Friday, October 23, 2009

Love this!

Pumpkin Cherry Upside Down Cake (stolen from Better Homes and Garden)


Ingredients
1 10-ounce jar cherry preserves
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk*


Directions


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil; grease foil. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine cherry preserves, dried cranberries, and the 1/3 cup butter. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Pour mixture into the prepared baking pan, spreading evenly. Set aside.


2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the 1/4 cup butter and the shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Carefully spread batter over preserve mixture in pan.


3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.


4. Carefully invert onto a large serving platter; remove foil. Spoon any preserves mixture remaining on the foil onto cake. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.


5. *Test Kitchen Tip: To make 3/4 cup sour milk, place 2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 3/4 cup total liquid; stir. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Star Trekker!!!

Still needs a little bit of work... but I think I make a pretty hot Trekkie ;D

Monday, October 5, 2009

Whip It!!


Want to see a super good movie that will make you want to kick some booty while wearing Skates and fish net tights?? GO SEE WHIP IT. SOOO GOOOOD. Best Girl Sports movie EVER.




Sunday, October 4, 2009

Deborah's Wonderful Weekend of Baking Adventures...

So... why is it that whenever the weather turns cold and rainy I feel the need to Bake? My roommate Emilie just told me I have Baking Tourettes. Maybe I do?? It is kinda uncontrollable. So far this weekend...


Saturday:

Canned a batch of Salsa (it turned out to be more like a spicy Spaghetti sauce).. Then I made a Quiche Lorianne (green onions, ham, and mushroom), then a easy dinner of Creme of Wheat....

Sunday:

More Creme of Wheat (made with milk with butter and brown sugar in it)... Then I made a pasta dinner with my "salsa" fresh shrimp (saute in butter), fresh garden tomatoes.... and now in the oven as we speak is a yummy pumpkin dessert!!!!

OK.... so as I type this out... it doesn't seem that much... but trust me. I've been in the kitchen all weekend :) But really, I can't decide what's more delectable.... the smell of the Pumpkin dessert cooking (that to my right) or the smells coming in from the window I'm sitting next to.... the fall smells of leaves and rain and moist earth.... it's so delicious!!!



Pumpkin Dessert:




INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray or grease one 9x13 inch pan.
Reserve 1 cup cake mix. In a large bowl, combine the remaining dry cake mix with 1 egg and 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix well, and then pat into prepared pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour over crust.
In a small bowl, combine reserved 1 cup cake mix, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3 tablespoons softened butter. Crumble over pumpkin filling. Sprinkle nuts evenly over the top, if desired.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

Annie's Salsa


23 to 25 med tomatoes
3 lrg onions
2 lrg green peppers
2 lrg red peppers
1 jalapeno pepper
1 c white vinegar
4 t black pepper
4 t garlic salt
4 t salt
3 T corn starch
1 12oz can tomato paste

1. Blanch and peel tomatoes
2. Cut the stem off and squeeze the juices out of the tomatoes (wait for them to cool down first)
3. Rough chop onions (place in large pot of cooking)
4. For the jalapeno- remove all the seeds and chop up
5. Rough chop and add in other ingredients
6. Cook all together in a big pot about 20 min until its all cooked together
7. Use a hand blender or a traditional bender to mix and refine
8. Pour into wide mouth pint jars
9. Can (put in large pot, with water an inch over the jars and boil for 20 min- water should be cool when jars are placed within).

My Blog List