Pumpkin Spice Crunch Cake

It wouldn't be fall without pumpkins so I found this recipe on Pinterest from OhBiteMe. It looks divine and too good to pass on sharing.

This cake makes 2 9x13 size cakes which is perfect for sharing with your neighbors or church during the holidays.

What you'll need:

1-29oz. can of Pumpkin (unsweetened)

1 box of Spice Cake Mix

1-8oz. bag of Toffee Bits

1 container of Cream Cheese Frosting

2-9×13 baking pans

Preheat oven to 350

1) In a large mixing bowl, mix up cake batter as box reads.
2)Add toffee bits, saving 1/4 cup for topping.
3) Spray the baking pans with non stick spray.
4) Fill each cake pan 1/2 to 3/4 full.
5) Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until done.
5) After cakes cool, frost and top with toffee.


Find more recipes and crafts on my Pinterest page. Click here to follow me. 

How To: Make Crayon Drip Pimpkin's

It's fall ya'll!!!

It's here and it's official.

Do you realize what that means??

Cooler weather,

leaves changing color and dropping to the ground,

and

PUMPKINS!!!

There's so much you can do with pumpkins!!

A million ways to eat them!

Endless ways to decorate them!!

I love pumpkins.

Today's post I want to share this technique I JUST learned about.

It's called 'Crayon drip pumpkins'.

Sounds pretty cool huh?

I think it is.

And so much fun for the kids too.

I came across this technique while searching for decorating ideas.

Pinterest is my fave place for ideas.

So what is a crayon drip pumpkin?

(Image of crayon drip pumpkins I found on Google search)

The color possibilities are endless!

How do you make a crayon drip pumpkin?

It's so simple.

(image from polyvore.com)

1) Choose your pumpkin. White pumpkins give a canvas type effect and make the colors stand out more. You can use any color pumpkin you want though.

(image found on google)

2) Choose what color crayons you want to use on your pumpkin. You can use any brand of crayon. Crayola has those color coordinated packs and glitter crayons as well if you want a little sparkle.

(image from mk-creations)

3) Take the paper off your crayons.

4) Glue the crayons onto the top of your pumpkin. You can use basically any kind of glue: elmers, tacky glue, E6000 and i've even seen hot glue. But it doesn't make sense to me to use a hot glue gun because the hair dryer will just melt the glue again.

5) Glue the crayons into the top of the pumpkin as shown below:

(Image from http://blue11interiors.blogspot.com )

6) Use a hairdryer to melt the crayons. Melt to your desire.

(image from purehome.com)

7) Let the crayons cool and harden before moving.

BAM that's it! You've made a crayon drip pumpkin!

Pumpkin Theif

October 16th 2013

(Playing catch up here)

We woke up to one of the kid's pumkin's being stolen.

Lanie noticed it as we were leaving to take her to school.

She was so broken hearted and upset that it broke out hearts.

Both Lanie and Liam's pumpkins were pretty big.

Lanie had decorated hers the day we brought it home.

Liam's however hadn't been decorative yet,

so they took it.

In fact just the night before,

I dug out the decoration for his pumpkin to put on.

There were bicycle tire tracks in the yard.

We found the broken off stem in the rock bed,

and pumpkin residue on the bricks from where the pumpkin fell

when they picked it up by the stem.

Seriously,

WHO STEALS A KID'S PUMPKIN?!

WHO RIDES A BIKE TO STEAL A PUMPKIN?!

Anyhow.

After we dropped Lanie off at school,

we went to replace the stolen pumpkin.

We wanted her to come home and see it and be happy again.

She is so protective of Liam.

Atleast we're convincing ourselves of that

after her outpouring of emotions.

After replacing the stolen pumpkin with one slightly bigger,

we went on search for a HUGE fairy tale pumpkin.

Not only could we NOT find any fairy tale pumpkins,

but we couldn't find any HUGE pumpkins.

After giving up the search

and being irritated that someone would steal a pumpkin

and seeing Lanie so upset,

we had to come up with a way to keep this from happening again.

Justin drilled holes through the stems,

then chained them up to the post on the porch.

The stems hardened around the metal chain stuff

making it extremely to take them.

The only way would be to break off the stems.

We understand that if they really want to steal,

they will find a way.

But this is a detourant.

We noticed the neighborhood hoodlums heading up towards our porch

and pumpkins when they thought we weren't looking.

They saw the pumpkins locked up,

then turned around and walked away almost annoyed.

