Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

I have been busy cutting up, and baking pumpkins to make puree. I like trying different recipes this time of year when the pumpkins are bountiful. The idea of shaping these dinner rolls into pumpkin shapes came from pinterest. At first I was going to make pumpkin butter horn rolls but I think this is a better look for the season. So fun to eat as you pull the sections apart. They are delicious served with butter, jam, or honey butter.

• 3/4 cup milk, scalded
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup pumpkin, canned (I cook and puree my own)
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups flour
• Egg wash, in a small bowl, whisk together an egg and 2 teaspoons water
• 14 pecan halves

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk, sugar, butter, pumpkin, and egg until blended.
2. Stir in salt, yeast, and 4 cups of flour. Add the rest of the flour as needed and knead 5 minutes to make a smooth soft dough. It may be slightly sticky. Place in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
3. Punch down dough and divide into 14 equal pieces.
4. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a parchment lined pan, flatten each one slightly with your hand. Cut each ball into 8 slices, being careful not to slice all the way to the center. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, for 45 minutes.
5. Using the end of a wooden spoon poke an indentation into each roll. Brush with egg wash.
6. Bake in a 375º oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place a sliced pecan in each indentation.
7. Yield: 14 rolls

Bread Bowls

Have your chili and eat the bowl too. Bread bowls are a fun way to serve chili or soup.

I use Anneliese's fool proof french bread recipe, and form the dough to the outer side of oven proof Pyrex bowls. creating bread bowls.

Ingredients: yields 10-12 bread bowls

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups hot tap water
• 4 1/2-5 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons instant yeast

Method:

1. Mix together first 4 ingredients.
2. Stir yeast into 2 cups of flour and add to liquid mixture.
3. Continue to add enough flour until the dough holds together in the shape of a ball, and is not sticky if you handle it with floured hands.
4. Cover and let rise until double, about 1/2 hour.
5. While dough is rising spray the outer side of soup sized oven proof bowls (I use Pyrex) and lay upside down on baking sheets. I have a convection oven which allows me to bake 6 bowls at a time. I can fit 3 bowls on each baking sheet. The remaining dough is fine to rest.
6. Press balls into a flat disc and form it to the outer side of bowls, pressing some of the dough down onto the baking sheet which will form the rim of the bread bowl once baked.
7. Bake in 400º oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and peel bread bowls off Pyrex and place face up onto baking sheets. Immediately put bread bowls back in oven to brown the insides for another 6-8 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining bread.
8. To serve fill bowls with chili or soup.

Freezing Apples

This is going to be a very simple and “maybe everyone knows how to do this”post, but I thought it would be kind of fun to put this annual fall activity to memory.
My parents bought some land by a lake 30 years ago and, besides enjoying many family gatherings there, we have enjoyed the apples, pears, plums, walnuts and hazelnuts that come free to the family that’s willing to go and pick or gather them up.

So this is what you do in order to have quick access to apples for crips or apples sauce in the winter:

•  wash, quarter, peel and slice apples, throwing them into salted water as you go ( about 1 teaspoon salt per 8-10 cups water in a large bowl)
• when bowl is full, pour it into large colander and let cut up apples sit while you continue with the next bowl
• spread apples on cookie sheets in single layer and freeze until solid, then bang frozen cookie sheet on counter to loosen apples
• put apples in ziplock bags, pushing out the air, and store in your own organic freezer section.

Pear Hazelnut Muffins

Hazelnuts and pears make 'the perfect pair'.  Combine them in these muffins and enjoy the taste of autumn!  I served them to the 'corn harvest crew' on the farm recently, and they disappeared in a hurry.

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour (or use 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour)
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 large pears, peeled and diced 
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts

1. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.  
2. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. 
3. Add diced pears and hazelnuts; fold into batter.
4. Spoon into greased muffin tin.  
5. Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool for several minutes; then transfer to wire rack. 

Yield: 1 dozen muffins

Flashback Friday..Autumn Apple Cake

For Flashback Friday I am re-introducing this Autumn Apple Cake. It is the season when apples are available fresh from the orchards. This is a very moist cake, a recipe from my sister in law.
There are so many varieties of apples in the store and in our backyards right now. I think any kind of apple will do.
This cake smells wonderful as it is baking and your kitchen will be filled with wonderful aromas.
For dessert hubby and I enjoyed a piece of this cake with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. So delicious.

• 2/3 cup butter 
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 3 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/3 cup nuts, chopped, I used pecans.

1. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, and vanilla and beat until well blended.
2. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Fold in chopped apples and nuts.
3. Pour into a 9" by 13" greased pan and sprinkle topping over cake.
4. Bake in a 350º oven for 40 minutes.
5. Cool, serve with whipped topping and a drizzle of caramel sauce if you like.

Topping:

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 1/4 cup toffee bits
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

1. Crumble ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over cake batter.

Tweed Bars

I've always liked this unusual bar.

It's a cake like bar that is flecked with chocolate and has a delicious buttercream frosting.

My friend Dorothy submitted this recipe to our first Greendale church cookbook.

A bench scraper does a neat job of cutting these iced bars.

