Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Nov 2, 2014

Nothing beats the aroma of pumpkin and spices wafting throughout your home. Topped with a cream cheese glaze this Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe is moist, delicious and a good bet for Thanksgiving dessert.

Prep. Time: 10 mins  •  Cook Time: 50 mins  •  Total Time: 1 hour

Makes 12-16 servings

Pumpkin Bundt Cake slice

Moist Pumpkin Bundt Cake topped with Cream Cheese Glaze and a smidge of caramel.

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar (plus extra if needed)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter. Add a little flour to dust the pan, shaking to distribute evenly. Discard the excess.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt until combined. In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla until combined.

In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and beat another minute, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternatively with the pumpkin mixture until batter is just smooth. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Use a spatula to smooth and even batter. Bake in 350ºF oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan on a cooking rack for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto a cooling rack or a cake platter to cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Glaze:
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar together on medium low speed until combined. Add milk one tablespoon at a time, beating to combine, until the glaze reaches desired consistency. If the glaze is to runny, add a little more powdered sugar. Pour over cooled bundt cake, allowing glaze to run down sides.

 

Halloween Apple Fangs

Oct 29, 2014

Dracula would be jealous of these sweet fangs! Made from green apples, peanut butter and yogurt-covered raisins, these fangs score big with kids.

Ingredients
1 green apple
Creamy peanut butter
Yogurt-covered Raisins

Directions
Slice green apple into thin pie-shaped pieces. Spread peanut butter on one side of each of the slices. Insert yogurt-covered raisins for the teeth on one slice. Top with another piece of peanut butter covered sliced apple and you’re done!

Halloween Mummy Toast

Oct 27, 2014

Nutritious and cute! Just right for making a special Halloween treat for little ones. Unbelievably simple and quick to make with only 4 simple ingredients.

Ingredients
Bread
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella Cheese slices
1 Black olive

Directions
1. Cut the mozzarella cheese into long strips.
2. Cover the bread with pizza sauce.
3. Lay the cheese over the bread criss-crossing itself to imitate mummy wrappings.
4. Cut the black olive in half and place to be the eyes of the mummy.
5. Toast until the cheese is melted.

 

Portuguese Red Bean Soup

Oct 17, 2014

portuguese-red-bean-soup-linkIntroduced to Bermuda by Azoreans who came to the Islands in the mid-1800s, Portuguese Red Bean soup is inexpensive, easy to make, and so good!

There’s nothing like a hearty bowl of Portuguese Red Bean soup to comfort the soul and warm the spirit! This tomato-based soup is full of fiber and protein-rich red kidney beans, vegetables and spicy chorizo sausage.

Ingredients
1 Carrot, chopped finely
1 Onion, chopped finely
4 Celery sticks, chopped finely
4 Tomatoes, skinned & seeded
1 Potato, peeled, and chopped into bite-size chunks
8 oz Red Kidney beans, soaked overnight
2 oz olive oil
2 oz butter
1 ¼ teaspoons Paprika
2 quarts chicken stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 Chorizo sausages, mild or hot
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Chop all vegetables including tomatoes and the potato into fine chunks.
2. Drain the kidney beans that have been soaked overnight.
3. Add the olive oil and butter to a medium-size pot and heat.
4. Add chopped carrot, onion, celery, and tomatoes and sweat until tender.
5. Add chopped potato, paprika, and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
6. Add kidney beans and turn down heat to a simmer.
7. Add tomato paste and continue to simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. When beans have softened, add sausage, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Picarones with Chancaca Syrup

Oct 6, 2014

picarones-linkA famous Peruvian dessert, picarones are soft, doughnut-like rings made from pumpkin and sweet potato with a distinct sweet and spicy flavour. Picarones are deep fried until golden and served with chancaca – a citrusy molasses syrup.

anise seed

Sweet, aromatic anise has a distinctive licorice-like flavour and is typically used to flavor a variety of dishes, drinks, and candies.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb uncooked pumpkin, or 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 lb sweet potatoes
  • 3 Cinnamon sticks
  • 2 teaspoons whole anise seed
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 quart vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
  • 1 orange
  • 2 limes
  • 1/2 cup water

Directions

  1. Fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil. Add 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 teaspoons anise seed, and 1 teaspoon cloves to the water.
  2. Peel the sweet potatoes and pumpkin, and cut into large chunks.
  3. Add the sweet potatoes and pumpkin to the boiling water and cook until soft. Strain and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water and let cool.
  4. When the pumpkin and potatoes are cool enough to handle, mash them or run them through a food mill. Set aside to cool completely. Measure 3/4 cup of the mashed sweet potato and 3/4 cup of mashed pumpkin.
  5. In the bowl of a standing mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the 1/2 cup of cooled (slightly warm, not hot) reserved cooking water. Let rest for 5 minutes.
  6. Add the eggs, salt, sweet potato, pumpkin, and the brandy and mix with the dough hook attachment until well mixed.
  7. Add the flour gradually, and mix with the dough hook until smooth, about 5 minutes. The dough should be stretchy and smooth, but sticky. If it is very liquid, you can add up to 1/2 cup more flour.
  8. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, or about 2 hours.
  9. Juice the orange and limes and reserve juice. Place the molasses, sugar, orange rind, lime rinds, orange juice, lime juice, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon cloves, and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring.
  10. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until mixture thickens slightly. The consistency should be similar to pancake syrup, and it will thicken more as it cools. Strain to remove the orange and lime rind and spices.
  11. When the dough has risen, heat the oil in a pot to 350°F.
  12. Wet your fingers in salted water. Form the doughnuts by grabbing a small handful of dough and stretching it into a ring around a couple of fingers, then tossing the dough quickly into the oil. This may take a little practice but misshapen picarones still taste heavenly so don’t fret too much! Alternatively, you can scrape the dough into a piping bag and pipe circles into the heated oil. Cook briefly, 20 seconds or so, and then flip the doughnuts using the handle of a long wooden stick or spoon.
  13. Cook the doughnuts in the oil until they are golden brown (about 30 seconds longer), then remove them to a paper towel lined plate.
  14. Serve immediately, drizzled with the warm syrup.

Pumpkin Pancakes Stack Up for Fall

Oct 5, 2014

Cinnamon, allspice, and pumpkin fill your kitchen with the warm, inviting aromas of fall. These pancakes are so moist and delicious your family will be begging for more!

Makes: 12 servings
Prep time: 20 mins  •  Cook Time: 20 mins  •  Total time: 40 Mins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée (use cooked fresh or canned pumpkin)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Do not over mix as this will toughen the pancakes.
  2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet pan over medium-high heat. Form each pancake by pouring approximately a 1/4 cup of the batter into pan or griddle. Brown on both sides and serve hot. Top with maple syrup or honey.