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).