Cranberry Sauce and Spread

So obviously my new breakfast consumption goal has me making as many spreads as I can to mix things up. And what better way to do that than in a holiday light! 

Yay for cranberries! Full of antioxidants and tart deliciousness.

This is also a great spread for toast, waffles and pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt and cereal. And probably many more things I am not yet aware of. I loved the addition of orange in this, which is apparently common for cranberry sauces, but I hadn't yet experienced the pairing. I let this go for awhile on the stovetop because I wanted mine reduced more, but you can cook it for less time to get more of a whole cranberry experience.



Cranberry Sauce and Spread

1 cup orange juice
1 quart fresh cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh, grated ginger
1-2 tablespoons honey 

Combine the orange juice, cranberries, cinnamon and ginger in a saucepan and set over low, medium heat. Allow mixture to come to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on your desired consistency.

Vanilla Cinnamon Peanut Butter

I have acquired quite the obsession with nut butters lately. I recently started making myself eat breakfast (I know, most important meal of the day, but its hard for me, so zip it!), and with this change I have been introduced into a wonderful world where nut butters fit in perfectly! 

Toast for breakfast? Add a dollup of peanut butter!

Oatmeal for breakfast? Add some almond butter!

Yogurt and granola for breakfast? A spoonful of Nutella!

It all just works out so perfectly. And, of course, I had to try making my own. The best part is that you can add whatever you want to it! I started with peanut butter, since it is supposedly the easiest one to start with. I added vanilla and cinnamon to give it a little punch and simply loved it! I have since made cashew butter as well. You do need to be patient with making nut butters, as they go through several stages while being processed. You must wait until it becomes creamy, and it does take longer than you think it will! So many possibilities to add! I can't wait to try many more combinations!



Vanilla Cinnamon Peanut Butter

16 oz. unsalted peanuts
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend for 10-15 minutes. Remove to a bell jar and keep in the refrigerator.

Corn Muffins

Happy Thanksgiving week! I'm looking forward to a week of cooking and baking, and I don't mean just Thanksgiving food! 

These are a great corn muffin base. Nothing fancy, but these come out very tender, slightly crunchy and definitely a good addition to soup or salads. Or just for an afternoon snack! There really is no cap on what you could add to these, either. I've been making them for several weeks to go with my lunches and I started by just adding corn, then tried corn, sausage and cranberries. I loved both ways!



Corn Muffins
Adapted from All-Recipes 

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/8 cup canola oil
3/4 cup milk (I use skim)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin (for 6 muffins).

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, oat bran and salt.  Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean. 

*I have made these with an addition of 1 cup of frozen corn and with 1/2 cup frozen corn, 1/2 cup chopped cranberries and 1/2 cup browned chicken sausage.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

My favorite type of cookies are chewy and chunky. By chunky, I mean some type of chip is in there somewhere. Although I love all of the pumpkin cookies I have made thus far in my life, I am on a mission to find a chewy, as opposed to a soft, pumpkin cookie. These were a great start! Chewier than my previous pumpkin cookies and I loved the texture with the oatmeal in them. The pumpkin flavor in these is very subtle and most people couldn't put their finger on what flavor they were eating! And, of course, you can put any type of chip you would like in them. I personally love the combination of pumpkin and butterscotch, so that is what I usually stick with!



Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
Tasty Kitchen

2 cups flour
1 cup quick cooking or old-fashioned oats, uncookied
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 whole egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Cream butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Drop a heaping tablepoon of dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes, until cookies are firm and lightly browned.

Pumpkin Butter

If you thought pumpkin baking season ended at Halloween, you were sorely mistaken. My obsession continues effervescently.

Welcome to Pumpkin Butter Land (that would be our apartment), where since making this, I have put it on everything I can think of. Sure, I put it in my oatmeal, on toast, and eat it by the spoonful. But, I also have put it on my eggs, used it as a salad dressing, used it in baked good and pretty much put a dollop on everything whether or not I think I can get away with it.

So, if your looking to infuse more pumpkin into your life, this is the solution. This recipe can be fooled around with in many ways. Feel free to use white sugar, or adjust the spices to your taste. You can definitely use canned pumpkin, but I ended up roasting a pumpkin and making my own puree.



Pumpkin Butter

3-4 cups pumpkin puree (or about 1-29 oz. can of pumpkin puree)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup apple cider
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Combine pumpkin, sugar, cider and spices in a large saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and allow to boil. Reduce heat and let mixture simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency. Let cool, transfer to jars, and store in the refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Sour Cream Bundt

I stumbled upon the Food Librarian's website the other day and noted that she was doing a segment called "I Like Big Bundts" where she makes a new bundt cake every day. What a great idea! I LOVE bundts! So please don't be surprised if there are many bundt cakes in the next month as there are so many great ideas for them on her site!

The first bundt I tried was this Peanut Butter Sour Cream Bundt. I have been slightly obsessed with nut butters lately, so this cake just jumped out of the computer at me. I loved how moist and melt-in-your-mouth this cake was. And the chocolate sauce really completed the ever favorite peanut butter and chocolate combo.

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Peanut Butter Sour Cream Bundt
The Food Librarian

1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1. Preheat over to 350. Prep a 12-cup Bundt pan.
2. Whisk sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in measuring cup.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder & soda, and salt in a bowl.
4. Using the paddle attachment, cream butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy (3-4 minutes). Scape down the sides.
5. With mixer on low, alternate 1/3 dry ingredients with the 1/2 sour cream mix; beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Scape down the sides of the bowl. Turn mixer onto medium-high and beat for 1 minute.
6. Put into Bundt. Bake for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes then invert onto cookie sheet until completely cool.

Chocolate Glaze

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, broken into chunks
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup heavy cream

Heat heavy cream and butter over medium-high heat. Place chocolate into a separate bowl. Just before boiling, remove the heavy cream from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for five minutes. Gently stir until chocolate is melted. Drizzle sauce over bundt.

Pumpkin Blondies

I had a dream awhile ago. It was probably September and I was obviously getting really excited about pumpkin season. I dreamt that I was running around the city trying to find canned pumpkin and, yet again, there was another shortage. I went from store to store getting more stressed out with each negative canned pumpkin store I ventured into. By the time I woke up, I was gnawing my teeth and sweating.

The next day, I went out and found canned pumpkin in the city and bought about 10 cans, which I then had to lug to the dance studio, the gym, work and out with friends before I could give them a warm introduction to my pantry. That is dedication, my friends.

I made these pumpkin blondies several weeks ago for a Halloween party. They were VEEERYYY well received by everyone who had one. I was not as smitten, because to me, blondies should have a denser texture and these were like cake. Still delicious and my roommates could not stop asking about them. They were also easy, which is an added bonus. I ended up using butterscotch and chocolate chips and drizzled the top with the little melted chocolate.



Pumpkin Blondies
Annie's Eats

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups granulated sugar (or brown sugar)
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
Melted chocolate and extra butterscotch chips for drizzle and decoration

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.  Stir together and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.  Mix in the pumpkin puree.  With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate and butterscotch chips with a rubber spatula.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.  Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 35-40 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting.

To serve, lift the cake from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board.  Peel off the foil and using a sharp knife, cut into 24 squares.

Tres Leches Cake

Translation: 3 milks cake.

Thought I would help you out on that one. Awesome name for a cake, huh?

To be honest, I was veeeeery reluctant to make this cake. It made its rounds in the blog world several months ago during the summer, but I had some reservations. Isn't the dang cake going to get soggy soaking in milk? Will it keep for a few days, because I certainly can't eat an entire cake in one day (although I've been known to try). I'm not a huge fan of milk, does that mean I'm not going to like it? Does it taste like milk, or cake? Obviously I was confused about life at this point.

I suck it up, made the cake, and am glad I did!

I was a little worried that I screwed it up, because coming out of the oven, the cake was dry and very hard. Enter the three milks. Let that cake bathe in 'em and you've got yourself a very tasty, fluffy and not soggy, persay, cake. Of course, the cake is wet in texture, but I swear, its good! And it doesn't taste like milk. It tasted super sweet. Probably thanks to that can of sweetened condensed milk.

Also, here's a little known secret: I don't like maraschino cherries. I slapped them on for the photo shoot and then banished them away from my cake. Take from that what you will. Most people would love the cherries atop.

I liked this cake a lot. As a three milks cake. It by no means will substitute my favorite: chocolate cake. For that is ever etched in my heart. The end.



Tres Leches Cake
The Pioneer Woman Cooks

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour


• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder


• ¼ teaspoons Salt


• 5 whole Eggs


• 1 cup Sugar, Divided


• 1 teaspoon Vanilla


• ⅓ cups Milk


• 1 can Evaporated Milk


• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk


• ¼ cups Heavy Cream


• 1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping


• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.

Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.