RECIPE: Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

We had our first snowfall this week. And as much as I wished it would have happened a month later than it did, I will admit it was really pretty. We had just enough to cover the ground and it stayed around for a few days. The kids were ecstatic and even though they got home from school after 4 that day, they zipped through their homework and dug out all of their snow pants and boots to play in the snow well into darkness (which right now is around 5 pm!)

Just as the snow was falling I thought about how nice warm pumpkin bars would be for the kids after school snack. Unfortunately, that thought came 20 minutes before the bus arrived, wah wah wah! I started making these bars anyways and figured they would be a great dessert buuuut since it was snowing I figured we could eat them right after they cooled a bit which would mean....dessert BEFORE dinner! Yeah, every now and then you just have to do that. :-)

These bars are sooo good! I have been making them for years now and they always please every crowd. I frost them with my 4 Ingredient Cream Cheese Icing which really makes them outstanding. And on a side note, I didn't have any vegetable oil when I made this particular batch so I replaced it with an equal amount of liquid-state coconut oil and they turned out perfect. Not a hint of coconut in them! Sweet!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil (or 1 cup liquid-state coconut oil)

1 2/3 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 40-45 minutes. Let cool and frost with 4-Ingredient Cream Cheese Icing (Recipe found here). Enjoy!

The ingredient list run down....pumpkin, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar, coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

Flour and eggs!

This recipe is so simple, truly!

Mix all the ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes in a greased 9x13 inch pan.

Yumm-o!

This would make a great dessert this Thanksgiving too! I hope you give it a try!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

 XOXO,

RECIPE: Gluten Free Baked Donuts

So yesterday I took a much needed break from organizing and de-cluttering...that can get so overwhelming, you know what I mean? My sewing studio got out of control this summer and I'm not even sure how as I hardly touched my sewing machine these past three months. There were piles upon piles of craft stuff, fabric, notions, vintage linens, and on and on. I felt like I was becoming a hoarder and that ain't cool. I made a few large trips to Goodwill (yay!) but man there is still more. Maybe I just need to get sewing again...there are just so many pretty fabrics but not enough time to sew them all, sigh. 

I think I need to purge and have a studio sale. But that just seems like a lot of work too...taking pictures and uploading them, listing items, sending invoices, packaging everything to ship. Why can't y'all just live down the street, it would be so much easier if you just came over! So you see, this is why I needed a break from it all, it's a downward spiral really. One thing leads to eight and then well, the baby wakes up and you were just getting your mojo. 

That's where the donuts come in. See, it all just goes away if you bake something. Take your mind off of it. Eat till you feel sick. Right? Riiiiight. Then you save the rest for your kids to eat as their after school snack.  PS. They loved them. And if the family likey, then the recipe gets to go on the 'ol blog. Cause y'all don't want a un-tasty recipe, right? Riiiiight. 

These donuts are baked, not fried...so they are HEALTHY (er)! You will need one of those fun donut pans to make them...I made large donuts but you could also make mini ones, ooh! or even try a mini muffin pan if that's all you got. Give 'em a whirl, they are good!

Gluten Free Baked Donuts (makes 18 large sized donuts)

2 cups gluten-free flour blend--no xanthum gum needed (can also use all-purpose flour)

1 cup evaporated cane juice (or white granulated sugar)

2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1 cup milk 

1 tsp vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.  In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined. Grease a donut pan and fill each donut cup half way. Bake at 400 for 7-10 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Old Fashioned Glaze (yields enough for 12-18 large donuts)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbs honey

1-3 Tbsp water

Mix together the powdered sugar and honey. Add water one tablespoon at a time until glaze is thin enough to dip donuts. Let donuts cool before dipping into glaze. Enjoy!

Chocolate Glaze (yields enough for 12-18 large donuts)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 Tbsp honey

1-3 Tbsp water

Add cocoa to powdered sugar and mix well. Add in the honey and mix well. Add water one tablespoon at a time until the glaze is thin enough to dip donuts. Dip cooled donuts and enjoy!

Cast of characters....Gluten free flour, eggs, melted butter, evaporated cane juice.

