Granny's Pumpkin Bars

My dinner menu this week was nothing to write home about, so I'm just going to post about my Granny's Pumpkin Bars.  Trust me, they're worthy of their own post.

It all started out as a squash-roasting session.  I had a bunch of squash that looked enough like pumpkin that I decided to treat it like pumpkin.  I cut them in half, scooped out the seeds and put them cut side down in a pan with a little water.  I baked them for about an hour at 350, until they were nice and tender.  After they cooled a bit, I scooped out the flesh and pureed it.  I was just going to freeze it all in 2 cup portions when I got a call from my sister in law telling me to bring dessert for supper that night.  Then she suggested pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.  She didn't have to tell me twice!

I have always loved my Granny's recipe for pumpkin bars.  She used to make them for us whenever we visited her house in Williston.  After much begging, she shared the recipe with me a few years ago.  I even have the recipe in her handwriting!

These make a huge pan, but they never last long.  And be careful...I think I gained ten pounds in the last two days eating these!
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Granny's Pumpkin Bars
1.  Mix together:
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. canola oil
1 can pumpkin ( or 2 c. fresh roasted and pureed pumpkin or squash)

2.  Sift together:
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. cloves

3.  Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients, mix well.
4.  Pour into an 11 x 17 pan or two smaller pans that have been greased and dusted well with flour.
5.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. After cooling top with Cream Cheese frosting:
1 brick cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 t. vanilla
1 T. milk or cream
3-4 c. powdered sugar
(Combine in a bowl, adding enough sugar to make it yummy!)
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The original recipe called for a full cup of oil, but I thought that was a little much, so I cut it in half to see what happened and I couldn't tell the difference.  Also, I didn't have any ground cloves, but the bars were delicious without.

Caramel Rolls

Who doesn't love them?  Especially warm out of the oven.  Warm, sticky, sweet caramel rolls.  This isn't a recipe for the dough, I just buy the frozen rolls at the grocery store.  This super easy recipe is for the caramel. 

I make these when we have company or on holidays when there are going to be a lot of people around because if I made them at home for just us, I would eat them all.

These take less than 10 minutes the night before, then 30-40 minutes in the oven the morning you are going to eat them.  Very little hands on time, your house smells amazing (even before you bake them!) and you get fresh caramel rolls.  Win-win-win, right?

I couldn't tell you where I first got this recipe, probably from a church cookbook somewhere.  Over time, I have adapted the amounts to fit our tastes and you should do the same.

Caramel Rolls
For each package of 8 frozen rolls, you will need:
9 x 13 pan, greased
1/2 stick butter (real butter!)
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

 Melt all these ingredients in the pan. I just put it in the microwave for a couple minutes, checking and stirring often. If your pan isn't microwave safe, you could use a bowl instead. When the ingredients are melted, put the frozen rolls in the pan as shown:

Cover with plastic wrap and put in cold oven to rise overnight.  They will be huge in the morning:

Take the rolls out of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 350.  Cover the rolls with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, checking at 30 minutes for doneness, uncovering if they aren't browning.  They should look evenly browned and puffy when they are done:

Tip the rolls over onto a jelly roll pan or wax paper so they are caramel side up.  Eat them while they're hot!

Cinnamon roll waffles...genius!

I have recently discovered pinterest, a social media site where people post cool things they did or like. I have found several recipes on pinterest that I plan on making in the future, but I started with this super easy one. 

The kids and I are off for almost two weeks for Christmas break and I like to make special breakfasts for them when I can.  This morning, I fired up the waffle iron and made these quick cinnamon roll waffles.  These took about 10 minutes total, including time to warm up the waffle iron. 

I'm not writing out a real recipe for these because they are so easy you don't need a recipe. 
Step 1:  Buy a can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls.
Step 2:  Heat up your waffle iron.
Step 3:  Spray your waffle iron with non stick spray.
Step 4:  Open cinnamon rolls and put one in each quadrant of your waffle maker.
Step 5:  Shut waffle iron and cook until done (my light shuts off when they're done)
Step 6:  Repeat with remaining rolls.  My package had 8. 
Step 7:  Drizzle with icing included in the package.
Step 8:  Eat. 

These were so simple and super yummy.  They would make a great breakfast for a time when the oven is full of other things, like Christmas Morning. 

