Pumpkin Pie Dip

Last Saturday, I took this Pumpkin Pie Dip to a get-together at a friend's house. My friend Leslie said, "Is that that pumpkin dip?!" She'd had it at a party at my house last year, and I took it as an ultimate compliment that she remembered it that well over a year later! But this Pumpkin Pie Dip is absolutely delicious, so I shouldn't be surprised. It's a breeze to make, and everyone loves it. It's the perfect dessert to take to any holiday party! And the leftovers also made a delicious swirl in my Double Pumpkin Cake! It's got all of the flavors of pumpkin pie, but it serves a crowd. Plus, you don't have to make a pie crust. It's a winner!
There are actually two ways to make this yummy dip, and I've used both of them. Which one I make mostly depends on whether I happen to have a can of pumpkin pie filling in my pantry or not. I think I actually prefer the recipe made with the pumpkin pie filling, but both are delicious. You choose! But if you're not sharing this dip with lots of friends or family, either be prepared for leftovers, or cut the recipe in half.

Pumpkin Pie Dip I

recipe by ratherbeswimmin'

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

15 oz pumpkin pie filling (not pure pumpkin puree)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

apple slices, for dipping

gingersnaps, for dipping

cinnamon graham crackers, for dipping

Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add pie filling, cinnamon, and ginger, beating well.

Cover and chill 8 hours.

Serve with gingersnaps, apple slices, and graham crackers

Pumpkin Pie Dip II
recipe by Yvette Swearingen

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

15 oz. canned pumpkin

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 cups powdered sugar

4 oz. Cool-Whip

Gingersnaps, for dipping

Cinnamon graham crackers, for dipping

Apple slices, for dipping

Using an electric mixer on low speed. Blend the pumpkin and cream cheese until smooth.

Add pumpkin pie spice and powdered sugar and blend with mixer until smooth and creamy.

Fold in the Cool-Whip and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Serve with gingersnaps, cinnamon graham crackers, and apple slices.

The Cake That Started It All...

We buried my grandmother today. She passed away Monday afternoon at age 95. As we were at the funeral home, everyone talked about what a great cook she was. At one point, it seemed the whole family was in the funeral home's kitchen, snacking and talking. My cousin Marcia said, "Isn't this exactly how Mommy (that's what her side of the family called my grandmother, whom we called Emmy) would have wanted it? You couldn't walk in the house without being offered a plate of food!" She was exactly right. Food was a big part of Emmy's life, and it was the way she showed love.
My sister and I went to Emmy and Pa's house every Monday and Friday afternoon after school, and we spent most Saturday mornings with them as well. Emmy was the person who "infected" me with the baking bug. All of my vivid memories of her involve cooking, canning, and baking. She even had a fully equipped kitchen in her basement, in addition to her main kitchen upstairs! We spent many hours in both of those kitchens, but I was always most interested in baking with her.
She always made lots of pies...your traditional apple and cherry pies, but also things like gooseberry pie and rhubarb pie. I always got the scraps and loved to cut shapes, sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar, and bake my own little snacks. She always encouraged my love of the "domestic arts," my favorite of which was cooking. Anytime I ever asked to cook or bake, she was ready to help. One day while at her house, I baked a cake "all by myself," which meant that I was under her watchful eye and had plenty of help with measuring and cutting! It was called a "Doctor Bird Cake," which I think is similar to what a lot of people call a Hummingbird Cake. I decided that there would be no more fitting way to honor Emmy's memory than to make that same cake tonight.
It's incredibly simple to make. My recipe, which came directly from Emmy, states in large, capitalized letters "DO NOT USE MIXER!" So I didn't. But I wonder if that has more to do with simply not wanting to clean up the mess that an 8-year old might make with a hand mixer than the texture of the completed cake! The whole cake is made in one bowl, and you need nothing more than a wooden spoon. The ingredients are simple (and fattening!), and the result is delicious.

This cake is full of bananas, pineapple, pecans, and cinnamon. It's topped with a simple cream cheese frosting. The next time I make it, I might increase the cinnamon and maybe add some nutmeg, but tonight, I made it just like Emmy taught me.

