Pumpkin Roll

One of my all-time favorites for the fall season! Using the Demarle at Home products make this so much easier!

-Libby's, slightly modified to fit my spice tastes

¾ cup all purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup pure pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

Additional powdered sugar, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place oven rack in center position. Place Deep Flexiflat on Perforated Baking Sheet and set aside.

2. In Mixing Bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and salt and set aside. Beat eggs and sugar in separate Mixing Bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and spread evenly onto Flexiflat. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

3. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Let cool 3 minutes – no more. Unmold cake onto Silpat and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Begin rolling both the cake and Silpat and lay it so that the end is on the bottom, so it doesn't unroll. Place on cooling rack and let cool completely.

4. For the filling, beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Carefully, unroll the cake. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cake, but not all the way to the ends as it will be squeezed out when you roll it. Re-roll the cake. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Monkey Bread

This year for Conference, we made monkey bread instead of our usual doughnuts. Yummy!
*Don't fill your bundt pan more than ¾ full. If you have dough left over, make a few cinnamon rolls.

-Sally's Baking Addiction

DOUGH

         1 package (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

         1/4 cup warm water (110F-115F)

         1 and 1/4 cups warm 2% milk (110F-115F, 2% or higher milk fat, no lower)

         1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

         1/4 cup granulated sugar

         2 large eggs

         1 teaspoon salt

         5 cups all-purpose flour

COATING

         3/4 cup unsalted butter

         1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar

         1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

         2/3 cup light or dark brown sugar

         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

VANILLA GLAZE

         1 cup (120g) confectioners' sugar

         3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream (or milk for a less creamy texture)

         1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir it around a bit and let it sit for about 2 minutes. Add the milk, melted butter, sugar, eggs, salt, and 3 cups of flour. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes (using a dough hook if you have a stand mixer or using a hand mixer). By hand add enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. About 5 cups total.

2.Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Do not over-knead, which will yield a tough, chewy bread. The dough is ready when it is smooth and when you can poke it with a finger and it springs back. Form dough into a smooth ball and place into a large greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. I greased the bowl with cooking spray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

3.Make the coating: melt 1/2 cup of butter in a small bowl. Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon together in another small bowl. Set aside. You will use the rest of the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla later.

4.Spray a 10-12 cup bundt pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Punch the cold dough down very gently to allow the air bubbles to release. Pull apart pieces and roll into balls, about 1.25 inches in diameter. You will need 40-45 balls total, so be modest with their size. Dip each ball, one by one, in the melted butter and then generously roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat them. You may need more cinnamon-sugar depending how heavy you coat each ball. Arrange them in the bundt pan as you go.

5.Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter and whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla until combined. Pour the buttery mixture over the dough balls in the bundt pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly. Cool for 5-10 minutes and invert onto a large serving plate.

6.Top with the glaze. Simply whisk all of the glaze ingredients together and pour over the bread. You may either cut the bread into generous slices or let everyone pick off the gooey pieces themselves. Monkey bread tastes best served on the same day, but will stay fresh for 3 days if stored covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Baked Ziti

My family prefers this meal over lasagna. It freezes well and is a winner when I need to take in a meal to a friend. Makes 2 8x8 pans, or one large 9x13.

-Six Sisters Stuff, modified

1 lb. dry rigatoni or ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
½ lb. ground beef (season with salt, pepper, onion powder)
½ lb. ground italian sausage
2 (26 oz.) jars spaghetti sauce (I like Classico)
8 slices provolone cheese
1 ½ cups sour cream
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes; drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion, ground beef and sausage over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8x8-inch pans with non-stick cooking spray. Layer as follows in each pan: ¼ of the pasta, ¼ of the sauce, 4 slices of Provolone cheese, ½ of sour cream, ¼ of pasta, ¼ mozzarella cheese and ¼ of sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.

If freezing, let cool, cover with foil, and place in freezer. To thaw, place in refrigerator at least 24 hours in advance.
If baking immediately, bake covered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
When baking cold from refrigerator, 45 min.
When baking from frozen, 90-120 min.