Pumpkin Scones & Pumpkin Butter

Hello, hello! It has been a very long time since my last post. Today I'm
here with a quick one that I just had to share. I don't know about you, but this
time of year I crave all things pumpkin.

 I LOVE pumpkin anything!

Pumpkin Scones
(recipe adapted from several Starbucks copycat recipes)
makes 1 dozen

For the scones:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp all spice
• 1/4 ground cloves 
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling) 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 milk 
• 1 egg

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 - 2 tbs milk 

For the cinnamon drizzle:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
• 1 - 2 tbs milk 

Instructions-
  For the scones:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly flour. 
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no large chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the pumpkin, milk, sugar and egg. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients with a fork, and form the dough into a ball.
4. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle about 3 times as long as wide. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut each of the portions in an X pattern (four pieces) so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. 
5. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

For the glaze:

1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth. 
2. When scones are cool, use a brush to spread the glaze over the top of each scone.

For the cinnamon drizzle:

1. While the powdered sugar glaze is firming, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced icing. Drizzle over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving. If you can wait that long! 

Tips: 

• For the 1/3 cup of sugar I filled the measuring cup about 2/3 full with brown sugar and topped it off with white. I find brown sugar gives a softer texture than white sugar. 
• The original recipes call for heavy cream which I substituted with milk. 
• While mixing the cinnamon drizzle don't add all the milk at once. Mix until you get a firmer consistency than you got for the glaze. You want it to sit on top of the glaze, not run all over. 
• For easy clean up use a baggie and snip off the corner for easy drizzling. 

Now for the pumpkin butter. This is by no means an 'exact' recipe. I really didn't measure anything. My best advice when making this is - taste as you go. If you like it a bit sweeter, add more sugar. If you like it spicier (like me) add more spice. It is super easy to make!

Pumpkin Butter

• 1 - 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 - 2 cups apple juice, apple cider or water
• 1/2 - 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp pumpkin spice  

1. Add all ingredients to a pot. Bring to a gentle boil, turn heat down to low and simmer for an hour, give or take.
2. Stir every ten minutes or so. 
3. Once the 'butter' has reduced to a jam like consistency it's done. 

Tips:

• Make sure to put a splatter guard over your pot or your stove will be covered in pumpkin polka dots when you're done!
• Store butter in a jar or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
•  Pumpkin butter is delicious on lots of things - toast, muffins, pancakes, etc. Or for a cooler treat try added a couple heaping tablespoons to your favorite vanilla yogurt and top with crushed graham crackers. Pumpkin pie yogurt! Soo good! 

Thank you soo much for joining me today! I know I've been MIA forever, but I'm getting back to blogging so come back soon!

 ~ Catie 

You can also check out my other pumpkin recipes:

Pumpkin Muffins w/ Spiced Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Spice Cake

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Easy Peasy Quiche

Do you love quiche as much as I do? Have you tried to make it yourself, only to find that its one of the easiest things on earth to make? If your answer is no and you've always thought it must be hard to make, you are sadly mistaken. Although quiche tastes soo delectable, it's as easy to throw together as scrambled eggs. Really! No lie.

Today I'm going to share a recipe I stumbled across a few years ago on All Recipes. This recipe is different from any other quiche recipe I've tried. There's a "secret" ingredient that seems kind of strange but makes the fluffiest, tastiest quiche ever! Mayonnaise. Yep, mayo is the secret ingredient. And trust me, you're gonna love it!

I made up a ham, broccoli and cheddar quiche. But you can play around and add whatever ingredients you like best. And are you thinking your husband won't like it? That it's not really "man food"? My hubby ate half of one last night! Half! Served with a salad this makes for a great dinner, lunch or brunch. Quiche is really perfect for any meal of the day.

