Pumpkin Bread Pudding

A few moths ago I posted this tried-and true recipe when I was guest posting, but I wanted to make sure I don't lose track of it and the safest way to do that is to post it on my blog.  Do you use the search button on your blog to find some of the great recipes you have made in the past?  I love that about blogging.  

So if any of you missed this recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding, here it is.   It is a great combination of healthy because of all the pumpkin in it and practical because it uses up all your leftover crusts.  Or is that just me who has leftover crusts?

**********************************

I love this bread pudding recipe.  I have tweaked and perfected it by reducing the sugar, eliminating the butter, and using skim milk instead of cream to make it healthier than the original.  I have made it with raisins or dried cranberries and they both are great.  I use any kind of bread/bun/crust that is in my freezer and needing to be eaten.  You should see how nice and neat my freezer looks now.  Just kidding - it's still a mess.  But I'm not kidding about how great this bread pudding is!

INGREDIENTS
8 cups bread, cubed
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
3 cups milk (I used skim milk)
5 eggs
1/2 can (796 ml or 28 fl oz) pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

METHOD
1.  In a large bowl, cover the bread and cranberries/raisins with the milk and set aside.
2.  In another bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, and spices.
3.  Add to the bread mixture and stir to blend
4.  Put bread mixture into a greased 9 x 13 or large casserole dish 
5.  Bake uncovered at 350F for 45-60 minutes or until the centre has set (test with a knife)

Let's Eat Pie

Today is March 14th.  You know what that is, right?  3.14!  Yep, pi which means it is Pi Day.  And Pi Day means you eat pie.  Makes sense?

I got together with My son and his wife to celebrate a pre-Pi-Day Pi-Day since I knew I would be busy on the actual day.  We all worked together to make a savoury pie, aka a quiche, and a sweet apple pie for dessert.  They worked out so well and tasted fantastic.

My daughter-in-law is the master of the crust so she worked her charms for all the pies and even wove a fancy lattice crust for the apple pie.  My son and I chopped and mixed and cooked.  Good times!

The quiche was the best I have ever had.  It was loaded with veggies which is my favourite kind.  You could add different veggies than the ones we used if you prefer, like mushrooms or zucchini, as long as you keep the proportions approximately the same.

Here is the recipe for the vegetable quiche we used (makes two quiches).

Ingredients:
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, diced
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 red bell pepper,diced
1 tbsp olive oil
8 eggs
2 cups low fat milk
2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or white flour or brown rice flour)

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare crust for two 9-inch pie pans or spray pans with cooking oil if making crustless quiches.
2.  In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat and cook the onion for about 3 minutes.  Then add the broccoli and red peppers and cook for about 5 more minutes until just tender.  Stir in the spinach and transfer the vegetables to the prepared pans.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, cheeses, salt, pepper, and oregano.  Whisk in the flour and pour evenly over the vegetables.
4.  Bake until set, about 45 minutes.  Cool quiche about 10 minutes before serving.

Apple pie is always a favourite so that is what we had for dessert, after our quiche ... and a walk.

Ingredients for one pie:
7 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored,and thinly sliced (about 7 cups in total)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
pie crusts for top and bottom of a 9-inch pie pan

Method:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.   Prepare the dough for the pie pan.
2.  In a large bowl, combine the apple and all the other ingredients, except the butter.  Mound the apple mixture in the prepared pan making the centre higher than the sides.  Dot the top evenly with pieces of butter.  Cover the top with a crust, press the top and bottom crusts together to seal, trim the excess dough, and cut vents.
3.  Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour or until the top crust is golden brown and the apples feel tender when pierced with a knife.  Let the pie rest for 20 minutes before serving.

There is nothing like an excuse to eat pie.  I'm totally on-board any celebration this delicious.  Do you celebrate Pi Day?  It is a new-to-me-tradition, but one that I will be repeating.

Strawberry-Lemon Shortcake

William turned 19 today. How on earth did that happen. Unfortunately it's proof positive that I'm no longer 29!

He's a bit of a foodie so I decided to try something a little different for his birthday cake (well different for our family anyway) - I made a strawberry shortcake with a lemon twist.  It was delicious and looked so pretty.  

I think lemons and strawberries were made for each other.  The sweetness of one balances the tartness of the other.  The red and yellow compliment each other in the nicest summer-picnic sort of way.

It was an easy dessert because I started with this lemon cake mix.  I mixed it according to the directions and baked it in my new bundt pan. By the way, I'm so excited to finally have a bundt pan that doesn't stick. This might lead to a complete and utter bundt cake addiction. Don't you think cakes look extra special when you bake them in a bundt pan?

