Old Fashioned Gingerbread

If you love moist, spicy gingerbread cake, please join me for a slice at the children's table!  My friend, Sarah, over at Hyacinth For The Soul  graciously let me share the recipe, and Oh My, is it ever a great one!!  I have loved gingerbread since I was a little girl, have tried several recipes, and now finally found THE ONE!!  I used my Snowy Village cakelet bundt pan to start out the Christmas season.  I made the Big Star quilt years ago to complement my dishes from Target ( when Target was called Gold Circle)  that are probably over 30 years old. 

   

My Lady Catherine's Tea Room was found on a shopping trip with my beloved Mom years ago, too.  My "real" name is Catherine, and Cissy is named after me.  I'll be giving this cottage to her one day.  

 

We are going to be sipping some Comfort and Joy tea, by the Republic of Tea, which is a new favorite of mine.

Yield: This recipe makes 7 cakelets, 4 mini bundt cakes, and 1 mini loaf, or a 9 x 11" cakeAuthor: made from Sarah's recipe at http://hyacinthforthesoul.blogspot.com/

Old Fashioned Gingerbread

ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

2 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1tsp ground ginger

1 cup dark molasses

1 tsp soda

1 cup boiling water

instructions:

Cream butter and sugar. 

Add eggs, flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and molasses.  Mix thoroughly.  Dissolve soda in boiling water and add to batter.  Mix well.  Pour into greased 9"x11" pan and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.  When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

NOTES:

The recipe calls for a  9"x11" pan to bake the gingerbread and serve it as a piece of cake.  To adapt the recipe to bake in the snowy village cakelet pan, I used Baker's Joy and sprayed the molds,  filled each cakelet about 2/3 full,  and baked till a toothpick came out clean,  about 20-25  minutes.  Let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

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Before Thanksgiving, I was able to  have my granddaughters,  Cissy, Ella, and Avery over to have some kitchen fun!  We made the turkey gobble cupcakes that Mary had shown us how to do, from Home Is Where The Boat Is.  The girls did such a good job and kept thanking me.  They're so sweet! 

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Cranberry Apple Crisp

 It's Thanksgiving week and I'm sharing a recipe from Susan Branch's Autumn book.  Last year I made a cranberry apple crisp from Cook's Country, but I tried this recipe and it's my new favorite.  

 I'm using my Lusterware teacup with some Ginger Cranberry Vanilla tea from Tea of Life.  It's a wonderful tea for Fall and Winter.

 I love this teapot for November, with it's harvest of fruits and vegetables.

Yield: 6Author: Kitty, adapted from Autumn, by Susan Branch

Cranberry Apple Crisp

This is my new favorite Fall dessert. The apples turn a pretty pink from the cranberries, and the topping is perfectly crunchy. I hope you try it! I love that there's no additional sugar in the fruit mixture.

ingredients:

4 large apples (I used Honey Crisp), peeled and sliced 1/2" thick

1 cup fresh cranberries (I used ones that I had frozen)

3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/3 cup softened butter

instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a square baking dish.

Place apple slices and cranberries in the pan.

Mix remaining ingredients well and sprinkle over the fruit.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Serve hot with ice cream. 

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I took lunch to sweet granddaughter, Ella at her school. 

 I also took lunch to sweet Avery.  Avery and Ella are sisters. 

 My daughter, Molly,  invited me to grandson Riley's football banquet.  We had a great time!

My son, Kevin,  invited me to go with him to Harper's Thanksgiving program and feast at her school.  I'm always grateful to be included in my family's activities.  

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!  May you have a beautiful day with family and friends. 

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Tiny Pecan Muffins

 Please join me for a cup of Vanilla Chai Tea and a Tiny Pecan Muffin. The beautiful hydrangeas were gifted to me from my youngest daughter-in-law.  Aren't they pretty?  I have them in my teakettle that my son, Mike painted for me.  The plaid plate is from Pier 1.  The pretty framed picture is from Jenna from The Painted Apron , that she painted and made into note cards.  I just love it!

