Everything's Coming Up Pumpkin!!!

It's smack in the middle of October. Our Indian Summer is gone for good. The other morning when walking to my car, I swear the air smelled different, like winter is just on the horizon. I'm sad to see the warm weather leave us, but am excited for cozy sweaters, comfy socks and warm boots...oh and I'm very excited for more hearty and warm meals. This includes desserts. I've decided this months sweet treats will all include some pumpkin in them. Pumpkin seems to be everywhere I look these days so I figured why not create my own little challenge and include it in my blog? I made some Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats last week. They were delicious; I have posted the recipe below. So quick and yummy!!

Last weekend, my husband and I went to pick out our pumpkins which we plan to carve this week. Below are some of the photos I took (pretending to be a professional photographer) :) Pretty good if I do say so myself. 

  

  

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

3-4 tbsp butter

4-5 cups marshmallows

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1/4 cup pureed pumpkin

6 cups rice krispies cereal 

Melt the butter in a large pan. Once melted add in the marshmallows. (I add a little more butter and marshmallow to make sure the treats are ooey gooey and do not get hard). Stir the marshmallows until completely melted. Add the pumpkin spice and the pureed pumpkin to the melted marshmallows. Once all these ingredients are combined, add in the rice krispies. Stir until all are coated and then transfer to a tin or baking dish that has been lightly greased. Press the krispies down, let cool and enjoy!

Pumpkins in Fall

Pumpkin and  Brown Sugar Glaze Coffee Cake

I had Friday off of work this week. So, I did some chores, ran some errands, and made this fabulous Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze. It was so tasty I had to share. When my husband got home later that evening I told him that we can’t eat the whole thing; we should both take some of it to work on Monday. Well, it’s Sunday and the cake is practically all gone. There won’t be any left to take to work on Monday. That is how tasty it is.

With it being October, fall is definitely in the air. The leaves are finally starting to change colors, there is a crisp feel to the air in the morning, and pumpkins are showing up everywhere! In our lattes, our beer, on doorsteps; but I love the whimsical look they give a home and let’s face it, pumpkin flavor is so delicious. Perhaps Coffee And could have an “All Things Pumpkin” week. I guess that’s some food for thought.

1/3 cup water

1(15oz) can pureed pumpkin

2 whole eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 box yellow cake mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup sugar, divided

1 cup brown sugar, divided

1/2 cups flour

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. In a large bowl, mix together water, pumpkin, eggs, 1 tablespoon of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Add the cake mix, baking soda and ¼ cup of sugar.  Grease a 9x13 pan with butter and pour the batter into the pan.

In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup of brown sugar, ½ cup of flour and melted butter. Sprinkle the sugary mixture over the top of the cake. Bake the cake for about 30 minutes.

Combine ½ cup of brown sugar, ¼ cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon and heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over low heat until all the sugar has dissolved.  After the cake is finished baking, remove from the oven and pour the sugar glaze over the top. Then, devour!