Pumpkin Squares

I didn't grow up eating pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.  My parents are Irish and, for the most part, we ate the way my mom was taught to cook.  I think I first tasted pumpkin pie when I was dating my husband and I celebrated Thanksgiving with his family.  I didn't care for it.  In fact, for a while, I avoided anything pumpkin because of my impression of pumpkin pie.  Until I tasted this dessert!

When I worked at an international accounting firm over 20 years ago, a coworker, Jackie Stone, brought this dessert to a Thanksgiving potluck and I was hooked at the first bite.  I didn't know anything with pumpkin could taste that good!  I immediately requested a copy of the recipe and it has been one of our choices for dessert on Thanksgiving ever since.  When we used to celebrate with my mother-in-law in the mountains, she would always call a couple of days in advance to make sure I was bringing Pumpkins Squares with me.

I begin by getting out three bowls, one large, one medium, and one small.  In the medium bowl, I place the dry yellow cake mix.  Using a measuring cup, I remove 1 cup of this mix and place it in the small bowl.  To the medium bowl, I add one egg and the melted butter, stirring to combine.

The mixture is soft at this point.  I let it sit while I turn my attention to the medium bowl.

In the medium bowl, to the canned pumpkin (solid packed pumpkin only, not the pumpkin pie mix) I add the eggs, brown sugar, evaporated milk and pumpkin pie spice.  I mix this thoroughly using either a spoon, spatula or hand-held mixer.

When the pumpkin mixture is thoroughly combined, I return to the cake mixture.  It stir it again, in case I've missed any lumps of dry cake mix.  By letting it sit while I prepared the pumpkin layer, the mixture has become more stiff (compare with the previous picture).  This makes it much easier to get it into the prepared pan.

I grease the pan using butter, although a non-stick spray may also be used.  When baking, I prefer the taste of the butter when greasing a baking pan.  Then I add the cake mixture.

Using a rubber spatula, I press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible.

Then I pour the pumpkin mixture from the large bowl on top of the cake layer, making sure it gets into the corners and the whole thing is level.

To the reserved cup of cake mix in the small bowl, I add the sugar and cinnamon, mixing thoroughly.

I then cut the butter into that mixture.

Using my hand, I sprinkle this topping mixture over the top of the pumpkin layer, making sure it covers to the edges.

I then place the baking dish in the oven and bake it at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes.  About 1/2 hour into the baking time, the house begins to smell heavenly.  If someone walked in the door about that time, they'd probably put in an offer on the house if they thought it would always have that home-baking aroma!  If it could be bottled, it would be a big seller.

I usually serve this dessert with a dollop of Cool Whip or whipped cream.  We really look forward to this dessert each year on Thanksgiving.   Enjoy!

Pumpkin Squares

  

Crust

1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for topping)

½ cup butter or margarine (melted)

1 egg

Filling

15 oz.  can solid pack pumpkin

2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup evaporated milk

Topping

1 cup reserved yellow cake mix

¼ cup butter or margarine

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease bottom only of a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Reserve 1 cup cake mix for topping in a small bowl.  In a medium bowl, mix together cake mix, melted butter and egg.  Press into bottom of baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, eggs and milk.  Pour over crust.

In the small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar into 1 cup reserved cake mix.  Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle on top of pumpkin mixture.  Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

I serve with Cool Whip.

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

This dessert is a staple for our family at the holidays.  In fact, if it isn't one of the choices for dessert on any given holiday, there can be hayhem!  This dish is fairly easy to put together and the best part is that it has to be assembled the day prior to serving!  This means no effort, other than cutting and serving, on the day of the event!

I got this recipe before I was married from a friend's mother, Bobbie Godsey, who attended the church I grew up in and also lived down the street.  It was originally called Chocolate Eclair Cake, but it really isn't anything like a cake, so I renamed it years ago.  I've taken this dessert to countless functions, where  it gets rave reviews.  Someone recently told me I should be selling this dessert to restaurants as he thought it was better than anything he's ordered in the past and he eats out a lot!

After greasing my 9-x13-inch baking dish with butter (you can use non-stick spray also), I placed a layer of graham crackers in the bottom.  It's hard to tell in this photo, but my dish has rounded corners, so using a very sharp knife, I slightly rounded the corners of the crackers that sat in the corners.

In a large bowl, I mixed together the milk and the pudding mix using a whisk until it was smooth, and slightly thickened.  It's important to purchase the French Vanilla pudding for this recipe to achieve the perfect flavor.

I then folded in about half of the thawed Cool Whip.  It's important to fold in the whipped topping to give it a light texture.

Then, I folded in the rest of the Cool Whip.  I've found that when I fold in half at a time, it's easier to combine everything while retaining the volume.

I added about half of the pudding mixture to the top of the graham crackers in the baking dish.  I spread this out into a nice, somewhat smooth and even layer.  It's important to get it as level as possible, because there will be two more layers of graham crackers added and the dessert shouldn't be higher at one side.

