Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting

Autumn deliciousness made in summer.  Yummmm!

This cake was soooo good.  I had to force myself to stop at 2 pieces.  :)

Cake:

1 spice cake mix

1 large can of pumpkin puree not pie filling

Mix together in bowl.  Pour in a greased 9X13" pan.  Bake at 350* for 27-30 min.  Cool completely.

Frosting:

1 cup butter softened

2 3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp maple syrup

Mix butter in bowl until whipped.  Add the powdered sugar and beat for 1 min.  Add brown sugar and maple syrup beating for another 2-3 min until fluffy.  Spread on cooled cake.  Top with chopped walnuts.

Fruit Salsa

Doug made this great and refreshing fruit salsa.  You serve them with homemade cinnamon/sugar tortilla chips.  We recently had this at a family gathering and had none leftover and many requests for the recipe.  So here it is.

1-2 pounds strawberries; washed, topped, and diced

4 kiwi; peeled and diced

3 fuji apples; cored and diced

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp brown sugar

3 Tbsp jam or jelly (any flavor will do we use apple jelly)

1 package 10" tortilla shells

cinnamon

sugar

Mix the diced fruit, 2Tbsp granulated sugar, brown sugar and jam/jelly together in a bowl.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to eat.

Mix cinnamon and sugar together to make a mix.  Place in a bowl or pie pan ready for dipping in.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Heat oven to 350*F.

To make the tortilla chips cut the tortilla shells into 8 triangles.  Spray one side of chip with cooking spray and dip in the cinnamon/sugar mix.  Place on cookie sheet coated side up.  Bake for 10 min.  Cool.  Eat with salsa.

linked to eatathomecooks.com

Puppy Chow?

Whether you call it Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies it doesn't really matter it still equals yumminess.  I love these chocolate peanut butter coated cereal gems and the powdered sugar is just icing on the cake.  I added a little maple flavoring which for me just adds to the peanut butter taste.

So grab a bowl and get this mixed up.

12 oz chocolate chips

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/8 tsp maple flavoring

6 cup Crispix cereal

1 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl melt the chocolate chips.  Add the peanut butter and flavoring; stirring till smooth.  Pour in cereal and carefully stir until coated.  Place sugar in a large zip lock bag.  Add cereal mix and shake until all is covered in white.  Eat and Enjoy.

Fruit Pizza

This is the epitome of summer desserts for me.  It is light and sweet and just plain delicious.

Crust:

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter, soft but not melted

1 cup flour

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese softened

1 jar marshmallow cream

8 oz cool whip

Topping:

Your choice of fresh fruit.  Berries, bananas, grapes and kiwis work well.

1-11oz can mandarin oranges

1tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350*F.  In a 9X13" pan mix together the butter, sugar and flour with a fork until all combined.  Using fingers pat into an even layer over bottom of pan.  Bake for 15-20 min or until lightly golden brown.  Remove and cool completely.

In medium bowl beat together the cream cheese and marshmallow cream until smooth.  Stir in the cool whip.  Spread over cooled crust.

Drain mandarin oranges reserving juice.  In small saucepan heat reserved juice, 1-2 Tbsp sugar and 3 Tbsp water; bring to a boil.  Stir in dissolved cornstarch until thickened.  Cool completely.

Wash and prepare fruit cutting into pieces if needed.  Top cream cheese filling with fruit.  Spoon thickened juice over top of fruit.  Chill until ready to eat.

Beef and Broccoli

We love Asian food.  Something about it just calls to us.  It is probably the only way I truely eat my full serving of veggies.  This recipe was at mybakingaddiction.com and was delicious.  I added a little extra garlic and cut out the Sriracha sauce and wine.

3/4 lb steak thinly sliced

3/4 lb broccoli florets

2 Tbsp high heat cooking oil

3 cloves garlic finely minced

1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

Marinade:

1 tsp soy sauce

1tsp water

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 dash hot sauce

Sauce:

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp water

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/4 cup beef broth

Mix marinade and pour over the sliced beef.  A zip lock type bag works great for this.  Set aside and marinate for at least 10 min or up to 2 hours.  When ready to cook prepare the sauce ingredients and set aside.  Blanch the broccoli and drain thoroughly.  Set aside.  Heat oil in wok or large frying pan.  Fry steak in single layer undisturbed for 1 min.  Flip over and add garlic; frying for 30 sec or 1 min until steak is done.  Pour in the sauce and add the broccoli.  Bring to a boil and stir in dissolved cornstarch.

Banana Muffins

Doug found this amazing banana muffin recipe online awhile back and it has become a favorite.  They are moist and sweet and the best part is the streusel type topping they have.  I wish I knew where he got it so I could give them credit but I don't.  This is a keeper especially if you have overripe bananas.

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Grease 12 muffin tins or line with paper.  In large bowl beat bananas, egg, white sugar, and butter.  Stir in 1 1/2 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until moist.  Spoon into prepared muffin tins.  In small bowl mix brown sugar, 2 Tbsp flour and cinnamon.  Cut in 1 Tbsp butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle over top of muffins.  Bake for 18-20 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

These bars are so rich and delicious.  It's like having a PB&J in dessert form.  The original recipe was found at mybakingaddiction.com.  Don't forget the milk when you eat these bars.

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 cup peanut butter (*see note)

3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2-2 cup jam or jelly

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds the recipe calls for peanuts)

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter; mix well.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt until just mixed.  Spread the 2/3 of mixture in bottom of greased and floured 9X13" pan.  Spread the jam or jelly on top.  Drop globs of dough mix on top of jam and then sprinkle with nuts.  Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.  Enjoy!

*Note:  I used all creamy, but you can do half creamy and half chunky if that is what you like.