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.

Candy Corn Cookies

I forgot about these until I downloaded the pictures from my camera. I tried two different methods for making candy corn cookies - layering the dough and then cutting slices and then triangles - and this method (which I prefer). Just make sure you put the colors in the right order.... oops :)


-Sugar and Spice and Everything Iced

Divide your favorite sugar cookie dough and color - you'll want the majority of the dough yellow (not orange like above! :), then orange and then just a bit for the white.

Roll out your yellow dough and use bowls or large cookie cutters to cut your outside ring, and remove the center circle. Then roll and cut a ring of orange, remove that center circle and place inside the yellow ring. Then roll and cut a circle of white to fit in the middle. Gently press the edges together and score your cookies with a bench scraper or pizza cutter (be careful if you're using a Silpat).

I left mine together as a big circle, so it took quite a bit longer than my normal sugar cookies to bake. Once they come out of the oven, cut through the lines again and let the cookies cool completely before separating.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

I was assigned to bring a main dish to our Halloween recipe exchange in October - I decided mummy dogs wouldn't be appropriate for such a nice girl's night out.... lol

So I did some research and found this recipe. I must say it was pretty delicious - it might fool your taste buds into thinking it's a curry!

P.S. Even the pumpkin hater in our family thought it was good! :)

-Rachael Ray

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine (or chicken stock)
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating
Pumpernickel or whole grain bread, as an accompaniment

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine (or chicken stock) by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Gingerbread Waffles

This recipe comes from my sister in law Lori. I am consistently impressed with how she continues to make delicious meals for her family while working with some of her family's severe food allergies. We loved these waffles and no one will ever know that I didn't use eggs. I am excited to start using ground flax as an egg replacement in my quick breads! I didn't get a chance to make the citrus sauce, but it sounds delicious!

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbs. ground flax seed + 6 T water (OR 3 tsp EngerG Egg Replacer + 4 T warm water)
1-3/4 cup RiceMilk (I just used regular milk)
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 T molasses
1 recipe Citrus Sauce (see below)

1. Combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves; set aside. In another mixing bowl combine "eggs", milk, oil, and molasses. Add "egg" mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

2. Bake on preheated, lightly greased waffle iron. Close lid quickly; do not open 'til done. Bake according to your iron's directions. When done, use fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat, serve hot.

CITRUS SAUCE:


In saucepan, combine 3/4 cup honey, 2 T cornstarch, Stir in 1 cup water, 3/4 cup orange juice, and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 T Smart Balance, 2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel, 2 tsp. finely shredded orange peel. Serve warm. (Store leftover in refrigerator).

Apple Cherry Punch

A slight chill in the air calls for a warm cider! This is a slightly different version with cherry kool-aid. Call it "Blood Punch" for Halloween!

-Taste of Home

4 cups water

4 cups unsweetened apple juice

1 cup sugar

1 envelope unsweetened cherry soft drink mix

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Caramel Apples

We had great success with this recipe, although our apples were not that great. Next time I'll make sure the apples are nice and crisp before I dip them! I poured the extra caramel into a buttered dish and sprinkled it with pecans - yum!

-Your Homebased Mom

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Prepare apples by roughing with fine grit sandpaper - rinse and dry competely, then insert popcicle sticks.

Combine the first 3 ingredients. After the butter is melted, stir in the milk.

Cook to soft ball stage (230-240 degrees). Stir constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.

Let the caramel cool slightly, then dip apples and roll in nuts if desired. Place on Silpat to cool completely.

Fruit Turkeys

It's a little late to use this idea for Thanksgiving, but these turkeys still provide a fun way to get some healthy fruit into little bodies!

-Family Fun?

Pears

Oranges

Apples

Cashews

Raisins

Mini Marshmallows

Chocolate Chips

Pumpkin Bread

-Aunt Deborah Hardy

2/3 cup shortening
2-2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups fresh pumpkin or 16-oz canned pumpkin with 2/3 cup water
3-1/3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
2/3 cup chopped nuts
2/3 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Mix together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and pumpkin. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Add nuts, and raisins or chocolate chips. Blend well. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans. Baked at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

For mini muffins - 350 for 17 minutes.

Bread is better the next day!

Caramel Dip

-Shannon Montez

In a medium-sized glass bowl:
1 bag caramels, unwrapped
1/4 c. butter or margarine

Microwave for 3 minutes. Stir until smooth.

Add:
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Stir until smooth. Enjoy with apple slices, over ice cream, for dipping bananas, grapes, drizzle over pears. Keeps well in fridge. Reheat in microwave, 30 seconds or until hot.

Pumpkin Pancakes

-Allrecipes.com

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 - 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (depends on how 'spicy' you like things)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 Tablespoon white vinegar)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and buttermilk. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pie spice and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Pumpkin Dip

-Dry Creek Ward YW Cookbook, 121, Carol Geddes

1 small (8 oz) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese (room temp.), cut into small chunks
1 small (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 small (3.4 oz) box vanilla instant pudding
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Place cream cheese and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl. Beat until mixture becomes smooth. Using a large spoon, stir in pudding mix, pie spice and cinnamon and then gently fold in Cool Whip. Place the mixture in a covered container and place in the refrigerator to chill.
This is so yummy and great with graham crackers (Honey Maid sticks are great), Teddy Grahams, and gingersnaps.