Winter Squash Maple Nut Muffins-Eating the Alphabet

This month we have reached U, V, W.  There are only a few vegetables, fruits or grains that begin with these letters so these are some of the hardest letters in the alphabet to find something to blog about.

I checked Veggie Ventures index, and she has nothing listed for U and V.  For W there is only watercress and winter squash listed.  I am not sure that I have ever seen watercress although I have read about cucumber and watercress sandwiches in books.

That left me with winter squash.  Now technically that is a category of vegetable, not a specific vegetable, but since many winter squash varieties can be used interchangeably in recipes, I think winter squash is legal for the challenge.

I happened to have some leftover acorn squash in my fridge so went looking for something to make with it.  When I measured it, I had right at a cup and decided to look at muffin recipes on the file in my computer.

Because I had maple flavor on my mind from yesterday’s Dessert Challenge, when I found a recipe for Maple Pumpkin Muffins that called for 1 cup of pumpkin, I knew I had found the base for my muffins.
I changed the pumpkins to squash, changed the spice from pumpkin pie spice to allspice and added some walnuts for crunch.

The muffins were moist and very good with a subtle maple flavor that paired very well with the squash flavor.  Any mashed winter squash could be used in these.  They would be a slightly different flavor for each one.

Winter Squash Maple Nut Muffins
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 T. baking powder
1 t. allspice
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1 c. mashed cooked winter squash or pumpkin
1/3 c. chopped walnuts or other nuts

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and allspice.  Mix well.  In a small mixing bowl, combine maple syrup, butter or margarine and the egg.  Beat well.  Add mashed squash and stir until well blended.  Add liquid ingredients to flour mixture, stirring just until blended.  Add nuts and mix briefly.  Spoon batter into greased muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.  May be served warm or at room temperature.  Makes 12 muffins.

Brenda from Meal Planning Magic is planning to do this challenge next year which will be year three.  Eating the Alphabet has been a great challenge which has helped me eat a bigger variety of vegetable, fruits and grains.  If you would like to broaden your vegetable, fruit and grains horizon, I strongly suggest that you sign up and follow Meal Planning Magic to get all the details for 2014.

Check out the links below to see what other bloggers have done with the letters U, V, W.

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Turkey Napkin Place Card Printable

Make these cute and easily printable turkey napkin holders or place cards

 for your Thanksgiving Dinner table.

I think I'm on a Turkey kick right now.  I've made Turkey Caramel Apples, Turkey Candy Cup Favors, Turkey Cake Favors, and am heading off to buy my Thanksgiving Turkey dinner tonight.  That's more turkey than I've seen all year long.  But it just seems that November is the season of sweet pies, treats, side dishes, and turkeys.  

So why not add one more idea to your Thanksgiving table with these Printable Turkey Napkin Holders or Place Card Holders?  They are super easy and can be put together at the last minute to sit everyone at your Thanksgiving table properly, to label your favorite pies so no one ends up with the wrong flavor, or just as a fun decoration to add a little extra "something-something" to the table.

I designed up these turkeys to be easy to print and cut out.  You'll just need to decide if you want the design with the banner at the bottom for you to add your guests' names or food labels to, or without the banner for a more easy going "sit wherever you want to" flow.  Then print your turkeys onto card stock and cut out.

It's easy to add a name on the bottom with a pen or marker.  Glue together one of the napkin ring rectangles into a circle and add the turkey to cover the glue spot with a little bit more glue.  Now slip in your napkin and add to your Thanksgiving Dinner Tablescape.

The turkeys sit straight up if you glue them right so you can place them in front of your pies, breads, casseroles, or side dishes at the buffet table.  You don't want guests to end up with Aunt Marla's hard-as-a-rock cookies instead of your melt-in-the-mouth version.  (All names are fictional and not meant to represent any Aunt Marla's with bad tasting cookies.  No feelings are designed to be hurt in the making of this blog post.)

These turkey's can also be used as a decoration around the room, as bracelets for your little Pilgrim, or any other way that you can use them.  What do you think?  Which version do you like best?  What will you use them for?

