© DaySpring Cards

I received some cards myself in the mail today. Unfortunately, one of them had been sliced open, and the gift card one of my family members was sending to me was missing from the envelope!  Well, I guess with the economy being bad, things like that are bound to happen. It is a little disappointing, but I’m hoping whoever took it was someone who really needed it . And I’m reminding myself that the gifts we exchange with each other aren’t the most important part of the season–it’s a celebration of Jesus’ birth. As Linus would say,“That’s what Christmas is all about.”

Hope you’ve had time to send greetings to those special people in your life, and hope the mail you are sending and receiving gets there safely!

Who doesn’t love cupcakes? Especially if they’re frosted with rich, swirly buttercream…now that’s pretty hard to resist! If you’ve heard of the famous Magnolia Bakery in New York City, well, this is the recipe for their most popular cupcake. They call it the Vanilla Vanilla–a yummy vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream (pink is their most popular-selling frosting color). I found the recipe at FoodNetwork.com. If you’re a cupcake-lover you will want to try this! Or, according to the Food Network site, if you’d rather make a cake, you can divide the batter between two 9″ round cake pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Even though I haven’t tried making the cake version, I would recommend checking the cake at 30 minutes, because when I made the cupcakes, they were done at the lower baking time. They would have been too dry had I let them bake any longer.

These cupcakes look really festive, wintry, and Christmasy with the white buttercream and pearly sprinkles I used. You could also tint the frosting green or red if you wanted it to be more colorful for Christmas. The white frosting would work great for New Year’s Eve or Day, too. These cupcakes would also be fun with silver or gold sprinkles. I also thought the white frosting with white pearl sprinkles would be nice for a wedding shower or wedding…so you see, these delicious cupcakes are really versatile!

There is a chance you might need to make extra frosting, depending on how heavily you frost these cupcakes…just wanted to point that out. I frosted some heavy and some not-so-heavy because not everyone likes lots of frosting on their cupcakes (being a frosting-lover, I do find that hard to believe ). So, I had enough frosting for my cupcakes. But had I frosted all of them heavily, I think I would have needed to make more frosting.

Enough talk about the cupcakes…here’s the recipe! It makes 24.

MAGNOLIA’S VANILLA CUPCAKE (from FoodNetwork.com)

CUPCAKES:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over-beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean (Note: mine were done at 20 minutes, so be sure to check your cupcakes then to avoid over-baking!).

Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM:

(A note from the bakery: “The vanilla buttercream we use at the bakery is technically not a buttercream but actually an old-fashioned confectioners’ sugar and butter frosting. Be sure to beat the icing for the amount of time called for in the recipe to achieve the desired creamy texture.”)

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar (I used 8 cups because I wanted a thicker frosting)
• 1/2 cup milk (I substituted half and half for the milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk (or half and half) and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly (use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled). Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

The recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes or one 9″ layer cake. Enjoy trying this out!

Linked to Sweets for a Saturday, Sweet Indulgences Sunday.

First, there’s the Peppermint Pound Cake, a really yummy holiday dessert!

Next, this Peppermint Bark is super-easy and also makes a great little gift!

If you like making sugar cookies, you must try Elizabeth’s Sugar Cookies. It’s a great recipe!

If you like making holiday quick breads, here are a few you’ll want to try…shown above is Cranberry Banana Bread, made with fresh cranberries and chopped pecans.

And I’m sure you’ll also want to try Pumpkin Gingerbread, a moist, gingery treat!

Which recipe sounds good to you? Do you have a special holiday recipe you like to make every year?

I make a lot of pumpkin bread in the fall and winter, and wanted to try out a new recipe. So I decided to try the Pumpkin Loaf from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter (I made a few small changes, noted in the recipe below). It’s a great basic pumpkin bread recipe–the loaf rises nicely and has a great texture and taste. It’s very good, even without any spread or glaze…

but I also thought it would be yummy with cream cheese frosting. And, even better, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting! So I came up with my own recipe for that and heaped it on the pumpkin bread.

The frosting turns this tasty basic loaf of pumpkin bread into a delicious dessert! If you don’t like quite so much frosting, you can halve the frosting recipe. But I like frosting, so I put every last bit of it on the pumpkin loaf!

Here are the recipes for the Pumpkin Loaf and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting. Makes one 9 x 5″ loaf.

PUMPKIN BREAD (adapted from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More)

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (I substituted light brown sugar)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (I omitted this)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (I left this out, too)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/4 cups canned pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts, optional (I didn’t add the nuts to the batter, but sprinkled them on top of the frosted loaf instead)

Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5″ loaf pan; set aside.

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined; set aside.

In another bowl, or bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs on medium-high speed for two minutes or until lightened in color. Add the brown sugar, mixing for about 2 minutes, then the granulated sugar, mixing for about 1 minute. Add the orange and lemon zests, if using, and beat for another minute. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Drizzle in the canola oil with beater on medium-low. Reduce speed to low and add the pumpkin puree. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients in two additions and blend for 10-15 seconds just until incorporated. Fold in the pecans using a rubber spatula.

Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

If you’re going to frost the loaf, you can make the frosting while the loaf is cooling…

PUMPKIN BUTTERCREAM

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tablespoons canned pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons half & half or milk
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional, for sprinkling on top

Cream the butter, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and vanilla, blending well. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Add half & half or milk and blend well. NOTE: This makes a very thick buttercream frosting. If you want a thinner, creamier frosting, add more half & half or milk until you get the desired consistency.

After frosting the cooled pumpkin loaf, sprinkle with chopped pecans or walnuts if desired.

Frosted or unfrosted, I think you’ll love this pumpkin bread!

Photo by David Prince, from MyRecipes.com

If you like making homemade Christmas gifts, here’s a great idea I found at MyRecipes. Just about everyone loves hot cocoa, so you really can’t go wrong giving this! I’ve seen jars like the one shown above at Wal-Mart, but you can use whatever kind of jars you like. This recipe makes enough to fill a 1-quart jar (12 servings), but if you want to use smaller jars you can divide the mixture up equally between those. A ribbon tied around the neck of the jar would make this hot cocoa gift really festive, too. And you’ll need to add a tag that gives directions on how to make the cocoa (directions are included in the recipe below).

PEPPERMINT STICK COCOA (makes 12 servings, enough to fill a 1-quart jar)

• 1 cup powdered milk
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

In a 1-quart jar, layer powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, and last of all, the peppermint candy on top. Cover  jar with lid, tie a pretty holiday ribbon around the neck of the jar if desired, and attach a homemade gift tag with cocoa-making instructions on the back.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BACK OF GIFT TAG: ”Mix contents of jar in a large bowl. For each serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup boiling water. Store remaining mix back in jar or another airtight container.”

NOTE: This mix will fill a 1-quart jar (12 servings, with each serving being 1/3 cup), but if your containers are different sizes, just keep the ratio of ingredients constant.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

PSALM 100:4-5 (NIV)

New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

There are so many blessings I take for granted each year. But now I’m trying to focus on having an attitude of thankfulness, even in the smallest of things. And to ask how I can bless others through the blessings I’ve received. As W. T. Purkiser put it, “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true meaning of our thanksgiving.” Wise words to remember all year long!

The centerpiece shown above is a great example…this arrangement has kumquats, squashes, and a bell pepper in a ceramic compote. You can also use other orange-colored fruits and veggies like miniature-size pumpkins, persimmons, carrots, and oranges. If you have any pretty milk glass bowls or containers (I’ve found some great milk glass pieces at local flea markets that were very reasonably priced), those would also work beautifully in this type of arrangement. Or use glass containers, like a trifle bowl.

If you don’t have any pretty glass containers, you can always fill baskets with fruits and veggies for an attractive tabletop arrangement. I love the little basket favors on top of each place setting…they’re so cute and homey!

Pottery containers or other types of bowls would work, too, even if they don’t all match (wooden bowls would look really nice). Have fun mixing different shapes and sizes in your arrangement and fill the smaller containers with nuts. I never realized how elegant an arrangement of pears and nuts could be!

If  you really want an elegant look, you might want to spray-paint miniature pumpkins, one for each place setting, and add a place card with each one.

I really liked this idea of using vivid fall leaves, clipped right from your own tree, and arranging them over a plate or charger. Then just add a clear glass plate on top of the leaves. You couldn’t buy plates any nicer than that!

And if you have a sweet gum tree, here’s a great use for those pesky, prickly spurs! What a great idea to use them as unique place cards!

The idea of using a pear (or apple) as a place card is very clever, too!

Create an elegant, feathery napkin holder by tying some ribbon around a napkin and sliding a pretty feather between the napkin and ribbon, or cut a slit through the ribbon in the front center, and slide the feather through the slit.

And one more idea…an easy-to-make napkin ring using ribbon and beads! Just cut the ribbon into 18-to 22-inch lengths, then trim the ends diagonally. Wrap the ribbon around a napkin and thread both ends of the ribbon through a bead in front. Pull on the ribbon ends to tighten around the rolled napkin.

Hope this post gives you some ideas to add a touch of natural beauty to your Thanksgiving table!

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is coming up so soon! And who doesn’t look forward to eating all that special holiday food? It’s always great when you can find delicious and healthy holiday recipes, which is why I was so interested in reviewing the new cookbook, Vegan Holiday Kitchen.

I’m not a vegan myself, but I do like to eat healthy and enjoy making vegan dishes. Author Nava Atlas has put together a collection of more than 200 tasty-sounding recipes you can whip up for different holidays year-round: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Jewish Holidays, Easter, and Independence Day/Summer Entertaining. There’s also a chapter devoted to Brunches, Appetizers, and Potluck Dinners.

This hardcover book is beautifully designed and has lots of great photography. It would make a wonderful holiday gift–or you may want to add it to your own “wish” list!

There are so many unique, great-sounding recipes in Vegan Holiday Kitchen. Here’s a few to give you an idea:  Coconut Butternut Squash Soup, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Green Chili Cornbread, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tortilla Casserole,  Smashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy, Cranberry-Carrot Cake with Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting…and these are just from the Thanksgiving recipe section! There’s so much more, you’ll have plenty of delicious recipes to choose from and make throughout the year!

I decided to try the Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes, because I love the flavor of pure maple syrup and the maple-sweet potato combination just sounded wonderful to me! You may want to try this yourself at Thanksgiving. It’s a great side dish, both yummy and healthy. I love the natural sweetness of the maple syrup baked into those tender sweet potatoes! The recipe says to make this in a shallow 2-quart casserole, but the closest thing I had on hand was my glass pie plate. That worked fine, although I couldn’t quite fit all the potato slices in.

Here’s the recipe…hope you get a chance to try it over the holidays!

MAPLE-PECAN SWEET POTATOES (Gluten-Free, from Vegan Holiday Kitchen)

• 4 large or 6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance or other non-hydrogenated margarine, melted
• 1/4 cup orange juice, preferably fresh
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• Leaves from 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Arrange the sweet potato slices in overlapping rows in an oiled shallow 2-quart casserole. In a small bowl, combine the syrup, margarine, juice, cinnamon, and salt. Pour evenly over the potatoes.

3. Cover with lid or foil and bake, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until readily pierced with a fork but still firm.

4. Scatter the pecans and rosemary leaves over the surface of the sweet potatoes. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer, uncovered, or until glazed and golden around the edges. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

What yummy side dishes are you making for Thanksgiving this year?

I almost gave up on making Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread. I had tried several different recipes that sounded really good, but was disappointed with how they turned out. They were okay, but not nearly as good as I thought they would be. I decided to make one more attempt. I searched again and found this recipe at Canadian Living. I’m not sure why this particular recipe caught my attention, because I’m usually drawn to recipes that have photos–and there wasn’t a photo shown with this one. But for some reason, I decided I needed to try this out, and I am so glad I did!

I changed the recipe a little by doubling the streusel mixture…and then instead of just sprinkling the streusel on top of the bread before baking, I also sprinkled a layer of streusel in the batter itself–and that’s what made it so good! If you decide to try this, you may think, like I first did, that the amount of streusel you’re putting into and on top of this bread is way too much. But when you taste it after it’s done, you’ll be glad you used all that streusel! Some of the streusel on top of the bread will fall off when you remove the loaf from the pan, but there will still be plenty of streusel for you to enjoy.

So if you’re a streusel-lover, I think you’ll really like this bread. As you can see in the photo above, there’s a yummy layer of streusel in the bread and a substantial amount on top of the loaf. Double the streusel yumminess! This recipe makes one 9×5″ loaf.

CINNAMON STREUSEL BANANA BREAD (adapted from Canadian Living)

• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached flour)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Streusel:

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 Tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan; set aside.

Prepare the streusel: In small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in walnuts, then set aside.

Batter: In large bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into banana mixture. Then stir in walnuts.

Spoon HALF the batter into greased-and-floured loaf pan. Sprinkle batter with HALF of the streusel mixture. Add the rest of the batter over the streusel mixture in the pan, then top with the remaining streusel.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (my baking time was 70 minutes). Let loaf cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

You can wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and store for up to 2 days, or wrap in foil and freeze for up to a month.

Hope you enjoy this bread as much as I did! Are you a streusel-lover too?

Linked to Foodie Friday, Sweets for a Saturday.

A few weeks ago I made some Pumpkin Scones and was so happy with the way they turned out, I decided to try another scone recipe. This time I chose a savory recipe. I was inspired by the delicious savory scones that my local health food store makes. When I saw this recipe for Jalapeno Cheddar Herb Scones, I thought it would be a good one to try. I just made a few small changes and really liked the way these scones turned out! They’re cheesy (with cheddar cheese in the batter and some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top) and very savory, flavored with green onion, finely chopped jalapeno, and sun-dried tomatoes. So I give these scones a “thumbs up!” You can make them for breakfast or serve them at lunch or dinner with soup or chili. If you like savory things, I am very sure you will like these! This recipe makes 8 good-sized scone wedges.

JALAPENO CHEDDAR HERB SCONES (adapted from Buttercream Barbie)

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon dry mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cold and cut into tablespoon-sized slices or thinner
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2/3 cup frozen, fresh, or canned corn
• 1 green onion, finely chopped (chop up both the white onion part and the green stem
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno, no seeds
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 to 3  Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling on top
• Parchment paper, for lining your baking sheet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl. Cut in butter slices until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In small bowl, beat buttermilk with egg. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Toss mixture a few times with a fork to blend, then add in the remaining ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese. Mix until dough sticks together enough to be rolled out or patted down.

On a floured surface, roll or pat down dough to 3/4″ thickness in the shape of a circle (your circle will be about 10″). Cut into 8 wedges. Place scone wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle tops with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown (my baking time was 17 minutes).

These are what the scones look like before you bake them (I forgot to sprinkle the cheese on before I took this picture!)…

These are the scones fresh out of the oven…

Let the scones cool slightly before serving. Makes 8 deliciously savory scones!

If you don’t have Parmesan cheese on hand, try sprinkling with some freshly grated Cheddar cheese.