Thick and Creamy Pumpkin Soup

There's a nip in the air this morning and it feels like fall.  And I instantly
begin to crave Pumpkin soup!  And not just any pumpkin soup...I make mine with just a hint of sweetness to go with that savory wonderful pumpkin flavor.   This soup just spells out comfort!   

Thick and Creamy Pumpkin Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups vegetable stock
2/3 cups applesauce
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup heavy cream

 Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the diced onion, apples and salt. Saute until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, applesauce, white pepper, sage, thyme and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and cook until apples are very tender, about 5 more minutes.

Add the pumpkin and brown sugar and cook for 10 – 15 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly for about 5 minutes. Next, using a blender, puree the soup on high until it's smooth. I like to leave a little chunkiness to mine.  When using the blender, add only some of the soup at a time and not all at once to avoid hot spill overs.  Or use an immersion blender. 

Add the heavy cream to the soup and heat through over very low heat.  I like my soup very thick but you  can add more cream if you like your soup thinner. Remove from heat and serve. 

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Autumn Pumpkin Roll

As soon as I see my first pumpkins in the fall, I immediately think of making pumpkin rolls.  Everyone loves them and they make a gorgeous presentation.  I make them ahead of time and freeze them to give as gifts to friends and family.  They just say autumn don’t they?  What could be better than a moist and spongy cake rolled around a creamy filling of sweet cream cheese and topped with the perfect amount of whipped up cinnamon spiced whipped cream?

Autumn Pumpkin Roll

Cake

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs

2/3 cup mashed (canned) pumpkin

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Line a 15 X 10-inch jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides).  Next cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit the pan leaving an inch or so to overhang on each end of the pan. Then lightly grease the parchment paper, including the sides of the pan.

Make the cake:  Mix the sugar, flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, eggs and pumpkin in a large bowl. Once mixed, pour mixture over the waxed paper. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched.

Arrange a large but thin, clean damp cotton kitchen towel on the counter. Do not use a regular dish towel that might leave impressions or fibers in your cake. I like using a tea towel. Make sure the towel is only damp and not wet.  Spread a thick dusting of powdered sugar all over the towel. 

Next turn the baked cake upside down on the towel so the parchment paper is on the top. Gently peel off the paper, being careful not to tear the roll. While the cake is still hot, roll the the cake up in the towel, starting at one of the short ends.  Let cake sit in the towel on a cooling rack until completely cool.

Make your filling:  Mix the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until it is light and creamy. Set aside.

Once the roll is cool, unroll it from the towel and carefully spread your filling in an even layer over the cake.

Next, roll the cake up again without the towel and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

   Cinnamon Spiced Whipped Cream 

    1 cup heavy cream

    2 tablespoons sugar

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

    Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar,    

    cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until stiff peaks form.  Top Pumpkin

    roll with a dollop or pipe on as I did.

Photograph is copyrighted and the property of ©Welcome Home.

German Chocolate Cake

When I was little I would get so excited watching my Mom make my Dad's birthday cake. I couldn't wait to put the candles on and carry it out to him, singing happy birthday. He would laugh and be so delighted with his favorite cake. She made it every year for as long as I can remember. When she moved to Heaven I carried on that tradition. When I light the candles and carry it out to him, it bows his head and cries.

German Chocolate Cake

4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated white sugar

5 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 9 -inch cake pans with non-stick spray and then line with parchment paper.

In a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the hot water and buttermilk and set aside.

With a hand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until fluffy. in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Next, add the buttermilk mixture and the dry ingredients in three additions. Beat only until the ingredients are incorporated...do not over-beat. Fold in the melted chocolate.

Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans and drop your pans on counter to break air bubbles and flatten tops.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely before frosting. 

For the Chocolate Icing

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

Place the chopped chocolate, corn syrup and butter in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. 

Coconut Pecan Frosting

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, egg yolks, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, and when the mixture begins to boil and thicken, remove from heat. Stir in the chopped pecans, coconut, and vanilla extract. Let cool until spreadable.

Assembly

Place a dab of coconut pecan filling on a serving plate. This will hold the cake in place so that it does not move around. Then, place one layer of cake, on your serving plate, and cover with one third of the frosting. Add the next layer and another third of the filling.  Do the same for the third layer. Make sure you spread your filling all the way out to the edges of the cake.

Once you have all three layers stacked and filled, you want to frost the sides of the cake with the chocolate icing. Then pipe a decorative border around the outside top edge of your cake.

Photographs are copyrighted and the property of Welcome Home.

My Moms Yellow Cake

Sometimes I want to just make a simple dessert...nothing fancy...no sprinkles or rosebuds or swirls or extra toppings. Just a delicious moist cake with butter cream frosting like my Mom used to make. This is her recipe for one of my favorite cakes. I like to put it in the fridge and eat it cold!

