…understand one thing…
…you ain’t never gettin’ it back.
Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Chompy!
If You Give a Chomp a Smoothie
Pumpkin Cake Roll
I know that the actual holidays are behind us, but there are still 150 cans of Libby’s Pumpkin in our pantry…or so it seems.
This recipe has been stuck to my recipe “to do” board for weeks now and finally—holidays or no holidays–I just had to make the darn thing. Holy cow–am I glad I did. This cake was incredibly light and fluffy but rolled perfectly into a little log. Please notice how curled the center of the cake is—I’m pretty proud of that thing. And we haven’t even talked about how it tasted. Holy Cow–did I already say that? Sorry. At any rate–it was a wonderful, glorious experience and I was sorely tempted to eat the whole thing myself. In fact, I believe I tried.
Trust me when I say that I’ll be making this one again…and again…and—well, until the 150 cans are gone. You know…
just trying to help.
Pumpkin Cake Roll
Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional confectioners’ sugar, optional
Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and pumpkin, beating on high until sugar is almost dissolved.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gently fold into pumpkin mixture.
Spread into prepared pan.
Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes.
Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
Gently peel off waxed paper.
Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until smooth. Unroll cake; spread filling evenly to within 1/2 in. of edges.
Roll up again. Cover and freeze until firm. May be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired. Yield: 10 servings.
To Cut:
To avoid smashing your roll when cutting it with a knife, slide a piece of string or dental floss under the roll, cross it at the top…
and close the circle through the cake. This will make your cuts clean and smooth.
Ain’t that pretty?
Pumpkin Cake Roll
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- ⅔ cup canned pumpkin
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon-colored.
- Gradually add ½ cup sugar and pumpkin, beating on high until sugar is almost dissolved.
- In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
- Fold into egg yolk mixture.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gently fold into pumpkin mixture. Spread into prepared pan.
- Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
- Cool for 5 minutes.
- Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
- Gently peel off waxed paper.
- Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Unroll cake; spread filling evenly to within ½ in. of edges.
- Roll up again.
- Cover and freeze until firm.
- Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.
Notes
* FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional confectioners' sugar, optional
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Some New Friends…
made their way to our bookshelf this Christmas.
Aren’t books the most incredible gift? I mean, to me, it’s like finding an immediate, soul mate to explore the planet with. The best part is that you have no real idea where you’ll end up with a new one at your side.
“Little Felted Animals” is going to teach me how to make–ahhh—well, little felted animals. Doesn’t that kitten look positively real? I’ve always wanted to try felting. I don’t even really know what it is–but I’m going to learn. My creatures may end up looking more like SpongeBob than animals, but I’m excited to give it a try. If it ends up really scary–well, then–we’ll have some new crafts for Halloween. har har.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Here we have “Celebrating Cookies.” Now I ask you…who can resist a title like that? The best part about this book is that each recipe has a full page photo of the cookie–like the cover–so you know way before you start if it’s something you want to eat. Pretty sure, if it’s a cookie in any form, I want to eat it. But I still like to have a picture first. Good things coming from this place soon. Mmmmm….
The Bald Kid and April’s Jacob both got a large package of Paracord (really strong, kinda pretty rope) for Christmas to make some survival gear with. When I saw all the colors that this stuff came in, my creative juices started flowing and before I knew it, I’d–ahem–accidentally pushed the Amazon 1-click button and had to give “Decorative Knots” to myself for Christmas. It looks fun and has projects in it that–again–I’m quite certain you’ll see in the next few weeks.
But before I can get too carried away with my new treasures, I’ve got to get better acquainted with an old, dear friend. Remember our family book club? Well, it’s still going along nicely–with the exception of the slow poke, that everyone has to wait for. I love to read– really I do. But the problem is, I’m usually in the middle of about 8 books at one time and so it is…slow going. But this one, along with “Simple Abundance” that a few of us are reading again this year–are just the motivation I need to get all my little duckies lined up and heading in the right direction.
After all, any journey is better when walking with a friend.
What about you? Did you get any “literary companions” for Christmas this year?
If you’re curious about the “Simple Abundance” adventure–grab a copy here and read with us.
Who knows?
Maybe our dreams are about to come true…
The Queen’s Magical Fabric
Long, long ago—so long ago, in fact, that the queen of the whole world’s children actually were children—there was discovered a beautiful, magical piece of fabric.
This fabric was a perfect purple, blue and pink paisley, fuzzy, velor.
It was also discovered that the mystical fabric had a perfectly divine purpose and would be just the thing for making three lovely dressing gowns for the queen’s three incredibly cool daughters.
However, there was trouble in the kingdom that season and the queen became preoccupied with many, many mundane tasks. Therefore the 3 dressing gowns for the 3 princesses didn’t actually happen.
It turned out to be a good thing because as the princesses grew, one day they unanimously declared that the beautiful, perfect, purple, blue, and pink paisley fuzzy velor was in reality NOT beautiful. It was “dreadful, horrible, snakey” fabric.
Some say the word “hideous” was even gently tossed about that day.
Well, it’s a good thing the queen didn’t make those dressing gowns for her incredibly cool daughters out of that incredibly NOT cool fabric or certainly all would have been lost, and despair would have swallowed up the kingdom. The horrid fabric was sent to the cold and damp dungeon, to never be heard of again.
Phew.
That was close.
Several generations later, after much banishing, crown shifting and dragon slaying…
the queen was still in charge of the whole world, but the kingdom had new heirs to the thrown.
By royal decree, the dreaded fabric was searched out and found. To the delight of all…
it was miraculously beautiful once more.
Just perfect in fact…
for a playful romp through the castle halls…
a quiet chat in the upper chambers…
or even a quick ride around the grounds.
The magical fabric was wholeheartedly embraced and invited to stay.
He agreed.
At last, balance, harmony and good will were restored to the kingdom.
Next order of business…
Joy, love, rock and roll, and of course—
world peace.
News at 10.
Welcome…
January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons. Come, let winter weave her wondrous spell: cold, crisp, woolen-muffler days, long dark evenings of savory suppers, lively conversations, or solitary joys. Outside the temperature drops as the snow falls softly. All of nature is at peace. We should be too. Draw hearthside. This is the month to dream, to look forward to the year ahead and the journey within.
Sarah Ban Breathnach