Vanilla, milk, baking powder.  Not shown: salt (he was out dilly dallying and missed the photo shoot).

Mix it all together and you know you've got the best of both worlds, ahahaha! Ummm, Hannah Montana theme song anyone? *embarrassed laugh* What? You don't watch old Hannah Montana episodes on Netflix? The shame.

Okie dokie, so anywaaaayz. Mix all your ingredients together, pour your batter into a greased donut pan, bake 7ish to 10 minutes (depending on your oven!) and BOOM! You've got yourself some pretty kick a@$ gluten free donuts!

Now these donuts are good plain but let's take them up a notch with some glaze, shall we?

Chocolate glaze or Old Fashioned glaze? What's your poison?

Ummm, I'll take one of each please. Ahthankyouverymuch. 

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoy these :-)

 XOXO,

Mini Pancake Push-Up Pops

Holy cats, we have less than a week before school starts, I cannot believe the last week of summer is finally here! So, like a good momma, I have been diligently trying to come up with a fun first day of school breakfast.  You might remember last year's here (and here!)

This year since Noah is heading into first grade, Penny is starting kindy, and Eloise is starting her first year of preschool, I have staggered first days. Our area schools do the whole first through the twelfth grades start one day and then the kindergarteners start the following. Then the following week the preschools start up. I have a whole lots of firsts coming up and I better be prepared!

I want to make them a breakfast that is fun and nutritious yet easy/quick to eat in case we have a late sleeper. PS. Please remind me that I really need to start getting them to bed earlier these next few days or we are sooo going to be in TROUBLE! 

I thought I'd try a spin our on last year's breakfast of mini pancakes but instead I used a small biscuit cutter to make them tiny enough in diameter to fit into those cute push-up pop containers and layered with some blueberries, chopped strawberries, and fresh whipped cream. Ta-da!...Mini Pancake Push-Up Pops!

They are almost too pretty to eat...almost! My kids loved them, hooray! So these will definitely be a contender for next week's First Day of School breakfast :-)

Have your kids started school yet? We are getting so excited over here!!

XOXO,

RECIPE: Peaches n Cream Popsicles

We have been loving creating fun popsicle flavors this summer and one of our favorites has been using deliciously sweet peaches that we seem to find perfectly ripe in all the grocery stores right now.

There is just something about a perfectly ripe peach.  Biting into it and having that sticky sweet juice drip down your arm. They are even better in popsicle form when found in nice fleshy chunks mixed among some sweet cream...nom!

This recipe for Peaches n Cream Popsicles is a lovely one...and is a tried and true favorite because of  the fact that you can switch out the peaches in place of so many lovely fruits of summer.  Raspberries? Strawberries? Blackberries? Or hey, why not a mix of them all!

Peaches n Cream Popsicles (makes about 10 medium popsicles)

2 cups diced fresh peaches (you can remove the skin if you prefer)

1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar or white granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

12 oz plain Greek-style yogurt

To make a simple syrup which we will be using in this recipe, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Let the simple syrup cool before use. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the yogurt and chilled simple syrup. Pour the yogurt mixture into each popsicle mold so that it is about 1/3 of the way full.  Place the molds into a freezer so the yogurt mixture can set, about 30 minutes. Add the diced peaches to the remaining yogurt mixture and mix well. Pour this mixture into the molds leaving a small amount of room at the top to allow for expansion. Place popsicle mold top and sticks into each molds and freeze for 4-5 hours.  Thaw molds and Enjoy!

Mmm....like I said, there is nothing like a sweet ripe summer peach, can you just smell that!  YUMMY!

Chop up your peaches so you have about 2 cups of sweet, drippy goodness and set aside.

Make your simple syrup by mixing together equal parts of water and sugar.  For this recipe I used 1/2 cups of each.  Cook in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling and the sugar is dissolved.  Let the simple syrup cool.

Once the syrup is cool add all of the simple syrup to 12 oz of greek-style yogurt. Mix well. Pour the yogurt/syrup mixture into the bottom of each popsicle mold filling them about 1/3 of the way full.  Freeze for about 30 minutes so the yogurt can set.

