (yeah, I don't have those either) for 15 minutes.
    Cooling Phase2: Run a small, sharp, thin knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it a bit from the pan. Let cool another 30 minutes.
    Cooling Phase3: Remove edge of pan. Let cool another hour on the counter.
    Cooling Phase4: Before putting the cheesecake into the fridge, I like to replace the siding of the pan and cover with aluminum foil to protect it from anything and everything in the fridge. Keep the cheesecake in the fridge, not the freezer, for a minimum of four hours and up to twenty-four hours. 
    Slice it up and enjoy!

Original Recipe from Better Homes&Garden New CookBook

  1 1/2 c. finely crushed graham crackers

  1/3 c. granulated sugar

  1/3 c. butter, melted

  3-8oz packages cream cheese, softened

  1 c. pumpkin puree

  2/3 c. packed brown sugar

  1/4 c. maple syrup

  1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

  3 eggs, slightly beaten

    Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine finely crushed graham crackers, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Press crumb mixture onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely.

    Meanwhile, for filling, in an extra large mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. Add pumpkin, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Beat cream cheese mixture until well combined. Fold in eggs.

    Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Place spring-form pan in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken.

    Cool in spring-form pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small thin knife, loosen crust from sides of spring-form pan. Cool for 30 minutes more. Remove sides of spring-form pan; cool for 1 hour. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. To serve, spoon or drizzle caramel sauce over top of cheesecake.

Chocolate Crepes w/ Pumpkin Cream Cheese

    It's time for dinner again-- oh, what to make? I was craving breakfast but how to make it seem new and fresh? While looking through some cookbooks for last week's Super Food Friday, I discovered a recipe for chocolate crepes...why not give it a go? But what to fill it with? For Stuffed French Toast I whipped up a semi unsuccessful pumpkin cream cheese, so I decided to try again. Thanks to the help of my four-year-old, this one was on  the money!
    I have to admit, one of the reasons I love making crepes is because I enjoy watching my daughter's face when I flip it without using a spatula. And it is just something I have fun doing: flipping crepes in the air. :) And having crepes is an excellent excuse to eat chocolate and maple syrup for dinner! I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

   Chocolate Crepes
     found in and adapted from Wonderful ways to prepare Crepes & Pancakes

3 eggs.

 

  Crepes
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp melted butter

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling.

  Filling
1 package cream cheese
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat eggs with milk.

    Beat the eggs, then add the milk and vanilla extract and mix well by hand or in an electric mixer.

    Sift the flour with the sugar and cocoa and slowly add to the egg and milk mixture.

Flour, sugar and cocoa.

    Stir in the melted butter and blend thoroughly.
    If mixing by hand, pour the batter through a strainer to remove any lumps. Set aside to whip up the filling.
    In a mixer, beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add in the pumpkin and beat well. Beat in the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Set aside for when it's time to eat!

Eggs, milk, flour, sugar, & cocoa.

    Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, turn down to medium (about a 5 on a scale of 10). Pour 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of the batter (depending on the size of the pan) in the center of a hot, lightly greased pan. I poured my batter into a liquid measuring cup to make pouring easier and less messy--worked like a charm!
    Tip the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter around. Cook until the top is dry, then flip over and cook about 30 seconds.

Chocolate crepe batter.

Use cup to pour batter.

Cover the pan in a circular tipping motion.

Ready to be flipped.

The beautiful color of the done side after being flipped.

Chocolate crepes rolled with filling slathered in maple syrup.

  

    Looking for a dessert crepe instead? The next day I was craving something sweet and went hunting in through the kitchen. I found some leftover Maple Butter Frosting (yes, frosting) from the Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes and figured chocolate with a Maple Butter--how could I go wrong? Looking for a different dessert? This is it! Spread a decent layer of the frosting down the center, roll it up, and chomp away! Ya might want to have a glass of milk on hand. ;)

    Whichever way you go, enjoy it!

Stuffed French Toast w/ Pumpkin Cream Cheese

    For awhile, I've been wanting to make some sort of stuffed french toast for dinner but something always came up which put that out of the question. On Monday I decided "to heck with it" and just did it. I had pureed pumpkin already waiting for me in the fridge.

     I creamed together 3/4 cup of the pureed pumpkin with 8 ounces of cream cheese along with some cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice (my favorite spices to use with pumpkin!). 

     I love using Texas Toast when I make french toast because of its thickness-- the slices are 1 inch thick! Great for french toast, and even better for stuffed french toast! After making the filling, I sliced a pocket in the slices of bread with a knife and left about 1/4-inch around the other three sides.

     Then, using a spatula, I filled the 'pockets' with the pumpkin cream cheese. I then dunked the stuffed bread slices into the egg mixture (5 eggs whisked with a little milk, cinnamon, and melted butter); one side, then the other. 

    Then they went into an already hot pan--after it gets hot, put the heat to medium so that the outsides won't burn before warming the inside. The girls were pretty hungry so I couldn't get a good picture before they were inhaled, but you are aiming for a nice even brown. Mine are a little uneven, but like I said, I had to hungry girls not concerned with even browning--just french toast with butter and maple syrup!

  
    If you give this a go, I really hope you enjoy them! I will use any excuse possible to eat chocolate, so of course I slathered some Nutella on mine then topped with maple syrup--I highly recommend this! My hubby likes giving them a good layering of butter then sifting some powdered sugar on top. The melted butter mixes with the powdered sugar for a pretty sweet topping to any piece of french toast, pancake, or waffle!

