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Here’s the cake my daughter envisioned for her 9 year old birthday.  I hemmed and hawed, tried steering her a different direction, and then folded.  I’m thrilled that I did because her vision was right on and we were able to capture it.  I’d like to point out with respect to Mookie that this is not a princess castle cake. More like an adventure castle cake.  She was very emphatic about this point. I’m just passing it on.

The second best thing about this cake was the frosting(the first being the above mentioned visionary daughter). We made a chocolate cake with peppermint frosting(tinted blue) and I see quite a future for me and this frosting.

In the near future I see brownies, topped with this frosting(maybe white, maybe red or green) and crushed peppermint candies.

Peppermint Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1(16oz) powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 to 1 tsp peppermint extract(or 1/4 tsp peppermint oil)

Beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat after each addition at low speed. Stir in peppermint extract. Lick all mixing utensils. Save some frosting for your cake or brownies.

posted by Mr. Darcy

Here’s a dessert guaranteed to impress your friends & family! It will elicit wonderous “ooooh’s” and “aaaah’s” from just about anyone who spies or tries it! This recipe has become a family holiday tradition at our house and it is as fun to make as it is to eat. (Ooooh’s and aaaah’s are included, of course!)

The Recipe:

• 1. 75 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 0.25 cups finely ground pecans
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick (0.5 cup) of unsalted butter, melted
• 3 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 0.25 cup heavy cream
• 1 (14-oz)  can of pumpkin pulp or 1.75 cups of fresh pumpkin pulp
• 0.25 cup caramel sauce (our one cheat… bought at a store)

Directions: the pumpkin

The steps for baking a pie pumpkin, from whole pumpkin to pulp.

First, why cook a pumpkin over buying canned pumpkin at the store? I guess that depends on you and what your time and kitchen fortitude allow. Many feel both get you the same result. Some reasons I decided to take the plunge are: (1) at $1-2 per pumpkin, you get more pumpkin pulp for your money  (2) plus, though many disagree, I think the end result simply tastes better because it’s freshly made. And now for the best reason of all, (3) you may think I’m crazy, but I swear it’s fun!

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Take a pie pumpkin, available at most farmers markets or produce stores during the fall/winter season, and cut it into quarters.

3. Scoop out the seeds and cut your quarters into 4-inch pieces.

4. Place the pieces of cut pumpkin into an oiled roasting dish, rind side down, cover tightly with foil, and bake for about 1 hour or until the pumpkin is soft and cuts easily with a fork or spoon.

5. Pull it out of the oven, allow it to cool, and then with a spoon or knife, scrape the pumpkin flesh away from the rind as shown in the bottom two photos above. The pumpkin flesh should easily come apart from the rind leaving a pile of empty rind and a bowl full of fresh pumpkin.

6. Puree the freshly cooked pumpkin and set aside for later.

Note: If after you puree the pumpkin, the final consistency is wetter than what you’d normally see in a can of pumpkin, wrap in cheese cloth and strain a little bit of the excess water from it until the consistency looks right.

Directions: the cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. If you are starting with whole pecans, place them in a food processor and pulse them until they are finely ground. Then add the graham cracker crumbs to the food processor with the cinnamon and pulse once more to quickly blend.

3. Pour the crumb mixture into a medium bowl and add the melted butter. Stir until combined.

4. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and about half way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.

Note: I like to take a butter knife and even up the edge of the crust all the way around the pan. It will make for a better presentation when it’s done.

5. For the filling, combine cream cheese through vanilla in a mixer bowl. Beat until fluffy.

6. Add eggs and yolks all at once, beating on low just until combined.

7. Fold in the cream and the pumpkin pulp. Don’t worry if it appears broken and not mixed in. Leave it that way. It will bake beautifully.

The filling just before folding in the pumpkin and heavy cream.

8. Pour into the crust lined pan.

Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan.

9. Place on a shallow baking pan in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center appears nearly set when shaken.

10. Cool 15 minutes. Loosen the sides of the pan and cool for 30 more minutes.

The pumpkin cheesecake just after baking.

11. Chill for 4 hours before serving.

12. Decorate with a drizzle of caramel sauce over the top of the cheesecake or over each individual slice. A sprinkle of powdered sugar makes a lovely garnish, too.