Easy Peasy Quiche
adapted from All Recipes

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4-5 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped ham
• 1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese (Use more or less depending on how cheesy you like it.)
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped into small pieces
• 1 deep dish pie shell
• pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Saute chopped onion. 
3. While onion is cooking; beat together mayo, milk and eggs. Set aside.  
4. Toss the ham, broccoli, cheese and sauteed onion into the pie shell. Add pepper if desired. 
5. Slowly pour in egg mixture. 
6. Put on a baking sheet and cover with foil. 
7. Bake 45 minutes and then remove foil. Continue to bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and the quiche is set. 
8. Serve and enjoy! 

Tidbits

• I always use light mayo. 
• I used four slices of off the bone ham from the deli.
• I used a frozen pie shell from Safeway.
• My baking sheets are insulated so when I remove the foil cover I also take the quiche off the baking sheet to let the bottom of the crust brown up. 
• This recipe is easily doubled. Why not use both pie shells that come in the box? 
• Add whatever ingredients you like.

I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as mine does. We all love it! 

Thanks for joining me today.  =) 

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No Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

Yep, you read that right - no flour peanut butter cookies.

These cookies are melt in your mouth good! And only call for four ingredients!

This recipe has become my go-to for making pb cookies. I bet it will become yours too.

No Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

recipe from The Starved Writer

makes 3 - 4 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of your favorite peanut butter - smooth or chunky
• 1 cup sugar - 1/2 cup white & 1/2 cup brown
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir peanut butter and sugar together until well mixed.
2. Mix in eggs and baking soda. 
3. Place walnut sized balls of cookie dough on baking sheet. Press down with a fork. 
4. Bake 10 -12 minutes. 
5. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes BEFORE transferring them to cooling rack! After the 2 minutes place on cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy! 

**Notes

• Don't worry that the dough looks really thin before you add the eggs and baking soda. Once you mix them in the dough thickens up. I promise! 
• I've made these cookies several times and have used a mix of sugars or just one or the other, depending on what I had on hand. Every time they've turned out delicious and I've never noticed a difference in their flavor. The only difference is when you only use white sugar the cookies aren't as chewy and are more on the crispy side.
• Instead of pressing the dough down with a fork for the classic pb cookie look you could roll the balls in sugar and press down with the back of a glass. 
• For a little extra treat drizzle melted chocolate over them once they've cooled a bit. Or push a Hershey Kiss in the center before baking. M&M's/Smarties are also good additions and kids love them!

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Egg Nog Cookies

Today I'm sharing a recipe I came across on The Recipe Critic. (Thanks Alyssa!) As soon as I saw these delicious looking cookies I knew they would be my Cookie Exchange cookies! Don't egg nog cookies just scream Christmas? They do to me. I can not even begin to tell you how good these are. Scary good! Bake with caution - I mean it. And don't blame be if you eat a dozen yourself and your jeans are too tight. lol I wasn't counting, but I think I ate five or six yesterday.  ; )

Egg Nog Cookies

adapted from The Recipe Critic

makes 3 - 4 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup eggnog
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Eggnog Glaze:

• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons eggnog

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Set aside.
3. Cream sugar and butter together in mixing bowl.
4. Add eggnog, vanilla, and egg yolks.  Beat at medium speed with a mixer until smooth.
5. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed until combined. Do not over-mix.
6. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper and make the dough balls rather small because they will spread in the oven. Sprinkle the cookies with nutmeg.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.
8. While the cookies are in the oven make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar with 3 T eggnog.
9. Drizzle the glaze over cookies.

**Notes 

•  Mine took 12 minutes to bake.
•  I put the glaze in a baggie and snipped a teeny tiny bit of the corner off. It made it much easier to drizzle.

You should most definitely add these to your holiday baking list! They will not disappoint. Really. 

Happy Holidays!  

Join me again tomorrow - I'll be sharing no flour peanut butter cookies.

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33 Shades of Green 
Hungry Little Girl 
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Caramel Apple Cake

Yes this cake is as good as the name sounds! I made this a couple weeks ago and Miss E and I both had three pieces that night. It is that good! I took some to Miss A's teacher the next day, just to get it out of the house. haha Thank goodness this recipe only makes an 8"x8" cake. A whole sheet of it would be dangerous, seriously.  ; )

Of course I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest. It came from the blog Lick The Bowl Good. Don't you just love that name? Perfect for a cooking blog. Anyhoo, lets get to the recipe already. Geez. 