So far so good.

Check out what we did:

Pumpkin Recipe's #5 Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Drizzle the loaf with colored frosting to make it festive

or turn them into muffins

Original recipe makes 3 loaves

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 1 pound size coffee cans, or three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill cans 1/2 to 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from cans or pans.

Pumpkin Recipe's #5 Spiced Pumpkin Butter/Pumpkin Puree

Spiced Pumpkin Butter seems like a great way to keep that great pumpkin taste around all year long.

Makes: 36 servingsServing size: 2  tablespoonsYield: Makes 4-1/2 cups

Prep 15 minsCook 25 mins
ingredients

• 4cups Pumpkin Puree or two 15-oz. cans pumpkin
• 1 1/4cups pure maple syrup
• 1/2cup apple juice
• 2tablespoons lemon juice
• 2teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• Chopped hazelnuts (optional)

directions

1.In 5-quart Dutch oven combine all ingredients except nuts. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 25 minutes or until thick. (If mixture spatters, reduce heat to medium-low). Remove from heat; cool.

2.Ladle into jars or freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cover; store in refrigerator up to 1 week or freezer up to 6 months.

3.To serve, top with chopped nuts.

Now if your wanting to go a step further you can make your own pumpkin puree

Pumpkin Puree

Makes: 12 servings
Yield: 1 3/4 cups

ingredients

• 2 1/2pounds pie pumpkins

directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut pumpkins into 5x5-inch pieces. Remove and discard seeds and strings. Arrange pieces in a single layer, skin sides up, in a foil-lined baling pan. Cover with foil. Bake about 1 hour or until tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop pulp from rind. Place pulp in food processor or blender. Cover and process or blend until smooth. Measure 1 cup puree to use in risotto. Transfer remaining puree to an airtight container. Store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen puree in the refrigerator.

nutrition facts (Spiced Pumpkin Butter)

• Servings Per Recipe 36,
 
• cal. (kcal) 35,
 
• Fat, total (g) 0,
 
• chol. (mg) 0,
 
• sat. fat (g) 0,
 
• carb. (g) 9,
 
• fiber (g) 0,
 
• pro. (g) 0,
 
• sodium (mg) 17,
 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Pumpkin Recipe's #4 Frosted Pumpkin Bread

Frosted Pumpkin Bread

Makes: 32 servingsServing size: 1  sliceYield: 2 loaves (32 servings)

Prep 25 minsBake 350° 55 minsCool 10 minsStand  Overnight
ingredients

• 3 1/3cups all-purpose flour
• 2teaspoons baking soda
• 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2teaspoons salt
• 1teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2cups packed brown sugar
• 1cup vegetable oil
• 4eggs
• 2/3cup water
• 115 ounce canpumpkin
• 3tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2cups powdered sugar
• 2tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1tablespoon milk
• 1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder
• 1/2teaspoon vanilla
• Milk

directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of two 9x5x3-inch, three 8x4x2-inch, or four 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.

2.In an extra-large mixing bowl beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add eggs; beat well. Alternately add flour mixture and the water to egg mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pans, spreading evenly.

3.Bake for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5-inch loaves, 45 to 50 minutes for 8x4-inch loaves, 40 to 45 minutes for 7 1/2x3-inch loaves, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean.

4.Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Wrap and store overnight.

5.For cocoa-spice frosting, in a small mixing bowl beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in 1 cup of the powdered sugar, the cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, coffee powder, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach spreading consistency. Spread the tops of loaves with cocoa-spice frosting before slicing.

nutrition facts (Frosted Pumpkin Bread)

• Servings Per Recipe 32,
 
• cal. (kcal) 198,
 
• Fat, total (g) 8,
 
• chol. (mg) 26,
 
• sat. fat (g) 1,
 
• carb. (g) 31,
 
• Monosaturated fat (g) 5,
 
• Polyunsaturated fat (g) 2,
 
• Trans fatty acid (g) 0,
 
• fiber (g) 1,
 
• sugar (g) 20,
 
• pro. (g) 2,
 
• vit. A (IU) 2041,
 
• vit. C (mg) 1,
 
• Thiamin (mg) 0,
 
• Riboflavin (mg) 0,
 
• Niacin (mg) 1,
 
• Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0,
 
• Folate (µg) 28,
 
• Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0,
 
• sodium (mg) 200,
 
• Potassium (mg) 65,
 
• calcium (mg) 20,
 
• iron (mg) 1,
 
• Mark as Free Exchange () 0,
 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Pumpkin Recipe's #3 Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust

Another great recipe I stumbled upon:

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust

Makes: 8 servingsServing size: 1  sliceYield: 8 slices

Prep 40 minsChill 30 minsBake 350° 50 mins
ingredients

• 1recipeHazelnut Pastry
• 18 ounce packagecream cheese, softened
• 4tablespoons dulce de leche
• 1egg
• 1 1/4cups canned pumpkin
• 1/2cup evaporated milk
• 2eggs
• 1/3cup sugar
• 2tablespoons hazelnut or almond liqueur (optional)
• 1 1/2teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1recipeDulce de Leche-Hazelnut Whipped Cream
• Chopped hazelnuts (filberts), toasted (optional)
• Dulce de leche

directions

1.On a floured surface, roll Hazelnut Pastry into a 12-inch circle. Ease pastry circle into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching it. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond outside edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired.

2.In a small mixing bowl beat cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of the dulce de leche with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 egg; beat on medium speed until smooth. Spread evenly in the pastry-lined plate. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

3.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl whisk together pumpkin, evaporated milk, 2 eggs, sugar, the remaining 2 tablespoons dulce de leche, the hazelnut liqueur (if desired), and pumpkin pie spice. Carefully pour pumpkin mixture over cream cheese layer.

4.Cover edge of pie loosely with foil. Bake for 25 minutes; remove foil. Bake about 25 minutes more or until filling is set in the center. Cool on a wire rack.

5.To serve, top pie with Dulce de Leche-Hazelnut Whipped Cream, sprinkle with hazelnuts (if desired), and drizzle with additional dulce de leche (if necessary, stir in a little milk to thin for drizzling).

Hazelnut Pastry

ingredients

• 1cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4cup finely ground hazelnuts (filberts), almonds, or all-purpose flour
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 1/3cup shortening
• 4 - 5tablespoons ice water

directions

1.In a medium bowl stir together all-purpose flour, hazelnuts, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the ice water over part of the flour mixture; toss with a fork. Push moistened pastry to one side of the bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon of the ice water at a time, until all the flour mixture is moistened (4 to 5 tablespoons ice water total). Gather flour mixture into a ball, kneading gently until it holds together.

nutrition facts (Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust)

• Servings Per Recipe 8,
 
• cal. (kcal) 496,
 
• Fat, total (g) 35,
 
• chol. (mg) 152,
 
• sat. fat (g) 17,
• carb. (g) 37,
 
• Monosaturated fat (g) 12,
 
• Polyunsaturated fat (g) 4,
 
• Trans fatty acid (g) 1,
• fiber (g) 2,
 
• sugar (g) 21,
 
• pro. (g) 9,
 
• vit. A (IU) 6919,
 
• vit. C (mg) 2,
 
• Thiamin (mg) 0,
• Riboflavin (mg) 0,
 
• Niacin (mg) 1,
 
• Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0,
 
• Folate (µg) 50,
 
• Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0,
 
• sodium (mg) 243,
 
• Potassium (mg) 308,
 
• calcium (mg) 159,
 
• iron (mg) 2,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Dulce de Leche-Hazelnut Whipped Cream

ingredients

• 1tablespoon dulce de leche
• 2teaspoons hazelnut or almond liqueur (optional)
• 1cup whipping cream

directions

1.Place dulce de leche in a chilled small mixing bowl. If desired, add hazelnut liqueur. Beat with the chilled beaters of an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. Add whipping cream. Beat on medium speed just until stiff peaks begin to form (tips stand straight).

nutrition facts (Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust)

• Servings Per Recipe 8,
 
• cal. (kcal) 496,
 
• Fat, total (g) 35,
 
• chol. (mg) 152,
 
• sat. fat (g) 17,
• carb. (g) 37,
 
• Monosaturated fat (g) 12,
 
• Polyunsaturated fat (g) 4,
 
• Trans fatty acid (g) 1,
• fiber (g) 2,
 
• sugar (g) 21,
 
• pro. (g) 9,
 
• vit. A (IU) 6919,
 
• vit. C (mg) 2,
 
• Thiamin (mg) 0,
• Riboflavin (mg) 0,
 
• Niacin (mg) 1,
 
• Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0,
 
• Folate (µg) 50,
 
• Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0,
 
• sodium (mg) 243,
 
• Potassium (mg) 308,
 
• calcium (mg) 159,
 
• iron (mg) 2,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet