Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes: 1 box chocolate cake mix
(1) 15 oz. can packed pumpkin

Mix ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Batter will be thicker than regular cake mix.
Spoon into cupcake papers and bake as directed.

Frosting: 6 oz cream cheese
6 oz butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tablespoons milk

Combine ingredients, mix until smooth

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

INGREDIENTS

o 2 boxes (3 oz each) cook & serve vanilla pudding and pie filling
o 1 qt (4 cups) whole milk
o 4 chocolate croissants (about 4 oz each)

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Have a 3-qt shallow baking dish ready.

2. Whisk pudding mix and milk in a large bowl for 2 minutes, or until thoroughly blended.

3. Cut croissants in 1-in. pieces. Arrange in prepared baking dish. Pour pudding mixture over croissants, pushing pieces into the liquid.

4. Bake 50 minutes, or until bubbly around edges and a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving. If desired, dust top with confectioners’ sugar.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:
I recipe basic pie dough
2 c. diced fresh rhubarb stalks
3 c. diced fresh hulled strawberries
1 c. sugar, divided
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp fresh orange zest
1/4 c. cornstarch
very small pinch of salt
1 beaten egg


Directions:
-In large bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, and 1/2 c. sugar.
-Toss to combine well and set into colander over sink or bowl and let drain for 1 hour (this step is very important or you get a soupy mess of a pie once it cooks.)
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pie plate.
-Roll out 1/2 recipe of dough and line bottom of pie plate.
-In large clean bowl, combine strawberry and rhubarb that have been drained with remaining sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, pinch of salt and cornstarch.
-Toss to combine well and add to pie shell, smoothing out evenly.
-Roll out remaining pie dough and lattice top the pie filling.
-Brush lattice with beaten egg and place pie into oven.
-Let cook for 20 minutes, then place a piece of tinfoil loosely over the top.
-Continue cooking until filling is cooked through and bubbling, about 50 more minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

April Recipe Club at Mary's Home!

Asparagus and Jack Cheese Frittata

8 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1/4-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Serving suggestion: basic green salad
Directions
Heat the broiler to high and arrange rack in upper third.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, salt, and freshly ground black pepper until thoroughly combined.

In a large ovenproof frying pan, heat the oil and the butter over medium-high heat. When it foams, add asparagus, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Reduce heat to low, pour in egg mixture, and cook until a 1-inch border of egg mixture is firm, about 3 minutes. (The center of the frittata will not be set at this point.) Place the pan in oven and broil until some spots are browned and eggs are just set, about 2 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with a side salad. It can be served warm or at room temperature.

If you have red bell pepper and/or mushroom, you can add them when you sauté the asparagus. I also add some crumbled bacon before I broil the frittata. Enjoy!


Double Citrus Tart
March 2005-Southern Living issue

Makes 8-10 servings (very rich)
Prep - 30min., bake 25 min
Chill – 4 hours

1-1/2 C. crushed gingersnap cookies (generic not as flavorful)
5 Tblsp. Melted butter
2 Tblsp. Brown sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 C. frozen orange juice concentrate-thawed
¼ C. fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, separated
1 C. heavy whipping cream
3 tblsp. Granulated sugar
Fresh mint leaves, lemon & orange slices

Stir together first 4 ingredients. Press mixture evenly into a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom; set aside.
Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, and egg yolks until blended.
Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; fold into condensed milk mixture. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or just until filling is set.


Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Place on a serving dish.
Beat whipping cream and granulated sugar at medium speed with an
Electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add to garnish.

Jen’s Apple Cake with Carmel Topping

3 cups all purpose flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
½ - t. nutmeg
1# Golden Delicious Apples, peeled cored and cut in 1/3 “ cubes (I used 3 -1/2 apples)
2 cups brown sugar
1-1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 t. vanilla
¾ cups pecans, coarsely chopped


1 stick butter
¼ cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray bundt pan with with nonstick spray. Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Transfer 3 T. to Bundt pan and tilt to coat. Set pan aside.
Place apples and 2 T. flour mixture in another medium bowl. Toss to coat.
Combine 1 cup brown sugar, vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar, eggs and 3 t. vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until mixture is thick, about 4 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining flour mixture. Fold apples and pecans into batter. Transfer to bundt pan. Bake until tester comes out clean, approximately 1 hour. Transfer cake pan to rack, let stand while making carmel sauce.

Melt butter in a small pot, whisk in remaining 1 cup of brown sugar and milk. Cook until blended and comes to a boil., about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 t. vanilla. .

Spoom ¼ cup hot carmel over warm cake in pan. Let stand until toppin is absorbed. Cool for a while and turn cake out of pan. Pour about ½ of remaining carmel over top of cake. Save the balance of the carmel to sauce your plates before serving.

Enjoy!

(Sometimes I add raisins, sometimes I serve with Butter pecan ice cream)

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans (less fat) crescent rolls
2 cups sugar
3 (8 oz. lite) bricks of cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp cinnamon

Cream 1 1/2 cups of sugar with the cream cheese and vanilla.
Spray 13x9 pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread
one can of crescent rolls on the bottom of the pan.
Pinch edges together to make a solid layer.
Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on the top of the crescent rolls.
Melt stick of butter, add 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon.
Spread otehr can of rolls over teh top of the cream cheese mixture.
Pour melted sugar mixture evenly over second layer of rolls.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until golden on top.
*You can reduce the topping to 1/3 cup sugar and butter to make it "lighter".