Doctor Bird Cake

Emma Bickers

3 cups flour, sifted

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups cooking oil (I used canola)

1 cup crushed pineapple in juice (undrained)

3 eggs

2 cups diced banana

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

DO NOT USE MIXER! Preheat oven to 350 degrees Sift all dry ingredients into large bowl. Add banana, oil, vanilla, eggs, and crushed pineapple (juice and all). Mix until just blended. Do not beat. Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on cooling rack. After 10 minutes, turn cake out onto cooling rack to finish cooling.

For Frosting:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 cups confectioner's sugar

Beat cream cheese on medium. Add melted butter and confectioner's sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Frost only the top of the completely cooled cake.

Upside Down German Chocolate Cake

What does the first weekend in September bring? Labor Day, you say? Nope, not around here. I mean, we do celebrate Labor Day, but that's not the thing that gets my husband and his family excited. No...it's the opening of dove season! Every year, during the first weekend in September, David's Uncle Bobby and Aunt Angie host a dove shoot and dinner at their house. The menfolk all get together in the early afternoon to shoot doves, and then the rest of the family arrives in the evening for the dinner. We all pitch in and usually have tons of delicious food! This year, I decided to take Upside Down German Chocolate Cake, which is a recipe from my mom's friend, Sue. It's absolutely delicious, and it couldn't be easier to make!

First, you sprinkle some pecans and dried coconut on the bottom of your pan:

Then, you pour your prepared German Chocolate Cake batter over the pecans and coconut:

Then, you drop dollops of cream cheese frosting all over the top:

Let's get an aerial view, just so you get the idea...

Finally, you pop it in the oven and bake. When it comes out, it'll look like this:

But then, when you cut the slices and flip them over, your finished cake looks like this:
Sue's cake got tons of compliments last night, but that was no surprise...it always gets tons of compliments! Everyone loves this cake. Even people who don't like coconut. It's a great cake to take to potlucks or pitch-ins at work. But be prepared to give out the recipe...everyone will ask for it!

Upside Down German Chocolate Cake

Sue Nelson

1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients to make cake according to package)

1 cup sweetened dried coconut flakes

1 cup chopped pecans

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 lb. powdered sugar

Grease and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle coconut and pecans evenly over teh bottom of the prepared pan. Prepare the cake mix, following the package directions.

Pour the cake batter over the coconut and pecans. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and confectioner's sugar. Drop by spoonfuls over the top of the cake batter.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake portion.

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack. To serve, cut inot individual serving-sized pieces and, using a spatula or cake server, remove from the pan and turn upside-down onto dessert plates.

Bacon Apple Bleu Sandwich

Sorry...no TWD this week. I just didn't get around to it this time. Hopefully I'll be back with the Chocolate Souffle next week!
Remember about a month or so ago, when I asked you for your favorite sandwiches? Well...I haven't been very diligent about making them and posting them. It's been a little busy around here this summer, what with a new job, a longer commute, and building a house and all. But I'm back with the Bacon Apple Bleu sandwich, which was recommended to me by a college friend, Amanda C. She's had this sandwich at the North End Cafe in Louisville, and she says it's divine!
I've never had the sandwich, but the menu says it's made of Granny Smith apples, bacon, and bleu cheese walnut spread. Here we go...let's see what we can come up with!

I looked around on Recipezaar and found this recipe for a Bleu Cheese Walnut Spread and decided to give it a try on the sandwich. I have no idea if this is even similar to what the North End Cafe uses in their sandwiches, but it was tasty! I slathered some of the spread onto two sides of buttered bread, then layered on slices of Granny Smith apples and bacon. Then, I pressed the sandwiches on my "Poor Man's Panini," as you'll see below. I laid the sandwiches on my greased grill pan, then laid a cookie sheet on top, which I weighted with four cans of veggies (two placed over each sandwich). It worked like a dream!
See the grill marks? If I hadn't shown you the picture, you would have thought I had a fancy-schmancy panini press, huh? Anyway, this sandwich was great! David and I both agree that we needed more bacon. They were unlike any sandwich I'd ever made before, but I'd definitely make them again. I served them with a side of roasted home-grown new potatotes from Shirley's garden. Thanks, Amanda, for a great idea! We loved it! Here's the recipe for the walnut spread so you can have a Bacon Apple Bleu sandwich anytime!

Bleu Cheese Walnut Spread

From Recipezaar, courtesy of Parsley

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 oz. crumbled bleu cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

2 Tbs. fresh chives

In a mixing bowl, blend together the cream cheese, bleu cheese, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce until well-blended.

Stir in walnuts and chives. Spoon into serving bowl. Garnish with extra chives, if desired.

Chill at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Benedictine

Do you know about Benedictine spread? It's a delicious cucumber and cream cheese spread. It was invented in Louisville by a prominent caterer named Jennie Benedict. She was Louisville's foremost caterer at the turn of the 20th century, and Benedictine spread is her most well-known recipe. She also published a cookbook of her recipes in 1904, which she called The Blue Ribbon Cookbook. It was out of print for many years, but was recently reprinted, and I received a copy of it for Christmas last year. Many of the recipes are, well...strange. There's a whole chapter on "Sick Room Cookery," foods meant to help speed the recovery from illness. I haven't made many things from this cookbook, but I did decide to try one of the many Benedictine recipes that have been included. "Miss Jennie" didn't include her own recipe for Benedictine in any of her cookbooks, but many local restarauteurs included theirs in the newest reprint of The Blue Ribbon Cookbook. The one I tried comes from Lilly's restaraunt in Louisville.

My sister Allison loves Benedictine just as much as I do, so I decided to make her a batch of Benedictine to have for her lunch this week. Why? No reason, really. I just love her! I hope she enjoys it. I tasted it, and it's pretty darn good. I'll have to try some of the other recipes as well. Cucumbers have been on sale lately...grab a couple and make a batch of Benedictine!

Lilly's Benedictine
Kathy Cary, owner of Lilly's Restaurant in Louisville

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

2 Tbs. red onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbs. fresh dill, finely chopped

Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Add other ingredients and mix well.

Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups

Sometimes, you have high hopes for a recipe, and then you're disappointed with the final result. That's what happened with these Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups.
A couple of weeks ago, David and I went to our local library, which is brand-spankin' new and supremely awesome. David found a couple of Louis L'Amour books he hadn't read (which is unbelievable), and I found a couple of cookbooks. One of them was the 2005 Cooking Light Cookbook, which apparently has every recipe that Cooking Light printed in 2005. I thought this sounded good, so I decided to give it a try.
It's very simple, really. You take some chicken breasts, cream cheese, salsa, and cilantro and roll it all up. Then you dredge it in breadcrumbs and bake it. My review: meh. They were more like cream cheese-cilantro roll ups. The "Southwest" was unnoticeable. They were fine, don't get me wrong, but nothing that I'd rave over. I want to try to make them again, to jazz up the flavors. I'll put the recipe below, but I'd like to hear from you guys! What would you do differently? I think I definitely need to use some salsa that's got more "kick" than the mild stuff we keep here. Help me out...what changes would you make to the Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups?

Southwestern Chicken Roll-Ups

Cooking Light

6 (6-oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

6 Tbs. Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)

6 Tbs. picante sauce

6 cilantro sprigs

6 Tbs. Italian-seasoned bread crumbs (I just dumped some out and rolled the chicken in it)

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Top each breast half with 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 tablespoon picante sauce, and 1 cilantro sprig. Roll up jelly-roll fashion, beginning at narrow end (I used a toothpick to keep them rolled up).

Dredge chicken rolls in breadcrumbs. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; lightly coat rolls with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

Summer on a Plate

Tonight's installment in the "My Favorite Sandwich" challenge is courtesy of Lindsey B., one of my cousins. Before I get down to the sandwich details, let's talk about me and Lindsey and how we're connected. Her grandfather is my uncle (my dad's brother). Her great-grandmother is my grandmother. She and her sisters grew up in Ohio, and we usually saw each other at Christmas. We're only about three months apart in age, so we were always automatic playmates. As years went by, we didn't see as much of each other anymore...really I'm not sure when was the last time I actually saw Lindsey! But through the magic of Facebook, we've reconnected and found that we both have food blogs (Lindsey's is called Yummy Things)! Lindsey sent me her favorite summertime sandwich: an openfaced tomato sandwich smeared with homemade red pepper spread. Sounds good to me!
David and I haven't had BLT's yet this summer, so I decided to add the red pepper spread as a delicious condiment, instead of our regular mayo. It was GREAT! The roasted red pepper spread came together really quickly last night, and I got two nice little jars out of one recipe. There's a nice bite from the red peppers, but you can also really taste the cucumber in the spread.
David commented that the red pepper spread looks a little like pimento cheese, and I agree. But it's so much better. The BLTs with the red pepper spread tasted like summer on a plate. Absolutely delicious. David had three! The spread would be great by itself on a sandwich, but I think it would also be great on crackers. Or on veggies. Or on a bagel!

Ready for the recipe? It originally came from Cooking Light. If you check out the website, you can see the nutrition information, and I was pretty pleasantly surprised. The suggested serving (a sandwich made only with the red pepper spread), is really pretty large. When the spread is used as a condiment (and has plenty of flavor to do so), the calorie and fat count is quite low. This is definitely a recipe we'll use around here often! Thanks, Lindsey!

Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Cooking Light/Yummy Things

1/2 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber

1 (7 oz.) bottle roasted red peppers, drained and finely chopped

6 oz. Neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese), softened

3 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened

3 Tbs. red onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Spread cucumber and bell peppers onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels; let stand 5 minutes to drain excess moisture. Scrape into a medium bowl using a rubber spatula. Add the cheeses, onion, salt, and garlic; stir with a fork until well blended. (Or you can dump it all in the food processor and pulse until combined. The texture won't be as chunky, but it's quick!) Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Homemade Boursin Cheese

Until about a month ago, I had never tasted Boursin cheese. I'd heard about it plenty of times, but I had never tasted it. And then, all of a sudden, Boursin cheese was everywhere! Earl and Shirley had some at their house one evening when David and I stopped by, so I tried it. Delicious! Of course, I've never met a cheese that I didn't like, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed it. Then, a week or so after my first taste of Boursin, Devona brought some to a ladies' group meeting. After experiencing the delightfulness that is Boursin, I decided to check it out at the grocery store. I had never seen it, but then again, I hadn't been looking for it. Well, I found it at Kroger, in the "fancy cheese" case. That's not the case where you find the Kraft cheese slices or the Velveeta. It's where you find the brie, the smoked mozzarella, etc. Anyway, a little container (maybe 6 ounces or so) cost almost $6.00! I looked at the ingredients, and it didn't look like rocket science, so I started looking for a copycat.
The recipe I found came very close to the original. Close enough for me to warrant not ever buying the real deal Boursin cheese again, as a matter of fact! Especially since it took about 5 minutes to make. The recipe I found came from Recipezaar. After checking out the official Boursin website, I learned that there are a number of flavors, and I think they'd probably be easy enough to replicate by tweaking this recipe just a tad.

We enjoyed our copycat Boursin cheese on a variety of crackers, but I've seen numerous recipes that include Boursin cheese as an ingredient. I be it would be out of this world on a bagel. Or a nice thick smear of this homemade Boursin would be delicious as a dip for veggies (celery, carrots, etc.). Take your pick! Just make sure you make it as soon as possible, because you definitely won't be disappointed! I'll post the full recipe, but I just made half tonight for us, and we had plenty left over. I haven't tried freezing it, but the Recipezaar site says that it freezes well. If you try that and have good luck, please let me know. I don't think I'll have many leftovers to worry about!

Copycat Boursin Cheese Spread

Bonnie Young, by way of Recipezaar

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

16 oz. (2 bricks) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried dill week

1/4 tsp. dried marjoram

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Blend cream cheese and butter together until well combined (I was able to do this with a spatula with no problem). Add pressed garlic and herbs. Mix until well combined. The cheese can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to three months.

* I used two cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp. of oregano, and 1/4 tsp. of the other herbs in the half batch and thought it tasted pretty darn good. If you're making the full batch, you might want to start wtih the above amounts, taste it, and then adjust the seasonings to your taste.

Back In Business!

