Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Some day, I just might be brave enough to cook with yeast. Until that day comes, I'm gonna just put this recipe here for safe keeping; these rolls were a big hit at Thanksgiving this year :) (Thanks, Mary!!! And Thanks, Geri, for the recipe!)

Ingredients:

2 tsps active dry yeast
1 1/2 C warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 1/4 C canned pumpkin
1/2 C butter or margarine, softened
1/3 C sugar (or Splenda)
2 eggs
2 tsps salt
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
4 1/2 to 5 C all-purpose flour

These are delicious, a pretty color, and do not really taste much like pumpkin.

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add the pumpkin , butter, sugar, eggs, salt, and whole wheat flour; beat until smooth.  Stir in enough all-purpose flour to make a soft dough (I use 5 cups). Turn onto a lightly-floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, until doubled (about 1 hour).

Punch dough down. Turn onto lightly-floured surface; divide into 3 portions.  Roll each portion into a 12" circle; cut each circle into 12 wedges.  Roll up wedges from the wide end and place, pointed-side down, 2 inches aprart, on greased baking sheets.  Curve ends to form crescents.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Move to wire racks. Yield 3 dozen

Nutritional Analysis: 1 roll = 134 calories, 3 g fat (2 saturated), 19 mg cholesterol, 161 mg. sodium, 23 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.  Diabetic exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1/2 fat. 3 Weight Watchers pts.

Spiced Apple Cider

CSN Stores has gifted me with a gift certificate to any one of their 200 stores on-line, where I look forward to shopping for whatever I want! I'm excited to choose from a bar stool, to a blender, to a blanket. Really, the choices are endless, but I think since I broke my crockpot this weekend, I'll be looking for one of those (which I could actually use tomorrow, when I take this wonderful cider to share at work)!

You know how, at work, people are expected to bring treats in on their birthdays? Well, I boycott that; it's against my principles to have a commitment on my birthday! That said, I do like to bring in a treat now and then during other times of the year, and when Kendall said she was in the mood for my mom's Spiced Apple Cider, I figured I'd make some. The recipe makes a ton, so I should have plenty to share all around.

Ingredients:

2 2-inch long cinnamon sticks

2 tablespoons whole cloves

1 1/2 quarts water

1 cup sugar(dang! just realized I could have used Splenda!)

1 gallon of apple cider of your choosing

1 12-oz can frozen orange juice (we buy it with pulp)

1 12-oz can frozen lemonade

I threw my 5-year old cinnamon sticks away and bought new ones. 

The cloves smelled wonderful.

 First, take the first four ingredients and simmer them on the stove for an hour.

Obviously, the water will be clear at first.

After a little while, it will look a little cloudy.

After an hour, it will be a beautiful, golden hue.

Strain it into a large pitcher...

...or, if you have a huge Tupperware bowl, strain it directly into that. 

The entire batch fits into the bowl, 

where you can gently stir it with the apple cider, lemonade, and orange juice.

Carefully fill the apple cider bottle, using a funnel.

The recipe makes a gallon and a half.

It also makes for a wonderfully-flavorful drink on a cool, autumn day.

For what it's worth, it also makes a fantastic accompaniment to leftover pumpkin and spice cake! 

(and can you imagine it with a shot of amaretto?!)

Yummmmmm.

Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds

Kendall talked me into carving a pumpkin today.  She likes carving pumpkins because she loves to stick her hand in the goo. Me, not so much, though I do enjoy pumpkin carving, especially since I found this recipe for a different kind of pumpkin seed seasoning. It's sweet and salty goodness at its best!

Ingredients:

seeds from one medium pumpkin (about a cup and a half)

5 T sugar, divided
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin (I insist on using seeds and grinding them myself; it's just better that way!)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp coarse salt (Kosher salt)
1 pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste (I used pepper flakes and ground them, too.)
1 1/2 T peanut oil

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread seeds on the parchment paper, evenly.  Bake until dry, stirring occasionally; about one hour (though mine only took 45 minutes this time; maybe it was the parchment?)  Cool. (I poured them onto a clean, cool cookie sheet and set them on the deck for five minutes.

Set two tablespoons of the sugar aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of the sugar, plus the salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne; set aside.

Heat peanut oil in a medium, non-stick skillet over high heat.  Add the baked pumpkin seeds and the rest of the sugar. Stir, cooking until the sugar melts and the seeds begin to caramelize (I cooked mine until the seed started whistling!), about a minute.  Transfer to bowl with spices and stir well to coat.

Cool.

These may be stored in an airtight container for up to one week (if crazed fools haven't eaten them all by then!)

Anthea's Autumn Cake

FYI, the closest I've ever come to a famous person is finding this recipe (from a friend of Maureen McCormick a.k.a. Marcia Brady) on the Internet. That said, this cake is famously delicious at my house and any place I take it! Plus, it is the easiest cake in the world to make.

First, gather your ingredients:

1 large (29 oz) can of pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cloves
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter

Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream

Whenever possible, I like to use a mortar and pestle to grind my spices. It awakens the flavors (and helps get rid of pent-up energy!)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your 9 x 13 pan.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, slightly-beaten eggs, milk, and salt and stir.

In case you don't know what "slightly beaten" means, and you're a stickler for following directions (and, as a teacher, I say, "God bless you, Child."), it means that you've broken the yoke and stirred it a little; stick a fork in each yolk....And just lift them up until the eggs fall back into the bowl.

Pour batter into the pan. If you forgot to add the salt, pour the batter back into the bowl, stir it in, then dump it back again, making sure to wipe up your mess ;)

Sprinkle the yellow cake mix on top.

[Yes, my pan looks "dirty," but it's actually called "seasoned," (kind of like my house right now.)]

Take a fork and gently run it through the batter to partially mix the two; don't overdo it, but you should see some of the pumpkin peeking through.


(Be sure to wear your daughter's Home Ec project while you cook, as it adds to the flavor.)

Melt the butter. Pour the melted butter over the top,

and place it in the oven to bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Make sure that you watch the time when you are preparing this for Thanksgiving meal and want it to be still-warm when you get there. Don't start it late, as that will make you about 20 minutes late for dinner. I'm just sayin'.)

Allow to cool, and top with whipped cream.

Yes, I'm aware that this is a tiny piece, but it was my third one today (Friday after Thanksgiving). Hey, someone has to get rid of these leftovers; I'm just doing my part!


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