Add the diced peaches to the remaining yogurt and mix well.

Once the yogurt has set, pull the molds back out and pour the peach/yogurt mixture into each mold leaving a small amount of space at the top of each mold to allow for expansion while freezing.

Place popsicle mold cap on top and sticks into your mold and freeze for 4-5 hours.

Then, run your molds under warm water and free your newly made and uber-delicious Peaches n Cream popsicles!

Happy Summer Eats to you!

Thanks for stopping by today!

XOXO,

RECIPE: How to Make Kale Chips

We love to garden over here at the Smashed Peas household and this past spring we decided to grow all our plants from heirloom seeds (we flip back and forth with organic seedlings every other year).  With the cooler temps at the end of spring and the beginning of summer plus with all the rain we received in Chicago our garden is literally exploding! Our leafy green beds are absolutely crazy, we can eat a large salad at least 3x a day...but we don't cause that's a little cray-cray so we share our bounty with our friends and neighbors :-)

One of our favorite leafy greens is Kale...we always plant kale in our garden! We love it as there are so many options for using it plus it is a superfood so it's really good for you. 

We love making Kale chips, they are sooo easy and sooo tasty.  They are the perfect quick snack...and healthy to boot and are a great replacement for other less healthy salty snacks!  I will say that once you bake your Kale the chips are very thin and crisp...so beware of that, there is not a lot of thickness to them but the flavor is amazing!

Here's my super easy and super fast Kale chips recipe for y'all...give them a try, you won't be sorry!

Kale Chips

bowl full of Kale, washed and dried

extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

salt and pepper to taste

herbs or spices of your choice (red pepper flakes, curry, etc)

freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese or other favorite cheese

Once your Kale is washed and dried, lay it leaf by leaf onto a rimmed baking sheet.  Spritz the leaves with extra virgin olive oil or liquid coconut oil (not solid!) and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.  You may also add red pepper flakes, curry, or other spices and herbs you enjoy.  Freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese is also delicious melted on top! Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Check out all that leafy green Kale goodness! I love how pretty and green it is!

Rinse your Kale in a bowl full of fresh water and place in a salad spinner to spin dry.  If you are picking your Kale straight out of your garden take extra care to make sure you get any bugs off of the leaves while rinsing.  Yes, that is one of the downfalls of a garden...bugs!!  It totally grossed me out the very first time I ever picked my own lettuce but really just rinse it off and spin it dry...so easy and not that bad to deal with, I swear! Otherwise if you bought your kale in a bag pre-washed then you can just skip this step if you want.

Place your dried leaves on a rimmed baking sheet and spritz with EVOO or coconut oil in the liquid state.  If you have an oil mister this would be the perfect place to use it! Then sprinkle on some salt and pepper...or other dried herbs and spices...or even cheese...I love Kale chips with bubbling cheese on top!

Mmm...looks soooo good!

Okay, when you are done bake that lovely green goodness at 325 for anywhere from 10-15 minutes.

The color changes slightly but not to worry the taste is divine!  Like a crisp salty chip...nom!

My husband and I love red pepper flakes on ours...it brings the heat and a runny nose but dang they are sooo good!

If you've never tried Kale Chips I highly recommend you give them a whirl.  They are a great healthy snack and really do not take long to make at all!  They are a great alternative to chips if you are the kinda person who likes a salty snack every now and then!

Thanks for stopping by today!

XOXO,

RECIPE: Vanilla Strawberry Jam AND Ball Fresh TECH Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker Review and Giveaway!

**This giveaway is now closed. See below for the winner!**

I was asked to try out one of the newest Ball brand canning products, the Fresh TECH Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker earlier this summer and since I have an affinity for mason jars, canning my lovely garden produce and, well, anything Ball brand I was in!

The Fresh TECH Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker allows anyone interested in creating their own jams and jellies the opportunity to do so in 30 minutes or less with the push of a button.  It is so rad and it really is THAT easy! Once your jam or jelly is made you can eat it right away, refrigerate it for up to 3 weeks, or you may can it to enjoy up to a year later!