To print these, right click on the picture you want to use and save it to your computer.  Once saved, find the turkeys in your computers picture program (or wherever else you saved it.)  Double click or right click on the picture and hit the print button. 

Turkey Napkin Place Cards with Banner Printable

Printable Turkey Napkin Holder

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Maple Pear Walnut Pudding Cake-Dessert Challenge

The flavors for this month’s Dessert Challenge hosted by Sheryl at Lady Behind the Curtain are maple and pear.   These both make you think of the crisp,cool days of fall.

I chose to do a version of what we used to call pudding cake, which is a batter with a liquid mixture poured over it that then bakes into a yummy sauce below the cake.  When served, the sauce can be spooned over the cake.

The cake batter is very thick and full of pears.  I used diced Asian pears because that is what I had on hand, and I like their firmness.  Any other ripe, fresh pear can be used.  Out of season canned pears can be used.  I added chopped walnuts for some crunch and  maple flavoring to the sauce mixture to make a maple/brown sugar sauce.

Hubby gave this dessert a 10.

Maple Pear Walnut Pudding Cake

Cake Batter
1 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. milk
2 c. diced fresh pears or 1 (16 oz.) can pears, well drained and chopped.
1/3  c. chopped walnuts

Sauce
3/4 c. boiling water
1/4 c. butter
1/2 t. maple flavoring
3/4 c. brown sugar

In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Mix well.  Stir in milk.  Batter will be stiff.  Add pears and walnuts and mix well.  Spoon into well-greased 8-inch baking pan.  In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine water and butter.  Microwave on high 4 to 5 minutes or until water is boiling and butter is melted.  Carefully remove from microwave and add maple flavoring.  Carefully stir in brown sugar until well combined. Pour over batter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.  Makes 8 servings.

Next month's flavors are eggnog and cranberries.  If you would like to join in the fun, Sheryl has all the information here.

Linking to these great parties:
Full Plate Thursday
Tasty Thursday
Catch a Glimpse Party
Showcase Your Talent Thursday
Show Off Your Stuff Thursday

Check out the links below to see what other bloggers have made with pears and maple.

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Cherry, Coconut and Cornflake Dream Bars-12 Weeks of Christmas Treats

With a topping chuck full of chopped candied cherries, coconut, cornflakes and nuts over a brown sugar shortbread-like crust, I like to call these Three C Bars.  I am told by "whomever they are" that Three C Bars would not be very search-engine friendly so hence the long title name.

This is week 8 of 2013’s 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats.  Thanksgiving is just over two week away.  The time is certainly flying.  I hope that you are checking out the links in this great party each week.  There are always wonderful recipes to add to your Christmas goodies.

This recipe is a bit different version of the ever-popular dream bar.  The cornflakes are an unusual addition and provide a bit of extra crunch to the topping.  The cherries make the bars look Christmas festive and can be red, green or a combination of both.  I used walnuts, but almonds, hazel nuts pecans are very good also.

An easy way to cut down on the amount of time that it takes to make the crust, is to cut the butter into fairly small cubes when you add it to the flour mixture.  This makes less effort with the pastry blender.  The cornflakes need to be folded into the egg mixture very carefully so that they aren't crushed.

These bars are a quick, easy and delicious addition the any holiday cookie platter.

Cherry, Coconut and Cornflake Dream Bars
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 c. butter or margarine
2 eggs at room temperature
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. chopped candied cherries
1 c. coconut
3/4 c. chopped nuts
1 c. cornflakes

Place flour and 1/2 c. brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl.  Cut butter or margarine into small chunks and add to the flour/sugar mixture.  Cut in with a pastry blend until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.  Pat evenly in a foil-lined 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees about 10-12 minutes or until golden.  (There may be some cracks in the crust.  It is OK.)  Meanwhile place eggs in a small mixing bowl and beat well.  Add the 1 c. brown sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in vanilla and salt.  Add cherries, coconut and nuts  If crust is not yet finished baking, set egg mixture aside.  Remove crust from oven.  Allow crust to cool slightly.  Add cornflakes to egg mixture, folding in very gently.  Carefully spread egg mixture over the top of the slightly cooled crust.  Return to oven and bake an additional 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Lift from pan using the ends of the foil.  Cut into bars while still warm, pressing down with knife to be sure to cut through the crust.  Place bars on rack and cool completely.  Store tightly covered or in a zip top bag to keep the coconut and cherries soft.  Makes 36 bars.