Next, I added the second layer of graham crackers, again cutting the crackers that will fit into the corners.

Then I added the rest of the pudding mixture, again spreading evenly and smoothly.  As you can see from the picture, I used my off-set spatula to spread the mixture as I find it easier to get it into the corners and make the whole thing smooth.

The final layer of graham crackers was next.  Because the dish is a bit wider at the top than at the bottom, it requires some more cutting to completely cover the last layer.  It's important to make sure the pudding mixture is completely covered because the final layer is the chocolate, which needs to "stick" to the graham crackers to allow it to be cut easily when serving.  You also want to make sure all the crackers on this layers are perfectly level.  If they aren't it will show once you apply the chocolate.

From this photo, you can see how much I cut to round the corner of the cracker to fit perfectly into the pan.  Again, I was aiming at getting complete coverage.

To make the chocolate layer, I began by melting 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat.

In the meantime, in a medium bowl, with the back of a table spoon, I began working the softened butter into the powdered sugar.  It will not be thoroughly combined before you need to add some liquid to aid in the process.

I added the syrup next.  This makes it easier to combine everything and begins to give the mixture a glossy finish.

As the chocolate was melting, I stirred it occasionally, so it didn't burn. 

Once the chocolate was melted, I added it to the first three ingredients, which were well combined and smooth.

After the chocolate was added, the mixture looked grainy.  Do not worry, this is normal.  After adding one tablespoon of the milk, the smooth texture returned.

I then added the second tablespoon of milk.  Adding each tablespoon one at a time makes it easier to work it into the chocolate mixture.  I hadn't made this dessert in years because someone else in the family usually brings it to our family holiday celebrations, but I wanted to add the recipe to my blog, so I made it for a different function just before Thanksgiving.  

It looks good in the photo above, right?  At this point, after the second tablespoon of milk, I thought that it was perfect and chose not to add the final tablespoon.  It wasn't until I applied it to the top layer of graham crackers that I realized I was wrong and should have included all of the milk the recipe called for.  (Don't do what I did, do what I say to do!)  When you stir it in the bowl, within a few seconds, all of the stir marks should disappear.  But this will only happen after all of the milk has been incorporated.

As you can see from the photo above, there are spreading marks.  The chocolate should be more runny and end up very smooth looking.  Picture the chocolate on and eclair pastry.  Ahh, thus the name of the dessert!  The next time I make this dessert, I will add a picture of how it should look.  I won't make the same mistake twice!

No matter what it looks like, this dessert is still a rich treat!  Enjoy!

Chocolate Éclair Dessert

2 pkg. (3.5 oz.) French Vanilla instant pudding

3 cups milk

1 carton (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

1 box Graham crackers

2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

2 Tbsp. white Karo syrup

3 Tbsp. softened butter

3 Tbsp. milk

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish (I use butter).  Line the bottom of the dish with one layer of graham crackers, trimming to fit.  In a large bowl, mix pudding with milk; fold in Cool Whip.  Spread half of pudding mixture on graham crackers.  Top with another layer of graham crackers, trimming to fit.  Spread remaining pudding mixture on top of second layer of graham crackers.  Add a final layer of graham crackers, trimming to fit.  By hand, mix together the remaining ingredients and spread on top layer of graham crackers.  Refrigerate 24 hrs. before serving.  Keep refrigerated.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Acorns

Here's a cute little sweet treat to serve during the fall at Thanksgiving, a luncheon, or a tea party.

I originally saw this idea on Pinterest and knew immediately that I'd be making these acorns for Thanksgiving.  They originated at Curbly.com.  They're so cute and so easy to assemble.

There are three basic ingredients with each element "glued" together using a little frosting.  For each acorn, you will need one Nutter Butter Bite cookie, one Hershey's kiss chocolate candy and one milk chocolate chocolate chip.

Using a piping bag or a zip-lock bag filled with a little bit of frosting, pipe a dot of frosting on the Hershey's kiss.  Place the Nutter Butter Bite on top of the frosting.  Place a small dot of frosting on the chocolate chip and place it in the middle of the cookie.  That's it!

I think they are adorable, and if you like the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, you'll love the flavor also!  Enjoy!

Alpine Garden Sandwich

We always get a large turkey for Thanksgiving.  This year we had a 23.5 lb. bird.  This always ensures plenty of leftover turkey for some of our favorite meals.  Other than making a turkey (dark meat) and stuffing sandwich, this has to be one of my favorite sandwiches using the white meat.

I first tasted this sandwich on my first day of work at an international accounting firm when a co-worker took me to lunch to meet some of "the girls" in the office.  We went to The Healthy Food Place restaurant and she ordered this sandwich for me, telling me it would be the most amazing sandwich I would ever taste.  Had I known what was in it I would have never ordered it for myself, for I was only 18 yrs. old and still a PB&J on white bread kind of girl.  But I was willing to try anything and loved this sandwich from the first bite.  Of course, I then made some for my family and we make these sandwiches following Thanksgiving every year.

