Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

November 3, 2014 by Elizabeth Leave a Comment

Rich, flavorful, and bursting with sweet pumpkin and spice. Slather on the creamy frosting, and sink your teeth into a little slice of heaven. Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is crisp on the outside, while moist and fluffy inside. Incredibly delicious, and easy to make, this is one crowd pleaser you’ll want to whip up again and again this holiday season.

Happy Sunday to you! Welcome back! The last two weeks have been fun, and incredibly busy around here 🙂 Andrew’s Birthday was last Monday, Halloween was Friday, and everyday this week we were able to dress up for our many Halloween celebrations. We had a great time at the Halloween Spooktacular event in Royal Oak, and trick-or-treating in the Village. We wore our costumes to story time at the library, and had a blast celebrating with our buddies during a fun lunch party. (See, I wasn’t kidding when I said we’ve been slightly busy lately.) 🙂

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween adventures and other fun the last two weeks.

It’s amazing to think that it’s November already! You know what that means? The holiday season is just around the corner! Bring on the good food, family fun, and lots of festivities! I love the holidays and this time of year. I especially love all of the fantastic recipes and treats that go with it! Here’s a great recipe to help get you in the mood 🙂

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is so so sooooooo yummy! Pile on the frosting and wrap your lips around a delicious little slice. Your taste buds will jump for delight as they encounter this incredible pumpkin experience. Your whole house will smell amazing when it’s cooking. The hardest part is waiting for it to be done, and then letting it cool a bit, before finally digging into a slice. (Trust me, it’s worth waiting if you can ;))

My inspiration for this recipe came from Food Network’s Pumpkin Bread. While the original version was good, I decided to make a few changes to create the best pumpkin bread ever! I decreased the recipe to make just one loaf, as well as drastically corrected the cooking time. I love the addition of the icing! It really makes this bread something special.

This versatile little loaf can be paired with just about anything. I love it for breakfast, as a snack, or even for dessert, with a tall, cold glass of milk. Bake up this Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting to accompany your perfect Thanksgiving dinner, or Christmas morning buffet. Serve it smeared with as much icing as you can, or just a little dollop. Or you can choose to serve it plain, or even with a little pat of butter. However you decide to have it, you won’t be disappointed.

Seriously easy, and out of this world fantastic!!! Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is sure to be a hit for every occasion.

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Bread:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/3 cup water

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 confectioners sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter (or spray with cooking spray) and flour a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil, then mix in the eggs and pumpkin, and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, and stir together. Gradually add the water, and flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, slowly adding and stirring in a bit of each at a time. Mix together until smooth, and just combined.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, and smooth top. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
To make the frosting, add cream cheese, butter, and vanilla to bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Turn mixer to low, and gradually add the confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, then gradually increase speed, and beat together until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Serve with pumpkin bread.

http://elizabethshome.com/pumpkin-bread-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

If you’re in the mood for another yummy pumpkin treat, you’ll have to try these Healthy Pumpkin Granola Bars!

Summer Asparagus, Mushroom and Onion Salad

July 13, 2014 by Elizabeth Leave a Comment

Crunchy asparagus and tender mushrooms, sautéed with onions and garlic, and tossed together with fresh herbs and thin shavings of creamy asiago cheese. This Summer Asparagus, Mushroom and Onion Salad is a fresh, healthy favorite, that makes the perfect side dish for any occasion. No need to worry about keeping it cool or heating it up, this summer salad is made to serve at room temperature.

It has been another great week around here. I can’t believe Charlie was 6 weeks old on Friday! What an amazing time we’ve been having with him. He has even been starting to sleep a bit more at night! YAY! (Maybe the extra sleep has something to do with all of our adventures this week.) In addition to our normal day to day activities, this week also included a huge trip to Target on Tuesday, my 6 week post-baby doctors appointment and our weekly lunch with Andrew on Wednesday, a super fun date night out on Friday, a trip to Greenfield Village on Saturday (followed later with a date night in…which leads us to this recipe), and a relaxing and productive Sunday. Busy, but fun. 🙂 Here are a few pictures from our trip to Greenfield Village.Now, let’s talk about one of our favorite new creations, this Summer Asparagus, Mushroom and Onion Salad. The other day at Costco I picked up a huge bag of beautiful, fresh asparagus, and a big carton of mushrooms. They looked delicious and I figured they would be great if I (simply) roasted them in the oven and served them with the steaks that Andrew was going to grill this weekend. Well, somehow my idea to “keep it simple” quickly flew out the window and my wheels were turning. I was thinking how much we LOVE these Oven Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, especially as a side dish with steaks. But since I also had a huge bag of asparagus, and really wanted onions with our steaks as well, the chef in me was eager and determined to create a dish that incorporated all of my visions. 😉 So, I searched for some imagesthat would help to inspire me. (Sometimes I get my inspirations from the recipe itself, and other times I just need a picture to point me in the right direction. In this case, the pictures were all that I needed.)

This asparagus salad looked amazing with the creamy cheese! I loved the addition of the fresh herbs in this warm mushroom asparagus salad, and I jumped on the purple onion idea after coming across this image of roasted asparagus and mushrooms. So, now you have a little insight into how my mind works in the kitchen, and just how some of my recipes are created. 😉

This Summer Asparagus, Mushroom and Onion Salad is a great addition to any meal. Make it, leave it, serve it up and enjoy!

Summer Asparagus, Mushroom and Onion Salad

Ingredients

1 large purple onion, sliced in half, then cut into 1/4 inch slices (crescent moons)
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 pound (medium thickness) asparagus, cut on diagonal, into 1-2 inch pieces
12 ounces white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup shaved asiago or parmesan cheese, (with vegetable peeler), plus more for serving
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (good quality)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over high heat. Add onions and garlic and sautee on high for 1 minute without stirring, then cook for another minute, stirring. Add the asparagus and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 more minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing veggies to brown slightly, but do not over cook. (Asparagus and mushrooms should be just cooked slightly, and still have a little crunch to them.) Move veggies to a large serving bowl, and allow to cool until slightly warm, but not hot. Toss with cheese, fresh herbs, oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover loosely with foil and let rest together for at least 5 minutes, or until ready to serve. Serve salad at room temperature with additional cheese on top, if desired.

http://elizabethshome.com/asparagus-mushroom-and-onion-salad/

Vitamix Hummus

May 19, 2014 by Elizabeth Leave a Comment

A smooth, creamy, blend of chick peas, tahini, garlic, fresh lemon juice, and spices. This Vitamix Hummus recipe comes together in a flash. Use as a dip with your favorite veggies or pita, or serve with meat and salad for a complete meal.

I hope you had a great weekend! We sure did. It has been so nice to keep crossing tasks off of our to-do list, and in between being productive, we’ve managed to have a lot of fun in the process. After all, there are only 12 days left until new baby arrives! WOW!!! We are definitely getting closer. 🙂

One note about this hummus recipe. I made it in my Vitamix. (A Vitamix is a pricey, but WELL worth it, industrial strength blender.) When our Cuisinart blender died a few months ago, Andrew insisted we try a Vitamix. I was so turned off by spending that much money on a blender, to basically make a few smoothies, and a few other random things, that I kept it in the box for about a month! I did enjoy my old Cuisinart blender for a few things, but for the most part, I just didn’t use it that often. It was always a pain to dig out, and when I did finally use it, the results were good, but never fantastic.

However, after staring at the huge unopened Vitamix box in our basement, I just gave in and ripped it open. I dragged it upstairs, washed it out, and since the boys love smoothies, I decided to give it a whirl. I tossed a bunch of frozen fruit and some juice and other goodies into my new Vitamix and turned it on. I could NOT believe how fast that thing blended everything up! (Where my old blender would have either gotten stuck, or taken forever to grind up the frozen fruit, this thing plowed right through it in seconds!)

In case my isolated smoothie incident was just a fluke, I didn’t stop there. I wanted to see what else this thing would chomp through. Over the last few months with our Vitamix I have made countless smoothies, healthy milkshakes, frozen desserts, purees, sauces, lots and lots of SMOOTH hummus, creamy salad dressings, homemade oat flour, and I love how easily it whips up the wet ingredients for a number of healthy dessert recipes. I mean, I’m completely sold! So much so that I even made a permanent place for it on our kitchen counter. It takes quite a bit for me to like something that much that I am willing to give it a home on my counter. I despise clutter and too many things out on the counter, so I am VERY selective on which appliances I keep out full-time. However, since I basically use the Vitamix everyday, if not twice a day, I figured it didn’t make sense to keep this one stored away.