Brenda from Meal Planning Magic continues to do a wonderful job of hosting this great holiday party.

If you would like to join us for the last few weeks, you can pop over here to sign up.

I am linking to these great parties:
Wednesday Whatits
Wonderful Wednesday
Your Whims Wednesday
Wow Me Wednesday at Ginger Snap Crafts
Wake Up Wednesday
Creative Munster Party
Whimsy Wednesday
Show and Share Wednesday
Wow Me Wednesday at Polka Dots On Parade

Be sure to check out the links below for other delicious treat ideas.

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Thanksgiving Turkey Chocolate Caramel Apples

Use a yummy caramel apple to make a fun and edible Thanksgiving Turkey out of chocolate to sweeten up your Thanksgiving Dinner celebration.

After all the fun we had making and eating our Skull Chocolate Caramel Apples, I knew we had to make a few more before the caramel apple season passed.  So when I was laying awake at 2:00 am the other night, these Turkey chocolate caramel apples were born.  (Am I the only one that does all her best brainstorming at night while laying in bed?  I have to keep a notebook beside my bed to write poems and ideas down and hope that I can decipher and read them the next morning enough to remember what I was thinking.)

These turkeys aren't hard to make, just a little time consuming and they require a bit of chocolate and soft hands.  But they sure look super cute when they are completed and would make a great Thanksgiving party favor or sitting at a table setting or just a fun treat for someone you love.

I started by using the Concord Caramel Apple Wraps that I found in the fruit section of Walmart.  These make wrapping caramel apples so incredibly easy that even I can do them.  After the apples are wrapped, I dipped them in a bowl of melted Milk Chocolate Candy Cocoa Melts to cover the caramel.

While the apples were drying, I made myself a 2 inch by 4 inch oval template and placed it under some wax paper.  Then I took a few Red Chocolate Candy Melts and melted them for 30 seconds in a Ziploc sandwich bag. After snipping off a small corner, it was easy to trace to circle to have even turkey feathers.

I used the remaining chocolate in the bag to fill in the inside of the turkey feather.  Then using a sucker stick, skewer, or edge of spoon, I smeared the chocolate in to fill the feather completely and smoothly.  It helped to pick up the wax paper and tap it down a little so that the chocolate smoothed out.  If it becomes a little stiff to work with, you can put it in the microwave for 10 seconds on 50% power to soften it up enough to smooth out nicely.

I made my feathers in red, orange, yellow, white, and green.  Once done, place the turkey feather in the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden up.  Be very careful while moving these feathers as they are VERY fragile.

While waiting for the feathers to all dry, I used a Reeses peanut butter cup and some Wilton Candy Eyeballs to make the turkey's face.  The eyes are "glued" on with melted chocolate and the beak and waddle are made from red and orange melted chocolate.

Once all my turkey feathers were done, I carefully added a good glob of melted chocolate on the end of the feather I wanted in the middle and stuck it to the center of the back of the apple.  You will want to put the center feather on first and "glue" the others to that feather to keep them flat against the back of the turkey and not rounding around the sides.

Once again, be very careful as you glue them, because once they are on, its almost impossible to move them without all the feathers breaking and then you have to start completely over.  (Not that I would know from personal experience.)

I finished up by adding a glob of melted milk chocolate to the Reeses peanut butter face and sticking it on the front of the turkey.

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10 Sweet Pumpkin Pie Treat Recipes

When I think back on Thanksgivings in the past, I remember events with too many people, too much food, and too much fun.  One year I can clearly remember, we must have had almost 100 people in our house. We lived in military housing and my mother probably invited the whole neighborhood for dinner. We had tables set up in every room of the house with chairs crowded together so we were practically on each other's laps..  It was one of my favorite Thanksgivings of all.