Drizzle with caramel sauce and, if desired, a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

If Autumn were a pie it would have some of my favorite ingredients.

• 1 crisp autumn breeze
• 1 cup orange and yellow leaves(maple, preferably)
• 1 warm wool sweater, not too hot
• 3 children jumping in leaves
• 1 trip to the farmer’s market
• cinnamon to taste

Hmm, but how to serve that pie?  Well, we made one tonight that captures the feel of my whimsical fall pie.  We found it in our new favorite baking book, Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.  Already smitten with butternut squash, we felt more than willing to give this less common(okay, I’ve never heard of anything like it) pie a try.  We knew by the ingredients-the squash, pears, dried cranberries, orange zest-that it was going to be good.  But until we took the first bite………

Oh, sorry, I was still thinking about that first bite.

This pie is a beautiful thing.  I see the future of this pie on our table next fall, and then the fall after that, and then the fall after that….

Depths of Fall Butternut Squash Pie
recipe from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• Pie Dough from book or store bought crust(such as pillsbury)
• 1  1/4 pounds(2 cups) cubed(1 inch), peeled butternut squash
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup moist, plump dried fruit, such as cranberries, raisins, or finely chopped diced apple or pears
• 1/2 cup(packed) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Grated zest of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbs fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 tbs plain dry bread crumbs
• sugar, for dusting

To make piecrust-Follow directions in book, use your own recipe for double crust pie, or thaw store bought.

Getting Ready to Bake-

• Position rack in lower third of oven.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pre-cook the squash in a microwave or steamer until almost cooked through. Pat it dry and toss into a large bowl.

• Add the remaining ingredients.

• Then turn them gently with a large rubber spatula (and a four year old if you’ve got one) to blend.
• Let the filling sit for 5 min. or so to give the sugar time to melt, then gently mix again.

• Coat the pie plate with a little bit of butter or margarine and place the ingredients into the pie plate. Then level it out and set it aside.

• Lay your pie crust over the top, trim and pinch into shape. Then make four slits with a sharp knife on the top. We used a cookie cutter for a more creative touch on ours.

• Then lightly brush the pie crust with water and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juices from the pie bubble up through the slits in the center of the pie. Note: If the edges of your crust begin to brown before the pie is ready, cover the edges with foil leaving the center/top uncovered. This will prevent it from browning more and allow the rest of the pie to finish cooking.

• Serve with a little scoop of cinnamon ice cream and watch it disappear!

Notes: You might have noticed our version only used a top crust instead of a double.  We really liked it with the single, the crust didn’t overpower the amazing flavor of the filling.  Not finding an orange in the fridge, we used orange juice from the carton and skipped the zest.  Though the zest will be great next time, this worked in a pinch and no one refused their pie because of it.  If you don’t have an orange, but do have the rest of the ingredients, make the pie!

To make this pie dairy free, use a crust that is made with shortening, use dairy free margarine or cooking spray to coat the pan, and serve with dairy free ice cream.

Enjoy a breakfast recipe that is actually healthy and delicious. Or served with ice cream, a soothing dessert.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
From the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook

1 cup steel cut oats
4 tbs unsalted butter
4 cups water
3 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup crystallized sugar(I substituted  1/4 tsp dried ginger)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 inch square baking dish.

Place steel cut oats and butter in a large bowl.  Bring the water to a boil, and pour over the oats. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir in the old fashioned oats, sugar, blueberries, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Stir into oat mixture. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

Bake, until center is set, 35 to 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve warm with milk or cream for breakfast, or warm with ice cream for a healthful dessert.

To prepare dairy-free: substitute dairy free margarine(such as fleischman’s unsalted margarine) or other dairy-free alternative and original almond or soy milk to replace cow’s milk.

Notes: This will fill a 9 inch pan to overflowing, we use a 9 x 13 instead.  Adding the egg mixture to the warmed batter can cause the eggs to cook which really turns my appetite to see bits of egg in my oatmeal.  I find that removing the lid on the oats after 20 minutes and allowing the soaked steal oats to cool down a bit helps prevent that problem.  I always have water still in my oats after the 20 minutes, that doesn’t affect the outcome of the recipe, just go ahead and mix in the other ingredients. We we’re able to reheat on low temp the next morning and it tasted just as delicious.