Caramel Apple Cake
Adapted from Lick The Bowl Good

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1 heaping teaspoon.)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples (I used 2 cups.)
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional) (I didn't use any nuts.)

Brown Sugar Glaze:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon heavy cream (I didn't have cream so I used 1 tbs of whole milk.)

For the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch pan (round or square) and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk to mix everything together.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs with a hand mixer til light in color and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.

Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter til the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts (if using) and stir to mix them into the batter.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place the hot cake on a wire cake. While it's still hot, prepare the glaze.

For the glaze: Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Spoon the hot glaze over the still hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.

* Because I didn't use heavy cream my glaze didn't cook up as creamy and turned out more like candy coating, like for caramel popcorn. It kind of hardened on the top of the cake. Soo good!


This cake was easy to whip up and is perfect for Fall. Served with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of tea, delish!

 Click here for your chance to win a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates!

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Sour Cream Corn Bread

Do y'all love a good corn bread like I do? 

(Why do I feel the need to use the word y'all when talking about corn bread? haha) 

I've scoured Pinterest for a really good corn bread recipe and I think I finally found it. This corn bread was moist, sweet and crumbly like cake. It wasn't dry and grainy like a couple other recipes I've tried. As soon as I read this one called for sour cream I knew it would be good because I make the best banana bread and it uses sour cream too.

Sour Cream Corn Bread
From All Recipes

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish.          
• Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix egg, sour cream, milk, and butter in a small bowl. Fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened; pour into prepared baking dish. 
• Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Tips/Notes

• I added about 1/4 cup of honey to the batter. I LOVE honey and the flavor it gives the corn bread.
• When I make this next time I'm going to add about 2/3 of a cup of sour cream instead of 1 cup. You could definitely taste the sour cream in the bread and I'd like to see if I could tone it down a bit. Don't get me wrong it was delish!! I'm just curious. Plus it'd be reducing the fat.  ; )

This corn bread was super simple to throw together and was really tasty. We slathered ours with butter and had it with chili. It was the perfect meal for a chilly, snowy night.

Thanks for joining me today!

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33 Shades of Green 
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At The Picket Fence

Triple Chocolate Cake Brownie Cookies

Yes, you read that right - triple chocolate cake brownie cookies! I warn you now, you will want to eat the whole batch! Especially when they're fresh out of the oven still warm and gooey. Today I tweaked a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe to make these. I am always a little nervous when I mess around with baking, but these bad boys did not disappoint. They turned out like a chewy cakey brownie. Mmm mmm!

Triple Chocolate Cake Brownie Cookies
adapted from: The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
(makes about 2 dozen)

1 1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used minis because that's what I had.)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready 2 ungreased cookie sheets. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. 
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, cream the butter until fluffy and pale yellow. Add the sugar and brown sugar and continue beating until the mixture is no longer gritty when rubbed between your finger and your thumb. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until blended, occasionally scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon just until blended. Add the chocolate chips and stir until blended. 
• Using a tablespoon drop the dough onto the baking sheet; placing about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, checking around 10. Let the cookies cool briefly on the pans before transferring to the cooling racks. 

 I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

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At The Picket Fence
Liz Marie Blog 
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5 Days 5 Ways 
33 Shades of Green

Coconut Custard Pie & A New Sponsor

Hello, hello, hello!! I have not blogged in forever! Sorry about that. We've been having good weather and I've been spending lots of time outside enjoying the heat. Sadly we don't get enough warm days here in Calgary. Guess that's the price you pay when you live in beautiful Canada.

Anyhoo, I'm back today to share a very tasty summertime pie - Coconut Custard Pie. It is delish! Not only is this pie delicious it's quick to throw together and the best part, wait for it.... it makes its own crust!! No crust making skills are required to bake this pie. It magically separates into three distinct layers while it's baking. Very cool!

Coconut Custard Pie
adapted from: Food.com

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup coconut
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
dash of salt

Directions:  

• Melt butter then add all ingredients into mixing bowl. 
• Mix well. 
• Pour into greased 9" pie plate. (The pie plate will be very full. I set mine on a baking sheet, just in case. I was happy I did, it oozed down the sides.) 
• Bake 50 - 60 minutes @ 350F degrees. I baked mine for about an hour and 10 mins. I waited until the entire pie puffed and turned a golden brown. Make sure you keep checking it! 
• Enjoy the pie warm or cold! It's quite tasty both ways. And a little dollop of fresh whipped cream wouldn't hurt.   

** As your pie cools it will deflate. Don't freak out, that is perfectly normal!

That is it! It couldn't be easier. This is the perfect pie to take to a BBQ. People will think you spent all day making it. It'll be our little secret that it only took you 5 minutes to throw together.  ; ) 

Now a little about my new sponsor - RestoreMyPix. 

I had mentioned awhile back that my hubby's position at work had been abolished and he was offered a severance package, which he took. Ever since he's been working on getting his own business started. Well after weeks and weeks of computer work his site is finally up and running. RestoreMyPix is your one stop shop for all you digital photo needs! Need those old family photos restored to better than original condition, or those old family slides scanned so they're in digital format? Thinking of having a birth announcement or family holiday card made? Why not have one custom created just for you! Stop by and check it out.  =)

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At The Picket Fence
Serenity Now 
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Lady Behind the Curtain

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

In our house we get a  rotisserie chicken about every other week. We love them! And I love the convenience of making up a couple sides, and dinner's ready. Not to mention the leftovers and all the possibilities. Last week I cut up the last of the chicken and threw together this quick and tasty casserole.

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

2 cups chicken, cooked & chopped 
2 broccoli crowns, cut up (about 3 - 4 cups)
2 - 3 tsp Original Mrs. Dash (or to taste)
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 cups cooked rice (I used leftover.)
3 cups cheese, grated - Set aside 1 cup for topping.

•  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish. 
• Place the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with a few tablespoons of water and cook on high for about 3 - 4 minutes. Just until barely tender. It will cook the rest of the way in the oven.
• Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Remember to set aside 1 cup of the cheese for the top!!! 
• Dump into baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. 
• Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. 

Does it get much easier than that? I don't think so! The whole family loved this. I especially loved how quick it was to throw together. And it was a complete meal in a bowl. Bonus!

I know the pictures aren't the best. Sorry! It smelled soo good baking, by the time it came out of the oven we were starving.  ; )  The leftovers were great for lunch the next day. I just added a little bit of milk when I reheated it. That made it just as saucy as the night before. Mmm!

Do you have a favorite way to use up leftover chicken? Please share. 

 

Sharing With:

How To Nest For Less 

33 Shades of Green 

At The Picket Fence 

Liz Marie Blog 

Serenity Now

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Happy Sunday! I'm happy because today there are blue skies and no snow! Yesterday I made this Cinnamon Roll Cake and it was the perfect day for baking - chilly, gray and snowing. Yep, snowing. I know it's May. Tell that to the weather over Calgary. And the worst part, we'll most likely get more snow before the end of the month. It almost always snows on the May-long weekend. Yup. Enough about the weather, lets get to this tasty cake!

I love all things cinnamon. So when I came across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it. I mean really, a cinnamon roll in fluffy cake form. Yes please!! ; )



Cinnamon Roll Cake
recipe from - My Shiny Life

Ingredients
Cake
3 cups flour
¼  teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Topping
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F.
2. Mix all ingredients for the cake together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9×13 pan.
3. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake for 28-32 minutes.
4. While cake is still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top.

* I halved the recipe and made an 8x8 cake. This cake is very sweet and it was plenty!!
* Also, I didn't swirl the topping with a knife. I just left it, and let it do its thing while it baked. I like the way  it turned out, more gooey goodness.

Go ahead and pin this picture. You know you want to!  ; )

This cake was delicious! It was declared by Miss A and that girl knows her food. We had a piece right out of the oven, yum. Later I had another small piece and heated it for just a few seconds in the microwave, it was awesome. This cake would be great to serve at a brunch. (Maybe someone could make it for you, for Mother's Day.) I hope you will give it a try. It was quick and easy to make. I know I'll be making it again really soon. 

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Simply Klassic Home
Coastal Charm 
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Dinner Club & Tres Leches Cake

Hey All! Hope you had a great weekend. Mine was pretty good. This past Saturday night was my Dinner Club dinner. I don't think I've mentioned my Dinner Club before, so I thought I'd tell you about it. Once every six weeks or so me a and a small group of friends get together for dinner. No kids, no hubbies or boyfriends, just a group of women doing what we do best - eating, drinking and lots and lots of talking.

Now the dinner part does have a little bit of structure to it. The hostess picks the theme of the night. This last one was South American. Some dinner themes in the past have been Italian, French, East Indian and one that was favorite comfort foods. Mmm!! Anyway, the hostess cooks the main dish and then the rest of us choose to make an appetizer, side dish or dessert. And of course a few of us bring wine or something equally as tasty to drink. It's always soo much fun! Great food and great conversation, can't beat that!

Once I heard our theme this time was going to be South American, I knew the dessert I wanted to make, Tres Leches Cake. OMG, ladies. It was soo good! OK, now I'm getting ahead of myself. heehee Of course I jumped on Pinterest to find a recipe, and the one that had a lot of pins was from Ree's blog, The Pioneer Woman. After reading review after review of people raving, I knew I had found the one. Would you like me to share it with you? OK, since you asked soo sweetly.

{image: The Pioneer Woman}

 Tres Leches Cake

by Ree, The Pioneer Woman

Prep Time: 45 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 1 Hour  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 12

  

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/3 cup Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• Maraschino Cherries, Optional
• FOR THE ICING:
• 1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
- Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
- Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
- Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.
- Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
- Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
- Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

My notes:

* After 30 minutes I checked the cake and it was done.
* I poked the holes in while the cake was still warm. I think it helped it cool quicker. I also poked some extra holes in it before I poured on the milk. 
* I added vanilla to my whipped cream and used powdered sugar instead of regular.
* I did not add any maraschino cherries. I don't like them and never even thought about the fact that the  other ladies might. Oops! Sorry Janet.  =)
* It was very tasty the next day with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top. Mmm. 
* And lastly, I kept the one cup of leftover milk mixture. I poured it in a jar and threw it in the fridge thinking it'd be good for tea. Oh boy was I right. I made a chocolate chai tea and added some - yummy!

OK, now for my review of the cake. WOW!!! It might have been the best cake I've ever eaten. You would think it'd be soggy, but it wasn't at all. All the ladies loved it. And Mr. CC, Miss E and Miss A all loved it too. The Mr. actually asked me tonight if I was making it again tomorrow. He doesn't even really like cake, so that's telling you something. And yes, I will definitely be making it again. Next time though I'm going to bake the cake in two round pans and layer it. I may even add a layer of dulce de leche in the middle with the whipped cream. How's that sound? My suggestion is to make this cake asap. You will not regret it. Hey Cinco De Mayo is coming up. That would be the perfect excuse.  =)

{A last pic because it looks soo tasty.}

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DIY by Design
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Serenity Now 
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Butter Tart Squares

Hey there - I'm back!! Well at least for a post or two. My computer is still in the dumper and with no extra money floating around right now, it's not looking like I'll be getting a new one anytime soon. My lovely stepdaughter, Miss E, left here laptop her for me to use. What a sweetie, huh? It's kind of funny how much I've missed blogging this past week. You're all like my digital buddies and I miss ya. So I'm happy to be back, even if it's only for a couple posts, for now. 

Last week I did my first guest post ever, over at my friend Kara's blog, Mine for the Making. Kara is one creative gal. Head on over and tell her I sent you.  =)

While there I shared a recipe for butter tart squares that I'd found on All Recipes last winter. I was going to a cookie exchange and wanted something quick, easy and delicious. These were perfect! Now, a classic butter tart is in a tart shell and has raisins in it. With this recipe you make a crust-like base and you can omit the raisins if you like. I chose to leave them out, not a big fan.

Butter Tart Squares

1 cup flour

2 tbs brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or hard margarine

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/4 flaked coconut (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x9 or 8x8 pan. 

2.  In a medium sized bowl mix the flour and 2 tbs of brown sugar. Cut in the butter/margarine until mixture is crumbly. Press into bottom of pan. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven. Crust should not be fully cooked. 

3.  In a large bowl mix together the eggs and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar. Combine the oats, salt and baking powder; stir into the egg mixture along with the vanilla. Mix in the raisins and coconut, if desired. Spread mixture over the partially baked crumb layer in the pan. 

4.  Bake 20 minutes. Cool completely, and cut into squares. 

That's it! Easy peasy. Make sure you let it cool completely before you cut them. Otherwise the top will crack and they won't look as pretty. Also a little tip for ya, I always line my pan with foil so I can lift it out and cut it into squares on the cutting board. I like to trim the edges so they look nicer. Plus you get to sample the pieces you cut off. heehee  : )  The pan I use is 8x8 and I get 16 squares. You could cut them a bit smaller or larger if you like. I've also cut them into triangles before for a different look. This time I made up some fresh whipped cream to dollop on top. Mmm!!

You should definitely give these a try. They don't disappoint and they're great for the upcoming holidays.  Happy baking!

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Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Happy Sunday all! I'm here with another baking recipe for ya. I came across a picture of these cookies on Pinterest (shocker!) and knew I had to make them. They are perfect for Halloween - candy corn sugar cookies. I have to say, these are by far, the cutest cookies I've ever seen! I love candy corn and it just makes me smile to see a candy corn cookie.  =)

See, cute! I bet you're smiling now too. Now I will admit these cookies were a bit labor intensive. You see I don't have a Kitchen Aid mixer or any stand-up mixer for that matter. Which meant I had to mix in the coloring by hand. I thought my shoulder was going to need ice yesterday afternoon. For reals! My right shoulder was aching while I stirred in the yellow and then the red food coloring. If you have a mixer these will be so easy for you to make. Here's a look at the process.

After my dough was made I divided it into thirds. The first third I left white and put into a plastic wrap lined loaf pan. See picture above. I patted it as flat as I could. Then I mixed the yellow dye into the remaining two thirds and added half of the yellow to the pan. The last of the yellow dough got some red coloring mixed in to turn it orange. Oh, by this point I was ready to quite! It seemed like it took forever to get that dough orange enough. But I suffered through and the middle pic above is what the dough looked like all flattened together.

I let it chill in the fridge for about 6 or 7 hours. You could let it chill overnight if you wanted. I would recommend chilling it at least 4 hours. You want it to be nice and firm once you start slicing. Make your slices about 1/4". Then just angle your knife to cut out candy corn shapes. See picture above. That's all there is to it. Like I said, if you have a mixer this will be super easy.

Here's the best recipe I've found for sugar cookies. It's from All Recipes and makes soft and chewy cookies or you could bake them a couple minutes longer if you like yours crispier. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

   3.  Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

** FYI - I only made half a recipe. I got probably 100 or more candy corn cookies out of it. 

This morning while taking pictures of these little cuties, I thought you could easily use different colors in the dough and round out the pointy parts to make more of an egg shape for Easter cookies. I will definitely be doing that. Wouldn't they look great with pink, yellow and white? Or purple, white and blue? Or, you could color every dough third a different color and have green, yellow and pink eggs. Oh the possibilities are endless. Just try these for now.  : )

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Homemade Ginger

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Tatertots & Jello

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Delightful Order