31 for 21: Pumpkin Sweets Recipe Round-Up

Hello, Fall! I know you got here on September 22, but I'm just getting up to date on things. I mean like, I just got a Facebook account. And I just started blogging on a regular basis again. I'm glad for 31 for 21, because it makes it so that I HAVE to blog everyday.

So to jump start the fall baking goodness, here are my favorite pumpkin recipes - and they're sweet ones, of course, 'cause that's how I roll. Hey, sugar is fun to play with! (and eat, unless you're like me and and don't eat it anyway . . . I make it for my family, including that sweet little boy I told you about a couple days ago. He has food allergies, so I make treats for him.)

Pumpkin Bread is a classic. This is a very good family recipe, moist and sweet. Let me tell you, tho, this recipe doesn't make pretty looking bread, but that doesn't matter really. I all goes the same way, right?
Pumpkin Buckle has some funky layer things going on here, but it bakes up to a hit with the family. It's a custard-like thing.
Pumpkin Butter would be good on pumpkin bread, or if you want just eat it with a spoon! Hey, guess what? It's a crockpot (slow cooker) recipe! Can't be much easier than that! Don't let any of that pumpkin go to waste.
Pumpkin Carrot Spice Muffins with Orange Glaze were some nice muffins. They turned out fluffy and stayed together even though they're made with mostly oat flour.
Pumpkin Impossible Pie is a crustless pie, that's what "impossible" means here. Whatcha do is add some flour to the pie batter, and bake to perfection! For that crunch, just add some nuts to the top.

Pumpkin Marshmallows are fluffy, sweet and spicy while being free of eggs, corn syrup and other allergens. Good for hot cocoa, toasting and fun!

Pumpkin Pudding for some spicy, thick and creamy goodness. Eat it warm or cold, in a bowl or a pie shell, for breakfast or dessert - your choice!
PumpkinSnap Cookies is what happened when I crossed gingersnaps and pumpkin. Crispy, crunchy, snappy bottom-of-a-glass spice cookies. These are not the typical soft pumpkin cookies.
Pumpkin Spice Fudge was nice and smooth. That's one you probably haven't hear of, huh? I probably should re-do that recipe, though, to see if I could eliminate the corn syrup.

Remember these recipes when the pumpkin goes on sale! All 9 of them - bread, buckle, butter, muffins, pie, marshmallows, pudding, cookies and fudge - have real pumpkin in them.

Alrighty, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope fall baking and creating is a success for you!

~ Hanunyah

31 for 21 is a blog challenge to raise Down Syndrome awareness 1 blog at a time. The challenge is to blog everyday the whole month of October (31 days) to raise awareness for Down Syndrome (aka Trisomy 21). This is the 6th Annual 31 for 31 Challenge.

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Unwasted Homemaking @ Don't Waste Your Homemaking
Tempt My Tummy @ Blessed With Grace
Wheat-Free Wednesdays @ Anne-Marie Cain
Allergy-Free Wednesdays @ The Tasty Alternative & 6 other blogs
Gluten Free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mamma

Jell-O Poke Cake

Pictured is a strawberry poke cake with a thin layer of orange frosting.

For a very flavorful, fruity, moist cake, scroll down for a simple and easy recipe. So very flavorful and moist, this was part of the sweet explosion that I made for my sister's birthday recently.

Jell-O Poke Cake (Gluten, Dairy-free)
Adapted from Cooks.com

1 9x13 inch GF cake, cooled for 20 minutes*
1 3-oz pkg. fruit flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
frosting or safe whipped topping

1. Prepare the gelatin according to package directions, except using 1 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup cold water.

2. Poke holes with a fork in the cake that has been cooled for about 20 minutes. Pour gelatin mixture over the cake and into the holes. Spread with frosting or topping.

Notes:
*For a simple cake recipe, go here or here. Both of the recipes turn out good, but I'll have to experiment with both of them to see which one is better.


~ Hanunyah

Linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Yesterday was my younger sister's birthday. I baked all day and made 3 dozen vanilla cupcakes, a strawberry jello poke cake and orange cooked frosting (triple recipe). For the cake and cupcakes, I doubled this recipe. I also added a few chocolate chips to the cupcakes and cake.

Of course, the funnest part was decorating the cupcakes. We had got a frosting dispenser from somewhere, and I just put it in the cupboard and forgot about it until yesterday. So, I pulled it out and figured it out - it turned out to be very easy to use and clean - it worked great! There are several tips with it, too.

So, here are the pictures ~ I thought they turned out pretty good for my first time try using this deal ;).

This is what happens when different colors meet ;).

Rainbow!

And lastly, the poke cake - very yummy and moist! (I'll post the recipe soon, Lord willing).

Love ya, sis!


~ Hanunyah


Link Parties:
Take-a-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts


Sugar and Spice at seven thirty three











Food on Friday @ Carole's Chatter

Basic, Simple Marshmallows

Homemade mini marshmallows ready to dress up rocky road bars ;) (come back in a day or so!!).

When we learned about our allergies, we realized how simple things can be. These marshmallows are an example. Made with 3 main ingredients, they are much simpler and easier without the corn syrup and preservatives found in most (if not all) marshmallows found in the store.

Plain marshmallows with cranberry marshmallows in the background.

Most people are amazed that marshmallows are very easy to make and only require 3 ingredients (besides the dusting mixture to make them not too sticky).

Why don't you guess what 3 ingredients? I told a friend the other day.
Since marshmallows are white and fluffy, someone said egg whites. Some recipes do call for egg whites, but they are not needed.
Milk? No. Keep guessing.
Sugar? Of course (I know you can make marshmallows without sugar, but that's something else).
Water? Yes.
And gelatin. That one was hard for them to guess. It makes sense, though . . . marshmallows are like fluffy, white jell-o, kind of. That can be toasted over a campfire . . . for a sticky, goo-ey, sweet mess.

Now that's the marshmallow I'm talking about here. But they're better than the store-bought variety (taste-wise). One of my taste-testers (one of my sisters) said that they taste more "real" than store-bought - not fake, but good, homemade candy. Made with real sugar. Not that liquid that some now call "corn sugar".

Basic, Simple Marshmallows (Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Egg, Gum-free)
Adapted from Pumpkin Marshmallows

3 (.25 ounce) unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cold water, divided
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup corn-free powdered sugar

1. Uniformly grease a 9x13 inch pan. Pour the 1/2 cup cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatin on top; set aside for 8 to 10 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.

3. Attach the mixing bowl to the stand mixer with the wire whip attachment and start the mixer on low speed. Carefully and slowly pour the boiling sugar syrup in a steady stream over the gelatin mixture. Increase the mixer to medium-high speed and mix until very thick, shiny, and white in color, about 5 to 12 minutes. When done, the mixture should form a more-or-less continuous ribbon off the spatula into the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally using a rubber spatula.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan in an even depth. Let the mixture set at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight.

5. Sift the cornstarch and confectioners' sugar into a pie plate or shallow bowl. When the marshmallows have set, turn them onto a work surface and cut them into squares or shapes as desired. You may make several cups worth of mini marshmallows for recipes, or bigger marshmallows for toasting, s'mores, make shapes matching the occasion, etc. Roll each marshmallow in the sugar mixture to coat all sides. Marshmallows are best served fresh, but they can be stored in an airtight container (unrefrigerated) for about a week or in the freezer for a month. If you store the marshmallows, re-roll them in the cocoa mixture before serving.

~ Hanunyah


Linked to Motivate Me Monday by Keeping it Simple, Made By You Mondays by Skip To My Lou, Shindig Saturday by Kims Kandy Kreations and Weekend Wrap-up by Tatertots and Jello

Lemon-Lime Jello dessert

Lemon-Lime Jello

1 3- oz package lime flavored gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 cup cold water

Mini marshmallows

1 3- oz package lemon flavored gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 cup cold water

1. Prepare lime flavored gelatin according package directions using boiling and then cold water. Pour into a 9x13" pan. Cover the top with mini marshmallows. Chill until firm.

2. Prepare lemon gelatin and pour over lemon marshmallow mixture. Chill until firm.

Note: You may use different flavored gelatin as desired. For July 4th, you could make the first layer red, and the second layer blue - red, white (marshmallows), blue.

I used a pan little bigger than a 9x13

31 for 21 Blog Challenge!