apple spice cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

This cake . . . oh! This cake!!! It was really good. I don't know about you guys, but I love spice cake. A lot. This was moist and perfectly spicy. I will definitely make this again.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon all-spice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 medium Gala or Fuji apples (peeled, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease two 9" round pans. Whisk dry ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until light and smooth. Add eggs one at a time and beat well until combined. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix for just a minute (not combined) and then pour in applesauce. Beat until everything is combined. Stir in apples. Divide cake batter between the two pans and smooth out tops.

Bake cakes in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes (or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean - you don't want to overcook this cake). Cool on racks for about 15 minutes and then loosen edges with a knife. Invert cakes onto the racks to cool completely.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsley chopped (for garnish)

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla and a pinch of salt. Gradually add powdered sugar and cinnamon at the end, beating until smooth and creamy.

Using a long, serrated knife cut of the rounded tops of the cakes to make level. Frost cake and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top along with chopped walnuts.

strawberry smoothie

Ever had Trader Joe's nonfat plain frozen yogurt? Oh, it's sooooo good. Sooo tart and sooooo softy. It's nearly perfect. Plus, it has zero fat. That's a BIG plus.

Anyway, at night when David gets home and I'm hankering for a treat, I whip out about 4 frozen strawberries, one banana, rougly 1/2 cup of skim milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 2 big scoops of this froyo and blend it together . . . sooooo good. Don't doubt. Just make.

pumpkin bread + mulled cider

so here’s the deal. it is 83 degrees today because I live in a barren wasteland. I should be “grateful” you say because I don’t have to deal with snow or ice or scraping windshields? well, tell me that in february when you’re all sick of the snow and it’s still 80 degrees here in arizona. the holidays are supposed to be cold so you can feel warm inside from all the holiday love and cheer. that was cheesy but I don’t care! I mean it!

(deep breath)

in any case, the smell of pumpkin baking always puts one in a cheerful holiday mood (which I apparently need badly) - that and the smell of hot mulled cider. so here’s both:
pumpkin bread
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
3 cups granulated sugar
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray three (medium/smallish) bread loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, eggs, water and sugar. Sift in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. Beat gently until batter is smooth, then gently add chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into loaf pans until halfway full. Bake in preheated oven for one hour or (depending on your loaf pan – see note) until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely before slicing. Optional: You can also lightly butter the tops and dredge with powdered sugar.

note: if you don’t have small loaf pans, you can use two medium or one large loaf pan. just be sure that the batter only comes halfway up the sides of the pan. you should also increase the cooking time a few minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
mulled cider
1 orange, washed
4 cups (1 quart) apple juice or cranberry juice cocktail
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves

Peel the orange by slicing into strips. Combine your juice of choice, orange peel, cinnamon sticks and cloves in a saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and warm the juice until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, reducing the heat as needed to keep the juice from boiling. Remove the pan from the heat. Pour into mugs and serve immediately.

oatmeal cookie cinnamon ice cream

so, basically, it’s november and I’m blogging about ice cream. but this is no ordinary ice cream, sister. it's actually perfect fall ice cream. for example, don’t you make oatmeal cookies in the fall more than any other time? I do. don't you also love things with cinnamon in the fall more than any other time? I do. so, without further ado, I give you my version of the best ice cream on the planet:oatmeal cookie cinnamon ice cream

4 cups half and half
1 cup sugar
Pinch of Kosher salt
5 egg yolks
2 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon
4 oatmeal cookies (need to be homemade and soft), crumbled

In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the half and half, sugar and salt over medium heat. Bring the cream to a boiling point and scald it. Remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the half and half mixture, about ¼ cup at a time, to the beaten eggs, whisking in between each addition, until all is used. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and cool completely in an ice bath. Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for churning time.

While the ice cream is churning, crumble the cookies into small bite-sized pieces. After the ice cream is thick and finished churning, gently add the pieces of cookies.

note: I also suspect that you could use your leftover gingersnaps in this recipe instead of oatmeal cookies and it would be fab. whoa, I might have to try this!

gingersnaps

you all know how I feel about fall. true love.

with fall comes fall food, such as pumpkin bread, warm soup with crusty bread and . . . gingersnaps. there's something about the smell of warm, chewy gingersnaps that kills me. my sister, alice, is the master of gingersnaps - her recipe always results in long-term chewiness and strong flavor.

gingersnaps

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Slowly add eggs, molasses and vinegar and combine well until fluffy. Sift in flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Mix until just combined.

Pour approximately 1 cup of granulated sugar in a flat bowl. Roll dough into 1" balls and gently roll again in the granulated sugar until completely coated. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (or until cracks start to appear on top). Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan.

note: if you ever find yourself at pike place market in seattle, buy a giant gingersnap at the stand next to beecher's cheese. you'll thank me later (by mailing me a box).

peanut butter popcorn

nearly every time we go to my family cabin in Pinetop someone ends up making peanut butter popcorn. I don’t recall who started this tradition (or who shared this recipe first) but I’m happy they did. just thinking about it makes me think of sitting on one of the soft leather sofas at the cabin in front of a roaring fire. we’re all gabbering about this and that, while the kids do gymnastic tricks on the wood floor. then, thankfully, one of my sisters announces that it’s bedtime for the kids and the whining begins. nevertheless, thirty-ish minutes later, the kids are asleep and we’re all back on the sofas except one person who’s at the stove (for approximately 10 minutes) making peanut butter popcorn. it’s a yummy, gooey, easy treat that’s great for sharing (with adults) while you sit around talking, playing cards, watching movies – whatever. mmmm, finger lickin’ good.
peanut butter popcorn
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Pop corn in an air popper and place in a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup over medium heat. Stir until bubbly and sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth. Evenly pour the mixture over the popcorn and combine well. Let cool for 2 minutes before serving (best eaten with fingers).

peach cobbler

it seems like everyone in the world "knows" my lovely sister-in-law, NieNie - since she and my brother were in a horrible plane crash, especially.

the first time I met stephanie I remember thinking she was practially perfect in every way. it seemed like everything she touched was beautiful and sweet. I was 16 and desperately wanted to be like her when I grew up. when she and my brother got married a few short months later, we went to utah to meet the family. at her parent's home on fir avenue, we had a delicious dinner which ended with stephanie's famous peach cobbler. it was so beautiful and though I had never been a "baked fruit dessert" type of gal, I tried some. that's when I fell in love with peach cobbler. I can't wait for stephanie to get back into the kitchen and make her yummy food again, encouraging so many people to make beautiful dinners, beautiful homes, beautiful lives.

two rules for peach cobbler:
1. fresh peaches only
2. vanilla bean ice cream on top


nienie's peach cobbler

8 fresh peaches
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder

Grease an 8" square pan (or pie pan). Peel and slice peaches into the pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Crumble on top of the peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top.