I just love how creamy this blender can whip up this hummus. In case you haven’t converted to a Vitamix yet, this hummus recipe will still be delicious when mixed up in a blender or food processor. (It just might not be quite as smooth and creamy as the Vitamix can get it, but it will still be delicious.)

Easy, healthy, and loaded with flavor, this Vitamix Hummus will surely be a hit at your Memorial Day festivities next weekend, or for any occasion.

Vitamix Hummus

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can chick peas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons tahini paste (ground sesame seeds only)
1 1/2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-3 dashes cayenne (depending on spice level)
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Add chick peas and their liquid to a microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 2 minutes. Drain liquid.
Combine the garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, water, salt and cayenne in Vitamix or food processor. Process together until mostly smooth.
On a low speed, slowly drizzle oil into hummus until combined and gradually increase speed. Allow hummus to process on high speed for about one minute until smooth and creamy.
Scoop into bowl, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or preferably a few hours before enjoying. (This will allow the flavors to set together.)

http://elizabethshome.com/vitamix-hummus/

Oven Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

January 6, 2014 by Elizabeth 1 Comment

Healthy, delicious. HEALTHY. Mouthwatering. These oven roasted portobello mushrooms are not only tender and flavorful, but are also incredibly good for you! Slices of garlic, fresh parsley and extra-virgin olive oil. Ohhh my! Aren’t they beautiful?

To be quite honest with you, I sort of created this recipe by accident! It was a few months ago that I wanted to make a little roasted mushroom side dish to accompany some steaks that we were going to grill. I remember it was a super busy week for us, probably like most weeks, but this was one that I just couldn’t seem to find time to get to the grocery store. Thankfully, my sweetheart husband, Andrew, was more than willing to go to the store one night after work. So I emailed him my detailed list and then waited.

I’m always thankful when Andrew offers to go to the store for me, but at the same time, it can makes things just a bit more interesting. I mean, each loving trip usually results in us ending up with some new kind of snack or a different dessert to try. Then however, there are the times when they don’t have something that I wrote on my list, and that’s when the substitutions can possibly be left up to the shopper. Making the chef, me, have to be just a bit more flexible. I guess it’s that or lose the option of having a husband who is excited to grocery shop. So of course you know what I’m choosing!

Ok, so after Andrew got home from the store that evening, he was bringing in the bags of groceries and I was unpacking them. It looked like he had gotten everything on my list (with only a few impulse additions), until I pulled out BABY PORTOBELLO mushrooms! “These are NOT what I wanted!” I remember grouching to him. “I wanted REGULAR mushrooms!” I guess it must have been a long day or something, because in retrospect there probably wasn’t any reason to get so upset about mushrooms. He explained to me that the white mushrooms didn’t look as nice as these and that he really wanted to try them. I gave him a big hug and apologized for getting in a tizzy over something so silly as mushrooms. Then I brainstormed and did a little planning to create a recipe for this new development to our meal.

The next night when I made a special steak dinner for Andrew and I, guess which side dish was the biggest hit? Yep, these oven roasted portobello mushrooms have basically become one of our new favorite things of all time! So, I guess the moral of the story is that when you send your husband to the grocery store, you might never know what surprises are in store for you. But, with an open mind, you might just create something truly amazing. A great rule in the kitchen and in life 🙂

Note: Since this dish has quickly become such a hit in our house, I was more than excited to share it with my whole family on Christmas. So naturally when I offered to make it for such a large group, I made about five times what this recipe makes. However, with everything I love about this recipe, it wouldn’t be my first choice to make again for a large family gathering. The problem is that if you overcrowd the pan (or pans in my case on Christmas), the mushrooms don’t have enough room to really roast, and therefore get too watery. They still tasted great, and I did receive numerous complements on them, but they just weren’t as good as they normally are. So, while many recipes are ideal for making for large groups, my advice is that this is not one of those.

Oven Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

Yield: 2 larger, or 4 smaller servings

Oven Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 pound baby portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
Kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Snap off or trim stems. Cut mushrooms into quarters and place in a large baking pan. (Make sure to not overcrowd the pan or they will not cook properly and will be watery.)
Drizzle the oil over the mushrooms. Then add the garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper (to taste), and toss with a large spoon or hands to combine.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes, stirring halfway though cook time. Bake until tender but not mushy.

http://elizabethshome.com/oven-roasted-portobello-mushrooms/