renee's chocolate orange bread pudding

a fun twist on an old favorite!!

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

4 large eggs
4 cups day-old french bread, crust removed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liqueur
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 6-cup (9 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/4 inch) loaf pan with the butter. Whisk the eggs, sugar , cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, melted chocolate, and Grand Marnier together in a large mixing bowl until very smooth. Add the half-and-half and mix well. Add the bread and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the unmelted chocolate chips. Pour the remaining bread mixture over the chocolate chips. Bake until the pudding is set in the center, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. To serve, cut the pudding into 1-inch-thick slices. Top with the spiced cream.

Spiced Cream

1 quart heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp all spice
1 tablespoon fresh grated orange peel

Beat the cream with an electric mixer on high speed in a large mixing bowl for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and beat again until the mixture thickens and forms stiff peaks (about 1 - 2 minutes), fold in grated orange peel.

pumpkin upside-downcake with spiced cream

3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounce evaporated milk
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Spiced Cream (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with wax paper and set aside.

In a large bowl beat the eggs until slightly thickened and lemon colored. Add the sugars, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well, then gently stir in the evaporated milk. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle the cake mix over the top. Sprinkle with the pecans and pour the butter evenly over the entire pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cake layer comes clean with a wooden pick and bounces back when gently pressed. Cool thoroughly. Remove from the pan and place on a serving dish.

Serve with the Spiced Cream on the side, or frost with chilled Spiced Cream.

Spiced Cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp all spice

Whip the cream until light and fluffy. Fold in the all spice. Chill.

cranberry pecan bars

Nothing says it holiday season like cranberries!!

Dough:
1 C. flour
2 t. sugar
1/4 C. butter, cut into pieces
2 T. water
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Filling:
1/3 C. whipping cream
1/2 C. light brown sugar
2 T. honey
3/4 C. dried cranberries
1 C. finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside. Combine flour, sugar and butter in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add water and vanilla; pulse again. Press dough into prepared pan and freeze for 15 minutes. Bake dough for 15 minutes, until golden.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine whipping cream, brown sugar and honey. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in cranberries and chopped pecans. Spoon filling over crust, spreading evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Cut into squares.

egg nog fudge

3.5 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1.25 cups egg nog
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, eggnog, salt, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Insert a candy thermometer and continue to cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 240 degrees. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Allow the candy to sit and cool at room temperature until it is lukewarm, about 45 minutes. Once the candy is barely warm to the touch, place it in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Candy can be beaten by hand or with a hand-held mixer, but the process will take two or three times as long). Beat the candy until the fudge becomes thick and creamy and loses its shine. Do not overbeat, or the fudge will be grainy. Pour and scrape the fudge into the prepared pan, and smooth it into an even layer. Allow the fudge to set at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Once set, cut it into small squares and serve at room temperature. Store remaining fudge in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to a week, or refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.

grandpa's favorite candy corn fudge

Candy Corn is a favorite around the Cundick house, so how can you make it better....make it into FUDGE!!!

1 12 oz pkg of white vanilla chips, melted
2 16 oz pkg creamy supreme vanilla frosting
1 10 oz pkg butterscotch chips, melted (1 3/4 cup)
Yellow Food Color
Red Food Color
48 Candy Corn

Line 13x9 pan with foil; butter foil. IN large bowl combine melted vanilla chips and 1 can of frosting and mix well. Spread 1/3 of mixture in buttered foil lined pan.

In another large bowl, combine melted butterscotch chips and second can of frosting; mix well. Add 1/2 tsp yellow and 1/2 tsp red food color; stir until mixture is orange and well blended. Spread orange mixture over white layer in pan.

If remaining 2/3 of white mixture has set up, heat in micro until melted and smooth; stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 tsp yellow food color and stir until mixture is a bright yellow and well blended. Spread over orange layer in pan. Refrigerate 1 hour until firm. Use foil to lift fudge from pan. Turn white side up and peel off foil. Cut into 48 pieces. Press 1 candy corn in center of each piece. Store in refrigerator.

chocolate-orange layer cake

This is heavenly and fun to make in the fall!

1 1/2 pkg. (8oz each) cream cheese softened

6 Tbsp. butter softened

6 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. orange zest

12 drops orange food coloring

2 baked chocolate layers (8 inch) cooled

3 squares BAKERS semi-sweet baking chocolate

1/2 of 80z tub of cool whip whipping topping (do not thaw)

Beat first 5 ingredients with mixer until will blended. Cut each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Stack on plate, spreading 3/4 cup of frosting between each layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. Microwave chocolate and cool whip on high for 2 minutes or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Cool 15 minutes and then spread over the top of cake, allowing the excess to drizzle down the sides. keep refrigerated.

renee's perfect homemade pumpkin pie

Nothing is better than a perfect homemade pumpkin pie!!!

a pie pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
one half teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
one half teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
3 cups cooked pumpkin
1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk

Choosing your pie pumpkin...
"Pie pumpkins" are smaller, sweeter, less grainy textured pumpkins than the usual jack-o-lantern types. Grocery stores usually carry them in late September through December in the U.S. In some parts of the country, they are also called sugar pumpkins. Note: the Libby's can of cooked pumpkin is just there for reference - it is the small can, so that gives you an idea of the size of a typical pie pumpkin. They're only about 6 to 8 inches in diameter (about 20 to 24 inches in circumference). Look for a pumpkin that is firm, no bruises or soft spots, and a good orange color. One 6" pie pumpkin usually makes one 10 inch deep dish pie and a bit extra; or two 9 inch shallow pies!

Preparing your pumpkin...
Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap. Cut the pumpkin in half. A serrated knife and a sawing motion works best. Scrape out the insides. You want to get out that stringy stuff that coats the inside surface. I find a heavy ice cream scoop works great for this.
Note: SAVE THE SEEDS: The seeds can be used either to plant pumpkins next year, or roasted to eat this year! Place them in a bowl of water and rub them between your hands. then pick out the orange buts (throw that away) and drain off the water. Spread them out on a clean towel or paper towel to dry and they're ready to save for next year's planting or roast. Click here for roasting instructions :)

There are several ways to cook the pumpkin; just choose use your preferred method. Most people have microwaves and a stove, so I'll describe both of those methods here. But others make good arguments in favor of using a pressure cooker or baking in the oven.

Microwave...remove the stem, put pumpkin in a microwaveable bowl and put the pumpkin into a microwaveable. You may need to cut the pumpkin further to make it fit. The fewer the number of pieces, the easier it will to scoop out the cooked pumpkin afterwards. Put a couple of inches of water in the bowl, cover it, and put in the microwave.
Steam on the stove top...it takes about the same length of time in a steamer (20 to 30 minutes). I use a double pot steamer, but you could use an ordinary large pot with a steamer basket inside it.
Cook your pumpkin until it is soft. Either way, cook for 15 minutes on high, check to see if it is soft, then repeat in smaller increments of time until it is soft enough to scoop the innards out. Normally it takes 20 or 30 minutes in total.

Scoop out the cooked pumpkin...Whether you cook the pumpkin on the stove, microwave, or even the oven, once it is cooked until it is soft, it is easy to scoop out the guts with a broad, smooth spoon, (such as a tablespoon). Use the spoon to gently lift and scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the skin. It should separate easily an in fairly large chucks, if the pumpkin is cooked enough.
Puree the pumpkin...To get a nice, smooth consistency, I use a hand mixer. By blending it, you give the pie a smooth, satiny texture; rather than the rough graininess that is typical of cooked squashes. With the hand mixer, it just takes 2 or 3 minutes!
Make the pie crust...click here for perfect pie crust!
It is also time to start preheating the oven to 425 F
make your filling...
1 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
one half teaspoon ground ginger
one half teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin
1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk

Mix well using a hand blender or mixer. Pour into the pie crust. I like a deep, full pie, so I fill it right up to about one quarter to one half inch from the very top. Don't panic if your filling is very runny! It may start as a soupy liquid, but it will firm up nicely in the oven!
Bake at 425F for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 Fand bake another 45 to 60 minutes, until a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy...Warm or chilled, with whipped cream , ice cream or nothing at all - it's great!

mary lynn's pumpkin muffins

This is one of my favorite things grandma Olson makes when we are in town.

These are great year round!

1 1/4 c. oatmeal

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. oil

1 c. canned pumpkin

1/4 c. milk

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients (first seven). Add wet ingredients (next six), stirring just until moistened. Heat oven to 400 F. Grease 18 muffin cups or use cupcake papers in them. Fill with batter. Top with streusel. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Streusel Topping-mix until crumbly

1/4 c. oatmeal

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. softened margarine

I also have the recipe for a large batch if anyone wants it leave a comment.

michelle's ooey gooey rice krispy treats

1 10 oz bag of marshmallows
7-8 cups of Rice Krispy cereal. (7 cups for really gooey treat squares)
1/2 a stick of butter

First gather all of your measured out ingredients. The process is quick, so you must have all of your ingredients ready. Make sure your grease your pan first, so once you are finished mixing the ingredients you can pour warm mixture onto cookie sheets or pan.

Start by melting your butter or margarine into a large pot on low heat. Allow to mostly melt down. Add 1 10 oz bag of marshmallows to pot when butter is mostly melted. Mix the butter and marshmallows. Coat all of the marshmallows with the butter. Let the marshmallow melt slowly, but NOT completely. The melted marshmallow and butter should still have marshmallow lumps.
When marshmallows are mostly melted, turn off stove and immediately add 7-8 cups of Rice Krispy cereal. (7 cups for really gooey treat squares). Mix cereal into melted marshmallows. Mix from the bottom up, evenly coating the cereal with the marshmallows. Quickly pour onto greased cookie sheet. Spread out the mixture onto the cookie sheet evenly. DO NOT PRESS DOWN. Pressing down the mixture will result in hard square treats.

Allow to cool for an hour before cutting squares. The squares will stay soft and gooey for several days. Store in greased tupperware for freshness.

pumpkin pizza

This will quickly become a fall favorite in your house!!

Crust
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
some chopped nuts, pecans are good, (you can even use candies nuts) for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla; mix until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture to the buter mixture and blend well on low speed. Remove and knead briefly into a smooth ball. Place the dough on a pizza pan and pat out gently to the edges. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is golden brown on the edges. Let cool before topping.

Cheese Layer
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
12 oz. package of whipped topping, divided—save 4 oz. for topping

Unwrap cream cheese, place in microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Mix sugar and vanilla into cheese. Fold in about 2/3 of the whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to assemble pizza.

Sauce (Pumpkin) Layer
1 cup cold milk
2 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2cup sugar
16 oz. can pumpkin
2 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk pudding into milk. Mixture will be very thick. Stir in pumpkin, sugar and cinnamon. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Assembling Pizza
Spread cheese layer over the prepared crust. Top with the pumpkin mixture. Then spread the remaining 4 oz. of whipped topping on top. If desired, sprinkle a few chopped nuts over the top.

Donovan's Rainbow Cupcakes

I also made this cupcake stand from scratch!!!

I made these for my son Donovan's 1st birthday party and they turned out phenomenal!

Colorburst Cupcakes

1 white cake mix

2 eggs

1 C sour cream

1 C milk

1/3 C vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes. Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color. Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity. I used approx 1-2 tsp. and they were very bright! You could easily make pastel rainbows using a little less.

To get a layered stripe like I used, you'll want to put a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won't spread on it's own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you're working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn't stick to your fingers. Another tip is to use a measuring spoon and some water to measure out how many teaspoons/tablespoons are going to fit in your cupcake. Then divide that by how many colors you have so you know how much of each color to use for each cupcake. For my 5 colors, it worked out perfectly with 2 t of each color in each cupcake. So I put in 2 t of blue in the bottom of each cupcake and spread it out with my finger. Then I put in 2 t of green on top of that, then yellow, etc. Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry.

Check these babies out! True crazy colors. I love how you can see the rainbow through the papers. If you want blue on top, just reverse the order (duh, right?)

A double batch made enough to put crazy high tops like this on all 24 cupcakes.

This is the frosting I used, here. The recipe is from a bakery in New York City. I thought it was amazing!

pumpkin-eggnog cheesecake

20 gingersnaps
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick), melted
4 large eggs, separated
1 16-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie mix)
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup prepared eggnog
1 tablespoon cornstarch
walnuts for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9" by 3" springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. In food processor with knife blade attached, blend gingersnaps, walnuts, and 1/4 cup sugar until finely ground; stir in margarine or butter. Press mixture onto bottom and 2 1/2 inches up side of springform pan; set aside. In small bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in 3/4 cup sugar until soft peaks form; set aside. In large bowl, with same beaters and with mixer at medium speed, beat egg yolks, pumpkin, cream cheese, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg until well blended. Fold egg-white mixture into cream-cheese mixture; pour into springform pan. Bake 1 hour or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge of cheesecake comes out clean. Cool cheesecake in pan on wire rack.

In small saucepan, mix eggnog, cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Over medium heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Let stand 10 minutes to cool slightly. Remove side of springform pan from cheesecake; spread eggnog mixture over cheesecake. Garnish with walnuts. Refrigerate cheesecake at least 4 hours or until well chilled. ENJOY!!

pumpkin creme brulee

My FAVORITE fall dessert!!

3 c heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla or rum
6 egg yolks
6 Tb superfine sugar
3/4 c finely pureed cooked pumpkin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 c brown sugar

Scald cream and vanilla or rum.

Beat egg yolks and superfine sugar until lightly colored and thick; beat in pumpkin, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly whisk in the hot cream. Pour into a 6-cup or an 8x8-inch refrigerator-to-oven dish. Place into a baking pan, and pour boiling water halfway up the sides of the dish.

Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 45-60 min, until the custard is set (time depends upon the height of the baking dish). Chill for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat broiler, and place an oven rack 8-10 inches below it.

Sieve the brown sugar and sprinkle it evenly over the custard. Place dish in a large pan, and surround it with ice cubes. Place on the broiler rack, and, watching carefully, let the brown sugar heat until it just begins to bubble, brown and melt.

Remove from the broiler; cool for 10 min. ENJOY!!

olson's old fashioned chocolate sauce

1 c. butter

12 oz. package of semisweet chips (2 cups)

4 c. powdered sugar

2 cans evaporated milk

2 tbsp. vanilla

Melt butter and chips in large saucepan. Add sugar and milk. Stir and bring to a boil. Boil 8 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

cinnamon pecans or almonds

What could be better than the smell of roasted almonds in the fall?

1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
3 c. pecans or almonds
2 T. water
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients. Place over medium heat, stirring until all sugar is dissolved. Add nuts and continue to cook until nuts are completely sugared with no syrup left in the saucepan. Spread on wax paper and let cool.

easy trifle bowl dessert

I made this on Saturday for a barbecue and it was a big hit!

trifle bowl -If you don't have one use a meduim sized glass bowl or a small punch bowl.

1 brownie mix, baked and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 lg. chocolate pudding mix, made

1-2 c. whipping cream

fruit -I like to use a mix of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Kiwi also works great! You really can't go wrong with this recipe, you can use just about any fruit.

Add a layer of your baked and cooled brownies, use about half or a third depending on how many layers you want. Carefully, smother the tops of the brownies with your already made chocolate pudding (make sure to smother the layers as evenly as possible). Add your first layer of fruit. Now add the whipping cream, and repeat. You can mix up the order of the layers if you want. Most of the time, I just use a small amount of whipping cream on the top.

Serves 8-10

For my small family of three I only fill it up half way. I use a small pudding package and half the brownies from the batch.

Enjoy!!!!

renee's fabulous peach crockpot cake

Is there anything better than peaches....
...yes an easy and wonderful dessert!

2 cups sliced peaches fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 package of a 2-layer size white cake mix
4 tablespoons melted butter

Lightly grease the crockpot; place peaches in the bottom. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss. Drizzle with vanilla and sprinkle brown sugar over all. Sprinkle with cinnamon then cake mix. Drizzle melted butter evenly over cake mix. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream :)

fruit pizza

A fun twist on a old favorite that your whole family will LOVE!!!

1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups assorted fresh fruit such as strawberries, peaches, bananas, kiwi, blueberries, etc (any fruit really)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place dough on round baking stone and cook 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. For topping, combine cream cheese and sugar and spread over cookie dough, then start placing on the fruit.

renee's rice pudding

Nothing says fall like rice pudding....true "fall" comfort food!!

1/2 cup long grain rice
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 small can evaporated milk
regular milk
cinnamon

Place rice in saucepan, add salt. Cover with water; cook covered on low for 20 minutes; stirring occasionally. Test rice to be sure it is done, then set aside. DO NOT DRAIN RICE. In a casserole, place egg, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Beat all together. Pour small can of the evaporated milk into a cup, add enough regular milk to make 1 cup total. Then add 1-3/4 cups additional milk to the casserole. Add rice last. Stir all slightly. Sprinkle top with cinnamon. Bake at 325º for 40 minutes. Pudding will look somewhat rummy, but will thicken as it cools. I like to serve it with a spoon full of whipped cream...YUMMY!!!

jellin' melon dessert

They call it Mellow Jell-O...

quite rightly!

Cut two melons (like honeydew or cantaloupe) in half and scoop out the seeds. Place halves in bowls for support, then, using your favorite flavor of jell-O, follow the package directions for jigglers and pour into melon halves. Refrigerate a few hours until set.

Cut into slices and watch your kids scarf them down!