Caramels

My mom makes the best caramels.  I have found that no matter what the recipe, if it came from my mom, I can never make it as good as she can.  The same holds true for this recipe for "Light Caramels" (light what?  color?)  Years ago, this is one of the recipes that mom put in the church cookbook and I dig it out every year with varied success.  Sometimes they end up hard as rocks, sometimes they are perfectly melt in your mouth chewy.  This year my first attempt turned out more like caramel sauce than caramels.  It was taking so long to get to the right temperature that I just gave up and decided to try again later.  Don't get me wrong, eating this over ice cream or just with a spoon is delicious, but I prefer it as a candy.

These do take a while, with lots of stirring involved, so make sure you have the time to spend on these.  It's worth it in the end to have fresh, delicious caramels to enjoy and share with friends!

Light Caramels (I always double this recipe)
1 c. white sugar
1 c. heavy cream
3 T. light corn syrup
2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a deep soup pan over medium heat.  Stir frequently (I use a wisk).  When sugar is dissolved and mixture is boiling, carefully set candy thermometer in place and continue cooking until temperature reaches 245 degrees of firm ball stage.  (I don't have a candy thermometer, so I keep a cup of cold water handy and when a drop of syrup forms a firm ball when  poured in to the water it is ready.)  This takes about 30-45 minutes.  It is very important to stir frequently and towards the end constantly to prevent burning the caramel.  Be careful not to over heat or the caramels will be very hard.  Pour into a well greased pan.  Cool, then cut into pieces.  Wrap in wax paper if desired.  Store in a covered container or freeze. 

On my second attempt, I put the ingredients in a large soup pot and was able to maintain a higher temperature without the mixture boiling over, so they didn't take as long, maybe 30 minutes.  Sometimes, I like to sprinkle the hot caramels with pecans before they cool for a little extra flavor and texture.  These caramels definitely aren't diet food, but for special occasions they are a nice treat!

mmm...Fudge!

Every Christmas season I like to make fudge and caramels with my girls. We got a start by making a double batch of fudge and I think this is going to last us awhile.  It made a huge pan...my biggest sheet pan, must be 11 x 17 at least.  Cutting the fudge into about 1 inch square pieces makes 187 pieces.  I better give some away before we eat it all! 


Just seven ingredients!

 Fudge (I doubled this recipe)

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk (I used 2%)
1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

chopped nuts and heath bits (or whatever topping/mix in you like)

Combine sugar, butter and milk in saucepan, bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate until melted. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla, beat till blended. Either stir in nuts/heath bits or sprinkle them on top after you pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.

That's a big pan of fudge!

Last year I used mint chocolate chips for one batch I made and it turned out delicious.  Next time I may add some mint extract instead of the vanilla...something different. 

Peppermint Bark

The time has come for some holiday baking.  On Sunday, the girls asked me if they could help me in the kitchen for awhile and they each picked out a recipe.  Anna picked out Peppermint Bark, which hardly counts as baking.  The hardest part was probably opening and crushing the candy canes and I made her do that part. 


Only three ingredients, how simple is that?

Peppermint Bark (you could cut this in half easily for a smaller batch)
1 box candy canes (12 in the box I used)
2 bags of dark chocolate or white chocolate chips (I used dark)
1 t. peppermint extract

Open and break up candy canes.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave.  I stirred it every 30 seconds, it took about 2 1/2 minutes.  Stir in extract.  You could also stir in the tiny smaller pieces of candy cane, too.  Pour onto wax paper, foil or greased cookie sheet.  Press in bigger pieces of candy cane.  Cool (not refrigerate), then break into pieces. 

In the past, I have made this with white chocolate chips, but they are not my favorite, so I tried dark chocolate chips.  Definitely better, in my opinion.  I will probably have to make these again before Christmas next week...these definitely aren't going to last that long.

Remembering Grandma Val with Peanut Butter Blossoms

Today is the 11th anniversary of the death of my mother-in-law, Valerie Huck.  It is also my daughter, Anna's 10th birthday.  Ten years ago, on the day Anna was born, we were happy that she could share her special day with the Grandmother she never got to meet.

To remember Grandma Val today, Olivia (who turned 8 last week), asked to make cookies.  Phil took this opportunity to bake with the girls while I got the last of my weekend homework done.  At first, they followed a recipe they picked up in the grocery store last night.  That one turned out way too salty, so they tried again with a recipe I've used over and over from "Cookies for a Year of Celebrations", a cookbook I got from my own Grandmother before I got married. 

While Phil was mixing up the second batch of dough, the girls got tired of helping and went to go watch a movie.  Before she left the room, Olivia said "you got this dad?".  She wanted to make sure he could handle it without her, I guess. The second batch turned out great and I am happily munching on a huge plate of my favorite cookies right now. 

The aprons the girls are wearing were made for their grandma by her mom when she was small.  Phil's apron was also made by Grandma Rose for Val when she was an adult. 

Peanut  Butter Blossoms (This is easily doubled, but 48 cookies is plenty)
1 1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 shortening
3 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/4 c. sugar
48 unwrapped Hershey's Kisses

Heat oven to 375.  Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk and vanilla.  Beat at medium speed until will blended.  Add egg, then beat until blended.  Combine flour and soda, then add to shortening mixture, beating a low speed until just blended.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and then roll the balls in the sugar.  Place on baking sheet  2 inches apart.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Immediately after removing from oven, place one Hershey's kiss in the middle of each cookie, then move the cookies to foil or wax paper to cool. 

This is one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes, but of course, it can be enjoyed all year 'round.  Happy eating!

Cranberry Nut Bread

I am a sucker for quick breads.  I love banana bread, pumpkin bread and zucchini bread.  Last night, I made a double batch of cranberry bread, inspired by the abundance of cranberries in the grocery store.  I found the recipe on the back of the bag of cranberries.  These will be a great breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, maybe with some egg muffins! 

Orange-Cranberry-Walnut Bread (Makes 2 big loaves or 4 small ones)
4 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3 t. baking powder
2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. orange juice (I used fresh squeezed because I had oranges, but not orange juice)
4 T. vegetable oil
2 T. grated orange peel
2 eggs, well beaten
1 bag of fresh or frozen cranberries (3 c.), roughly chopped
1 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped.

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Add juice, oil, eggs, and orange peel, mixing until blended.  Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.  Pour into 2 greased 9 x 5 loaf pans.  Bake for about an hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Now that I have tried the bread, I would recommend a few things:  add more orange peel, and either fewer cranberries or more sugar, as this is pretty tart.  These would also make great muffins and probably freezes well also.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Editor's note:  I removed the pie recipe from this post.  I don't know what's wrong with it, but it's gross.  The crust recipe will work for any recipe you find elsewhere. 

Because I planned ahead this year, I was able to make a pumpkin pie totally from scratch.  As I discussed in a previous post, I got a bunch of pie pumpkins and kobocha squashes from Red Goose Gardens.  I baked them all and froze the pulp in 1 c. portions for future use.  When I thaw the pumpkin, I dump it over a strainer and let the extra liquid drain out in the fridge overnight. 

Until last summer, I had always been afraid of pie crust. It was one of those things I could buy at the store so why make it?  I looked online for an easy recipe and found this one, from about.com for Hot Water Pie Crust.  I have made it four or five times and it always comes out flaky and delicious.  Don't be afraid, just give it a try! 

Hot Water Pie Crust
14 T. shortening (I use Butter Crisco Stick)
1/4 c. hot water
1 T. milk
1/2 t. salt
2 1/4. c. flour

Put shortening in large bowl and whip it a little with a fork.  Pour the milk and hot water over the shortening. With a fork, whip the shortening and liquids  until it comes together, a minute or two.  This will make a mess with water spraying everywhere, so keep a towel handy.  Add flour and salt, stirring with a fork until the dough forms.  Divide dough into two balls and roll out each ball between 2 sheets of wax paper until it fits in your pie pan.  I usually freeze one for later and use one now.  Remove wax paper from one side of wax paper and lay in pie plate, wax paper up.  Carefully peel off the wax paper, patching as necessary. 

This pumpkin pie recipe is a result of a lot of research.  I must have read at least a dozen different recipes, looking for one that used fresh pumpkin and that used only ingredients I had.  This makes a huge pie, so use a deep dish pan or two smaller ones. 

**RECIPE REMOVED...EXPERIMENTATION IN PROGRESS**
Thanksgiving is still three days away and I have to look at this beautiful pie in my fridge until then.  It may not make it to my parent's house intact...

Hosting Thanksgiving this year?

I love Lynne Rossetto Kasper.  She has a great show called "The Splendid Table" on MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) and she writes great cookbooks.  I have her old cookbook, "How to Eat Supper", but am excited to get my hands on a copy of her new book, "How to Eat Weekends".  As I posted previously, I have an issue with cookbooks.  I love to read them, but hate to follow them.  Lynne Rossetto Kasper has proven to be the exception to this rule and I plan on posting another day about her Butternut Squash Pasta and her Corn Chowder, both of which see pretty heavy rotation at our house. 

I rant about Lynne Rossetto Kasper today because I found this great guide to planning your Thanksgiving Dinner on her website.  If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year or just want to read about hosting Thanksgiving, check out her handy little chart by clicking on the icon below.  I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.