more PUMPKIN on the menu :: cake & soup

It is pumpkin season once again and that means all of the old favorite pumpkin recipes come out and new ones are tried.

Dessert First, as they say!

Pumpkin cake is a must this time of year. This was a new recipe and not quite as good as our favorite one however it was worth a try.

And Curry Pumpkin Soup is perfect for cold and blustery days just like the weather we have been having here lately. 

Comfort food to be sure. 

Don't be surprised if a few more Pumpkin goodies show up here between now and the holidays!

Happy Monday!

PS...

 Election Day is almost here!

Taco’s with a Twist x 2 = easy

Last week I made two Taco Bake dinners, one for our neighbors and one for us. 

As you can see already, these are not your typical tacos. Instead of using taco shells to hold the meat and fillings I lined a pie plate with homemade bread dough. 

While the Taco Bake dough was rising I began cooking the taco meat and also made a colorful salad and some homemade Avocado Salad Dressing which I assembled in a clear bowl. Since it is getting close to Halloween and this meal was being delivered to our friends who have young kids I decided to add a little Olive Spider to the top of the dressing just for fun.

Once the dough had doubled I topped it with the cooked seasoned hamburger and put it in the oven to bake. When the edges began to turn golden brown I took it out and covered the top with cheese which melted over the meat. 

My idea for the salad, which actually has more lettuce hidden below the toppings, was that it could either be tossed with the dressing or could be used as toppings for the Taco Bake. The Taco Kit was ready to go. 

To complete the meal I baked a pan of Apple Squares. I considered Apple Empanadas but settled on Apple Squares instead because they are quick and easy and so good. I drizzled some icing over the top which looked a bit like a spiderweb so I could not resist adding a plastic spider to the dessert as well. 

As my family knows I love a theme, even at meal time. So spiders it was.

I will be back soon with another Meal Delivery idea.

Happy Monday!

Banana Cupcakes

What a busy month! It is hard to believe July 2021 has already come and gone. The days and weeks just seemed to fly by with all the activities keeping us busy however there was always time to squeeze in some sort of baking even on the busiest days which is always fun.  

These  cupcakes are quick and easy to make and a great way to use those bananas that are getting overly ripe. 

The nice thing about the Banana Cream Frosting is that it is not overly sweet and is perfect for these cupcakes. 

These Banana Cupcakes are one of our favorites, even for breakfast. When it comes to dessert though, we love it anytime! 

    Banana Cupcakes

    with Banana Cream Frosting
   

      by http://thegrandsurprise.blogspot.com 

    by Jennifer Stull

Ingredients

• 1-2/3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 10 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 mashed ripe bananas 
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in bowl.3. In another bowl, mash bananas and add milk and              water.4. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy5. Add eggs and mix until combined.6. Add half of the flour mixture and beat alternately  with the milk mixture and beat after each addition until well combined.7. Fill cupcake liners with batter until about half full and bake approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick   comes out clean. 
FrostingMix 1 cup of whipping cream and 1 Tablespoons instant banana pudding powder in a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Add a small amount of sugar for a sweeter frosting and a drop or two of vanilla, if desired. Spread on top of cupcakes. 

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Happy Saturday!

Chocolate Chip Dump Cake

Last weekend my sisters and I were headed over to our parents house so naturally I wanted to make a sweet treat to take and share with everyone. I had not planned ahead so needed something quick and easy and ran across this recipe that my mother had given me a while back but had never gotten around to making it. 

After giving it a quick glance I knew I had all the ingredients on hand and that it would be ready in time so I gave it a try. 

After preheating the oven I put all the cake ingredients into a big bowl and mixed thoroughly. This could be done with either a stand mixer or hand mixer. 

The next step is just layering the batter, the cinnamon mixture and chocolate chips. Easy, peasy!

Then pop it in the oven for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean and your cake is done. 

It really is just that simple. If you need a quick dessert you might give this a try. 

print recipe

CHOCOLATE CHIP DUMP CAKE

http://thegrandsurprise.blogspot.com

by Jennifer Stull

Ingredients

• CAKE BATTER
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups sour cream
• 10 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• CINNAMON SUGAR MIXTURE
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• CHOCOLATE CHIPS
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray
2. In a large bowl combine all cake batter ingredients and mix until well combined, 1~2 minutes.
3. In a small bowl stir together cinnamon and sugar until well combined.
4. Spread half of the batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top and half of the chocolate chips. Repeat with remaining batter, cinnamon sugar mixture and remaining chocolate chips. 
5. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown and tooth pick comes out mostly clean. Be careful not to over bake. 

Happy Baking!

Food Day Friday: vegetable medley CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Comfort food seems like a good option these days and what better choice than Chicken Noodle Soup and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. This week the Man of Steel { aka: the hubs } was out of town for a few days for business so I was home alone, working and holding down the fort. When dinner time rolled around I decided a pot of soup would be nice and the leftover soup would be great for the next couple days. 

Before putting on my apron though, I had to check to be sure I had all the ingredients since our recent trips to our local grocery stores had not been successful. 

Just like so many others we could not find the items on our list but that was okay. We just used what we had on hand which was actually a good thing. 

But I must say, we tried again yesterday and most of the shelves were pretty well stocked so it seems the rush for groceries has settled a bit for now. So, after making sure I had the ingredients for my recipe I  put on my apron and started working on my pot of soup.