We’ve been on a summer ice cream kick lately. Having tried a few I can tell you that this recipe turned out heads-and-tails above any other we’ve tried to date. In fact I could safely say, and the entire family agreed, it was the best homemade ice cream we’ve ever tasted! Unlike other peach ice cream recipes where you have mostly vanilla ice cream with bits of peaches throughout, this was all peach, all the time.

The recipe comes from yet another summer discovery, a book called The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds (600 g) ripe peaches (about 4 large peaches)
1/2 cup (125 ml) water
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Peel the peaches, slice them in half, and remove the pits. Cut the peaches into chunks and cook them with the water in a medium, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring once or twice, until soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, stir in the sugar, then cool to room temperature.

Purée the cooked peaches and any liquid in a blender or food processor with the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice until almost smooth but slightly chunky.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: if you accidentally purée the mixture too much and liquify all your peaches, you can quickly dice up one additional peach, heat it up with a tablespoon or two of water and add it in the what you’ve puréed. It might take you an additional 5 minutes.

If you decide to make this, please let us know how it turns out.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART (1 LITER)

There’s one great divide between my husband and I.  Fruit vs. Chocolate.  Since this day is meant to honor him, I crossed to the other side and made these Blackberry Breakfast Bars.

You basically take the same ingredients you would use to make a fruit crisp and instead form a crust and finish off the top with the same mixture.  Even the chocolate lover in me couldn’t deny that these are satisfyingly fruity.

Blackberries can be expensive in the store, but I found a larger pack(over two cups) at Trader Joe’s for about $5.00.  All of the other ingredients are staples around the house, so it’s not a bad price at all for a breakfast that fed 5 people with leftovers. Picking your own blackberries would of course improve the price and taste even further.

This would also be great served in the evening with ice cream or leftover on top of oatmeal!

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

Ingredients:

***Filling***
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries or raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

***Base***
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup margarine or butter melted

Directions:
Filling: in a medium saucepan combine berries, sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for about 8 minutes or till slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Base: In a mixing bowl stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir in melted margarine or butter till thoroughly combined. Set aside 1 cup of the oat mixture for topping. Press remaining oat mixture into an ungreased 9×9 pan.

Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully spread filling on top of baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Lightly press oat mixture into filling. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or till topping is set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Note: When I baked these, neither cooking steps took as long as the recommended time.

Original recipe with printable version here

 This week we got 2 pints of strawberries with Farmer Andrew’s CSA.  

Here is a great and simple recipe for some good ole’ pie.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbs cornstarch
• 3/4 cup sugar

1.Pre-cook your home-made or store bought pie crust(I used Pillsbury).
2.Rinse and slice strawberries.
3.Place 3/4 of the strawberries in the cooling pie crust.
4.Place 1/4 strawberries with remaining ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.(I mixed the cornstarch and sugar before adding to the pot).
5. Pour over strawberries and pie crust.  Allow to cool, then place in fridge to set.
6.Serve with whipped cream.

Today we made Apple Cranberry Crisp with vanilla ice cream(no we didn’t make the ice cream) for our New Year’s Day dessert.  It’s one of Matt’s top 3 favorite desserts.

For the first 6 months of this pregnancy I didn’t enjoy the taste of chocolate, which secretly delighted matt. Instead of constantly craving chocolate everything, for almost one half of a year, I discovered other flavors!

Even though the chocolate appreciation is kicking back into full gear, I still have quite the love for fruit crisp myself.

This is great leftover on oatmeal the next morning.  Thanks, Shannon, for a recipe that keeps on providing such joy for the family!

Fruit Crisp

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 5 cups fresh or frozen fruit, sweetened to taste

Place fruit in greased 9x 13 pan.  Mix other ingredients together and sprinkle over fruit.  Bake at 400 for 40 minutes.

Aimee’s Notes: Whole wheat flour works fine in this recipe, tonight I used half whole wheat, half white.  I often make only a half recipe when it’s just our family on a weeknight.  Apples and cranberries are delicious but the possibilities are endless.  A bag of frozen mixed berries makes a great quick summer dessert.  You can put the fruit in while it’s still frozen.  Vary the nuts based on what you have available. I don’t sweeten the fruit, to me the topping and cooked fruit make it plenty sweet.