Pumpkin Bread

I found a tasty recipe for pumpkin bread. Yum.



Ingredients
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
  3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
**I generally make small loaves or muffins because it is easier to store/share. Mini loaves take about 25 minutes at 350…muffins a bit less, you’ll have to experiment.

Pie Crust

I get a lot of compliments on my pies...so to start what I like to call my 'Pie Posts' I'm going to give you the recipe I use for crust. It's really simple, the trick is not over mixing it....I'm actually just now updating it because I read a pie tutorial on the Pioneer Woman website and well...it was way better.

For a nine inch, two crust pie:

2 ½ cups all purpose or pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sugar (for a fruit pie. Omit sugar for a savory pie.)
¾ cup cold butter, cut into chunks
¼ cup cold leaf lard, cut into chunks
¼ cup cold water

Mix the 2 cups of the flour, salt and sugar together lightly in a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor.

Add the butter and lard chunks and cut into the flour using a pastry cutter or by pulsing the food processor. The mixture should look like large crumbs and begin to cling together in clumps. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour and mix lightly or pulse the processor two or three times. 

Do not over mix this flour. It should coat the clumps and be about pea sized...over mixed dough is gross and should be banished. 

Sprinkle the water over the dough and with hands or a fork fluff until the dough sticks together.

Divide in half and roll out. I roll it out on parchment paper so I don't have to worry about flipping, tearing  and all of that jazz.

Go crazy...do a lattice work top. leave it solid... Sometimes I cut out a bunch of holiday shapes with my Williams Sonoma cookie cutters and put them all over the top...it's all up to you. If you do a solid top make sure to cut slits in the top so heat can release. If you are just doing a bottom shell make sure to poke holes in the bottom so it doesn't go all wonky shaped on you.

Brush a quick egg wash (one egg beaten with one tablespoon of water) over the top and a little bit of sugar (I use cinnamon sugar because I think it's more tasty). Place it on a baking sheet and bake in a hot oven, 425 degrees, until the pie starts to brown, about 30 minutes. Cover the pie with foil to hinder more browning, turn the oven down to 375 and continue baking until the juices in the pie begin bubbling. Depending on the fruit used this could take twenty to forty minutes more. Be patient. As long as the pie crust is covered to prevent over-browning, the pie can continue to bake.

Easy Bean/Corn Dip

This post is long overdue, but life is settling down a bit so I'm going to try and post more recipes. Here is an easy one if you want some great, fresh tasting bean dip. 

3-4 Fresh Tomatoes (Diced
1/2-3/4 White Onion (to taste, Finely Diced)
1 Can of Black Beans (Rinsed)
** I usually get the Bush's brand because I feel like all of the other brands the black beans are kind of smashed and in a lot of starchy syrup. Bush's is in the blue can and their beans are consistently whole and easy to rinse without having to shovel the beans out of the can with a spoon)
1 Can of White Corn (the smaller super sweet kind, Drained)
Cilantro (to taste, Finely Chopped)
1 Lime (Juiced)
Salt (to Taste)

Add the diced Tomatoes, Onions, Black Beans, White Corn, Cilantro and Lime juice in a large bowl. Toss to mix and then add Salt to taste. Easy as that, it's a really quick, delicious dip that's great for any party or just for a snack and as an added bonus it's pretty healthy so you don't have to feel horrible if you down half of the bowl. Have fun, elaborate on it if you so desire, it's hard to mess up. 

Baklava

Yeah, okay...So maybe it's been forever since my last post, well for your information during the in between I got engaged and bought a house, so my life has been a little preoccupied lately. However to thank you for your patience here is a recipe several have asked for. A little Greek woman straight out of Greece gave me this recipe...a genuine yaya she was. I warn you, this is extremely time consuming, but worth every minute if you want to wow your guests with your baking prowess. Do it.

Baklava


3 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons honey      
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 stick cinnamon
3 whole cloves
1/2 pound walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 pound blanched almonds, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 pounds filo pastry
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

In a saucepan, combine 3 cups of the sugar, the water, honey, lemon juice cinnamon stick and whole cloves, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves, and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine the walnuts, almonds, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves and set aside.
Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Remove 8 filo sheets, fold, cover and refrigerate for the top layer. Using a pastry brush, brush a 15 1/2 by 11 1/2 by 3 inch baking pan with some of the melted butter. Lay a filo sheet on the bottom of the pan, brush with butter, and repeat using a total of 8 sheets. Sprinkle a handful of the nut mixture over the top filo sheet. Layer 3 more filo sheets, brushing each with butter, and sprinkle again with a handful of the nut mixture. Continue until all the filo sheets and nuts are used, being sure to brush each sheet with butter. Use the reserved 8 sheets of filo for the last, top layer.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Using a long, very sharp knife, cut the baklava into small diamonds: First make 6 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts. Cut straight down until the tip of the knife touches the bottom of the pan, and keeping the knife straight, cut in a straight line all the way. Next, cut diagonally across the lengthwise cuts to form diamonds, starting in one corner and making cuts until you reach the opposite corner.
Heat the remaining butter until it bubbles and pour it over the top of the pastry. Bake for 1 1/4
hours or until evenly golden and flaky. Remove to a rack and spoon the cooled syrup over the entire pastry. Cool in the pan.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

This is a super moist super tasty cake. I realize that Easter doesn't exactly scream pumpkin sheet cake, but it sounded so delicious I couldn't resist. I've decided that I'm going to try and stack and cover the cake with fondant too. Perhaps I can make cute little easter cakes like these. Happy Easter everyone! 

1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Frosting: 

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons milk (usually not needed)

Directions: 
In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar and oil. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 15-in x 10-in baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool for frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add milk until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Frost cake. Eat. 

Magelby's Syrup

This syrup is amazing on pancakes or waffles...or anything else you can think of.


1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

Combine butter sugar and buttermilk in medium saucepan, heat until just boiling, remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Enjoy, as usual. 

Buttermilk Waffles

11:40 AM Posted by MJ 0 comments
1 stick butter
2 c flour
¼ c brown sugar
1tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Beat brown sugar, egg yolks and buttermilk. Sift together dry ingredients and mix well. Beat in dry ingredients, add 3 T melted butter and vanilla. Whip egg whites until fluffy and they form stiff peaks. Fold in the egg whites. Voila delicious batter! Add a couple of tsp of cinnamon or nutmeg for added flavor. Use the remaining butter to butter the waffles.

Want some delicious syrup, try my recipe for Magelby's Syrup

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