Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - Sinfully Delicious!

This Halloween I wanted to make up a special treat for my nephew and niece and their friends when they embarked on this special night of tricking and treating!

These Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are decadently delicious and can be enjoyed all throughout the Autumnal season, not just on Halloween!

A whoopie pie is a baked good made of two round chocolate, cake-like, cookies with a sweet, creamy frosting sandwiched between them. While considered a New England phenomenon and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition, they are increasingly sold throughout the United States. According to food historians, Amish women would bake these and put them in farmers' lunchboxes. When the farmers would find these treats in their lunch, they would shout "Whoopie!"

You can get this simple recipe here: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

The recipe is actually for a "Mini" version, but I made a larger, more regular sized version by using 2 Tablespoons of batter for each cookie instead of 2 teaspoons. The baking times remain the same. I also doubled the batch of filling.

First step is to get your oven preheating to 375° and then sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, shortening, granulated sugar & dark brown sugar until smooth. Then you'll add one egg and continue to mix until pale and fluffy.

Mix in about half of the flour mixture, then a cup of milk, some pure vanilla extract and then the remaining flour mixture.

Drop batter, 2" apart, onto baking sheets lined with parchment or non-stick baking mats. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the sheet pans halfway through baking, until the cookies are done.

Transfer the cookies to cooling racks and cool completely.


To prepare the luscious pumpkin filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese, unsalted butter and confectioners' sugar, on medium speed, until smooth.

Add fresh pure pumpkin, a little cinnamon and nutmeg and continue to whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Pipe or spoon the filling on the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with the remaining cookies, flat side down. Enjoy one of these now because there won't be any of them left soon after you make them!!

Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup

Serve this delicious hearty and healthy soup during the comfortable days of Autumn as well as the cold days of Winter! It guarantees to satisfy!

A helpful tip: Soak the beans overnight, in about 8 cups of cold water, just for a little re-assurance that they will not be "crunchy" when the soup is finished.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried Great Northern beans, picked over and rinsed
• 6 cups water
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juice
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 medium carrot, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, optional
• 3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves (about 3 ounces)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Coarse Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to season
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Put beans, water, tomatoes and their juices, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, barley, bay leaf, herb blend, pepper, and porcini mushrooms (if using) in a slow cooker; cover and cook on LOW until the beans are quite tender and the soup is thick, about 8 hours.

Stir in the spinach, cheese, and vinegar, cover, and let the soup cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving with olive oil.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bread Pudding

To me, nothing says Spring like fresh Rhubarb and strawberries tell me summer is just around the corner!

Although many people enjoy the two in pies, and other sweet treats, this bread pudding is sure to please everyone! And don't worry about calories when enjoying this dessert; it's made up of many healthy ingredients!

4 large egg whites
4 large eggs
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
4 cups of whole-grain bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (about 6-8 slices or 8 oz.)
2 cups of roughly broken Ginger-Snap cookies
2 cups of quartered strawberries
1 cup of diced rhubarb
1/4 chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, lightly toasted.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter an 11" x 7" glass baking dish or a 2 quart casserole or you can spray lightly with a non-stick cooking spray.

To prepare the custard: Whisk together the egg whites, eggs and milk. Add sugar, vanilla & orange zest. Whisk to combine.

In another large bowl, toss together the bread, Gingersnaps, strawberries, rhubarb and nuts.

Add the custard mixture and toss to coat everything well. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and push down to compact it. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the custard has set. About 40-45 minutes.

While that's baking, throw together this quick streusel topping: Mix together 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup oats, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of canola oil.

After the bread pudding has baked for 40-45 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly across the top of the bread pudding. Return to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes until the pudding has puffed and is golden on top.

Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before serving! This is great served warm, or at room temperature! Enjoy this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Paczki - Such a Guilty Pleasure!

It's Fat Tuesday, and that means one thing to Metro Detroiters: Paczki!

Each year I cannot wait to sink my teeth into these caloric treats that make plain donuts look downright wimpy, and they are a part of living in Detroit that no Michigan resident or visitor should miss.

A paczki (pronounced: pawnch-kee or poonch-kee) is a deep-fried piece of dough shaped into a flattened sphere and filled with a confiture or other sweet filling. Paczki are usually covered with powdered sugar, icing or bits of dried orange zest. A small amount of grain alcohol is added to the dough before frying; as it evaporates, it prevents the absorption of oil deep into the dough.

Although they look like Bismarck's or jelly doughnuts, paczki are made from an especially rich dough containing eggs, fats, sugar and sometimes milk. They feature a variety of fruit and cream fillings and can be glazed, or covered with sugar. Stewed plum jam, prunes or wild rose hip jam are traditional fillings, but many others are used as well, including strawberry, Bavarian cream, blueberry, chocolate, custard, raspberry, lemon, and apple.

Paczki have been known in Poland at least since the Middle Ages. Jędrzej Kitowicz has described that during the reign of August III, under the influence of French cooks who came to Poland, paczki dough was improved, so that paczki became lighter, spongier, and more resilient.

In the Polish community of Hamtramck, Michigan, a small enclave located within the city limits of Detroit, there is an annual Paczki Day Parade, which has gained a devoted following. Many Hamtramck bakeries open as early as 3 AM and have people lining up, as early as the night before, for paczki on Paczki Day. The Paczki Day celebrations are even larger than many celebrations for St. Patrick's Day.

A favorite Hamtramck bakery of mine and one of the more popular places to get your paczki at is "The New Palace Bakery" located at 9833 Joseph Campau Street in Hamtramck.
"A Hamtramck staple, the New Palace Bakery has been peddling paczki for nearly 90 years. Their plum, apple, blueberry and raspberry paczki will tempt you. New palace has a dizzying selection of polish pastries, including babkas, fruit pies, dumplings, danishes and doughnuts. They make their own Moon Pies, and one can't help but stifle a giggle at their chocolate and vanilla "boy cookies," literally shaped like little boys."

Here's a look at the crowds early Tuesday morning as people lined up for hours!

It was even snowing!

The line extended all the way around the block and even more people were approaching to get their place in line!

People braved the cold temps and snow just for these tasty little buggers!

On Paczki day I also make a stop and my absolute favorite Italian bakery for more paczki, but paczki of a different kind! Tringali's Bakery in Warren MI, famous for their Italian Cannoli make their version of a Paczki filled with that rich, creamy and delicious cannoli cream! These are beyond heavenly!

For those who want amazing pie and a paczki-like experience, Michigan's own Achatz Handmade Pie Company , featured many times on The Food Network, has a special pie just for Fat Tuesday. The Paczki Pie features a crispy sugar glazed pastry shell filled with their famous vanilla cream and topped with their signature Michigan 4-Berry pie filling. This pie is just as good as the little packzi themselves!

Another unique Fat Tuesday treat comes from a local BBQ restaurant; Lazybones Smokehouse, has a created a "BBQ Pulled Pork" Paczki for today and are selling them for a $1.00 each. I haven't not tried or seen these, but curiosity may have me visit there today.

Easy Roasted Applesauce

Going back to our visit to the apple orchard in the beginning of this Autumn season, I needed to use up the last of the apples we picked. Having just a few left, I decided to make something I really enjoy but have never made before...Applesauce!
Just a few simple ingredients and you can have a wonderfully tasty applesauce!

The apples and sugar caramelize on the bottom of the pan as they roast in the oven, giving the finished applesauce a marvelous depth of flavor. If you don't have a food mill, core the apples before roasting; after they're cooked, puree the apples in a food processor, and strain before adding spices.

Roasted Applesauce

1/4 cup water
6 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of coarse salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 pounds small assorted apples, such as Gala, McIntosh, or Fuji
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves



Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine water, brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Scatter butter pieces over mixture, and top with apples.

Roast until apples are very soft, about 30 to 40 minutes. The smell from the kitchen today was simply amazing!!!!!

Working in batches, pass apple mixture through the medium disk of a food mill and into a bowl. Stir in the spices.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Applesauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

A Day At The Apple Orchard

With the Autumn season upon us, the apple orchards and cider mills are just beginning their busiest time of the year.

Looking for something fun to do on a Sunday afternoon, James & I decided to go apple picking, along with my mother and niece, Gabrielle.

Blake Farms has been in business since 1946 and operates 3 apple orchards and a cider mill. They specialize in an array of the freshest Michigan grown produce, most of which you pick yourself, including U-pick pumpkins and fresh cut Christmas Trees. They're also famous for their freshly pressed apple cider, fresh doughnuts, fudge, jams, jellies, honey and many other tasty treats!!

Here are a couple shots from inside the small market at Blake's Big Apple Orchard.

Some fresh tomatoes, eggplant and garlic! Makes me crave Eggplant Parmesan!

With provided bags in hand, James and I headed out to the apple orchards! The trees were just screaming with apples waiting to be picked!

We picked many varieties such as McIntosh, Early Fugi, Molly Delicious, Gala, Honey Crisp, Cortlands, etc....

As well as some of the most delicious Bartlett Pears!

Oh my, what to do with all these apples??? All in all, I think James and I picked close to 2 bushels of apples and pears!

Pumpkins were almost ready for picking, but I think they needed time to grow much larger!

After apple picking, it was off to the raspberry patch! Picking the raspberries was a bit of a challenge because the bees were EVERYWHERE! Guess that's a good sign, though! We need the bees!

The raspberries were plump and juicy. Snacking while picking was encouraged! Because there were so many bees, though, we only managed to pick about 2 pints.

The orchard offers tractor pulled hay rides for guests. These are especially popular at night during the Halloween season!

Getting ready for the Halloween season, James has made a new friend!

Setting up a "Haunted" attraction for the kids! Halloween is the best time around here as they offer haunted hay-rides, haunted barn attractions and a scary corn maze!

For more information, feel free to check out their website: Blake Farms

Spring Has Sprung...So Far!

  This past weekend was the first bout with warm, spring (almost) summer like weather and I just wanted to share a couple photo's of the first flowers to appear in my front yard!

  Unfortunately, now we are experiencing rain and chilly temps, but alas, Spring is still here!  More to come.....