 My teacup is from Grace's teaware, and found at HomeGoods.

 Cissy chose that we make the Tiny Pecan Muffins this week, when I told her that they taste like pecan pie.  Pecan Pie is her favorite (mine, too!).

Yield: 3 dozenAuthor: Kitty, but adapted from The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook

Tiny Pecan Muffins

These little gems taste like pecan pie, and are perfect bite-sized morsels.

ingredients:

1/2 cup self-rising flour  (I used 1/2 cup all purpose flour + 1/4 t. salt +3/4 t. baking powder)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

2 eggs, beaten

instructions:

Mix all ingredients.

Bake in greased (I used Baker's Joy) miniature muffin tins @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Do not bake longer than 15 minutes.

NOTES:

You can line the muffin tins with mini paper liners, but be sure to spray the liner.  My muffin tin is nonstick and the muffins came out just fine.

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My son, Mike, created this pumpkin on my piggy blackboard for Fall.

My grandson, Connor, turned 18 this past week!

My grandson, Riley, turned 15, yesterday!  

Thank you for your visit!  xo

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread and a Birthday

 Our teatime today is on a rainy day, and I'm setting it up in my living room.  Please join me for some pumpkin spice tea and some pumpkin cream cheese bread, won't you?

I want to thank everyone who read my post on My Beloved Mom.  Your thoughts, prayers, and condolences are so appreciated during this time of sadness and loss.  

 One of my favorite tea sets is this one that I bought from Ross years ago.  

 My calico teacup is so pretty for Fall, too.

This Johnson Brothers Olde English Countryside transferware platter is another favorite.

I saw a pillow at Kirkland's recently and went home and sketched out a design that resembled it.  I made a envelope style pillow, but this time used one rectangle of 42" long by 18 and 1/2" wide.  by doing it this way, there aren't any side seams.  First I found the middle and appliqued my design, leaving it kind of shabby.  The pumpkin base is made from osnaburg fabric, and then on top, I used an old sweater that my sister sent me.  After I appliqued,  I then did the envelope sytle in the back and stitched the top and bottom seams...so easy!

Yield: 1 large loaf, and one mini, or 4 mini loaves, 6 cakelets, and 2 mini bundtsAuthor: Kitty, adapted from Heart and Soul Among Friends

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Loaves

This is my daughter, Molly's,  favorite bread that she likes to give as gifts. It's so nice to bake some, and store them in the freezer to give away.  The addition of the cream cheese layer is a nice touch!

ingredients:

For the Bread:

3 and 1/3 cups flour

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 and 2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1 lb. can pumpkin puree

2/3 cup water

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

6 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Topping:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon butter

instructions:

For the Bread:

Grease 1 regular size loaf pan and one small, or a mixture of minis.

Sift together the flour, pumpkin  pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

Beat together sugar and oil until light.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Beat in pumpkin.

Add dry ingredients, alternatively with water to the sugar/oil mixture until it is well blended. 

For the Filling:

Mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.

For the Topping:

Mix the dry ingredients together and cut in the butter until it resembles cornmeal.  Set aside.

Spoon half the batter into each prepared pan. 

Spoon a layer of filling over each. 

Sprinkle with half the topping. 

Add the rest of the pumpkin batter.  Finish off with rest of topping.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes for small loaf,  and 45 minutes for regular loaf.  Use a toothpick to check to see if it comes out clean.

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 Today is Harper's 4th birthday!!  Doesn't she look adorable dressed in her butterfly wings and fairy dress?  Her party was at the Butterfly Gardens, which is a magical place with the prettiest butterflies that I've ever seen!  Of course, Harper was the cutest butterfly ever!

What little girl wouldn't love this mushroom fairy house birthday cake?! 

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Thank you for your visit!  xo