I iced the cake with lemon icing glaze using the following ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon butter or margarine

I mixed the ingredients together and then microwaved it for 45 seconds. I gave the icing a good stir so everything was blended. When the icing was cool, I drizzled it over the cake - which was a lot of fun as it poured onto the cake in thick folds making a pretty pattern.

I also grated a little bit of lemon rind to sprinkle on top of the icing.  Just before serving I filled the centre with sliced strawberries that I had mixed with some sugar so they were nice and glossy and juicy.

And I served it with whipped cream.  Yum!

We are firmly in the chocolate cake with chocolate icing camp (you can see an example of a previous birthday cake I made decorated with a Beatles image here), but I have heard there are people who prefer other kinds of cake for their birthdays. What does your family like for birthday cakes?  

Walnut - Blueberry Cake

I was in the mood for baking, our youngest son was home from Winnipeg, and my parents were coming for dinner so I made some walnut-blueberry cake.  This recipe is an invention of mine that evolved from a recipe I made last Christmas.  I love the new version and walnuts and blueberries are so healthy that I figure this must be too.

Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped walnut crumbs 1/4 cup orange juice 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp alt 1/2 cup margarine or butter 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup applesauce 1 cup blueberries
Method: 1. Combine walnut pieces and orange juice and microwave on high for 30 seconds. 2. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, and salt and set aside. 3. Beat margarine and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. 4. Add eggs, beating until blended. 5. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well. 6. Stir in walnut-orange juice mixture, applesauce, and blueberries. 7. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 20-22 minutes at 350F or until centre is cooked. 8. Allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting to serve.

I've already made this recipe three times. Are you a walnut lover, like I am?  If so then you will love this cake.  

S'more Brownies

Did you know August 10th is National S'more Day?  It's true - I didn't make that up.  So in honour of the day, which also happens to be our eldest pride and joy's birthday (Happy Birthday Malcolm), I made s'more brownies.  

I made the graham cracker crust from the Blueberry Cheesecake Squares recipe and pressed it into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
Then I made my favourite brownie recipe which you can find here. I added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips since there wasn't going to be any icing and I felt the need to make it as chocolatey as possible.

After baking the brownie for 20 minutes at 350F, I let it cool and then cut it into squares.  I cut large sized marshmallows in half and put two on each brownie.  I put them under the broiler for about two minutes, but you will need to watch them like a hawk as they brown faster than you can say "mmm mmm good".

Then we enjoyed them and said a thank you to whoever had the genius idea to make it National S'mores Day.  

Is it just me or do you get the feeling you are being watched?

Oh, and if you missed the best s'mores tip ever (that I posted here) you will thank me for directing you to it.

Linked to Inspiration Friday at At the Picket Fence,
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors,
Overflowing with Creativity at It's Overflowing,
WOW Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style,
Sizzle Into Summer link party at DIY by Design

Blueberry Cheesecake Squares

We went to my husband's family reunion this weekend - it was a historic event. My husband's family broke up when he was a child and although the siblings had met together in small groups, they hadn't all been together in fifty-five years. There was lots of chatting and laughing and getting to know everyone and, of course, food, food, and more food.  A get together just wouldn't be complete without copious amounts of food, now would it?
One of the things I took was a blueberry cheesecake - a dessert that my mother used to make fairly often when I was young, but I haven't had in years and years.  My husband remembered it from when we first were married, but Malcolm didn't remember ever having eaten it and he is almost twenty-five years old.  Anyway I dusted off the recipe and decided to give it an airing.  It really is delicious and I'm not sure why it fell by the wayside for all those years.  The original recipe is called Billie Boyd's Blueberry Cheesecake Pie.  I have no idea who Billie Boyd is and it really isn't a pie, but it is delicious nevertheless.

Here's the recipe (serves 15):
Crust 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 cup confectioners sugar
Method: - mix the graham cracker crumbs together with the melted butter - add the sugar and mix well - pat into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan

Cheesecake Layer
6 oz (170 gms) softened cream cheese
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar

Method:
- beat together with a mixer until well blended
- pour over crust
- bake for 20 minutes at 350F

Blueberry Layer
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups blueberries (up to 4 cups)
2 tablespoons water

Method: 
- heat in a saucepan until some berries are broken and mixture is clear and thick
- cool and then spread on cake and chill

Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream - whip and spread on top just before serving

   
Do you ever completely forget about a recipe only to discover it again years later?  Thank goodness I did, as we now have a new favourite.

