What's cooking Wednesday

Pumpkin Roll

You guys are in for a REAL treat today! In Australia, we don't really eat pumpkin as a dessert (we make soup with it and sometimes scones but that's about as far as it goes).........so when I first came to the USA, I was quite hesitant to try a dessert that featured PUMPKIN!!! One of the first things I tasted with pumpkin in it was my sister in law's (Paula) PUMPKIN ROLL.

Each year, Paula and her mom join with some ladies from a church and they make HUNDREDS of these things to sell (they get $9 a roll for them!). Once I took one bite, I was a massive fan.....seriously, I have tasted quite a few pumpkin rolls over the last 6 years, but NONE can compare (even the ones at my favorite restaurant are not as good!).

Paula and her mom came to my house on Saturday and we made 12 of them (only one is in my fridge or they would all be eaten!)........I'm thinking of sending one home with each of our student home boys for Christmas. Here is the recipe:

You need:

(for the roll)

3 eggs

2/3 C pumpkin

1C sugar

1tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 C flour

Beat eggs and add pumpkin. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth.

Line a jelly roll pan with foil and grease with butter (make sure you get right into the corners).

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes (after about 7, turn your pans and rotate them).

When they're done, flip them onto a paper towel that has been generously coasted with sugar (this is so the cake doesn't stick). Roll it up and put on a cooking rack to cool completely.

Filling:

2TBS butter

8oz cream cheese

3/4 tsp vanilla

1C powdered sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese, add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Unroll the cake, spread the filling and then roll up again.

Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator. You can also wrap it in foil as well and then keep in the freezer until you need it (Trust me, you will be making dozens of these things once people taste them).................I'm thinking about making and selling them so I can get a blog face lift!

** Update** I AM getting a blog makeover!!! Blogging Bella is going to do it for me - I am SO super excited!

What's Cooking Wednesday

(Not) Fried Ice cream


With 16 people in our house, someone is always having a birthday. When it's birthday time, the boys get to choose their favorite meal for me to cook and they get to eat it on the "birthday plate". Quite often, the meal of choice is enchiladas (I'll share my recipe next week) and for dessert, (not fried) ice cream. Here's how you can make it,

You need:

A tub or 2 (depending on people count) of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream


3 cups Corn flakes


1/2 cup soft brown sugar



1 tsp Cinnamon


1TBS butter



To Make it:


1. Let the ice cream sit out for about 15 minutes to get soft.




2. Put the cornflakes in a zip lock bag, make sure all the air is out before closing and then crush them up (I used a rolling pin to do this).


3. Put the crushed cornflakes, sugar, cinnamon and butter in a bowl and toss to mix.



4. Pour cornflake mixture onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet.


5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes (it will smell delicious!),

6. While it's cooking, you can fix the ice cream in one of two ways........a) the method I use (due to the act there is 16 people) spread 1 of the tubs of ice cream in a baking dish or b) make big balls of ice cream using an ice cream scoop (I would do this if I had less people to feed). Once you've done this, put the ice cream back in the freezer to harden up.



7. Take cornflakes out of the oven and let it cool for about 10-15 minutes.


8. Either roll (if you made the balls) or sprinkle 1/2 the cornflake mixture over the dish of ice cream. If you used the dish method, you will now want to add your second tub of ice cream over the top of the crushed cornflakes and sprinkle the other half of the cornflakes on top of this layer.






9. Drizzle chocolate syrup and honey over the top.


10. Return to freezer and take out about 10 minutes before serving.