Mixed Review: Pumpkin Streusel Cake

I haven’t done a mixed review in quite a while.  I have tried a few mixes here and there, but haven’t bothered typing up my scathing reviews.  I should probably do that.  Regardless, just in time for the holiday next week, I present another pumpkin dessert.  This mix is from King Arthur Flour, and sells for $9.95.  My husband got this mix as a birthday present to me.  Strangely enough, all of my birthday presents were mixes of his favorite foods.  Coincidence?  I think not.

This mix has been sitting in my pantry next to the pumpkin doughnut mix for months.  The time has come to whip this batter into shape!  Har har.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

When I first met my husband, he told me a story of the night he put away an entire pumpkin pie at Denny’s.  He is proud of that accomplishment.  I am not a fan of the traditional pumpkin pie recipe that is on the can of Libby’s, which is what I always ate as a kid.  I decided that to win that boy’s heart, I would have to knock his socks off with the perfect pumpkin pie recipe.  This pie came about after years of experimentation, and through the continued encouragement of my husband.  I never get tired of hearing his praise over this pie.  I prefer this recipe for two reasons:

1. Its sweet.  I like sweet.

2. The flavor is over the top.  I add way more spice to this pie than I have ever seen in any other pumpkin pie recipe.  Feel free to tone it down, but I think it’s the perfect amount and always think there could be a little more spice in it.  My husband, the pumpkin pie connoisseur, agrees with me on this point.

Now, this is the first time I have ever written this recipe down.  Each time I make the pie I adjust slightly based on the size of the pies (8 or 9 inch, deep dish or regular) to make sure I have enough filling.  This will easily fill 2 9 inch pies,, or 2 8 inch deep dish pies.

Fall Leaf Votive

I still have about 30 small glass votives kicking around from my wedding last year.  I have to say, I’m enjoying coming up with new projects for them to go with the seasons!  Last weekend, I was out walking my dog, and found myself gazing up at the beautiful foliage.  I started reminiscing about a project I remember working on with my mom when I was about 4 years old, when we first moved to New England.  My mom ironed beautiful leaves between pieces of wax paper to preserve them.  This easy DIY reminds me a little of that project.  Here is how they turned out:

All I used for this project was my trusty Mod Podge and acrylic gel medium.  Other necessary items include a small paint brush, razor blade to clean the edges, and the desire to pretend like you have alien hands.  Stay tuned for that.

Mixed Review- Stonewall Kitchen Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix

I decided to celebrate the end of summer and beginning of fall with a special breakfast made from Stonewall Kitchen products.  I stopped by one of their outlet stores and picked up a Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle mix for $3.96, originally $9.95.  I never would have bought the mix had it been full price, but I’m a sucker for a bargain!

The mix requires standard ingredients expected of a pancake mix (eggs, milk, etc.).  I would say I managed to make about 10-12 pancakes with the mix.  For $9.95, I would hope to get more use out of a mix, but these pancakes were delicious.