Linked to Tutorials & Tips Link Party at Home Stories A to Z,
WOW Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style<
Inspiration Friday at At the Picket Fence

Cinnamon Roll Cake

As I mentioned earlier we had visitors for the weekend and one of them came with a recipe she wanted to make for us.  She had found this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cake online, but couldn't remember the source (after some searching I believe it was originally from this blog).  Don't you love when visitors come complete with yummy recipes and a desire to bake.  This cake is incredible - so yummy - so not healthy, but so worth every bite.

Cinnamon Roll Cake Ingredients:
CAKE
3 cups of flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted


TOPPING
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cinnamon


GLAZE
2 cups icing sugar
5 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F
Spray 9 x 13 glass pan
1. Mix together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla.  Slowly stir in the melted butter.  Pour into pan.
2.  Mix 1 cup butter with brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until well combined and creamy.  Drop evenly over batter by tbsp and use knife to marble/swirl through cake.
3.  Bake 35-45 minutes until toothpick is nearly clean.
4.  Mix icing sugar, milk, and vanilla together.  Drizzle over warm cake.  

Serve warm or room temperature and ENJOY!

Thanks Valerie.  It was delicious.

Carrot Garden Carrot Cake

I was looking for something fun to make for an Easter dessert when I came across this idea on the Betty Crocker website.  I loved how cute the carrots looked, but decided to make some changes.  I let the idea rattle around in my brain for a few days and, as usually happens, inspiration struck - I decided I wanted to make a carrot garden.  In order to do that I would need to make a cake instead of cupcakes so it looked more like a field and I would need to add a few embellishments to it.  


One of the things I thought would be cute would be to have a little spade to put in the garden - but where to get one?  Then on Monday when I attended my art class what do I see sitting on the table beside  my paint palette, but a little spade just the right size.  I asked my friend if I could borrow it and then invited her over for an Easter lunch so she could enjoy the treat.  Not only does she love artsy/crafty things, but she adores carrot cake so she was the perfect person to make this for (well that and my family for Easter dinner).

So I got to work finding some fruit roll-up that would work to make carrots. 

It wasn't as easy as you would think to find orange and green fruit roll-up and I ended up using several boxes to get enough.  Oh, well - it's all in the name of art!

I cut the orange and green sections of the fruit roll-up into pieces that were about 3 cms (or just over an inch) in length.  I cut the green into a fringe and rolled it to make the leaves and then I rolled the piece of orange around that to make the carrot.

I had a grand time rolling and rolling  and before you know it a few carrots ...

... had turned into heaps of carrots.

I made the soil for the garden by putting some chocolate biscuits in a baggie and crushing them with my fingers.

It seems remarkable to me that I have never made a carrot cake before, but that is the truth.  So I did what I always do when I need a tried and true recipe - I Googled Canadian Living recipes and found this one.  Not only did it sound delicious, but according to their website it is their most popular recipe ever and it is also Canada's favourite carrot cake.  Sounded like a good choice to me.  Canadian Living didn't let me down - the carrot cake tasted fantastic.  I've posted the recipe here for reference and put the changes I made in italics after.




Ingredients:2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder2 tsp (10 mL) cinnamon1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt1/2 tsp (2 mL) nutmeg 3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar3/4 cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar3 eggs3/4 cup (175 mL) vegetable oil1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla2 cups (500 mL) grated carrots1 cup (250 mL) drained crushed canned pineapple1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped pecansIcing:1 8 oz (250g) package cream cheese, softened1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, softened1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
Note:  I used whole-wheat flour instead of the all-purpose flour and it turned out fine and was that much healthier.  I also added 1/2 tsp of ground ginger and 1 cup of raisins.
Preparation:1. Grease and flour 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan; set aside.2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. 3. In separate bowl, beat together granulated and brown sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth4. Pour over flour mixture and stir just until moistened.5.  Stir in carrots, pineapple and pecans. 6. Spread in prepared pan and bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or over-wrap with heavy duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks; let thaw before continuing.)Icing: In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in icing sugar, onethird at a time, until smooth. Spread over top of cake.

I divided the 9 x 13 cake into two so I could serve one half to my friend today and the other half to the family on Easter Sunday.

I made a little sign that said "Jennifer's Garden" out of cardboard and glued it to half a wooden chopstick.  When my husband saw the cake, he thought we needed a little family of field mice to go in the side of the cake so he went and found some Playmobil mice and made a little home for them.  He even made a tunnel hole on top of the cake and put one of the mice chewing on a carrot up in the field - it was adorable!

The cake was so much fun to make and tasted great too!  In the past I have never known what to serve for Easter dinner dessert as we don't have a set tradition, but this just might become a new one. What do you have for Easter dinner dessert?

Linked to Bunny Blog Hop at On Sutton Place,
Inspiration Friday at At the Picket Fence,
Party Ideas at Funky Junk Interiors,
Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming,
WOW Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style