For the bars:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 squares semi sweet chocolate, grated
• 2 egg whites, beaten (save yolks for frosting)

1. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper or grease and flour the pan.
2. Beat egg whites until stiff
3. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar.
4. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk.
5. Fold in grated chocolate and beaten egg whites.
6. Bake in 350 degrees oven for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool and frost.

Frosting

• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 squares semi sweet chocolate shaved

1. Beat together butter and egg yolks.
2. Add icing sugar and beat until creamy.
3. Spread icing on bars.
4. Melt shaved chocolate in a small bowl over hot water (not boiling)
5. Drizzle chocolate in rows about an inch apart
6. Working in the opposite direction, pull a knife tip through the rows of chocolate drizzle.
7. Place bars in fridge until chocolate sets.

Note: I refrigerate these bars because of the uncooked egg yolks in the frosting.

Coconut Pie..the easy way.

This is one easy coconut pie to make. I will take coconut pie most any way I get it. The filling is custard like with toasty coconut, what can I say but it's delicious.

• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups milk, I used skim and it turned out fine
• 1 1/2 cups coconut, flaked is my favorite but shredded is fine.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Combine ingredients in order given, whisking to combine thoroughly.
2. Pour into a greased 10" pie pan, I used a glass pie pan.
3. Bake in a 350º oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. The center will still jiggle a bit.
4. Cool completely on cooling rack. I couldn't wait and tasted it while still warm, oh so good.
5. I served the pie wedges with whipped cream and a sprinkling of toasted coconut. 

The Apple ~ Any Way You Slice It!

Apple season is upon us...and there's nothing quite like enjoying a crisp, fresh apple right off the tree.

Here's a simple way of slicing the apple without an apple corer...perfect for including in a lunch bag.

• Set apple with stem side down on a cutting board..
• Slice apple in a tic-tac-toe pattern, holding the pieces together firmly as you slice through. (#1)
• Snap an elastic band around the apple to hold the pieces together. (#2)
• Many hours later...the apple slices have stayed almost totally white.  
• Discard core section and enjoy eight slices of crisp, white apple. (#3)

There are many wonderful recipes that feature apples...and it seems the perfect time of the year to highlight a few of those.

 Caramel Apple Cake is a favorite over here....and has often doubled as a birthday cake at this time of year.  We enjoyed it around the table with friends this past week.

How about Apple Fritter Rings for brunch?

Or Apple Muffins...for breakfast, lunch or coffee break.

Apple Pie Squares...a crowd-sized version of apple pie!

Here's a perfect accompaniment for an apple tray...Caramel Apple Dip.

Apple Pancakes...always a treat!

If you still haven't found the apple recipe you are looking for...try entering the word 'apple' in the recipe search on the sidebar of this blog and you will be overwhelmed with apple everything!   Don't you just feel like cooking with apples?
 

As for me...I'm slicing up apples every which way over here!  We have one wee tree...which bears several varieties of apples. The one variety (on the left) grew to be the size of small pumpkins this year. The apple pictured here weighed well over a pound...as compared to the average sized McIntosh apple on the right.  Enjoy these 'apple days' of autumn!

 

Peach Kuchen

This cake base is such a dense and moist cake that is good to use for all kinds of things, like coffee cake, or even with strawberries and whipped cream. Today the recipe will feature it with peaches on top, and a streusel crumb topping.

• 1/2 cup hard margarine or butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups of sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 28 oz can of sliced peaches, drained

Streusel Topping

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup hard margarine or butter

1. Cream margarine, sugar and vanilla.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time until light and well mixed.
3. Sift together all the dry ingredients.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the sour cream, ending with sour cream.
5. Pour the batter into a 10 spring form pan or 9-13 if you don't have a spring form.
6. Add peaches in a pinwheel design or what ever you choose, it hides under the crumbs anyway.
7. Top with the crumbs. If the crumbs get to brown for your liking you can cover them with foil towards the end if needed.
8. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes. Test the cake by poking a knife in the center and if the knife comes out clean it is done. The time may have to be adjusted if using a 9x13 pan.
9. Enjoy warm with some whipped cream or ice cream or at room temperature.

Oma's Apple Pie Filling Recipe

The apples are in abundance right now. My parents crab apple tree makes the most wonderful apple pie filling. For that matter most any apple makes a good pie filling. The top picture is Crab apples,  and the bottom picture is with Goodland apples from my cousins tree.  I freeze them in the amount I would use for a pie or platz in a plastic zippered bags and store them flat, that way they don't take up much freezer space. Take them out of the freezer and place into cold water to thaw. By the time you have your dough made the apples are thawed enough to use in whatever recipe you want. I like to use it in platz, or crisps as well.

• 8 cups of apples, peeled and sliced. If you are using crab apples, don't bother peeling them.
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
• Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (optional)

1. Peel and slice apples.
2. Place into a pot large enough to hold the ingredients.
3. Sprinkle with one cup of sugar. Let stand 5 minutes.
4. Add the water, bring to a simmer and cook mixture about 2 minutes on medium heat. 
5. Stir together tapioca with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, add to the apples, cook 2 minute more.
6. Spoon into containers or plastic zippered bags and freeze, ready for pie. 
7. Two recipes make 3 10' deep pies.