My Moms Yellow Cake
Cake:

1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 cups plus 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream

Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter
6 tablespoons of canned evaporated milk or cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
4-5 cups powdered sugar
dash of salt

Put butter and water in a large bowl. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir until butter is melted. Add sugar, flour, salt, and soda. Stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Stir in sour cream until all is blended. 

Pour into a 11 x 17 baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and then sprayed with non stick spray. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly touched or toothpick inserted in center comes clean.
Remove from the oven and cool on cooling rack. 

Melt butter and evaporated milk or cream for 3-4 minutes in microwave. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and a dash of salt. Beat until smooth. Spread on cooled cake. 

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Fried Pickles

Hey I'll try anything once.  Even if sounds quite peculiar, I'm game.  So when I heard these two ladies talking about how incredible fried pickles were and how they each made them differently, I kind of leaned in closer to catch the gist of what they were saying.   "Incredible!  Said one lady to the other. "Awesome", said the other, "just like my Granny used to make."  
Crispy, tangy, spicy, delicious were the other word that made me want to walk up and ask them for the recipe. I bought the ingredients to make them that day.  Why not I thought. What's there to lose.  I just might like them.... And I did.  No I love them!  And you will too!  Don't ever be afraid to try new things....you might end up finding one of your favorites.

Fried Pickles

12 dill pickle

1-2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs

Oil for frying

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon dill

Heat oil on medium high in a large skillet until sizzling.

Combine flour, milk, baking power, 1 egg, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl. Stir until smooth, let sit for about 10 minutes.

Dry the pickle slices on paper towels until most of the moisture is gone. Pour some of the panko in a pan or shallow bowl and dredge the pickles until they are coated.  The pickles can get your breadcrumbs wet so work only in small batches, pouring more as you need them.

After dredging in panko, dip each pickle slice in the wet batter. Then dredge once more in the breadcrumbs.  Place them on a sheet of parchment paper and allow them to sit until you have finished with all the slices.

Fry the battered pickle slices in small batches for 3-4 minutes or until brown and crispy.  Serve with ranch dip or ranch dressing.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

The Perfect Olive Bread

·               

      My Dad loves olives....any kind of olives. He loves to snack on them with  cheese and salami and add them to pizza and to his favorite sandwiches.  So, I decided to make him a nice loaf of  Olive Bread to have with his  favorite soup.  I experimented with different nuts  and seeds and olives  but I found the winning combination when I  combined Star Fine Foods  Queens Stuffed Pimento olives and their  Spanish Ripe pitted olives with  some pumpkin seeds and almonds.  He loved it!  He says he loves to toast  it lightly and then spread cream cheese on top. So today I surprised him  with more!  He is now the proud owner of 3 frozen loaves of  ready to  thaw and bake Olive Bread!  Perfect for this fall and winter to serve warm  out of the oven with his soups and stews! 

    The Perfect Olive Bread

         1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

·        ½ cup almonds, finely chopped

·        3 cups whole wheat bread flour

·        3 cups white bread flour

·        2 teaspoons salt

·        1 teaspoon quick-rising (instant) dry yeast

·        2-1/2 cups lukewarm water

·        1/3 cup finely chopped StarFine Foods Spanish Ripe Med Pitted Olives

·        1/3 cup finely chopped Star Fine Foods Queens Stuffed Spanish olives

In large bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, 2 cups of the white flour, almonds, salt and yeast. Stir in lukewarm water until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free place until bubbly and doubled in bulk, about 12 hours.

Sprinkle work surface with 1/3 cup of the remaining flour. Scrape dough onto work surface; sprinkle 1/4 cup of the remaining flour over top. Cover with tea towel; let stand for 15 minutes.

Using floured hands, gently press out dough into 1/2-inch thick rectangle, sprinkling with up to 1/4 cup of the remaining flour if dough is too sticky. 

Sprinkle rectangle with olives and knead until well combined, adding up to 1/4 cup more white bread flour if dough is too sticky. Reshape into rectangle.

Cut in half crosswise. Roll each half into scant 8- x 4-inch cylinder; place, seam side down, in greased nonstick 8- x 4-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle loaves with pumpkin seeds. Cover loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free place until almost doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. 

Bake in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Decrease heat to 375 degrees and bake until light golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to racks; serve warm or let cool.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

The STAR Farmer’s Market Olive pouches are available at Ralphs, King Soopers, Smiths, Albertsons (Southern California), Safeway (Northern California) and Savemart stores and online at http://bit.ly/STAROlivePouches.







STAR Queen olives are available at select grocery stores nationwide and online at http://bit.ly/STARQueenOlives.






Star Fine Foods now has a promo code for all Welcome Home fans that will give you a 10% discount on anything you order online. Just enter WELCOMEHOME10 at checkout!

Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with STAR Fine Foods for my recipes and photography using their wonderful products. This post is sponsored by STAR. I am compensated for my time and work and I am sent products as I request them. However, all opinions of the product stated in this post are 100% my own. I truly love their products!