Something Sweet on Sunday/Pumpkin Dump Cake

Fall is here!!!, and I am so very happy. I truly love this time of year, the cool temperatures, the changing colors of the leaves. It's a time of year that seems absolutely magical. 

Family heirlooms have always been important to me. I have the most eclectic collection of things that belonged to my family. There's a crochet hook that my great-uncle whittled for my grandmother. An old dime store ring that my grandfather gave to my grandmother when they were dating. A quilt that my grandmother made when she was 15 years old. That quilt hangs on the wall in 1 of my guest rooms. Another quilt that my great-aunt made when she was only 9 years old. Both of these quilts mean the world to me. There are many other items like this. They have no real value, other than my knowing that when my hands touch these items, the hands of those I have loved have touched them as well. I also have a cast iron griddle that belonged to my great-great-grandmother. And, another cast iron skillet that belonged to my great-grandmother. Cooking with these 2 pieces is like cooking with history. Such an honor! 

I came across a recipe for an unbelievably easy cake that uses a skillet. The recipe said to use a non-stick skillet, but my cast iron skillet is so well seasoned that nothing sticks to it! You literally mix everything in the skillet and then bake the cake. So easy. It's called;

   Deep Dish Pumpkin Snack Cake  

This is not a diet recipe by any means, but a small slice is quite satisfying.

Begin by melting the butter in the skillet.

Add the brown sugar and the white sugar, and stir well to combine. Such a pretty color.

Mix in the pumpkin.

Then the flour, spices and baking soda.

The final ingredient was chocolate morsels. I was tempted to leave them out, but I am happy that I didn't. You could also add chopped walnuts or pecans for an even more decadent cake.

Place in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, and you have a delightful, delicious cake. 

You can find the recipe HERE on the Colorado Country Life website. You can also find another dump and go cake recipe HERE for a Gingerbread Apple Cake. I just made a huge pot of fresh applesauce, so I will be giving this recipe a try this week! 
Enjoy!

Rhonda

Something Sweet on Sunday/Pumpkin Torte with Cookie Crust

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, most will have pumpkin pie for dessert. Truth be told, I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie. So, this year, I decided to try a little something different, and it was a hit! In fact, my husband loved what I did so much that he asked me to make it again for his birthday, which is today :) 

My husband loves Pecan Sandies made by Keebler. He had brought home a bag that was rather crumbled. As I looked at the crumbs the thought came to me that they might make a great crust. 

So, I began with an entire bag of cookies that I crumbled.

The cookie crumbs were mixed with 5 tablespoons of melted butter and 5 tablespoons of flour. All were mixed and pressed into the bottom of a spring form pan. the crust was baked at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. 

While the crust baked, I mixed up the filling, 
2 eggs
1 can of pumpkin,
1 can of evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Once the crust had baked, I poured the filling over the cookie crust. The filling was baked at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the filling baked, I made a batch of candied pecans. You can find the recipe HERE. 

I chopped up about 1/2 cup.

I removed the torte from the oven and sprinkled it with the chopped, candied pecans. The torte was put back into the oven and baked at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. 

The ring was removed from the torte and allowed to cool. The result is a lighter than air, and if I may say so, a very delicious torte. 

Pumpkin Torte with Cookie Crust

Crust ingredients;
1 pkg. Pecan Sandies crumbled
5 tablespoons melted butter
5 tablespoons flour


Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix all ingredients together and press in the bottom of a spring form pan. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Filling ingredients;
1 15oz. can pure pumpkin
3/4 granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 12oz. can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer. Pour over baked cookie crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of candied pecans. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 40 minutes or until torte is set.

   
If you give the torte a try,I hope you like it as much as my husband did! :)
It really makes a lovely fall/winter dessert, and it can be made a day ahead of time, so all the better.

Enjoy!
Rhonda

Something Sweet on Sunday/Rustic Tart

For those of you who look forward to soup recipes, I'll have something new up next week :)

I always enjoy sharing recipes that are easy, and yet delicious. While I love a traditional pie, time can be of the essence at times, and I need a delightful dessert that just won't take as much time as putting a pie crust together. The recipe I'm sharing today works well with apples and berries alike. I call it a Rustic Tart.

I always keep a package of Puff Pastry in my freezer. You can find these in your grocer's freezer section. The package contains 2 sheets, so take 1 out for a tart, and save the other until the next time!

I begin with my fruit. For this tart, I used 2 apples, and 2 pears, skin removed and sliced . I don't like a really sweet pie, so I use about 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1/3 cup of flour to coat the fruit.

Once the fruit is ready, I take 1 sheet of puff pastry and roll it out on a floured surface to about the size of a large cookie sheet. I like to sprinkle the pastry with a thin layer of minute tapioca. This will help to thicken up the fruit juice as the tart cooks.  

The fruit is then piled high in the center. Dot the top of the fruit with approximately 1 tablespoon of butter.

Pull the ends of the pastry over the fruit to close the tart.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush over pastry. 

Sprinkle the buttered pastry with sugar and cinnamon. Then bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

As the tart bakes. the smell in your kitchen will be so welcoming!

I forgot to get a picture of the finished apple and pear tart. But, I had made a strawberry and blueberry tart using the same directions. As you can see, this is a very versatile recipe.

Rustic Tart

ingredients;

1 sheet of puffed pastry
2 apples
2 pears
2 tablespoons butter divided
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon minute tapioca

directions;

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove skin from apples and pears, and slice. Add sugar, flour and cinnamon to fruit mixture and stir to coat. Set aside,

Sprinkle surface with flour. Roll out puffed pastry sheet to size of a large cookie sheet. Line baking sheet with baking paper and place rolled out pastry sheet on top. Sprinkle center of sheet with minute tapioca. Pile prepared fruit in center of sheet. Dot fruit with 1 tablespoon of butter. Fold pastry over fruit to cover. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush over pastry crust. Sprinkle buttered pastry with sugar and cinnamon.

Place tart in preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool, slice and enjoy!

This is a recipe that my husband absolutely loves. If you give it a try, I hope your family will love it too!

  Rhonda

Tuesday Tart/An Easy Rustic Apple Tart

A few months ago, I was in for my usual eye checkup. Long story short, I was told that I have a cataract in my left eye, not one that is growing, but one that needs to be removed. Shocked, and I don't know why. Between the moles on my retina and the threat of cancer in my eyes, nothing should shock me at this point. But, it did. I looked at the doctor in disbelief and said, rather, exclaimed, "But I'm too too young to have cataracts!" The doctor is a lovely, gentle man. He smiled a caring smile and said that while typically that's true, even children can get cataracts, although it's rare, and the situation I have is also quite rare. My right eye is absolutely fine, in fact very close to perfect vision. 

Yesterday, I saw the surgeon who will remove the cataract. She did find the formation of another mole, a third one, on my right retina. She said that there was no sign of malignancy whatsoever, but I was disappointed to hear that yet another is forming. 

A few days ago, my husband and I were driving back to Chicago, actually, I was driving. I looked down and saw that the engine light was flashing. We stopped, got out the manual, checked the oil, and did all the other things the manual suggested. Turned the car back on and the light was still flashing. The manual said to drive at no more than 31 miles per hour and get to the nearest dealer. Thank God for cell phones!!! I found a dealer in Moline, IL that was only a few miles away. As we drove, I told my husband, knowing that he was quite upset, "this is not the end of the world, it's a car, no one is dying." As it turned out, it was an issue that Honda knows about. The mechanic changed a spark plug, wrote up what was wrong, and told us that we would easily make it to Chicago and have time to get the vehicle to our dealer. The work the mechanic did was under warranty, so no charge, and the work that needs to be done will be covered as it's a recall situation with Honda. I have never had such a positive, pleasant experience at a dealership. I told my husband that we will purchase our next vehicle from Zimmerman Honda in Moline, IL! 

As my husband drove me home from my doctor's appointment yesterday, I thought about the car situation, and how well it turned out. I thought about my angst over my eyes, and then I whispered my words back to myself, "this is not the end of the world, no one is dying," and I added, "even if I do lose my eyesight, all will be fine." 

I recently found this below. A beautiful reminder to just let go and live as fully as we possibly can.  

I love dessert! Hey, who doesn't?!!! While a complicated dessert can be fun to make from time to time, I find that especially when I have a dinner party, a complicated dessert is just too much after a meal. And too, making a complicated dessert on top of all the other things you have to do when preparing for guests, well, it can be a little overwhelming.

This simple dessert is nothing more than a little puffed pastry, apples, cinnamon, sugar, and butter. What's not to like, right?!! And then the smell of it baking, just the best!  

Depending upon how many you will be serving, take a full sheet of puffed pastry, or a half, and roll it out on a floured surface.

Remove the skin from the apples and slice. Arrange in the center of the pastry sheet. Sprinkle with mixed cinnamon and sugar. The amount will be up to you. I don't like a lot of sugar as I find the apples to be fairly sweet on their own. If you would like, you can add raisins, and or walnuts to the top of your apples. 

Slice butter and arrange on top of apples.

Fold the edges of the puffed pastry dough over the apple mixture. Place on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the dough has browned and the apples are oozing a bit of juice.

Allow to cool a bit before serving. 
Slice and serve with a cream topping. Your guests will LOVE it! And it's just the right amount of sweet after a meal.

When I was learning to fly, and just about to be signed off to begin my solo work, my instructor gave me some wonderful advice, "If you ever have a question about whether or not you should take a flight, be it weather issues, mechanical issues, or your own physical state, ask yourself, how important will this flight be to you in 5 years. I can assure you, it will never be worth your life."  

So often, I know that I can get so upset about things that really don't matter. I've learned, or rather, I am learning to take a breath, give myself a moment to think, and I will usually realize that whatever it is that I am so worked up over, it really doesn't matter to the degree that I am allowing it to upset me.    

Take a breath :)

Rhonda

A Little Something Sweet On Sunday/Easy Apple Tart

After a little absence, I'm back with something sweet and so, so easy to make. If you are in need of an easy dessert that will still impress, this apple tart is a must!  

Easy Apple Tart

1 Sheet puff pastry

3 Granny Smith Apples peeled and sliced

1 12 1/2 oz. can Almond Cake and Pastry Filling

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

3 Tablespoons butter melted

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Begin with 3 large Granny Smith apples. Peel and slice. Set aside.

Roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry to fit a 9" x 13" baking sheet. Make sure that the edges overlap the edge of the baking sheet. Lightly grease pan before laying out pastry.

Take 1 can of almond cake and pastry filling and spread evenly over puff pastry.

Arrange sliced apples over almond filling.

Sprinkle cinnamon over apples.

Sprinkle sugar and slivered almonds over apples and cinnamon.

Crimp edges of the puff pastry inside the baking sheet. This is a rustic tart, so the edges don't need to be perfect.
Brush melted butter over apples and the edges of the puff pastry.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake tart for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the almond filling is bubbling between apples. 

This will yield 8 slices.
Serve as is, or if you like, serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I like it just as it is :) 
Enjoy!
Rhonda