While I was prepping it occurred to me that this might be the perfect time to try making a video. It had been on my to~do list for quite a while and in December we picked up a tripod just for that purpose. Over the next few months I fussed around with it but seemed to be intimidated by it all so it just sat there. Well, my family kept encouraging me and for whatever reason this week seemed to be the week I decided to give it a try. So not only is there a recipe below but I have also included my 1st ever, brand new, FOOD VIDEO. It is far from perfect, however, I intend to keep on learning and will be working to improve the quality as I continue to making video's. 

print recipe

VEGETABLE MEDLEY
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

http://thegrandsurprise.blogspot.com

by Jennifer Stull

Ingredients

• 2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2 pound each), cut into 1-inch pieces, (about 2 cups)
• 3 teaspoons vegetable oil (divided)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 medium clove of garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon
• 2 quarts water
• 1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
• 4 ounces noodles
• 1 cup frozen cut green beans
• 1 cup frozen sliced carrots
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley

Instructions

1. Saute chicken in 2 teaspoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from pan; set aside.2. Saute onion, red pepper and garlic in remaining 1 teaspoon oil about 3 minutes, or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Add water, bouillon, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in noodles, bean and carrots. Cook 10 minutes, then add reserved chicken and parsley. 3. Continue cooking until heated through and noodles are tender, about 2 minutes.

Happy Friday!

FRUIT~STUFFED PORK TENDERLOINS with MUSTARD~CRANBERRY SAUCE

It is the middle of January and "Baby It's Cold Outside"! We had snow yesterday. Enough to cause the schools to open late however it turned to rain after a few hours and had disappeared by the middle of the morning. Today it is still cold and wet so a good day to share this wonderful recipe. It is one I had planned to make on Christmas Day but plans changed and I actually ended up making this for a family dinner the Saturday after New Years. 

This recipe is from this 2002 Holiday Cooking magazine from my collection of favorite recipe magazines and is delicious. 

At first glance it might look like extra work to make however it went together faster than I had expected. It helped to prep everything before starting and then it was all ready to go. 

The rolls were easy to make especially with the plastic wrap which also made clean up  a breeze. 

The brown rice stuffing is a perfect combination with the pork and is also good on its own. 

We are nuts about mixed fresh vegetables so that is a common side on our menu. Ordinarily we like to sauté or grill our veggies but no matter how you serve them they are delicious and add a pop of color.  

The fruit salad is recipe from another one of my Holiday magazines. The poppy seed dressing makes it extra special.

We roasted the pork tenderloins in a shallow pan on a rack as the directions instructed.

They fit perfectly end to end. 

The Mustard~Cranberry Sauce { which is not shown due to a forgetful photographer } was quick to make. I served it in a small pitcher so that everyone could add as little or much as they preferred. 

These Fruit Stuffed Pork Tenderloins were delicious and made our dinner extra special. I have included the recipe below and hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

print recipe

FRUIT-STUFFED PORK TENDERLOINS WITH MUSTARD-CRANBERRY SAUCE

Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cooking Magazine 2002
http://thegrandsurprise.blogspot.com

by Jennifer Stull

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups cooked browned rice
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries 
• 1/4 cup snipped dried apricots 
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup apple juice 
• 2 12-ounce pork tenderloins 
• salt and pepper
• Mustard-Cranberry Sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a medium saucepan cook the onion, celery, and garlic in butter over medium heat about 4 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in rice, cranberries, apricots, orange peel, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in apple juice to moisten. Set stuffing aside. 
2. Trim fat from pork. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise cut down the center of each pork tenderloin, cutting to but not through the other side of the meat. Make 2 cuts on either side of the first cut. Place each tenderloin between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet to make a 10x8-inch rectangle, working from the center to the corners. Season pork with salt and pepper.
3. Spoon half of the stuffing over one of the tenderloins to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll tenderloin up into a spiral, beginning with a short side. Tie the meat spiral with clean 100 percent cotton string. Place spiral seam side down on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Repeat with the remaining tenderloin and remaining stuffing, placing the second tenderloin next to the first on the rack. 
4. Roast, uncovered, in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the stuffing registers 165°F. Loosely cover with foil and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
5. Meanwhile, prepare Mustard-Cranberry Sauce. Cut tenderloins into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce. Makes 8 servings.
Mustard-Cranberry Sauce:  In a small saucepan cook 1 clove garlic, minced, in 2 tablespoons hot butter over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard until combined. Stir in 1 1/4 cups chicken broth. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in 1/4 cup half-and-half or light cream and 1/4 cup dried cranberries; heat through. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Nutrition facts per serving: 303 cal., 13 g total fat (7 g sat. fat) 82 mg chol., 438 mg sodium, 24 g carbo, 2 g fiber, 21 g pro. Daily Values: 14% vit. A, 11% iron.

Happy Saturday!

Mango Avocado Salsa

Last weekend I picked up a couple of perfect mangos, one to try in salsa and the other to use later in the week in one of my favorite salad recipes. 

For the salsa I chopped up one mango, an avocado along with some diced red onions and red pepper. I added fresh chopped cilantro, a jalapeño pepper { both from our garden } a little fresh squeezed lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt. I mixed it all together and served with tortilla chips as a snack before Sunday Supper. 

This is so easy to make and can easily be adjusted to suit your taste. YUM!

Have a great day!

Easy Asparagus Orzo

Spring and Asparagus go together like Oregon and Rain, at least in my book. Every Spring I look forward to both the tender new asparagus and even the rain showers. Asparagus is perfect this time of year and this year is no exception. 

We usually like to roast it however we decided to mix it with orzo one night for something new. It was really quite simple. While my orzo was  cooking I sautéed some fresh minced garlic in butter in a skillet.  Then I added asparagus that I had snapped into bite sized pieces. I only used the tender top half of the stalk however more could be used or it could be saved for something else. Once the asparagus was tender/firm I added the drained orzo to the skillet and tossed it all together with parmesan cheese. YUM!

We loved this combination and it is perfect for Spring.

Enjoy your Weekend!