Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

So, basically, when I found this recipe, I nearly jumped for joy.  While I love drinking my green smoothies for breakfast (they seriously make me more alert than any cup of coffee), the thought of swapping them out for pumpkin that looks like a milkshake wasn't even worth pausing to consider.  Done.  Let's drink them every day through the end of the year, shall we?

Let's Talk Turkey

image source

...shall we?  I'm in utter denial that it's already November.  Can anyone please explain to me how that happened?!  My mind is still flittering around somewhere in September, while my calendar is trying to foist November on me, and it's all just so confusing.  Sigh.

So, anyway - I need some input from you lovely cooks: 

Would you like for me to post my Thanksgiving recipes here this month?

Would that be helpful or at all interesting?

I'm thinking things like my brined roasted turkey, my version of Gramma's stuffing, apple and pumpkin pie, and...?  Oh, and if you're wondering, my style of cooking - especially for holidays - is homestyle; I don't do fancy Martha Stewart things like adding figs to stuffing or making apricot glaze for turkey. 

If you want Thanksgiving recipes, I'll start in on them this weekend so that they can post over the next couple of weeks.  So, speak up!!!

I Can't Hearrrrr Youuuuu*,


* I may or may not have watched a fair amount of Spongebob when it first came out.

Apple Pecan Cobbler

Today's recipe is a lesson for me in being giving and gracious.  It's not normally something I struggle with, but when it comes to recipes, I get so antsy to make them how I want to make them, and I have the hardest time fulfilling an exact and specific request.  Sigh.

Example:  For the past two weeks, while my back has been screwed up, Bo has been holding down the fort, unasked.  He's kept my kitchen spotless, unasked.  He's straightened up the clutter piles in our living room, unasked.  He's insisted that I stay on the floor with my heating pad so that my back heals while he's been keeping my sanity in check.  So, on Saturday, I decided to whip up a cozy dessert for him and asked what he'd choose if he could have any dessert.

He promptly said "Apple Cobbler."  Huh.  I'd never made apple cobbler.  When I think apples, I think apple pie, which is my most favorite.  So, I thought, ok, I can do that.  Then when I started digging up recipes, I found one that was more cakey and looked amazing.  I had a whole conversation with my mom over text messages about how we liked the other version better, even tho Bo had asked for a biscuit style cobbler with pecans.  And then, I finally gave up that thing where I make what sounds good to me and decided to make what Bo had specifically asked for.

And I'm so glad I did.  The first bite he took bopped him right up into heaven, and he absolutely loved it.  It made him so happy to have a dessert all to himself, and it made me so happy that I listened and fulfilled his request.  Giving and gracious with my cooking.  I can do that, you betcha.

Thankful,

Apple Pecan Cobbler
adapted from Betty Crocker

filling:
4 c. (475g/20oz.) diced apples *
1/2 c. (100g) sugar
1 Tbsp. (8g) flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans

topping:
1 c. (128g) flour
1/4 c. (50g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. unsalted butter, cold and diced
1/2 c. (4oz.) milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange diced apples in a 2 quart baking dish.  In a small bowl, mix remaining filling ingredients - sugar, flour, cinnamon, and pecans.  Sprinkle mixture over apples.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the topping flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or using two forks, until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Stir in milk and drop by spoonfuls over apple mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until topping is golden and apples are cooked through.  You can test apples by poking a fork or skewer into them.

* Or equal amount of peaches or blueberries.

Ingredient Lineup:

Tip!  Pour water from a large glass measuring cup into your casserole dishes to determine size.

Then mark each size on the bottom with a Sharpie.  No more guessing!

Let me introduce my apple peeler corer slicer to you.

I'm not one for kitchen gadgets that serve just one purpose, but this thing saves soooo much time.

It only takes 20 seconds to peel, core, and slice one apple.  20 seconds!

Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pasty blender or two forks.

The batter will look lumpy (and icky), but will bake up just fine.

Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream is beyond amazing with this!

Browned Butter Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats

Happy Halloween!!

If you manage to keep your hands out of your kids' candy tonight, make this your reward :)  It's a slightly fancier version of rice krispy treats - with browned butter, vanilla bean, and pumpkin pie spices.  Ohhhhh, yesssss.  And we already know how much I love browned butter (this much and also this much).  The pumpkin pie spices in this recipe are optional, but they add a hint of warmth and Fall to the taste, so I highly recommend including them.

And while we're here, did you know that I'm awful at making rice krispy treats?  Seriously, every batch I make turns out hard as a rock or flavorless or both.  Except for this one, hurrah!  I got to comparing recipes from the back of the marshmallow bag, the cereal box, and a couple online.  It's amazing how much different the amounts of cereal are.  This recipe I'm posting for you calls for nearly half the cereal of the other recipes.  Half!  So it's no wonder that it turned out perfectly gooey and soft and definitely full of flavor.  After all the cakes and cheesecakes and cake pops and candies, I'm so excited to have finally conquered what everyone else can make blindfolded! :)

Trick Or Treat!


p.s.  Browned butter.  There's really nothing else I need to say about this!

Browned Butter Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats
a mish mash of recipes from The Merry Gourmet and Cookies and Cups

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. cloves)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 10oz. bags marshmallows
9 c. crispy rice cereal

Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Add the butter to a large saucepan set over medium-low heat.  The butter will melt, then begin to bubble and foam. Eventually it will start to turn golden brown and smell nutty.  Be patient and watch carefully, it can go from brown to burned quickly. Once the butter is browned, add the vanilla bean paste, the spices, and the salt.  Then add all of the marshmallows and stir the mixture constantly until the marshmallows are completely melted.

Remove from heat and add the cereal, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to coat the cereal evenly with the marshmallow mixture. Spread the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Note:  If you halve this recipe, use an 8x8" pan.

Ingredient Lineup:

 Stages of Butter:

Melted, and starting to foam:

Starting to bubble:

Browned, with bits:

Stirring in the spices, vanilla, and marshmallows:

Pumpkin Rice Pudding

I'm head over heels in love with this recipe.  It's true.  This rice pudding is cozy and creamy and pumpkiny and (shhhh.. don't tell!) it's pretty darn healthy.  Instead of the standard white rice, it's made with brown rice, but you wouldn't know it.  The only hint of it is the slight chewiness, which I think makes for a fantastic texture.  It's got very little sugar, and lots of antioxidants from the pumpkin and spices.  

But, really, all you need to know is that it's just so cozy and delicious.

Cuddle Up With a Bowl,

Pumpkin Rice Pudding
adapted from Not Without Salt

1 c. brown rice, cooked according to pkg directions (or 3 1/2 c. cooked brown rice)
3 c. milk (dairy or unsweetened almond or soy)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla (omit if using vanilla-flavored milk)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cooked brown rice, milk, brown sugar, salt and spices. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Cook on low for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is creamy, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let sit 15 for minutes. Serve warm in a cute bowl. Can also be served cold, but is the coziest when warmed.  Makes 4 cups.

Ingredient Lineup:

Cozy and delicious.

And beautifully steamy.

Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Coffee

One of the things I miss about living in Southern California is access to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, my most favorite coffee chain.  They have the most delicious pumpkin lattes, yummmmm....  And, as we know, I'm totally loving on pumpkin everything right now.  So I went on a quest last weekend to figure out my own pumpkin syrup recipe so that I could make my own pumpkin coffee at home (and make it nondairy, while I'm at it!).  I tried out 6(!) different recipe variations and finally settled on this one.  It's not for a traditional latte, because I don't own an espresso machine at home.  It's a syrup that you can add to your coffee as you like, and make cozy with your favorite creamer or half & half.

There are a couple of things you need to know about this recipe - It's not going to be perfectly smooth, like you'd find at Starbucks and the like.  Commercially available pumpkin syrups rely on "spice flavors" which don't settle at the bottom like the spices will in this recipe.  I also like my pumpkin coffee to taste like pumpkin pie, unlike recipes that are really heavy on spice and low on the actual pumpkin.  Feel free to change up the amounts to your liking!

Enjoy!



Pumpkin Spice Syrup
heavily adapted from Savvy Eats

1/3 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp. cinnamon + 1/2 tsp. ginger + 1/8 tsp. cloves + pinch allspice)
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Whisk all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over low heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Strain syrup through a mesh sieve to remove spice grit and pumpkin pulp.  Return to pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil for one minute, then remove from heat.  Allow to cool before pouring into a container and storing in the refrigerator.  Makes about 1/2 pint, or 8oz.

To use:  Stir 2-6 tablespoons into a mug of coffee and add your favorite creamer or half & half.

Ingredient Lineup:

Pour syrup through a strainer, and stir to encourage it to flow through the mesh.

Discard the remaining spices and pumpkin pulp.

Stir 2-6 tablespoons into a mug of coffee and add your favorite creamer or half & half.

Top with foam and cinnamon for a really pretty cup :)

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Praline Pumpkin Cake

Raise your hand if you're craving pumpkin everything right now!  This is the second pumpkin cake I've made this week, and I'm already itching to try out more* recipes this weekend.

So let's talk about this cake - It's a pumpkin-vanilla cake with a pecan praline topping baked in, layered together with cream cheese frosting, and topped with pecans and a caramel drizzle.

Didn't that just make you pass out with the amazingness of it?  I don't usually pick recipes that rely on mixes, but this one used up so many things I had sitting around (pumpkin, caramel sauce, cream cheese frosting, and Yellow cake mix), that there's no way I couldn't give it a try.  The cake isn't super pumpkin-y, so it'll be a good ease right into Fall.  I'm craving pumpkin so much that I almost didn't blog up the recipe, but Bo and my coworkers - who scarfed all the leftovers in thirty minutes - assured me that I needed to because they all loved it.  I, on the other hand, probably still wouldn't be satisfied even after bathing in pumpkin, so I'm going to continue on my hunt for the pumpkinest of pumpkin* baked goods :)

Eat this cake at room temp for best flavor, but store it in the fridge.  The cream cheese frosting gets really soft otherwise, and you run the risk of your top cake layer slip slidin' away....

Dig In!


* What kind of recipes?  Ok, I'm putting it out there so you all will hold me to it - I'm going to tinker with pumpkin syrup recipes so that we all can make homemade pumpkin lattes.  Hurrahhh!!!




Praline Pumpkin Cake
adapted from Betty Crocker

1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/4 c. whipping cream
1 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
1 c. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (= 1/2 tsp. cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. ginger + 1/8 tsp. nutmeg + 1/8 tsp. cloves)

1-2 containers Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (= 1/4 tsp. cinnamon + 1/8 tsp. ginger + pinch nutmeg + pinch cloves)

Caramel topping **, optional
Additional coarsely chopped pecans, optional

Heat oven to 325°F.

In a small saucepan, stir together butter, whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat, just until butter is melted. Whisk to completely dissolve the brown sugar.  Pour into two ungreased 9- or 8-inch round cake pans; sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup pecans.

In large bowl beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture into each pan.

Bake 41 - 47 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 5 minutes; then invert from pans onto cooling rack, pecan side up. Cool completely, an hour or more.

Stir remaining 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice into frosting. To assemble cake, place 1 layer, praline side up, on serving plate. Spread with half of the frosting. Top with second layer, praline side up; spread remaining frosting to edge of layer. Drizzle with caramel topping and additional pecans. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.


** What??  You want a scratch recipe for amazing caramel sauce?  Ok, fine.  Next week, my dears.  It'll rock your world.  I promise.

Ingredient Lineup: