Pumpkin Ice Cream Torte

I was not able to be with my family this year on Thanksgiving and wouldn't you know that THIS was the year that my dad made a new pumpkin dessert to go with all of my mom's wonderful pies. He was kind enough to save some for me (I'm thankful for that!) and it was so delicious, that I just had to snap a picture of it and share the recipe.

Ingredients
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Cooking spray
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
9 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream (about 1 1/2 cartons), divided
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided
1/4 cup jarred caramel topping
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients (mixture will be crumbly). Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

3. Combine pumpkin and the next 4 ingredients (through cloves) in a bowl. Soften 6 cups ice cream; add to pumpkin mixture, stirring to blend. Spoon half of mixture into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze 1 hour or until firm. Cover and freeze remaining pumpkin ice cream.

4. Soften remaining 3 cups vanilla ice cream; stir in 3 tablespoons pecans. Spread over pumpkin ice cream layer; freeze 1 hour or until firm. Soften remaining 3 cups pumpkin ice cream; spread over vanilla ice cream mixture. Cover; freeze 8 hours or until firm. Cut torte into 12 wedges. Place 1 wedge on each of 12 plates. Place topping in microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 45 seconds. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon topping; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pecans.

Fall and Halloween Ideas- take 2

Because I feel like I'll never get a chance to make anything fun again and because I don't have the time to blog about anything fun that I do get a chance to do, I thought I'd repost some of the Fall/Halloween stuff I did last year. I have some blog followers that are new this year, so perhaps these ideas won't be repeats for them! Just click on the title of the photo and it will bring you to the original posting.

Candy Corn Clay Pot




Pumpkin Jar Candle




Salty Bones Breadsticks




Crispy Ghosts




Spirit Jugs




Pop Up Pumpkin Card




Witches Hats




Mummy Dogs




Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting




Decorative Plates




Fall Centerpiece




Fall Placemats




Fall Sun Catchers




Pumpkin Cookies




Candleyebra




Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

This recipe was recommended by my friend Jenn. She said it was the only one she will ever make. When I looked over the recipe, I about died when I saw it called for 3 cups of sugar! 3 cups? Wow! But then I realized the recipe makes 3 loaves of bread, so in actuality, each loaf has only 1 cup of sugar in it. And if I get 16 slices of bread from one loaf, each slice only has about a tablespoon of sugar in it. So now it doesn't sound so bad, does it?

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Cookies

Can you smell that? I wish you could... it's the smell that instantly makes a mouth begin to salivate.... a stomach begin to growl.... a smell that I wish I could bottle up and have access to whenever my heart desires. It's the smell of Frosted Pumpkin Cookies. It's a rainy day here today. A perfect baking day. The leaves on a few trees out front are starting to turn red and yellow. Fall is near. I guess I'll kick off the Fall tastebuds with Frosted Pumpkin Cookies!

Ingredients:



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Glaze Ingredients:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Directions for cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.


I never pass up an opportunity to show off a picture of a few of my favorite things-- my little boy and my new-in-July KitchenAid mixer! I couldn't live without either of them!


4. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then frost with glaze.

To Make Glaze:

Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve a drizzly frosting consistency.

Everybody needs a helper like I have...



...even if he licks his fingers as he's frosting!