PUMPKIN SPICE GHOST CAKE
This is from Very Best Baking by Nestle, and begins, “Surprise your trick-or treaters with this hauntingly-good pumpkin spice cake with a rich cream cheese frosting.”
Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cooking Time: 35 minutes; Skill level: Intermediate; Makes 12 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cake:
1 pkg. (18 oz.) spice or carrot cake mix
1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) cream cheeese, softened
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
*Black string licorice, NESTLÉ RAISINETS Milk Chocolate-Covered Raisins and Halloween candy corn (optional)
Instructions
For Cake:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch-round cake pans.
Combine cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, water, vegetable oil and pumpkin pie spice in large mixer bowl until moistened. Beat for 2 minutes or until thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat cream cheese, margarine and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Spread between layers and on top and side of cake.
To Garnish:
Form licorice strings into ghost shapes; press into side of frosted cake. Use Raisinets for eyes. Arrange candy corn between ghosts on side and around top edge of frosted cake.
CREEPY CRAWLY VEGAN PUMPKIN MUFFINS
This is from Aine Carlin on OneGreenPlanet. Aine wrote, “Food is so evocative when creating this particular spooky mood and while these muffins don’t look terrifying (plastic spiders aside), they exude a comfortingly spiced aroma and flavor that matches the ‘baton down the hatches’ mentality I have deliberately adopted this year.”
At 172 calories, they’re dairy free, kid-friendly, and vegan. Serves 12.
You can view this online at https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/creepy-crawly-vegan-pumpkin-muffins/.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups white spelt flour
1/2 cup organic unrefined sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)
1 cup pumpkin puree (see below)
1 tbsp plain soy yogurt
1/4 cup rice milk
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup date syrup
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients, i.e. flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt. Mix thoroughly.
In a small cup, combine the milks and vinegar and allow to curdle.
In a smaller bowl combine the puree, date syrup, molasses, yogurt, and oil. Then, pour in the milk and carefully stir until it is all combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring it in using a folding action. Also at this stage add the poppy seeds. Be sure not to overwork the batter or your muffins will lose their lightness.
Divide into muffin cases, about two-thirds full.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the centre and if it comes out clean they are ready.
Allow to cool on a wire rack. Although nice eaten warm the flavors will intensify when cooled. Keep in a container or even loosely covered for a few days.
BAKED APPLES
This is from Dorie Greenspan in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Dorie wrote, “I don’t remember my mother at the stove. When asked what childhood dish was my favorite, I’d stammer and come up empty. And then, walking down the stairs in my Paris apartment, I got to the third floor and said out loud to no one: baked apples! My mother made baked apples. Her apples were big Cortlands or Rome Beauties, and she cored and stuffed them with raisins, because my father loved raisins. I also bake with Cortlands or Romes when I can get them, Fujis or Galas when I can’t. I’ll often stuff them with raisins, but I think they’re especially nice filled with bits of dried apple and candied ginger. And I like to baste them with apple cider and honey. They’re good hot or cold, but best served warm and topped with something creamy. Cinnamon (my mom always used too much) is optional.”
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus cooling.
This was featured in “My Mother’s Best (And Only) Recipe: Baked Apples,” and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020471-baked-apples.
Ingredients
4 large baking apples, like Rome Beauty
2 lemon wedges
2 to 3 dried apple rings, cut into bits
4 tiny pieces crystallized ginger (optional)
3 to 4 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup apple cider or juice
Heavy cream, whipped cream or ice cream, for serving (optional)
Cinnamon, for dusting (optional)
Preparation
Center a rack in the oven and heat to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, and set a 9- or 10-inch glass pie dish on top.
Cut a small cap off the top of each apple, and set aside. Using a paring knife or corer, core the apples, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom. Cut away and reserve about 1/2 inch of peel around the tops of the apples. Rub the peeled portions of the apples with the lemon, squeezing a little juice into each opening.
Fill each apple with an equal amount of dried apple and ginger, if using, pressing down lightly as needed to push bits into the opening. Pour 1/2 teaspoon honey over the dried fruit in each apple. Cut the butter into 4 pieces, and top each apple with a pat. Pop the caps back on the apples. (It’s O.K. if they teeter). Transfer the apples, lemon wedges and a few of the reserved peels into the pie dish; pour in the cider or juice, and stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons honey. (The honey won’t blend evenly into the cider, and that’s fine.)
Bake the apples, basting occasionally with the cider and honey, until you can poke them with a skewer or the tip of a knife and not meet much resistance, 50 to 70 minutes. Since apples are so variable, check early and often, as you might need more or less time.
Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before serving moistened with a little pan sauce, and if you want, top with cold heavy cream, whipped cream or ice cream and dust with cinnamon. The apples are good warm or at room temperature. They’ll keep, covered, for 2 days in the refrigerator and can be reheated in a microwave.
WINTER SQUASH AND WILD MUSHROOM CURRY
This is from The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “This is comfort food, Indian-style, adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey. It's also vegan, and perfect for a fall evening. Use a mixture of cultivated mushrooms; they come in all shapes and sizes. Look for royal trumpets, a large, meaty type of oyster mushroom; shiitakes, and small portobellos. Use some wild mushrooms too, if you can, like golden chanterelles, lobster or hen of the woods. You can make this as spicy as you wish, but be sure to include some cayenne and green chile, to complement and play off the creamy coconut milk sauce. Serve with basmati rice, rice noodles or mashed potatoes.”
Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 30 minutes.
This was featured in “A Warming Curry for Fall”, and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 ounces butternut or other winter squash, peeled and diced in 1/2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 or 2 small whole green chiles, such as jalapeño or serrano
3 medium shallots or 1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Handful of fresh or frozen curry leaves, optional
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 pound mushrooms, preferably a mix of cultivated and wild, trimmed and sliced 1/8-inch thick
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons lime juice
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Preparation
In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add squash cubes in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, letting cubes brown slightly, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to lift squash out, and set aside.
Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile to open it, but leave whole. (This allows the heat and flavor of the chile to release into the sauce without making it too spicy.)
Add shallots to skillet, salt lightly and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves and let sizzle for 30 seconds, then add garlic, coriander, cayenne, turmeric and chiles. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds more.
Add mushrooms to pan, season with salt and toss to coat. Continue to cook, stirring, until mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Return squash cubes to pan, stir in coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes. If mixture looks dry, thin with a little water. Taste and season with salt.
Just before serving, stir in lime juice. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with cilantro leaves.
PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE
This is from OneGreenPlanet, under the title “How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Latte Without Nasty Ingredients”, by Heather McClees. Heather wrote about the benefits of making this, rather than buying it at your local coffee shop, and ends with, “Now, see how easy that was? This natural, vegan version won’t only taste better but it’s also cheaper, friendlier to your body, and it’s cruelty-free. Enjoy at breakfast with some pumpkin waffles or muffins and even brew some to enjoy with these Clean Eating Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars for dessert!”.
Ingredients
1/2 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk (check labels to ensure they include no carrageenan)
2 tablespoons of pure pumpkin puree (organic is best)
dash of pumpkin pie spice
natural sweetener like pure stevia, which is sugar-free and chemical-free (or your choice sweetener)
dash of alcohol-free vanilla extract
4-6 ounces of hot, brewed coffee (preferably organic and espresso strength)
Directions
Brew your coffee if you haven’t already.
Grab a small pot and add the milk, pumpkin, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Bring to a low heat and stir together.
Let the mixture warm on the stove for a minute or two just until the milk is warm.
Pour into a large coffee mug, add the coffee and stevia, and stir together.
Enjoy as it is, or add a dollop of soy or coconut whipped cream if you wish.
Add a touch of pumpkin spice as a garnish or a fresh cinnamon stick.
PUMPKIN GNOCCHI WITH SAGE BUTTER SAUCE
This is from Lindsay, a full-time blogger who runs Pinch of Yum
yield: 4 regular servings or 2 extra-generous servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Gnocchi:
1 medium-large russet baking potato
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (more as needed)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Salted Butter in Half Sticks (for pan frying)
Sage Butter Sauce:
2 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Salted Butter in Half Sticks
a few sage leaves and a smashed clove of garlic
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup starchy water (leftover from boiling the gnocchi)
Instructions
Potato Prep: Bake the potato – see notes – and pull off the skin. Let the potato rest for a while to cool down. Once it’s cool enough to handle, grate it until you have about 1 1/2 cups of very fine potato shreds.
Gnocchi Dough: Mix potato shreds with pumpkin puree. Measure flour onto a clean surface and put the potato/pumpkin mixture in the center. Make a well and crack your egg into it. Sprinkle salt on top. Grab a fork and whisk up the egg real quick. Using your hands, mix all ingredients into a dough. Don’t overmix. When it starts to come together, form the dough into a mostly-smooth, rounded little loaf.
Gnocchi Prep: Cut off slices of the mound and roll each one into a long rope. Cut the rope into bite sized pieces. Place the gnocchi pieces on a plate (make sure they’ve got a little flour coating so they don’t stick).
Cooking the Gnocchi: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the gnocchi, carefully, one at a time, to the water. You may need to work in batches. When the gnocchi rise to the top of the pot of boiling water, immediately remove them with a slotted spoon. Set aside. Melt your butter in a large nonstick skillet. Pan fry the gnocchi, undisturbed, to get one side lightly crispy and leave the other side soft. Remove from pan and set aside to wait for saaaauce.
Butter Sauce: In the same pan, add butter, sage leaves, and garlic clove. Let the garlic and sage cook for a few minutes over low heat. When the sage leaves are starting to get crispy, remove from heat. Remove garlic as well. When it’s melted, add the flour and whisk. Add the heavy cream and whisk. Add the starchy water slowly, whisking to make a sauce that is the consistency you want. Toss with gnocchi, top with sage leaves and Parmesan, and BE HAPPY AND PROUD BECAUSE LOOK WHAT YOU MADE! Now pour yourself a glass of wine and feast.
Notes
I baked my potato in the microwave. Yes, that’s right folks, I’m classy. Poke holes in your potato, wrap with a paper towel, and micro for 5-6 minutes. Voila.
Less flour is better, so if your potato is small and you only get 1 cup of potato shreds out of it, then don’t add quite as much flour. I found the magic amount to be something between 1 1/2 cups and 2 cups, but it is a little different every time depending on the water content of your potato, your pumpkin, etc. You want to be able to handle the dough, but you do not want it to be overly stiff. A delicately soft dough, while it requires a little more TLC, is a good (delicious) thing. We are looking for soft pillows here.
Your gnocchi might not be pretty. That’s okay. They get prettier once they are pan fried and covered in sauce and topped with parmesan and fried sage. ❤️ Trust.
