pumpkin chocolate chip squares

even though we are hitting record high temperature in southern california, i couldn't resist. fall baking is the best. these filled the house with the smell of sweet spice. recipe adapted from peacocks on my porch.

pumpkin chocolate chip squares

ingredients

2 cups flour

1 T pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin

12 oz. chocolate chip (i used the big kind)

directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda and salt. set aside. with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. beat in pumpkin (mixture may appear curdled). reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. fold in chocolate chips. spread batter evenly into prepared pan. bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. cool completely in pan. lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). peel off foil and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

can't find pumpkin pie spice? use 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp each allspice and ground cloves.

this was a quick, easy and clean recipe - the foil makes clean-up so much easier! delicious, moist and perfect. xo.

easter frog eye salad

i'm not sure why i called this "easter" frog eye salad, other than today is easter, and I made it for easter dinner. this is pretty much a holiday staple around the Campbell household, and one of my all-time favorites. everyone i know has their own adaptation of this famous side dish (actually more of a dessert than side dish), but i got this particular recipe from my new favorite cookbook that my new sister Erin gave me for my birthday - peacocks on my porch {a collection of recipes from the dna cycling widows}. thanks erin! 

frog eye salad

step 1

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups pineapple juice

2 eggs

1 tablespoon butter

1 pkg. acine noodles (i used organic, whole wheat acini noodles - Mmmm...)

in a sauce pan, combine sugar, flour, salt and pineapple juice. heat until thickens. beat eggs in a bowl. add a little bit of the cooked sauce to the eggs and then stir. repeat, adding a little again. (do this so when you add the eggs to the sauce the eggs won't cook and make it lumpy). add egg mixture to sauce. whisk as you pour. add butter. stir as it melts. cook noodles according to package directions. mix together noodles and sauce. let cool.

step 2

2 cans mandarin oranges

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks

1 small can pineapple crushed

1 large cool whip

1 cup mini marshmallows (i did almost 3!)

add oranges, pineapple, cool whip and marshmallows. mix all together. refrigerate a few hours (although, i feel that it is the BEST the day after).

enjoy. xo.

banana foster by lacey

this scrumptious dessert comes from my good friend, Lacey, who shared it with us last weekend as a superbowl treat. it was oh-so-delicious, melt-in-your-mouth kind of good....give it a try, it's so easy, it's worth it - you won't be disappointed....

banana foster

ingredients:

1 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 bananas peeled and sliced

1/2 tbsp vanilla (replacing the usual rum)

directions:

1. melt butter in a large skillet

2. add brown sugar and stir together

3. add vanilla

4. add the bananas and cook until caramelized over medium-high heat.

5. 1 tsp cinnamon **is what Lacey uses**

5. serve over vanilla ice cream and/or crepes

thanks lacey!

Apple Turnovers

I'm going through a green apple phase, and this seems appropriate for the holidays....

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil cooking spray

2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced

3 tbsp apple juice concentrate

2 tsp whole-wheat flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon (plus extra for sprinkling)

4 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

1 tbsp confectioners' sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Toss apples, apple juice concentrate, whole-wheat flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Stack 2 phyllo sheets at a time and cut them in half, lengthwise. Place 3/4 cup of apple mixture across the end of one half. Roll up and place on cookie sheet. Repeat until you've used up all the apples. Brush top of each roll with juice from apple mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake until browned, 15-20 minutes. Let cool. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Cut each roll in half.

Serves 8

This is surprisingly low-calorie (50 calories per turnover) and seems pretty healthy!

i love cupcakes.

I love cupcakes. They are such a perfect portion of sugary goodness. I used to want to make an entire bakery - cupcake-theme related - and then Sprinkles came along and beat me to the punch. I still love making them though. In honor of the upcoming holiday season, here is a really good pumpkin cupcake recipe with cream cheese frosting:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

1 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

ICING:

250g cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

orange sprinkles (optional)

DIRECTIONS FOR CUPCAKES:

1. In a large bowl, sift and whisk flour, sugar, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, blend in pumpkin, buttermilk and oil.

3. Pour over dry ingredients - stir until moistened.

4. Spoon into large paper-lined muffin cups - pour filling to top.

5. Bake at 375 degree oven, 18-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

DIRECTIONS FOR ICING:

1. In bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Spread on cupcakes, and decorate with sprinkles.

**Butterscotch baking chips are great on top too!

My first attempt at an Ice Cream Cake

Cortney's birthday was Tuesday and I wanted to make him his favorite cake, but he has 2: ice cream cake and red velvet. I tried to do both. Baskin Robbins is a pretty incredible person for making these seem so easy to make. This isn't a great picture of what turned out, but it wasn't that pretty in the first place. This recipe can be pretty easy, but if someone knows how to frost a cake and make it look pretty and swirly like they look in pictures, let me know how to do it!

Ice Cream Cake Recipe:

Any kind of cake mix

3 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 quarts any kind of ice cream, softened slightly (only 1 quart if you are making frosting and not covering with more ice cream)

Directions:

1. One hour before starting your cake, turn the freezer to its highest setting

2. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and oil, along with amount of water called for by the package directions.

4. Beat until well combined.

5. Divide the batter between the two pans. 

6. Place the pans in the oven and bake until toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean (about 35 minutes).

7. Allow the cakes to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pans - let the layers cool completely before assembling the cake.

Assembling the Cake:

1. Cut off rounded tops of both cake layers.

2. Place one of the layers on an 8-inch cardboard cake round or a freezer-proof cake plate.

3. Using a rubber spatula, evenly spread 1 quart of the softened ice cream over the top of the plated layer.

4. Place the remaining cake layer on top of the ice cream.

5. Put the cake in the freezer to harder, about 1 hour.

6. Transfer the remaining softened ice cream to a mixing bowl (or frosting).

7. Cream by hand with a rubber spatula until it reaches the consistency of frosting.

8. Frost the top and the sides of cake with ice cream.

9. Put back in freezer to harden (about 1 hour)

**Use warm knife to serve!!

It was a poor attempt at my first Ice Cream Cake, but they can only get better....hopefully.

Lindsey D's, husband Cole's, Swedish grandmother's (so you know its good) Ginger Balls recipe

GINGER BALLS

Ingredients:

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. molasses

2 c. flour

2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger (rounded)

1/2 tsp. cloves

Directions:

1. Mix shortening, sugar, egg and molasses. 

2. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, then add to first mixture.

3. Roll into balls and roll each ball in sugar before baking.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Thanks for this recipe Lindsey! I'm trying it today. But what is (rounded) ginger?

Fall Baking - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is about the time of year I really start missing Utah and the changing of the leaves. Around fall and the holidays, I really get in the mood to bake all things Fall-related. Cort loves pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but muffins are more "fall-ish" to me, so I decided to switch it up a bit. This is the original recipe, but I sprinkle in a little more nutmeg and cinnamon than asked for - a little trick my friend Lacey taught me. And I always add in more chocolate chips - almost 1 cup more.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs 

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.

2. Mix sugar, oil and eggs. And pumpkin and water. In separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.

3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 with batter. Bake in preheated over for 20 to 25 minutes.