Super Food Friday: Cinnamon

Dinner

• Having a Mexican food night? Try adding ground cinnamon to the black beans to be used in burritos, tacos or nachos. It'll give your food a unique twist!
• Let's go with a healthy comfort food. Make your own Pumpkin Mac n' Cheese and add cinnamon!
• Since it's fall with cool nights, make a nice Pumpkin Soup and add a nice dose of cinnamon for an extra warming sensation!

I've run into a cooker's block. So do any of you have dinner recipes that you could add cinnamon to? 

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Butter Icing

    I had some pureed pumpkin left in the fridge from Halloween and I wanted to bake with it. So yesterday after her non-nap, Kyleigh and I baked cupcakes! I can't remember the last time I made cupcakes... ::pauses to think:: I don't know that I have ever made cupcakes before. If I did it was only once and quite a long time ago. Anyway, we made Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Butter Icing. Woo hoo! These are sin-sational! Absolutely irresistible! Scrumptious! Divine! You can't have just one! Believe me, I tried. I had to take a lot of pictures of the girls to keep my hands from grabbing another one. :)

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Butter Icing

3 c. flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 c. sugar

1 3/4 c. pumpkin puree

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. butter, melted

5 eggs

Maple Butter Icing

6 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp maple extract

1/3 c. milk

1/2 c. butter, melted

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin pans with paper cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and spices. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, butter and eggs. Using a whisk, mix well. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture.

Stir just until the everything is incorporated.

Divide evenly among the lined cups, filling about two-thirds of the way. (I used a quarter-cup measuring cup and rubber spatula to help keep it even.) Bake for 15-20 minutes; until a toothpick, or knife, comes clean out of the center of the cakes. Turn cupcakes out to wire racks to cool.

While the cupcakes are baking, it's time to make the icing!

Start with three cups of the powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Add in the extract, milk, butter, nutmeg and cinnamon. To get it smooth, I like using a whisk (yes, again). Add an additional one cup of powdered sugar at a time until you get the consistency you like. I had to use six cups to get me desired consistency. 

Wait until the cupcakes are cooled completely, then ice away! And as always, enjoy!

My little helper.

We topped ours with Halloween sprinkles.

Betcha can't have just one!

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

We've all  done the sweet baked goodies with pumpkin, but what about the savory side of things? I was in the mood for some good comfort food and I wanted to use some of the pumpkin that I pureed on Sunday. I couldn't make meatloaf since the meat was frozen...so what to do? Why not try some creamy, delicious, cheesy Mac n' Cheese...with pumpkin! Genius! I also had some leftover mashed sweet potato from a dinner towards the end of last week, so why not use that too. What a great, healthy way to get that great orange-y color!


3 Cheese Pumpkin Mac n' Cheese

1 box pasta wheels (or pasta of your choice)
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. cut-up velveeta 
1 c. pureed pumpkin
1/2c. mashed sweet potatoes (or pureed)
2 c. milk, divided
1/2 tsp nutmeg 
1/4 tsp basil
pinch of pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
olive oil to saute onions & garlic


    Cook pasta according to package directions. 
    Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the olive oil is heated, add in the chopped onions and minced garlic. Stir occasionally. 

    Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over low medium heat (about a 4 on a scale of 10), add in cheeses and one cup of milk. Whisk until cheeses start melting together. Add in pumpkin and sweet potato. Whisk again and add in the remaining one cup of milk. Once everything is incorporated, add in nutmeg and basil; add the pepper and salt to taste. Cover and turn down the heat to low (as low as it goes without being turned off). Stir occasionally.
    Once the onions are caramelized (nice dark golden brown), stir them into the cheese sauce and replace lid.
    After draining the pasta, once the onions are added to the sauce, return the pasta to its pot. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to cover the pasta well. 
    Enjoy heaping portions! 

    My husband has been a good sport about my let's-put-pumpkin-in-everything kick I've been on this year, but I think his patience is running thin. He wasn't too excited about this meal, so I hadn't planned on posting it. Then my Mommy had some (who shares my enthusiasm for fresh pumpkin) and really enjoyed it! So if my Mom liked it, and my girls ate it up, and I liked it so much I plan on making it again, then why not share it! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did! 
    By the way, for those with little ones like myself, hot dogs might not be a bad addition. ;) I also think that diced ham would be good too-- the possibilities are endless!

Pumpkin Bread

Time for more pumpkin! My sister-in-law asked me today if I had a pumpkin bread recipe. I was only too happy to oblige. :) Even though this makes two large loaves for us, it does NOT last long at all! After I make it again, I'll post pictures. I hope y'all enjoy!

makes 2 large loaves or 3 regular sized

3 c. sugar
1 c. cooking oil
 4   eggs
3 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp  baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 c. water
2 c. pureed pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using cooking spray, spray the bottom and sides of the loaf pans; set aside.
In an large mixing bowl, beat sugar and oil on medium speed. Add eggs and beat well; set aside.
In another large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry mixture and water alternately to the sugar and egg mixture, beating on low until combined.

Add dry mixture.

Alternately with water.

   Beat in pumpkin.

   Spoon into pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 to 60 minutes; if you are making 2 large loaves, it will need to bake longer--until a knife comes out clean in the center.
Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans.

Enjoy!