I'm back! My camera issues are resolved, so I'm able to get back to my favorite hobby (well...besides cooking)! Tonight, David and I went to my cousin Jordan's high school graduation party, and I decided to take a berry trifle. I first had this trifle a couple of years ago at my in-laws house during their annual Father's Day party (wherein about 50 Klingenfuses get together, eat obscene amounts of food, then play games - volleyball, basketball, badminton, shooting sports, etc.). David's cousin's mother-in-law (hey...all are welcome...you don't have to be a Klingenfus to participate) brought this trifle, and it was delicious! She gave Earl the recipe, with two variations...the full-fat version, and the lightened up version. I made the lightened up version for our party this evening, and it was still super-good! The first thing you need to do is bake an angel food cake:

This is my personal preference, but I think it works better to bake your own angel food cake. You can buy one of the pre-made ones at the grocery, but they're a lot more dense, so the cream cheese mixture doesn't soak in as much. It's also cheaper to bake your own. It's your call!
I apologize that I don't have process pictures for you on this recipe...I was still having some camera issues. You'll find the recipe below, but it's really very simple. You just tear or cut your angel food cake into good-sized cubes, mix with a delicious cream cheese mixture, then layer with sliced strawberries and blueberries. It's a fabulous and easy dessert. And it's pretty, too!

Berry Trifle

Mike Slider's Mom (Mrs. Slider...I don't know her first name)

16 oz fat-free cream cheese

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

8 oz fat-free whipped topping

1 angel food cake, cubed

4 pints fresh strawberries, sliced

1 pint fresh blueberries

4 Tbs. sugar substitute (Splenda)

Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until well-mixed.

Stir in vanilla yogurt and vanilla.

Fold whipped topping into cream cheese mixture. Add cake and stir gently to coat well.

In a bowl, combine the sliced strawberries wtih the sugar substitute. Layer the strawberries, blueberries, and cream cheese mixture in a trifle bowl, beginning and ending with the strawberries.

Cheesecake!

This is going to be a continuation of my Mother's Day post from last Sunday. My mom loves cheesecake. I knew I needed to bake one for her for Mother's Day. But, you know...cheesecake is kind of intimidating. I made one a couple of years ago, in the terrible oven that was in our house. Really, I smoked a cheesecake in that oven. It wasn't a pretty picture. But now I have a beautiful, non-smoking oven, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

This is what we'll need to make Dorie's Tall and Creamy Cheesecake:

It's pretty simple, really...eggs, cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. After we get it all mixed up, it looks like this:
velvety deliciousness! There was lots of mixing involved, but Dorie said we wanted a very aerated batter...we got it! I couldn't believe how smooth and creamy it was! (And it was delicious, straight off of the spatula. You know I couldn't resist.) It was absolutely killing me to not put something in the batter (like chocolate chips, or brownie pieces, or Snickers pieces, or something...anything!), but Mom is a cheesecake purist. And it's her day. So we're having basic cheesecake. But wait! What are we going to bake it in?!
A graham cracker crust! I did cheat a little and used store-bought graham cracker crumbs that I had on hand. See the aluminum foil? There are about 4 layers of aluminum foil wrapped around that spring-form pan. At this point in the process, I was apprehensive about sticking it in the water bath. The last thing I wanted was a soggy Mother's Day cheesecake! But I went for it, and after what seemed like an eternity...
I had a beautiful tall and creamy cheesecake! It got a little more brown on the top than I would have liked. I had the pan in the middle of the oven, like the recipe said, but it just got a little too brown. Next time, I'll lower the rack a notch or two.
I also make some homemade dulce de leche to put on the cheesecake (since I didn't put anything in it):

And then I drizzled the homemade dulce de leche on top of a HUGE slice of cheesecake...
And then I ate the whole thing! It was very good, but I still need some practice. You see, the master cheesecake baker, Paul C., lives next door to Mom and Chet. He makes awesome, beautiful, unbrowned, crack-free cheesecakes. I mean, they are divine. Mine isn't quite up there with Paul's cheesecake, but it was pretty darn good!

I can't wait to make it again, but with something delicious mixed in. I've seen a few people make beautiful layered cheesecakes, and I'm feeling inspired. I have plans to make a three-layer cheesecake. A chocolate crust, followed by a chocolate layer, a peanut butter layer, and a layer of plain cheesecake with Reese Cups. That will be great...once I figure out in my head exactly how I want to approach it. I need an occasion to make it though, because I can't have a three-layer chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake hanging around my house. That would be BAD NEWS.

I used Dorie Greenspan's Tall and Creamy Cheesecake recipe. You can find the recipe here, on Anne Strawberry's blog. She got a little wild and crazy with hers...peppermint bark-flavored cheesecake. Yum!