Diane’s Easy & Scrumptious Pumpkin Pie

TMF Readers, with the holidays quickly approaching, I wanted to give you a few really quick recipes that will make your life in the kitchen so much easier. 

One of my great childhood memories is that of a good piece of pumpkin pie.  Needless to say, I have been indulging already by getting a jump start on my baking.  Below is my fool-proof pumpkin pie recipe.  It is lovely, quick and yummy.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 frozen pie shell (or you can make your own crust if you dare venture)
1 – 16 oz can of pureed pumpkin
1 – 14 oz can of sweet & condensed milk
(you can also use evaporated milk plus 1 cup of sugar if you don’t want to use sweet & condensed milk, but I like my pie more luscious)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (or, you can substitute with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Beat eggs, add pumpkin, sweet & condensed milk and spices and beat until smooth.  Pour batter into pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat down to 350 degrees and cook for an additional 35-40 minutes.  Allow to completely cool on a baking rack and serve with whipped cream. 

Happy Holidays!

CARAMEL-GLAZED APPLE CHUNK CAKE

This recipe is one of my personal favorite recipes for this beautiful time of year. It is perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas (along with some good vanilla, cinnamon or butter pecan ice cream) or just because you like cake!

Enjoy and lots of Blessings!
Di

Ingredients:

Cake:
2-1/2 c., plus 1 T. flour
1-1/4 t. cinnamon
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg*
1 t. each baking soda, salt
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 t. vanilla extract
3 T. orange juice
1-1/2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and
cut into ½ inch chunks, about 3-1/2 cups
(any tart apple can be used)
1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 c. packed light brown sugar
¼ c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350º. Generously grease a 12-cup capacity (10-inch) Bundt cake pan; lightly dust with fl our and set aside.  Sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.Beat oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla for three minutes.  Add sifted ingredients and orange juice and mix until combined.  Toss apples and pecans with remaining tablespoon of flour and stir into batter.  Mixture will be very thick.  Add to pan and smooth surface.  Bake about one hour until toothpick comes out clean.

While cake is baking, bring all glaze ingredients to a simmer in a small saucepan for three minutes, uncovered.  When cake is done, let it rest on cooling rack for five minutes.  Invert onto a cooling rack placed over a sheet of foil or wax paper.  Brush warm cake with glaze, reapplying glaze as it drips onto the foil.

Note: If you do not want to make the glaze, you could drizzle a little store-bought caramel sauce over it or just top it with some sifted powdered confectioner’s sugar.

*If you have never used freshly grated nutmeg-try it!  The flavor is so much better than nutmeg in a jar and it is very easy to do.

Changing Seasons

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…….Ecclesiastes 3:1

BFSO readers, do you love Autumn, Fall and Winter as much as I do?  As the leaves begin to fall and change colors and the air gets crisp, I reminisce with myself about growing up off of the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria, Virginia, walking along the Potomac River with my sister and playing in the freshly fallen leaves.  I then begin to yearn for the seasons fabulous flavors.  The first thing that comes to mind is sweet potato and pumpkin pie, hot beef stews and yummy warm casseroles.  Did I mention that this is my favorite time of the year?  Well, as you can see, it is! 

 While some folks are fretting over the arrival of Jack Frost, I am reveling in the anticipation of family gatherings, holidays, comfy warm sweaters and pajamas and fun-filled snowy days.  I even like to do a little day traveling during this season.  I love to explore quaint little towns like Nashville, Indiana, where you can walk along the old- fashioned sidewalks, watch candy-makers craft their magic and eat in old-fashioned country restaurants.  It makes me feel as if I stepped back into time.  It’s really a treat and the kids love it.

I look forward to every season that God blesses me with.  I can’t wait to see the little ghosts and goblins in October.  I, again, am taken back to a memory of Halloween and my mother dressing me and my sister up as Gypsies and my brothers up as Ghosts.  Those were the days!  We didn’t go to the store to buy our costumes usually, we had to be creative and make them!  Then, I am taken to thinking about Thanksgiving and the wonderful memories I have of my grandparents visiting, all the yummy food and reflections of blessings we have received despite any disappointments that may have happened during the year.  I actually picked the beautiful month of November to get married because I absolutely love the ambiance of November. THEN…HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS!!! I absolutely adore Christmas.  Not because of presents (I have actually stopped requesting them) but because of the time I get to spend with my husband, children and now my beautiful Grandson!  I call it “making memories.”  Some of our family traditions include enjoying craft time every weekend leading up to Christmas where we paint ornaments, Christmas village houses, birdhouses, etc.  My children look forward to this time and so do I!  I also look forward to being able to look back at their crafts in years to come and enjoying them over and over.  Oh, have I mentioned football yet?  Well, I won’t go on and on but football is HUGE in our home. 

 Autumn, Fall and Winter bring all kinds off great memories back to life for me and I wanted to share a few of the above with you readers.  In the next few weeks, I will be providing you readers with some great Fall recipes and fun things to do.  BFSO family, take advantage of this beautiful time and season that God has blessed us with.  I promise, you will surely find lots to be thankful for.  Remember, Autumn is a second Spring, when every leaf is a flower.                                  

Peace and Blessings Abound,

Di