Pumpkins and Squash Season

Images you can make into cards and gifts, plus some recipes, so yummy!

              

 

       

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PUMPKIN POKE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix

14 oz can pumpkin puree (NOT PREPARED PUMPKIN PIE FILLING)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz. tub cool whip (fat-free, sugar-free or regular)  or other whipped topping

1/2 bag Heath Bits

Caramel Sundae Sauce

Mix together ONLY the cake mix, the pumpkin puree, and the pumpkin pie spice until a batter forms. Using the 14 oz. can of pumpkin puree will yield a thicker batter. You can add up to 1 cup more pumpkin if you'd like a thinner batter (which will yield a slightly fluffier cake).

Pour batter into a well-greased 9x9 (9x13 if you added more pumpkin) baking dish. Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool completely after baking. Using the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the top of the cake.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake, aiming to fill the holes. Refrigerate for 60 minutes or until the sweetened condensed milk has soaked into the cake.

Spread the cool whip over top of the cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and drizzle caramel over top (just to your liking). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight (best)

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Pumpkin Hummus

Purée in blender or processor:

1 1/2 cups drained canned chickpeas

1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin

3 tablespoons each olive oil

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup water

Add salt & lemon juice to taste,  add a bit of sugar or stevia if you like

Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil,

Sprinkle red pepper flakes (if you like a little heat) & toasted pepitas. 

Serve with sweet potato chips.

People really liked this at our Fall Bunco party

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Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

1 large egg

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 cup sugar divided use

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 16.3 oz tube Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits

For the cream cheese glaze:

4 oz (1/2 block) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray loaf baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (on bottom and sides).

In a bowl beat the egg and add the pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl mix the remaining sugar and pumpkin pie spice.

Separate the biscuits in half (lengthwise) and coat with the sugar mixture (coating all sides).

Spread the pumpkin mixture on each slice of the biscuits and stack in the bread pan carefully.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow bread to cool completely.

Once bread is cool, make the glaze. Mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Add two tablespoons of milk and mix again. If too thick, add milk a little at a time until you can drizzle the glaze. Using a spoon, drizzle the icing over the pumpkin bread.

Thanks for stopping by!

Preserving Family Recipes

RECIPES FROM THE HEART

My project today is to encourage you to preserve those memories associated with family recipes.  Have you ever considered scrap-booking your recipes just like your photos?  The embellishment possibilities are endless.  Add personal photos or digital images.  How about fibers, buttons, pearls or Dew Drops, chip board, Scrabble tiles, ribbon...make the cards in your style or theirs!  Make a keepsake album or cookbook for yourself or as a gift.

I recently took the time to combine my grandmother's, mother's and my recipe boxes.  I found there were several that were in all three.  Some were handwritten and some were typed and my choice was to keep the earliest handwritten version of each, even if it wasn't the easiest to read.   Could I have typed them into my computer's word or recipe program and made them easy to find by an index.  Yep.  I could also have scanned them in as pictures and stored them in folders.  That's actually what I plan to do with the finished cards so that I can share them with family.  But without the actual cards, I would lose a piece of the sentiment...the history...behind them.

 I chose to work with two Authentique paper pads.  Both Saucy and Fabulous have wonderful retro designs.  Since many of my old family recipes are from my grandmother and mother-in-law the patterns are perfect.  

Between the two paper pads, there are a few kitchen-specific themes.  Pictured above are pans & kettles, strawberries, aprons and utensils.  I chose a pink card stock because each of these four has a pink element in the paper.  I made the decision to permanently mount these three cards because there was nothing written on the back.  You could also use photo corners.  If your recipe card has a B-side, you could pop it into a clear sleeve or glassine envelope and have it flip up to access the rest.  I plan to photocopy any of the backsides and attach them to the back of the card.

For this recipe from my grandmother, I chose to put her picture on the front.  This is one of my very favorite photos of her and my mom and I.  This is one of those recipes that was in all three boxes and I thought a photo of the three of us was a fun nod to that.  I made a brief note about the photo on the back.  Two little gold glam stickers are on the front to give it a little tiny touch of bling.  Pretty, without being too fancy.  Gram would approve.  

This recipe from my mother-in-law is from one of the first family dinners that I was invited to!  I asked what she wanted me to bring and she handed over this chicken casserole  recipe that was a family favorite.  Now that she's gone, I make it with sour cream.  I can make that change now on my photocopy without altering her beautifully written card.  It's embellished with some darling ribbon and a charm that says, "HAND MADE WITH LOVE."  Absolutely fitting for the woman who was my second mom.  The picture of the woman cooking was cut out of another sheet of paper from the Saucy paper pad.

My mother preferred her cards typed and used to pull out her old 20 lb. Royal typewriter with the sticky keys when she found one that she wanted to keep.  Even in the full size scan, you can't see that there are two pretty big folds in the card.  I can't tell if it got caught in the box or just damaged while she was cooking, but just looking at the stains on it tells me it was one of her go-to recipes.  It's probably why I love short ribs now!  This card was embellished with a pink ribbon and more fun pictures cut out of the paper pad.

Be sure to scroll down so you can access full copies of each of the recipes.  Please use and enjoy the recipes!!  

Hanging Around the Kitchen Kit

Introducing our Thanksgiving Kit

Create the perfect hostess gift and 

make one for yourself too! 

The kit contains a wooden hanger, wood clothespin, recipe cards, collage and die-cut stickers for decoupaging.  We even provide a couple recipes!

We give you a choice of a kit with or without chalk paint.  It's a ready to go kit or add your own colors. We show you how to create two different paint techniques.  And when not using it for recipes, add a photo and hang it where it can be admired.

Die cuts are so versatile and help create Fantastic  projects of all sorts.  

Thanks for visiting, now order one of these sweet kits!