Pumpkin Post: Spiderweb Pumpkin Curry Soup

Written by Liz -

I love soup. I eat soup for lunch almost every day, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. There’s something so satisfying in this steaming bowl of broth, cooked vegetables, meats and just plain nourishment for the soul. Especially when it’s cold or rainy outside (or over-air-conditioned inside) and the soup has been cooking all day.

This soup incorporates pumpkin and ginger, two healthy powerhouses. Pumpkin is rich in antioxidants, fiber and Vitamin A plus it’s low in fat. It also adds a flavor punch to many savory dishes, from pastas to soups to casseroles.

Here are some of my favorite soups & chilis:

Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup (Pictured above)

Pumpkin Chili Mexicana

White Chicken Chili

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Spiderweb Pumpkin Curry Soup
(Pictured at the top of the post)

Ingredients for 4 Servings:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 cups water
• 2 to 3 MAGGI Chicken Flavor Bouillon Cubes
• 1 can (15 ounces) LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fluid ounces) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
• 1/4 cup light sour cream

Directions:

HEAT oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in curry powder, coriander and crushed red pepper; cook for 1 minute. Add water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes to develop flavors. Stir in pumpkin and evaporated milk; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until heated through.

TRANSFER mixture to blender or food processor (in batches, if necessary); cover. Blend until creamy. Serve warm or reheat to desired temperature. Ladle soup into bowls.

PLACE sour cream in small, heavy-duty plastic bag. Cut tiny corner from bag; squeeze to pipe concentric circles onto soup. Using wooden pick or tip of sharp knife, pull tip through sour cream from center to edge of bowl.

PREPARATION TIP: Soup may be prepared the day ahead. Cool to room temperature after adding pumpkin and evaporated milk. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, blend then reheat to serving temperature, but do not boil.

Links:

• NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
• LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• MAGGI Chicken Flavor Bouillon Cubes

More Pumpkin Recipes:

Pick-Me-Up Pumpkin Latte	Easy Pumpkin-Pasta Bake

How to Frost a Cake: Chocolate Buttermilk Cake Recipe

Written by Chris - 

Every time I make this cake, I get asked for the recipe and for tips on how to frost a layer cake. So I thought I would share my method in this post. I am using my favorite chocolate layer my favorite chocolate layer cake for illustration purposes, but you can certainly use any layer cake recipe.

How to Frost a Layer Cake

Tear four strips of parchment paper and place in a square around the outer 3 inches of a cake pedestal or serving platter as shown above (this will keep it clean).

Place a dollop of frosting in the center of the cake pedestal so the cake won’t slip.

Level (trim tops off) the cakes using a serrated knife, if desired. For this post, I am using three whole 8-inch-round cake layers, but you can cut each cake in half horizontally if you prefer a six layer cake. Place one cake layer over the dollop of frosting as shown above.

Spread about 1 cup of frosting over the top of the cake with an offset metal spatula.

Top with one more cake layer; spread with about 1 cup of frosting as shown above.

Top with the third cake layer.

Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting (this is the “crumb coat”; it doesn’t have to be perfect). Think of this as a primer – similar to painting. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

It’s best to work your way from the bottom of the cake to the top, using the tip of an offset spatula to spread the frosting. Spread the top layer until the frosting meets the edge. Smooth the top for a sleek look, or give it a few waves, as shown below.

Carefully remove the parchment strips.

And that’s it! It’s pretty simple, isn’t it?

This cake never lasts long!

For Halloween, try adding finely chopped Nestlé Crunch or Butterfinger candy bars between the layers and around the side of the cake as shown in this video.

This cake alone makes a great Halloween tablescape!

Related recipes:

Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake

Vermont Spice Cake

Healthier Doughnuts: Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes Recipe

Written by Chris -

Let’s face it; doughnuts taste great! But I really haven’t met a healthy or healthier doughnut I’ve liked — until these Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes. My kids’ love for pumpkin bread helped inspire this recipe.

Last Halloween, I brought Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes to their classrooms for their Fall Harvest party. To my surprise (well, not really — it was sweet season after all), there were bakery doughnuts there, too. My immediate thought was that my doughnuts had no chance. I fully expected the container to come home full, or at least half full.

Guess what? Every single doughnut got eaten! Every. Single. One. I was so happy! I’m not one to squash indulgence; it has its place every now and again. But when there is an equally good tasting, healthier alternative, I say go for it.

Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

Ingredients for 36 doughnut holes:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cups white whole-wheat flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 cup Baker’s sugar (ultrafine pure cane sugar)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 to 4 tablespoons butter (melted (optional)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 425° F. Lightly spray mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

WHISK flour, baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon and salt in large mixer bowl until combined.

WHISK eggs, oil, brown sugar and pumpkin in medium mixing bowl until well combined. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour mixture; stir until just combined. Fill each mini muffin cup with about 1 rounded tablespoon batter. A small cookie scoop works perfectly for scooping, as shown above!

BAKE for 9 to 10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (tops should be golden brown). Cool in pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle.

COMBINE Baker’s sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a pie plate or shallow bowl (or even a zip-top bag works well!). Brush or dip tops (or all sides) of doughnut holes in melted butter to lightly coat; roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture as shown above. There will be about ½ cup cinnamon-sugar mixture left which can be discarded. (For less fat and calories, skip the butter and just roll in cinnamon-sugar.)

ENJOY warm or at room temperature.

Happy Halloween!

Links:

• Baked Pumpkin Doughnut Holes
• See Libby’s promotions

Related recipes:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Frankensteins

Halloween Dipped Marshmallow Pops

Toll House on TV — Tune Into All Mixed Up!

Written by Jenny -

One thing about my job here in the Baking Kitchens is that some days you never know where your job will take you. In this case, it was The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida where I was a panel judge for the new reality-based cooking series called “All Mixed Up” premiering on Lifetime TV September 7th at 7:30am (ET/PT). This three-part miniseries is hosted by culinary celebrity chef and TV personality Ralph Pagano. The premise of the show is three up and coming aspiring chefs compete before a panel of judges by taking America’s favorite brands, such as Nestlé Toll House Morsels and turning them into three unique three course meals: an appetizer, entrée and dessert in just 30 minutes! Let me tell you…the game, pressure and the heat were on in the kitchen!

I wanted to share some pictures from our filming behind the scenes.

Featured above are the three culinary students of the International Culinary School who really delivered some creative, great tasting dishes with our Nestlé Toll House Dark and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels. Big wows all around! It was a great honor for me to be in their company and I applaud them for their courage, determination and talent. Featured left to right, above: Ashley Gallant, me, Cameron Bevan and Krystal Battle. They took good care of our Nestlé Toll House chocolate!

Host Ralph Pagano explaining the rules of the appetizer challenge to Krystal, Ashley and Cameron.

Ralph shown above enjoying some semi-sweet chocolate morsels between scenes; he wasn’t the only one!

Krystal in action working with our morsels and cocoa. I wish I could tell you what she was making but I can tell you that it had chocolate in it!

I had the privilege of judging with Anthony Mongiello, aka “The Big Cheese,” president and CEO of Formaggio Cheese and Anelisa Durham, spokesperson and model for Kozy Shack Pudding. I know that they would agree with me at how impressed they were with all the dishes brought to the judging table.

Ashley, Krystal and Cameron facing the judges above…how did they fare? You’ll have to tune in on Friday, September 7th, September 14th and September 21st at 7:30am on Lifetime Television to find out! For more information on the show and pictures, go to All Mixed Up.

Links:

• All Mixed Up
• All Mixed Up on Facebook
• Formaggio Cheese
• Kozy Shack Pudding
• The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida

No-bake Dessert: Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse Pie with Mocha Drizzle

Written by Milissa -

Please enjoy this guest post by Milisa Armstrong of Miss in the Kitchen.

Chocolate pie is my favorite kind of pie but I don’t make it very often. Traditional chocolate cream pie takes a little time in the kitchen and then about 4 hours of chilling time. It is so hard for me to wait 4 hours for pie!

Today I’m sharing my new favorite chocolate pie with you. It is ready to eat in less than 20 minutes and you don’t even have to turn the oven on. It’s rich and decadent and the mocha drizzle gives it a little extra kick. I think chocolate and coffee were made for each other.

This is a perfect no-bake summer dessert. Just a few zaps of the microwave to melt the chocolate so you have very little cooking time and no heating up your kitchen. Plus it uses just a few simple ingredients that you likely have on hand. Now that’s hard to beat.

My family has a scale to help me measure the success of a new recipe. It ranges from okay, to good, to really good, and best thing I ever ate. This pie garnered the best thing I ever ate category!

Whether you serve this pie as a weeknight dessert or at your next neighborhood barbecue, it is sure to be a hit.

Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse Pie with Mocha Drizzle

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• prepared chocolate crumb crust
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder

Directions:

BEAT 1 1/2 cups whipping cream with electric mixer until it starts to form peaks. Add powdered sugar, slowly beating until incorporated. Stop mixer and scrape down sides if necessary. Pour whipped cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator.

PLACE 1 cup morsels and 2 tablespoons whipping cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH (80%) power for 20 seconds; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until chocolate is melted and smooth.

PLACE cream cheese and melted chocolate in mixer bowl; beat at medium speed until well combined. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture until well combined and no white streaks remain. Pour into prepared pie crust.

PLACE remaining 1/2 cup morsels, remaining 1 tablespoon whipping cream and espresso powder in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH (80%) power for 20 seconds; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour into small, resealable plastic bag; clip the corner off the bag. Drizzle over pie.

REFRIGERATE for 10 minutes or until mocha drizzle has set.

Links:

• Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse Pie with Mocha Drizzle
• Get a Toll House coupon
• Miss in the Kitchen

Related Recipes:

No-Bake Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

No-Bake Dark Chocolate & Mint Cheesecake

Homage to Julia Child: Lemon Loaf Cake with Grilled Peaches

Written by Chris -

Legendary chef Julia Child would have turned 100 tomorrow, on August 15. It seems like yesterday I was waiting in line to meet her at a local book signing. She is truly a culinary inspiration and has touched all our lives in so many ways. I continue to find myself chuckling at her many great quotes! I just came across this one (below) at Sur La Table.

Today, I will be celebrating her fabulous life with a recipe from her Baking with Julia cookbook. This is one of my favorite books – it’s a great how-to all-purpose book! There are several contributors, master baker Norman Love of the Ritz-Carlton, being one. He created this delicious Lemon Loaf Cake recipe (made with butter and cream!). He calls it a cake, but its tight crumb reminds me of a pound cake, making it perfect for toasting, if you so desire.

I’ve made a few additions to this Lemon Loaf Cake throughout the years, like adding Lemon Simple Syrup and a Sweet Cream Icing. When in season, grilled stone fruit makes an excellent accompaniment!

Lemon Loaf Cake recipe

Ingredients needed for 12 to 15 servings:

• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• pinch of salt
• Grated zest of 3 large lemons
• 1 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour, shaking out the excess.

Working in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt for just a minute, until foamy and smoothly blended; the mixture should not thicken. Whisk in the grated zest.

Spoon the flour and baking powder into a sifter and sift about a third of the dry ingredients over the foamy egg mixture. Whisk the flour into the eggs, mixing lightly – there’s no need to beat. Sift the flour over the eggs in two more additions and whisk only until everything is incorporated. Whisk the heavy cream into the mixture. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently and quickly fold in the melted butter.

Baking the cake: Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan – it will level itself – and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the center of the cake crowns and cracks and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake to a cooling rack to rest for 10 minutes before unmolding. Cool to room temperature right side up on a rack.

You can serve this cake as soon as it cools, although there are those who believe that a pound cake needs a day to ripen. Make a taste test for yourself. In any case, the cake should be sliced with a serrated knife and served in thin slices, a pair to a plate.

Storing: Once cooled, the cake should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. It will keep at room temperature for 3 or 4 days or, if double-wrapped, can be frozen for a month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Tasty Additions and Serving Suggestions:

Lemon Simple Syrup: Combine 1/3 cup granulated sugar with 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves (if you want to make more, just use a 1:1 ratio of sugar and lemon juice). When the cake is done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and place on a tray or sheet pan; spoon half of the lemon simple syrup over the cake (the other half will be used to serve over the grilled peaches). Allow the cake to cool completely.

Sweet Cream Icing: Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons Sweet Cream Flavor NESTLÉ COFFEE-MATE NATURAL BLISS All-Natural Coffee Creamer in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Grilled Peaches: Preheat grill. Cut 4 firm peaches in half and remove the pits. Place peaches on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill for 3 minutes on each side. Cool then slice and serve with the lemon cake. Drizzle peaches with remaining Lemon Simple Syrup.

Here’s to you, Julia! Happy birthday and bon appétit!

Links:

• Lemon Loaf Cake recipe
• Baking with Julia cookbook
• Get news & offers from Coffee-mate Natural Bliss

More fruit and dessert recipes:

Mini Lemon Cup Candies

Grilled Fruit & Apple-Maple Syrup