Spicy Pumpkin Pie Bars

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that my office building was having a pumpkin-dessert contest. Upon entry, I was given my choice of a pumpkin to take home, given that I would bring a dessert to enter on Friday. How could I resist? I LOVE pumpkin. I have to thank Katie for that, for her passionate love for Theno's Pumpkin Ice Cream, and our many trips out there during high school.

I set to work to find a recipe suitable for the occasion. I have made many pumpkin desserts that I have thoroughly enjoyed, but this event called for something special. Then I remembered my college roommate's recipe for Pumpkin Pie Bars. We served them at our Halloween party Junior year. And they were delicious. I found the recipe and made a few variations, and this is what I came up with. Add the chili powder and ginger to your taste, the amounts listed are only what I preferred.

Spicy Pumpkin Pie Bars

1 1/2 C flour
1 C finely chopped pecans
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
2 t freshly ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 C butter, room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1/2 t freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine flour, pecans, sugars and one teaspoon cinnamon. Add butter and mix until consistency of crumbs. Reserve 1 1/4 cups of mixture. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper. Press remaining mixture into bottom of pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, remaining cinnamon and spices. Mix well. Adjust spices to taste. Pour evenly over crust.

Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture. Bake 30 minutes, or until set. Let cool for 10 minutes, serve warm. Mmmmmmmmm.

A Cake for Incredible Friends

Very rarely are people blessed with the kind of friends I am honored to have. I must say, I am a horrible long-distance friend. I do not return calls, I rarely return emails, and I am incredibly poor at initiating contact at all. That said, it amazes me that people make any effort to keep in touch with me at all. It is not that I do not think of my friends whom I do not get to see, but only that I find it extremely difficult to sit down, and write or call them. It follows along the lines of my journal. And, seeing how this blog is my attempt to change my journaling habits, I also feel the desire to change my correspondence habits.

Today is a great day to call those friends you haven't talked to in so long, all those mornings you've been thinking "Oh! I need to call Karen!" or "I miss talking to Brendan". Invite them over for coffee, and welcome them in with this wonderful Sour Cream Coffee Cake. It is a perfect opportunity to thank those friends who have always meant so much, and because they are so wonderful and forgiving, never get angry with you for being so poor at keeping in touch.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Streusel:
1/4 C sugar
3 T dark brown sugar
1/2 C butter
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. ground cinnamon

Cake:
2 C flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
2 t. freshly grated cinnamon
Generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 C sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 C sour cream
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter, and dust with flour, a 9 x 13 pan.

Using a fork, mix the ingredients for the streusal until they are well combined and reach a crumbly consistency. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.

Beat together remaining 3/4 cup butter and remaining cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in sour cream and vanilla until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mix until just combined.

Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture evenly in bottom of pan. Spoon batter over streusel and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle remaining streusel over the batter. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until fork inserted into middle of cake comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan for one hour. Run a knife around the edges and invert onto cooling rack.


Serve warm with coffee and enjoy those long hours of catching up with an old friend.

Peanut Butter Biscuits for Marsh

Marshall is the best dog in the world. I know that everyone claims that about their dog, but Marsh really is. He is such a joy in my life; and with Halloween right around the corner, treats are on my mind. This Halloween, my treats are for the dog! So Marsh, here's to you. Trick or treat. Actually, Trick and then Treat!

Peanut Butter Biscuits for Marsh

1 1/2 c Whole wheat flour
1/2 c Soy Flour
1 T Baking powder
1 c Peanut butter (Marsh prefers crunchy)
3/4 c Milk

Preheat oven to 400. Whisk together flours and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix peanut butter and milk until smooth. Fold peanut butter mixture into flour mixture and mix well until it forms a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut using bone-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1/2 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.

For glossy treats, brush with egg white before baking.

Store treats in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Frozen, they keep up to 3 months.

Rainy Day Pumpkin Soup

I am a Seattle girl. I crave clouds and trees and clean air every moment I am awake. I know that Los Angeles is an incredible place, but my heart is not here. And yet, as Autumn is finally approaching L.A., I find myself growing more content. The past few days have been my happiest in L.A. in quite some time. Why? The rain. The clouds. The sudden [temporary] lack of smog. For a few days I am able to enjoy Seattle in Los Angeles. Well, at least a little bit. Have you ever noticed that you crave soup on rainy days? Perhaps it is just me, but that is all I have wanted for the last 48 hours. Yesterday it was Chicken Noodle; today Butternut Squash. With the abundance of winter gourds available, it is the perfect time to satisfy that craving. I promised my grandma that I would give her my Pumpkin Soup recipe. So here you go, Grandma Bah; I'm sorry I can't be there to make it for you.

Rainy Day Pumpkin Soup

2 Small Pumpkins (approximately 1-2lb each, I use Sugar pumpkins--or you can use 1 can pureed pumpkin)
1 C diced onion
1 C thinly sliced onion
1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 C chicken stock
1 1/2 C water
Crumbled blue cheese

Slice one pumpkin in half and place, cut sides down, on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees, 35 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Scrape the pulp out of the pumpkin halves and reserve pulp.

Cut top off of second pumpkin, scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Discard, or reserve seeds for toasting if desired. Set aside.

Over low heat, cook onion and butter until onion is tender. Add pumpkin pulp, chicken stock and water, simmer 20 minutes.

Puree in blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste, and water to thin, if necessary.

Top with crumbled blue cheese. Serve in carved out pumpkin.

Serves 4-6

Mom's Hot Spiced Mulled Wine

I spent this last weekend in Seattle for my sister's baby shower. It rained the entire time and was absolutely gorgeous. They were those days when you want to curl up with a warm blanket, a good friend, and something hot to sip. The following is a recipe for my mom's famous hot spiced mulled wine; it brings memories of the leaves turning their brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows, and the beautiful, brisk Fall days in Seattle.

Hot Spiced Mulled Wine

3 c boiling water
1 c sugar
1 lemon sliced
6 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
½ gallon hearty burgundy wine
Nutmeg
1 orange sliced for garnish (optional)

Boil together first 5 ingredients. Add burgundy. Sprinkle with nutmeg, simmer at least 20 minutes. Add orange slices before serving.

(We have tried many and have discovered that the cheaper the burgundy wine, the better this recipe turns out. I strongly suggest the Carlos Rossi burgundy wine)

Happy Autumn, Mom and Baby Joseph!

Mint plants on the windowsill

It's amazing how gardening feeds the soul. Two weeks ago I planted some mint seeds in some flower pots on my kitchen windowsill. This morning my mint began to sprout. Not only did they sprout, but they all lean in unison towards the window. The beauty of those little green leaves basking in the morning sun made my heart happy. Soon I will have plants full of mint leaves waiting to be made into mojitos for my friends. Or mint tea for a rainy day, when the steaming mug will bring you back to those warm sunny days with the slight cool breeze.

Try this ridiculously easy recipe for homemade mint tea:

Mint Tea

1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
2 cups boiling water

Place mint leaves in a small teapot, pour in boiling water. Cover and let steep 5 minutes.

Pour through sieve into mugs. Enjoy!

Serves 2

Or add a sprig of mint to your glass of water at work!

An intro to La Vita Bella

This is my first entry. My hope for this sight is that I can share some of the joy and passion that I have discovered recently. After graduating from college, life seems to take a strange turn (or series of turns). One is not supposed to simply find a job, but also to immediately grow up, become an adult, and become financially stable. However, amidst my attempts to achieve the following, I found a side of myself I barely knew existed: a domestic creativity. As an economics major who always thought I would become some financial planner or actuary, I daily find myself desiring the simpler things in life. Ok, so Martha Stewart made all of this popular. She also made it commercial. I don't want to buy the $16 jar of marmalade which supposedly reflects a simpler life. I want to make that marmalade! That is what the simpler life is! It is not something you can buy in a specialty shop. It is something you can discover daily. You don't have to be wealthy to discover la vita bella! You don't have to live on acreage, either! Simply take a little time each day to do the things you love.