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!

Honeymoon - Wine Country Home

My husband and I found an adorable little home to rent for the week while we toured wine country. It was actually a watertower  on a working ranch that we found it on Airbnb. It worked out perfectly and was a great place for us to call home for the week. It was on the property of The Beltane Ranch which is also home to a cozy little bed and breakfast. The owners encouraged us to explore the ranch, which we did. The photos are below. It's such a romantic and calming place to stay for a new, young, married couple just starting out on a lifetime of adventures and exploring. We definitely have intentions or returning. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

California Travels - Santa Cruz

Our honeymoon ended up being sort of a road trip within Northern California. We started in San Francisco for a few days and then drove down to Carmel, CA. On our way down to Carmel, we stopped in Santa Cruz. I am so glad we did because it has a wonderful boardwalk amusement park. It's right on the beach, so you could be laying out and if you or kids (that are old enough) wanted to go ride some rides, that could be done. You could go in and out of the park as you pleased. If you want to ride unlimited amount of times, you get a wrist band for just under $40. Not too shabby. Below are some pictures I took of the area and amusement park. The colors were so bright and fun that I felt like I was a kid again with excitement to ride some rides and eat some cotton candy! I really hope that we can go back and spend a few days here when we have kids!!!

 

 

 

 

Post Honeymoon - Loads of new ideas!

 

For our honeymoon my husband and I flew to San Francisco, rented a car and did our own little California road trip. We did a few nights in San Francisco, drove down to Carmel and Monterey where we stopped in Santa Cruz along the way (stunning), and stayed there for a few nights. Then we drove back up to Sonoma where we stayed for a week in wine country. It was wonderful and the food was one of my favorite parts! No doubt that I took multiple mental notes (and even wrote some down). Most of the food we had in wine country seemed so fresh! Like it was grown in a garden out back and hand picked that day so that it could be prepared for me that day. I felt like I was eating clean and it all tasted so delicious! As I have said before, if Coffee And were to be a reality and become a real café/bakery, I would hope that it could one day have a fresh fruit and vegetable garden of its very own. A place that can grow fresh produce and herbs for many of the recipes that might be made for the customers.

 

Below is example of what I was able to taste while in wine country. This was a lovely café that was in the Sonoma Square called The Sun Flower Café.  I had fruit, toast, and mascarpone cheese with some honey drizzled and sunflower seeds on top. What a tasty and refreshing way to wake your mouth up in the morning! It was delicious. I fully intend to create these on my own, possibly in miniature sizes. I think almost any other nut on top of this cheese and fruit combo would be delicious. I think the could even be great as an after dinner dessert. There are so many more pictures to come from our trip and ideas to go along with them. Time for me to get cookin'!

 

I'm Back!!

I return to the world of blogging after taking about a month off; it wasn't intended but getting married sure will take up some time! And in a blink of an eye, I'm a Mrs. instead of a Miss. But, I couldn't be happier and the wedding was beautiful, so much fun, and everything I had hoped for. Pictures are trickling in, but I will post some here once I get some more. 

For this post, I made a copy-cat recipe. About a week before the wedding, my mom's oldest girlfriends (the ones she has known since she was twenty), hosted a luncheon for my mother and I where all the ladies and their daughters came. It was so great because the daughters haven't all seen each other in at least ten years. But, we laughed and chatted without skipping a beat. 

One of the dishes they made was so delicious and super simple. I've been making it this week for my lunches at work. Below are some photos and the recipe. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

Fresh Mozzerella Balls

Sliced Nectarine or Peach 

Shredded Prosciutto

Chopped Parsley or Mint

Drizzle of EVOO

Pinch of Kosher Salt

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl and enjoy! There are so many ways to alter this recipe. Today I am having it over lettuce with some balsamic dressing for lunch. You could probably add some berries or use cantaloupe instead of the nectarine or peach. But, it is so fresh, simple, and just delicious. 

4th of July Hummingbird Cake(s)

The 4th of July always seems to present itself with the opportunity to indulge a little bit. We are granted a day off of work (some of us) to honor and remember how lucky we are to live in America and how hard many people have worked to arrive at this point. It has become a day to spend time with friends and family, enjoy a summer day with good food, a few drinks, and some fireworks. It's pretty simple, but is always a holiday I look forward to. 

This year I attempted a new dessert to bring to our 4th of July festivities. Hummingbird Cake. It turned out great! Below are some pictures and the recipe I followed from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook. Enjoy!

  

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 ¼ cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups very ripe bananas

1 (8 ounce) can crush pineapple in unsweetened juice, drained

½ chopped pecans

Garnish

Chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour baking dish. I used a large rectangle baking dish and then had some batter left over so made a few cupcakes which I might just continue to do in the future.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, the baking soda and the salt. Wisk or sift ingredients together. Set aside.

In another large bowl, combine the oil with sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat with an electric mixer until light, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vanilla. Add the pineapple and bananas. Add the dry ingredients in thirds. After all ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth, stir in the chopped pecans. Pour the batter in the baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes. If using muffin tins, these should only take about 15-20 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely before topping with the icing. Garnish with chopped pecans.

                                                     

Cream Cheese Icing

1 pound (two 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (or whisked)

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and mix well. Gradually add the sugar and beat continuously. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.