Happy Thanksgiving

I have so much to be Thankful for, it has been a great year, I decided to make this Log Cabin house with a little help from Martha Stewart by mail using her templates and ideas for this Gingerbread house........I think it really says what I wanted......It really gives me a warm and welcoming feeling.............The light inside gives it such a nice glow...........

"Happy Thanksgiving"

Holidog Cake

Let us not forget our best friends............that is our 4 legged friends that love us so unconditionally..............And I am ever so Thankful for...........

This for you Shy-Anne

Holidog Cake

2 Cups whole wheat flour

1/4 Cup wheat germ

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 Cup Molasses

1/2 Cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large apple, cored and diced

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick vegetable spray and flour.

Stir together the flour, wheat germ, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the molasses, and oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to blend. Add the vanilla and 1/2 Cup of water. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Fold in the apples.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Or wrap well and store in the freezer for up to 2 months (Thaw before serving)

This recipe was found in Cooking the Three Dog Bakery Way cookbook by Mark Beckloff and Dan Dye...........

"An apple a day will keep the Vet away!!!"

Caramel Pecan Fudge Tarts

Adding to my Dessert buffet this Thanksgiving, you will find these........Caramel,Pecan Fudge Tarts......Even the name makes my mouth water........They really don't take very long to make and very much worth the extra effort.

Caramel-Pecan Fudge Tarts

Pastry Crust

2 Cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

4 to 6 Tablespoons Ice water

Filling

1/2 cup light corn syrup or brown sugar corn syrup

3/4 up or 7 1/2 ounces of caramel

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vinegar (cider or white)

3 large eggs

3/4 Cup chocolate chips (4 1/2 ounces)

3/4 Cup (3 ounces) chopped pecans

To make crust Whisk together the fry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes, and work it into the fry ingredients using your fingers, a pastry blender or fork, or a mixer until the dough is unevenly crumbly. Drizzle in ice water mixing until the dough is cohesive. Grab a handful, if it holds together willingly and doesn't seem at all dry or crumbly. You've added enough liquid.

Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a disk. Roll each on its edge along a floured work surface, as though the disk were a wheel to smooth the edgers out. Pat the disks till they're about 1" thick, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 2 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator if it's been refrigerated for longer than an hour, allow it to warm a bit and become flexible. 15 to 30 minutes. Divide each piece of sough in six equal pieces, each will weigh about 1 /2 ounces, if you have a scale. Gently round each piece into a disk.

Roll out each disk on flour surface and place in tart let shells

Refrigerate the tart shells, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you prepare the filling

To make the filling

In a small saucepan set over low heat or in the microwave, heat together the corn syrup, caramel, butter, sugar, and salt.

Stirring till the mixture is smooth. Don't let it get to hot just heat until the caramel and butter melt. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and vinegar, then the eggs. Beating until everything is well combined.

To assemble the tarts

Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon chocolate chips in the bottom of each tart. Add 3 tablespoons caramel filling. The filling should come to within about 3/8" of the top of the pastry. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped pecans a top the filling .

Bake the tarts for 45 minutes or 40 minutes. The tarts will puff up and become golden brown and bubbly. Remove them from the oven, They'll fall down, that's what they are suppose to do. Serve warm or at room temperature. Ice Cream or whipped cream is always a plus.

This recipe was found at bakerscatalogue from King Arthur Flour Company

Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake

This is the time of year when it feels like my oven is going nonstop.........I am not complaining........If I love every minute of it.

As I continue getting ready for Thanksgiving, I baked a Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake.............To be honest it has been forever since I have made a Bundt cake.........I happened to be upstairs while this was in my oven baking............When I stepped down to take it out of the oven, I felt the wonderful scent of this cake. It was like being wrapped in a blanket of pure comfort.

It seems really hard to find a good recipe for Butterscotch lover's so when I found this one on Nestles's Very Best Baking.com, I knew it was one I would be making this Holiday season.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients

1 2/3 Cup (11oz) Butterscotch morsels (divided)

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 Cups sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 Cup Pumpkin

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar, (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 Grease 12-Cup Bundt pan

Microwave 1 cup morsels in small, uncovered, microwave safe

bowl on Medium for 1 minute Stir. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave a additional 10 to 15 seconds, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in medium bowl. Stir together melted morsels, pumpkin, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in large bowl with wire whisk. Stir in flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared Bundt pan.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. remove to wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with Butterscotch Sauce.

For Butterscotch Sauce

Heat 1/3 cup evaporated Milk in medium pan over medium heat just to a boil remove from heat. Add remaining morsels, stir until smooth, Return to heat. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Cool to room temperature. Stir before serving.

***I used the sauce but add powdered sugar to make a glaze

Gifts in a Jar

This can be such a busy time of year......So I decided to use my "Gifts in a jar "book for some gifts during this Holiday season...............This is really a time saver.........You can make several at a time and I think the finished product looks quite lovely..........As well as festive............!!!!! And especially for those times when you need to grab for an unexpected gift........Except for those who do not bake.

The recipe I chose was Dreamsicles, we are BIG FANS of Orange Sherbet with Vanilla Ice Cream that this really curbed that craving.

It really reminds me of those 50/50 ice cream bars we use to eat as kids,

Perhaps...........I am dating myself.........But these are good!

Autumn

Autumn..............It is so beautiful here this time of year.........It even seems that all the colors are so much more intense than usual. These pictures were taken during a Sunday drive in the country side. It is close to the border of Nevada and California near Hope Valley on Hwy 88.
This drive will take your breath away with the beauty of the trees and Sierras and several lakes along the way. I drive this Hwy often when going to visit with my parents.........I think I could drive it with my eyes closed............But never would..... The scenery is just so incredible...........

For our picnic lunch I also took Maple Fall leaves Cupcakes, this recipe can be found in Crazy about Cupcakes by Krystina Castella, these little cupcakes really hit the spot after a long day of picture taking and sight seeing. The only thing different that I did was add Maple extract to the cupcake batter............I wanted a much stronger Maple flavor!!

"I love Sunday Drives"