Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

If you like pumpkin, you should make these muffins. You can have them mixed up in no time. In fact, your oven might take longer to heat up than it takes to make these muffins! All you need is a can of pumpkin, a yellow cake mix and a few spices. You could add any spices that strike your fancy. My spices are just a suggestion. You will end up with super moist and tasty muffins! If you have a cake mix, you should try them. If you don't, buy a cake mix and then you can try it. While you are at the store, you should buy a can of pumpkin, unless you have one in the cupboard. Just try it!
Enjoy!

Happy Friday!

We must be waiting for the flower fairy to arrive

Have a great weekend!

Raw Apple Cake - Vintage Recipe

This one's for you, Lori!

You gave me this recipe for Raw Apple Cake in the mid 70's! That's well over 30 years ago! How is it possible that we can be that old? How did we become the grandma's that bake cakes? After our conversation on Tuesday, I wanted to make sure I got this recipe back to you in printable form so you can add it to your recipe file.

I remember you made this cake for a baby shower you held at your house. I liked it so much I asked you for your recipe. Although I didn't end up making this cake on Tuesday like I had planned, I have made this cake many times through these 30+ years and it always turns out perfect! Very moist! I would like to make it again soon, and when I do, I will post a picture.

Enjoy!

Kale and White Bean Soup with Sausage

I am so happy I found the recipe for this soup. This is the soup that you want for lunch or dinner on a cold fall or winter day. This soup was so good! I had noticed that Trader Joe's now carries bags of washed and cut kale, so I bought a bag and went on a search for the best sounding bean, kale and sausage soup. I liked everything about this recipe that I found on food.com. Here is your link for Mediteranean Kale White Bean Soup with Sausage.

Mediterranean Kale and White Bean Soup with Sausage

I did make one change to this recipe. I used half Trader Joe's Italian Sweet Sausage and half Spicy Hot sausage. I bought the hot sausage at Trader Joe's also. It didn't have their name on it, but it was the brand they sell. I don't remember the name, but it is probably a different brand in every area. When you read the recipe you may wonder about the fresh lemon juice and the grated zest and might be tempted to omit it, but make sure you don't leave it out. It adds the most amazing flavor and takes it to another level! You will be a very happy soup eater! Other than that, you can have dinner on the table in an hour. My kale took at least 20 minutes to cook to the tenderness we prefer. I would suggest poking the kale with a fork to see if it is your desired tenderness.

Easy Focaccia

I made a focaccia to go with our soup. It was really good dunked in the broth. It was easy to make and it was ready to eat within an hour also. I was in an adventurous mood so I sprinkled fennel seeds on top, but I don't think I will do that again. The flavor was really good, but they became extra crunchy due to the 475 degree oven. I might experiment by soaking them in water for a little while first to see what if that makes any difference.


Enjoy!

The Day of the Crows

I heard quite a familiar yet unfamiliar sound in the yard so I looked out of the upstairs window to see what was happening down at the feed bowl. Sitting on the fence, in the trees and in our yard were over half a dozen crows. This was a first. The blue jays and squirrel chattering at the food bowl are noises I am familiar with, but this was a first to have a yard full of crows. I haven't seen any crows at all and I couldn't help but wonder where they came from and how they got the word to come to our yard. 

The squirrel was in a big hurry to leave

I ran downstairs to get my camera and by the time I had it ready to use there were only a couple left.

The small birds came to clean up the seeds that had spilled on the deck

This neighborhood cat decided to stop by

Staring at the doggies as they bark like crazy at him

Meanwhile, the berries on the trees must have changed overnight because the birds came, dozens at a time, to eat them. This went on all day long.

 

It was a very busy day

Simple Fruit Pandowdy

This is a very simple dessert for the summer and early fall months when we have fresh berries, peaches and apples available. I have made this several times since August for company and for us, using fresh peaches. It always turns out great and you won't believe how easy and quick it is to put together. The crust topping is so easy you don't even need to use a rolling pin if you don't want to! I never do! Just use your fingers and palm to lightly mold the crust to the shape of your baking dish. If you double this recipe, you will most likely need to roll the crust out. You don't want to over work the dough because it could become tough and it might be difficult to handle.

This recipe is perfect as a dessert for four people and it easily doubles for more servings. I put this in the oven about 45 minutes before I want to serve it warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The warmer it is when you serve it, the more liquid the peach filling will be, but it is still really good. I just pour the extra juice over the ice cream. The juices thicken as it gets cooler, if you have the time and if you can wait that long! It is also really good the second day!

I plan on making an apple pandowdy soon. I also have lots of frozen berries in the freezer and look forward to making a berry version with them this winter. This is my go-to recipe for any fruit "cobbler" type dessert. This recipe is adapted from the cookbook "Biscuits and Scones" by Elisabeth Alston, and it's available at Amazon.com.


Enjoy!