While the holiday seems to be centered around enjoying the bountiful food that we have and the wonderful family and friends to be thankful for, I am glad it only comes once a year, because I have a secret.  I don't like turkey.  My husband loves it and ops for the biggest turkey he can buy at the store so he has plenty of leftovers, but I admit, I fill my plate with the mashed potatoes, corn, carrots, salads, and an itty-bitty piece of turkey SMOTHERED in gravy.

After all, why stuff yourself on the turkey when there's pumpkin pie to be had?  I LOVE pumpkin pie.  I keep telling myself that I should make one more often, but I never seem to.  So when I found these Pumpkin Pie Treat recipes, I decided I needed to get moving and enjoy the pumpkin pie all the time.

1. Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes by Girl versus dough

2. Pumpkin Pie Bread by Sweet Frosting

3. Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream by Cooking Light.

4. Pumpkin Pie Cannoli by My Sweet Sanity.

5. Pumpkin Pie Popcorn by Cherished Bliss.

6. Pumpkin Pie Shake by Kelly Go Lightly.

7. Pumpkin Pie Macaroons by Buttercream Chantily.

8. Mini Pumpkin Pie Cheesecakes by Lex Bake.

9. Pumpkin Pie Fudge by Holiday Cottage Page.

10. Pumpkin Pie Truffles by Back for Seconds.

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Cinnamon Sugar Root Beer Quick Bread-Secret Recipe Club

Visiting my assigned blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club, It Bakes Me Happy, made me happy.   I just knew that a blog with the word “bake” in the title would be filled with wonderful recipes, and it was.  Emily started this blog in 2010 and has posted many great baked sweets, but she does have some very good savory dishes also.  I want to make Chicken, Bacon, Potato Soup soon.  I cannot tell you how many of Emily’s sweet treat recipes I want to make, but Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls are very near the top of the list as is her Monkey Bread which is made from scratch not frozen bread dough.

Some Christmases I give mini quick bread loaves for Christmas gifts so when I saw the recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Root Beer Bread I, knew that is what I would make for this post.  I was intrigued by the fact that  there was no egg and  very little butter in the recipe and the way the butter was used.  I knew I just has to make the recipe and see what happened.

I didn’t have root beer on hand and didn’t want to stop at the store, so I just bought a can from the vending machine at work.  I had planned to add some root beer extract to the mix, but forgot to do it.  The next time, I think I will add a teaspoon as the root beer flavor was very subtle.

I made six mini loaves, so I sliced a tablespoon slice of butter, cut it into six pieces and then cut each piece into three pieces and put three in each mini loaf pan.  I repeated this with the second tablespoon  of butter for the top of the loaves.  I had cinnamon sugar on hand so didn’t measure it but just sprinkled the mixture generously over the top of the loaves.

The bread was moist and easy to slice.  In an attempt to amp up the root beer flavor, I combined a quarter cup of cream cheese and 1/4 teaspoon root beer extract to spread on the bread.  I think cinnamon flavored cream cheese would be great on the bread also.

Thanks, Emily, for a interesting new recipe that I will make often.

Note:  I use PicMonkey to edit my photos and have been unable to upload any all day, so no photos at this time.  I am so sorry about this.  Edited 11/11/13  Pickmonkey and my computer have decided to be friends again, so here are my photos finally.

Cinnamon Sugar Root Beer Quick Bread
from “It Bakes Me Happy bog”
2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
2 T. honey
1 (12 oz.) can root beer
2 (1 tablespoon slices) butter
Cinnamon sugar

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Carefully pour root beer into a small bowl.  Let set a few minutes to let foam subside some.  Add honey and mix well.  Combine root beer mixture with flour mixture, stirring only until dry ingredients are just moistened.   Cut one slice of butter into 6 parts and cut each part into 3 pieces.  Either scatter butter over the bottom of a greased 9x5 loaf pan or place three pieces in each of six greased mini loaf pans.  Spoon dough into loaf pan or evenly into mini pans.  Repeat butter process with the second slice of butter.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees 50 to 55 minutes for loaf pan or  23 to 25 minutes for mini loaves.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.  Makes 1 large loaf or 6 mini loaves.

Check out the links below to see what other Secret Recipe Club Group B members posted this month.

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