The assembly begins with 7-grain bread.  Any whole grain bread can be substituted.

Both slices get spread with mayonnaise.  As you can see, I like to spread it a little thicker on the slice that will become the bottom of the sandwich.  It's just one of my weird quirks.

Next I place a double layer of fresh baby spinach leaves on one slice of bread.

I top that with the rings of one thin slice of red onion.

The onion is followed by the sliced turkey breast.

Then, I add Swiss cheese.  I know it doesn't have any holes in it, you'll just have to trust me that the cheese pictured is Swiss.

The final layer is alfalfa sprouts!  This is a generous amount.  You may want to skip this layer, but the flavor of the sprouts is a key ingredient in this sandwich.  One time I was making one of these sandwiches for my son and forgot the sprouts.  He took a couple of bites before I realized my omission.  I took it back and added the sprouts.  He said it made a huge difference in the flavor because the sprouts really added something special to it.  On that first day I ate this healthy treat, knowing that there were alfalfa sprouts in it would have kept me from ordering it.  I'm so glad I didn't have a choice!

The last step is to place the other piece of bread on top, mayo side down, cut it and consume.

I suppose a little leftover cranberries added couldn't hurt, but we've decided not to mess with an already terrific turkey sandwich!  Enjoy!

Liza's Holiday Meal Helpful Tips

 Every year, just before Thanksgiving, I share these extremely helpful tips with almost everyone I encounter!  These ideas save room in your oven and have other appealing reasons for putting them into practice.  The main key is to have crock pots available.  Yes, I have more than one crock pot (different sizes for different uses), but if you have only one, then either use your favorite tip listed below or borrow a slow cooker from a relative, neighbor, or friend!  You'll be glad you did!

I love my hot foods hot and my cold foods cold when I eat them.  Mashed potatoes cool down very quickly once set on the table in a serving bowl.  To avoid eating cooled spuds, I utilize one of my crock pots.  I use a serving bowl that will serve everyone at the table, then when it's time for seconds (we all know that happens, especially at the holidays), I refill the bowl with steaming mashed potatoes!  The other benefit to this is that I can make the potatoes earlier in the day, wash and put away my pot, etc. and keep the spuds hot in the crock pot, freeing up space on top of the stove.  They will keep nicely on the low setting for at least 1 1/2 hours.  They may get a little crusty around the sides after that amount of time, but it's so worth it.  If I really have my act together, I will prepare the potatoes the day before, put them in the crock pot, cover the crock part with plastic wrap and remove it and store it in the refrigerator over night.  It takes a little longer for the potatoes to get heated through to the middle (I allow about 3 hours) and will still keep for 1 1/2 hours.  I'm an Irish girl and love my spuds, and swear by this method for keeping them ready to serve for a large crowd.  This would also work well when having a mashed potato bar at a party!  This is when guests serve themselves some mashed potatoes in a stemware glass and add assorted toppings such as cheese, chives, crumbled bacon, sour cream, etc.

This next tip I've only been using a few years.  When sharing my other two tips, a listener said she put her dressing (I've learned that stuffing is what you put in the turkey and dressing is the same thing, only cooked in a casserole dish outside of the turkey!) in a crock pot.  Before gaining this knowledge, once putting together the ingredients for the stuffing/dressing, I would stuff the bird with what would fit, then put the rest in a casserole dish, cover it and set it at the back of the stove to get some of the heat from the oven.  Then I would baste this each and every time I basted the turkey and when I took the turkey out of the oven I would place this casserole dish inside to get fully heated through.  Now, I don't have to remember to put it in the oven after the turkey comes out.  I put the extra dressing in my crock pot and turn it on low when I start basting the turkey and add some of the cooking juices to this mix.  Then, when carving the turkey, I remove the stuffing and add it to this dressing to make it even more moist and delicious.  It, too is piping hot when ready to serve.

As much as I love the other two tips, this one just might be my favorite!  One of the beautiful features of a crock pot is that the food inside never dries out (if the lid is placed in position properly) because the moisture is "locked" inside.  This makes it the perfect place to heat rolls!  I keep one crock pot off to the side, out of the way in my kitchen and either place the rolls in it cool and turn it on low for 45 minutes, or preheat it on low and then put the rolls in for the last 30 minutes or so.  The rolls remain moist and are so hot they are hard to handle when transferring them to the bread basket!  I can't tell you how many times prior to using this method that I either forgot to put the rolls in the oven after the turkey came out or I forgot to take them out of the oven before sitting down at the table and once discovering they were missing found they were dry and hard (and that was with wrapping them tightly in foil!).  No more!  Again, I use a smallish bread basket, so when replenished, the rolls are nice and hot!  Enjoy!