I've got to tell you how much I really love this machine!  I'll be honest that I had seen it when it first came out and didn't get the point of it.  I mean how hard is it to make your jam on the stovetop?  Well, let me just tell you that it's not hard to make jam on your stovetop, really it's not.  But it is HOT! Whenever I can jam my kitchen becomes a hot mess, literally and figuratively.  It seems like the temperature rises to 100 degrees easily with one giant pot of boiling water plus another big pot with my strawberry jam cooking away that I need to stand near and stir so it gels up just right.  The Fresh TECH takes the heat right out of making jam.  Like a crockpot it heats up your jam or jelly but keeps the rest of your kitchen nice and cool, plus it stirs it for you so there is no need to stand around a hot stove mixing and stirring and on and on and on!  LOVE!!!

And the Fresh TECH machine is about the size of a standard crockpot and the pot portion comes away from the base for easy cleaning. There are only 4 parts to the machine, the base, the pot, the lid, and the stirring blade so its really easy to clean afterwards too!

When I received my Fresh TECH we had just gone strawberry picking so making jam was on my brain...and it was the perfect time to try out my new appliance :-)

I made some Vanilla Strawberry Jam and it rocked our socks off...it was sooo good!  Just think Strawberry Jam with a hint of vanilla...nom! Let me show you how I made it and how the Fresh TECH works!

Vanilla Strawberry Jam (makes 2 half pint canning jars)

.4 oz packet of Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin

1 1/3 cups washed and crushed strawberries

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar, granulated sugar, sugar substitute, or honey

1/2 vanilla bean

1. Sprinkle packet of pectin evenly around the base of the Fresh TECH pot fitted with the stirrer.  

2. Add crushed strawberries evenly over the pectin (may add 1/2 tsp butter or margarine to the pot at this time to reduce foaming).

3. Press the JAM button.  The cook time will automatically default to 21 minutes.  Press ENTER.

4. Wait 4 minutes for the appliance to sound 4 short beeps indicating that it is time to add the sugar.  Add sugar gradually while the stirring blade continues to run.

5. Place lid over pot and let the Fresh TECH continue to stir the jam.  It will beep again once jam cooking is complete.

6. Press CANCEL, unplug the machine, and immediately remove the lid.

7. Remove the stirrer using a pot holder, the jam and inside of the machine will be very hot. You can skim foam at this time as well.

8. Preserve jam using method of your choice...refrigerate, freeze, or can.

Ok, so this is really easy peasy! 

A whole bowl of washed fresh strawberries...check!

Crush your berries until you have 1 1/3 cups of them and set aside.

Grab a packet of Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin!

And sprinkle it evenly over the base of the pot with the stirrer in place!

Then add the crushed strawberries over top...nice and evenly!

Start the Fresh TECH by pressing the JAM button. See how the 21 minutes pops up automatically?  Ok, now push ENTER. The machine will get hot and start cooking your jam, all the while stirring it ever so nicely.

While you are waiting for the machine to sound off 4 beeps to let you know it's ready for you to add in the sugar, slice a vanilla bean in half so you can see all that delicious caviar inside.

When the machine beeps, add in your 1/2 cup sugar and your opened vanilla bean half.

Place the lid on and let the Fresh TECH cook your jam while you go do something other than stand by your stove stirring a pot of jam, yahoo!

Ok, once the machine beeps again indicating it is done cooking your jam, Take the lid off and remove the hot stirrer carefully!

Then ladle your delicious, homemade Vanilla Strawberry Jam into two half-pint jars....Mmmm!

I placed mine in our refrigerator and they were both gone in 2 days flat!  This jam is seriously so dang good!

Ok, now who is interested in winning one of these babies?

Ball brand canning products if offering ONE of my lucky readers ONE Fresh TECH Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker as well as a coupon for a FREE case of Ball canning jars....woooohooo!

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter or CLICK HERE now!
**The winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

XOXO,

** I have been compensated for this post. However, all opinions are truthful and my own.  This post contains paid links.