SPICED PUMPKIN BUNDT CAKE—ChocolateChocolateandmore.com
CAKE INGREDIENTS:
3 c. cake flour
1 T. baking powder
¾ t. baking soda
¾ t. salt
1 t. ground ginger (may add up to 2 t. if like it spicier)
2 t. ground cinnamon
¾ t. ground nutmeg
¾ c. butter, softened
1-3/4 c. brown sugar
3 large eggs
¾ c. buttermilk
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
Powdered sugar for garnish
METHOD: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 11-cup Bundt pan or other tube pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy on medium speed. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternating between flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour, add in both, mixing well after each addition. Mix in pumpkin. Spoon batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 50-55 min. Test for doneness using a toothpick. Let cake rest on a cooling rack in pan for 30 min. before turning out onto rack to cool completely. Garnish with powdered sugar if desired.
SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE—chow.com
INGREDIENTS:
6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 c. heavy cream
2 T. light corn syrup
¼ t. fine salt
Kosher salt and pumpkin pie spice for garnish
METHOD: Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sugar, cream, and corn syrup; stir until the mixture is smooth; bring to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened about 3-4 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 220 degrees. Remove from heat; stir in salt. Set aside to cool slightly. Pour over individual servings of Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake. If desired, sprinkle Kosher salt and/or pumpkin pie spice over caramel-topped cake slice.

Lavon and Miss NiNi talk about the uses for Pumpkins.

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Lavon and Miss NiNi talk about cookbooks.

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Lavon and Miss NiNi talk about muffins and share a muffin recipe.

SNICKERING ALMOND MUFFINS
SUGARED ALMONDS: (Optional for this recipe but gives muffins a nice crunch.)
½ c. sliced almonds
1/3 c. granulated sugar or coconut sugar
MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:
2 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. coconut sugar
¼ c. light brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
¾ t. ground cinnamon
¼ t. salt
½ c. (1 stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs
¾ c. milk
½ t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
STREUSEL INGREDIENTS:
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. light brown sugar
½ t. ground cinnamon
5 T. cold butter, cut into ¼” pieces
METHOD:
For Sugared Almonds: Place almonds and granulated sugar in frying pan and place on stove burner. Turn heat to low and stir until almonds start to turn color and sugar forms into beads and coats the almonds. Turn out almonds on to a cookie sheet to cool. (If using coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar, you must keep the burner heat on low and stir constantly. Otherwise, coconut sugar will burn. When using coconut sugar, it will have a paste-like appearance and not form into beads. My preference is to use granulated sugar for this application.)
For Muffins: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 16 regular-size muffin cups with nonstick baking spray. Place the pans on a baking sheet. Whisk together flour, coconut sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, milk, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat well. Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not overmix. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
For Streusel: In a small bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add pieces of cold butter and toss together until pea-sized crumbs are formed. (This can be done by pinching the mixture between your fingers or using a pastry cutter.) Sprinkle over tops of muffins, gently pressing into batter.
Sprinkle optional sugared almonds over top of streusel as desired. Bake for about 18-20 min or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool for at least 10 min. before carefully removing each muffin. (These muffins have a delicate crumb and need to cool completely before enjoying.) Can be stored in airtight container for a few days.
Miss NiNi
FOOTNOTE:
(1) If there is not enough batter to put into each of the muffin cups in the muffin pan, pour a small amount of water into each of the empty cups prior to baking the muffins. This allows for more even baking.
(2) If choosing to refrain from making optional sugared almond topping, bake as directed using streusel topping only.

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Lavon and Miss NiNi discuss the use of various nut meats in baking and toasting nuts.

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Toast nuts for increased nutty flavor and crisper texture. Only a few minutes are necessary with any of three methods.
1. Oven-toasting: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts in a single layer in a rimmed ungreased shallow pan. Bake 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown stirring several times. Best method for a larger amount.
2. Microwave: Works best for small amounts such as one tablespoon to 1/2 cup. Mix with a small amount of butter, margarine or oil to lightly coat. Spread on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for another minute if necessary.
3. Stove-top: Spread evenly in a dry, heavy skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown. Don’t walk away. Stir or toss frequently.
Guidelines for all methods:
>Toast an entire batch after purchase. They will be ready to use when needed.
>Toasting time varies with size and variety of nuts.
>The first time you try toasting nuts, it is better to err on the side of under-toasting than over-toasting.
>Toast before chopping into smaller pieces.
>Store toasted nuts in an air tight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in freezer for up to 6 months.

SUGARED PECANS
1 pound pecan halves
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat egg white with water until frothy. Mix sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large, zip-closure plastic bag. Dip pecans in egg white. Add coated pecans to bag; shake until well coated. Place on a well-greased shallow baking sheet ; bake for 40 minutes or until dry stirring every 10 minutes. Cool. Store in air tight container in refrigerator or freezer.
SWEET & SPICY NUTS
Substitute a mixture of unsalted nuts. Add 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. cumin and 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika to the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

CLASSIC BROWNIES–Cook’s Illustrated—March & April 2004 (Also tested in Miss NiNi’s “food lab,” capturing a Miss NiNi seal of approval.)
INGREDIENTS:
1-1/4 c. cake flour
½ t. salt
¾ t. baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
12 T (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces)
2-1/4 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 T. vanilla extract
METHOD:
Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9 x 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
(At this point, all ingredients can be mixed by hand in one bowl. No electric mixer required.) Melt chocolate and butter in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again. If necessary, repeat in 15-second intervals; do not let chocolate burn. When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth.
Transfer batter to prepared pan; spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Bake until toothpick or cake tester inserted into center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. (Underbaking by just a couple of minutes results in a gummy center, and overbaking quickly dried them out. Use the baking times as a guide only.) Cool pan on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Store leftovers (if there are any) in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or wrap well in aluminum foil and freeze.

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Lavon and Miss NiNi discuss Kitchen Aprons.

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Lavon and Miss NiNi discuss summer and winter squash.

Squash and Apple Soup

Requires about an hour prep time so make it on the week end to serve later. The flavor improves.

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 small butternut or other winter squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled & cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled & cut into cubes
4 teaspoons butter, divided
2 cups sliced onion
1 1/2 cups peeled (or not), sliced Granny Smith or other tart apples
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper or more to taste

Combine broth, squash and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove squash and potato from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving broth. Mash.

While above is cooking, melt 1 teaspoon butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and apple. Cook until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove onion mixture. Increase heat. Melt remaining butter (3 teaspoons), add flour. Cook until golden brown, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup of broth; cook until slightly thickened.

Combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally if you wish to serve immediately. Or do not cook and cool immediately. When ready to serve heat until just hot plus 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Makes 8 cups.

I put the mixture in a food processor to make a smoother soup. The entire recipe took me about an hour to make.

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Lavon and Miss NiNi discuss beverages, especially water.

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Lavon and Miss NiNi discuss apples.

Microwave Apple Crisp

• 6 medium apples, peeled and sliced
• ¾ cup brown sugar, divided
• ½ cup flour, divided
• ¾ cup quick oatmeal
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup cold butter

Toss apples with ¼ cup brown sugar and 2 Tablespoons flour.  Place in glass pie baking dish.  Combine oats, cinnamon, remaining brown sugar and flour.  Cut in butter until crumbly; sprinkle over apples. Microwave 10 to 20 minutes or until tender.  Time varies with thickness of slices and microwave power.

Microwave Apples for One Person

• One medium apple
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon water.

Use a freezer quality pint or quart zipper bag.  Mix all ingredients except apple in bag.  Slice apple, peeled or not; place bag.  Close bag; tip bag to mix ingredients together.  Make a small opening in seal to vent.  Microwave 2 minutes or until tender. Will be steamy.  Eat as is or pour over ice cream, oatmeal or cinnamon-sugar pita chips.

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