Pumpkin Rolls

Marge’s recipe for pumpkin-goodness.

ingredients 

Dough:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup flour (sift 1 or 2 times)

Filling:

• 8 oz softened cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp soft margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar
   

preparation

1. Beat eggs and sugar well.  Add pumpkin, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and flour.  Mix for 2 minutes.
2. Line jelly roll pan (15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1) with shortening or wax paper. (Spray pan first witha litle Pam)
3. Spread dough over wax paper evenly. 
4. Bake 12 to 13 minutes at 350 degrees.
5. Immediately after baking, turn cake out onto towel (cotton) sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Peel wax paper off and roll up tight in towel to cool.
6. Beat cream cheese first. Add other ingredients and beat well.
7. Unroll cake and spread with filling.
8. Re-roll and wrap for freezer

serving size

1 pumpkin loaf

Fudge

ingredients 

6 oz evaporated milk (or 2/3 cup)
12 regular marshmellows (120 small)
1/2 cup margarine
few grains of salt
2 cups sugar 

preparation

1. Cook, stirring until boiling, boil for 5 minutes
2. Remove from heat and add 6 oz of chocolate chips and 1 tsp vanilla.
3. Stir until chips are melted
4. Pour into 8″ buttered pan
5. Let set until cook and firm before cutting

serving size

1 pan

Peanut Butter Fudge

ingredients 

1 cup cruncy peanut butter
1 stick margarine
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
 

preparation

1. Melt peanut butter and margarine together
2. Combine melted mixture with sugar and vanilla
3. Poured into buttered pan
4. Refrigerate over night

serving size

1 pan

Buckeyes

Credit goes to Dee’s good friend Kristin for these peanut butter treats.

ingredients 

5 cups powder sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 sticks buter (oleo)
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz chocolate chips
1/8 lb parafin
 

preparation

1. Mix together all ingredients except for the chocolate chips and parafin
2. Roll mixture into balls and refrigerate overnight
3. Melt chocolate chips and add parafin.
4. With toothpick, dip each ball into chocolate.

serving size

~4 dozen

Chocolate Chip Dip

Dee received this recipe from an OT student that she worked with.

ingredients 

8 oz. cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
3/4 cup of chocolate chips 

preparation

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy
2. Gradually add powdered sugar and brown sugar
3. Hand stir in chocolate chips
4. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours
5. Serve with graham crackers 

serving size

1 bowl

Chocolate Caramel Tart

Mmmmm….warm caramel & chocolate + a fresh brewed pot of java-love.  This is one to write home about…another great recipe from a Cincinnati cooking class we attended.  Enjoy…just in moderation.

ingredients 

4 pre baked tart shells
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces caramel sauce (see my Caramel Sauce recipe under the ‘Sauce’…you can make this ahead of time)
 

preparation

1. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, add heavy cream — bring to a slow boil and pull off heat
2. Add the chopped chocolate a little at a time, until melted
3. Add 1 ounce of caramel sauce to each tart shell
4. Ladle the melted chocolate ganache (the mixture you just made) into the shell
5. Garnish with a good vanilla bean or butter pecan ice cream

serving size

Makes 4 – double the ingredients for each serving size of 4 you want to create.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Deanna loves carrot cake.  So when I was in my ‘nesting’ phase of awaiting Nathan to be born, I came across a tempting recipe on FoodNetwork.com by the Barefoot Contessa (2001).  One tip, don’t be stingy on the cream cheese topping.

ingredients 

2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 extra large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

For the frosting:
3/4 pound cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 pound unsalted butter (room temp)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners’ sugar  

preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat the sugar, oil and vanilla together in a bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. 
3. Add the eggs, 1 at a time.
4. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
6. Add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter.
7. Mix until just combined (Careful not too over mix)
8. Line muffin pans with paper linens. Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook further 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

For the frosting:
1. Cream the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in the bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
2. Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.

serving size

1 batch

Banana Cake

We received this recipe from my cousin Stan’s wife Lauren at our wedding shower in 2006.  We have not made this one yet, but I’m a big banana fan (Meaning, I like bananas…i don’t root for or support banana growers across the globe, LOL).   I’m tempted to add chocolate to this recipe in some way…will let you know if & how I do it.

ingredients 

1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1 egg
2 bananas, ripe
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder 

preparation

Cake Batter:
1. Cream together – sugar, butter
2. Mix in & beat – vanilla, egg & bananas
3. Beat – flour, salt & baking powder
4. Bake @ 350 degrees for 25-30 min.

Icing:
1. 1/2 stick butter
2. 3/4 cup powder sugar
3. 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
4. 5 tbsp milk
5. Beat together & ice pan – sprinkles of your choice

serving size

1 batch

Eclair Dessert

Deanna & I received this recipe from my sister-in-law Kristin at our wedding shower in 2006.  I have not made this yet myself, but have tried a few times when she has made it for birthdays & holidays. Quite tasty! 

ingredients 

1 large vanilla Jello Pudding
1 small chocolate icing, (can use canned icing)
8 oz whipped cream
1 box graham crackers

preparation

1. Make Jello as directed.
2. Mix in whip cream
3. Layer bottom of 13x9x2 pan with graham crackers
4. Pour half of the pudding mixture into pan
5. Place another layer of graham crackers and rest of pudding mixture.
6. Layer top with graham crackers and cover with chocolate icing
7. Refrigerate overnight.

 serving size

1 batch