Pumpkin Patch Spice Cake!

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One of my favorite things about the fall are all the colors and smells. The browns and oranges, yellows and reds coupled with the most aromatic, deep, earthy aromas, of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  So rich and real;  you can almost taste them. Which is how I ended up baking a spice cake. The pumpkin patch top came from the fact that they are just plain, old fun!

Pumpkin Patch Spice Cake

•  1 box Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix
• 1 package (3.4 oz) Vanilla instant Pudding Mix
• 1 cup canned Pumpkin
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 cup Water
• 3 large Eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger
• 8 tablespoons Butter, softened
• 3 3/4 cups Confectioner's Sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons Milk
• 2 teaspoons pure Vanilla Extract
• Americolor Brown
• Americolor Leaf Green
• 12-15 Biscoff Cookies
• Pumpkin Candy

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, pumpkin,

vegetable oil, water, eggs, cinnamon and ginger

 in your mixing bowl.

Mix on low for 1 minute, scrape your bowl, 

and then mix on high for 2 minutes.

Pour mix into 10" X 13" pan that has been 

greased and floured.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Let cake cool completely.

Make your buttercream by whipping the butter. 

Add the confectioners sugar and mix on low until the sugar

is well incorporated into the butter. You don't want to be 

covered in powdered sugar!

Not that I would know about that. :)

 Add the milk and the vanilla.  Mix well.

Remove 1 cup of the buttercream, and set aside.

This will be for your vines and leaves.

Add a very small amount of brown color to

 the rest of the buttercream, so it is basically tan.

Mix well.

Frost your cake with the tan frosting.

Place your  biscoff in a plastic bag, and roll it in to 

crumbs with a rolling pin.

Cover the top and the sides of 

your cake with the crushed biscoff..

Here's a tip: If your frosting dries before you get 

the crushed cookies on, spritz the frosting very lightly

with a water bottle, and the cookies will adhere to the frosting.

Place your pumpkin candy in rows, haphazardly like,

so it resembles a pumpkin patch.

Take your 1 cup of buttercream that you set aside earlier,

and color it with the leaf green.

Using a  #2 Wilton tip, make connecting lines of green

frosting to resemble vines.You really can't make a mistake here.

Vines go everywhere and no where!

Do this to each row of pumpkins.

Go through and include some leaves. 

I used a Wilton tip # 352.

Simple to use, and they always come out great. 

I attached some to the top of the pumpkins, some to 

look as if they are coming from beneath the pumpkins, 

and some from the vines.

You can put leaves pretty much anywhere you want.

Now all you have to do is pick out your pumpkins!

Have fun!

Thanks for joining me today!

We are having a great time at the following parties:
Full Plate Thursday

Hope to see you there!

Potato Buns!

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It is Secret Recipe Club day! It is also your lucky day because today you are being given the recipe to the most incredible homemade rolls ever! This month I was assigned the blog, A Tale of One Foodie's Culinary Adventures! This blog is written by Erin, and it is full of wonderful sounding and beautiful looking recipes. I had quite a difficult time deciding what to make until I saw these Potato Buns! I am so glad I made these. They are awesome and easy to make. You will never eat store bought buns again! Try these!

Potato Buns

• 2 cups very warm Water (120-130 degrees)
• 1/4 cup instant Mashed Potato Flakes
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher Salt
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup Butter, softened
• 4 1/2 -6 cups Flour
• 2 tablespoon Instant Yeast

Stir together the water, potato flakes, sugar and salt.

Fast acting yeast works best when the water is 

between 120-130 degrees. It needs to be at the right 

temperature now, because you won't find out it didn't work

until later. By then you have done a lot of work!

Add eggs, butter, and the your yeast mixed 

with 3 cups of flour.

Beat with mixer on high.  

This can be done by hand also.

Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the

dough can be easily kneaded.

Knead well.

I used my dough hook, on the mixer, but you can knead by 

hand if you want.

Place in a greased, covered bowl in the fridge 

to rest for 2 hours or overnight. 

Pinch 2-3  inch balls off the main piece of dough and

form into round roll shapes.

Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Let rise until doubled in size, at least 1 hour.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

The buns are done when

they sound hollow when you tap on them.

Not all mine turned out as pretty as Erin's :(

But they were delish!!

So Pretty!

Thank you Erin for such a great recipe!

I just love making and eating these buns!!

Pinterest Inspired Blog Carnival!

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I don't know anyone who isn't intrigued by Pinterest, at the least and obsessed by pinterest at the most. I mean it is great fun, isn't it? I think so, and I have joined with 7 other bloggers, to host a Pinterest inspired blog hop! Finally, a reason to turn that inspiring idea you found into the real deal. Every other Thursday, we will give you a place to post your pinterest projects for everyone to see! So grab your projects and get posting!! Here is my Pinterest Inspired Project: Candy Corn Butterfinger Pops. These adorable pops are courtesy of Vanessa and her blog Five To Nine. 

Candy Corn Butterfinger Pops

1 pound Candy Corn

16 ounce Creamy Peanut Butter

1 pound Yellow Candy Melts

1/2 pound Orange Candy Melts

1/4 pound White Candy Melts

32 LollipopSticks

Foam block for drying

Melt candy corn in a pan on the stove on very low heat.

The original recipe is written so that you can melt 

all the ingredients in a microwave. I thought this was a great idea!

When I went to put my candy corn in the microwave,

my microwave ran, but did not heat. It broke!

Just like that. I just popped popcorn in it yesterday. 

So..... , I am making this on the stove. :(

It is not as easy, but it works.

Take the melted candy corn off the heat, and 

mix in the peanut butter. Stir together, but don't overmix.

Spread mix in a 8 x 8 pan lined with parchment

or wax paper. Use a small square piece of wax paper

and pat down the top of the candy to make it smooth.

Refrigerate or freeze so it can cool.

Remove the candy, and cut it into 2" wide strips.

Cut each strip into triangles, with a 1" base.

Melt the yellow candy melts according to the 

package directions. Place in a deep cup. 

Dip the stick into the candy melt, and then into the 

bottom of the candy. Allow to dry. You can place in

freezer or refrigerator to speed up the process.

Dip the entire triangle in yellow candy melt.

Place in foam block to dry

Melt the orange candy melts, and dip the pops

2/3 of the way into the melted mix.

Place back in foam block to dry.

Melt the white candy melt, and dip the tips of the candy 

into the white mix. Place back on the foam block to dry.

Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Bites!

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It is getting to be that time of the year that I love~Autumn! I love the cooler weather, the leaves falling, and the smell in the air. Of course, I have to leave home to find it. Fall in the desert is often fleeting. It seems like it takes forever for the cool temps to get here, and when they do, it's only a few weeks before the wind starts howling and it is downright chilly! But, it's still my favorite time of the year, and today I am celebrating with Pumpkin Bites. I have made these so many times, I can't count them all. They were a staple when I was a caterer at a hotel and we fed the visiting college football teams. Regardless of who won the games, these little cookies were always a winner!

Pumpkin Bites!

(adapted from Stephanie @ allrecipes)

1 cup Canned Pumpkin

1 cup White Sugar

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 cups Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Milk

1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugar,

vegetable oil, egg and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, 

cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda.

Stir the pumpkin mix into the dry mix.

Add the milk.

Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Use a teaspoon or a small scoop and place on 

a cookie sheet.  I am crazy for parchment paper, so I use it

always, but it is not necessary.

Bake 8-10 minutes.

These pumpkin bites are good warm 

and at room temperature. 

They are total perfection when served with cold milk!

Thanks for joining me today!

Stop by tomorrow, and participate in a Pinterest Blog Carnival!
Add your Pinterest inspired recipes to the hop, and see what
everyone else has made too!
The carnival will include craft bloggers, frugal bloggers,
and special needs bloggers too!
Something for everyone!
Should be fun!

Mini Apple Pies!

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I love anything apple, so I was excited to see that apple pie was the challenge part of this months Crazy Cooking Challenge I made Mini Apple Pies and they are so cute!
(I think if it's cute, there are no calories!) These are great to make for parties and get togethers.

Mini Apple Pies

(makes 7)

• 3 medium Granny Smith Apples
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 3 teaspoons Flour
• splash Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Crust

• 2 cups Flour
• 2/3 cup Shortening
• 2 teaspoon Sugar
• 2 tablespoon Water

Begin with making your crust. I used a food processor,

but you can also use a fork to mix everything together.

Add all the ingredients, except for the water. Add the water

a tablespoon at a time as needed to obtain a smooth dough.

Roll your dough out on a floured surface.

Roll to approx. 1/4" thick.

Use whatever you have that is about 2 1/2" in diameter.

Cut out the pie bottom pieces. You will need seven.

Place your circle of dough into a muffin tin that has been

sprayed with pan spray. 

Adjust your dough to fit the tin bottom and come

up the sides.

Use a 2" diameter cutter or a pattern to cut 7 tops

for your pie. Set aside while you make your filling.

Peel your 3 apples, and cut away the core.

Slice your apples.

Place your apples in a bowl. Add the sugar, flour, 

lemon juice and cinnamon. Mix well.

This is where I realized that I should have chopped the 

apples. The slices are too big to fit in the shells.

So I went back and sliced the apples in to chunks.

Fill each pie shell with your apple filling mix.

Cover the top of each pie.

Vent each pie by putting a few knife holes in the top

of each one. Melt your butter, and spread some over

each pie. Sprinkle each one with sugar.

Fill any empty muffin cavities with water.

This will help with even baking.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Let sit for 5 minutes, then cool on a baking rack,

or enjoy warm from the oven.

Enjoy!

Thanks for joining me!

We are showing off our stuff at these parties:
Church Supper

Let's see what everyone else made: